Author's Note: All I can day is, happy belated Christmas, everybody.:)

Disclaimer: If you guys haven't gotten it by now, then you obviously haven't been paying much attention.:)

Chapter 30: ...What Now?

Won't you come see about me?
I'll be alone, dancing, you know it, baby

After Daf and Kyle left the classroom, they ran down the hallway, turned the corner...and the first thing they both saw was Nick standing over Richard Vernon's body.

"Dude...what the hell did you do?" Kyle asked.

"Nothing, I swear...!" Nick insisted. "We just...found him like this!"

"Wait...'we'?" Daf asked.

"Yeah," Nick replied,"me and - "

Just then, Connie and Sean rounded the corner at the other end of the hallway.

"HOLY SHIT!" Sean yelled, as they ran up to the three of them "...who killed Vernon?"

"It wasn't me!" Nick insisted.

"...It was Nick!" Daf and Kyle replied at the same time.

Nick glared at the two of them.

"Look, we don't even know if he's actually dead!" Connie told them. "We just came out and found him like this!"

"...Came out where?" Daf asked.

"...Out of the closet," Connie replied, gesturing to the closet door.

Sean stifled a laugh. "Nick came out of the closet..."

Kyle started to chuckle, too, but stopped when he saw Nick glaring at him.

"Ok, OK, y'know what...? This is easily fixable," Kyle insisted, as he squatted down in front of Vernon.

"...Easily fixable?" exclaimed Daf, who had clearly begun to panic. "How the HELL is this at ALL fixable? Our principal is dead!"

"- Possibly dead," Nick pointed out.

"No, no...it's still OK," Kyle told them "...believe me, I've seen enough of those CSI shows to know what to do in these situations."

Nick groaned and rolled his eyes and Kyle stood up.

"OK," Kyle began, turning to Sean "...I'm gonna need some bleach, some scotch tape, a black light, and a pair of designer sunglasses!" then he turned to Nick "...I don't suppose you have any of that in your jacket, do you?"

Nick frowned, and was about to start searching through his pockets when Connie spoke up.

"Uh, Kyle...?" she said "...you do realize that the CSI's usually find out who did it, right?"

Kyle paused for a second, then his face fell, and he glanced at Nick.

"...Oh yeah," he grumbled.

"OK, people, we need to focus here!" Daf exclaimed. "Our principal is freakin' DEAD, here! Shouldn't we call 911?"

"No..." said Nick "...we should be listening to Nick, who's been trying to point out for the last few minutes that we don't actually know if he's really dead!"

Everyone froze.

Sean glanced at Nick, then looked over at Connie.

"You mean you guys didn't even check to make sure...?" he asked her.

Connie opened her mouth to speak, but as she looked around at the rest of them, she couldn't seem to form a reply.

"...Well, it's Vernon!" she finally exclaimed. "He was scary enough when he was alive, now that he's possibly dead, he's just - !"

" - Well, you two are the ones that found him, so you should be the ones to check!" Daf snapped.

Suddenly they all started talking at once, none of them wanting to be the one to check and see if the old man was still alive.

"I vote Nick!" Sean suggested.

"...Me? Why not you?" Nick asked "...you're the big tough jock, aren't ya?"

"Yeah, but I got punched out by a girl, so how tough can I really be?" Sean pointed out.

"...Oh, we are not gonna start this again!" Connie snapped, turning toward him.

"She's right, we're not!" Daf shouted "...because we have an actually issue to deal with, right now! We can have more of our petty little arguments later!"

"...Actually, we can't," said Nick, looking down at a wristwatch he had in his hand.

"What do you mean?" Sean asked.

"Well, according to a wristwatch I just happened to find in my jacket..." said Nick "...a watch which I'm fairly certain tells the accurate time...it's close to four o'clock."

"How close?" Connie asked.

Nick was just about to answer, when he suddenly looked down.

"What is it?" Kyle asked.

"I think his hand just touched my foot," Nick replied.

They all looked down at Vernon.

"Are you sure?" Daf asked, "maybe your foot just touched his hand."

"Daf, I haven't moved since I came out of the janitor's closet and found his body lying on the floor!" Nick told her.

"Well, so if he did move than that means he's alive!" Sean pointed out "...which means we're not in trouble!"

Glancing at Sean doubtfully, Nick slowly got into a squatting position in front of Vernon.

"...I'm always in trouble," he mumbled, then he slowly reached for Vernon's wrist, to check for his pulse.

...And like a flash, Vernon was up and had Nick pinned against the wall, with his hand around his throat.

"...You're damn right you are," the old man growled "...I'm glad you finally realized that."

"Holy shit, the old geezer's alive!" Sean exclaimed.

"Yeah, and he's also gonna kill Nick!" Kyle pointed out, before he started to pull on vernon's arm.

"Vernon, you're gonna kill him! Let him go!" Connie cried, as Vernon shoved both Kyle and Sean away from him, still keeping a hold on Nick.

"Oh my God..." Daf murmered "...he's actually trying to kill him!"

"You were trouble ever since you set foot in this school..." Vernon told Nick, ignoring everyone else around them "...and I knew it, too."

"Well, I always knew you were a smart guy," Nick replied, his voice strained due to the pressure on his throat.

Vernom glared at him, then he turned to look at the rest of them.

"...There's always one!" he yelled "...there's always one stupid dick with a smug face who I see walk through these halls, thinkin' he owns the place, thinkin' that he can do anything he wants around here and he'll just get away with it because he's just so damn smart."

He then glanced over at Connie.

"Your old man was one of 'em," he told her, then he glanced at Nick "...and you're another one of them!"

"...Did ya ever consider that you might be one of 'em, too?" Connie asked, in a defiant voice.

Vernon glared at her.

"Shut it, Bender," he growled.

"Yeah, shut it, Bender," said Nick, giving her a look.

"Will you stop trying to be so damn macho and let me take care of myself?!" Connie argued.

"Oh, I would, but this is so very fun for me!" Nick shot back, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Vernon, just let him go!" Connie pleaded.

"No!" Vernon replied.

"Please let him go...?" said Sean.

"NO!"

"...Let him go, Mr. Vernon!"

"Just let him go"
"Let him go, you're gonna kill him!"

"Let him go!"

"Let him go!"

"LET HIM GO!"

Startled, they all turned to see Gus standing at the far end of the hallway.

Despite having a hand around his throat, Nick smiled.

"...Gus - Gus!" he squeaked.

"...Saved by the janitor!" Kyle and Sean muttered, at the same time...then they glanced at each other, smirked, and pounded fists.

"Hi, Gus - Gus!" Nick greeted, his voice still raspy, even though Vernon's grip had loosened a little.

"Gus, this doesn't concern you..." Vernon told the custodian, as he walked over to them.

"...Actually, Richard, it does concern me," Gus replied "...it greatly concerns me, because now I see that I left these young people in the care of a homicidal maniac!"

"Ooh...burn," said Daf.

Kyle smirked at her.

"Let go of the kid, Richard," Gus ordered "...or I'm gonna recommend to the Board of Education that they request your resignation, immediately...as a matter of fact, I think I'll do that, anyway."

Vernon took his hand off of Nick's throat and turned to face Gus.

"...You wouldn't do that to me, Gus," he told him,with a nervous laugh, "we're friends, after all!"

"weel, then, as a friend, I'm just gonna recommend that you go clean out your office, instead of leading you out of the school by force," Gus told him, taking a step closer to the older man.

"You wouldn't," Vernon challenged.

"...Would and could, Richard," Gus replied.

"...The janitor's gonna take down the principal!" Connie whispered to Nick.

"I believe this is what they call a 'power - shift'," Nick told her.

Gus nodded to Vernon, in the direction of the principal's office.

"...Go, Richard," he said.

With a scowl, Vernon brushed past Kyle and Sean and started down the hall...then, he turned back, suddenly.

"...They'll never replace me in time for the end of the school year," he said.

"...Actually, they will," Gus told him "...the board's had another guy lined up for your job for months now, they were just waiting for you to retire."

Vernon scowled, then turned around and continued to walk quickly down the hall, toward the principal's office.

As he turned the corner and vanished from sight, all five teenagers turned and stared at Gus.

"...What?" Gus asked.

"...I guess ya finally got that water heater fixed, huh big guy?" Nick asked, with a smirk.

Gus shrugged.

"...I dunno, after a few hours I just gave up and called a repair man," he replied, with a smirk of his own.

"It took you that long to decide you should call a repair man?" Daf asked.

Gus's grumpy expression immediately returned.

"So sue me, I'm stubborn," he said.

They all just continued to stare at him for a moment...then they all hugged him.

"...Ah, geez!" the older man grumbled.

"...We love you, Gus - Gus!"

"Shut up, Harrison!"

"Uhhh...what's going on, here?"

They all turned to see a dark - haired woman standing at the end of the hallway, looking a little confused.

"...MOM!" Kyle exclaimed, and let go of Gus to run over to her.

"...KYLE'S MOM!" Nick exclaimed, and also let go of Gus to run over to his friend's mother.

The two boys nearly knocked her over when they hugged her, but Allison hugged them back and acted like this kind of thing was normal for her.

"Awww...Kyle's huggin' his mommy!" Sean muttered to the girls, in a teasing voice.

The two girls turned and stared at him, both of them smiling.

"...What?" he asked.

"You're totally homesick for your mom now, aren't you?" Daf asked, grinning.

Sean snorted. "...No!"

"You can go hug her, y'know," Connie told him.

"What?" Daf asked.

"I can?" Sean asked.

"Yeah," Connie replied, "she loves hugs."

"You remember that from when you were little?" Daf asked.

"No, Nick told me," Connie replied.

Sean paused for a second, then started down the hall.

"Uh...Kyle's mom...?" he called, as he jogged toward her.

The two girls both smiled as they watched Sean hug a woman he didn't even know. Nick made an 'awww' sound, and Kyle snapped a picture with his phone.

Daf then turned back to Connie, a questioning look on her face.

"So, speaking of Nick..." she began.

"What about him?" Connie asked.

Daf smirked, and tugged on a strand of Connie's dirty - blonde hair that had been pushed behind her ear.

"...Your hair's down," she said.

Connie frowned.

"What?" she asked.

"Your hair," said Daf, "it's down...before, when you were in the classroom with me and Kyle, it was pulled back."

Connie's eyes widened a little, and she laughed, nervously, as she smoothed down her hair.

"Oh...is it?" she asked "...Oh, well, I guess I was just tired of having it held back, and decided to take the elastic out."

Daf nodded, still smirking.

"Mm - hmm...so you found the opportune moment to let it down?" she asked.

Realizing what the other girl meant, Connie gave her a look.

"Nooo..." she replied, in a mocking tone.

"...Oh so it was longer than a moment?" Daf asked, grinning.

"OK, you're annoying me now," Connie told her.

"...You didn't answer my question."

"That's because there was no moment, OK? No moment, now shut up!" Connie told her.

"You were in the closet with a guy and you're telling me there was no moment...?" Daf asked.

"Well, there was a moment, but it wasn't the moment," Connie explained

"Ah..." said Daf, nodding.

The two girls stood in silence for a second, then Daf turned back to Connie.

"So you got nothin'?" she asked.

"OK, you're annoying me now!" Connie told her.

"...Connie?"

At the mention of her name, Connie turned and looked down the hall...where her mother was standing a few inches from the boys and Kyle's mom.

"...Mom!" Connie exclaimed.

"...CONNIE'S MOM!" the three boys exclaimed, and hugged Claire.

Claire gave a yelp of surprise, and Connie and Daf stopped right in the middle of the hallway and started to laugh.

Kyle's mom was laughing too, as she gave Claire a little wave.

"Hi, Claire," she greeted.

"...Hello, Allison," Claire replied, trying to peer over Nick "...long time."

Allison nodded, then went over to her son.

"Kyle..." she said, trying to pry her son's arms off of Connie's mother "...honey, it's time to go."

"What?" Kyle asked "...oh right."

So he let go of Claire, and, giving her an apologetic smile, tried to pry Nick away from her as well.

"C'mon, Nick, let's go," he coaxed, trying pull Nick away.

"...I drove myself here," Nick reminded him, momentarily looking away from the red - haired woman he was embracing.

" - Oh, right," Kyle muttered, letting go of his friend and turning to his mother.

"uhh...I'll meet you in the car, OK?" he said, as he glanced over at Daf.

Allison followed his gaze and smiled.

"OK, sport," she said, "but just remember we have a stop to make on the way home."

"Yeah, I know," Kyle replied.

So with a smile to her son, and a wave to Claire, Allison headed out of the school.

Kyle walked over to the girls and glanced over at Connie.

"umm, Bender, can we..." he gestured to Daf "...have a minute?"

Connie glanced between the two of them and a look of realization came over her face.

"..Oh, sure!" she exclaimed. "I have to...go pry the guys off of my mom, anyway."

So Connie headed down the hall, leaving Kyle and Daf alone.

Tell me your troubles and doubts

Giving me everything, inside and out

For a moment they just shared an awkward silence, then Kyle smiled.

"So..." he said.

"So..." Daf muttered, returning his smile.

Suddenly he held out his hand.

"...Gimme your phone," he said.

Daf gave him a puzzled look.

"What?" she asked.

Kyle rolled his eyes.

"Please gimme your phone?" he asked.

"What do you want my phone for?" Daf asked.

"I'm gonna steal it, I've always had a thing for the color pink," Kyle replied, dryly.

Daf rolled her eyes.

"...Smart - ass," she muttered, handing him her phone.

"...And proud of it, thank you," Kyle retorted, as he started pressing buttons on the phone.

"What're you doing, anyway?" Daf asked.

"...Putting my cell number on your speed dial," he replied.

"OK...why?" she asked.

He shrugged, and handed the phone back to her.

"I dunno," said Kyle, "I just thought...y'know, if ya ever need to yell, or fight with somebody, maybe go to a movie..."

Daf raised an eyebrow, and, noticing this, Kyle quickly continued.

"...And y'know, nobody else is available, you could always call me...y'know, if ya want," he said.

Daf smiled.

"...A movie, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied "...and if you ever wanted to...y'know, bring somebody else along, I'd be cool with that."

Daf's smile got even bigger.

"Really?" she asked.

Kyle nodded.

"Sure," he said "...the more, the merrier."

"Well, I just may take you up on that," she said, "y'know...sometime."

Kyle smiled.

"I look forward to it," he said "...see ya around."

But before Kyle got three steps away from her, Daf called after him.

"Hey, Kyle...?"

He turned around.

"What?" he asked.

"...Did your mom say you guys were making a stop on the way home?" she asked.

Kyle smiled.

"Yeah," he said, "she and my former stepdad have been divorced for about a year now, so we're going to register to get our last names changed again."

Daf nodded.

"So you're gonna be Kyle Reynolds?" she asked.

Kyle shook his head.

"...Kyle Clark," he said.

With that, he walked down the hallway, patted Nick on the shoulder as he passed him, and left.

Love's strange, so real in the dark

Think Of the tender things that we were working on

After Kyle left, Nick looked over at Connie.

"...Why do I feel like I'm supposed to buy him something?" Nick asked, referring to Kyle.

"You owe him a cookie," Connie reminded him.

Nick snapped his fingers.

"...Right! Connie Bender, what would I do without you?" he exclaimed, then he glanced over at Claire "...that's one great girl you've got there, Mrs. B."

"uhh...thank you," Claire replied, still trying to recall if she knew this boy whose arm remained around her shoulders.

Noticing the uncomfortable look on her mother's face, Connie decided to give her some relief.

"Nick..."

"...Yes, dear?"

Ignoring the way her mother looked at her when Nick said that, Connie smirked.

"...You can let my mom go now," she said.

"Oh, right...!" Nick exclaimed, letting go of Claire, brushing imaginary dust off her sleeve. "Sorry, just wanted to get to know my future mother - in - law."

"NICK...!"

Nick glanced over at Connie.

"...Too soon?" he asked.

Connie nodded.

"...Little bit, yeah," she replied.

"OK...so this one's my future son - in - law..." said Claire, glancing at Nick, then she glanced over at Sean, who still had his arm around her "...but what's your excuse?"

"Oh, don't mind him, he's just lonely," Nick told her.

Sean glared at him and extended his hand for Connie's mom to shake.

"Sean Dawson, ma'am..." he said "I had the absolute pleasure of being decked by your daughter earlier this week."

"Oh...!" Claire exclaimed, then glanced over at Connie "...so this is the athlete?"

Connnie nodded.

"Yeah Mom, that's him," she replied.

Claire glanced back at Sean.

"Well, Sean, I do hope that my daughter made use of the time she had here today - "

" - Oh, she did! I would know, I helped her," Nick cut in, grinning.

Claire glanced over at Nick, then gave Connie a suspicious look.

"Uh huh...." Claire murmered, then she turned her attention back to Sean "...as I was about to say, I do hope my daughter gave you the apology you deserved."

"Oh, it's OK, Mrs. Bender, I...kinda had it coming," Sean admitted, then glanced over at Nick "...that's what a guy gets for being un - gentleman - like, I guess."

"...Just don't forget that," said Connie.

"Connie!" Claire exclaimed.

"It's OK, Mrs. Bender, really," Sean assured her, then he removed his arm from around his shoulders and looked around at the other four, standing in the hallway.

"...I guess I'll see you guys on Monday," he said, then he turned and started down the hall, heading for the front doors.

"Hey, Sporty - Spice...!" Nick called after him.

With a small groan, Sean turned around.

"What?" he asked.

"Don' forget what you learned here, today," Nick told him.

Sean smirked and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah...DV has VD..." he muttered.

"...And don't you forget it!" Nick called after him.

Sean rolled his eyes, gave Nick a thumbs - up, then turned and continued heading for the front doors.

Suddenly, Daf started after him.

"Hey, Sean, hang on...!" she called after him.

Slow change may pull us apart

When the light gets into your heart, baby

Groaning, Sean stopped and waited for her to catch up to him.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Daf gave him a puzzled look.

"Well...you were my ride here," she pointed out.

Realizing what she meant, Sean nodded.

"...You are still good for a ride home, aren't you?" Daf asked "y'know, for a friend...?"

Sean actually managed a small smile.

"...A friend, huh?" he asked.

"Well, I am still pissed at you for the whole Mackenzie Luddman thing," Daf told him, giving him a glare "...but that doesn't mean that I'm willing to lose you completely."

Sean's smile suddenly got a little bigger.

"...At least, not to a slut like Mackenzie Luddman," Daf finished, then she smirked.

Sean nodded.

"OK, then," he said, as they continued walking down the hall "...but you're paying for gas."

"What? I thought you said you had a full tank!" Daf exclaimed, glaring at him.

"Well, yeah, but I never said when I had a full tank...!" Sean pointed out.

Daf rolled her eyes then glanced over her shoulder and waved at Nick and Connie, who waved back.

When Daf and Sean had disappeared from sight, Nick looked over at Connie.

"And then there were two," he said, then glanced at Claire "...uh, I mean, three."

"No, no, two is right," Claire told him, then she glanced at Connie.

"I'll just go and wait in the car, don't be too long," she told her.

"I won't," Connie promised.

"OK then...nice to meet you, Nick," said Claire, then something caused Claire to stop and she turned back to the two teenagers.

"Uh, Nick..." she said "...I don't mean to be rude, but would you consider yourself somewhat of a, uh...rebellious person?"

"Absolutely," Nick replied, as Connie gave her mother a puzzled look.

Claire nodded.

"Uh huh..." she mumbled, with a smirk "...I thought so."

She then turned and continued down the hall, heading for the front doors.

When she was gone, Nick glanced over at Connie.

"Is your mom like, an expert on reading people, or something?" he asked.

"Actually, I think that was more about me than it was about you," Connie told him.

"Huh..." Nick muttered, with a nod "...well, your mom seems nice, and I don't just mean that because she let three complete strangers hug her, either."

Connie chuckled.

"Yeah, my mom's great," she agreed, "my dad's great, too, I wish you could've met him...cuz there's a slight possibility that he may have liked you."

"Well, that's good to know," he said, stepping closer to her "...I can't wait to test that theory out tonight."

Connie frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "What's tonight?"

Nick smirked.

"That's when I come to your house, meet your parents, hopefully get an autograph from your dad, than take you to dinner and a movie," he told her.

Connie grinned.

"...in the pick - up truck?" she asked.

"...In the pick - up truck," he replied, wrapping his arm around her waist.

Connie smiled, then suddenly she frowned.

"Dinner isn't gonna be like two slices of pizza you're hiding in your jacket, is it?" she asked.

"Why, would that gross you out?" he asked.

Connie shrugged.

"Maybe a little..." she said "...'course, it would probably impress me, too."

Nick smirked.

"You wanna hear about impressive, you should hear about some of the stuff I've stuffed into Ol' Faithful here," he told her, gesturing to his leather jacket.

"OK, what kind of stuff have you stuffed in there?" Connie asked.

Nick paused for a moment, and thought it over.

"At one time...?" he asked. " Let's see, one of the thicker Harry Potter books, an ipod, two magazines, two cellphones, a baton, a set of drumsticks, a key with about ten keychains attached to it, four wristwatches one small clock off the mantel, one wallet holding about a hundred dollars in ten dollar bills, a pack of Sharpees, a roll of duct tape, and a Beanie Baby."

Connie's eyes were wide, and for a moment she was speechless...then she burst out laughing.

"...and you couldn't even really tell that most of that stuff was in here," Nick added, gesturing to his jacket.

"That is...amazing," said Connie.

Nick shrugged.

"Well, yeah...I mean, it is me we're talking about, here," he pointed out.

Connie rolled her eyes, and was leaning in to kiss him, when Nick suddenly stopped her.

"...Actually, I just remembered something I've been wanting to ask you," he told her.

"OK...shoot," she said.

"...Ya have to promise that you'll still love me after I'm done asking," he told her.

Connie rolled her eyes.

"I'll consider it," she said.

Nick grinned.

"So you do love me...!" he exclaimed.

"You've got five seconds and then I'm walking away," she told him, "five, four - "

" - What did you do to get up on the wall in the boys' washroom?" Nick asked.

Connie's eyes widened.

"What?" she asked.

Nick bit his lip, nervously.

"When, uh, me and Sean were cleaning the boys' washroom, I noticed that somebody had written your name and number on the wall," he told her, "and I was just curious as to why."

Connie sighed.

"I went out with a guy on the basketball team a few months ago - " she began.

" - What's his name? I'll kill him," Nick cut in.

"...I thought you wanted to hear this story?" Connie asked.

"Oh...right yeah," Nick muttered.

"...Anyway," Connie continued "...he tried to take it a bit too far, which was something I didn't appreciate, and then, to get back at me for turning him down, he told me he wrote my name and number on the bathroom wall."

"...I repeat my previous statement," Nick told her.

Connie smirked.

"You don't have to," she told him, "after I told my parents what he did, my dad ...kinda made him afraid for his life."

Nick nodded.

"...But he still didn't take your name and number off the wall," he said.

"No, I guess he didn't," she said.

Nick smirked, and wrapped his other arm around her waist.

"...Well, I did," he told her.

She smiled, then kissed him.

"Pick me up at seven," she said, after pulling away.

Nick smirked.

"Will do," he said, then he pulled a wristwatch from his pocket and glanced at it "...but for now, I must go, I still have to buy Kyle that cookie, after all."

Connie smiled as he took her hand and kissed it.

"It's been charming, Connie," he told her.

"Oh, it's been a pleasure, Nick," she replied.

He smirked, put his arm around her, and walked with her out of the school.

When they got outside, Nick stopped and looked around.

"What is it?" Connie asked.

"My God..." he murmered "...the sun! I can see the sun, again!"

Connie rolled her eyes and walked over to her family's SUV, which was parked at the curb.

"...Don't be late, tonight," she told him, as she opned the back door.

"Yes, dear!" he replied.

She smiled, and Nick waved as she got into the car, then he started to walk toward his truck.

Claire turned in her seat to look back at Connie and she smiled.

"So, he seems...nice," she said.

Connie nodded, with a smile.

"Yeah, he is," she said, then she noticed that her mother was in the passenger seat, and no one was in the driver's seat.

"Did Dad come, too?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, he's still inside," Claire told her.

Connie frowned.

"...He went inside?" she asked.

"Yeah, he said he just wanted to take a look around, y'know, for nostalgia's sake," her mother replied, with a smile.

Don't you forget about me

Don't don't don't don't

Don't you, forget about me

Richard Vernon moved quickly around his office, trying to shove all of his belongings into a box he kept near the filing cabinet.

Just as he started to wonder whether or not he would get away with assaulting his desk with a stapler, he heard a knock on the door behind him.

"Gus, the door's open, so you can obviously see that I'm packing up all my shit and trying to get out of here, just as you requested," he snapped, not bothering to turn around.

"Oh...leaving so soon, Dick?"

Vernon froze.

...He knew that voice.

Slowly, the old man turned around and saw John Bender standing in the doorway of the small office.

"...Bender," he grumbled, with a mix of hatred...and dread.

Bender smirked.

"...You movin' out, Dick?" Bender asked, as he walked into the office, and looked around.

"I'm retiring, if you must know," Vernon told him.

"Good for you, sir!" Bender exclaimed, fingering the leaves of the plant Vernon had on his desk. "You're finally graduating from high school!"

Vernon glared at the other man.

"Uh huh..." he murmered "...I'll be rid of them, and they'll be rid of me, is that it?"

"I didn't say that, Dick," said Bender.

"But it was implied!" Vernon snapped. "I know it was!"

Bender shrugged."Think whatever ya want, Dick."

Vernon rolled his eyes and continued to toss items into the cardboard box.

"But I guess I should thank you for looking after my daughter today," said Bender, with a smile, "I know she can be quite a handful - "

" - Yeah, and you're just damn proud of her for that, aren't you, Bender?" Vernon snapped, slamming a book down on the desk. "You're just so damn proud that you raised a kid to be exactly like you, aren't ya?"

"Me? Hell no, if Connie takes after anyone, it's her mother!" Bender insisted.

Vernon rolled his eyes and let out some curses under his breath as he tossed a stapler into the box.

"...C'mon, Dick, you should be happy!" Bender exclaimed, "you're finally gettin' outta here! But instead, you just look...like somebody knocked your dick in the dirt."

Vernon froze, then raised his head to stare at Bender.

"Ah, well...happy trails, Dick," said Bender, as he walked out of the office, then he popped his head back in and grinned.

"And hey...don't you forget about me," he said.

Vernon scowled at him, but Bender just winked and walked away.

As Bender walked down the hall, he spotted Gus, who was headed in the opposite direction.

"Oh, excuse me," said Bender, causing Gus to stop "...would you happen to know who's replacing Mr. Vernon as head principal?"

"From what I hear, it's a guy named Brian Johnson," Gus told him.

Bender grinned.

"No shit!" he exclaimed.

"None whatsoever, sir," Gus replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me sir, I have to go clean the boys' bathroom...seems the kids who were supposed to clean it today, didn't do as good of a job as they said they did."

Bender nodded.

"Of course, thank you," he said, and the two men then went their seperate ways.

When John got back out to the car, Claire and Connie gave him puzzled looks.

As he buckled his seatbelt and started up the car, John looked over at his wife, and back at his daughter.

"...What?" he asked.

"You have a nice trip down memory lane, John?" Claire asked, trying not to smile.

John nodded, and smirked.

"Yes," he said "...yes, I did."

"Well, then...?" Connie asked.

John frowned, as he started to drive out of the parking lot. "Well, then, WHAT?"

"Connie's ready for you to tell her about our detention, now," Claire told him.

"Well...I dunno..."

"Oh, c'mon, Dad!" Connie pleaded. "C'mon, you tell me about yours and I'll tell you about mine."

John rolled his eyes.

"Alright fine..." he said, giving in. "It was March 24, 1984, I hadn't even entered the school yet, and I had already narrowly escaped getting hit by a car...."

T H E E N D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Special thanks to John Hughes for creating such an awesome movie, Simple Minds for creating such an awesome song (Which was the song the lyrics in this chapter are from, of course), Darkness49 for giving me the inspiration for Nick's jacket - inventory, MidnightBlue88 for inspiring me to write this story in the first place, and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU LOVELY, LOYAL, and PATIENT REVIEWERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the first fanfiction I ever wrote for this website, and now it's finally done.

...Geez, it feels like an era has ended!

Ah, but I still have another story I need to get crackin' on, too! It's a Pirates Of The Caribbean story, if anyone ever wants to check it out.

Thank you all for learning to read, and then putting that skill to good use by reading this story!!!!!!

Peace, Love, Ducks & Monkeys,

- IGottaFindYou