Chapter Three
Sue Ellen and Francine ran away from the table Arthur was sitting at as fast as possible.
Catching their breath, Sue Ellen said,
"That was a terrible idea! Now Brain wants to take me!"
"Calm down, Sue Ellen," Francine ordered. "We just need to use stronger, more direct, tactics."
Back at Arthur's table, Brain was confused.
"What's up with them?" He asked Arthur, whose face was still flat on the table.
"Sue Ellen just wants me to ask her to prom." Came the reply.
"Then ask her." Brain said.
"I can't. I have to play dumb until the last. Possible. Minute."
"Well that's stupid." Brain replied. The bell then rang overhead. "Well, we better get to class. Come on Arthur!"
Arthur sat in history class, unable to wait for when Sue Ellen blatantly asked him. But what if she didn't? What if he went to prom as a solo act? Arthur shuddered at the thought.
Leaving his history class, Arthur saw George asking Sue Ellen to prom. Thinking that that was odd, Arthur just shrugged and kept walking. Shortly after Fern walked up, and slapped George in the back of the head.
"What's this!?" She asked.
"They-They forced me too!" George shouted.
"So Sue Ellen. This is what you've stooped to?" Sue Ellen bowed her head in shame.
"Come on George." Fern called, the dyslexic boy following her to the next class.
Robert was passing by during the scene, and shook his head, glancing disappointedly at Sue Ellen.
In math class, Arthur and Brain were teamed up to complete a geometry assignment. The assignment was for two students to explain how to find out the volume, area, and perimeter of a shape using exponents and polynomials. Arthur and Brain were chosen to come up to the board, and solve the area of a triangle using polynomials. Brain would solve one side, Arthur would solve one, Brain would solve the other, and Arthur would give the answer.
After completely passing the assignment, and the following pop quiz, Arthur marched off to science. In science, Arthur sat next to Robert. When Mr. Hobson wasn't looking, Arthur got passed a note. He hid it under his desk and took a discreet glance at it. The note said,
Sue Ellen's using jealousy tactics. This is worse than I thought. You have to keep sharp Arthur. Keep playing dumb.
Arthur barely resisted the urge to facepalm. This was getting out of hand. On the other side off the room, Francine passed Sue Ellen a note. Sue Ellen read it. It said,
Just like we practiced.
"What?" Sue Ellen whispered, and Francine pointed to Arthur stuffing a note in his desk.
Sue Ellen cleared her throat, and loudly said,
"Mister Hobson! Arthur's making prom invites!"
"WHAT!?" Arthur asked incredulously.
"Mr. Read. Is this true?" Mr. Hobson asked, in that teacher-scary manner.
"No, sir." Arthur said.
"Check his desk!" Francine shouted. Mr. Hobson sighed and opened Arthur's desk. He watched the note and asked Arthur, "Who wrote this to you Mr. Read?"
Robert elbowed Arthur and cleared his throat, as Arthur said, "Brain passed it to me before class."
Brain opened his mouth. Robert then shot him a glare, and he shut up.
"And were you going to reply to Mr. Powers' note?"
"No sir. I was stuffing it in my desk for a later date."
"Very well. Now back to the digestive system of the flatworm."
Robert winked at Arthur, and started writing notes.
At lunch, everyone at Arthur's table were discussing who they had asked, or in Jade's case, who asked them.
"So you finally asked someone!" Richard said, after hearing Robert was taking Kara.
"I was bribed." He said, looking down at the half-eaten piece of casserole Kara had given him.
"Well I was offered a hundred bucks if I took Muffy. How could I say no to that?" Richard said.
"I have it the worst. The only girl besides Sue Ellen that doesn't have a date is Francine! Francine!" Brain exclaimed, worried.
"You're exaggerating. There's plenty of other girls in the school." Luke said.
"Francine threatened me." Brain buried his face in his arms. Robert shot a glance at Arthur whose eyes widened with the rest of the table.
"Oh. Well I'm still available." Jade said, making a pointed look at Arthur. Robert looked at her with a blank look on his face.
"Oh well that's good." The table looked to Max Grayson, a rich kid who had moved to Elwood City when the gang had first started eighth grade, standing there. Jade had admitted to Arthur that she had a major crush on the boy. "I was hoping you'd go with me to prom."
Jade just felt her head moving up and down unconsciously. "Great! See you Friday." Max walked away.
When Jade's head didn't stop nodding, Robert snapped his fingers next to her ear.
"Well, Arthur, who did you ask?" Luke asked.
Arthur looked at Robert, who just stared at him. Arthur gulped and said, "I'm not sure on who to ask yet."
"Prom's two days away. You need to get sure." Luke said. Jade's head was still nodding, when Luke pinched her arm.
"OW!" She shouted, rubbing the sore spot. "What was that for!?"
"Should we tell her?" Luke asked. Everyone just shook their heads. "Hey where's Buster?"
"Rattles ran him out of the cafeteria." Richard explained.
Robert got up and walked to the courtyard to grab Buster. When he walked back in, Rattles stopped him.
"Leave the bunny outside." Rattles ordered. "He ain't welcome here!"
Robert shot a defiant glare a Rattles and said, "No. He comes into the cafeteria."
"You got a death wish punk?" Rattles said, causing Billy and Slink to crack their knuckles.
"Gentlemen, please! Surely the cafeteria won't explode with one more occupant!" Edward Crosswire, Muffy's cousin named after his uncle, made this statement. Rattles and his gang didn't want to cross him, and Robert didn't want to trust him. He was a manipulative and dangerous bully, and everyone stayed clear of him. Following behind him was his 'girlfriend' Alaxis, a foolish girl who loved Edward, thinking he loved her back, and his two goons, nicknamed after sweet tea companies, Lipton and Brisk. Edward had a big grin stretched out on his face, with a dangerous laugh to match.
"Su-Sure, Edward! No pr-pr-problem!" Rattles said, nervously walking away.
"Thanks." Robert said to Edward, walking away. Edward suddenly grabbed his arm, and handed him a piece of paper.
"What's this?" Robert asked, distastefully eying the paper.
"The bill, of course!" Edward said, as if it were obvious. "For my services!"
Robert balled up the paper and threw it on the ground. Looking insulted, Edward shouted, "Lipton! Brisk! Grab him!"
The two stocky teens ran towards Robert, who spun around and kicked them both across the face. Ramming his body into Lipton, Robert tackled the boy, and unloaded havoc on his face. Brisk grabbed Robert by the arms from behind, and Robert managed to flip over Brisk and kick him in the back. With both of his goons down, Edward ran away.
On the other end of the lunchroom, Sue Ellen and Francine plotted their next move.
"It's perfect!" Francine shouted.
"Do I really have to wear that?" Sue Ellen asked, obviously not agreeing with this new plan. "What about that outfit?"
"If you're gonna play geek girl, you either go big or go home!"
"But the thing is, I'm not a geek girl!" Sue Ellen cried.
"Well, you have to make sacrifices for love, Sue Ellen."
Robert watched from across the room. Later, when Arthur and Robert were coming home from school, they stopped at the Sugar Bowl. After about a half hour, Sue Ellen and Francine walked in. What Arthur and Robert saw, they couldn't believe. Sue Ellen wore a small black shirt, which cut off at her abdomen. The shirt had the Dark Bunny logo on it.
She wore a black skirt, with grey tights, and black boots. Basically, she looked like a female fan of Dark Bunny. Robert shook his head from the shock and muttered, "This means war."
A/N: How more blatant can a girl get? Robert seems to want Sue Ellen spell it out to Arthur.
Sue Ellen: A-r-t-h-u-r p-l-e-a-s-e t-a-k-e m-e t-o p-r-o-m!
I mean seriously! Anyway, the next day, Sue Ellen executes her final attack. The comes Fri-day, and Friday night. So stay tuned for updates! R&R!