Modern Day Breakfast Club

Switch-Blade

   Things had calmed down and I was watching Brent as he lit a match and lit his shoe on fire then lit his cigarette with it then put it out and started air guitaring, Cassandra was sitting there daydreaming, Bram was sitting there looking around, Abby was drawing a picture, and Alan had taken his jacket off and was playing with the strings on his hoodie.
   Soon I found myself to be tired so I put my head down, I looked at Brent to already see him staring at me, we held the gaze till he smiled and my eyes shut slowly.
   
 
   "Wake up!" was the next thing I heard after falling asleep, it was Mr. Vernon, then he spoke again, "Who has to go to the lavatory?"
   I lifted my head and laughed at Brent who was stretched on top of his table then we went to the bathroom and came back to the library where Vernon left us.
   Brent started ripping pages out of one of books and threw them around him while sitting on the railing again, which provoked Alan to say while he was stretching, "That's real intelligent."
   "You're right, it's wrong to destroy literature, it's such fun to read," he looked at the front of the book and continued, "And...
"Molay" really pumps my 'nads'."
   "Moliere," Cassandra said sounding really annoyed.
   "Nothing to do, locked in a vacancy," Brent murmured.
   "Ah, speak for yourself," Alan retorted.
   "You think I'd speak for you? I don't even know your language," Brent said as he picked up a shelf of cards and started mixing them up then Alan turned to Cassandra.
   "Hey, you grounded tonight?"
   "I don't know, my mom said I was, but my dad said to blow her off," she answered.
   "There's a big party at Stubby's, parents are in Europe, it should be pretty wild."
   "Yeah?" she asked.
   "Yeah. Are you going to go?" Alan wondered.
   "I doubt it," she half-frowned.
   "How come?"
   "If I disobey my mother, it's because my father says it's okay, it's like this whole monster deal, it's endless and a total drag, its just like any minute, divorce," she replied rolling her eyes.
   "Who do you like better?" Brent butted in.
   "What?" Cassandra asked with wide eyes, probably surprised that he even said anything at all.
   "You like your old man better?" he questioned.
   "They're both screwed," she answered.
   "I mean if you had to choose between the two."
   "I don't know I'd probably go live with my brother, I don't think either one gives a shit about me, its like they use me to get back at each other."
   "You're just feeling sorry for yourself," Alan declared.
   "If I didn't, nobody else would," she said getting teary eyed.
   "Aw, you're breaking my heart," Alan said sarcastically.
   "Sporto?" Brent asked.
   "What?" Alan responded.
   "You get along with your parents?" Brent wondered then jumped down from the railing and threw the book aside like a piece of trash.
   "If I say yes, I'm an idiot, right?" Alan assumed as Brent stepped closer to him preparing to argue.
   "You're an idiot anyway, but if you say yes, well that makes you a liar too," Brent retorted as he walked away but Alan followed and pushed him making Brent turn around and give him a threatening look, like he was going to kill him.
   "You know something, man? If we weren't in school right now, I'd waste you," Alan declared then Brent put his middle finger up-side down.
   "Can you hear this? You want me to turn it up?" he said asked he turned so he was flipping Alan off.
   "Hey, fellas, I mean -I don't like my parents, either, I mean, I don't -I mean, I don't get along with them when...their idea of parental compassion is just, you know...wacko, you know?" Bram had put his hands on their shoulders but they smacked them away then Brent turned to him.
   "Dork."
   "Yeah?" Bram asked.
   "You are a parent's wet dream, okay?" Brent told him.
   "That's the problem,"
   "Look, I can see you're getting all bunged up...for them making you wear these clothes...but, face it, you're a neo-maxi-zoom-dweeby. What would you do if you weren't out making yourself a better citizen?"
   "Why do you have to insult everybody?" Alan asked, yelling a little.
   "He hasn't insulted Abby, or me," I said quietly.
   "No one asked you twat so shut up," Alan snickered.
   "I'm being honest, asshole, I would expect you to know the difference, and she's right so don't tell her to shut up," Brent turned to me then back at Alan.
   "Well, he's got a name," Alan murmured.
   "Yeah?" 
   "Yeah, what's your name?" Alan asked Bram.
   "Bram."
   "See?"
   "My condolences," Brent muttered as he passed Bram while walking away but looked him in the eyes when he said it.
   "What's your name?" Cassandra asked Brent.
   "What's yours?" he asked back, I could tell as she was about to protest and tell him to answer her question first she decided to answer him.
   "Cassandra."
   "Cassandra?" Brent asked, having a bit of a disgusted, confused look on his face.
   "Cassandra, it's a family name," Cassandra insisted.
   "It's a sluts name," Brent wasn't afraid to admit.
   "Thank you," she said sarcastically.
   "Your welcome," he fake smiled.
   "I'm not a slut," she fumed.
   "Maybe not now but I could see you turning into one," Brent replied with half-sarcasm when she flipped him off then continued, " I'm seeing some obscene finger gestures from such a pristine girl."
   "I'm not that pristine," Cassandra responded.
   "Are you a virgin?" Brent wondered.
   "I'll bet you a million dollars that you are, let's end the suspense why don't we, is it gonna to be a white wedding?" Brent questioned but I decided to stay the hell out of this one unless Brent got too angry or hurt.
   "Why don't you just shut up?" Cassandra asked angrily.
   "Have you kissed a boy on the mouth?" when she didn't answer he kept going, "Have you ever been felt up...over the bra...under the blouse...shoes off...hoping to God your parents don't walk in?"
   "Do you want me to puke?" she asked.
   "Over the panties...no bra...blouse unbuttoned...Calvin's in a ball on the front seat past 11:00 on a school night?" he asked getting no response, Cassandra just looked at him with wide eyes.
   "Leave her alone," Alan demanded, "I said leave her alone."
   "You going to make me?" Brent asked looking toward Alan.
   "Yeah," he answered when Brent stepped onto Cassandra's table and jumped off a foot in front of Alan.
   "You and how many of your friends?"
   "Reis," I murmured quietly and he only glanced at me then looked back at Alan as he started speaking again.
   "Just me, just you and me, two hits, me hitting you, you hitting the floor, anytime you're ready, pal," he said, Brent turned toward me then hit Alan in the face with the back of his hand then Alan had him by the arms pushing his face into the floor. My nerves were on edge.
   "I don't want to get into this with you, man," Brent said the Alan let go and stood back up in a fighting stance.
   "Why not?" Alan asked.
   "'Cause I'd kill you," Brent stood up with no problem then turned toward Alan and continued, "It's real simple, I'd kill you, and your fucking parents would sue me, and it'd be a big mess, and I don't care enough about you to bother." 
   "Chicken shit," Alan whispered then Brent pulled a switch-blade out of his pocket, I was too scared to speak until he looked at me and saw how scared I was, he looked sad but then he nudged the knife into the chair beside me, making me feel relieved.
   "Let's end this now, you don't talk to her, you don't look at her, and you don't even think about her! Understand me?!" Alan yelled making me jump a little.
   "I'm trying to help her," Brent looked at me then turned to Alan again.
   When I looked back at the chair the switch-blade was gone.