A/N: Thank you for all of the wonderful feedback! It's so awesome to get reviews- you have no idea how much it makes my day! Special shout-out to the "reviewer of the week" (or chapter, I guess, because I'm updating much more sporadically than on a weekly basis): CorieChan Just so you all know, the "reviewer of the week" gets a special prize: a virtual hug from me!
No? That's not a good incentive? How about a virtual hug from Perry the Platypus?
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Me no own.
Buford wandered around the back of the stage, taking his time searching for his nerd. There was no trace of him, and Buford rolled his eyes at the tantrum. "'Jeet! Come on, man!" he called. "I'm sorry for…ya know, what ever I did," he mumbled to himself, exasperated by Baljeet's actions, and opened the back door. A short staircase led to the backstage area. Switches and buttons lined the wall on stage left, with wires and amps scattered across the floor. Buford made his way down the back hallway. It contained racks of clothes and a large vanity covered in dark-toned face make-up and bottles of hair gel. Buford scrunched up his face at the sight of the flashy stage clothes, taking a moment to contemplate what he was going to have to wear that night. He suddenly regretted suggesting they do this stupid project.
He quickened his pace, making his way to stage right, passing more equipment and maintenance closet. He did a double take, wondering what the hell that was doing here. Phineas and Ferb's creations never lasted more that a few hours. Why would there need to be maintenance on a stage whose life expectancy lasted roughly one night?
Finally, he turned a corner around a large plywood box and spotted his nerd sitting crisscross on the floor with a spread of papers, all covered in what looked like pretty advanced level equations.
"Really?" Buford said, before he could stop himself. "Math?"
Baljeet didn't look up, but instead glared down at his papers. "If you simply came here to insult me, I would like to point out that you did a pretty sufficient job earlier today. There is no need to continue the process."
"Fine." Buford made to walk away, seeing no reason to argue. He only took about four steps before Baljeet stopped him.
"Buford!" he called from his spot on the floor. Buford smirked, but quickly composed his face into a mask of mock surprise.
"Yes?" Baljeet rolled his eyes.
"I think you owe me an apology."
Buford let out a quick snort. "Please, nerd. If anything, you should be apologizing to me. We both know how this goes: I give you a wedgie; you do my homework, I push you around a bit; you carry my stuff. We've got a pretty sweet simbeonis relationship goin' here—"
"Symbiotic!"
"—yeah, that. I've been your bully for years. So why the hell are ya suddenly bein' a little girl about it?"
Baljeet stood up, fists at his sides. "Buford you are such an asshole!" Buford blinked, taken aback. He'd never heard Baljeet swear before. "Why can you not just leave me alone? I am sick of this foolishness! Go bully yourself!" He turned to walk away, but Buford grabbed him by the arm and slammed him into the wall. Baljeet felt his shoulder pop as his stomach gave an involuntary lurch. Buford glared down at him, one hand still on the same arm, the other slapped against the wall next to Baljeet's face, trapping him.
"What the hell is your problem?" he demanded, his voice enraged, but his expression betrayed his confusion and hurt.
"You are my problem, Buford!" His voice shook a little, but Baljeet remained firm, despite the fact that this six-foot-four, 220-pound boy had him cornered and could easily break his jaw with one punch. "You have abused me for years and I—"
"—and you were totally fine with it all this time! That's our thing. If it was that big of a problem, why didn't cha stop hangin' out with me a long time ago? Frankly," A smile crept across Buford's face. He knew he was about to take things too far, but he couldn't resist. Something made him want to push the little shrimp over the edge. "Frankly, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you liked it." He laughed as Baljeet's face went from an expression of fury to one of pure terror. "You kept followin' me around, all these years so I could bully you. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that—"
"And what about you, Buford?" Baljeet lifted his chin, confidence returning with the anger. "Why have you only ever harassed me? No one even thinks you are a bully anymore, but you always mess with me." Baljeet pushed Buford's chest with surprising strength, succeeding in pushing him back a few feet. "If I did not know better—"
"Hey guys!" Isabella's voice came from around the curtain on stage right. "Phineas says you guys should get ready, people are starting to show up. Break a leg!"
The boys made eye contact briefly, simultaneously glaring at each other and forging a silent truce. Buford knocked Baljeet out of his way with one arm, ignoring him when he hit the ground with a loud thud and "Aiiii!" and made his way toward the section with the costumes.
Phineas and Ferb were already there, dressed in punk band outfits and applying stage makeup. Phineas perked up when the pair approached, not noticing the tension between them, nor the way Baljeet nursed his arm. "Hey guys! Your stuff is over there." He gestured to the clothes rack. "We go on in fifteen minutes!"
Fourteen minutes later, the four of them stood behind the curtain holding their instruments (except for Buford, who sat behind his drums). Isabella, acting as their stage manager and donning a headset, chatted excitedly with Phineas on stage left. Baljeet and Buford still refused to make eye contact with each other. Baljeet adjusted the microphone to match his height and scratched at his chest—the shirt that had been picked out for him felt very uncomfortable. Although, truth be told, it resembled less of a shirt and more of a loose fishnet. Not to mention that, coupled with the purple leather pants and excessive eye make-up, he was feeling completely emasculated.
Similarly, a few feet behind Baljeet, Buford rubbed his eyes, trying not to smudge the make-up that was running into his eyes. At least, he conceded, he it made it harder to see the dork in front of him in that fruitcake outfit. He practically glared at Baljeet's back, his anger having far from subsided.
To their left, Ferb could easily pick up on the tension between the pair and decided to step in. He walked over to Baljeet, who was now trying to untangle the cord for his guitar with little success, growing more and more frustrated all the while.
"Aiiiyyy!" he whined in annoyance. He looked up as Ferb approached. "Oh, hello, Ferb. Are you ready to rock and roll?" He tried to feign enthusiasm by holding up a fist and faking a nervous smile. Ferb put a consolatory hand on his friend's shoulder, causing Baljeet to let out a great sigh. "I do not know what to do, Ferb," he said, his voice lowered slightly in order to prevent a certain drummer from overhearing. "I just cannot stay calm around him. I am either totally infuriated at his stupid, ignorant comments or…" He hung his head, close to tears. "I should stay far, far away from him, but I cannot. He is still…" He sighed. "He is still my bully."
"Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for the Baljeatles!" Phineas' voice flouted over the audience as the curtains began to rise and the crowd cheered.
Baljeet looked at Ferb, panic stricken. Ferb blinked. "Perhaps you should use the music to sort through you emotions and help you solve your problems. It's what many great artists do. Or so I'm told." Ferb walked back to his spot next to Phineas, leaving Baljeet alone, center stage and scared.
A/N: Okay, I'll be honest—I had a LOT of trouble with this chapter. I got stuck in a lot of parts, and I have no idea if it's totally OOC or not…. Please send me some feedback, guys! I would really, really appreciate it. Also, FYI, I already have most of chapter 3 (or chapter 4, depending on how big a part of it I want the song to be) written. And it's waaaaay better. Like, I'm actually pretty proud of myself. So remember: even if you didn't like this chapter, there's better stuff coming, and the more reviews I get, the faster I'll post it!
