John Bender shook his head in utter disbelief. "Has it really been 10 years already?" he asked nobody in particular.

The Chicago cab driver turned around to glance warily at his first passenger of the morning.

"What's been 10 years?" he asked.

"Just going to a reunion," Bender told him, quieter than unusual.

The cabbie nodded, "Ah, a high school reunion, eh?"

Bender shrugged, "You could say that."

"This early?" the cab driver asked, glancing at the glowing clock next to the meter. Bender looked at his own watch. It read 6:55.

"Just like high school," he replied. The cabbie nodded and giving a Bender a "whatever you say buddy" look turned away and fell silent.

Minutes later, the once bright yellow cab pulled into the pot holed parking lot of a suburban high school. The taxi came to slow stop in front of the front steps and barely let Bender get out of the back before hitting the accelerator and flying out of the parking lot.

Bender stared up at his former high school. It looked the same as it had ten years ago when Bender was a senior. His life had certainly changed since then. His fashion sense hadn't been so lucky (or unlucky, depending on who you are). He still kept his hair long, albeit not as long as it had been back in the day. His style had remained somewhat edgy, although, looking back he didn't dig the layers he had worn in 1984.

Today, Bender wore a pair of jeans and to help him reminisce, a red flannel shirt with sleeves cut off and a denim jacket. He also had a diamond earring in his left ear that sparkled in the morning sunlight.

When Bender had looked into the hotel mirror that morning, he didn't think he looked any older than 17. And now, as he stared up at his alma mater, it didn't look any older either.

Glancing down at his watch, he saw it was already 7:00. He quickly walked through the doors of Shermer High School and down the locker-lined hall to the wooden double doors that served as the library entrance.

To all of the present Shermer students, these doors were like any other in the school (except that no one wanted to pass through them considering that they lead to the library, and who wanted to go there?). but to Bender, to John Bender, these doors were the only thing that separated him from his past. Slowly, he pulled open the doors and walked inside.

"John!" a familiar voice yelled.

With that word, John Bender knew he was home.

(I made a few edits on this story and hope to continue it very soon and somewhat rapidly. Thanks much!!)

ASB