Author's Note: In the early 1980s, cable was new and not everyone had it. Therefore MTV tended to be a group activity, with most people excited to go to a friend's house to see it.

Chapter One

Lady Parts

Allison has already arrayed her purse and sketchbook on the back table when Bender enters the library for detention. She doesn't know what to expect. Monday had been such a mess and she hasn't seen Bender up close since that fateful Monday.

Bender takes off his sunglasses and gives her a wry smile.

"This seat taken? Sporto joining us?"

Allison gestures to the empty chair. "No, just me. Andy has a match today."

"So Andrew," he says the name with a sneer, "stayed true?"

"Yes. I'm sorry about Claire, Bender."

"No biggie. Not like Red is the only girl around."

Allison really is sorry, but not surprised. She always knew Claire was the weak link.

"How's the Dweeb?" Bender asks.

"He's fine. We're meeting at five thirty to watch MTV at my house. You want to join us?"

"Sure, I got some time. I can hang for a little while."

His off-hand response doesn't fool Allison.

"What are you doing here? What did you get busted for?" Bender asks.

"Lewd drawings."

"Oh yeah?" He sounds interested. "Let's see."

She opens her sketch book to a detailed drawing of a vagina, and shows it to him. After a moment, Bender seems to realize his mouth is open and shuts it. Why does a simple vagina horrify people so much? Guys draw penises all the time. Sexism.

"Well, Al, you certainly know how to pick a subject." Bender looks some more. "You know, that's pretty good. Who caught you?" He seems to have regained his composure.

"Madame Morel."

His smile grows into a wicked grin. "What did she do?"

"She started talking in French and had to sit down. Then she sent me to Vernon."

"I guess drawing..." He searches for an appropriate word, "lady parts... is better than telling the vice principal to eat your shorts."

"It's a vagina. You can use the proper name." She's tired of people making a vagina a shameful thing.

"Whatever." He tips his chair back on two legs, apparently through with the subject.

Allison closes her sketchbook and stows it in her purse. She jumps when the front legs of his chair slam back down. "Wait! You're not... But, you and Andy..." Bender stops, flummoxed. His discomposure is amusing. It takes a lot to surprise Bender.

"Look, are you queer?" He finally asks.

"Drawing a vagina makes me queer?" She laughs.

"Well, I dunno, does it? I mean, are you?" She's never seen Bender's face go through so many expressions so quickly. This is fun. "Hey, it's cool with me. I don't care if you are."

It's nice to know Bender would accept her, but she should stop teasing him.

"No, I'm not a lesbian. I just thought it would be a challenge."

"How does Andy feel about you drawing... um... well, that?"

He can't say the word. Really, it's ridiculous.

"He doesn't know yet, just that I was caught drawing in class. But it's none of his business what I choose to draw. If he doesn't like vaginas, that's his problem."

"I'm pretty sure he likes them." Bender leers at her.

Vernon walks in at this point, to Allison's relief. She doesn't want to be the object of Bender's juvenile jokes.

Vernon now keeps a supply of spare screws in his desk, so they must be obedient. No closed door to save them from Vernon's constant scrutiny. Bender settles himself for a nap and nods off immediately. Allison tries to work on her sketch of a tree, but she too succumbs to sleep.

Eventually the tedious day is over and they are released at five.

"Where you live, Al?" Bender asks when they are on the front steps of the school.

"A few blocks away, in the Heights."

"Ooh la la, have we got a richie here? What's a weirdo like you doing in the Heights?" Bender wants to know.

She hates living in the Heights. All her mother and father care about is what the neighbors think, and none of the neighbors think well of Allison. But as her parents are rarely home, it doesn't affect her daily life much. She, Andy and Brian hang out at her house a lot for that reason: no parents to worry about. And Allison has cable TV, with all the channels.

When they arrive at the house and Allison leads the way in, Bender looks around curiously. He picks up a small Buddha sitting on a side table. He inspects it, turning it upside down as if he might find an explanation on the bottom. While Bender is making his investigations, Brian rings the doorbell.

Brian does a good job of covering his surprise at seeing Bender, but when Bender's back is turned, he flashes his eyes in Bender's direction, a question on his face. Allison shrugs.

As they always do on Saturday nights, Allison orders pizza. Considering her extra guest, she decides to order two; and is glad she did. Bender engulfs half a pizza by himself. He hadn't brought lunch to detention.

They eat their pizza in the Reynolds' well equipped den. Bender makes disgusted noises and boos most of the videos, but seems to be enjoying himself. At seven, they switch to HBO for a spy movie. Allison keeps expecting Bender to take off, assuming he has friends to spend the evening with, going to a party or something, but he stays through the entire movie and seems in no hurry to leave afterward. Indeed, he is still there when it is time for Brian to leave.

Wanting to get to the bottom of the mystery, Allison decides to jump right in with direct interrogation.

"Why aren't you at a heavy metal vomit party with your friends?"

"Well..." He seems to be debating something within himself. "I'll tell ya, Al. I don't have much in the way of friends these days."

"What happened?" He had been so devoted to his friends during detention.

"Crystal is what happened."

"Crystal is a girl?"

"Crystal meth. Amphetamines. Speed." When this doesn't seem to answer her question, Bender says, "Drugs. Bad drugs."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Bender."

"Yeah, well, it happens. I guess I better go. Before your folks get home."

Sunday, Andy is back from his match and he is as surprised as Allison and Brian at Bender resurfacing.

"I think I might know what happened." Andy apparently has thought this over. "I saw Bender walking up when Claire was making fun of you and I was telling her to shove it. He looked at us and turned around and walked away. I think he thought Claire and I were being friendly."

"But when it was obvious you had told her to piss off, why did he still stay away?" Brian asks. They are hanging out on the Reynolds' covered patio, lounging on cushioned lawn furniture.

"He had his heavy metal friends. He didn't need us," Allison says. "Plus he doesn't like admitting he's wrong."

"It's not so cool to show up after all this time, now that he has no one. Like, he was too good for us before, but now that he doesn't have anyone else, we're OK." Andy says.

"Think about it, Andy. He's just watched all his friends decide to kill themselves with drugs." Allison always looks for the compassionate side of things. "Plus, he didn't butt in. I invited him."

"He's pretty funny. You should have seen his impression of Madonna," Brian says.

"I think we should give him a chance," says Allison. Andy looks skeptical. "C'mon Andy, losing all your friends at once has got to be awful. Give him a chance."

"Okay. He gets one chance. We'll see what happens."

What happens is that Allison invites Bender to eat lunch at their table in the cafeteria. He looks very self conscious when he appears. He's empty handed. No bag lunch and no cafeteria tray. He seats himself with a swirl of his overcoat and affects nonchalance.

"Sporto. Dweeb." Bender greets them. "Hey, Al." He pulls an extra chair over and props up his booted feet.

Brian must have noticed Bender's lack of lunch, because he says, "Anybody want this soup? My mom gave me too much today."

"No, thanks Brian. I've got pizza," Allison says, and she gives Andy a kick under the table.

"Oh." It takes a bit for Andy to understand. "No, man, I'm good. My mom sends too much too. She thinks I'm an army."

"Bender, you want it?" Brian asks. "I don't want it to go to waste."

"Sure, I guess I'll take it." Somehow Bender makes it seem like he is the one doing Brian the favor, which is what Brian was aiming for. When Andy offers his bag of donuts around, Allison takes one to encourage Bender to do the same. No wonder he's so grouchy all the time, if he's always hungry. Allison resolves to think of him when packing her lunch tomorrow morning.

AN: I'll do my best to update every Thursday.