CHAPTER 1: The Last Moments
Arthur put down his pencil and carefully looked over his work. 149 bubbles were filled on the standardized test paper. Only 1 more to go. He skimmed over to the packet of chemistry questions as a loud anthem rang in his mind: "One last question and I'm done with high school!" Arthur's eyes went to the bottom of the last page, where question #150 ominously stood. He read the question slowly. Which of the following is not a halogen element? The given choices were
fluorine
chlorine
astatine
xenon
Arthur leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes in deep concentration. "Let's see…I know fluorine and chlorine are halogens…," he thought to himself, then he eyed C and D. "What the heck is astatine? I've never even heard of it! And xenon? Isn't that a Disney character from the 90s? No wait, that's Zenon. Or is it?" Arthur's mind raced as he tried to scan his memory bank from the whole year of chemistry. There was so much to remember, all thanks to Mrs. Henderson…she was probably the hardest teacher since he had Mr. Ratburn in the 3rd grade. "Shit…" he muttered in annoyance.
Buster, with his large and sensitive ears, heard Arthur and turned to look at him from a few desks away. Arthur met eyes with his best friend since childhood. "What?" Arthur said with his silent lips. "I'm only half way done!" Buster lipped back. His face was painted with horror and panic. Arthur sighed and shook his head. "If Buster fails this thing, he's gonna flunk chemistry and have to repeat senior year," he thought to himself.
Buster glanced at the clock. 2:58pm. Only two minutes left on the exam, and he was barely halfway through! "Ahh! I can't do it! I can't do it!" Buster exclaimed out loud as he stood up. Everyone looked at him, and a few chuckles murmured across the classroom. "Buster, you have enough time to answer one more question, now sit down and be quiet!" Mrs. Henderson hissed. "No!" Buster retorted in defiance. "I am done with this stupid exam and this stupid class!" He walked over to the teacher's desk and set the answer sheet down. "Here, Mrs. Henderson, take my bubble sheet," he said with a smirk, and then turned to the class. "Buster Baxter is done with high school, bitches!" he hollered, and triumphantly walked out the door. Mrs. Henderson, and her students, stared as Buster strolled down the hall.
"He's screwed now," Arthur whispered to Francine, who sat next to him. Francine nodded in agreement. "Arthur! Quiet!" snapped Mrs. Henderson. Arthur looked at the clock: 2:59pm. Only one more minute, and he still hadn't figured out the last question! "You know what? I don't care. I'm done too," he thought, as he filled in the C bubble. He looked over the massive packet of questions. Electronegativity, solubility, orbitals…too much chemistry for the last day of high school! 30 seconds, 29 seconds…Arthur looked around the classroom. Most of his classmates were still frantically working. A breeze then blew into the room from the nearby open window. The smell of summer filled Arthur's nose as he turned to admire the beauty outside. A clear blue-sky day. Sun shining. No more school for several months. 10, 9, 8…Arthur looked at the clock with a smile on his face. 3, 2, 1…RRIIINNNGGG. The bells out in the hall blasted sounds of magnificent freedom.
"Alright, class, everyone put their pencils down. Please bring up your bubble sheets in an orderly fashion," ordered Mrs. Henderson. Every student energetically got up from their desks and half-threw their sheets on the teacher's desk. "I said 'orderly'!" Mrs. Henderson barked. No one listened. Most of the class, like a wild herd of animals, poured out of the chemistry class room. "We are done with high school!" "Hell yes, we out, baby!" "Letttsss go!" Cries of joy avalanched across the hallways. Arthur hurried to his locker, which was next to Buster's. Buster was already busy cleaning out his locker. A massive pile of random school supplies was by his feet.
"Hey Arthur, how 'bout that exam, huh? Pretty intense," Buster said with a smile.
Arthur laughed. "Buster, you made my semester when you said that stuff to Henderson."
"She made that class too hard," Buster stated. "I don't need to do another lab report ever again." He stuck his head in his locker. "Nope, that's everything."
Arthur bent down and looked at Buster's belongings. "You never even used half this crap," he said as he picked up a protractor, ruler, and ball bearings. Buster just chuckled. "My mom wanted me to do well in my last semester of high school, so she bought me all this stuff and thought it would help,"
"Ball bearings?" Arthur asked. "For physics class," responded Buster, as he bent down and surprisingly managed to pick up all his stuff.
"Buster, you slept in physics almost every day," said someone from the behind the two friends. It was Brain.
"Whatever, Brain. That class was almost as boring as chemistry," Buster said as he mimicked a yawn.
"Boring? Physics is not boring! And neither is chemistry! They are both excellent fields to explore," Brain said defensively.
"Easy for you to say, you're going to double major in physics and chemistry in college, right?" Asked Arthur. He took a step away from Buster. Buster looked like he was struggling to hold onto all the things in his arms.
"Correct, Arthur," Brain stated. "And let me tell you, college is going to be great! We actually get to learn from people with Ph.D.'s!" He smiled and stared off into space, as if fantasizing about future academics. Buster laughed. "You have fun living in the library and studying 24/7, Brain!"
Brain snapped out of his daydreaming. "I enjoy doing that. Have fun partying all the time. C's get degrees, Buster," he joked, and walked off.
"Man, I still can't believe Brain got into Crown City University. That's one of the best schools in the country!" Arthur said.
"Arthur, it's the Brain. The guy is a walking baby of an encyclopedia and a calculator," said Buster. "Come on, let's get out of this crummy place," he added. "Hold on, let me grab my stuff," Arthur told his friend. He reached into his locker and pulled out several books, papers, and some notebooks. Buster looked disgusted. "Yuck! Throw that shit away, man! It's making me nauseous!" The two laughed, and walked down the hallway and out through the main doors.
As the sunlight beamed down on Arthur and Buster, they stopped and looked around. Students were running to their cars and bikes and speeding away. Couples hugged and kissed. Friend groups stood around and talked about their summer plans. A few kids were smoking and drinking from a suspicious can. Everyone, especially the seniors, was thrilled to be done with another chapter in their lives.
"Arthur! Buster!"
The two looked towards the parking lot. "Get your asses over here!" yelled Francine in a joking manner. Her and Muffy were standing outside Muffy's limo. Arthur and Buster ran over to them. Buster dropped many school supplies along the way, but just left them on the ground. "What's up, guys?" asked Arthur.
"You know what's up, Arthur Read." Said Francine. "Yeah, it's my last day of high school party!" added Muffy. Arthur and Buster's faces lit up. "I totally forgot! I was studying so hard for that chemistry final it musta slipped my mind!" said Arthur. "What time does it start?" asked Buster. "It doesn't start for another three hours, but you guys are welcome to come to my house and hang out until then," said Muffy.
"Will there be lots of food?!"
"Yes, Buster, my daddy hired a catering business to bring in five-star cuisine," Muffy said proudly. Buster's knees almost buckled. "If there is a God, he must have heard my prayers," Buster exclaimed as he dramatically looked up at the sky.
"Alright, everybody! Into the limo! This is going to be a party you will never forget!" Muffy proclaimed, as the four climbed into the luxury vehicle.
"Bailey, home please." Chimed Muffy.
"Yes, Miss Muffy," replied the butler.
As the car drove out of the parking lot, Muffy leaned over to a side compartment next to her seat. She pressed a button, and a lid automatically slid open. She put her hand into the compartment, and pulled out a bottle of liquor.
"We gotta get this party started off on the right foot," Muffy said with excitement. The other three cheered. "Arthur, we are gonna get so trashed tonight!" Buster whispered. Arthur was anticipating a good night of partying. It had been a long, grueling year of school.
"Buster, I think you're pretty damn right," Arthur said.