Francine saw Arthur standing outside the front of the school and she knew exactly what she had to do. She didn't want to do it but she knew she had no choice but to just suck it up and get it over with. Francine took a deep breath and thought to herself it was now or never.
"Arthur we're over. Our relationship is just not working. I'm sorry, but I am breaking up with you," Francine felt horrible for breaking up with Arthur especially like that but she knew it would make things a little easier.
"What?" Arthur didn't want to admit it but he was relieved that Francine broke up with him. Even though he was relieved Arthur was still surprised.
"You and I both know that it's for the best." Francine looked at Arthur with this pitiful looking hoping that Arthur could understand but Francine was misreading Arthur's facial expression. What Francine thought was a look of heartbreak was really a look of relief;
"Yeah, I know"
A weight had been lifted off both Francine and Arthur's shoulders but they knew they had another problem to face. They had to figure out how to preserve their friendship.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Buster, George is downstairs," Ms. Baxter yelled.
Buster ran downstairs dreading even having to make eye contact with George. 'What if he is angry abut me ending him up in rehab.' Buster tried not to think about all of that but more he tried not to think about it, the more he did. 'I have to face him sooner or later.'
"Hey George," George could hear the nervousness, anxiousness and maybe even a little bit of frightfulness in Buster's voice.
"So are you ready to get started on this project?" George's voice was as indifferent as possible. George didn't want Buster to think that he had any ill feeling to towards him but at the same time George wasn't exactly happy about what happened last semester. George had decided long ago to leave what happened in the past in the past.
"George, do you have the stuff I told you to bring?" George handed Buster a plastic bag full of stuff like glue and paper. Buster was starting to think that if he could survive this project with George maybe he and George could get through the rest of high school okay or at least they both could survive the rest of 9th grade.