Title: Breaking Molds

Author: Mango

Rating: PG, I guess?

A/N: This is my first Breakfast Club fic … I'm not really sure if it's worth continuing. Some comments either way are welcome, and appreciated.

What was it the basketcase said? "When you grow up your heart dies"? When the words came out of her mouth Claire never thought anything of them, chalking them up to more of Allison's bullshit. But now, standing in the rain exactly a week later, she never thought she could have grown up so fast.

When she left the school the week before, she made it a personal goal to try and be more accepting of people. Try not to judge people based on people they do or do not hang out with. Not to judge based on the brand of clothing, or the seemingly disarrayed outward appearance. It was her project to build on herself, make herself a better person. Donating her last year's Versace boot's to the local women's shelter was just not cutting it.

So this week she had put herself on the line. She had made an effort to track down Allison in the back stairwell sketching and have lunch with her. Her friends thought she had gone crazy. One even suggested seeing a therapist. She believed the words "You should see my therapist Dr. Dean, he's a total hunk and he helps work out your issues" came out of the girl's mouth. Trying ridiculously hard not to roll her eyes at a therapist who insisted on being called by his first name, she politely declined.

She met with Brian in the library and they studied together after school. She actually found that she really enjoyed his company. Once she got through the geeky babble that came out of his mouth, he actually has some really interesting things to say. Educated, important world ideas that she never would have been exposed to if she hadn't met with him.

Claire also went to Andrew's meet that happened on Thursday. The same meet that his knee finally gave out and he was rushed to the hospital. She followed the ambulance and was granted access to his room hours after he was admitted. He had informed her that he would not longer be able to wrestle because so much scar tissue had built up within his knee that the damage was permanent. Apparently he was lucky to get away with just a slight limp. She had stayed that night for hours, talking with him. He seemed happy that she was there. When she left shortly after midnight he asked that she call Allison in the morning and inform her has to what had happened. She agreed.

Over all, Claire was pleased of her "progress". It had taken a lot to stray from her usual crowd and reach out to new people. In all honesty, she felt relieved. Almost free from the bindings that her old life restrained her to.

The one thing that was continuing to nag at her was John. When she arrived to school on the Monday following that fateful Saturday he was nowhere to be found. She looked for him all Monday and he never showed up. Just to make her not worry anymore, he showed up for shop class on Tuesday. He passed her in the hallway with not so much more than a sideways glance. When she waited for him after his class and approached him, he had shrugged her off like last week's news. And perhaps she was.

So, she figured, maybe her heart wasn't dying, per se, perhaps it was just breaking. She knew, logically that she hadn't grown a lot since the week before, but she felt she had. Standing out in the rain, leaning up against one of her Daddy's Benzs, she waited for him to get out of detention.

Apparently all that time fixing her hair was put to waste, but she couldn't give him that chance to walk past her again, pretending not to see. She wasn't sure which hurt more, his scathing remark in the hallway, or watching his back as he walked away. She had also noticed that he earring was back to the plain silver hoop that it had once been. That hurt, too.

When the door opened and the few students who were lucky enough to get Saturday detention trickled out, John was the last to leave the school. He spotted her immediately and stopped in his tracks. He looked down at his shoes, as if gathering strength, looking at the rain bounce off the steel toe. By the time he sauntered up to her, he was soaked through, too.

"I don't suppose you're here to see Dick, are you?" He said, plastering the defensive, sarcastic smirk on his face.

"No," she stated looking into his eyes, despite the stinging rain. "I came to see you." She bit her tongue, at this point, to prevent herself from saying anymore. She wanted to give him a chance to explain himself.

"Well," he said, equally as bland as his first statement, "Sorry you wasted your time."

Well, apparently the explaining himself idea is not going to happen, she thought to herself.

"Well, Bender," she stated defiantly, "Who's the bitch now?"