80s Imagines // GIF SERIES

John Bender // 5

Sorry for such inactivity lately. I needed a short break is all, but I'm back and will be updating regularly again. Thanks for being patient, and requests are always open!

"Whatever you say, Bender," you stated with a laugh.

It was only your second time skipping class, and you couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen. You brushed it off as plain anxiousness. That is, until you spotted Mr. Vernon casually sipping a mug of steaming hot coffee as he exited the teachers lounge, which was only a few feet infront of the both of you. Your breathing hitched in your throat and your feet stopped dead in their tracks as you stared ahead of you like a deer in headlights. Bender was about to ask what was wrong until he looked at the principal, who was now right in front of him.

"Run!" he whispered loudly in your ear, and you didn't hesitate to sprint down the hallway, knowing better than to question John Bender. Mr. Vernon didn't run after you out of fear of the other delinquent he had caught making a break for it at any chance he got.

You ran all the way home, praying that the principal wouldn't call your parents, and lucky for you, he didn't. The day passed uneventfully, and you caught yourself thinking about Bender taking the fall for the both of you more often than not. That night, you found it quite difficult to fall asleep as your mind swarmed with thoughts of your "hero". He really wasn't as bad as people made him out to be. When you were his friend, he'd go through hell and back for you.

-

"Hey, what's up?" you asked plainly, sitting down at the cafeteria table with a bored look on your face. Today, as always, the school served their students stale french fries and burgers with no ketchup or mustard, which you found to be a crime itself.

You looked at your friend across from you to find that he was picking at his food with a gloomy look on his tan face. You felt a wave of guilt wash over you as you recalled yesterday's events. Was he upset because he got in trouble and you didn't?

"Bender... Are you okay?" He laughed bitterly, and you mentally scolded yourself for asking such a dumb question. He obviously wasn't okay.

"Yeah," the boy mumbled, "I'm fucking peachy."

"Did something happen?" you pushed on, trying not to get irritated. He could be so difficult sometimes.

"No, nothing fucking happened, (Y/N)! Just the usual bullshit! That dickhead of a principal made a point at telling me how worthless I am, and my parents thought it'd be a good idea to do the same thing. Same old, same old," he snapped ferociously. You sunk back into your seat and muttered an apology before clearing your throat and sitting up straight again.

"What... What all did they say?" you questioned hesitantly, trying to keep your voice flat.

"I already fucking said, they called me worthless! Mr. Dick had me by the lockers, yelling at me for being a 'bad influence' and going on about me trying to hold others back because I'm not getting anywhere in life! I'm going somewhere... somewhere far away from here," the brunette growled, punching the table.

You swallowed before asking, "And your parents?"

He had a pained look on his face before he began. "I-I'm nothing to them. I'm nothing to anyone, not even my fucking parents." He gulped before saying, "Not even myself. Great, I feel really weird now."

"Bender, you mean a lot to me, and your girlfriend, Claire, too. You're my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without you," you stated, putting a hand over his clenched fist. "And don't feel that way. You're not alone, and you never will be. Not when you have me by your side." Students were already filing out of the cafeteria and into the hallways, leaving the two of you all alone. Neither of you payed any mind to those people though, and to you, it was like you two were the only people in the world.

"You wouldn't be ditching school without me, that's for sure." You furrowed your eyebrows at that.

"It was me that brought up the idea. If I wouldn't have asked you to come with me, you wouldn't have skipped in the first place. In the end, I guess I'm to blame for this," you said, feeling terrible for causing so much trouble. Now, it was Bender's turn to furrow his eyebrows.

"It's not like you made me do it or anything, so don't even think about blaming yourself," the rebel ordered. "I was gonna ditch anyways since there was a project due in science that I still haven't even started." You laughed lightly and put your hand back down on your lap before standing up and grabbing your bag.

"What do you say we start on that project after school then? We only have math next hour, then we're free for the weekend," you explained, smiling at your friend. You reached out your hand to him, and he grabbed it gratefully, standing up and away from his seat.

"Sounds like a plan," he replied, returning your smile.

The two of you walked to class together before going to your house and starting on his assignment. For once, you weren't doing all of the work for him. He put out his best effort and did the majority of it, and in the end ended up acing the project. You knew he could do it, and celebrated by going out to eat that night like best friends. You honestly felt like a proud mother, but you didn't care. You really couldn't ask for pal better than John Bender.