Chapter 1
We are now in Mr. Ratburn's class. Mr. Ratburn draws a number 24 and a horizontal line a ways underneath it on the chalk board. Then he turns to Buster.
"Buster," he says, "can you please come up to the black board and answer this next math question?"
Technically it's a green board.
"Uh, Mr. Ratburn," says Buster, "I'd rather not. Can I please pass on this one and somebody else do it?"
"No Buster," says Mr. Ratburn, "you may not pass on this one. Now please, step up to the chalkboard."
"Awww," Buster groans, "alright."
Buster leaves Arthur's side and walks up to the chalkboard as Mr. Ratburn sits at his desk and picks up a brown book.
When Buster is at the board, Mr. Ratburn reads a math problem from the brown book, saying, "Obadiah makes twenty-four pairs of shoes.. He makes three kinds of shoes: clogs, sandals, and pumps in equal quantity. How many pairs of clogs will he make?"
Befuddled by this complicated math problem, at least it's complicated to him, Buster freezes up and shivers nervously and hesitates to answer the question.
"I'll repeat the question," says Mr. Ratburn, "Obadiah makes twenty four pairs of shoes. He makes three kinds of shoes: clogs, sandals, and pumps in equal quantity. How many pairs of clogs will he make?"
Still hesitating, "Buster turns to Ratburn and asks, "Can Obadiah make sneakers?"
But Mr. Ratburn, rolling his eyes upward and back to Buster, replies, "That is irrelevant. Now concentrate."
Buster stalls for a few seconds.
"What color are the shoes?" Buster asks Mr. Ratburn.
The whole class groans.
"Buster!" Mr. Ratburn yells, causing Buster to get startled and quickly turn back to the chalkboard.
Buster then closes his eyes and puts his tongue on his upper lip. Then he imagines a dancing octopus wearing eight different kinds of shoes on each tentacle. The octopus smiles as he's dancing but then the smile disappears when he stumbles and hits his head.
Buster's imagination is interrupted when Mr. Ratburn says, "Well?"
Buster's eyes are ajar again accidentally says "Octopus!"
Then Buster, realizing he said a wrong word, he turns to Ratburn and says, "I mean, 52?"
Seeing how although Buster said a number, he still said the wrong answer, Mr. Ratburn sighs and calls on Brain.
Brain, reading his blue book "STRING THEORY for GENIUSES" answers "Eight."
Ratburn tells Brain, "That is correct."
Buster then walks back to his desk ashamed and possibly embarrassed and who knows what.
Ratburn says to the back of Buster, "Buster, you might want to review division before the upcoming Arithmattack Competition."
After Buster sits down, Arthur whispers in his ear, "Or as I'd like to call it, the 'Brain Wins Again," competition.'"
This makes Buster smile.
Mr. Ratburn walks front and center saying to the class, "This year we'll be doing something a little different. Instead of competing individually, you will be in randomly selected teams."
On hearing this, Brain takes his eyes off his book and looks up at Mr. Ratburn.
Holding up a card, Mr. Ratburn says, "And the first team is, Brain, Binky, and Buster."
Brain gasps. Buster gasps too and Arthur as well as Binky look at him.
A/N I was going to have Brain and Buster negotiate with Mr. Ratburn about them being on each other's team, only I couldn't think of anything good to say and decided against it.
