FicWad

Andrew took a precautionary glance around the hallway before he completely left the library. Vernon's office had appeared empty; lunch wrappers were sitting on his desk, his radio was turned off, and his chair was unoccupied. He could hear no noise emanating whatsoever, and it sent chills up his spine. The library was quiet, the hall was quiet, and for the first time that day the school was quiet. He took a deep breath and extended his arm further, opening the large oak door wide enough for him to step out into the hallway.

He held the door open momentarily so that Allison could come out as well. He wasn't really surprised that she had wanted to come with him. Even though Brian had yelled at her and said some hurtful things he could tell from the look in her eyes that she was concerned. Claire and Bender were a different story, however, they were both too damn angry to want to pursue him; with Brian's harsh words still on their minds as well, Andy - almost - couldn't blame them. He figured someone would have to go after him, and in his state there was no telling what he could or would do.

He looked at Allison when he noticed that she was watching him. It still felt strange being so close to her after all of those months that had gone by, but at the same time it felt comforting. She was the one he had the deeper connection with; the one who understood him better. He had missed her.

She looked back down at her shoes and blew her hair out of her eyes. "Thanks, sporto."

Andy snorted a laugh and smiled. "For what?"

"Just...stopping him," She looked away from him, almost embarrassed.

Andrew cocked an eyebrow. "Well, he wouldn't have done anything..."

Allison looked back at him with a more serious tone. "No, I know that. I mean stopping him before he said something he would have regretted, or before he spun completely out of control."

Andy sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "That's if he hasn't already. I'm worried about him; I didn't know things got this bad." He shoved his hands in his pockets as they slowly approached a corner. "I wish I would have known kinda."

Allison peered around the corner and continued walking when she felt it was safe to do so. "What did you do to him?"

Andy was not expecting the question. Of course, Allison always had the tendency to ask blunt questions out of the blue. "What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes and peered ahead of her. "What did you do to him last year? What was he so mad at you about? He kinda just babbled at the rest of us, but he seemed genuinely mad at you." She looked at him seriously. "What did you do to him?"

Andy swallowed; he wanted to lie to her so badly. He wanted to tell her it was all just a big misunderstanding between Brian and him, but it wasn't. He sighed and looked down at his feet. "I didn't do anything, and that was the problem."

She nodded. "Your friends?"

He nodded as well and slumped his shoulders. "I couldn't do it, and I felt so damn bad. He kept his eyes locked on mine the whole time. It took me a long time to get it - the picture - outta my head." He looked at her and was glad that her expression wasn't angry. "It was right after everything that happened with us."

Her demeanor changed then and she shifted uncomfortably. "So you gave up on him because I gave up on you?"

Andy hadn't thought about it that way. It only figured that it was her that pointed it out though. "Yeah I guess you can say that."

She nodded her head and pulled him towards her quickly. There was a space going into the wall between two sets of lockers and they stood silently in the deep gap. She kept a finger to her lips and listened carefully. She could hear a distinct whistling sound and footsteps. She looked at him with alarm in her eyes and let out a tiny squeak.

Andy just held his breath and stared at her.

The footsteps approached, becoming louder and louder. Andy tried to keep his focus on becoming as flat as the wall behind him (which was a little hard), and on Allison in front of him. In a way she looked so scared, but at the same time had a sense of laughter in her eyes at the prospect of being caught. He loved that look.

They watched in horror as Vernon stopped to read a poster directly across the hall from their fountain space. The two teenagers slowly slid down the walls and crouched in the corners behind the lockers. Vernon was reading out loud and actually muttering, and chuckling. Andy thought he was so damn weird. Especially when he decided to yell something; it was along the lines of 'haga naga!' and then he continued on his way. He stared back at Allison and bit his lower lip. She looked back at the place that he had been standing and then back at Andy.

It was when she let out a strange snorting noise he couldn't contain his laughter anymore. She burst out laughing - as quietly as she could anyways - along with him. "That was so close."

... ... ...

Vernon stopped walking in the hallway and listened carefully. He had thought he heard something.

And when he heard the loud singing along to the Beatles' 'Let it Be', he just rolled his eyes and continued on his way. He would like to think that he had been on high alert for these kids all day. He listened from his office and occasionally yelled to them that he was onto them. Oh yeah, he got to drink his beer, read his magazines, and ice his hip as they had to sit still all day. He laughed at their stupidity; they had nothing on him.

He mumbled along with Carl's singing echo. He had heard Carl playing the Beatles so many times - and did listen to some of their stuff back in his day - that he had known the words by heart. He didn't mind Carl's choice in music at all. He was just glad that it was Carl making the racket rather than those bratty kids.

He thought that the day had been going by so far without incident. Sure, there had been a little bit of yelling, but that was the least of his worries where that brat pack was involved. Those kids were all vandalizing, lying little pricks in his book. But they had done nothing yet for him to catch them red handed.

But he would get them eventually. He would promise to that.

... ... ...

John stared at the back of Claire's head with a frown on his face. He wasn't surprised that the jock strap had taken off after the brainiac with his side kick in toe. Sporto had always tried to act like some damn unsung hero and it irked him. Bender thought that Brian would probably just flip on him again; it was quite obvious that the dork wasn't so fond of Clark.

He wasn't - on the other hand - expecting Claire to get so pissed off at him. But when wasn't she mad at him? Everything they fucking did involved explosive arguing. That irked him too. It was like she always deliberately tried to piss him off and have a different opinion than his. All he did was done the brainiac a favor, and it wasn't like the kid didn't deserve it. Brian was the one that insulted him in front of her. Why hadn't she seen that?

He kicked the back of her chair and snorted; probably because all she ever did was think about herself.

She turned around and glared at him. "Do you want to please keep your dirty feet off of my chair?"

He glared right back and sat up straighter. "And why the fuck am I so dirty all of a sudden?"

She rolled her eyes. "I never called you dirty, I said your feet were dirty." Her lip twitched upward in anger, a quirk about her that really amused him. "You walk everywhere with those boots, who knows what's on them."

Bender smirked. "I do know that I stepped in dog shit on the way here."

Her mouth contorted in disgust. "Why are you always so disgusting?"

He sat back with a triumphant look on his face. "Because I know it turns you on."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously and Bender subconsciously licked his lips. He kept his eyes locked on hers and stared. "...right?"

One eyebrow twitched up and her face flushed slightly. "You couldn't turn me on no matter how hard you try."

He reveled in her discomfort and smiled. "That's the thing, cherry, I don't have to try." He crossed his arms over his chest and inwardly smiled at the fact that she was finally talking to him. He would never admit it out loud to her, but he had wanted her attention from the moment he laid eyes on her that morning. He loved the fact that she was still so squirmy around him, and that he still had that affect on her. She acted mad, but he could tell she didn't hate him. Of course it was very possible that he made her sick and disgusted, but at least she didn't hate him.

She shook her head at him and turned around to face him completely. "You know, I don't know why you keep acting like this, John. Things changed..."

John's grin turned into a frown and he narrowed his eyes at her. He could tell that she noticed this because her face had softened and she swallowed. Here she was again playing her I'm-too-good-for-you charade. He looked her straight in the eye. "Yeah and what the fuck do you think changed, huh? You're still a stuck up little bitch, and I am still a piece of scum, right? The poor dirty kid. Yeah...not much has changed."

She looked at him with pure rage on her face; her cheeks growing pink and her sculpted eyebrows pointed inward. "Excuse me? I didn't see you try and change anything, John! You acted just as stuck up and ignorant as I did! How do you think that made me feel?"

John growled. "It doesn't matter how you feel because it is not like you even had a split second thought than for it to be any more than just a one day, hide it from your friends thing. You got your cheap thrill!" He stood up from his desk and walked until he was standing next to her seat, towering over her. "You kissed your bad boy and got your cheap thrill for a second and a half! And that was it! You felt nothing!"

Claire's eyes pooled up and she sprung up so that she was standing as well, and slapped him hard in the face. "You were not some cheap thrill!" He rubbed his face gingerly and still scowled. She wiped her eyes and crossed her arms. "What the fuck do you know anyways? All you ever do is jump to conclusions and put these stupid walls up so that your tough guy mask is in place. You never take the time to actually figure out what is really going on do you?"

He was taken aback by her words, mostly because they were true. No, he never did take the time to figure out what was going on with her. He had just naturally concluded that he was no good for her, and that she just wanted bigger and better things. "Yeah well you..."

She raised her hand up as if to stop him and closed her eyes. "You know what, just don't even start because all you are going to do is just turn this around on me and make me out to be the bad one. I am so sick of being the bad one." She opened her eyes and locked contact with him. "Things aren't as great as they seem, and just because I've still had success at school and I have a lot of friends doesn't mean things were picture perfect. It doesn't mean that I still didn't think about you and wonder why you never did approach me about anything." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears and sighed. "Why you still kept my earring, and why you acted as if nothing ever happened." She shook her head and kicked at the ground. "You turned your back on us just as much as I did...like you said, you're just as much an asshole as I am whether you like it or not!"

His features softened considerably and he couldn't believe what she had just said to him; that she actually had the balls to spew all that shit to him. He had no idea that was how he had come across to her; of course he didn't do anything about it. It wasn't usually like him to go chasing after girls anyhow; especially if they were ones that would have shrugged him off right off the bat.

Her chin quivered. "Things just weren't meant to be and both of us know that."

John shook his head. "Fuck that."

She sighed sadly. "Come on John..." but she couldn't finish. He dipped his head down and took both sides of her face in his hands as his lips came crashing down on hers. They were just as soft and delicious as he remembered them being. They parted and she stared into his eyes. "John, why did you do that?"

He swallowed and attempted to smirk, "I didn't want to hear your bull shit excuse." When she looked as if she was going to protest he continued. "...and because I knew you wouldn't."

... ... ...

Allison grabbed Andy's hand and twisted her neck so that she was looking around the wall that was behind her. She nodded her head at him and pulled him around the corner with her. He was taken back little by the physical contact, knowing that she really wasn't all that receptive to it. But he wasn't complaining.

"That was close," he murmured. She dropped his hand and grinned at him, saying nothing. He liked that they were acting civil towards one another finally. He knew that she really wasn't one to start a confrontation or fight - she would rather avoid that - but it was still nice.

He looked over beside her. "I am glad that you didn't take that the wrong way..." Andy started.

She turned her head so that she was looking at him, and she cocked an eyebrow. "Take what the wrong way?"

"When I said that I gave up on the others because of you," He said quietly. "I'm glad that things aren't bad, you know?"

She didn't say anything right away; she just sighed loudly and blew her hair up. After a few seconds she spoke up again. "I didn't take it the wrong way because I did the same thing."

He raised his eyebrows. "Say what?"

She shrugged and looked down at her feet. "I didn't talk to anyone after you did either. When Brian said I was a hypocrite it was true. I didn't stay friends with him when I could have."

Andy nodded his head. "Why did you just give up? I was willing to give it a chance..."

She stopped abruptly and balled up her fists at her sides. "I told you...I didn't want to change. I didn't want you to turn me into those other girls that you hang around with. I was happy with who I was, and just because you weren't..."

Andy put a hand on her arm; instead of getting angry he almost wanted to laugh at her paranoia. "I wouldn't have done that...I - I..."

"There's Brian..." She said, not letting him finish. Andy felt a little relieved by the interruption, but at the same time was kind of disappointed that they weren't able to clear things up. She walked away from him leaving him standing there with his thoughts. He watched her retreating form and suddenly felt a little guilty. The whole time he had thought she just blew him off without a second thought. When in reality, he had just frightened her off. Maybe he did come onto her a little strong last year; it wasn't like he had taken the time to understand how sudden - positive - attention would make her feel.

He sighed and jogged to catch up with her. For some reason they were down the tech hall, and Brian was standing in the doorway to one of the shop classes. It almost made Andy's stomach lurch at the sight. He looked so angry and defeated; like a mad man giving up on life. He had no idea how to approach him.

Apparently Allison didn't either. She stood about six feet behind him, just staring with the nail of her ring finger in her mouth. She looked back at Andy and he nodded at her.

She took a step forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Brian?"

Andy walked up so that he was standing next to her and waiting for Brian's reply. The younger boy said nothing, just hung his head down so that he was staring at the floor. He turned his body slowly so that he was looking at them. His eyes were puffy; like he had been rubbing at the upper half of his face viciously. His hair was completely disheveled and his face was soaked in tear stains. He did not look like himself. His eyes were so wide, yet so swollen that they looked black rather than their shining blue. His chin was still quivering as if he couldn't control his emotions.

Andy took another step forward and took hold of his other shoulder. At his touch, Brian just broke down completely and wrapped his arms around both of their necks.

Allison looked at Andy over his shoulder, but Andy just nodded, and they let the boy cry. They weren't there for him last year when he needed them, and Andy wasn't going to let that happen again, not when he needed them even more. After the fiasco last year, he wanted to redeem himself to Brian - he wanted to change things.

Brian's knees buckled from underneath of him and the three teenagers slowly made their way to a sitting position on the floor. Allison rubbed his shoulder as Brian dabbed furiously at his eyes. "I'm so sorry guys." He looked up and back and forth between the two of them. Allison and Andy just nodded in understanding.

"It's gonna be alright, Bry."

To Be Continued