Trembling Girl

It was just the expression on the man´s face that let him know he wasn't stopping soon--but John Bender was a tough guy. He couldn't allow the God damn barstard to see how much pain he was feeling, to see the ache marked on his eyes. That was what he dreamt he could be able of doing. Instead, John Bender was a little scared puppy, kneeling and crawling with each kick his father gave to his ribs. The 13 years old boy with the spiky hair could see, from the corner of his eye, his unconcious mother laying against the couch, with the orange container on her left hand and the pills pouring out of it.

"Why did you let her do that, you selfish motherfucker?!" the oger asked, kicking his slim body again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" were the only words he could manage to take out of his mouth, that slowly started to fill up with the familiar red liquid.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" the same boy screamed, but now with a diferent voice, a grown voice. John Bender sobbed hard, pannick on his face, almost contorting, as one big scream of pain woke him up.

The lids flew open and the pupils shrank, as he took in his surroundings. He saw a dark figure and after a second recognized it as Vlad, his best friend. The teen was simply sitting on the floor, and had a hand extended toward John with a cup on it.

"Thanks" John said, taking it and taking a sip of the hot coffee. It burned his tongue, but he hold it on his mouth calmly...that was just what he needed to forget the aweful memories that filled his mind. With the back of his hand he wiped out the little tears that had managed to scape and roll down his face, before they could get further.

He couldn't be more thankful to Vlad. After all, he had let him crash at his house that Sunday. With a sigh Bender stood up from the couch he was in and helped the green eyed boy up. While drinking the strong beverage, he and the other guy went and sit on the kitchen counter, without saying a word. It was a comfortable silence. Like that they stayed for a long while, Vlad simply keeping his friend accompanied, knowing there was nothing he could do to relieve his grief... he never could. It didn't matter what happened, Bender had always that sad look upon his face, properly covering it with his smug grin for those who didn't know him.

"What day is it today?" Bender suddenly asked, startling Vlad a bit.

"It's march 25th. Why?"

It was Monday, march 25th, 1985, Bender concluded. Exactly a year after that bizarre detention day. Absently John's hand flew to his left ear lobe, empty. Memories hit him.

He was at one of the high school hallways, looking for the red haired girl he dreamt of for the whole weekend after that Saturday detention. She was no where to be found. Suddely, a girly voice hit trough his ears, and he turn arround to find the source of it. There, surrounded by her bitchy friends, was Claire, Claire Standish, his Claire. But, was she really his?

Washing that thought away he started walking toward her, but the conversation stopped him.

"Oh my God, Claire!" one of her girlfriends was saying "I can't believe you made it out of that losers can! Because I guess it was an absolute torture, wasn't it?"

Bender saw her doubt and a glimpse of hope ran trough his body, but then, with a swich on her expression, his smile crashed. "Yeah, I miracously scaped it". Now he was angry.

Claire felt ashamed of her self. After everything that had happened on Saturday, she was betraying the people that had become her real friends. You disgust me she tought. Five seconds after those aweful words came from her mouth, a "Hey, Cherry!" coming from his back startled her. It was him.

She turned arround to face John Bender's cocky smile, that hid really well his indignation.

"You drop this, princess" he said, putting something small on her hand and turning around. She somehow knew what was it, but she still felt the emptiness on her stomach as she turned down her head slowly and watched the little diamond stud. The familiar ache of tears filled her eyes but she fought them back. Bender now walked trough the end of the hallway with a red haired guy and a skinny, short girl.

Claire eventually turn him back the earring, placing it inside of his unlocked locker next to a wrinkled paper that said simply It´s yours any way. He didn't wore it though, but kept it and looked at it every now and then.

"Bender! Bender!"

"Huh?"

"What's up man? You were out for a while."

"Oh, it was nothing. I was just thinking."

"Thinking? Well done! That's a healthy exercise!" Vlad joked, earning a playful smack on the head from Bender's huge hand.

They laughed and shared more jokes, and when Vlad was in someway sure that John was calmed, he decided to take a shower. "I'll be right back man." he said.

"Whoa, think about me, sexy!" Bender said playfully, imitating a girl's voice. Vlad laughed and went out of the kitchen.

Then, John was alone, alone to wonder. He thought carefully about every happening of the last year. The stares Claire gave him, well, the non-stares she gave him, his grades decressing even lower, and the two months he had to spend in detention, taking in Vernon's insults. He wouldn't admit it, not even to Vlad, but those insults hurt him badly. It wasn't nice to have his parents and teachers say what a waste of space he was every day of the week, and it was even less nice to have to listen to that on weekend, too, a time he would spend in those days hanging arround with his friends and getting high.

He didn't get high any more. He didn't have to stand Vernon's stupidity, and he didn't have to stand to look at Claire and see she wouldn't look back; because five months ago, after having the biggest fight with his father he could ever had had, he ran away from home, from high school, from Shermer. He was living in Boston now, had emancipated and was studying at night, while in the morning he worked in a construction company to pay the bills. He was doing really good, but about three days ago he got nostalgic for some reason and decided to make a visit to his town. God, things could change so much in a year.

The door bell interrupted his thoughts and Vlad was still showering, so he decided to go look who it was. He checked the clock. 3 a.m. Who the hell calls to the door bell at this our?... in Shermer?

Warily he opened the door and looked down, to find a girl with a nervous look on her eyes. She was trembling and looking every where, except for the shirtless guy in front of her.

"Please, please could you help me?" she said, trying to cover the sobs that tried to scape from her mouth. She was obviously crying.

His mouth was opened with wide shock, and so were his eyes. Seeing he didn't respond, the small, red haired girl looked up, straight into his brown, almost hazel irises.

He then asked, observing her own surprise, the question that was trapped in his mouth from the moment he saw her. "Cla-Claire?"

Okay, so this is the first chapter of my first story, so don't be too hard on me please =) Well i'm latin, so I blame that fact for any grammar mistake. If you see any please tell me. I love constructive criticism and support, so give me some love ppl!! XOXO thanxs! I'll upload as soon as i see a review ;)