p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Chapter Two/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"When Baljeet arrived at the Flynn-Fletcher house the next afternoon, his first thought was that everything smelled delicious. Isabella wandered out of the kitchen, catching sight of Baljeet as she looked up from her cell phone./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Oh, good, you're here," she called, crossing the room to help him with his coat. "Phineas and Ferb had the brilliant idea to build a cooking-making machine, only they couldn't figure out how to make the machine decorate the cookies, so now we've got about a thousand little bells and candy canes to frost." The words were mocking, but her tone was fond. Baljeet wondered if this would be the year Phineas finally got the message that Isabella wanted more than friendship./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"True to Isabella's description, every surface in the kitchen was covered with stacks of sugar cookies in assorted festive shapes. A harassed-looking Ferb was mixing colored icing while Phineas danced around the counter, singing 'Jingle Bells' at the top of his lungs./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""See, this is why I made a break for it," Isabella told Baljeet under her breath. "I'm pretty sure Ferb's going to snap and drown his brother in frosting in about two minutes. Maybe you can restore some semblance of order here." With that hopeful plea, Isabella spun on her heel and strode back into the living room, dialing a number on her phone as she went./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Ah, Baljeet, glad you could make it," Phineas said, cutting himself off mid-song. Behind him, Ferb visibly relaxed, and Baljeet chuckled. "We made cookies! Would you like to help us decorate them? We promised Mom we wouldn't leave the kitchen in a mess, and I have a feeling this qualifies."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Indubitably," Ferb agreed, arching an eyebrow pointedly at his stepbrother's back./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Of course!" Baljeet replied. "You realize that even with four of us, this might take all night, though," he added, turning in a circle to appraise the confectionary mountain./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Five," Phineas corrected, picking up a big star-shaped cookie and biting off one of the points./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Pardon?" Baljeet asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Buford will be here in a minute," Phineas finished, having finished chewing a few moments later. "And actually, Isabella said she was going to call Adyson and Ginger, so there might be /spanspan style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"some/spanspan style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" hope of us getting out of here before midnight."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Baljeet elected not to reply, instead following the red-haired boy's example and stuffing a cookie into his mouth. /spanspan style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Of course/spanspan style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" they'd invited Buford, why wouldn't they? They always invited Buford. Baljeet took a deep breath to get his nerves under control, which was a mistake considering that his mouth was full of cookie crumbs. While he tried to stop his violent cough, the doorbell rang and Ferb went to answer it, looking relieved to escape the chaos for a minute./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"When he returned, Buford was at his side, dressed in his usual brown cargo pants and black skull t-shirt. He'd removed his boots at the door, and Baljeet smiled when he saw that the bully was wearing striped red-and-green socks festooned with tiny snowmen./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""What're you looking at?" Buford growled, catching Baljeet's amused smile./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Nothing," Baljeet replied airily, taking a second bite of his cookie to keep from laughing outright./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Buford crossed the room and came to stand in front of Baljeet, bracing himself with one hand on the counter on either side of the smaller boy. "You'd better watch your step," he said softly. "This place is a bully's playground. How do you feel about taking a bath in frosting? I think the idea has potential."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"With Buford this close, Baljeet couldn't help but inhale the other boy's scent, a distinctive combination of minty shampoo and leather from the jacket he'd recently removed. His eyes fluttered shut involuntarily and his pulse began to race. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"When he managed to pry his eyelids open, Buford's face was inches from his own. Baljeet hurriedly stuffed the remainder of his cookie into Buford's mouth and ducked under his arm, taking up a safer position between Ferb and a giant stack of cookies. He risked a surreptitious glance at Buford, but Buford was facing the door, with his back to the others./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Had that really just happened? Baljeet wondered. None of their friends looked as shell-shocked as Baljeet felt, but then, why would they? They hadn't experienced the rush of terror and exhilaration that had come with such unexpected proximity to Buford. Baljeet swallowed hard, twice, thankful that his dark skin hid his blush./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"On the other side of the crowded kitchen, Buford took a series of deep breaths, waiting for his arousal to subside before he rejoined the others. He wasn't completely sure what had just happened, but knew he hadn't been this turned on (short of actual sex) since the time Wendy Higgins wore that tiny white sundress to school./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"In the end, it was the ridiculousness of the situation that worked in Buford's favor. Here he was, in the kitchen where he'd been eating snacks since he was a kid, surrounded by Christmas cookies, and he had an incurable boner. Which had been caused by a scrawny little nerd, but Buford wasn't quite ready to deal with that part yet. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"He returned to the others around the table and accepted a paintbrush from Phineas, who was still bouncing off the walls. Someone needed to limit that kid's sugar intake, pronto. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"And how was he supposed to decorate cookies with a paintbrush, anyway? The instrument seemed too small to ice the entire cookie, but too large to manage any detailed work. Buford looked to his left, seeking inspiration. That was his first mistake./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Baljeet sat cross-legged on his chair, his attention totally focused on the perfect sleigh he was embellishing with little dots of yellow icing. /spanspan style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Of course/spanspan style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" Baljeet decorated cookies with the same perfectionism he applied to everything else. Buford didn't know why he was surprised. He turned back to his own task and managed to produce a candy cane that resembled the poop of a very sick dog. Well, it wasn't his fault the red had mixed with the green to produce such an unfortunate shade of mottled grayish-brown./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Several minutes later, Isabella entered the kitchen, followed by two other former Fireside girls whose names Buford could never remember. "Hey, where's Perry?" Isabella asked, looking around the room in puzzlement./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""We thought he was in the living room with you!" Phineas replied. "Oh, well. He'll turn up. He always does."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The new arrivals took seats between Phineas and Baljeet, and the girls promptly began exchanging gossip from school with the occasional contribution from Phineas. Buford tuned them out and continued decorating, managing to produce a fairly respectable reindeer. He sneaked a look at Baljeet, who was putting the finishing touches on a cookie shaped like a present with a big blue bow./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Buford, could you please pass me the – Hey!" Baljeet's request broke off into an indignant shout as the bully snatched the just-finished cookie from the table and shoved the entire thing into his mouth./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Delicious," Buford said through a mouthful of crumbs. Baljeet made a disgusted face and brushed damp cookie fragments from his lap. "Now, what did you want me to get for you?" Buford asked innocently./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The Indian boy's only reply was an odd sound halfway between a frustrated growl and a poorly restrained laugh. After a moment's consideration, he said, "Buford, you have frosting on your face."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Where?" Buford asked, although he didn't particularly care./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Baljeet pointed to a spot by the corner of his mouth. "Right there," he replied. "It's yellow," he added unnecessarily as Buford wiped the back of his hand across the smudged area./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Is it gone?" he asked, reaching for another unfrosted cookie./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No, you just made it worse," Baljeet told him./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well, unless you want to lick it off for me, it's going to stay there," Buford grumbled, reaching across the table for the green icing. One of the girls glared at him as his hand trailed through the still-wet icing on the cookie she'd just finished./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"When he looked back at Baljeet, the other boy was staring at him with wide eyes. Catching Buford's gaze, he coughed, looked down, and returned to his cookie. The bully smirked at the back of Baljeet's head, pleased to have gotten such an entertaining reaction./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-indent: 27pt;"span style="font-size: 14.6667px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;"You think that's bad, 'Jeet? /spanspan style="font-size: 14.6667px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;"he thought, amused. /spanspan style="font-size: 14.6667px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;"I'm just getting started./span/p