the fighter | john bender ✅

seven

"How do you know where Vernon went?" Claire wonders aloud. Her voice bounces off the walls of the hallway. It makes Lui jump a bit, not liking how her voice carries.

"I don't..." Bender answers. In one move Claire moves beside Bender, forcing Luis behind her. Luis has to bite her tongue, forcing herself to swallow the anger forming in her stomach.

"Well then, how do you know when he'll be back?" she asks some more. Luis wonders if she'll be able to bite through her tongue if Claire doesn't shut the fuck up.

"I don't...being bad feels good, huh?" he smirks. Luis can only give an eye roll at his change in demeanor, turning her attention to the scab on hand.

"What's the point in going to Bender's locker?" Luis hear Brian wonder.

"I dunno..." Andrew responds.

"So then what are we doing?"

"Brian, another question from your mouth I'll make sure you can't use your vocal cords." Brian's questions are silenced as soon as the words leave Luis' mouth, nothing but a small "sorry" passing his lips after.

We finally make it to Bender's locker. Lui never liked how he wrote 'FAG' in marker but ignores it once more, gradually becoming numb to it's presence. When the locker is opened, a guillotine is triggered, cutting off the end of an old dirty shoe.

"Slob!"

"My maid's on vacation."

Looking past the blade, Luis' brows furrow for a moment before realizing something. "Ain't this my shoe Bender?"

He responds with a simple sorry before opening the second part of his locker, grabbing a rolled up paper bag. He pulls out another bag from it, then another, before he gets what he wants: Weed. A small smile crosses her lips. She should've figured only Bender would give a gift like that.

"Drugs..."

"Screw that Bender...put it back!"

He sticks the bag in his pocket before he grabs Luis' hand and walking, Claire right behind her and stepping on the heels of Luis' shoes. Both Andrew and Brian mutter something that goes unheard to Luis before they follow, Allison's steps soon being heard as well.

"We'll cross through the lab, and we'll double back."

"You better be right, if Vernon cuts us off it's your fault, asshole!"

"Don't get your jock strap in a twist. We've done this shit before," Lui scoffs, turning her head towards the athlete. She watches as he rolls his eyes dramatically before looking forward. Air gets trapped in her throat, eyes becoming wide as they fall on Vern, who stands in front of them looking at who knows what. Lui's feet stop on their own, making Bender's and the rest stop as well. However when Bender follows her eyes, his feet begin moving, forcing Lui to follow in down a another hall, the group following silently yet erratically.

After running through a few halls, Bender stops, his grip getting tighter on my hand as the rest stop as well. " Wait! Wait, hold it! Hold it! We have to go through the cafeteria!"

" No, the activities hall," Jockey intervenes, making me join in on the conversation.

" Jockey, you ain't know jack about this shit man!"

" No you don't know what you're talking about! Now we're through listening to you bastards, we're going this way." The rest follow Jockey as I squeeze Bender's hand, making him look at me.

" C'mon John, might as well save there asses. Owe 'em one anyhow." He lets out a sigh before kissing my cheek and pulling me with him, following the group.

We all follow Jockey until we get stopped by an iron gate, making us groan in annoyance. " Great idea Jagoff!" I yell.

" Fuck you!"

" Fuck you! Why didn't you listen to John?" Princess questions, forgetting about me as Brian mutters 'we're dead'.

" No, just me!" I stare at him with crazy in my eyes before he kisses me on the forehead and sticking the pack in Brian's underwear and running off singing, " I wanna be an airborne ranger!" I stare for a few moments before pulling Brian and Allison with me towards the library, Princess and Jockey following.

We make to the library, sitting down before the door opens with a bang, making Jockey flinch. I look up to see Vern pushing Bender to our table while telling him to get his stuff. ' Probably the closet again.'

" Mr. Wiseguy here has taken it upon himself to go to the gymnasium. I'm sorry to inform you, you're going to be without his services for the rest of the day."

" B-O-O H-O-O!" I let out a slight chuckle, making Bender smirk as Verno becomes more red.

" Everything is a big joke to you two, isn't it? The whole graffiti you pulled last week Martin. And the false alarm you pulled Friday, false alarms are really funny, aren't they... What if your home, what if your family.....what if your dope was on fire?"

" Impossible sir," I intervene," It's tucked neatly in my bra," I state making Jockey and Bender laugh.

" You two think she's funny? You think this is cute? You think she's bitchin', is that it? Lemme tell you something. Look at her, she's a bum."

" First she's cute and she's not a bum, but she has a nice one." I look over at Bender, knowing my face is heating up a bit, before looking at Vern with a crooked smirk.

" You wanna know something funny? You go visit Martin in five year! You'll see her in a goddamn prison where no one still doesn't know her name!" I feel my tension rising but keep calm as he continues. "What's the matter, Martin? You gonna cry? Let's go Bender..."

He grabs him but Bender smacks his shoulder off. " Hey keep your fuckin' hands off me! I expect better manners from you, Dick!" Bender then walks over to me, kisses my nose before setting his sunglasses down. " For better hallway vision!" he states before walking out with Vernon, letting the door slam behind him.

After a few moments the rest look at me as I begin fumbling with the glasses. ' Gave them to him when he turned fourteen.' I let out a silent chuckle before grabbing my pocket knife and flicking it open, then closing it. Open, close. Open, close. Open...close...