Everything's Changed

After the small bathroom break and me regaining my composure we were led back to the library like prisoners. When Vernon dropped us off, he went back to his office and we were doing different things and started talking. My brother was stretching, redhead was sitting in her spot, I sat next to her, geek boy was looking at a book behind the pillar, and Bender was tearing up a book and throwing the pages everywhere.

"That's real intelligent," Andy said.

"You're right. It's wrong to destroy literature. It's such fun to read. And...Moe-Lay really pumps my nads."

"Moliere," Redhead corrected.

"I love his work," Geek boy said, then hid behind the pillar to dodge the book pages came flying at him.

Bender put the book back down and picked up the library cards and started rearranging them.

"Big deal. There's nothing to do when you're locked in a vacancy," He said.

"Ah, speak for yourself."

Give it a rest Andy, I thought.

"Do you think I'd speak for you? I don't even know your language."

I smirked at that comment. Andy just turned away from Bender and started talking to redhead.

"Hey, you grounded tonight?"

She shrugged her shoulders and said,

"I don't know. My mom said I was but my dad said to just blow her off."

"There's a big party at Stubby's, his parents are in Europe. I heard it's going to be pretty wild."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You gonna go? What about you Emily?" My brother asked me.

"Why would I go? We don't even hang out with each other or the same people," I stated.

"I doubt it," She said.

"How come?"

"Because if I do what my mother tells me not to do it's because my father says it's ok. It's like this whole big monster deal, it's endless and a total drag. It's like any minute, divorce."

"Who do you like better?" Bender asked out of curiosity.

What?" She asked confused.

"You like your old man better than your mom?"

"There both screwed."

"No. I mean if you had to choose between 'em."

She thought for a second. Then she said,

"I don't know. I'd probably go live with my brother. I don't think anyone of them gives a shit about me. It's like they just use me to get back at each other."

"HA!"

We all turned to the girl in black as she blew her hair out of her face.

"Shut up!" Redhead snapped.

"You're just feeling sorry for yourself," Me and my brother said at the same time.

"Yeah. Well if I didn't nobody else would."

"You're breaking my heart," Andy said.

Then Bender jumped off the railing and asked,

"Sporto. Emily. Do you two get along with your parents?"

"No. I don't even get along with him," I said waving at Andy.

"Well if I say yes then I'm an idiot right?"

"You're an idiot anyway. But if you say you get along with your parents, well you're a liar too." Bender countered and walked away.

Andy started following him and I got up. Andy then pushed Bender and said,

"You know something man. If we weren't in school right now, I'd waste you."

Bender turned and looked at Andy.

"Can you here this? You want me to turn it up?" Bender asked giving him the bird.

Then geek boy got into the middle of it.

"Uh fellas, I don't like my parents either. I mean I don't..." He stuttered.

Andy pushed past him as he continued to ramble.

"Dork. You're a parents wet dream. Ok?" Bender said patting the geeks shoulder.

"Well that's the problem."

"Look I can see ya gettin' bunged up for making you wear these kids of clothes. But face it. You're a neo maxi zoom dweebie, what would you be doing if you weren't out making yourself a better citizen?

"Why do you have to insult everybody?" Andy asked Bender.

"I'm being honest, asshole. I would expect you to know the difference."

"Yeah, well he's got a name."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Andy you don't even know his name, I thought as I sat back down.

"What's your name?" Andy asked the geek.

"Brian."

"See."

"My condolences." Bender said walking away.

"What's your name?" Redhead asked.

"What's yours?" Bender countered when he stopped in front of the desk.

"Claire."

"Claire?"

"Claire. It's a family name."

"Oh, it's a fat girl's name."

"Oh, thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'm not fat."

"Well not at present, but I can see you really pushing maximum density. See I'm not sure if you know this, but there are two kinds of fat people: there's fat people that were born to be fat, and there's fat people that were once thin but became fat... so when you look at 'em you can sorta see that thin person inside. You see, you're gonna get married, you're gonna squeeze out a few puppies and then, uh..." He said then mimicked someone getting fat.

"Then we've got the name Emily..."

He looked at me and I got really uncomfortable.

"I can see you gaining a little bit more weight, but not much. Just enough to make you curvy in the right places. Unlike Claire here... When you push out a few pups, you'll go back to your normal figure," He said smirking at me.

I could feel my little blush coming on.

Is he really hitting on me?

Claire then flipped him off.

"Oh, obscene finger gestures from such a pristine girl."

"I'm not that pristine."

"Are you a virgin?" He asked getting in her face.

She said nothing. He then looked at me.

"Are you?" He asked innocently.

I opened my mouth to say something but nothing would come out. I felt my face heat up again and I saw that smirk grow.

"She's already given me her answer," He said looking back at Claire.

"I'll bet you a million dollars that you are... Let's end the suspense! Is it gonna be... a white wedding?" He asked her.

"Why don't you just shut up?" Claire said

"Have you ever kissed a boy on the mouth?"

"I have," I said lowly.

"Have you ever been felt up? Over the bra, under the blouse, shoes off... hoping to God your parents don't walk in?"

"Do you want me to puke?"

He then turned to me smirking and continued while looking me up and down slowly.

"Over the panties, no bra, blouse unbuttoned, Calvins in a ball on the front seat, past eleven on a school-night?"

Then Andy butted in.

"Leave em' alone."

I tried averting my gaze somewhere else but Bender kept eye contact.

"I said leave em' alone," My brother said a little louder.

Bender then stood up and went to Andy. I just sat there trying to get my breathing back to normal. At some point while Bender was saying that to me my breathing changed and I have a feeling he knew it.

"You gonna make me?"

"Yeah."

"You and how many of your friends?"

"Just me. Just you and me. Two hits. Me hitting you. You hitting the floor. Anytime you're ready, pal."

Bender barely touched Andy and Andy got Bender pinned onto the floor.

"I don't wanna get into this with you man," Bender threatened

"Why not?" Andy asked letting him go.

Bender got up and brushed it off.

"Cause I'd kill you. It's real simple, I'd kill you and your fucking parents would sue me and it'd be a big mess and I don't care enough about you to bother," He said walking backwards.

"Chicken shit."

We heard a switch blade come out and I turned around to see Bender holding one in his right hand. He then stabbed it into a desk and looked back at Andy.

"Let's end this right now. You don't talk to them... you don't look at them and you don't even think about them! Especially my sister! You understand me?"

"I was just trying to help 'em," Bender said matter of factly.

Once the high testosterone levels settled down everybody was sitting at different desks when Carl the janitor came in with hit music blaring.

"Hey Brian how are you doing?" He asked

Bender looked over his shoulder and asked,

"You're dad work here?"

Brian shook his head no. Bender looked at me with a smirk then back at Carl.

"Uh Carl? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

He had the look of 'This should be good'.

"How does one become a janitor?"

"You wanna be a janitor?"

"No. I just wanna know how one becomes a janitor because Andrew here is very interested in pursuing a career in the custodial arts."

Me and Bender looked at each other and smirked, yes I was sitting next to him for some unknown reason.

"No, I just want to know how one becomes a janitor, because Andrew here is very interested in pursuing a career in the custodial arts.

No, I just want to know how one becomes a janitor, because Andrew here is very interested in pursuing a career in the custodial arts.

"Oh, really. You guys think I'm some untouchable peasant, serf, peon, you know? Maybe so. But following a broom around after shit heads like you for the last eight years, I've learned a couple of things. I look through your letters, I look through your lockers."

He gave Bender a look and Bender stiffened a bit.

"I listen to your conversations. You don't know that, but I do. I am the eyes and ears of this institution, my friends."

He started to leave but stopped.

"By the way, that clocks 20 minutes fast," He said then left.