I don't own the Breakfast Club

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews thus far! This chapter was inspired by a review from BLKGURLSMUSE in my fanfic "Defeated" of Allison and Andrew conversing on how to apologize to Larry and deal with his parents' pressure. Thank you very much for the ideas!

Enjoy!

The diner was lively on a Saturday afternoon when Allison and Andrew arrived. Waitresses attended waiting tables with food and milkshakes while others wiped and cleaned the unoccupied tables. Allison took in the energetic atmosphere of the diner. It was the usual hangout spot for some groups but now, it was filled with study groups hunched over their textbooks and studying as much as they could before the exams the next day. She suspected that she might see Brian and Susan huddled in a corner, but they were nowhere to be found.

"There's an empty booth right there," Andrew broke her out of her observation and pointed to a nearby booth close to the window.

Allison nodded her head and followed him. She took her seat next to the window and enjoyed the pitter-patter sound coming from the rain. She watched as the raindrops hit the window, leaving a streak across. Even the sound coming from the outside was enough to calm her. The gentle sound was enough that Allison allowed it to caress her ears as she gently closed her eyes and immerse herself in the sounds that nature offered.

Andrew took his spot across from her and took in the relaxed look on her face. He found it amazing how Allison was able to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Well, he wouldn't consider the rain to be pleasurable considering how he had gotten sick one time because of training in the rain. However, Allison's reaction towards it made it seem like it was the greatest thing. It served as a reminder to Andrew that he had to just slow down and live in the moment.

Just then, a waitress that was about their age walked towards their table holding two menus. "We'll have the usual," Andrew told her without considering at glancing at the menu, "two vanilla milkshakes and a basket of fries to share."

Allison's lips crept into a smile. It wasn't because she was looking forward to the meal, but because he remembered what she liked. She opened her eyes and then faced Andrew after he had placed the order. She took a good look at the features of his eyes. His eyes, that were the usual calm blue, looked dull and fatigued as if he hadn't slept in days. "What's eating you?" she asked him.

Andrew ran a hand over his head and let out a sigh. Other than studying for the exams that felt like it was sucking the life out him, he had felt at a loss. Studying for these exams made him realize that he didn't hold a lot of interest in these subjects. Wrestling was the only thing that he knew and was good at. Could it have been because it had been ingrained in his mind that he would be successful at something that he hadn't dreamt about? Andrew had thought about that and every time, he had blamed his father for wanting to live his own dream through Andrew. Andrew responded to Allison's question with a shrug. "Just tired of taking people's orders. My old man thinks I've become the loser of the family for getting kicked off the team. He hasn't said a word to me since yesterday."

Having parents not talk to their child was something that Allison wasn't a stranger to. There was a time where she had what she could to get their attention until she had given up. Now it felt that she was just a roommate living in a home with complete strangers. No matter how much her heart craved to have them talk to her, notice her. The only time when they did, especially her mother, was the makeup that Claire had given her. However, Allison wasn't willing to change her image just to please someone. "What do you want to do?" she asked him.

Despite his father's stance, Andrew didn't want to create a rift between his family. He could tell that it was the last thing that his mother needed to deal with. If his father had just stopped and listened to him, then the two of them wouldn't be in this mess. He didn't know whether his father would speak to him tomorrow or even next week. And his mother, she had gone back to not speaking to him after Andrew reveal what had happened between him and Angelo. "Get my high school diploma and leave," Andrew answered her, "I can't take another year of this."

Next year, they'd all be seniors and now that they had formed a bond with one another, Allison contemplated where they would all go. She hated the idea that once they graduated, they would go their separate ways and potentially forget about one another. "Where would you go?" she asked him.

That was a mystery to Andrew. There had been many colleges that were willing to admit him on his wrestling scholarship but now since that plan was out the window, Andrew didn't have a plan B.

Upon his silence, Allison understood that Andrew didn't have an answer. From their Saturday detention, Allison had seen how much parents expected out of their children. Allison didn't consider herself lucky in that category. There were so many things that she wished she could share but the only thing that she shared it with in that house was herself and her cat. Allison took a deep as she reached out and placed her hand on Andrew's.

Andrew turned his hand over and held onto her fingers as if she was his lifeline.

"Don't worry," Allison told him, "things will find their way of falling into place. You just keep being yourself. He will eventually see it."

Andrew hoped that they would be the right pieces, but his father was quite stubborn. Just then, the aroma of freshly fried crispy fries and sweet milkshakes were set between them. Allison let go out of his hand, even though Andrew was craving for that touch. As the two of them started to eat their lunch, their conversation consisted of anything other than the exams and their parents. Allison told Andrew about her joining the art competition.

Andrew took interest in that and listened to her with intent. The way she spoke about art, the passion that sparked in her eyes, and the ideas that she shared with him were infectious. "I take it that Susan is joining too?" he asked, knowing how much her passion lingered in art.

"It'll be a good competition," Allison admitted. She believed that they were both strong artists, but how everything needed to be a competition, there could only be one winner. At least Susan was understanding about it and took it with sportsmanship. She took a French fry and dipped it in the milkshake before taking a bite.

Before Andrew inquired what drawings she was thinking of submitting, the bell that hung on the front door of the diner chimed as a rowdy group of Shermer's athletes walked into the diner. Andrew turned in his seat and saw the majority were his former teammates from the wrestling team. He rolled his eyes when he caught sight of Angelo as he made his way over to the counter with the others.

"Great," Andrew breathed and silently prayed that no one would notice him. He had the aching desire to march up to Angelo and sock him one more time after what he had almost done to Allison.

Allison's eyes moved over to the group. Her eyes fell on Andrew and noticed the intensity behind him. His jaw set as if he was ready to pounce and grappled someone to the floor. The moment their eyes met, Allison slowly shook her head at him as if he could read her mind. Then, her eyes fell towards a person who was sitting not too far from the athletes. He sat in a booth, where he felt glad that he had his back turned to the athletes. The look on his face showed nervousness but at the same time, he remained focused in his textbook.

Andrew caught the faraway look in her eyes. "What are you looking at?" he asked her.

"Lester," Allison answered him, "he's sitting at the booth."

Andrew turned his eyes where Allison was looking and felt his stomach drop. Larry Lester had managed to come back to school after recovery from the injury and shame that he endured. Andrew had known about his arrival, but never had the guts to go to him.

"It's still troubling you," Allison pointed out to Andrew, "the thing with Larry."

Andrew nodded his head to her. "I've been thinking about it over and over," he admitted, "an 'I'm sorry' means nothing after what I have done."

Apologizing had two meaning behind it. If a person apologized just for the sake of it, there was no point. If there was authentic sincerity, then it held a lot of value. Allison didn't want Andrew to live in that constant turmoil. What had happened was a closed book. Andrew couldn't turn back the time to fix it. But he would be living with the thought of 'what if.' Allison knew that this was a delicate situation, and it was best to approach it gently.

"I…I don't know what to do," Andrew admitted, "he probably hates my guts for it."

Allison gave him a nod of her head. She didn't want to say it, but the words were at the tip of her tongue. "He would," she agreed. The moment that he looked at her, Allison added, "but you never know how he'd react to your apology."

That was it. It was the unpredictability that Andrew was hesitant of. "What would you do then if you were in my shoes?"

"Well," Allison began, "I haven't taped anyone's buns together." That got a small chuckle out of Andrew, and she couldn't help but smirk at that. There was something about that youthful charm that melted her heart. "But I'd be doing what any decent person would do."

Andrew had lost all of decency that day and he knew that he wouldn't get it back. However, would something like this matter in five, ten years? Lots of the students would have forgotten it, but it would matter to Larry. The day for this had to come, eventually, and Andrew would have to be a fool not to take it. As he was about to get up, he stopped when Allison placed her hand on his once more.

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked.

Andrew loved her just as much as he loved her support. However, this was something that he had to do himself. "Wish me luck," he said and have her hand a squeeze before he headed over to Larry's booth.

"Good luck," Allison whispered and watched the interchange between them.

Andrew had never felt so intimidated before. How funny did that sound. A jock intimidated by a nerd. He took a deep breath once he was at a proximity to Larry's booth and once he was close enough, he wished that he could just hide away. "Hey Lester," Andrew greeted him.

Larry's head shot up when he heard that familiar voice. His expression changed from surprise to anger the moment he saw that it was Andrew. "What do you want, Clark?" he defensively asked him.

Andrew took that tone of voice as a message to just walk away, but he couldn't. He just had to say this. Be the real man that he believed himself to be. "I just…" Why was it so hard. "I just wanted to apologize for what I did to you. It wasn't fair and…I'm sorry. I really am."

A moment of silence passed between them. This moment felt like it dragged as Andrew waited for what Larry had to say.

Larry leaned back against the booth and looked at Andrew. After what had happened, Larry had tried to steer clear from anyone on the team, especially Andrew. He never expected an apology from him and why, after so long, he had managed to say it now? "Screw you, Clark!" Larry shot down his apology.

Andrew felt his stomach drop. "I get that you're still mad—"

"I'm not mad," Larry told him, "I am pissed! You think that humiliating me in front of everyone was worth it? I missed a lot of my classes because of you and had to catch up just so I wouldn't fail! You think that you're the Golden Boy of the team just because you won a couple of games and a damn scholarship? Well I was going for that scholarship too and now I can't because of you!"

Andrew swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Larry hadn't been the strongest in the team, but he had been trying. He had been trying to show his teammates that he was capable of being strong, trying to show his coach that he was deserving of the scholarship, and Andrew had taken that away from him. "I'm sorry, man," Andrew told him.

"Stop saying 'I'm sorry!'" Larry yelled, "just stop it! You can go to hell with the rest of the wrestling team!" With that, he slammed his textbook and got up from the booth before exiting out of the diner.

Allison took a deep breath when she saw Andrew's shoulders tense before he turned around and walked back to their booth. He had a defeated look on his face, and she could tell that he was close to crying. As he approached their table, Allison scootched closer to the window and held her arms towards Andrew. "Come here," she said.

Andrew looked up and saw her gesture. The apology didn't go like he had imagined, and he didn't blame Larry for the reaction that he had. There was no way to apologize for what he had done. He wanted to be strong and on his first instinct, he wanted to tell Allison that he was fine. But he wasn't…and her open arms were the comfort that he needed. He sat down next to her and allowed her to wrap her arms around him. "I screwed up again," his voice came muffled from her hug.

Allison gently squeezed him in reassurance. "At least what you did was the right thing," she told him and they remained like that for the reminder of their break.