The Cheerleader

v.

"What's in there?" Bender asked as he sat between Claire and Andrew a foot away. 

"Guess." Claire spoke annoyed. 

"Where's your lunch?" she then questioned. 

"You're wearing it." Bender answered.

"You're nauseating." Claire told the criminal as she continued to pull out her lunch. 

Bender pulled a coke off the table as Rebecca turned around to grab herself a coke. 

The girl watch in amazement as he tossed the coke to Allison, who caught it with ease. 

"What's that?" Bender questioned while making a weird face.

"Sushi." answered Claire as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"Sushi?" Bender pronounced weirdly, causing the two girls to laugh. 

"Yeah, um, rice, raw fish, and seaweed." Claire explained, causing Andrew and Rebecca to wrinkle their noses.

"You won't accept a guy's tongue in your mouth, and you're gonna eat that?" Bender questioned bluntly. 

Rebecca couldn't help but snort as she spun her chair to face the rest of the group. 

"Can I eat?" Claire asked annoyed. 

"I don't know. Give it a try." Bender sassed.

Rebecca and John shared a look as Andrew unpacked his lunch. 

Claire soon followed suit as the three looked at the three sandwiches and family-sized bag of chips. 

Andrew continued to pull little things out of his bag as Allison opened her coke from her seat, gaining the attention of Brian. 

Rebecca continued to eat her chips while Claire and Bender judged Andrew.

"What's your problem?" Andrew questioned as lettuce fell out of his first sandwich.

 Rebecca's attention was turned to the two outcasts as Allison made her sandwich. 

The group soon followed her gaze as Allison's work got louder. Bender then moved over to Brian, snatching the bag from the boy. 

"What are we having?" Bender questioned putting the bag back on the table. 

"Uh, it's your standard, regular lunch, I guess." Brian replied.

"Milk?" Bender questioned as he pulled out a canteen. 

"Soup." Brian confirmed as Rebecca munched on her chips, viewing the interaction from her table. 

Brian went to reach for the bag, only to have his hand slapped away. 

Bender pulls a juice box out next and stares at it in his hands. 

"Uh, that's apple juice." Brian spoke. 

"I can read." Bender sassed. 

"PB&J with the crusts cut off." Bender continued. 

"Well, Brian, this is a very nutritious lunch. All the food groups are represented." Bender confirmed.

"Did your mom marry Mr. Rogers?" Bender mocked. 

"Uh, no, Mr. Johnson." Brian spoke, not getting the joke. 

Bender made a noise of understanding as Andrew smiled at the joke, looking over at Claire. 

"Here's my impression of life at big Bri's house." Bender spoke as he stood up.

 Rebecca shook her head at the criminal but watched nonetheless. 

"Son?" Bender stood on his stage. 

"Yeah, dad?" he answered himself.

"How's your day, pal?" Bender continued. 

"Great, Dad. How's yours?" Bender mocked. 

"Super." Spoke Bender. 

"Say, son, how'd you like to go fishing this weekend?" John asked. 

"Great, Dad. But I've got homework to do." he continued. 

"That's all right, son. You can do it on the boat!" Bender answered. 

"Gee. Dear, isn't our son swell?" Bender furthered, Rebecca watching without emotion.

"Yes, dear. Isn't life swell?" Bender spoke. 

"Oh." Bender mumbled a few times as he kissed the air back and forth, before punching the imaginary person to his right.

"John!" Rebecca scolded as she saw Brian's face.

"All right. What about your family?" Andrew questioned. 

"Who, mine?" Bender questioned mockingly. 

"Yeah." Andrew answered him. 

"It's real easy." Bender answered, returning to his stage. 

"Stupid, worthless, no-good, goddamn freeloading son of a bitch. Retarded, big mouth, know-it-all, asshole, jerk." Bender started. 

"You forgot ugly, lazy, and disrespectful-." Bender continued. 

"Shut up, bitch! Go fix me a turkey pot pie." Bender cut himself off. 

"What about you, Dad?" Bender asked. "Fuck you." He responded.

"No, dad. What about you?" Bender continued. 

"Fuck you!" Bender yelled. 

"No, Dad. What about you?" he repeated. 

"Fuck you!" he yelled again as he went into a reenactment of a fight. 

"Is that for real?" Brian questioned.

 "You want to come over sometime?" Bender responded. 

"That's bullshit. It's all part of your image. I don't believe a word of it" Andrew spoke causing both Rebecca and Bender to glare at the jock.

"You don't believe me?" John questioned.

"No." Andrew confirmed. 

"No?" John asked. 

"Did I stutter?" Andrew questioned, causing Bender to quietly walk over to him. 

"Do you believe this?" John asked as he pulled up his sleeve to reveal a cigar burn mark. 

Rebecca was saddened as she caught sight of the mark, the sight wasn't anything new. 

"Huh?" Bender questioned causing Andrew to look away. 

"It's about the size of a cigar. Did I stutter?" Bender questioned in anger. 

"See, this is what you get in my house when you spill paint in the garage." Bender told the boy. 

"See, I don't think I need to sit with you fucking dildos anymore." Bender spoke as he put his sleeve down and backed away. 

Rebecca flinched when Bender began to throw things off the library desk and curse in anger, before climbing the stairs.

"You shouldn't have said that." Claire spoke softly to Andrew. 

"How did I know?" Andrew questioned. 

"Exactly." Spoke Rebecca as she stood and headed for the stairs. 

Rebecca reaches the criminal and sits down next to him, her feet swinging from the edge. 

Bender looks at the girl and lays his head on her shoulder. 

The feeling of sadness and fear was all too familiar. Rebecca slowly reached out to view the bruise on his arm. 

The girl leaned down and kissed the burn as she laced their fingers together.