A/N: What's up, my fantastic viewers? :D
I hope you are all doing well. Who is ready for the next chapter? I know I am. :)
Though, before we begin, I would like to thank Applejax XD, decadenceofmysoul, and emily88034 for reviewing the previous chapter. Thank you very much for the kind words! :D I would also like to thank everyone who has added this story to their favorites and follows, and who has taken the time to read this story so far. It really means a lot. You are all amazing! :D :D
Remember, reviews make my day! My goal still stands at getting four reviews per chapter, so feel free to share your thoughts in the reviews or you can PM them to me! :) :)
Fun Fact: Allison's "dandruff" in the movie was actually Parmesan Cheese.
Well, I believe I've shared everything that I wanted to share. The time has come for you all to sit back, relax, and enjoy the next chapter! :D
Happy reading, everyone! Please review! :) :) :D :D
Comrade's POV
I don't think I've ever been in such a hurry to get back to detention. I kept my flannel closed tightly around me, hiding the new hole in my T-shirt and my exposed scar as I fast-walked through the halls. There was no way in hell that I could afford having it seen by any of the other detainees. See, I could handle my grandmother lecturing me about how terrible and wrong it was to argue with the Principal, fight on school property, and damage the clothes she spent tons of money on; but not over the consequences on what could happen if my classmates started to pick up on my depression - especially so close to the end of the school year. It was bad enough that the Criminal - of all people - had managed to see one of my scars.
By the time I made it back to the library, the clock read 10:22 - which meant that it was really 10:02. Brian was standing beside a pillar and flipping through a crinkled magazine that looked like it had seen far better days. Andrew, on the other hand, had his leg prompt up between the bars of the railing and was in the middle of stretching. By the time I saw him reach down towards his calf and begin to rub his hands into his muscles, I flicked my attention over to Claire. She was staring blankly at her piece of paper, clearly trying to distract herself by doodling something on it. As I quickly strolled past her table - nudging the Athlete aside and earning a glare from him in the process, - I was able to notice that she had been adding tiny details to an outline of her hand. Which, by the way, looked like it had been created by a kindergartner.
Roxy was sitting back in her chair, still wearing her excessively dark glasses and eating the remains of her barbecue chips while she listened to some music from her Walkman. She had only one headphone in, leaving the other out so she could hear everything that was going on in the detention. And lastly, Allison was sitting on top of her table, swaying her dirty converse over the edge and watching her thumbs as she twirled them around on her lap. Just the one I needed to see.
I took the longer path around the tables, dropping my knapsack down to the floor beside my seat before I shuffled over to the Recluse. She had already turned her head and locked her eyes on me, as if she had sensed me approaching her. At first, she was wearing a satisfied smirk, no doubt from thinking about how she was the one who was now in possession of the few dozen extra monthly protectors and attractive undergarments. But then, as soon as she noticed that I was holding my flannel shut like my life depended on it, her mischievous grin wavered and her dark eyes glowed with confusion.
"Hey, Al." Keeping my flannel closed, I used my other arm to remove her gray sling from around me and held it out by the strap. "Here's your bag back. All of your new items have been delivered. They're all in there."
A small grin twisted up on one of the corners of Allison's lips as she reached out and took her bag from me. Though, instead of opening it to examine all of her new belongings, she sat the bag aside and her smile faded from her face as she continued to eye my flannel. She raised an eyebrow in curiousness, as if she was asking through her silence, 'Do I dare ask about what you're hiding under there, Reality Check?'
"Yeah, um ... about that ..." I pressed my lips together, taking a quick scan around around at the other detention goers to make sure that none of them were watching. When I was positive that all of them were occupied, I turned my head back to Allison. "I need your help with something. It's urgent."
At my final word, the Basket Case's curiosity thickened and she slightly adjusted her posture, making it clear that she was bracing herself for whatever my serious issue was. Then, without another word from me, I pulled my flannel open and exposed the huge rip in my T-shirt, along with my long, deep red, unavoidable scar. In less than a second, Allison's jaw practically fell all the way down to the floor and her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. At the sight of her shock, I nodded my head a little.
"Comrade," Allison mouthed after the two of us made eye contact again, "what in the hell happened?"
I rolled my eyes and quietly mumbled through somewhat clenched teeth, "Stupid John Bender happened." Just saying his name left a bad taste in my mouth, nearly making me gag. "He wouldn't stop running his damn mouth, saying all of this perverted shit about Roxanne on purpose just to piss me off, and ... I couldn't take it. He pushed me too far."
Allison narrowed her eyes a little at the mention of Bender talking about Roxy, but just as she opened her mouth to mumble something back, she was cut off from the sound of the main door opening. With no hesitation, the Basket Case dropped her attention back down to her lap while the other detainees and I snapped our heads in the direction of the library's entrance. At first, a piece of me thought that it was Mr. Vernon coming to check on us again; but instead, it was the Criminal returning from the bathroom. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he coolly strolled in, no longer showing any signs of previously being in a fight.
Roxy followed the sound of his footsteps, staring perfectly in his direction as she swallowed another mouthful of her chips and licked her fingers. As for the Princess, she rolled her eyes after noticing that it was just Bender and continued to work on her pathetic excuse of a drawing like he wasn't even there. I narrowed my eyes, scolding the Delinquent from over my shoulder as I watched him walk up the ramp. His chain jingled at his side, interrupting the silence. After a few seconds, Brian and Andrew glanced over at me, but while the Nerd looked more uneasy, the Athlete had this serious glint in his eyes, making it look like he was telling me, 'Don't you dare even think about starting another fight!'
Then, after he and Brian went back to minding their own business, I shifted my attention back over to Bender. Until now, I hadn't noticed that he was staring right back at me with an irritated glare plastered on his face. His eyes were skeptical, but also coated with bitterness as he pulled his gloved hands out of his pockets and pushed himself up onto the librarian's desk, leaving his legs dangling over the edge. We stared at each other for about seven seconds before he slowly narrowed his eyes, reminding me that he wasn't planning on forgetting about what he saw on my side any time soon. Eventually, the Criminal looked away and stared down at this book that was resting beside his thigh. Without a word, he swiped it up and carelessly began to rip it apart.
I rolled my eyes again, muttering "Сукин сын..." under my breath before I glanced back around at Allison. At the same time, she peered up at me from the corner of her eye, waiting a moment before turning her head. 'Son of a bitch...'
"You two got into a fight?" the Basket Case asked, lip-syncing her words perfectly.
"Yeah." Despite how I was a master at lying, there was no point in trying to hide the truth from Allison. She knew me better than anyone else on the whole planet, aside from Roxy. Not only that, but she practically had a built-in lying detector. "I told him multiple times to shut up, he wouldn't listen, and I ended up throwing the first punch. We ended up fighting on the floor for about a minute before Vernon charged in and pulled us apart. Now, as punishment, Dick is scheduling a home visit to talk face-to-face with my grandparents and I'm expected to serve Saturday detention for the rest of the school year."
Allison's mouth fell open again, but she didn't look as shocked as she was when she first saw what Bender did to my shirt. Then, after reeling her jaw back in, the Basket Case shifted her eyes to the side so she could be staring past me and used her chin to gesture in Roxy's direction. As she did, she let out a tiny and barely audible squeak that sounded like it belonged to a rat; and it wasn't difficult for me to understand what she was trying to say. I was going to have to tell my sister about the bathroom catastrophe at some point. If I didn't, she was going to figure it out on her own by the time I received another lecture or Vernon stopped by our house.
"I know, I know. I'll tell her everything that happened ... but not right now." I looked down at the hole in my shirt and stared at my vulnerable scar, biting down on my bottom lip from the dark memories before I glanced back up at the Recluse. "I've got to get this thing covered before anyone else sees it. Do you have any Band-Aids in your bag?"
Allison quickly pulled her bag up onto her lap and started rummaging through it. For a moment, her eyes lit up with satisfaction at the sight of her new panties and bras; but she kept on top of her searching and eventually pulled out a medium-sized pack of plain Band-Aids. Remaining as quiet as a mouse, she popped the top open and pulled out one of the rectangular plasters, handing it over to me as soon as she did.
I let out a deep breath, deflating my chest in relief before I peeled the back of the Band-Aid off with my teeth and placed it on top of my scar. That was - without a doubt - going to be one hell of a bitch to rip off later on, but at least it helped keep my cutting a secret.
"Thanks, Basket Case." I said as soon as I finished making sure that the whole scar was out of sight. "You're a lifesaver."
Allison's sly smile returned to her face as she mouthed, "It's no problem, Comrade." I could've sworn that I saw a bright shade of pink slip across her cheeks ... but then again, it was probably just my eyes playing tricks on me since I was still trying to cope with mine and Roxy's unpleasant past.
Nonetheless, I couldn't help but grin a little back at Allison. Then, after I watched her tuck the Band-Aids back into her bag and go back to fiddling around with her fingertips, I finally turned away. I could feel the Criminal's eyes following my every move as I walked back to my table, but I ignored his cold stare and pulled my chair out. At the sound of its legs scraping against the floor, Roxy snapped her head in my direction and stared at me. I plopped down beside her, kicking my feet up on the table in the process.
"God, Comrade, that was one heck of a long bathroom break." Her accent was drenched in a mixture of concern and relief. "Is everything okay?"
I peeked over at her from the corner of my eye and pursed my lips. "Yeah, Rox. Don't worry. Everything is fine." I assured, maintaining a perfectly nonchalant voice. Although, on the inside, I felt a small sting of guilt shoot through my heart. Lying to others might've not been a big deal to me, but lying to my blind sister might as well have been a crime.
Roxy furrowed her brow, contemplating my answer. Nonetheless, as she opened her mouth to attempt saying something back, she was cut off when the irritating sound of paper being shredded filled the air once again. The Criminal had just torn the cover clear off from the book that he was holding and ripped it in half.
With an annoyed groan, Roxy glanced in the direction of the noise. "Would it kill you to knock that off?" she sneered.
Almost instantly, Bender rose his head and stared at her with the same bored expression plastered on his face. Though, instead of saying anything back, he silently flung his arm back and chucked the torn pieces of the cover into the air, making it obvious that he was trying to throw them at her. With no hesitation, my eyes hardened and I shot my arm out to prevent Roxy from getting hit, but the ripped pages didn't get far. One piece landed on the Jock's prompt up leg while the other fluttered down on the Princess's table, landing beside her arm.
Claire stared at her half blankly, while Andrew rolled his eyes and discarded his to the floor.
I slowly lowered my arm, continuing to scowl at the Delinquent. "I swear..." Even in my head, the words were seething in rage, "...if he even thinks about laying a finger on her, I'm going to smash his skull in."
"That's real intelligent." Andrew spoke up, sarcastically nodding as he watched Bender rip out another page of the book.
"You're right." Bender replied dryly. He made eye contact with the Athlete. "It's wrong to destroy literature. Such fun to read."
Roxy crossed her arms over her chest, choking down on a laugh. "What would you know about reading? I'd hate to burst your bubble, Rebellion 101, but police records don't exactly count as literature."
At the sound of her wise tone, a tiny smirk curled up on the edges of my lips; but I remained silent as I gently rocked myself back and forth in my chair.
Bender rolled his eyes, but aside from that, he ignored Roxy completely and flipped the book over so he could see the author's name.
"And..." He shook his bangs out of his face. "Mo-lay really pumps my nads."
The smirk vanished from my face. I arched an eyebrow in utter disbelief at his pronunciation of the writer's name, just as the redhead vaguely shined her lipstick with her tongue. A flirtatious grin spread across her face.
"Moliere." Claire, Roxy, and I corrected in unison. Though, the three of us used different tones. The Diva was frisky, Roxy was offhanded, and I was serious.
Bender immediately turned his head in Roxy's direction again, noticing that she now had a small smile playing around with one of the corners of her mouth. A pale shade of red slipped across his cheeks. Claire spun around in her seat, no longer grinning as she shot daggers at me and Roxy. Her jealousy was evident. While she was trying to get the Criminal's attention, he kept getting drawn back to Roxy. I had to admit, it was entertaining to see the Princess get her panties in a bunch; but at the same time, it wasn't like I actually enjoyed seeing Bender fall for my sister either.
"I love his work." Brian suddenly shared, which only resulted in Bender furiously chucking some more of the papers at him.
The Nerd ducked behind the pillar for protection, causing another smile to briefly cross Claire's face. At the same time, Roxy rested her cheek against her closed fist and let out an irritated huff before she muttered, "Какой осел..." It was obvious that she was talking about Bender. 'What an ass...' I rolled my eyes at the Criminal's childishness, keeping my legs prompt up on the table as I slightly adjusted my tailbone in my chair.
"Give the pipsqueak a break." I spoke up, sounding bored. "Seriously, Moliere isn't that bad of a writer."
Brian turned his head and looked at me, his eyes now wide like he had just seen a ghost. "You've read Moliere's work?" he asked.
"Yeah, I've read plenty of stuff by him." I glanced back at the stunned Geek before I started ticking titles off on my fingers. "Tartuffe, The Mister, The Imaginary Invalid, The School Of Wives..." I stopped, taking a moment to remember the dozens of more books and plays that I've read before I casually shrugged. "But none of it compares to Greek Mythology tales or Shakespeare's work, especially Julius Caesar and The Odyssey."
By this point, all of the detainees were staring at me. Allison and Roxy were smiling, but while the Recluse's grin was small and mostly hidden by her hair, my sister's was fully exposed and spread practically ear-to-ear across her face. Andrew and Bender, on the other hand, were looking at me like I didn't have the slightest clue as to what I was saying; and Claire was evidently just as surprised as Brian.
I scoffed at being the center of attention. "Big surprise, I actually have a thing for reading. Sue me."
For a minute, everything was silent - until Bender tossed the ruined book aside and replaced it with the card catalog that sat nearby.
"Big deal." He said as he started to pull the perfectly organized cards out of their spots and shove them back into the wrong places. "Nothing to do when you're locked in a vacancy."
"Ah, speak for yourself." Sporto remarked, watching the darker-haired teen with a bitter glint in his eyes.
"Do you think I'd speak for you?" Bender asked in a much more challenging tone. "I don't even know your language."
The Jock shot him a dry glare, but refused to waste another breath on the Rebel. I could see the Princess watching the two of them from the corner of her eye - just waiting for Sporto to engage in some type of conversation with her. Damn, first she wanted attention from Bender and now she wanted it from Andrew? That bitch was far more slutty and self-centered than I'd previously thought.
Andrew rested his arm against the railing and turned around, but instead of looking at Claire, he glanced over at Roxy.
"Hey," Jockstrap said, "you grounded tonight?"
In less than a second, Claire sprang around in her chair again. The envy was boiling like lava in her Hershey eyes, despite how the rest of her face was masked with a mixture of criticism and shock. Her second attempt at getting any attention - just like her first one - had been ruined by my sister. And that - of course - irritated the Cherry like hell.
Roxy raised an eyebrow, seeming to know that she was the one being put on the spot. "What's it to you?" she asked as she stared perfectly in the direction of Sporto's voice.
Andrew hesitated, taking a moment to gaze over his shoulder at Bender, who had just finished pulling out another group of cards from the catalog. Though, instead of jamming them back in right away, Bender stopped and skeptically lowered his eyebrows at the Jock. Then, after confirming that he was paying attention, Andrew slid his attention back over to Roxy.
"Big party at Stubby's, parents are in Europe. Should be pretty wild." With every word Andrew spoke, the harder Bender started to slam the cards back into the catalog. "If you want, you can come."
I viciously narrowed my eyes, envisioning my hands wrapping around the Jock's neck and strangling him as I straightened myself completely in my chair. Just what in the hell did he think he was doing? I made it as clear as day in the bathroom that Roxy was off limits to not just Bender, but to him and the Nerd as well. Not only that, but I've heard plenty of rumors as to what 'activities' go down during parties at that Stubby kid's house. And I sure as hell wasn't planning on letting my sister go there any time soon. Especially not after what happened back in Russia.
"Um..." Roxy said. She crossed her arms over her chest, not sounding satisfied. "Thanks, I guess ... but parties aren't my thing."
Claire narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips in an impatient manner before glancing back down at her lame-ass drawing.
"Are you sure?" Andrew asked, keeping his voice calm. "Some of the other wrestlers were talking about sneaking over to Mr. Lange's house and pulling some pranks after having a couple of drinks. It's going to be fun, I bet."
Roxy shook her head a little, still not impressed. "Sorry, Jockstrap, but partaking in drinking isn't my thing either. I'm afraid you're going to have to ask some other girl."
The Athlete took a minute to just stare at her, but didn't say another word. He then glanced at me, getting an eyeful of my cold stare before he finally looked away and locked his attention on the Princess.
"What about you?" Andrew asked, waiting for the Claire to glance back at him before continuing. "Are you grounded tonight?"
The redhead shrugged, as if she hadn't been jealous. "I don't know. My mom said I was, but my dad told me just to blow her off."
"Well, are you going to go to the party?"
Claire peeked down at the floor for a moment before shrugging again. "I doubt it."
"How come?" Sporto asked, clearly not wanting his invitation to be rejected by another girl.
"Well, 'cause if I do what my mother tells me not to do, it's because my father says it's okay. It's like this whole, big monster deal." Claire explained, vaguely shaking her head as she waved her hand around. "It's endless and it's a total drag."
Roxy scoffed, turning her attention down to her lap and pretending to fiddle around with her Walkman as she muttered, "Слушая ее жалуются на это общее лобовое сопротивление..." under her breath. 'Listening to her complain is a total drag...'
"It's like any minute, divorce." Claire finished, rolling her eyes and flicking her hand at the final word.
"Who do you like better?" Bender suddenly asked.
The Princess glanced over at him, a naive look forming on her face. "What?"
Bender slightly gestured around with his handful of cards as he clarified, "You like your old man better than your mom?"
"They're both screwed." Claire replied, staring at the darker-haired teen like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
I let out a loud, highly unrealistic laugh. "He's referring to if you had to choose between them, Strawberry."
The Drama Queen didn't think twice before sending me an icy scowl from over her shoulder. In return, I sent her a teasing smirk and waved. We ended up staring at each other for about five seconds before she turned back around and stared at her table in thought. She raised her shoulders again, and my fake grin immediately vanished.
"I don't know ... I'd probably go live with my brother." Claire answered at last. A tiny grin played around with her lips at the mention of her sibling, but it vanished as soon as she turned her attention back to Bender. "I mean, I don't think either one of them gives a shit about me. It's like they use me just to get back at each other."
"HA!" Allison abruptly shouted, causing everyone to immediately snap their heads in her direction.
A short string of snickers escaped Roxy's mouth, just as a wide and satisfied smile spread across my face. The rest of the detainees, on the other hand, gaped at the Basket Case in a mixture of shock and confusion. Although, it didn't take long for me to notice that small half of a grin that Andrew was wearing. It caused something deep down inside of me to grow a little hot. I didn't know what it was; but what I did know was that I didn't like Sporto looking at Allison like that.
Nevertheless, I kept quiet and turned my head back over to Allison. She opened her mouth, acting like she was going to say something, and puffed her bangs out of her face. Then, a vague smile spread across her lips as she witnessed Roxy shoot her a thumbs-up from the corner of her eye.
"Shut up!" Claire snapped.
Andrew glanced back at her, no longer grinning as he said, "You're just feeling sorry for yourself."
"Yeah, well, if I didn't, nobody else would!" the Princess bellowed, raising her voice to defend herself.
"Aw, you're breaking my heart." Jockstrap said sarcastically as he turned back around to face the railing. At the same time, Roxy pretended to wipe some tears away from her cheeks as she said through a few staged sniffles, "Oh, that's a tragedy. You poor little thing."
"Sporto?" Bender spoke up, butting back into the conversation.
"What?" Andrew sneered.
The Criminal tossed the remaining cards over his shoulder, placed the catalog aside, and hopped down from the librarian's desk. "You get along with your parents?" he asked.
Sporto blinked a couple of times, as though he was debating whether or not he should give an honest reply. "Well, if I say yes, I'm an idiot, right?" he snipped eventually.
Bender leaped over the railing. "You're an idiot anyway," he remarked as soon as he landed in front of the Jock, "but if you say you get along with your parents, well you're a liar, too."
Claire watched the two of them with interest, as if she was imagining that they were in the middle of fighting over her. I, on the other hand, watched in boredom as Bender began to walk away with Andrew glaring at his back. Brian's eyes were glowing with nervousness, following the Athlete as he stormed after the Delinquent and shoved him in the back of his shoulder.
"You know something, man?" Andrew asked, watching as Bender slowly turned back around and stared at him. "If we weren't in school right now, I'd waste you."
"Can you hear this?" The Criminal held his hand out, palm-side down with his fingers slightly curled like claws. "You want me to turn it up?" Then, with a slow rotation of his wrist, it was revealed that he was really flicking Jockstrap off.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I spoke up, still sounding bored as the Nerd approached the two other guys; but it was too late for him. He had already placed his hands on both of their shoulders in an attempt to calm them down.
"Hey, fellas..." Brian started, but was immediately cut off when Andrew and Bender roughly pushed his hands away from them. The Brain swallowed thickly and gestured to himself, continuing. "I-I-I don't like my parents either. I mean, I don't-" He was cut off again by the Athlete, who nudged him aside so he could walk down to mine and Roxy's table. Without sparing me or my sister a glance, he leaned himself back against the edge and watched in annoyance as Brian continued to babble.
"I don't get along with them at all," the Geek explained, resulting in me raising an eyebrow at him in utter disbelief. "I mean, their idea of parental compassion is just, you know ... wacko." Before his last word, he made a motion with his hand that was supposed to represent his head exploding.
Bender gestured towards him. "Dork..."
"Yeah?" Brian asked, gaping at the Thug like he was just glad that someone was talking to him.
"You are a parent's wet dream, okay?" Bender, with more force than necessary, smacked Brian on the arm three times. By the third slap, Brian plopped down on the table that he had been standing beside and watched as Bender started to approach the hideous statue.
"Well, that's the problem."
With a sharp huff, the Criminal turned back around and pointed at the Nerd again.
"Look, I can see you getting all bunged up from them making you wear these kind of clothes," Bender sneered as he gestured to Brian's cheesy outfit, "but face it, you're a Neo-Maxie-Zoom-Dweebie! What would you be doing if you weren't out making yourself a better citizen?"
"Why do you have to insult everybody?" Andrew suddenly demanded, peeking up from where he'd been glaring at the floor.
"Yeah. Seriously, Bender," Roxy piped in, sounding just as annoyed as the Jock, "is this how you get your kicks in life? By being a straight-up bitch to other people?"
Bender dropped his arms down to his sides and pursed his lips in aggravation. "I'm being honest, assholes," he pointed out, staring at Roxy for a few seconds before he turned back to Andrew and added, "I would expect you to know the difference."
Sporto gestured towards the Wimp. "Yeah, well, he's got a name."
"Yeah?" Bender sarcastically remarked.
"Yeah!" Andrew gazed over at Brian, who was staring down at his knees. "What's your name?"
The Nerd shyly looked up and replied in a tiny voice, "Brian..."
"See?" The Athlete sneered, but the Hoodlum was too busy staring at Brian to acknowledge him.
"My condolences." Bender spoke with mock sincerity and pointed at the Geek as he walked past him.
For a moment, the whole library became silent; but it didn't last long, of course. By the time Bender made it to the front of the room and curved around to the front of the Strawberry's table, he froze in his tracks and looked over at me.
"What about you, Russian Roulette?" the darker-haired teen suddenly asked, resulting in the other detention goers glancing over at me as well.
I didn't hesitate to sardonically fire back, "What about me, Rebellion 101?"
"Your name." And then, as if I was in desperate need of further clarification, he said in a slightly slower voice, "What is your name?"
When all he got in response from me was a scornful stare, the Burnout continued, "Come on, if we are all going to be trapped in this hell hole together, we might as well know each other's names." He made a gesture with his arms to include the other detainees in this discussion.
I slumped down a little more in my chair, half of me wishing that I could just fade into thin air. Then, while remaining silent, I straightened my lips and took a scan around the library at the other detention goers. The Brain, the Athlete, and the Princess were staring at me with curiosity covering their faces, as though they were waiting for me to do some sort of trick. Roxy was biting down on her bottom lip and looking down at her lap, already knowing what was going to happen if I shared my name. And lastly, the Basket Case was pretending to occupy herself by messing around with a lose string on her scarf; but she was really peeking over at me from the corner of her eye.
"This is Saturday detention, not summer camp." I sneered, but after a moment of silence went by with everyone still looking at me, I let out a deep sigh. "Ugh, fine ... Comrade..."
Bender's eyebrows instantly knitted together. "I'm sorry, what?" His voice was drenched in disbelief. "Did you just say ... that your name is Com-rade?"
I looked down at my knees, narrowing my eyes at how he had purposely stretched out my name; but before I could open my mouth to respond, Claire blurted out, "That's your actual name?"
"Yes," I nodded slightly, speaking in a dead serious tone, "it even says so on my birth certificate."
"My God..." a devious, insulting grin spread widely across the Burnout's face, exposing some of his teeth as he snickered. "And here I thought the Dweeb over there had a bad name. Your parents never gave you a chance, huh, Comrade?"
At the mention of my parents, something flared inside of me. I shot Bender a death mock stare, putting my anger on full display as Roxy pressed her lips tightly together and started to impatiently tap her knuckles against the table.
"You know, if I were you, I'd think twice before insulting me about my name. I'm not the one named after a toilet, John." A vague smirk twisted up on one of the corners of my lips as I witnessed Bender's grin immediately waver. "But look on the bright side, it suits you perfectly. You are full of shit, after all."
Allison bit down on her bottom lip and clapped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing. At the same time, a bitter scowl swept across the Criminal's face, the sharp glint in his eyes giving it away that he was holding himself back from throwing another punch at me. Everything became quiet - so quiet that I was sure that if a pin dropped, it could be heard from every inch of the school. Nonetheless, the silence was shattered when the Princess rotated herself around in her chair and she said to Roxy, "What's your name?"
The Thug didn't hesitate to turn his attention to the redhead. "What's yours?" he asked, the tone of his voice making it sound like she wasn't good enough to know my sister's name.
Claire turned back around and looked at him. She hesitated, swallowing thickly before answering, "Claire."
"Ka-lair?" Bender asked, over enunciating her name like he had done with mine.
"Claire," the Princess repeated, staring up at him prissily, "it's a family name."
Bender shook his head slightly and spoke like he actually was taking the time to think about her, "Noo, it's a fat girl's name."
"Oh, thank you." Claire sneered sarcastically.
"You're welcome." The Criminal retorted with even more sarcasm.
Claire's face hardened into a glare. "I'm not fat!" she barked.
"Well, not at present, but I can see you really pushing maximum density." Bender informed. He raised his eyebrows, watching the Diva furiously purse her lips as he went on with his insult. "You see, I'm not sure if you know this, but there are two kinds of fat people. There's fat people who were born to be fat, and then there's fat people who were once thin, but they became fat. So when you look at them, you can sort of see that thin person inside."
"О, боже..." Roxy growled, just as Claire glanced away to avoid looking into Bender's mischievous eyes. 'Oh, good grief...' Though, the Rebel wasn't finished yet. He caught the Drama Queen's attention again.
"You see, you're gonna get married, you're gonna squeeze out a few puppies, and then, uh..." Bender trailed off, mimicking the sound of a balloon being blown up as he used his hands to mime someone becoming obese. Then, when he couldn't extend his arms out any further, he released his air like the balloon had exploded and snickered in pride.
Claire narrowed her eyes, shaking her head a little as she raised her hand and flipped the bird at Bender.
A small, vague chuckle escaped from the mouth. I swear, she couldn't even flick people off without acting like a total snob.
"Oh." Bender said with mock astonishment. "Such obscene finger gestures from such a pristine girl."
"I'm not that pristine." Claire objected, despite how their was a resentful glint in her eyes.
The Burnout placed his hands flat down on the table and leaned in towards the Princess. Then, while staring deeply into her eyes, he whispered, "Are you a virgin?"
Claire refused to answer, staring back at him like he was insane.
"I'll bet you a million dollars that you are." Bender continued, each word smoother than the last. "Let's end the suspense ... is it going to be a ... white weddin'?" A horribly staged Texan accent wrapped around his final two words.
"Why don't you shut up?" the Snob snapped. It was obvious that she was very uncomfortable.
"Have you ever kissed a boy on the mouth?"
Claire's shoulders sunk a little and her face began to turn pink, resembling her blouse. For a moment, it looked like she was actually going to respond; but then she closed her mouth and decided to remain silent.
"Have you ever been felt up?" Bender asked, openly expressing his perverted mind to the whole room. "Over the bra ... under the blouse ... shoes off..."
Allison straightened her lips and looked away. Whether it was from annoyance or from feeling violated, I didn't know. At the same time, Roxy slumped her shoulders and melted into the back of her chair, looking down at her lap as she twirled her thumbs around. Her jet-black bangs - which she had purposely left out of her ponytail - suspended in front of her face, helping to hide the massive blush that had spread rapidly across her cheeks like a wildfire.
"Hoping to God your parents don't walk in?" the Criminal continued.
Claire blinked a few times, her voice quiet and disgusted. "Do you want me to puke?"
A devious, satisfied smile slowly began to spread over Bender's face. "Over the panties..." His paused to steal a quick glance of my sister, eyeing her breasts, "... no bra ... blouse unbuttoned..." He then swept his gaze back over to the redhead, not giving me the chance to curse him out. "Calvin's in a ball in the front seat past eleven on a school night?"
I crinkled my nose a little in disgust at his last question and grumbled, "Валовой..." to myself. 'Gross...'
By this point, the Princess resembled a deer caught in headlights and was no longer trying to put on a tough act. Her scowl was gone from her face and her blush was increasing more by the minute.
"Leave her alone." Sporto spoke up from where he was still sitting on the edge of mine and Roxy's table.
Claire attempted to look away, but Bender followed her gaze and maintained their eye contact for a couple of more seconds.
Noticing this, Andrew stood up and walked to the middle of the aisle. "I said leave her alone!" He stopped in his tracks when he was beside the Geek, eyes swarming with seriousness.
The Criminal removed his attention from the Diva and slowly stood back up to his full height, his eyes now locked on the Athlete.
"You gonna make me?" he asked darkly.
Andrew nodded his head a little, "Yeah."
Roxy bit down on her bottom lip, nibbling at some of the skin as I watched Bender climb up on top of Claire's table. He stomped across it, each of his footsteps echoing through the air, and used Jockstrap's empty chair as his final step down to the floor. The two of them stood before each other, staring threateningly into the other's eyes with Brian sitting nervously on the table directly behind them.
"You and how many of your friends?" Bender asked, slightly leaning in towards the Jock to egg him on.
"Just me. Just you and me. Two hits. Me hitting you, you hitting the floor." Andrew scowled, watching as the Criminal flashed him an amused smirk. "Anytime you're ready, pal."
Bender glanced down at the floor, waiting a moment before he threw his arm up and playfully tapped Andrew in the jaw with the back of his hand. In the blink of an eye, Sporto had his arms looped tightly around Bender's, trapping them behind his back and forcing him down to the ground. At the sight of Bender struggling to get free before Andrew managed to pin him down, Allison's jaw dropped and my eyes shot gigantic. I honestly didn't see that coming from Jockstrap. At the same time, Brian practically slid back to the middle of the table that he was sitting on and Roxy released a startled gasp.
"I don't want to get into this with you, man." Bender growled.
Andrew jumped back up, shoving the Delinquent in the back as he did so. "Why not?" he asked.
Bender helped himself up from the floor, flipping his hair back. "'Cause I'd kill you..." He rolled his shoulders and started walking backwards, refusing to say another word until he could see the Jock again. "It's real simple ... I'd kill you and your fucking parents would sue me and it'd be a big mess and I don't care enough about you to bother." He wouldn't stop gesturing around with his hands, sending a few glances to me, Roxy, and Allison like we were supposed to back him up some how. But by his last 'and', he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants and stopped walking.
Sporto rolled his eyes, making a move to sit back down as he muttered, "Chickenshit."
Then, I could've sworn I felt my heart roughly ram against my chest as Bender pulled out a switchblade from his pocket. The sight of it had my eyes growing once again, and the small click that it made when the Thug flipped it open practically rang in my ears. Everyone immediately froze, watching as Bender shot Andrew a dead serious glare before he flicked the blade down and stabbed its sharp point into the back of the empty chair at the Basket Case's table. I took down a thick gulp, clearing a large lump from the middle of my throat.
"Let's end this right now," Andrew sneered, "you don't talk to her ... you don't look at her..."
I watched as Allison leaned over, folding her hands over the blade's handle and pulling it out of the chair. Without being noticed by Bender, she closed it back up and slipped it underneath her polka-dot scarf, where I knew a pocket was hidden. She peeked over at me from the corner of her eye, resulting in me quickly looking away and trying to shove aside the unpleasant flashbacks that Bender's blade caused me to remember.
"And you don't even think about her!" Sporto finished, jabbing his finger roughly in the Criminal's direction. "You understand me?"
Bender shoved his hands back into his pockets and said, "I'm trying to help her." By this point, he was bored with the whole situation.
"She doesn't need your help, Bender." Roxy sneered, as if she hadn't been blushing just minutes before. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at our table. "None of us need your help."
A vague hint of another smirk curled up on the right corner of Bender's mouth. "You sure about that, Russian Beauty?" he asked after flicking some more of his hair out of his face.
"Stop calling me that!" the Handicapped hissed. "The name's Roxanne ... Roxy, for short."
Silence invaded the library again.
A/N: Another chapter is finished! :D :D :) :)
I hope you all enjoyed it! :) :)
Another Fun Fact: Originally, there was supposed to be a Mr. Lange in "The Breakfast Club", but he - along with a few other characters - were cut.
Please review! My goal still stands at getting four reviews per chapter, so please feel free to share your thoughts! I appreciate all of your feedback. :) :) :D :D
Until the next chapter, happy reading and writing to you all! Stay tuned, everyone! :D :D :) :) God bless!
THE BREAKFAST CLUB FOREVER!
