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Somewhere in Between	By : MidnightBlue88 Category: 1 through F > Breakfast Club Views: 1939 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Breakfast Club, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Somewhere in Between
- 1
Disclaimer:
I don�t own the Breakfast Club.
Summary:
On the night before he leaves for college, Andy runs into Claire at a party,
and the two find that they have more to say to one another now than they had
before. AndyClaire, one-shot.
Rating:
M for language and sexual content.
A/N:
This story is actually way more about Andy than anything else, if that helps
you make the decision about whether or not you want to read it. I hope everyone
enjoys it.

Somewhere
in Between

��
�� Andy
reached around to grab the back collar of his t-shirt and pulled it over his
head, tossing it onto the floor next to him. He ran a hand through his hair and
walked over to the edge of his bed, where his largest bag of luggage was
propped open. After a bit of digging, he found a red polo shirt and closed the
bag without zipping it up.
�� You going out?�
�� Andy
glanced up to see his older brother Grant standing in the doorway, hand
gripping the doorjamb. Grant was home for a week to see his little brother off
to college. He�d graduated from Ohio State in May, and he�d just accepted a
position at an accounting firm in Cleveland. The plan was to see Andy off at
the airport tomorrow, then catch his own flight back to Columbus to finish
packing up his apartment.
�� Yeah.� Andy tugged the polo shirt over his head and
smoothed it out over his stomach. �Jacob�s having a party tonight.�
�Last big hurrah?�
�� Andy
nodded. �Something like that.�
�� Grant
paused, pursing his lips together thoughtfully. �Wasn�t Jacob the one that
broke the living room window when you guys were playing catch in the backyard?�
�� Andy
turned to frown at him. �That was five years ago, Grant.�
�� Grant
smiled and shrugged. �Guess I�ve got a good memory.�
�� Andy
rolled his eyes. �What�s the score on the game?�
�� Tied up 2-2 at the bottom of the sixth. Braves are at bat.�
�� Oh.� Andy sat on the edge of the bed and
grabbed his sneakers off of the floor. He pulled them on one by one and tied
the laces as tightly as his blood circulation would allow. When he was
finished, he stood to find Grant watching him from the doorway, arms crossed
over his chest. There was a piece of blonde hair, lighter than Andy�s, sticking
up on the back of his head.
�What?� Andy asked irritably. He hated it when Grant
looked at him like that, as if he knew something Andy didn�t. Grant was the
observant one, and Andy always felt like he knew everything that Andy was
thinking without even having to ask. There was comfort in knowing that there
was someone out there that knew you better than you probably knew yourself, but
sometimes Andy just wanted Grant to stop being so smart and let him have his
secrets.
�� Grant
shrugged. �Nothing.�
�� Andy
glared at him. �Don�t get all Mom on me and talk about how fast I�ve grown up.�
�� Grant
lifted his eyebrows teasingly. �But you have, Andy. You�re not a boy anymore.
You�re a man��
�� Shut
up.�
�� Grant
smiled and pushed off from the doorjamb, taking a step towards Andy. �Here.� He reached forward to adjust Andy�s collar, which
was tucked under on one side. For once, Andy let his brother fuss over him and
didn�t push him away.
�� Thanks.�
�� Grant
nodded and stepped back. Andy grabbed his letter jacket from his desk chair and
slung it on, not bothering to button it up.
�� It�s
really humid outside.�
�� Andy
shrugged. �It might get colder.� Unlikely, but he didn�t care. It was the last
night that he would be able to wear his high school letter jacket, and he
wanted to make the most of it. He would get a new one when he got to
California, but for now he was still a Shermer Bulldog.
Just a few more hours and he would put it away.
�� Suddenly,
Andy heard someone honking outside of his house. Dan. �That�s my ride.�
�� Grant
stepped out of the way to let him pass. �Well, have fun.�
�� Andy
nodded. �Thanks.�
�� And
don�t do anything I wouldn�t do.�
�� Andy
smirked. �I thought you said to have fun.�
�� Grant
gave him a less-than-gentle shove out the door.

----------------------------------
��

�� Andy
and Dan were two of the last people to arrive at the party, which wasn�t so
much a party as a casual get together. All graduated seniors, and few junior
and sophomore girlfriends that were about to be left behind, maybe forever.
Andy weaved in and out among the throngs of people � some of whom tossed out
greetings along the way � and made his way to the kitchen, where Jacob was opening
up a bag of chips.
�� Jacob
Winston was Andy�s best friend, and had been for just about as long as Andy
could remember. Back in middle school, they played baseball together; Andy,
quick on his feet, was shortstop, and Jacob, with his good arm, played at
third. Even when both of them quit the team in high school and Andy took up
wrestling, they stuck together. They made a good team.
�� There
you are. I was about to call over to your house,� said Jacob, wiping his hands
on the front of his shirt, which was already stained with some kind of liquid,
probably beer.
�� Dan
was late picking me up.�
�Big surprise there.
Get a beer. They�re in the coolers behind the table.�
Andy did as he was told and grabbed a can of
Budweiser from the first cooler he reached. �So, what did you do today? I
called earlier, but no one picked up.�
Jacob tossed another chip into his mouth and leaned
against the counter. �I went to dinner with Catherine and her parents. They
wanted to take me out before I left.�
Andy nodded. Catherine was Jacob�s ex-girlfriend,
but they�d only broken up because they were going to separate schools on
opposite sides of the country and they figured that it was best to end it now
instead of stay miserable and wait for the inevitable. But Andy knew that it
was hard for both of them and that they were spending as much time together as
they possibly could before Jacob left next weekend. Andy was also pretty sure,
without Jacob saying for sure, that they were still doing just about everything
a boyfriend and girlfriend did together, only without the official title.
�Where is Catherine anyway? Is she here?�
Jacob shook his head and swallowed a mouthful of
chips. �No, she�s at Jill�s,� he replied, referring to Catherine�s best friend.
�Jill leaves tomorrow.�
�Oh.�
�What about you? What did you do today?�
Andy shrugged and took a long swig of beer. �Just finished packing mostly. Watched the
beginning of the game.�
Jacob nodded and popped another chip into his mouth.
Neither of them said anything for a few minutes, just watched the party go on
around them. Andy finished his first beer without even realizing what he was
doing and went over to grab another from the cooler. He was about to shut it
again when someone reached forward to catch it.
�Andy?�
Andy glanced up to see that Claire Standish was
standing right next to him. She looked a little bit different than the last
time he�d seen her, which was at graduation. Her hair was longer, brushing the
tops of her shoulders, and she was wearing a pale blue button-down shirt with
black trousers. As usual, she was probably the best dressed person in the
building.
�Oh, hey, Claire.�
Andy blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust to the sight. �How are you?�
Claire shrugged. �Pretty good.
I just got back from Florida. I spent the summer with my aunt.�
�Oh.� Andy nodded. �That sounds like fun.�
�What about you? What did you do this summer?�
�Uh�� He shook his head. �Nothing
really. I was working at the hardware store to earn some extra money,
but that�s about it.�
Claire nodded politely, and an awkward silence fell
over them. Andy had always found it tedious and slightly embarrassing to talk
to people he hadn�t seen in a long time. He always had to ask what they were
doing, and they had to ask the same thing, because that was the polite thing to
do and you had to be polite. At least, that was what his mom had always taught
him, but she had grown up in the South, and they were sticklers about that kind
of thing.
�Well�� said Claire.
�Andrew�Clark!�
Andy glanced up quickly to see that Dan was standing
in the middle of the kitchen wearing a Darth Vader mask and cape. He was
clutching a glowing plastic light saber in both hands, holding it in a combat
stance. Jacob was standing next to him laughing, but everyone else was just
staring at him.
�Andrew�Clark�� he boomed, the mask distorting his
voice so that it sounded like Vader�s. �Your presence is required in the game
room for a round of darts.�
Andy rolled his eyes. �Is that right?�
�Yes. It will be a game of life and death. If you
lose, you will die.�
Andy sighed and looked back at Claire. �Sorry, I
have to��
Claire laughed. �It�s fine. I�ll see you later.�
Andy nodded and turned back to Dan, who was now
threatening Jacob with the light saber. He turned back to look at Andy, giving
the saber a little twirl for good measure. �And Andrew?�
Andy glared at him. �What?�
�Can you grab me a beer? Because I
can�t see a fucking thing with this mask on.�

---------------------------------------

�� Nineteen!
Just one more and we win!�
�� Oh,
fuck you, dude. You can�t even see the damn board anymore. That was a lucky
shot.�
�� Jason
made a face at Frank. �Jealous of my awesome abilities?�
�� Frank
scoffed. �Not quite. Give me the darts.�
�� Jacob,
who was sitting on the game room couch between Andy and Dan, laughed. �We need
two more fifteens, man. Get a double.�
�� Yeah,
no problem, I�ll just go ahead and do that,� muttered Frank, grabbing the darts
out of Jason�s hand.
�� Jacob
turned and lifted his eyebrows at Andy, who burst out laughing. The beer was
definitely catching up to all of them. The first three rounds of darts had gone
by fairly quickly, but the last two were taking forever, probably for the
reason that Frank had suggested. Everyone was having a bit of a problem
focusing.
�� Jason
plopped down on the leather recliner next to the couch. �Man, I am so out of
shape. My new coach is going to rip me a new one when I get there.�
Andy nodded sympathetically, but he was the only
one. He and Jason were the only two that were definitely going to be playing a
sport when they got to college. Dan was hoping to walk on to his school�s
football team, but everyone else would be focusing on their classes. In theory.
�� At
least you have a few weeks,� Andy pointed out. �The basketball season doesn�t
start until November.�
�� No,
we start practice the first week of school,� said Jason, pushing a lock of long
blonde hair away from his forehead. �First week of school,� he moaned. �Fuck.�
�� Oh,
boo hoo,� said Jacob. �A few hours
of practice for a scholarship that pays for almost everything? Spare
me.�
�� It�s
more than a few hours, dickweed,� Jason snapped. �It�s hard work.�
�� Andy
nudged Jacob softly in the rib, and Jacob bit his lip to keep from laughing.
For some reason, Jason was the easiest to get riled up, and instead of making
Jacob angry, it always seemed to amuse him. The fact that Jason was so serious
about basketball and working out only made it funnier, perhaps because Jacob hadn�t
played any sports since middle school.
�� Shit!�
Frank sighed loudly and stepped forward to hand the darts to Dan. �Here.�
�� It�s
okay,� said Andy. �Next time.�
�� Dan
stood up, and Frank collapsed into the loveseat on the other side of the couch.
He pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his jeans pocket and glanced
over at Jacob. �Okay?�
�� Jacob
shrugged lazily. Alcohol always made him tired and almost giddy. �I don�t
care.�
�� Frank
flicked open the lighter and lit the cigarette dangling from his mouth.
�Anybody else want one?�
�� Impulsively,
Andy leaned forward. �Yeah, give me one.�
Frank stood from his chair and handed Andy a
cigarette, lighting it for him before he returned to his seat. Andy put the
cigarette to his lips, pulling a long drag of smoke into his lungs. If his
coach could see him now, he would probably get a lecture about the various ways
that smoking stands in the way of an athlete�s ability to perform at his best.
Maybe he�d even bring out those slides that show the difference between a
healthy lung and a smoker�s, or the pictures of the man with a hole in his
throat. But Coach Williamson wasn�t his coach anymore, and Coach Morales at
California State wasn�t his coach yet,
so Andy took another deep drag and released it into the air.
�� Isn�t
smoking bad for your health, Dr. Pierce?� Jason asked
Frank, smirking. �Shouldn�t you be discouraging these kinds of activities?�
�� Frank
glared at him and blew a puff of smoke in Jason�s direction. Frank was going to
the University of Chicago in Champagne-Urbana to study medicine. Both he and
his girlfriend Carly were National Merit finalists, and they�d both been
offered full rides: tuition, room and board, everything. He didn�t leave until
next week.
�� Not
if I don�t like them,� Frank retorted. �Here, Jason, want one?�
�� Hey,
does that mean you don�t like me?� asked Andy, grinning.
�� Frank
rolled his eyes, but Andy could see that he was fighting back a smile. �Yeah, I
fuckin� hate your guts, Clark. That�s why I helped
you pass Chemistry�and Calculus and Bio and��
�� Give
me some credit,� Andy protested. �I�m not an idiot.�
�� Yes,
you are,� Jacob piped up, earning himself another elbow to the ribs, this one
much harder than the last. He squirmed in his seat, and both of them burst out
laughing for about the eightieth time that night.
�� You
two sound like little girls,� Jason told them, almost accusingly.
�� Twenty,�
Dan called out, squinting as he prepared to throw his next dart.
�� We
already closed that one out,� said Jason. �We just need another nineteen and
we�re done.�
�� Dan
sighed. �Oh�okay.�
�� Hey!�
Jacob said suddenly, ignoring Jason and Dan completely and turning to look at
Andy. �Remember that time we toilet papered Mr. Hanslik�s
car?� He let out a sharp laugh. �And then he drove it to school the next day
with the toilet paper still on it?�
�� Frank
laughed. �What made you think of that?�
�� Jacob
shrugged and took another sip of beer. �I don�t know. I was just thinking. You
know, about old stuff.�
�How many houses do you think we toilet papered?�
asked Andy, glancing back and forth between them. �I mean, in all four years of
high school?�
Jacob grinned. �Like eighty?�
Frank rolled his eyes. �It was more like ten. Fifteen, max.�
Jacob scoffed. �More than that, man.�
Frank shook his head. �Let�s count �em,� he said, holding out one hand. �There was Mr. Hanslik�s car, and then Miss Baker�s after she gave Dan an
F for his oral research presentation.�
�I totally deserved a D,� said Dan, stepping forward
to hand Jacob the darts.
Frank pushed down a third finger. �And then there
was Jeff Harding for being such an asswipe and asking
Jennifer to Homecoming before Jason could.�
Jason grunted. �Jerk.�
��And then Jennifer for accepting.�
�Bitch,� Jason muttered.
Frank spread out all five fingers. �And Jennifer�s
best friend Claudia, who called Jason a pig for wrapping Jennifer�s house.�
�She really was
a bitch, though,� Andy offered helpfully.
Frank started on his next hand. �And then Jeff and
Jennifer�s houses again after they toilet papered Jason�s. And then Claudia�s
again, just because she never stopped being a bitch.� He peered at both of his
outstretched hands. �That�s eight.�
�Don�t forget Matt Lawson,� said Jacob.
�What did he do again?� asked Andy, leaning forward
to flick his cigarette ash into an ashtray on the coffee table in front of him.
Jacob paused thoughtfully, a tremendous feat under
the circumstances. �I don�t remember,� he said finally.
Frank ticked off another finger. �And then we wrapped
Jason�s house when he was out of town at the District Finals.�
Jason scowled. �I had to clean all that shit up,
too.�
Andy blew a puff of smoke in Jason�s direction. �Hypocrite.�
Jason shook his head irritably. �And then there was
that stupid kid from the football game. What�s his face.�
�Ben something,� Dan interjected.
�Yeah.
The nerd kid. The one that was yelling all that shit at
the game about how he hoped we choked.� Jason scowled. �What a prick. I wanted
to shove his head down the toilet.�
�You did
shove his head down the toilet,� Andy reminded him. �At
school on Monday.�
Jason grinned smugly and leaned back in his chair.
�I did, didn�t I?�
�Ben Davis,� Jacob said suddenly, pointing a finger
into the air for emphasis. �He sat next to me in study hall.�
Jason wrinkled his nose in disgust. �Did he talk
trash at you while you tried to finish your homework?�
Jacob frowned thoughtfully. �No, he just ignored
me.� He turned to look at Frank, who was taking a long sip of beer, draining it
out. �How many was that?�
Frank glanced up. �What?�
�How many houses was that?�
Frank paused. �I don�t know. I stopped keeping
track.�
Jacob sighed loudly and settled deeper into the
sofa. �Franklin, what are we going to do with you?�
�Well, you can start with not calling me Franklin,
you stupid drunk.�
Jason sat up in his chair and tossed his empty beer
can into a nearby garbage can that Jacob had dragged inside from the garage.
�Let�s go wrap another house. The last one.�
�Dude, no,� Frank protested, flinging an arm over
his eyes to shield himself from all of Jason�s terrible ideas. �That does not even sound fun right now.�
Jason scowled. �Wimp.�
�Dan?� Andy looked up to see Jacob nudging Dan in
the ribs. �Dude, you okay?� asked Jacob.
Dan was peering at the bottom of his beer can,
possibly trying to figure out if there was anything left inside. He was drunk,
as they all were, but Dan was a strange drunk. He was goofy and loud when he
was sober, and even louder when he�d had a few. But if he kept drinking, he
would hit a certain point when he became thoughtful and mellow, bordering on
philosophical.
�� You
okay, man?� asked Andy, leaning forward to see him better.
Dan nodded slowly without looking up. �Do you think
Lauren would do it with me if I asked her really nicely?� he wondered.
�� Andy
burst out laughing, and Frank shook his head. �It�s the last night, man.
Anything can happen.�
�� Well,
not anything,� said Jacob, grinning
wickedly.
�� Depends
on how drunk she is,� Frank countered.
He was always the smart one.
�� Dan
paused thoughtfully, considering this for a moment. �Yeah,� he said finally, as
if it all made sense now. �Yeah.�
�� You
know who I wouldn�t mind hooking up with is Sandy Wallace,� said Jason. �Is she
still here? I hear she gives awesome blowjobs. Like, grade-A, top of the line��
�� Jacob
threw an empty beer can at him. �You�ve never even talked to her. Ever. Are you that hard up?�
�� Jason
scoffed. �Easy for you to say. You�re still fucking
your ex-girlfriend.�
�� Jacob
frowned. �We�re not fucking,� he
slurred. �We�re just��
�� Making
love?� Jason offered, batting his eyelashes playfully. �That�s so sweet.�
�� Jacob
scowled. �Fuck you.�
�In fact�� Jason grabbed Jacob�s beer can from his
lap and stood from his seat. �I�m gonna go find her.
I�ll come back later and let you know if the rumors were true or not.� With
that, he tossed the can back at Jacob and left the room.
�We didn�t even finish the game!� Jacob shouted
after him.
�I guess that means they forfeit,� said Andy. �We
win.�
Jacob turned to Dan, who was still staring at his
beer can as if it held all the unknowable truths of the universe. �Are you
going to throw up?�
Dan shook his head. �No.�
�Cause there�s a garbage
can right there.�
Dan shook his head again. �No.� He closed his eyes
and let his head fall back against the sofa cushion. �Just need sleep.�
Frank stood up from his recliner and leaned over
Dan�s body. �I don�t think he�s going anywhere tonight. Maybe we should take
him upstairs.�
Jacob nodded and stood up, taking Dan�s other arm.
�Come on, man, you can sleep in my bed tonight.�
�I�m not a homo,� Dan protested, eyes still closed.
�Well, fuck,� said Frank. �There goes my fantasy.�
He tugged Dan up into a sitting position. �Come on, dude.�
Andy stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray on the
coffee table. �Do you need some help?� he asked, rising to his feet.
Jacob shook his head, and he and Frank pulled him to
his feet. �We can just take him upstairs to my room.�
Andy nodded and watched them guide Dan out of the
room. He was walking alright, but would be in serious danger of falling flat on
his face if it weren�t for Jacob and Frank�s support. �I�m going to get some
air in the backyard,� he told him.
Jacob waved over his shoulder, and they disappeared
into the hallway.
When they were out of sight, Andy took the other
door out to the living room, where a couple small groups of people were sitting
around talking. There weren�t nearly as many people there as there had been
before, and he guessed that most of them had moved on to someone else�s house or
had just given up and gone home. In the corner, Jason was chatting up Sandy
Wallace, who looked confused, but not altogether unreceptive.
Andy grabbed a beer from the cooler and walked out
into the backyard. It was warmer outside, but kind of nice. He wondered if it
was going to be like this all the time in California. He kind of hoped that it
would.
�I wondered if you were still here.�
Andy looked up to see Claire standing a few feet
away, leaning against the patio railing. �I didn�t see you for a while,� she
said, smiling.
�Oh.� Andy took a few steps forward until he was
standing next to her. �Yeah, we were in the game room.�
Claire nodded. �I figured. You and Jacob are good
friends, right?�
Andy nodded and cracked open his beer. �Yeah.�
Claire reached up to tuck a strand of red hair
behind her ear, and Andy took a sip of beer. They were quiet for a moment,
neither of them knowing quite what to say. Another awkward
moment between two acquaintances. Andy was just about to excuse himself
and go back inside when Claire suddenly spoke up.
�So, I heard you got a scholarship to California
State.� She smiled. �That�s really great.�
�Oh.� Andy nodded. �Yeah, it is.� He paused. �Where,
um�where are you going to school?�
�I don�t know,� said Claire. �I�m taking a year
off.�
Andy lifted his eyebrows in surprise. �Really?�
Claire nodded. �I�m going to France with my
grandmother. She owns a cottage in Provence, and she spends her summers there.
But she knows I�ve always wanted to go, so she offered to take me.�
�You�ve never been?� Somehow Andy figured that
Claire had been everywhere. France, Australia, Jamaica. He figured she spent
every summer and holiday touring the world. �I figured you would have.�
Claire shrugged. �We never really made it there, I
guess. But I always felt like I would like it there. You know how some places
just feel like they�ll be home, even if you�ve never even been there?�
Andy narrowed his eyes. He�d felt that way about
California when he�d first been offered his wrestling scholarship. It was hard
to explain to his friends and his parents why he�d chosen a school halfway
across the country, but somehow he�d just known it would be a good fit, without
really understanding why. �Maybe.�
Claire nodded and turned to look out over the
backyard. A gentle breeze picked up, and she reached down to adjust her shirt
cuffs, which she�d rolled up to accommodate for the humid weather. Andy could
already feel the beads of sweat collecting on his lower back, but he didn�t
remove his jacket.
�So, what are you planning on studying?� asked
Claire, turning back to face him.
Andy frowned. His mother had asked him the same
question about a million times, but he still didn�t have an answer for her. �I
don�t know,� he replied. �I was just going to take some basic classes the first
year, and then maybe declare a major next fall.�
Claire nodded understandingly. �That makes sense.
You probably don�t know what you want to do yet anyway. I mean, I know I don�t.
My mom wants me to go to France so that I can see what French fashions are
like, and then maybe I�ll want to come back and study fashion design.� She made
a face. �That was always her dream, though. I like wearing clothes, not making them.�
Andy smiled softly. �Yeah, I get that.�
Claire nodded. �I figured you would.�
Before Andy could reply to that, the back door
opened and Jacob leaned outside, squinting into the darkness. �Andy?�
Andy took a step into the light. �Yeah, I�m here.�
Jacob stepped out onto the porch, still squinting.
When he saw Claire, he blinked a couple of times. �Claire?�
Claire waved. �Hi, Jacob.�
�Oh, hey.
Sorry. How are you?�
Claire smiled. �I�m fine, thank you.�
�Is Dan okay?� Andy asked.
Jacob looked back over at Andy. �Oh,
yeah. He�s fine. He�s upstairs in my room, sleeping. And Frank�s pretty
tired, so he�s going to crash on one of the couches in the game room. Do you
want me to drive you home?�
�� Andy
shook his head. �No, I�m okay for now.�
�� Jacob
nodded sleepily. �Okay, let me know if you change your mind. And tell me before
you leave.�
�� Andy
nodded. �I will. Thanks, man.�
�� Jacob
waved politely in Claire�s direction, then slipped back into the house and shut
the door behind him.
�� I
didn�t mean to keep you from your friends,� said Claire, glancing from the door
back to Andy.
Andy scoffed dismissively. �They�re half drunk and
about to pass out in the game room.�
Claire smiled knowingly. �And you�re not?�
Andy glanced down at the beer can in his hand and
let out a short chuckle. �Maybe a little. But I�m not
going to pass out.�
Claire laughed. �Good, because then I might think
that I was boring you.�
Andy smiled and took another sip of beer. �No,
you�re not boring me,� he told her, and it was true.
Claire smirked and leaned back against the railing. �Because if I am, then I could break out some hand puppets.�
Andy nearly choked on his beer. �Oh, God,� he
moaned. �Mr. Gregory, with��
��the voice!�
Claire frowned and lowered her voice. ��Well, Mr. Snookums,
what should we learn about today?��
��How about the American Revolution? Does that sound fun?��
Andy finished. He shook his head in disbelief. �God, that guy was crazy!�
Claire was laughing, shaking her head so hard that a
few strands of hair fell from her clip. �I know. He couldn�t even answer the
class directly. We had to talk to the hand puppet.�
Andy let out a little snort and took another sip of
beer. �Yeah, I remember that. I just kept hoping that the teachers wouldn�t be
as weird in high school.� He paused, turning to look at her directly. �I forgot
that you were in that class.�
Claire nodded. �We had English together, too. With Mrs. Jameson.�
Andy�s eyes widened. �That�s right. We sat next to
each other!�
Claire grinned, and he was almost positive that she
was blushing. �Michelle used to pass me notes in that class telling me how cute
she thought you were.�
Andy�s smile slipped away. �Michelle Manning?�
�Yeah, she�d kill me if I told you, but I guess it
doesn�t matter anymore.� Claire bit her lip. �Sorry, does that freak you out?�
It did kind of, but not in the way that she was
probably imagining. Andy remembered having a huge crush on Michelle Manning
during his first couple years of high school. Back then he was still kind of
short and wiry, but she was tall and beautiful and had already filled out in
all the right places. Plus, she had this way of looking at you when she was
talking, like you were the only person on the planet and she couldn�t imagine
herself anywhere else. Even when they were seniors and on the Homecoming Court
together, he still felt himself flush all over when she smiled at him.
�No,� Andy lied. �That doesn�t freak me out.�
Claire relaxed a little bit. �Okay, good, because
she�d be so embarrassed if she knew I told you.�
Andy shook his head, cursing himself for not having
the guts to at least tell her how hot she looked in that strapless sequined
dress she wore to prom. �No, don�t worry.�
Claire nodded, and for the next few minutes neither
of them said anything. It wasn�t as awkward as the time before, though. Andy
drank his beer and thought about Michelle Manning, and Claire looked up at the
night sky, where you could only see the brightest stars because of their
proximity to Chicago and all of the light pollution. Even on the clearest
nights, the sky seemed to almost glow, just faintly.
�That�s a pretty nice treehouse.�
Andy looked up. �What?�
Claire nodded at the huge oak tree in the center of
the backyard. �His treehouse is really big.�
�Oh, yeah,� said Andy, peering into the darkness. He
remembered the first time he came over to Jacob�s house back in sixth grade.
Jacob took him up to the treehouse and showed Andy how he could see into the
neighbors� houses with the binoculars he kept in a locked box under the
floorboard. When Andy got home that night, he begged his dad to build him a
treehouse, without much success.
�We used to hang out up there all the time back in
middle school,� Andy told her, setting his empty beer can on the wooden railing
in front of him. �We read comic books and spied on all the neighbors.�
Claire smiled. �That sounds like fun.�
�Yeah.
I haven�t been up there in forever, though.� He paused thoughtfully, then turned to face her. �You wanna
check it out?�
Claire�s eyes widened. �How do we get up there? I
can�t climb all the way up there.�
Andy laughed. �There�s a ladder on the side.�
Claire hesitated, licking her lips nervously. �Won�t
he mind?�
Andy glanced back at the door leading into the
kitchen. �Um, he�s probably already asleep by now. He probably won�t even
notice.�
�� Claire
laughed. �Okay��
�� It
took them about three tries before they both agreed that Claire�s high heels
were definitely hindering her progress, and she slipped them off and climbed
the ladder barefoot. Andy followed her up, just to make sure that she didn�t
fall. When they made it up to the top, Claire tossed her shoes through the hole
in the floor and hauled herself up with surprising agility.
�� Oh,
gross,� was the first thing she said.
�� Andy
rolled his eyes and grabbed the last rung. �It probably hasn�t been cleaned in
years. I don�t think anyone uses it anymore.� He pulled himself up through the
hole and plopped down on the floor next to Claire.
�� Oh,
yeah?� said Claire, standing up slowly and dusting off the back of her pants.
�Have those beers been in her since middle school?�
�� Andy
frowned. �Beers?� Moonlight filtered in through all
three windows, but he was still having trouble adjusting to the darkness. �Where?�
�� Claire
pointed into the corner to her right, where a medium-sized cooler was propped
open to reveal a half dozen cans of Budweiser. The ice
inside had all but melted, leaving a slushy mess. Apparently someone had taken
the party up to the treehouse and had forgotten to take their beer with them.
They had also forgotten to take their used cans, which were scattered all over
the floor.
�� No,
those are new,� said Andy, reaching down to close the lid to the cooler before
bugs could get in it. He glanced around the tiny room, trying to remember where
Jacob kept the lantern. He finally located it in the far corner, buried under a
tarp.
�� Oh,�
said Claire, shielding her eyes from the light. It wasn�t very bright, but in
the small space it was enough. Andy dragged it to the center of the room and swept
off a layer of dust.
�� So,
what did you two do in here?� asked Claire, brushing her fingertips over a
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit calendar that was tacked to the wall. The year read
1980.
�� Andy
shrugged. �I don�t know. Looked at magazines, listened to
music. We played a lot of cards.�
�� Claire
nudged a small hand-held radio with the side of her foot. �I always wanted a
treehouse when I was little. A pink house with white shutters
and lace curtains.�
�� Andy
lifted his eyebrows. �And you didn�t get it?�
Claire turned and glared at him, but Andy could see
that she wasn�t angry. �I didn�t get everything
I wanted.�
Andy found that hard to believe, but decided to let
it go. He turned and started rummaging through the wooden chest in the corner,
where Jacob kept all of his books and magazines. Wrinkled detective novels and
water-stained baseball almanacs stacked on top of two year�s worth of Sports Illustrated and a couple handfuls
of Batman and Green Arrow comics. He knew that there was even a softcore porn magazine at the bottom, but he didn�t dig for
it.
�Here,� said Andy, pulling out a pack of dusty
Bicycle playing cards. �Want to play a hand of poker?�
Claire, who was studying the Bill Buckner poster
nailed to the wall next to the window, turned to face him. �Poker?�
Andy nodded and pulled the cards out of the box. �Or whatever.�
Claire was quiet for a moment, and then her mouth
curled into a sly smile. �Know how to play gin rummy?�

----------------------------------

�� Gin!�
�� Andy
sighed irritably and tossed his cards onto the blanket that Claire had insisted
he drag out so that she wouldn�t have to sit on the plywood floor. �That�s five
hands in a row,� he whined.
�� Six,�
Claire corrected him, smirking as she gathered the cards together to shuffle.
�� Andy
glared at her and reached into the cooler sitting next to him. �Do you want
another one?� he asked, pulling out a can of beer.
�� Sure.�
Claire reached out and accepted the dripping can, wiping it delicately on the
blanket beneath her so that it wouldn�t drip all over the cards. In the hour
that they�d been playing gin rummy, Andy had refrained from drinking, deciding
that he would probably end up doing or saying something really stupid if he had
anymore alcohol in his system. Claire, however, had worked through two cans and
was now popping opening her third. Her face was a bit rosier than before, and her laugh a little bit louder, but for the most
part she was holding it well.
�� Another
game?� she asked, arching her eyebrows in challenge.
�� Andy
shook his head firmly and held his hand out for her to give him the cards. �I�m
tired of gin rummy. Let�s play poker.�
�� Claire
let out a sharp, derisive chuckle and handed over the deck. �Looks
like someone�s not used to losing.�
�� Andy
didn�t bother to deny it. �Have you ever played poker?�
�� Claire
shook her head. �No. I think I know most of the basics, but I�ve never played.�
�� Andy
shuffled the cards quickly, then dealt them both two
cards. �Okay, we�re going to play Texas Hold �Em.
Both of us get two cards that we keep face down on the table. The dealer lays
down three cards��
�� Claire
caught on to the rules fairly quickly, even though Andy had to keep reminding
her about hand values. They found a tin box of poker chips in Jacob�s trunk,
and after a few practice hands Andy taught her how to bet. She wasn�t very good
at the game, but she did have a few decent hands that Andy attributed to
beginner�s luck above anything else. Even so, she seemed to be enjoying
herself.
�� Do
you play cards very often anymore?� she asked after a fairly uneventful round
that culminated in Andy winning the pot with two nines.
�� Andy
shrugged. �Sometimes. Not for money or anything��
�� With your friends?�
�� Andy
finished collecting the cards and started shuffling them. �Yeah, we used to
have a poker night once a month during junior year, but then our schedules
changed and we got too busy. But sometimes we do�did.�
�� Claire
nodded and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. In the treehouse there wasn�t
much of a breeze, and both of them were sweating up a storm. Andy had removed
his letter jacket finally, and Claire had adjusted her hair clip so that some
of it was up off of her neck. But the strands kept coming loose, and some of
them were pasted to her neck with sweat.
�� God,
I�m melting,� she said, wiping the sweat from her brow with the tips of her
fingers.
�� Andy
tossed a card onto the blanket in front of her. �It�s really hot,� he agreed.
Claire wiped delicately at a bead of sweat on her chin,
then took a sip of her beer. �It�s not as bad as
graduation, though. Why did those robes have to be black?�
Andy laughed and turned over a card in the space
between them. �I know. It makes me wish I�d gone commando like Dan.�
Claire�s eyes widened. �He did that?�
�� Andy
nodded, smiling at the memory. �Completely naked under the
robes. I should know, because he flashed me when we were standing in
line waiting to go in.�
�� Claire�s
eyes were still about as big as saucers, but the corners of her mouth were
curling into a smile. �I can�t believe that! Did Mr. Vernon find out?� Vernon
had been in charge of making sure that everyone was in the right place and that
no one had smuggled in a tape player or bubble gum or crack.
�� Andy
nodded, grinning too widely by then to stop. �Yeah, Dan flashed him, too!�

�� Claire choked on a sip of
beer. �What?�
�� Andy
started laughing. �After the ceremony was over, in the
parking lot. Vernon was getting in his car to go home and�� He trailed
off, making a motion like he was lifting an imaginary graduation robe. �I
thought Vernon was going to run him over with the car. I haven�t seen him that
angry since�� He paused, and Claire looked up at him. �In a long time,� he
finished.
�� Claire
opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again and looked down at her
cards.
�� After
he�d turned over the fifth and final community card, Andy flipped over his own
cards to reveal two jacks, which he combined with the two kings at the center
of the blanket. �Two pair,� he announced triumphantly.
�� Claire
frowned and turned over her cards: a queen and a ten. �I guess that beats a
full house, doesn�t it?� she asked, sounding defeated.
�� Andy
sighed. �Shit.�

---------------------------------

�� They
played poker for about another hour, and then they switched back to gin rummy,
which went a little slower. Andy managed to win one hand, finally. They played
gin rummy for about an hour before Andy suggested War, which required virtually
no skill or concentration, and Claire agreed because they were both so tired
that they could hardly sit up straight.
�I can�t believe I�m still here,� she said, scooping
up her winnings from the space between them. �I still have some packing to do.�
�� Andy
glanced down at his watch, which read 4:19. �When do you leave?� he asked.
�� Tomorrow
night.�
�� Andy
looked up quickly. �Really?�
�� Claire
nodded as she turned over the top card on her stack. �Yeah, my flight leaves at
eight.� She glanced up at him. �When do you leave for California?�
�� Tomorrow
afternoon.�
�� Her
eyes widened slightly. �Oh. I thought maybe you had a couple of days left.�
�� No,
we have our first team meeting on Monday morning.�
�� Oh,�
she said again, and he knew what she was thinking. Their last night in Shermer and they were spending it with each other. It was a
strange thought, but it didn�t feel
strange, at least not really. He couldn�t really say why.
�� War,�
said Claire, jerking him out of his thoughts and back to the game.
�� Andy
looked down at the cards they�d put down. Two aces, which were equal and
therefore required a �war� to decide who got to take them. He laid down three
cards, face down, and turned one more over on top. A seven.
Claire did the same, then flipped over the last card.
�� Darn
it,� she muttered.
�� Andy
laughed and swept all of the cards � including her three � into a pile. �I�m
going to win,� he told her, taunting.
�� Claire
made a face at him. �I�ve still got�� She looked down at the slim pile in her
hand, counting to herself. ��four cards left.�
�� Andy
smirked. �If you say so.�
�� Less
than a minute later, Claire sighed and tossed a two of spades down next to
Andy�s ten of hearts. �Fine,� she admitted. �You win.�
�� Andy
grinned and started shuffling the cards into a loose pile. �Wanna
play again?�
�� Claire
leaned her head back against the wall behind her. �No, I�m tired,� she
answered, closing her eyes as if to prove her point. Andy noticed that the lids
of her eyes were covered in light brown eye shadow, and that her mascara had
smudged just a little bit, probably from sweat. She�d been wearing light pink
lip gloss earlier, but it had come off when she started drinking. Now her lips
were pale red as usual, still wet from the beer.
�� I
was thinking�� she said, without even opening her eyes.
�� Andy
paused. �About what?�
�� Her
eyelids fluttered open, and she looked over at him. Without her even saying
anything, he knew.
�� We
were cowards, weren�t we?� Claire whispered.
�� And
there it was, all out on the table, the one topic they�d been avoiding all
night. The elephant in the room that they had been pretending
not to notice. It felt kind of silly now, to talk about all those other
things when it was clear that they�d both been thinking about them all night.
As if they had any choice.
�� It
probably wouldn�t have even been that hard,� Claire continued, watching him
with tired, glassy eyes. �Our friends wouldn�t have cared, at least not after a
while.�
�� Andy
looked down at his hands, rubbed his thumb in a circle against the palm of his
other hand. �Yeah.�
�� And
you know what�s funny?�
�� What?�
�� It
doesn�t matter anymore anyway.�
�� Andy
looked up to see her still watching him. She was leaning her head sideways
against the treehouse wall, and a piece of her long red hair was pasted to her
neck with dried sweat. Her lips were parted slightly, her cheeks flushed from
the heat.
�� It�s
funny how we have so many friends in common, but we�ve never really talked
before now,� she said, smiling sadly. �Why do you think that is? I mean, nobody
would have said anything. It would have made sense.�
�� Andy
shrugged. �I don�t know,� he replied truthfully.
�� It�s
kind of funny that we�re finally talking now,� Claire continued. �Now that those things don�t even matter anymore. We can
talk to each other now, but we couldn�t talk to them then.�
�� What
Andy didn�t want to tell her was that he�d never really wanted to talk to her.
Not that he found her repulsive, physically or personally � he�d just never
really found any reason to talk to her before detention. They didn�t really
have anything in common, at least not that he could see. And after detention it
was just easier not to, because what would he have said to her? It occurred to
Andy that the only reason they were able to talk tonight was because they were
leaving. Both of them were going to get on a plane tomorrow, and things would
be different then.
�� Did
you see any of them before school let out?� he asked.
�� Claire
nodded. �I saw Brian on the last day. We talked in the hallway for a few minutes.�
�� Andy
lifted his eyebrows. �Yeah?�
�� Yeah. He said he was going to some camp this summer. Some
kind of space camp, I think.�
�� Andy
smiled faintly, imagining Brian in a spacesuit, floating around in an
anti-gravity chamber. For an instant, he almost felt jealous of Claire for
getting a chance to talk to Brian again before school let out. He knew that it
was too late now and it wouldn�t mean anything anymore, but it would have been
nice to see him again to say goodbye. Or hello, like he wanted to say back in
March when his coach was on his back about the state finals and his mom was
bugging him about scholarships, and the last thing in the world that he needed
was one more person pressuring him to live up to their expectations.
�Space camp,� he echoed, because it seemed easier
than explaining what he was really thinking.
�� Claire
let out a short laugh that sounded more like a sigh. �He seemed excited about
it.�
�� Andy
nodded and looked down at his hands. There was a moment of silence where Andy
knew that both of them were thinking of the two people they hadn�t mentioned
yet, and probably wouldn�t. He felt a twinge of guilt surfacing, but not as
much as he might have expected. In a way, it all felt like such a long time
ago, like it was part of someone else�s memories. Sort of the way tomorrow felt
like someone else�s plane ride, someone else�s future. He was stuck somewhere
in between.
�� I�m
glad I came to this party,� said Claire, watching him to gauge his reaction. �I
kept wanting to talk to you after it happened, but��
�� Andy
nodded to show her that he understood and that no explanation was needed.
�� But
I�m glad we got to talk now,� she continued. �Even if it is
the last night.�
�� There
was something kind of sad about the way she said it, like what she really meant
to say was �even if it�s too late�, but she could force herself to say the
words. Andy felt his chest tighten uncomfortably, and he looked up to see that
she was still watching him, waiting. There was a bead of sweat clinging to her
upper lip, and that same strand of hair was still glued to her neck, dark with
sweat. Before he could stop himself, he reached forward and brushed it loose.
�� And
then Claire was leaning forward, hand on his knee to keep herself
upright, pressing her lips firmly against his. He tasted beer and sweat and
maybe the faintest bit of cherry flavored lip gloss. His hand found her waist,
and he pulled her closer, almost into his lap. She pushed her tongue into his
mouth, and he remembered how good it felt to kiss someone that way, so
completely and without hesitation.
�� There
was no hesitation either when Claire�s hands settled on his
chest and she started undoing the buttons on his polo shirt, tugging at
his collar so that she could run her fingertips across his neck. Her hands were
warm, almost sticky from the heat, and they felt good against his skin. So good
that when she reached down to pull the bottom of his shirt up over his stomach,
he didn�t even try to stop her. He helped her remove the shirt and tossed it
onto the floor beside them.
�� It would have been easy to blame it on
the beer, but the alcohol had all but worn off. They knew what they were doing.
�� With
his shirt on the floor, Claire settled back on her heels and reached for the
top button of her own shirt. As he watched her fingers travel lower and lower,
revealing more of her skin with every inch, Andy wondered briefly if she�d ever
done anything with anyone in those five months since detention, if she was
still a virgin. Maybe she�d done it with John Bender. From what
she�d said before, it sounded unlikely, but he wondered about it anyway,
especially when she tossed her shirt to the floor and reached for the clasp of
her bra.
�� It
took a few minutes to get started. There was the fumble for his wallet, and
then he dropped the condom about a thousand times before he managed to rip it
open with his teeth. Claire�s belt got caught in one of the loops, and it took
so long to get it unhooked that he was almost tempted to rip off the entire
loop and buy her a new pair. Her face was so flushed, her fingers so impatient,
that he didn�t think she would even mind.
�� It
was only when he entered her that Andy knew that Claire and Bender had never
been together. There was a slight resistance when he pushed himself inside,
coupled with Claire�s sharp intake of breath that sounded more like pain than
pleasure. He forced himself to stay still and wait for her to adjust to him,
watching her closely to see if she was okay. Despite his impatience, he still wanted
to make this a good experience for her, even if they were in his friend�s
treehouse in the middle of the night, with a few stray playing cards trapped
beneath them and dozen empty beer bottles scattered on the floor beside.
�� After several seconds of labored
breathing, she reached around and put a hand on his back, pulling him tighter
against her. Their eyes met and she nodded slightly, signaling that it was okay
for him to continue. He started moving inside of her again, using slow, shallow
strokes, still watching her face for clues to how she was feeling. And while
there might have been some discomfort, she looked like she was taking it well.
Andy reached up and brushed a strand of hair away from her face, and she leaned
into the touch.
The whole thing didn�t last very long, as much as
Andy was ashamed to admit it. It had been too long since the last time, and he
didn�t have the energy to put off the inevitable. Claire didn�t look like she
was anywhere close to that point, but Andy had the feeling that she didn�t
mind. Instead, she seemed to respond the most when he kissed her, or when he brushed
his hand against the soft skin of her neck, tracing the line of her collarbone
with the tips of his fingers and smoothing his hands over the space between her
breasts.
�� I�m
going to�� He trailed off, sucking in a deep breath in a last ditch effort to
regain control. But any pretense of restraint was lost when Claire pushed her
hips up against his, forcing him in deeper. He came with a strangled cry of
relief, fingertips digging uselessly into the folds of the blanket.
�� Neither
of them said anything for a long moment as Andy struggled to get his breathing
under control. Claire�s hands were resting on his shoulders, and she hesitantly
reached up to push a lock of damp hair off of his forehead. He sucked in a deep
breath and pulled himself up to his knees. He didn�t know what to do with the
condom and he didn�t want to leave it there, so he tied it off and stuffed it
into the pocket of his jeans, which were lying in a messy pile on the floor next
to his shirt. When he was finished, he rolled over onto the floor so that he
and Claire were lying side by side with their shoulders barely touching.
�� I�m sorry you didn�t��
�� Claire
shook her head, and he felt a lock of her hair brush against his shoulder. �It
doesn�t matter.�
�� Andy
accepted this without saying anything, having no energy to protest. Whether it
was the beer or the sex or just the long night catching up with him, he
suddenly felt very tired. He let his eyelids flutter closed for a moment, then forced them open again, not wanting to fall asleep with
Claire lying there next to him, naked. Somehow he didn't think that would be
very polite.
They lay there for a few minutes staring up at the
ceiling before Andy hauled himself up into a sitting position. Without saying
anything, Claire followed his lead and they started getting dressed again.
Maybe both of them could sense that it was time to go home, that they had said
and done everything that they possibly could. When Claire finished buttoning
her top, she turned to Andy, who was tying up his shoes, and tucked a wet
strand of hair behind her ear.
�� "Do
you need a ride home?"

-------------------------------

�� Andy
found Jacob asleep on the couch in the game room and told him he�d call him when
he got to San Diego. Jacob gave him a hug and offered him as coherent a goodbye
as Andy could have hoped for under the circumstances. When Andy left, he was
already asleep again, head tucked up against the arm cushion of the couch.
The sun was starting to rise as Andy plopped down
into Claire's Buick and slammed the door. The clock on her dashboard read 5:32.
He hadn't realized it was that late, but it made sense. In a way, he felt like
they'd been in that treehouse for days.
�� Neither
of them spoke on the way to Andy's house. It was an awkward silence, at least
not really. It just felt like neither of them had anything left to say, and
that was okay. Claire turned on the radio, and Andy watched the houses fly by
outside of his window.
�� "Is
this the one?"
�� Andy
looked up in time to see Claire pull up in front of his house, right next to
the mailbox. "Yeah, this is it." He removed his seatbelt and turned
to look over at her. "Thanks for taking me home," he said lamely, not
knowing what else he was supposed to say.
�� Claire
smiled and nodded. "You're welcome. Have a good flight...and a good
semester."
�� "Yeah, you, too. Enjoy Paris."
�� Claire
nodded. "I think I will."
�� Andy
paused, hand on the door handle. "And, uh, take care of yourself."
�� Claire
smiled, a little bit sadly this time. "You, too.
And thanks...for everything."
�� Andy
nodded, knowing what she meant and also knowing that he didn�t entirely deserve
her gratitude. He pushed open the door and climbed out of the car, shutting it
behind him. He got all the way up to his door before he turned and looked back
to see Claire watching him, waiting to make sure that he got in alright. He
unlocked his front door and waved at her. She waved back, then put the car in
drive and pulled away from the curb.
�� Inside,
Grant was sitting at the kitchen counter reading yesterday's sports page. He
looked up when Andy walked in, lowering his coffee cup onto the counter.
"The prodigal son returns."
�� Andy
frowned. "What are you doing up?"
�� Grant
shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."
�� Andy
nodded and leaned against the counter, stuffing his hands into the pockets of
his letter jacket. Grant looked him over, searching for clues to his activities.
"Good night?"
�� Andy
paused thoughtfully. "Yeah," he decided.
�� Grant
nodded slowly and lifted the mug to his lips again. "Did you have
fun?"
�� "Yeah." He wanted to say more, but from the way
Grant was looking at him, Andy figured it was probably written all over his
face anyway. The details were his, though. Winning at darts,
the sound of Jacob's drunken laughter echoing through the house. The color of Claire's eyes right before he kissed her. Those
were his.
�� "I
should go to bed," said Andy.
�� Grant
nodded. "You're going to be exhausted on the plane."
�� Andy
sighed and thumped his fist lightly against the counter. "Probably...good
night."
�� "Night."
�� When
he got back to his room, Andy closed the door and removed his letter jacket,
arranging it carefully on the back of his desk chair. The sunlight was
streaming in from the window next to his bed, spotting the bedspread with
strange patterns. Without removing his clothes or his shoes, he plopped down on
the bed and folded his arms across his chest.
�� For
a long time, Andy stared out the window, focusing on the tree on the other side
of the glass, the one he used when he would sneak out at night when he wasn't
supposed to go out. He was tired as hell, but for some reason he knew he
wouldn't be able to go to sleep. He was there, tottering on the edge of
something big, and something like giddiness was sneaking up on him, building up
in his stomach like any minute he was going to start giggling and not be able
to stop. But he didn't. He smiled, letting the feeling wash over him, and
closed his eyes against the morning sun.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review!
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Somewhere in Between