Modern Day Breakfast Club

Saturday Detention

   I walked slowly up to the high school, dreading seeing Mr. Vernon, I hated him almost as much as I hated my father, that's a lot of hate in one person if you don't mind me saying.
   I walked through the door, instantly feeling cold from the unneeded air conditioning, I walked halfway down the hallway in front of me and into the library where I saw three others sitting, hugging my jacket to my body, there sat Alan, the jock sitting next to Cassandra, the popular girl, Bram, the nerd at his own table behind them.
   I am the quiet one with a lot of issues but is an expert at hiding it, I sat down at a table by myself, avoiding everyone else, when Brent, the bad boy who doesn't seem to really give a shit, walked in touching random objects and stealing a small note pad then stared Cassandra and Alan up and down, he went up to Bram and motioned for him to get up and move to a different seat which Bram automatically did.
   Brent pulled an extra chair out from my table after looking at me as if he may ask if he could take it to which I nodded, he rested his feet on it then put his hands behind his head closing his eyes, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who knows his real name in this room, everyone else calls him by his last name, Reis, I could already tell everyone else hated him apart from Bram who seemed scared of him.
   A girl trudged in with her hair covering her face and I knew her to be a girl named Abby, she's very very quiet and cleaver seeing as she is a thief/compulsive liar, everyone including Brent watched her as she walked over to the table behind me and sat down then turned in a different direction, I looked over to see Alan look over at Cassandra both of them letting out small laughs which I didn't really seem to understand.
   I heard footsteps enter the library and I knew exactly whose they were, I looked up to see Mr. Richard Vernon instantly feeling a little scared.
   "Well, well, here we are, I want to congratulate you for being on time," Vernon said smugly looking at Brent.
   "Excuse me, sir?" Cassandra raised her hand and continued, "I think there's been a mistake, I know it's detention, but, um, I don't think I belong in here."
   "It is now 7:06, you have exactly 8 hours and 54 minutes to think about why you're here, ponder the error of your ways," Brent spit up in the air then caught it back in his mouth earning a small "Gross" from Cassandra the Rich spoke again, "You may not talk, you will not move from these seats," Vernon looked at Bram who was about to move to the seat next to him but sat back in his original seat, then Vernon turned to Brent, "And you...will not sleep," he pulled the chair that Brent's feet were resting out making them fall to the ground but he instantly rested them on the table then turned to me with a threatening look on his face scaring me then said, "God, your such a sad excuse for a human being, piece of shit."
   Mr. Vernon handed each of us a paper and a pencil then spoke again, "All right, people, we're going to try something different today. We are going to write an essay...of no less than 1,000 words...describing to me who you think you are."
   "Is this a test?" Brent asked having a certain look in his eyes that I couldn't really explain.
   "When I say 'essay', I mean essay. I do not mean a single word repeated 1,000 times. Is that clear, Mr. Reis?" Vernon spat.
   "Crystal," Brent replied with a smirk spread across his face.
   "Good," Vernon responded, "Maybe you'll learn a little something about yourself. Maybe you'll even decide whether you care to return."
   "You know, I can answer that right now, sir. That'd be 'no' for me, because -" Bram stood up trying to be as much of a kiss-ass as he could, I didn't blame him, if you were a kiss-ass you weren't treated as badly as the rest of us.
   "Sit down, Jackson," Vernon demanded making Bram sit down immediately and say, "Thank you, sir."
   "My office is right across that hall, any monkey business is ill-advised. Any questions?" Mr. Vernon said getting no response and as he was about to walk away Brent asked.
   "Yeah, I got a question, does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?" Brent asked earning a quiet laugh from me making him turn to me and smile a smile I'd never seem before, it looked as if he were actually happy whereas most of the time I could tell he wasn't and it hurt to see him that way.
   "I'll answer that, Mr. Reis, next Saturday. Don't mess with the bull, young man, you'll get the horns," Vernon replied in a threatening manner then walked away.
   "That man is a brownie hound," Brent said quietly making Bram and I laugh softly.