The Burners

Chapter 10

Brian breaks the silence, 'I was just thinking, I mean, I know it's kind of a weird time. But I was just wondering what is going to happen to us on Monday, when we're all together again? I mean I consider you guys my friends. I'm not wrong am I?'

'No,' Allison says shaking her head.

'So on Monday what happens?' He asks.

'Are we still friends you mean?' Claire says, 'If we're friends now, that is.'

'Yeah.'

'Want the truth?' She questions.

'Yeah, I want the truth,' Brian says as worry creeps onto his face.

'I don't think so,' she tells us.

'With all of us or just him?' Allison asks.

'With all of you.' Claire answers. I look at her slightly taken back by her answer.

'That's a real nice attitude Claire,' Andrew says.

'Oh, be honest Andy. If Brian came walking up to you in the hall on Monday, what would you do?' Claire questions, Andrew just stays quiet. 'Picture this, you're with all the sports. I know exactly what you'd do. You'd say hi to him and when he left you'd cut him up, so your friends wouldn't think you really liked him!'

'No way.' Andrew disagrees.

'Okay, what if I came up to you?' Allison asks Claire.

'Same thing.'

'You are a bitch!' Bender shouts at Claire, making me jump at how loud he is in my ear.

'''Why, because I'm telling the truth? That makes me a bitch?' Claire shoots back.

'No, because you know how shitty that is to do to someone! Yet you don't have the balls to stand up to your friends and tell them you're gonna like who you wanna like!' Bender exclaims.

'Okay, what about you, you hypocrite?' Claire yells, 'Why don't you take Allison to one of your heavy metal parties? Or take Brian out to the parking lot at lunch to get high? What about Andy for that matter, or Mel, what about me? What would your friends say if you and me were walking down the hall together? They'd probably laugh their asses off and you'd probably tell them you were screwing me, so they'd forgive you for being seen with me!'

'Don't you ever talk about my friends. You don't know any of my friends, you don't look at any of my friends and you certainly wouldn't condescend to speak to any of my friends, so you just stick to what you know! Shopping, nail polish, your fathers BMW, and your poor, rich, drunk mother in the Caribbean!'

'Shut up!' Claire screams at Bender while she kicks his leg. This causes him to move and throw me off balance, Bender catches me and carefully puts me back on his lap

'And as far as being worried about what's going to happen when you and I walk down the hallways at school, you can forget it! It's never going to happen, just bury your hand in the sand and wait for your fucking prom! As for taking Allison to one of my concerts I would because if you took time to look you would see she is wearing a band t-shirt. If Brian wants to get high he can come join me, Andrew is welcome to come spend time with us as well.' Bender says pausing for a breath.

'I hate you.' Claire says

'Yeah? Good!'

Silence surrounds us again. I lean up and whisper in Bender's ear, 'What about me? You never mentioned me.'

Bender leans back and looks me in the eye smiling. 'I thought it was obvious?' he says, I shake my head. 'Well, you are going to have to spend time with me.'