Status: [updated 12/07/14]
The Brat Pack
That's Very Interesting
Through the back double doors of the Shermer High School cafeteria is a small, cement area fenced in with a wooden fence and complete with picnic tables and tall ashtrays built into the ground. The space used to belong to the jocks, until three years ago when Bender and some of his crew fist fought them for the rights to it; the burnouts won. Now it's usually filled with punks complete with tall mohawks, kids trying to bum cigarettes off one another, and "misunderstood" artists who spend their time painting the fence – which Carl always has to paint over every few weeks, since Vernon is never happy with the graffiti. He does nothing to stop it from happening, though, and the kids are all thankful for that.
This is where Allison finds herself not long before the end of lunch, trailing after Bender to an empty spot. She had been reading through one of her magazines when he stopped by her table, seeming a bit awkward as he asked her to come outside. Allison's only ever been out here once, and that was the year the burnouts took control of it. She had painted a naked woman on the fence; it was painted over that day, and she got a week's detention for it and was forced to see the school counselor. Though in Allison's defense, it had been more artistic than pornographic.
The sound of a match being lit brings Ally out of her own little world, and she watches as Bender lights a cigarette and leans against the fence. He stares at her for a minute and blows out a puff of smoke, offering her the cancer stick but she just shakes her head. Ally never wants to smoke, and she has her mother to thank for that.
Bender shrugs and takes another drag, clearing his throat before looking down at his shoes. "I just wanted to say thanks," he says, looking up and brushing brown hair out of his face. "For taking care of me last night. No one's, uh, really don't that for me before. So thanks." Bender licks his lips and Ally nods, then shrugs, and he flicks ash from his cigarette before continuing. "And sorry for bolting like I did. You get in trouble last night?" he asks and Ally nods.
She sets her bag on top of the picnic table next to them and sits, letting out a long huff of air. "Yeah, you?" she asks and Bender laughs, then nods.
"Yeah, I did," he says. They're both quiet for a few minutes before Bender speaks up again. "Hey, have you talked to Claire at all today?" he asks and Ally shakes her head.
"You should just talk to her, Bender. I don't know what happened, but I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," she says and he shrugs.
"What's your magazine there?" he asks, nodding towards the large catalog sitting on top of Ally's bag.
"You're changing the subject," she says directly and he smirks.
"So are you."
Ally stares at him for a few minutes before tucking her hair behind her ears, hesitating before relenting and handing it to him. Bender takes it in one hand and uses the other to drag his cigarette across the ground, putting out the flame before tucking the half still left back in with the rest of his pack. He turns the book over in his hands a few times before flipping through it, an eyebrow raised. "What is this?" he asks.
"They're art schools in California. I borrowed it from the library," Ally says, rubbing her hands together when they get a sudden chill in them. She glances up at Bender and finds him staring at her, clearing her throat and looking away as he flips through more pages.
"You never told me how your ashtray I made you turned out, by the way," she says, trying to keep herself from sounding like a crazed idiot.
"It works fine, I keep it in my room," Bender says and Ally looks up him, smiling.
"Really?" she asks.
Bender nods, looking at her and then pointing to the magazine. "Does Andy know about this?" he asks, and she shakes her head.
"No."
"You gonna tell him?" Bender asks and Ally shrugs.
"Should I?" she asks, her voice worried, and Bender raises his eyebrows, nodding slowly.
"Uh, yeah," he says.
Ally makes a noise in the back of her throat and stands up, taking it back from him and pressing it firmly against her chest. "I haven't made up my mind anyway," she says, not sure who she's trying to convince more, and the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch.
Allison picks up her bag and throws it over her shoulder, following the trail of kids heading inside, when someone pulling on her strap stops her. She turns around and flinches back a bit when she sees it's Bender, leaning in close towards her. He smirks at her and says, "I think you have," before walking ahead of her inside.
This is where Allison finds herself not long before the end of lunch, trailing after Bender to an empty spot. She had been reading through one of her magazines when he stopped by her table, seeming a bit awkward as he asked her to come outside. Allison's only ever been out here once, and that was the year the burnouts took control of it. She had painted a naked woman on the fence; it was painted over that day, and she got a week's detention for it and was forced to see the school counselor. Though in Allison's defense, it had been more artistic than pornographic.
The sound of a match being lit brings Ally out of her own little world, and she watches as Bender lights a cigarette and leans against the fence. He stares at her for a minute and blows out a puff of smoke, offering her the cancer stick but she just shakes her head. Ally never wants to smoke, and she has her mother to thank for that.
Bender shrugs and takes another drag, clearing his throat before looking down at his shoes. "I just wanted to say thanks," he says, looking up and brushing brown hair out of his face. "For taking care of me last night. No one's, uh, really don't that for me before. So thanks." Bender licks his lips and Ally nods, then shrugs, and he flicks ash from his cigarette before continuing. "And sorry for bolting like I did. You get in trouble last night?" he asks and Ally nods.
She sets her bag on top of the picnic table next to them and sits, letting out a long huff of air. "Yeah, you?" she asks and Bender laughs, then nods.
"Yeah, I did," he says. They're both quiet for a few minutes before Bender speaks up again. "Hey, have you talked to Claire at all today?" he asks and Ally shakes her head.
"You should just talk to her, Bender. I don't know what happened, but I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," she says and he shrugs.
"What's your magazine there?" he asks, nodding towards the large catalog sitting on top of Ally's bag.
"You're changing the subject," she says directly and he smirks.
"So are you."
Ally stares at him for a few minutes before tucking her hair behind her ears, hesitating before relenting and handing it to him. Bender takes it in one hand and uses the other to drag his cigarette across the ground, putting out the flame before tucking the half still left back in with the rest of his pack. He turns the book over in his hands a few times before flipping through it, an eyebrow raised. "What is this?" he asks.
"They're art schools in California. I borrowed it from the library," Ally says, rubbing her hands together when they get a sudden chill in them. She glances up at Bender and finds him staring at her, clearing her throat and looking away as he flips through more pages.
"You never told me how your ashtray I made you turned out, by the way," she says, trying to keep herself from sounding like a crazed idiot.
"It works fine, I keep it in my room," Bender says and Ally looks up him, smiling.
"Really?" she asks.
Bender nods, looking at her and then pointing to the magazine. "Does Andy know about this?" he asks, and she shakes her head.
"No."
"You gonna tell him?" Bender asks and Ally shrugs.
"Should I?" she asks, her voice worried, and Bender raises his eyebrows, nodding slowly.
"Uh, yeah," he says.
Ally makes a noise in the back of her throat and stands up, taking it back from him and pressing it firmly against her chest. "I haven't made up my mind anyway," she says, not sure who she's trying to convince more, and the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch.
Allison picks up her bag and throws it over her shoulder, following the trail of kids heading inside, when someone pulling on her strap stops her. She turns around and flinches back a bit when she sees it's Bender, leaning in close towards her. He smirks at her and says, "I think you have," before walking ahead of her inside.