saturday, march 24, 1984- 3:25 PM

»»————-✩————-««

"I can write with my toes! I can also eat, brush my teeth, play Heart and Soul on the piano..." Allison says proudly.

"With your feet?" Claire asks.

"I can make spaghetti!" Brian says.

"I uh, can shuffle five decks of cards all at once!" Opal says.

"No way, you can?" Brian asks her. 

"Yeah, wish I had some to show you. I'll show you another time." Opal replies.

"What can you do?" Claire asks Andrew.

"I can uh, tape all your buns together." he says. Opal giggles.

"I wanna see what Claire can do!" Bender says.

"I can't do anything." Claire says.

"Now, everybody can do something." Bender continues.

"There's one thing I can do, no forget it, it's way too embarrassing." Claire says, turning a bit red.

"You ever seen Wild Kingdom? I mean that guy's been doing that show for thirty years." Bender says.

"Okay, but you have to swear to God you won't laugh. I can't believe I'm actually doing this..." Claire says. She goes into her bag and takes out a thing of lipstick. She puts it between her breasts and applies it on her lips through her cleavage. When she lifts her head, the lipstick is perfect. 

"Whoa!" Opal says, initiating applause. The other teens start clapping. However, Bender's applause is sarcastic and slow.

"All right, great! Where'd you learn to do that?" Andrew asks.

"Camp, seventh grade." Claire responds.

"That's amazing." Opal says.

"Thanks..." Claire says, smiling.

"That was great, Claire. My image of you is totally blown..." Bender says sarcastically.

"You're a shit! Don't do that to her, you swore to God you wouldn't laugh!" Allison says.

"Am I laughing?" Bender asks Allison.

"You fucking prick!" Andrew exclaims.

"What do you care what I think, anyway? I don't even count, right? I could disappear forever and it wouldn't make any difference. I may as well not even exist at this school, remember?" Bender screams.

"And you don't like me anyway!" Bender says, turning to Claire.

"You know, I have just as many feelings as you do and it hurts just as much when somebody steps all over them!" Claire screams.

"God, you're so pathetic! Don't you ever...ever! Compare yourself to me! Okay? You got everything, and I got shit! Fuckin' Rapunzel, right? School would probably fucking shut down if you didn't show up! 'Queenie isn't here!' I like those earrings Claire." Bender continues shouting.

"Shut up..." Claire whispers.

"Are those real diamonds, Claire?" Bender asks.

"Shut up!" Claire shouts, angrier.

"I bet they are. Did you work, for the money for those earrings? Or did your daddy buy those?" Bender continues. Claire starts crying.

"I bet he bought those for you! I bet those are a Christmas gift! Right? You know what I got for Christmas this year? It was a banner fuckin' year at the old Bender family! I got a carton of cigarettes. The old man grabbed me and said 'Hey! Smoke up Johnny!' Okay, so go home and cry to your daddy, don't cry here, okay?" Bender screams.

"Back the fuck off, Bender!" Opal says, standing up to face him.

"And you, new girl! Just because your mom was a fuckin' model doesn't make you all that either!" Bender says. Opal shoves Bender.

"How the fucking hell do you know that, asshat? Huh? Did you pull a Vernon and look through my fucking files?" Opal asks, shoving him again.

"Stop it, guys, stop it!" Brian says.

"For your information, I've seen her in... magazines before. She looks just like you, so I figured you were related when I saw you in here. Don't you ever compare me to Vernon, got that?" Bender says.

"Big fucking deal, huh? Just because my mom's making a fuckton of money doesn't make me a rich fucking girl, alright? My parents blow all their money on dope and drinks. They go to Vegas and Monte Carlo and ignore me and leave me alone at home, even when I was a kid. My mom's obsessed with me becoming 'Just like her...' but doesn't fucking realize that I hate it! I fucking hate her! I fucking hate life!" Opal screams. She walks away from Bender, and returns to her seat, sobbing. 

After a bit, Opal's sobs quiet down. Everyone is quiet. 

"My god, are we gonna be like our parents?" Andrew asks, breaking the silence.

"Not me, ever..." Claire says.

"Hell no." Opal says, her voice still shaky.

"It's unavoidable, it just happens." Allison says.

"What happens?" Claire asks.

"When you grow up, your heart dies." Allison says.

"Who cares?" Bender asks.

"I care." Allison says, her voice breaking a bit.

"Um, I was just thinking, I mean. I know it's kind of a weird time, but I was just wondering, um, what is gonna happen to us on Monday? When we're all together again? I mean I consider you guys my friends, I'm not wrong, am I?" Brian asks.

"No..." Andrew says.

"So on Monday, what happens?" Brian asks the group.

"Are we still friends, you mean? If we're friends now, that is?" Claire asks the blonde.

"Yeah..." he says.

"Do you want the truth?" Claire asks.

"Yeah I want the truth." Brian answers.

"I don't think so." Claire says.

"Well, do you mean all of us or just John?" Allison asks.

"With all of you." Clare says.

"Wow, thanks. To fucking think I finally made friends here." Opal says.

"I'd call you my friend, Opal." Allison says.

"Me too." Brian says.

"That's a real nice attitude, Claire!" Andrew says.

"Oh, be honest, Andy. If Brian came walking up to you in the hall on Monday, what would you do? I mean picture this, you're there with all the sports. I know exactly what you'd do, you'd say hi to him and when he left you'd cut him all up so your friends wouldn't think you really liked him!" Claire says.

"No way!" Andrew says.

"What about me?" Allison asks.

"Or me?" Opal asks.

"Same exact thing!" Claire proclaims.

"You are a bitch!" Bender screams at Claire.

"Why? 'Cause I'm telling the truth, that makes me a bitch?" Claire asks Bender.

"No! 'Cause you know how shitty that is to do to someone! And you don't got the balls to stand up to your friends and tell 'em that you're gonna like who you wanna like!" Bender screams.

"Okay, what about you, you hypocrite! Why don't you take Allison and Opal to one of your heavy metal vomit parties? Or take Brian out to the parking lot at lunch to get high? What about Andy for that matter, what about me? What would your friends say if we were walking down the hall together. They'd laugh their asses off and you'd probably tell them you were doing it with me so they'd forgive you for being seen with me." Claire shouts.

"Don't you ever talk about my friends! You don't know any of my friends, you don't look at any of my friends and you certainly wouldn't condescend to speak to any of my friends so you just stick to the things you know, shopping, nail polish, your father's BMW and your poor, rich, drunk mother in the Caribbean!" Bender shouts, furious.

"Shut up!" Claire screams, sobbing.

"And as far as being concerned about what's gonna happen when you and I walk down the hallways at school, you can forget it! 'Cause it's never gonna happen! Just bury your head in the sand, and wait for your fuckin' prom!" Bender shouts.

"I hate you!" Claire says.

"Yeah? Good." Bender says. It goes silent again.

"Then I assume Opal, Allison and I are better people than you guys, huh? Us weirdos." Brian says, breaking the silence.

"Do you, would you guys do that to me?" Brian asks the two.

"I don't have any friends." Allison says.

"Neither do I." Opal says.

"Well if you did?" Brian asks.

"No. I don't think the kind of friends I'd have would mind." Allison says.

"Yeah, same here." Opal says.

"I just wanna tell, each of you, that I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't and I will not! 'Cause I think that's real shitty." Brian says.

"Your friends wouldn't mind because they look up to us." Claire says.

"Oh please, Claire." Opal says. Brian laughs at her.

"You're so conceited, Claire. You're so conceited. You're so, like, full of yourself, why are you like that?" Brian asks her.

"I'm not saying that to be conceited! I hate it! I hate having to go along with everything my friends say!" Claire shouts, crying again.

"Well then why do you do it?" Brian asks.

"I don't know, I don't, you don't understand. You don't. You're not friends with the same kind of people that Andy and I are friends with! You know, you just don't understand the pressure that they can put on you!" Claire says.

"I don't understand what? You think I don't understand pressure, Claire? Well fuck you! Fuck you!" Brian screams. He puts his head in his arms and starts crying.

"Know why I'm here today? Do you? I'm here because Mr. Ryan found a gun in the locker." Brian says.

"Wait, a gun?" Opal asks.

"Why'd you have a gun in your locker?" Andrew asks.

"I tried. You pull the fuckin' trunk on it and the light's supposed to go on...and it didn't go on, I mean, I..." Brian says, trailing off.

"What's the gun for, Brian?" Andrew asks.

"Just forget it..." Brian says.

"You brought it up, man!" Andrew says.

"No, we're not gonna forget it, why'd you have a fucking gun?" Opal asks.

"I can't have an F, I can't have it and I know my parents can't have it! Even if I aced the rest of the semester, I'm still only a B. And everything's ruined for me!" Brian shouts.

"Oh, Brian..." Claire says with pity.

"So I considered my options, you know?" Brian says.

"You didn't... you didn't try anything, right?" Opal asks. He shakes his head.

"No! Killing yourself is not an option!" Claire shouts.

"Well I didn't do it, did I? No, I don't think so!" Brian shouts.

"It was a handgun?" Allison asks the blonde.

"No, it was a flare gun. Went off in my locker." Brian replies.

"Really?" Andrew says, laughing.

"It's not funny..." Brian says. The teens all start laughing. Eventually, Brian joins in.

"Yes it is. Fuckin' elephant was destroyed!" Brian says.

"Oh no, poor elephant!" Opal says, giggling.

"You wanna know what I did to get in here? Nothing. I didn't have anything better to do." Allison says.

"Ha! No way..." Opal says. The teens continue laughing.

"You're laughing at me." Allison says.

"No!" Andrew says. Allison joins the laughter.

"Yeah you are!" she says, laughing.

"Y'all want to know what I did to get in here?" Opal asks the five.

"Yeah!" Brian says. They all nod.