Baby Bender | Andrew Clark

thirteen

john's pov

"um, i was just thinking, i mean, i know it's kinda a weird time, but i was wondering, um, what is gonna 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?" brian asks.

"no..." andrew replies.

"so, so on monday... what happens?" brian asks again.

"are we still friends, you mean? if we're friends now, that is?" claire asks.

"yeah." brian answers.

"do you want the truth?" claire asks.

"yeah, i want the truth." brian says.

"i don't think so." claire states.

"well, do you mean all of us or just john?" allison asks claire.

"with all of you..." claire says.

"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? i mean picture this, you're there 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 all up so your friends wouldn't think you actually liked him!" claire says.

"no way!" andrew yells.

"'kay, what if i came up to you?" allison asks andrew.

"same exact thing." claire says.

"you are a bitch!" i yell at claire.

"why? 'cause i'm telling the truth? that makes me a bitch?" claire asks.

"no! 'cause you know how shitty that is to do to someone! and you don't got the balls to stand up to your friends and tell 'em that you're gonna like who you wanna like!" i yell.

"okay, what about you, you hypocrite? why don't you take allison to one of your heavy metal vomit parties? or take brian out to parking lot at lunch to get high? what about andy for that matter, what about me? what would your friends do if they saw us walking down the hall together? they'd laugh their asses off and you'd probably tell them that you were doing it with me so they'd forgive you for being seen with me!" she yells.

"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 the things that you know, shopping, nail polish, your father's bmw, and your poor-rich drunk mother in the caribbean!" i yell.

"shut up!" claire yells back.

"and as far as being concerned about what's gonna happen when you and i walk down the hallways at school, you can forget it! 'cause it's never gonna happen! just bury your head in the sand, and wait for your fucking prom!" i yell back at her.

"i hate you!" claire cries.

"yeah? good!" i yell.

brian breaks the silence by saying, "then i assume allison and i are better people than you guys, huh? us weirdos."

"what about me? am i bad person just because john is?" massie asks.

"isn't that why your're in detention? because you're like john?" brian asks.

"no. i'm here because- forget it." massie says.

"why are you in here?" claire asks.

"i said forget it." massie says.

"i don't have any friends." allison says, changing the subject.

"well if you did?" brian asks allison.

"no. i don't think the type of friends i'd have would mind." allison replies.

"i just wanna tell, each of you, that i wouldn't do that... i wouldn't and i will not. 'cause i think that's real shitty." brian states.

"your friends wouldn't mind because they look up to us." claire says.

"you think you're better than everyone else, right?" massie asks claire. claire ignores her.

"you're so conceited, claire. you're so conceited. you're so, like, full of yourself, why are you like that?" brian asks claire.

"i'm not saying that to be conceited! i hate it! i hate having to go along with everything my friends say!" claire cries.

"well then why do you do it?" brian asks claire.

"i don't know, i don't... you don't understand... you don't. you're not friends with the same people andy and i are friends with. you know, you just don't understand the pressure that they can put on you." claire cries.

"i don't understand what? you think i don't understand pressure, claire? well fuck you! fuck you!" brian starts crying. "know why i'm here today? do you? i'm here because mr. ryan found a gun in the locker..."

"why'd you have a gun in your locker?" andrew asks.

"i tried. you pull the fuckin' trunk on it and the lights s'posed to go on... and it didn't go on, i mean, i..." brian explains while crying.

"what's the gun for, brian?" andrew asks.

"just forget it..." brian says.

"you brought it up, man!" andrew states.

"i can't have an F, i can't have it and i know my parents can't have it. even if i aced the rest of semester, i'm still only a B. and everything's ruined for me." brian explains.

"oh, brian." claire says in a pitiful tone.

brian slams his fist against a chair and says, "i considered my options, you know?"

"no! killing yourself is not an option!" claire states.

"well i didn't do it, did i? no, i don't think so." brian says.

"it was a hand gun?" massie asks.

"no, it was a flare gun, went off in my locker." brian answers.

"really?" andrew starts laughing.

"it's not funny..." brian mutters. we all start laughing. "yes it is... fuckin' elephant was destroyed."

"you wanna know what i did to get in here? nothing... i didn't have anything better to do." allison states. we all laugh even harder. "you're laughing at me."

"no!" andrew tries to deny while laughing.

"yeah you are!" allison starts laughing as well.