The Brat Pack

Mr. and Mrs. Standish are both in the kitchen talking in hushed voices when Claire Standish comes in, a smile across her face.

"Good morning, Daddy!" she says sweetly, kissing his cheek. "Morning, Mom!" Claire kisses her cheek.

Mrs. Standish puts her hand where the kiss lingers, smiling. Her father crosses his arms.

"Claire," he begins, "your mother and I want to talk to you-"

"And I want to talk to you, too!" Claire says with another smile.

Her father sighs. "Go ahead."

Claire plays with her fingers as she talks. "I know you said I'm grounded and everything, but I was wondering if I could pretty please have my car back?" She bats her eyelashes.

Her mother sips her coffee, staring at her father. He looks down at her.

"Eleanor, what do you think?"

"I think you should go get her car keys."

Claire grins. "Really? Oh, thank you!" She jumps a little, clapping her hands. "Thank you!"

Her father has a small frown on as he leaves the room.

"So," her mother leans across the island, "tell me about him."

Claire stares. Huh? "About who?"

"That boy. Was he a good kisser?"

Boy? OH. "Mom-"

"Claire!" her mother practically begs. "You can tell me. We never talk anymore! And I don't think you want to have this conversation with your father,” her mother says with a wink. "What's his name? What's he like? Are you dating?"

Claire takes a deep breath. "His name is John, he's a criminal, and no, we are not, and will never be, dating."

Claire's mother stares at her, then busts out laughing as her father comes back into the room. She beats her fist against the counter.

"Eleanor," her father says worriedly.

"Oh! Oh Claire!" her mother gasps, "you really are so funny when you choose to be." She pats her hand.

Her father holds her keys out. Claire snatches them quickly, kissing his cheek.

"I have to go, or else I'll be late. Bye!"

Claire quickly slams the door behind her, hurrying across the porch. Her mother sticks her head out of the door.

"Did you want to put some clothes on first?" she calls after Claire.

Claire stops and looks down at herself, blushing furiously as she realizes she's still in her pajamas. She runs back inside, her mother laughing hysterically after her.


Claire taps her steering wheel as she stops behind other cars, her head buzzing. Of course. Of course. Her father would tell her mother about seeing her kiss Bender. He had already questioned her on the way home Saturday afternoon, couldn't he just forget it?

Then again, easier said than done. Claire can't stop remembering either. Someone beeps at her. She snaps back from her daze and pulls ahead quickly, nearly ramming the car in front of her. She slams on the brakes.

"Shit!" she cries, panting. A bunch of kids on the school steps turn to stare at her, laughing and pointing and whispering.

Two girls step in front of her car, crossing over onto the sidewalk from the parking lot.

"Just because your daddy has money doesn't mean you should be able to drive," one of them snorts at her.

"And just because your daddy is poor doesn't mean you have to dress in such bad taste!" Claire calls back, both girls stopping to glare at her. "Yeah, I'm talking to you, Ugly Sweater Girl," Claire snaps at the one that had spoken out of tone to her. Claire pulls away.

Behind her, she hears boys yell "Ugly Sweater Girl!" as the two brunettes hurry away.

Claire finds a parking spot and switches off her car, pulling down a mirror and applying some more lipstick. More cars pull in around her. She notices a blue one in the opposite row, the driver stepping out. It's Andy.

Claire shrinks down in her seat, not fully knowing why, as he passes. She slaps her steering wheel. He'll know this is her car.

"What the hell am I doing?" she asks herself, throwing things into her purse and pulling the keys from the ignition, pushing shut the door behind her.

The heels of her new pink shoes click against the pavement as she pushes black sunglasses up her nose, smiling to herself. Skipping school for shopping hadn't been all bad.

She moves by a group of kids pushing each other.

"Come on!" One boy checks his watch. Claire notices him and stops. It's Curtis Malfis. He's leaning against the railing.

"What's up?" Johnny Ore asks from his position on the stairs, looking up at Curtis.

"Bender's late again. That dumbass."

"Bender?" Claire says without realizing.

"What?" Curtis asks, looking over at her.

Johnny leans around Curtis. "You got a problem, Cherry?" he asks her. Some kids around them snort.

"No," she says, hiking her brown purse up on her shoulder and hurrying on. "No."