The Breakfast Club / Brustoff

Eight [Denis]

(A/N there's talk of triggering content in this chapter so be wary of that if you need to be! I hope you enjoy)

Ben spoke with a hard look in his eye and I wanted to know what happened. What did Mr. Smith do to him that made him so perpetually angry?

"I'm sure you'll find out what happened one day. Let's not ruin today with stories from the past." He said and I nodded.

We made it back to the library and sat down at our desks. James and Sam sat at the same desk, as did Cameron and I, but Ben sat at the back, closest to the window. Cameron nudged me, forcing me to look away from Ben and over at him. I glared at him but he just smirked. Mr. Smith cleared his throat, commanding our attention.

"You will remain here and complete the task I set you. Those who don't complete it will join me here next week." Mr. Smith said and I don't think anyone in this room have a shit. Except maybe Sam. He might give a shit.

Once Mr. Smith left I instantly turned to Cameron, eager to tell him everything that happened in the canteen. As soon as I opened my mouth, Ben started to talk.

"So, James." Ben said and all our heads turned back to him. "You never told us why you're in here."

"Not much to say. Mum and dad disagreed with what plans I have in the future and what I wanna do. I don't wanna play sports anymore, I just wanna focus on my drumming but they hate that." James plays drums? What the fuck? "So, yeah. I told them that and they went off at me telling me I have to play sports. I tried to get kicked off the team but coach just sent me here." James finished, a solemn look on his face.

"Wow." Ben said, unamused and sarcastic. "Your life truly does suck."

"I'm not saying my life sucks, I'm saying I just want some sort of freedom to choose how I want my life to turn out!"

"No, no I get you. The big bad James Cassells wants his mummy to stop smothering him. I understand." Ben sounded solemn, placing a hand over his heart and I didn't like any of this at all.

"We can't all live lives full of freedom like you, Ben." James said.

"What, you think my life is so fucking perfect?" Amusement was clear in Ben's voice.

"Well it seems pretty perfect, doesn't it? You get away with what ever the fuck you want to! You do whatever you want and no one questions you because if they did you'd just fucking push them away. You're a selfish cunt, Bruce." James yelled and I could see Ben snap.

"You don't know shit about me or my life." He growled.

"Well why don't you enlighten us? Tell us all a fucking sob story." James said and I stiffened. James knew a lot about Ben's past, why would he ask for Ben to tell us all about it?

"Alright. Listen and listen good kids, because none of this will ever be repeated." Ben locked eyes with me, sending me a look that screamed 'I'm sorry'.

"You see on the wonderful day of October 31st 1988, a baby named Benjamin was born. Benjamin was a happy baby, he never cried or yelled. Not even when his dad would scream at him, telling him how much of a horrible mistake he is. Benjamin was always different, even before he knew how to express himself he was always treated like scum." I inhaled sharply, not liking the distant look in Ben's eye. Almost as if he was reliving every aspect of his childhood right in front of us.

"So eventually, Benjamin turned 13 years old. He never had a normal birthday. Never had a cake to blow the candles out from, never got a single present or even a hug from his parents. He had always hoped that it would change. Every night he prayed that his mum would tell him she loved him, or that his dad would actually look at him at a time that didn't include hitting him or kicking him. Instead all he got was distant looks, broken bones and the occasional trip to the hospital."

Ben jumped off the bookshelf and walked to the front of the room, pacing back and forth in front of us.

"His prayers went unanswered. His parents didn't care, no one did! So, you know what Ben did?" The question didn't ask for an answer. We would get one anyway. "He took a pretty little razor blade and sliced his wrist. No one took any notice of the evidence it left behind so he did it again. He kept doing it because if no one else cared, and he didn't care, then why not! Why not just bleed and bleed until my- I mean his- arm is covered in scars?"

I felt sick. I didn't know this about Ben. I knew this was only just scratching the surface of what Ben's been through. There's a lot more he isn't telling us and I don't know if I'll ever get to find out what it is.

"School was no better. Oh no, it wasn't worse but it certainly wasn't a fucking walk in the park. He got beaten and bullied constantly." He laughed sadly to himself. "There was one time, a boy named James Cassells had cornered him in the bathroom. Benjamin was scared and tired so he didn't fight back. He didn't fight back as James hit him and dragged him to the toilet, almost drowning him. He didn't do anything to get James off because he had already given up."

I heard Sam gasp as Ben was telling this story and I clenched my fists, trying to control myself from launching at James and hitting him.

"Now Benjamin turns 16. He doesn't see a point in living at this point so he tries to kill himself. Obviously, he fails and he's sent back to his abusive household. Ben gets beaten even worse than usual and that's when it becomes too much and he snaps. He decides that, first of all, Benjamin is a stupid name and he just wants to go by Ben from now on. Secondly, he decides to not care. About anything at all. And that's exactly what he did. He went through school without any friends or anything because he knew that in life you can't trust anyone but yourself. In life you don't need anyone." He stopped pacing at this point and was just standing at the front of the room, staring out the window. I had a few tears running down my face and looking around the room I saw everyone's faces.

Sam looked shocked and sad, clearly not expecting this from Ben. James looked like he had regret asking Ben to say anything, and in his eyes I could see tears starting to form. Cameron was like me, a tear rolling down his cheek and his breathing was slightly stuttered.

"Now we come to the present Ben. He decides to show up for a Saturday detention, God knows why, and here he is telling his life story to a small group of people that will leave the room still not caring about him at all."

With that Ben walked away, weaving his way through the bookshelves and leaving us in a stunned silence.