The Breakfast Club - Monday Morning

Chapter 11

"You missed lunch today." Brian caught up with her as she walked through the parking lot. "Something big happened. Where were you?"

"I had to meet with a teacher," she lied with a wave of her hand, then remembered she hadn't been with John at lunch and it wasn't a lie. "Why are you still here? School's been out for two hours."

"I had Science Club. Why are you still here?"

No easy lie came to her, so she just rolled her eyes. "What happened at lunch?"

"Andy and Allison came out of their bubble of happiness to come to sit with us."

Claire looked at him in surprise. "They sat at your table instead of Andy's old one?"

"Yeah, he said he'd rather go where they'd both be welcome than sit with a bunch of assholes." He grinned manically, obviously excited. "You should have seen them together, Claire! He hardly stopped staring at her the entire time. He's so happy, he doesn't even care that his old friends are making fun of him."

"Wow. Good for them." Claire said the words because she knew Brian expected them, but she didn't actually feel happy for Andy and Allison. She didn't feel jealous, either, which seemed like the obvious next emotion. She wasn't sure how she felt about it or why it made her unhappy. "I've been seeing John after school."

Ugh. Why did she keep spitting these things out before thinking them through? Was her brain on a mission to destroy her?

"What?" Brian grabbed her elbow and forced her to a stop. "I thought you weren't interested in a relationship with him."

"Well, I am. I mean, I'm not. I'm just...I don't know, seeing him on occasion."

"What does 'on occasion' mean?"

"Just..." she shrugged and pulled her elbow from his grip. "I don't know, occasionally!"

"Like, every day?" His eyes narrowed. "Is that where you were just now? Are you kissing him?"

She blushed and turned to leave, but he caught her elbow again. "Claire, just how far are you going with him?"

Her jaw dropped. "That is none of your business you little perv!"

"Hey, you brought it up. And if you're fucking around with him when you know damn well you'd never admit to it, that's just a shitty thing to do."

"Why are you so interested in John's feelings anyway? He wasn't exactly nice to you at detention, and you haven't talked to him since."

Brian looked momentarily flustered by the question, then angry. "That doesn't mean I want him to get dumped on by you."

"Oh, so now it's your job to defend the poor, innocent boys of Shermer High School from girls like me? Is that it?"

"No, I'm trying to prevent you from becoming one of those girls!"

She recoiled as though he'd slapped her. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He had the decency to look ashamed. "Claire, I'm sorry. It's not that I think you're -."

But she stormed away, refusing to let him see that her eyes were tearing up. "I think you've made it perfectly clear what you think of me, Brian."