the breakfast club · 1980s · high school detention · ensemble cast · cliques · coming of age · drama · angst · found family · emotional vulnerability
The fluorescent lights of Shermer High buzzed like trapped insects, casting a sickly pallor over the detention room. Dust hung suspended in the motionless air, disturbed only as the heavy door swung inward on protesting hinges. Five teenagers, scattered like islands among the rows of desks, turned as one at the interruption. From the back, John Bender tilted his chair onto two legs, a cigarette glowing between his fingers. He exhaled a slow stream of smoke, his eyes sharp with mockery. "Speak of the devil," he said, his voice cutting through the silence. "We were just wondering if they'd forgotten someone. So, you, what's your brilliant reason for gracing us with your presence?"