A/N: So I’m back, and I come with good news and bad news. Good news is that school gets out on June 2; bad news is that I’m having to study my brains out for finals.

And I have even worse news. One June 5 I go in for scoliosis spine surgery. This means that there probably won’t be any updates for at least two months, if not longer. I have another medical condition that makes healing from anything a very slow process. This condition is called dysautonomia. If you’re ever bored, research it. It’s rather interesting.

So if you don’t see any updates for a long time, it’s because I’m lying somewhere asleep or doped up on pain meds. I’m going to try and get another update in before my surgery, but finals are doing all they can to make that impossible.

Anyway, thanks once again for the reviews! Your feedback is always appreciated.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Take care,

Romen

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Chapter 8

Four Letter Words – Part 1

Claire sighed and let her head fall back against the patio chair. She was terribly bored.

She usually never had time for boredom. There was student council, prom planning committee, dance, shopping, her weekly manicure and hair appointments, and Bender, but today all of that fell through. Her manicure was scheduled for Tuesday; prom committee didn’t convene until tomorrow morning; dance was on Thursday. None of her friends were available to go shopping, and when she hit the mall alone she always ended up buying something she didn’t want or like. And Bender –

Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard from Bender all day.

He usually made plans with her on Sundays evenings since it was his day off. She wondered vaguely why he hadn’t called her up yet; it was already five o’clock. Perhaps seeing her last night at the dinner party was enough romance for one weekend. It wasn’t like he was crazy about her, after all – he made that obvious enough.

She scowled; she was just being silly. He could have called her while she was outside and she just didn’t hear the phone ring. Her spirits lifted. There was probably a message waiting for her on the answering machine right now. She sprung up and pranced into the kitchen, heading for the answering machine eagerly.

No new messages.

She drummed her fingers idly against the countertop. She couldn’t wait by the phone all evening. She should just give Bender a call and – but no, she didn’t want to look desperate.

Desperate? This was the 80s, and Claire was a strong, independent woman who was totally capable of taking control of the situation. She picked up the phone with determination and dialed Bender’s number. It was answered after thirteen rings.

“’Lo?”a masculine voice grunted.

“Hi, may I speak to John please?”

“What for?”

Claire had called Bender before, but he had always been the one to answer. This had to be Bender’s dad; he was the only man she knew of that lived with him, and he sounded very drunk. She felt a surge of indignation, and it took all of her self-control to maintain her flawlessly polite tone.

“Because I’m his girlfriend,” she said sweetly. She wanted to add, “Who cares about him and has the authority to report anyone who knocks him around,” but she knew that would only get Bender in trouble.

“Well I’ll be damned; the boy isn’t totally worthless. JOHNNY! GET YER ASS IN HERE!”

“What?” she heard a voice mutter bitterly in the background.

“Your girl wants to talk to you.”

There was dead silence, then sounds of movement and gruff laughter that grew increasingly faint.

“What do you want?” Bender said at last.

Claire twisted the phone cord around her index finger. “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight.”

“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t,” he replied dismally. “I promised my little brother I’d take him to the fair.”

“Oh,” she said, unable to hide her disappointment. “Well have fun!”

“Why do you ask? Can’t stand being away from me?” he teased.

“You wish! It’s just so boring over here. You have no idea. All my friends are busy and – oh wait! I haven’t tried Zach yet, he might not have any –”

“I’d suggest that you come to the fair with us,” Bender interrupted nonchalantly, “but I’m not sure that’s how a princess would want to spend her evening.”

Claire grinned. “And you know how a princess likes to spend her evenings?”

“I’m an expert on princesses.”

“Well you’re wrong; I’d love to come.” An idea struck her. “Do you mind if I invite the rest of the gang?”

“Why?”

“It’s been a while since we all got together outside of school.”

“I’m pretty sure we’ve never gotten together outside of school,” he corrected drily.

“Then this is the perfect time to start.”

“We’re not all going to fit in my car.”

“We can take my mom’s SUV.”

“That means you’d have to come pick me up…at my house.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No.” His tone said otherwise.

He’d seemed ever so slightly intimidated by the Standish establishment the night before, which probably translated into a nerve wracking experience locked deep in Bender’s emotional safe. And she could only imagine the condition of his home…

“John,” she began carefully, “there’s no reason to be embarrassed.”

“I’m not embarrassed,” he snapped. “I said I didn’t have a problem with it, right?”

“Okay, I was just checking. I’m going to give everyone a call and see if they want to come, I’ll talk to you later.”

Sometimes she wished he’d just come out and say what he was thinking; other times she was afraid that he would.

(Space)

“Look, guys, I think this ride is way too intense for Alex…”

“No it’s not!”

“He’s scared, he’s just in denial. I’m in AP Psych, so I know all about denial,” Brian explained.

Andy draped his arm around Allison’s shoulders. “This ride isn’t that bad, Brian.”

“That might be easy for you to say, Andy, but you’re not a seven year old child,” Brian blustered, gesturing toward Alex, who scowled back at him with an emotion that was anything but fear.

They stood before a white, towering structure lined with spinning compartments that glided along as if on a conveyer belt. It wouldn’t have been daunting had it not been for the speed and violence with which the compartments shook and the screams that emitted from within. In the center of the structure were blinking lights arranged to spell “The Zipper.”

Claire smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry Brian; when I was six I went on a ride just like this one at Disneyland.”

“Disneyland?” Bender sneered. His face grew serious. “Did you wish upon star?”

“It makes no difference who you are,” Andy quipped.

Claire waved them away. “You guys are just jealous that you didn’t get to go.”

“I’ve been to Disneyland,” Allison said suddenly. “My cousin is the guy who dresses up like Dopey.”

Before anyone could comment on this new piece of information, the Zipper righted itself and squealed to a stop. The line began to steadily move forward as compartments were emptied of their dizzied contents, filled with new passengers, and yanked up the conveyer belt to make room for another compartment waiting to go through the same process.

“I’m gonna take Alex on the bumper cars,” Brian decided at last, paling. “We’ll meet up with you guys when you’re done.”

“But I’m not scared!” Alex complained. “I’ve been on that one loads of times!”

“I’ll ride this one with you a little later,” Bender promised. His eyes sparkled mischievously. “That is, if you’re not scared anymore.”

Alex made a face, but obeyed his brother.

“There’s probably a height limit, anyway,” Claire heard Brian say weakly before they disappeared among the crowd.

Bender smirked. “I wonder if they teach anything about irony in Brian’s Psych class.”

Andy and Allison were the first to embark; Claire and Bender climbed into the following compartment. Claire balanced on the torn, duct-taped seats reluctantly. “Are you sure this ride is in the safest condition?”

Bender grabbed hold of one of the bars that covered the opening and gave a hardy shake. “These seem strong enough.”

Claire’s nose wrinkled. “It’s like a cage.”

“More like a correctional facility.”

They were conveyed forward; the compartment wobbled precariously. “Have you ever been to a correctional facility?”

She knew it was a bold question, and she wasn’t surprised to see a guarded shadow fell over his face. “It was a facility,” he said at last, “but it didn’t do any correcting.”

“Oh.” She paused. “When were you there?”

“Two years ago. I ran away from home,” he explained, anticipating her next question. “It wasn’t so bad, except for the damn group therapy sessions. Better than being at home, really.”

She didn’t find that hard to believe. His house had exceeded her expectations for the abysmal. It was in the kind of street she was afraid to drive down alone, the kind that was printed in the newspaper alongside the words “Shooting” and “Robbery.” She had wondered why Bender had only used landmarks and not street names when giving her directions, but she soon realized why; all of the street signs were missing. When she’d pulled up in front of his house, she’d hoped she had the wrong one. The front window was covered with a trash bag, broken bottles and cardboard fragments littered the front yard, and the roof looked like it was about to cave in. But no, she’d followed the directions to a T, and before she could even unbuckle her seatbelt Bender had slammed the screen door, which hung pointlessly by one hinge, and was in the car with his brother. No one had said anything until they were back on the main road.

“You know…” He leaned toward her, drawing her from her reverie, “I should have mentioned my correctional experience last night at dinner. That certainly would have made an impression.”

“I think you made enough of an impression already. The minute you were out the door, my mom asked, ‘Was that boy high on marijuana?’”

Bender beamed like he’d been given a heartfelt compliment. “Perceptive, that one. I was surprised they even allowed you to continue associating with such a corruptive individual as myself.”

“My mom was dead set against us, so naturally my dad was all for us.” Claire let out a small sigh. “I’ll never understand how two people so different could end up together.”

“Well you know Cherry, they say opposites attract.”

“Yeah but not for long.”She laid back in her seat, unaware of the suspicious stains drizzled across the vinyl. “I guess when they were first dating it didn’t matter if they didn’t like the same things. She went off with her friends and did the things she liked to do and he went off with his friends, and when they got together they were ready to try something different. But when they got married and saw each other every day there was just nothing to agree on.”

“They could agree to disagree.”

“That doesn’t work.”

“So if two people are at all different, they can’t make it work,” he summarized, his eyes following her intently.

She frowned. “That’s not what I meant.”

“But that’s what you said.”

“I was talking about my parents.”

“Then if two people, who are not your parents, are in a relationship and are different from each other, they can make it work?”

“It- It depends,” she stammered, shifting uncomfortably.

“On what?”

Claire didn’t mind personal questions – as long as she was the one asking them; and this was definitely a personal question, seeking an answer that had been developed after seventeen years of heart-shredding insults, shattered glass, and tears. Claire didn’t know how to translate the sense of fatality and fear that wrapped around her heart whenever she heard the word “love.”

Claire was fumbling for words to express what she wasn’t even sure was express-able when the compartment did a lazy roll. “It’s starting!” she squealed, crushing into him and the space in which his question had lingered.

“What keen observation skills – Shit!”

The ground tilted dangerously through the bars; the main structure of the Zipper was beginning to flip on its side. The compartment gained speed, and the most intense spinning session of Claire’s life began.

The ride lasted a total of three minutes; Claire’s screaming lasted for about two. There were times when Claire thought, “This isn’t too bad,” and then they’d change directions or the main structure would lean even farther to the right or the left; once it managed to turn itself upside down. At this point Claire’s voice reached a higher pitch and Bender, who alternated between uproarious laughter and swear words, latched onto her hand. She barely noticed; she was too busy fearing for her life. The compartment wobbled riskily with each movement, and an image of half-drunk carnies tossing together The Zipper whilst forgetting to tighten a crucial screw that happened to hold the entire ride together kept revolving through her mind.

Claire often pictured herself in near-death scenarios. Sometimes she was rescued by a hunky hero; other times…well, she was always flattered by the line of devastated mourners who showed up at her funeral and wept over her obit. Occasionally the school would construct a courtyard and dedicate it to her.

Fortunately Claire’s funeral fantasies were not meant to come true; she was still in one piece at the end of three minutes. She could sense that the compartment had stopped moving, but the world around her still sloshed like a wave pool. She forced herself to focus on Bender.

“That was insane!”

His head fell back against the seat weakly. “Tell me about it.”

“Is my hair all right?”

“I don’t know, why don’t you take its temperature?”

Claire rested a hand against her forehead. “I feel like I’m on a boat.”

“Don’t be seasick.” He grinned. “I won’t blame you if you’re lovesick, though.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Impossibly attractive.”

“Maybe in your twisted world.”

“The world doesn’t need me to twist it; it’s messed up enough as it is.”

“You’re certainly not doing anything to help fix that.”

“I don’t see you running out to join the Peace Corps, Cherry.”

“I do charity work sometimes, you know,” she informed him irritability.

“Like what, donating all of those last season rags to Salvation Army?”

Claire scowled and started to turn away, when she realized she couldn’t. He still had a hold of her hand. Her face grew warm. She berated herself for her embarrassment; it was just holding hands! Six year olds held hands; old married couples held hands. Best friends held hands. You held hands when you wanted to give support and sympathy, when you reached out and discovered you weren’t alone. It was porch swings, and sweet, timid kisses when you didn’t know what to do with those five fingered monstrosities, so you grabbed the hands of your partner and the whole predicament disappeared in a strawberry flavored haze.

And that was why it was such a big deal. Bender wasn’t the porch swing, strawberry haze type of boyfriend. Each tender word or touch from him thrilled her; it was so delightfully unexpected, but always short lived and dampened by a sharp gesture, which is why she shouldn’t have been surprised when Bender tore his hand away and snapped, “Jeeze, Cherry, are you trying to crush my knuckles?”

“You’re the one who grabbed hold of me, remember?” She turned her face away, stung. It shouldn’t bother her so much, him being an ass hole, at least not anymore; it wasn’t like he’d ever led her to believe he’d be anything else. But those moments filled her with such unreasonable hope…

“Maybe you have selective memory.” He peered through the bars and chucked. “Take a look at Sporto.”

Andy was stumbling across the platform, much to Allison’s amusement, who was in the process of trying to guide him down the stairs. It was a truly comedic scene, but Claire wasn’t in the mood for laughing. She managed to force a small smile.

She didn’t notice Bender’s hand hovering just above hers. She only saw him shove it in his pocket when their compartment reached the platform.

(Space)

“No, no, that one!”

“Which one?”

“The green one!”

“We’ll take the green one, Vern.”

Vern, a surly carnival worker covered with sweat and tattoos, lifted the emerald hued dinosaur and handed it over to Bender, who promptly deposited it into Alex’s outstretched arms, which already held a cornucopia of prizes. A large foam plane and a stick of cotton candy were tucked under one arm, and a small coke mirror with a picture of Van Halen was safely stashed under the other.

“Here, let me help you out.” Bender seized the cotton candy and took a hearty bite.

“Hey, give it; that’s mine!”

“Oh yeah? Did you pay with your lunch money?” Despite his sarcasm, Bender lowered the sweet, frothy bouquet to Alex’s level; the seven-year-old tore out a chunk and was appeased.

“You want some, Cherry?” Bender offered. “It’s not a carnival until fructose corn syrup has been ingested.”

“Maybe a little,” she ceded shyly. She took the daintiest nibble.

“You’re such a pig, Claire. It’s a good thing Andy and Allison are on the carousel; there wouldn’t be enough left for them. You want some, Brian?”

“No thanks. So that Zipper ride wasn’t too bad, huh?”

Claire shook her head. “Not really. I was pretty dizzy afterwards, but not for long.”

“It was baby stuff compared to the Rotor,” Bender interjected through a mouthful of cotton candy. “If you could handle that, you could definitely handle The Zipper.” He paused in front of a booth. The back wall was covered with bright blue balloons. “Hold this,” he commanded, thrusting the stick of cotton candy at Brian, and went to speak to the booth worker.

Claire smiled at the mention of the Rotor, or rather at the recent memories it recalled. She’d been apprehensive when she first stepped inside the tall, cylindrical construction. “What is this thing supposed to do again?” she’d asked as Bender drug her to the nearest wedge of wall.

“The walls spin around really fast and you get stuck to them because of the momentum.”

“Sounds…lovely.”

“It is – until the floor drops out.”

Before Claire could voice any of the protests that popped into her mind, a nasally voice came over the intercom: “Please stand with your backs against the wall. We cannot stop the ride if you feel faint or sick. Enjoy and be sure to stop by other carnival attractions.”

“You heard the lady, Cherry; on the wall!” Bender threw an arm around her waist and pressed her back against him. Her stomach did a small flip, and she was certain that it wasn’t just because the room had started to spin.

Like all carnival rides, it started slowly enough, but soon everything around Claire was a blur. An invisible force crushed her against Bender, who chuckled. “What?” Claire managed to gasp.

“Check out Allison.”

Allison had somehow managed to do a handstand and was now plastered to the wall upside down. Andy was in the process of trying to wriggle into a similar position, but the momentum was too strong for even the wrestler to fight against.

“It’s because of the centrifugal force,” Brian explained nervously to Alex, who was wiggling up the wall like an inch worm. “The static friction force moving in toward the center has to be greater than the – oh crap…”

Claire couldn’t tell if the walls were growing taller or the floor was sinking beneath them; all she knew was that she was being supported by thin air. Bender thrust his legs out wildly; they snapped back against the wall. Claire couldn’t even manage to wave her arms.

“It’s like we’re falling down the rabbit hole,” she said after she was able to catch her breath, “like in Alice in Wonderland.”

“Yeah.” His breath tickled her cheek. “Except you’re the wonder.”

Claire’s heart gave an agitated thump. “Don’t say things like that.”

“Why not?”

“It isn’t funny.”

“It isn’t supposed to be.”

She tilted her head upward to see his face. His eyes had lost their playful smolder. They bored into her with a quiet intensity that made her mouth water. All of a sudden she was only dimly aware of the world rotating around them, and as far as she knew the centrifugal force consisted of the warmth emanating from his body.

“Let’s stay here forever,” she whispered involuntarily, her lips pursing shut the moment the words escaped.

He smiled, frustratingly composed. “If you say so.”

He didn’t think she was being serious; but she was. In this dark vortex there was no remonstrance, no interruption, only the energy that held them together. And Claire wanted them to be together, more than she’d ever let Bender know. His disdain for the sentimental would only cause more friction between them, but maybe that was one of the reasons she liked him so much. He might tease her with lovey-dovey pet names or clichéd phrases he’d heard in a movie, but he would never mislead her when it came to how much he cared about her, even if that amount wasn’t very much.

It stung. She’d never cared about someone more than they cared about her before; but then again, Bender pretty much embodied everything she had yet to experience. He didn’t melt if she offered a flattering remark, like her parents or all of the other guys at school; all compliments were accepted as an obvious truth. He didn’t crack under an insult; he flung one right back. Nothing could touch him, nothing could hurt him. Sometimes she suspected that he didn’t feel anything underneath that shell of sarcasm and belligerence; but when he stroked her cheek, or held her hand on a carnival ride…

“Cherry?” hed said softly, his lips brushing her forehead.

“What?”

“If you puked on this thing, do you think it would fly back and hit you in the face?”

“You’re disgusting.”

But he wasn’t disgusting; he was all too desirable…

A loud “pop!” zapped her from her memories and back into reality. Bender had thrown a dart at one of the balloons; he was now aiming another.

“Are you gonna win something else for me?” Alex inquired eagerly, pushing his way over to the booth.

“You already got enough stuff.” He flung the next dart, missing the target miserably. “As soon as we’re done here I’ll take you on the Zipper.”

“Awesome! Did you hear that Brian?”

Brian rolled his eyes. “I just hope you’re prepared to comfort Alex when he gets scared, Bender.”

“Wouldn’t be a first,” Bender muttered. He flung the last dart; this time it hit a balloon dead on. “Third time’s the charm. What’s the score?”

“Two hundred points,” the carnival worker barked, scratching at her flabby underarm.

“Gee, I’m a rich man.” He leaned his elbows against the counter and began to survey the prizes arrayed across its surface. “Let’s see…”

“Get the blue pig,” Alex proposed, “the one with the vampire tooth hanging out of its mouth.”

“What do you think, Cherry, should I go with the blue pig?”

Claire approached the counter thoughtfully. “Don’t you like the teddy bear, Alex?”

His nose wrinkled. “It’s pink.”

“We’ll take that one,” Bender informed the carnie, pointing at the bear. She lobbed it at him like she was tossing out an empty pizza box.

Alex eyed the plushy animal with suspicion. “I don’t want it.”

“It wasn’t for you anyway, smarty pants,” Bender retorted. “It’s for the princess.”

Claire felt he’d just sent her a dozen roses; Alex was nonplussed. “Let’s go on the Zipper now,” he transitioned smoothly, grabbing Bender’s empty hand and dropping his foam airplane in the process. Brian bent to pick it up.

Bender thrust the stuffed animal at her. “Here; maybe you can use it as a dishrag or something.”

Its fur was soft and velvety, the kind that left discolored tracks where fingers had just caressed the fabric. The shiny nose perched perkily above a crooked, frowning mouth, and the set of eyes above it were dark and deeply embedded, giving the bear a brooding aspect. Claire thought it looked like a pink, fluffy Bender.

“John, this is so sweet of you.”

He shrugged. “They didn’t have anything good, so I figured I might as well not totally waste my points. It could probably work as a hat stand, or a foot rest...”

“No, I really like it.” She kissed his cheek impulsively; he fought against a sheepish grin and failed.

“Can we go now?” Alex demanded, his scowl remarkably similar to his older brother’s.

“Hold your horses, we’re going. You kids be safe.” Bender gave Brian and Claire a prompt salute before swaggering off, Alex and his carnival booty in tow.

Brian wrung his hands. “So, uh, what do you wanna do now?”

“I don’t know,” Claire murmured. She had to savor the moment while it lasted. She gave the teddy bear a squeeze. She knew that this simple gesture shouldn’t enchant her, but she understood why it did; within the vortex of a month, Claire had fallen in love with the rebellious, unpredictable, hair-flicking John Bender.

“Claire?”

She looked up, and a delighted smile lit across her face. “Hey! What are you doing here?”

(Space)

“Let’s go on that one again!”

“No.”

“Come on Johnny, please?” Alex begged, hopping from foot to foot. “I’ll let you have the mattress tonight.”

“As tempting as the offer is, I think I’ll take the love seat over that thing,” Bender said firmly, pointing at the Zipper. His stomach thought it was still rolling around in the compartment, except this time there were no bars to hold anything back. “Maybe Brian will ride it with you.”

“He wouldn’t even go on the Tilt-a-Whirl,” Alex complained. “He kept talking about something inside his ear.”

“He was probably just joking around.” Bender highly doubted it, but there was no way he was getting on that ride again, at least not while he was on a date. The last thing he needed was for Claire to watch him hurl. “Come on, let’s go find the others.”

“Are all the people we came with your friends?” Alex asked, trudging after Bender.

“You could say that.”

“Is Claire your friend?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“She’s really nice…and pretty,” Alex confessed bashfully.

Bender gave him a playful shove. “I think you need your eyes checked, bud.”

But Bender did have to admit, Claire was cute. Maybe she wasn’t classically “pretty,” with her bright red hair and pale skin, but she had a nice figure, and a warm smile, and Bender liked her hair. And once you got past the stuck up bitch front she was really sweet. When she’d come to pick him up that evening he’d expected her to chuckle or make some kind of awkward compliment like, “Your house isn’t that bad.” But she’d done neither. He was slowly beginning to realize that there was more to this girl than makeup, designer clothes, and Daddy’s credit card; she was caring, silly, and vulnerable, and he liked being around her a heck of a lot more than was good for him. But he didn’t like her too much or anything; she was just, you know, sort of important to him. He wasn’t doodling “Claire Bender” in the margins of his textbook, like someone else he knew.

Claire Bender...That had a nice ring to it.

Shit.

“There they are!” Alex shouted suddenly, tugging at the end of Bender’s shirt. Bender followed his brother’s gaze. Claire and Brian stood in front of a Snow Cone stand; Andy and Allison were with them. Claire spotted Bender and waved, a smile so genuine breaking out across her face that he couldn’t help but smile back. The smile was short-lived; a tall blond boy in khaki pants and a baby blue polo turned around and handed Claire a snow cone.

Bender’s jaw tightened. What was he doing here?

Bender had come to the conclusion last night that Zach was a total douche. After Zach had busted in on them and simpered, “Oh, am I interrupting something?”, Claire had straightened her skirt and tremulously assured him that he wasn’t interrupting anything at all. Zach took this as an invitation to stand around and shoot the bull with Claire about “old times.” Bender provided what he thought was a witty commentary, but the barbed looks Claire shot his way suggested that she felt differently. Eventually Zach ran out of nostalgia and revealed that the reason he had come upstairs was for a photo album, which struck Bender as highly suspicious. Either way, Bender was glad once Zach had his album and was out the door. The romantic mood may have been shot to hell by that point, but at least he was alone with Claire.

And he had been alone with Claire tonight (well, sort of; the rest of the group didn’t count) until Zach butted his big preppy head in. Bender tried not to scowl and pushed his way over to them.

“Zach...” The name left a bad taste in Bender’s mouth. “Fancy meeting you here.”

He spread out his arms like it was just the craziest coincidence. “I know right? I was here with my friend Danny and he started chatting up some blonde and disappeared. I was looking for him when I ran into Claire.”

Bender nodded understandingly. “Was the country club closed tonight?”

“So, Alex, was the Zipper all you hoped it would be?” Claire interrupted congenially.

“It was excellent,” Alex gushed. “I want to go again!”

“You weren’t scared?” Brian queried.

“Nope. It’s my favorite ride. I always go on it.”

Brian’s face fell. “Oh.”

Claire took a bite of chipped ice. “What do you guys want to go on next?”

“We should ride bumper cars,” Allison suggested. “They’re the only kind of cars I can legally drive.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t stop you,” Andy remarked. Allison smiled impishly.

“I’d like to see Allison run someone over with a bumper car,” Bender said. “How about you, Cherry?”

He could read the struggle in Claire’s strained smile. Bumper cars? Totally unsophisticated. What if Rich Bitch One saw her and told Rich Bitch Two? And what would Zach think if she agreed to something so crass and immature?

“Sure,” she consented at last, her voice more relaxed than Bender had expected. She turned to Zach. “Would you like to come with us?”

Bender felt like dropping some of that chipped ice down the back of her shirt to bring her to her senses. “He’s looking for his date, Claire, remember?”

Zach’s face reddened. “Date? No, no, Danny’s a man.”

Bender blinked. “I’m well aware of that.”

“Yeah, man, why don’t you join us?” Andy pressed. “We haven’t hung out in ages.”

“I don’t know…” Zach’s eyes scanned the crowd. “Danny –”

“Danny ditched you, you might as well ditch him,” Claire reasoned. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“All right,” he conceded, one corner of his mouth twisting upward reluctantly.

Andy nodded decisively. “Cool. Let’s go!”

“But I don’t wanna ride bumper cars!” Alex moaned, stomping alongside his brother. “Brian already made me! Can’t we go on the Zipper again?”

Bender tore his eyes away from Claire and Zach, who were laughing at some inside joke. “Tough luck kid. No one wants to ride that again.”

“Brian hasn’t gone on it yet,” Alex reminded him.

“Yeah, but Brian doesn’t want to.”

“Wait.” Brian laid a hand on his chest. “I never said I didn’t want to.”

“You weren’t exactly jumping at the opportunity either, Brian.”

“But I never said I didn’t want to go.”

Bender drew in a sharp breath. “Do you or do you not want to go?”

Brian hesitated. “Well…you guys said it wasn’t that bad, right?”

“Yep, it’s not scary at all!” Alex grabbed him by the arm and dragged him in the direction of the Zipper. “Just you wait, you’re gonna love it!” He was still babbling when they rounded the corner.

“Is the Zipper that thing with those little cages that spin around?” Zach moved his arm in a spinning motion for emphasis; Claire nodded. “Man. I don’t think you could pay me to get on there.”

“And it would be such an enticing offer,” Bender annunciated slowly, “seeing as money is something that you are so desperately in need of, right Zach?”

“Money is something we’re all in need of, John,” Zach rejoined, fixing Bender with a glassy stare. “I’m sure you’re aware of that.”

“What led to that assumption?”

Claire, who was walking between them, linked her arm through Bender’s. “Let’s not talk about economy. My dad must have spent at least two hours complaining about the stock market this morning.”

“Mine too.” Andy shook his head. “What’s worse is he thinks I’m going to lose my scholarship due to ‘the crowd I’ve been hanging around with lately.’”

“For what university?” Zach inquired.

“Shermer U.”

“So you’ll be close to home.”

Andy shared a quiet look with Allison. “Yep.”

“There are times when I wish Yale was closer to Shermer,” Zach confessed. “It’s hard being away from the people who are always at the front of my mind.”

“You’re here now,” Claire reminded him, “and that’s all that – Ow!”

“There was a moth on your head,” Bender explained innocently.

(Space)

“So I said, ‘But what would happen if Eifel off the Eifel tower?’”

Claire burst into a fit of giggles; Andy’s shoulders shook with laughter. Allison just stared. Bender was relieved that he wasn’t the only one who failed to see any humor.

He glanced at his watch; either it was broken, or the past six minutes had crawled by at a snail’s pace. Zach’s lengthy memoir of his semester in Paris hadn’t done anything to help pass the time. And of course Claire had to encourage him by burbling about how much she “adored Paris.” Had he gone to the Louvre? Notre Dame? Montmarte? The Eifel Tower? Yes, yes he had; he even had the most tickling gag to share with them!

Bender would rather watch an ape throw shit.

“So, did you get to do any French kissing?” Andy insinuated once the storm of amusement had passed.

“No, not this time.”

Bender’s lip curled in disgust. “You went to France and you didn’t even pick up any babes?”

“Nope.”

A trip to Europe was totally wasted on this noodle. “There wasn’t anyone you were remotely interested in?”

He glanced at Claire. “Not in Europe, at least.”

Bender’s pulse quickened. “That explains why you were so eager to reunite with Danny.”

Zach’s smile disappeared. He opened his mouth to say something, when Claire butted in. “Oh look, the line’s moving!” She grabbed Bender by the arm and dragged him forward.

“Cut it out,” she hissed.

“Give me some scissors.”

“That’s not funny.”

“It’s better than Eifelling off the Eifel tower,” he retorted.

“You’re being a jerk.”

“I’m being myself.”

“John, he’s one of my best friends. Can’t you just try to get along with him?”

Bender ran a hand through his hair, fighting against the pleading tone in her voice and ultimately failing. “Fine,” he surrendered, teeth gritted, “but don’t think I’m gonna kiss ass to every one of your little Ivy League friends.”

“I’d have to be insane to think that,” she assured him.

“Then you’re halfway there, right?”

“Only because you’re driving me crazy,” she shot back.

He grinned. “They say I’m an excellent driver.”

“You’re a bad driver.”

“And being bad feels so good, doesn’t it, Cherry?”

She gulped for a response. Bender suddenly had the urge to kiss her, and he would have, had Zach not chimed in with, “What are you two whispering about?”

“Nothing,” Claire answered mechanically.

“None of your business is more like it,” Bender muttered; Claire must not have heard him, or he was sure he would have gotten some sort of rebuke.

“Hey Clark!”

Bender turned to look at Andrew. The jock mouthed the word “shit” just as a balding man in sweats appeared at his side.

“Why weren’t you at practice today?” baldy demanded, folding his arms across his expansive midsection.

“I had to help a friend with a science project,” Andrew explained; Allison bit a fingernail guiltily.

“Next time tell that friend to call someone else!” baldy blustered, moving forward with the line. “You can’t afford to miss a practice this late in the season.”

“It’s the only practice I’ve missed this season, Coach.”

“And it better be the last!”

They were at the front of the line. “Look, Coach, I’m gonna have to talk to you about this tomorrow, okay?”

“Don’t go helping anyone with an English report,” Coach grumbled. “I expect you to be there.”

The carnival worker gave the group the once over. “Are all six of you together?”

“Five,” Claire corrected.

“I’m sorry, but there’s only two cars available. If you want to couple up I can let four of you in.”

“Doesn’t that beat all!” Coach exclaimed, his beady eyes dancing with glee. “You four go through, and we’ll continue our conversation over here, won’t we, Clark?”

Andy winced.

“We could wait in line again,” Allison suggested.

Andy shook his head. “Don’t go through all that trouble. Go have fun.” He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and shuffled off with Coach.

“So,” Claire said as soon as they’d entered the pavilion, “how should we do this?”

“Do what?” Allison asked blankly.

“Pair off.”

Bender felt a slight pinch of annoyance. Wasn’t the answer obvious? He opened his mouth to voice his opinion when Zach butted in.

“John could go with Allison, and I could go with you.”

“I guess that could work…” Claire looked to Bender uneasily. “Is that all right with you, John?”

The pinch tightened. Bender didn’t understand why he was so pissed off. So what if Claire would rather ride a bumper car with a guy who just happened to be a rich, weasly bastard who’d known her for seventeen years? He shrugged stiffly. “No skin off my ass.”

Zach beamed. “Good man, John.” He practically skipped over to an empty red car, Claire following with less enthusiasm.

“I’m driving,” Allison piped before Bender could say anything.

He climbed into the passenger’s seat apathetically and glanced over at Claire. She was behind the wheel, and Zach was beside her, chatting away. He had the sudden impulse to race over, throw Zach out of the car and say, “I changed my mind.” He’d almost decided to do it when Allison slammed on the gas and they shot forward, instantly ramming into a wall.

“And they won’t let you loose on the road?”

“Shut-up,” Allison grumbled, smiling. Bender gave the wall a hardy push and they were back on the open range, ready to roam free with all of the other miniature metallic beasts. Unfortunately they were the defective member of the pack; the only thing Allison seemed to be able to do was turn in a tight circle.

“Scoot over,” Bender chortled. “You’re going to get us both killed.”

“Death by bumper car,” Allison remarked dreamily as they switched positions, both equally stiff and protective. “I’m not that bad.”

“We haven’t even bumped anything yet,” Bender said bluntly as he settled into the driver’s seat.

“We bumped into a wall.”

“I’m talking non-stationary, Chipmunk.” Allison giggled goofily at the nickname. The positive feedback pumped Bender’s spirits, and he was almost having a good time again when he spotted Zach’s arm across the back of Claire’s seat.

Bender was aware that Claire’s shoulder and Claire’s seat were two different things. But the leap from shoulder to seat was too close, and that was why he put his foot to the petal and crashed into the back of their car.

Zach drew his arm back, and both turned around to give Bender an irritable glance. He grinned and waved coyly.

It wasn’t the last time Bender ran into them. Once he hit them just because his dislike for Zach was especially poignant; the next few times were to get on Claire’s nerves; and when Claire was paying more attention to her passenger than to where she was going, Bender gave her a wakeup jolt laden with his best intentions.

“You get road rage,” Allison observed knowingly. Bender didn’t respond; he was too busy banging into the side of Claire’s car.

“Stop it, John!” Claire snapped, her forehead creased.

“Stop what?” he asked innocently.

“Bumping into me.”

“They’re called bumper cars for a reason, Cherry.”

She made a face and turned back around. Bender decided to layoff for a while – after all, he had promised to be nice. He tried to give them space and ignore whatever they were doing, and talking about. Maybe they were talking about Paris. Claire liked Paris; she’d gone to Paris. When he’d flipped through her photo album, he’d come across a picture of her standing in front of the Eifel tower with mommy and daddy. And Bender? Well…he’d gone to Paris, Missouri once, if that counted.

BANG. John and Allison bounced in their seats. He looked back; Claire smiled devilishly, their bumpers kissing.

It was the sweetest thing she could have done.

(Space)

“I think you gave me a neck injury,” Claire grumbled, massaging the aforesaid ligament as they stepped off the platform. Andy, sin-coach, was waiting for them. Allison slid her hand into his pocket and kept it there.

Bender grinned. “You’ll survive.”

“If it’s really bothering you, you could come and soak in our hot tub once you get home,” Zach offered, all selflessness.

This guy had a hot tub? It shouldn’t have been surprising – he was rolling in cash, but still…A hot tub? Bender could just see Claire with a glass of champagne in her hand, soaking under the stars and listening to Zach babble on about politics and Europe.

Bender decided that he wanted to leave.

“As much as Cherry would love to accept your offer, it is a school night and she does have to be in bed on time,” he admitted sadly.

“That’s not true, I can go to bed whenever I want,” Claire objected.

Bender’s brow rose condescendingly. “We wouldn’t want you to be grumpy tomorrow and throw a temper tantrum now would we, princess?” Claire rolled her eyes but didn’t respond.

Zach smiled faintly. “I keep forgetting you kids aren’t on summer vacation yet.”

“It’s a common symptom of old age. First the memory goes, then the motor skills, and then the – well, you know.” He made a suggestive gesture. Claire’s jaw dropped; Bender pretended not to notice. “But we should head on out, it’s past my brother’s bedtime.”

Andy checked his watch. “It’s only 8:30.”

“Yeah, well, he’s a kid, and he needs twelve hours of sleep and ten glasses of water a day and all that bullshit.” He reached out to take Claire’s hand and stopped himself just in time. “Come on; let’s go find dork face and the brat.”

She laughed. “That sounds like a twisted version of Beauty & the Beast.”

“So does the Princess & the Criminal.”

She didn’t disagree.

(Space)

“He threw up on my airplane.” Alex lifted the evidence for all to see, his outstretched arm calling for justice. Claire turned her head away and whispered “Oh God;” Andy mumbled, “That’s nasty, man;” Zach scratched his head helplessly and Allison stuck her tongue out in revulsion.

“I see we had carrots for dinner,” Bender observed. “Were they as delicious the second time around?”

Brian’s knees wobbled precariously and he groaned, toppling into Bender, who threw an arm around his shoulders for support.

“I’m all right,” Brian said weakly, making a wasted effort to lift his head. “It’s just…I have some minor inner ear problems…If I sit for a while…”

“No, you need to get home and lie down,” Claire insisted with a grimace.

“I don’t want to make everyone leave…”

“We were about to go anyway; it’s Alex’s bedtime.”

The child’s eyes narrowed. “But I don’t have a –”

“Let’s blow this popsicle stand before Brian blows dessert,” Bender intercepted smoothly. “Shall we alight to your chariot, princess?”

She began to rummage through her purse; the furry pink head of the teddy bear Bender had given her leered out at them. “I suppose so. It was nice seeing you, Zach. I hope you can find your friend.”

“He’s around here somewhere.” His soft eyes betrayed the smile spread across his face. “Do you think you’ll need a ride to school tomorrow?”

“No, I can drive myself now.” She jingled her newly-found keys for proof.

“I keep expecting it to be like old times, I guess. I used to drive you around everywhere.”

“Yeah, well, things change,” she said awkwardly, averting her eyes.

Damn right, things changed.

Andy gave Zach a manly pat on the back. “It was nice seeing you, man. Give me a call and maybe we can get the guys together and play lacrosse while you’re still in town.”

“Will do. It was nice meeting you, Allison.” She squeaked an assent.

“Good-night Zach,” Claire said absentmindedly, backing toward the exit as the others began to walk away. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Night. Drive safe!” He took a step toward her and his arms twitched, as if he intended to embrace her but thought better of it. “And John, I…” His congeniality flickered. “I guess we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

Bender, who was already heading toward the exit, glanced over his shoulder. “Not if I can help it.”

(Space)

“John, stop it.”

“Why?”

“Your brother is in the car.”

“He’s asleep.” It was true; Bender could hear the faint of buzz of Alex’s snoring over the humming engine. He pressed his lips to her neck one last time and leaned back in his seat.

They were parked outside the Bender residence, their last stop on the route home. As eager as Bender had been to leave, he was reluctant to get out of the car. It was much more appealing to sit with Claire, badger her, kiss her, and do it all over again.

“So,” he began, just to buy time, “was the carnival all you hoped it would be, princess?”

She laughed. “Yeah; I had a good time. I’m surprised we ran into Zach.”

Bender felt like he’d swallowed a steel brick. “Wish it would have been with the car,” he mumbled.

“John!”

“I’m joking,” he lied. “What was old Yale-Yup doing there anyway? He impressed me as more of the opera-going, golfing type.”

“Zach doesn’t play golf.”

“Polo then.”

“He’s not like all the other preppy guys at school, John. If you got to know him, you’d probably like him.”

He propped his foot on the dashboard and grunted.

They were silent. Bender wondered why it didn’t bother him to sit in this gleaming SUV with a classy girl in front of his travesty of a house. Maybe it was because she could only see the outside, the tip of the iceberg. She knew about the garbage, and the trash bag covering the window, but she couldn’t see the hole in the wall, or the mound of unwashed dishes, or the stained carpets. She’d never know the extent of the damage.

Bender felt the seat recoil beneath him. Claire paused as he glanced up and continued to crawl over to him. She settled on the edge of his lap, her eyes wet, deep, and very real. He felt a desperate urge to say something.

“Am I your booster seat?”

She kissed him in response, slow and experimental. His foot slid from the dashboard absently. When she pulled away a simmer had replaced the wet gleam in her eyes, and she smiled. There was something distinct in Claire’s kisses that separated them from his experiences with other girls. He’d always viewed kissing as the means to an end. He was rough with other girls, impatient, dissatisfied. But with Claire, it was like she was making a whispered confession and if Bender didn’t listen carefully he would miss the most important part.

“My brother is in the backseat,” he said stupidly, as if he needed some sort of defense from the trembling atmosphere inside the vehicle.

“He’s asleep.”

He was paralyzed. She ran a finger along his cheek, stopping at his earlobe. She fiddled with the diamond stud.

“When I gave it to you, I didn’t think you’d wear it.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged. The aftertaste of the kiss turned sour in his mouth. “Did you think I’d sell it?”

“No…I don’t know. I didn’t think you’d really want it.”

His lips opened in a cautious smile. “I didn’t think you’d want a hot pink teddy bear.”

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and chuckled. “Neither did I.”

Bender kissed her again so he wouldn’t be completely disgusted with himself. Then he straightened in his seat and said, “I have to go inside.”

She nodded.

“I’ll see you in Hell School tomorrow, Cherry.”

“Wait.”

He held the door halfway open. “What?”

“Are you going to the prom planning meeting tomorrow morning?”

He snorted. “Yeah, and then I’m going camping with the Boy Scout troop.”

“You mean you aren’t?”

“Of course not; why would I?”

Her lips stiffened. “Well I am a queen candidate, and tomorrow they’re going over the inaugural procedures…”

“Wait a second.” He shut the door, his brow furrowed. “Why would I need to know about inaugural procedures?”

“John…” Her voice was bruised. “Aren’t you going to be my escort?”

TBC…