A One Time Experience | Andrew Clark |

03

"So, so.." Bender spoke. "Are you guys boyfriend and girlfriend?" He paused. "Steady dates?" He paused again. "Lo-vers?" He paused again. "Come on Sporto, level with me. Do you slip her the hot.. beef.. injection?"
I sat up straight again. I scoffed, I had a little bit of a crush on Andrew. Just a little bit. The tiniest crush.
Clair and Andrew both turned around, both clearly angry.
"Go to hell! Claire screamed, and Andrew yelled "Enough!"
Vernon yelled to us. "Hey, what's going on in there?"
Andrew muttered "Scumbag." Bender walked over to the railing and sat on it.
I rolled my eyes at that. He's so immature.
"What do you say we close that door? We can't have any party with Vernon checking on us every five seconds."
"Well, you know the door's supposed to stay open.." Brian spoke. "So what?" Bender quickly replied.
"So why don't you just shut up! There's five other people in here you know." Andrew yelled.
"God, you can count. See! I knew you had to be smart to be a.. a wrestler." You have to get high grades to be in any sport.
"Who the hell are you to judge anybody anyway?"
Claire whispered a "Really.." to herself.
"You know Bender, you don't even count. I mean if you disappeared forever it wouldn't make any difference. You may as well not even exist at the school." Bender looked hurt. He quickly changed his expression. "Well, then i'll just run right out and join the wrestling team."
Andrew and Claire looked at each other and laughed a little.
"Maybe the prep club, too! Students council.."
"No, they wouldn't take you." Andrew spoke and looked at Bender.
"I'm hurt."
"You know why guys like you knock up everything.." Claire spoke up.
"It's cause you're afraid."
Bender mocked her tone. "Oh, god! You richies are so smart, that's exactly why i'm not heavy in activities!" Bender was starting to get on my nerves.
"You're a coward!" Claire spoke up.
"I'm in the math club.." Brian spoke quietly. "I'm in the French club." I spoke quietly but everyone ignored me as well.
"See, you're afraid they won't take you. You don't belong so you just have to dump all over it."
"Well, it wouldn't have anything to do with you activities people being assholes, now would it?"
"Well, you wouldn't know. You aren't any of us." You got that right, Claire.
"Well, I don't know anything about lepers either, but i'm not gonna run out and join one of their fucking clubs."
"Hey, lets watch your mouth, huh?"
Brian spoke quietly again. "I'm in the physics club too."
Bender turned to Claire. "S'cuse me a sec."
He walked over to Brian. "What are you babbling about?"
"Well, what I said was im in the math club, Latin club and the physics club."
Bender turned to Claire again. "Hey.. Cherry.. do you belong in the physics club?"
"That's an academic club."
"So?"
Claire rolled her eyes. "So, academic clubs aren't the same as other types of clubs."
"Oh, but dorks like him.." He said and pointed to Brian.
"They are- What do you do in your club?" He asked and turned to Brian.
"I'm physics, we uh, talk about properties of physics."
"So, it's sorta social, demented and sad, but social?"
Brian nodded. "Yeah, well, I guess you could consider it a social situation. I mean there are other children in my club and uh, at the end of the year we have a big banquet, at the uh, Hilton."
"You load up you party." Bender smirked.
"No, we only get dressed up, we don't get high."
Claire and I spoke at the same time, but I was a lot more quiet. "Only burners like you get high." He looked back and forth between us. I sank down in my seat.
"I didn't have any shoes, so I had to borrow my dads. It was kinda weird because my mom doesn't like me wearing other people's shoes. And uh, my cousin Kent- my cousin Kendall, from Indiana, got high once and he started eating really weird foods. And uh, he just felt like he didn't belong anywhere. You know, kinda like the Twilight Zone."
Claire laughed. "Sounds like you." She said to Bender and I laughed a little bit.
"Look, you guys keep talking and Vernon's gonna come right in here.. I got a meet this Saturday and i'm not gonna miss it on account of you boneheads."
"I am not a bonehead." I mumbled and looked at my paper.
"Oh and wouldn't that be a bite.. missing a whole wrestling meet!"
"Well, you wouldn't know anything about it, faggot! You never competed in your whole life!" I scoffed loudly when he said "faggot". You never call someone that.
"Oh, I know.. I feel empty inside because of it. I have a deep admiration for guys that roll around the floor with other guys!" Benders voice filled with sarcasm.
"Ahh, you'd never miss it. You don't have any goals." Everyone has goals.
"Oh, but I do!" "Yeah?" "I wanna be just- like- you! I figure all i'll need is a lobotomy and some tights!"
"You wear tights?" Me and Brian both asked at the same time.
"I do not wear tights, I wear the required uniform."
"Tights." Brian said.
"Shut up!" Andrew yelled and they all heard Vernon moving around in the hall.