I DO NOT OWN THE BREAKFAST CLUB.

Friday. March 30, 1984. Shermer High School. Clarendon Hills, Illinois.

On Friday morning, I was officially discharged from Bueller Memorial Hospital. We didn't really have time to go get my stuff and begin moving it into the Standish house, so Claire's parents decided that we could do it after school. Claire promised to come with me because there was no way that I was going back to that house by myself. The old man hadn't been caught yet and the cops were still looking for him. I'd watched the news and they were saying that he was a person of interest in the domestic incident that had taken place at my house. They didn't want to call it out for what it was because who wants to hear about a child getting abused at 7 AM in the morning. People just want to have their coffee and danish. I knew the score. After I was discharged, Claire's old man drove me straight to school. I wasn't too concerned about going to school straight from the hospital. All of my schoolbooks were in my locker and anything else that I needed, I could borrow. It wouldn't be easy, but I could manage it. Not a whole lot was said during the ride. I could tell that old man Standish was less than thrilled at the idea of his daughter and her new poor boyfriend living in the same house together. Claire tried to lighten the mood as best she could, but you could still feel the chill in the air. It was as if the AC had been turned up and you were getting some serious goosebumps. As we pulled up, Mr. Standish handed Claire her lunch and kissed her on the cheek.

"Have a great day Claire bear!" He exclaimed as he let her out.

"Thanks daddy," she said as she got out. He then turned to me.

"Have a good day at school Luke," Mr. Standish said with a small uneasy smile.

"Thanks," I replied as I slid out of the car. Once Claire's old man had pulled away, Claire reached over and took my hand in hers. I love the way that her hand felt in mine. i can't explain it, it just made me happy. As we got to the front door, I turned to her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" I asked. "Once your crowd sees us together...there's no coming back from something like this." Claire nodded as she pressed my hand to her lips.

"I know," she insisted. "I care about you and I want to be with you. If they can't respect that...then they're shitty friends. Besides, I still have the Breakfast Club." I smiled as we walked through the doors of Shermer High together. It was as if time stopped. All the students stopped and stared at us. It was as if a unicorn was racing through the halls. It made about as much sense. I didn't give a shit though, I focused on Claire and how happy I was walking next to her and holding her hand. As we passed by the same girls who had been with Claire a few days ago, they were stunned by what they saw.

"Claire, what are you doing with that loser?" one of them asked.

"He is my boyfriend!" she exclaimed as she turned my head and kissed me on the lips. The prissy bitches scurried away as we continued to Claire's locker. We were greeted by the members of the Breakfast Club. Bender was there with one arm around Allison and Brian was there next to Andrew Clark. Seeing Andy there surprised us both.

"Hey guys, how you doing?" Brian asked cheerfully.

"We're doing good," Claire smiled.

"It's good to see you out of the hospital Luke," Andy stated as he patted me on the shoulder.

"It's good to be out," I said.

"So, what are you gonna do about a place to live?" Allison inquired as she squeezed Bender's hand. "You could crash at my place, if you want."

"Thanks, but Claire sweet talked her old man into letting me crash at their place," I replied.

"Living together?" Bender asked as he let out a whistle. "You sure move fast Cherry."

"Oh shut up," Claire chuckled as she held onto my arm. The bell rang at that moment and we all went to class. The entire day just felt kind of boring. One period before lunch I remembered that I had a essay due for Mrs. Schmidt's class about a life changing event. Her class wasn't for a few more periods, so I had some time. Once the class got out, I went to her classroom on the way to the cafeteria. As soon as she saw me, she got a death grip on her purse. She clearly hadn't gotten what had happened last week.

"What do you want?" She growled. I felt really bad for what I had done, but at least some good had come out of it.

"Mrs. Schmidt, I was wondering about the essay...how long can it be?"

"Uh, not less than 2 pages," she sounded a little surprised. She probably assumed that I didn't give a damn about schoolwork.

"Can it be longer?" I asked. This really got her attention. We looked at each other for a few minutes before she nodded.

"It can be as long as you want."

"Thanks," I said as I walked out. I didn't go to the cafeteria to eat with my friends. I went into the library and began writing I was remembering. Remembering a criminal with a reckless grin and a hot temper. An athlete who was pushed to hate a sport he should love. A brain who tried to end it all with a flare gun. A basket case who didn't deserve to be ignored and a princess who had abdicated her throne for the love of a commoner. I decided I could tell people about the Breakfast Club, beginning with Mrs. Schmidt. I wondered for a long time how to start writing about something that was important to me...and I finally began like this: This is just my personal opinion, but I honestly believe that there is one moment that truly changes a person's life. It can be good, like getting hired for a job. It can be bad, like losing a loved one in a car crash. It can even be materialistic like winning the lottery. I am no exception. Although I do wonder when exactly that moment was for me.

Was it that detention on Saturday where I met the Breakfast Club, trapped in the library, baring our souls?

Or was it that Monday when I first walked through the doors of Shermer High, unaware of what was to come? I'm still not sure.

THIS IS THE END. A BIG THANKS TO POPPY471 FOR PUTTING YOUR TIME INTO BETAING THIS STORY AND TO PHOWARD FOR REVIEWING EVERY CHAPTER WITHOUT FAIL. THIS STORY IS FOR YOU. REVIEWS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED.