Chapter One

Ice Cream and Diamonds

Flushed skin, soft lips. Bender strokes her luscious curves and she presses against him. He tries slipping one hand under her shirt. She responds, encouraging him. Her taut skin is silk under his fingers as his hand travels up, up, up, to her bra-

The garage door grinds up.

Shit. Her parents are home. They bolt upright, straightening their clothes. She wipes at some lipstick on his cheek. When her parents enter the kitchen, they are demurely sitting on opposite ends of the couch, watching some stupid TV program.

Mr. Cramer comes in and Bender stands, acting the respectful suitor. Which is pretty funny. Everyone knows Missy Cramer is the fastest girl around. But he wants to come back, so he is all 'yes sir, no sir'.

Finally he's out on the street. Damn. He thought for sure he'd get lucky tonight. And he would have if her parents had stayed out an hour longer.

The still night air cools him down and his frustration recedes. It's almost midnight. Everything is quiet and wet with dew. As he walks past a row of Victorian houses, he smells something rich and flowery— Jasmine?

"Bender."

The soft voice comes from the shade of a porch, the house behind it dark. He stops, investigates the shadows and sees a small figure sitting on the steps. Her dark clothes blend in with the night, but he can see her pale face in the moonlight. Allison Reynolds.

"Hey, Al. What's up?"

"Just sitting, looking at the moon. Breathing."

He hasn't seen her since the Breakfast Club broke up last autumn, everyone going their separate ways. Claire and Andy went off to college, he started his job at Jiffy Lube, and Allison… who knows what she's been doing.

"May I?" He gestures to the step next to her.

She shrugs. He sits, taps out a cigarette and lights it. It's nice here in the dark. He looks up at the moon, a bright slender crescent.

After a while, he says, "Whatcha been up to since last fall?"

"I graduated last week."

"Oh, I forgot you're a year younger than the rest of us. I guess the Dweeb is still in school?"

"Yes, he'll be a junior next year."

"You ever hear from Andy or Claire?"

"Claire's been too busy to talk much. She's very active on campus."

"And Sporto?"

"I hear Andy is doing well on the wrestling team at UI. You don't talk to either of them?"

"Nah, Cherry and I decided on a clean break. Easier on both of us."

"Yes, we had our time together and it's over. I still miss Andy sometimes."

"Claire sort of grew on me too."

They sit quietly and let the peaceful night wash over them.

Bender reluctantly gets to his feet. Gotta work tomorrow.

"I'll see you Al."

"Bye."

Missy is becoming more trouble than he bargained for. Today she insisted on ice cream, so he brought her to Brewer's. She hung all over him while they stood in line, and now she is trying to hold hands with him as they eat their ice cream.

"Jesus, Missy, how can I eat this with one hand? Let go."

Just as he disentangles his hand he looks over Missy's head and sees Allison in line. When she glances over, he raises one eyebrow, but Missy is now trying to dab at his face with a napkin. He returns his attention to defending himself from Missy's affections.

Finally, finally, Missy has finished her ice cream and it's time for her to go home. She has to babysit her little brother at two. Thank god. As they step onto the sidewalk, he sees Allison sitting at the window, staring off into space.

"I gotta hit the can. You go on, Missy, you don't want to be late."

Bender escapes with the minimum of kisses he can manage. When he steps back inside, Allison is still sitting at the window, meditatively licking her ice cream cone. He slips into the chair opposite her.

"What's up Al?"

"Where's Missy?" she replies caustically.

"She had to go home to babysit her brother. She was getting boring anyway. I don't hang out with Missy for witty conversation."

Allison's only comment is a derisive "Hah!"

"I don't come to you for unconditional love either. Shit, woman. You're all more trouble than you're worth." Looking out the window, he asks, "You still on probation?"

"Mine's up next week. What about you?"

"I turned 18 last January. They had to let me off."

Allison can keep her mouth shut when she wants to. She never mentioned their stay in juvie, even though he goaded her with it in detention. 'I've seen you before, you know.' She had been the weirdo who always sat in corners, but he noticed her. Gotta stay sharp and know what's going on around you.

"What were you in there for, Al?" He'd been in juvie for possession.

"Shoplifting."

"What the hell were you shoplifting to get in so much trouble?"

"Diamonds."

"No way! You're putting me on. How would you steal diamonds?"

"I kept asking to look at new ring trays, and palmed one. At the pawn shop. They had cameras. That's how they busted me." Allison sighs. "I'll be more careful next time."

"Next time? Going to juvie didn't cure you of sticky fingers?"

"Did it cure you of smoking reefer?"

During this conversation Bender has been absentmindedly fiddling with Allison's sketch book. Now he opens it.

"Hey! You can't look in there!"

The sketch he opens it to is a sketch of his face. He seems to be bending over, a spangled night sky behind him.

Allison lunges for the book, but Bender holds it out of her reach. He puts up one finger, as if asking her to wait, and inspects the sketch.

Allison settles back, scowling at him.

Finally he lowers the book and hands it back.

"It's good, Al."

She grabs the book and stuffs it in her purse.

"You shit." She glares at him.

"No, really, that's a good picture."

"It's my personal stuff. You had no right."

She stands up and moves toward the door, but Bender grabs her sleeve.

"I'm sorry Allison."

She looks down at him. He releases her and she yanks her arm away. She is still scowling when she pushes out the ice cream shop door.

AN: Let me send out a big thank you to my beta, printmaker.