I wanted to ask them a cool question.

"Guys, I'm curious about your talents, what're your talents?"

Allison was happy to go first.

"I can do stuff with my feet. I could eat, brush my teeth-"

"With your feet?" Claire asked in disgust.

"Play Heart and Soul on the piano."

"I can cook. Spaghetti and pancake's my specialty," Brian said grinning.

"I can tape ya'll's buns together," Andrew joked.

"Seriously, Andy."

"OK...I can do a back flip, handstand, I could even do a handstand underwater but not too deep."

"I wanna see what Claire can do," John said.

"I can't do anything," she replied.

"Everyone's good at something."

"You can sing Claire, I heard you before in the girl's bathroom," I said.

Andy smiled.

"And John, I see you in gym playing basketball and you are a natural!" I said.

John shrugged admitting it while smirking.

"Really?" Andy asked.

"Hmm hmm. He should join the boys basketball team!"

John shook his head.

"Anything else?" John asked Claire.

"I don't know."

"You ever seen Wild Kingdom? This guy's been doing that show for thirty years."

John reassured her anyone can do something.

"Well, there is one thing. It's stupid."

Andy shook his head.

"Ok. Promise you won't laugh."

John crossed his heart non verbally.

Claire took out her lipstick. Stuck it between her boobs. She successfully applied it on her upper lip. We applauded her.

"Good job," Andy said.

"Muy bien Claire, muy bien!" I said.

"Where'd you learn that?" Brian asked.

"Camp, seventh grade."

Claire looked at John. He was clapping slowly.

"That was great Claire, my image of you is totally blown."

His voice was full of pure sarcasm.

"You're a shit! You told her you wouldn't laugh!" Allison said.

"Am I laughing?"

"You fucking prick!"

"Why do you care? 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?"

He turned to Claire.

"And you, don't like me anyway."

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

"God, you're so pathetic! Don't you ever, ever compare yourself to me, ok? You got everything and I got shit! Fucking Rapunzel right? The school would probably fucking shut down if you didn't show up! Queenie isn't here! I like those earrings Claire."

"Shut up."

"Are those real diamonds Claire?"

"Shut up."

"I bet they are. Did you work for the money for those earrings?"

"Shut your mouth."

"Or did your daddy buy those for you?"

"Shut up!"

"I bet he bought those for you! I bet those were a Christmas gift, right? You know what a got for Christmas? It was a banner fucking year for the old Bender family! I got a carton of cigarettes! The old man grabbed me and said 'Hey smoke up Johnny!' ok, so go home and cry to your dad and don't cry here ok?"

We were all silent.

"My God, are we gonna be like our parents?" Andy asked silently.

"Not me...ever," Claire said.

John nodded.

"It's unavoidable...just happens," Allison said.

"What happens?" Claire asked.

"When you grow up, your heart dies."

"Who cares," John said.

"I care."

"Me too,"  I said.

"Maria, you never told me what you can do," Brian said.

John nodded.

"I can sing and dance, play Babalu on my bongos. Mama used to be so obsessed with Desi Arnaz."

They nodded.

Uh, I know it's kind if a weird time but I was just wondering. What's gonna happen on Monday, when we're together again?" Brian asked.

"Oh, why didn't I think of that?" I asked.

"We'll still be friends right? I'm not wrong am I?"

Andy shook his head.

"Of course not Bri," I said.

"You want the truth?" Claire asked.

Brian nodded.

"Yeah, I want the truth."

" l don't think so."

"With all of us or just John?" Allison asked.

"With all of you."

"That's a real nice attitude Claire!" Andy said sarcastically.

"Oh be honest Andy. What if you saw me on Monday and said hi to you in front of your teammates, what would you do?"

"What if I cane up to you?" Allison asked.

"Same exact thing."

John looked like he had it with her.

"You are a bitch!"

"Why, cause I'm telling the truth? That makes me a bitch!?"

"No, because you know how shitty that is to do to someone. You haven't got the balls to stand up to your friends and tell them you wanna like who you wanna like!"

"Ok, what about you, you hypocrite!? Why don't you take Bri out in the school parking lot to get high or take Allison out to one if your little heavy metal vomit parties? What about me? If you and me came to school holding hands and our friends see us, they'd laugh their asses off. You'd tell them you just wanna fuck me! And Maria, I forgot all about Maria-"

"Shut up you puta!" I screamed.

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

"Shut up!" She screamed as she kicked him.

"You can just dream that we can walk together in the hallways of school, cause it's never gonna happen! Just bury your head in the sand and wait for your fucking prom!"

"I hate you!"

"Oh yeah? Good!"

We were silent.

"I wanna tell you guys that I would never do that. It's real shitty."

"I will always be your best friend Bri, all of yours too," I said.

"You might as well go back to Mexico Maria," Claire said.

"I was born here ok!?"

"You're so conceited Claire, you're so conceited. Why are you like that?" Brian asked.

"I'm not saying that to be conceited! I hate it, I hate going along with everything my friends say! You don't understand the pressure they can put on you."

Brian looked at her in disbelief

"I don't understand what? You think I don't understand pressure Claire? Well fuck you! Fuck you!"

Bri was sobbing, I even noticed John feeling sorry for him.

"You know why I'm here today? Do you!? I'm here because Mr Ryan found a gun in my locker."

"What why would you bring a gun to school?" I asked.

"I can't have an F. I can't and know my parents can't have it. There was this project in shop class. I was supposed to make a ceramic elephant lamp. I showed it to class, you were supposed to pull the trunk but the light didn't go on."

"What was the gun for?" I asked.

"Forget I said it."

"You brought it up man!" Andy said.

"I tried! I took the class to maintain my GPA. If I ace the rest of the semester I'm still only a B. I considered my options."

"Bri, killing yourself is not an option," Claire said.

"Well I didn't do it did I?"

Bri kicked the stool near him making us jump.

"The gun went off in my locker."

"Was it a handgun?" Andy asked.

"No, it was a flare gun."

"Really!?" Andy said laughing.

"Its not funny."

Andy stopped. Brian smiled.

"Yes it is. The fucking elephant was destroyed."

Most of us were trying not to laugh but Andy and Bri.

"You guys wanna know what I did to get in here?"

We looked up at Allison.

"Nothing, didn't have anything better to do."

Then all of us were laughing.

"You're laughing at me!"

I saw John, he was cracked up. That was the first time I saw him be that happy.