Buster laid himself onto his mattress and prepared himself for another night's rest. Despite the few alterations that occurred at various times, the day had been usual for him. He had gotten out of bed, went to school, ate three meals, didn't cause trouble, and now he was going back to bed. It was the all-to familiar routine that he found himself doing everyday (except for the weekends where school was out of the question). He had never attempted to break away from the same old daily procedures, he never actually planned to. He was too busy with other things than to be caring about something as regular as an everyday schedule.
There was one thing agitating Buster however, and it wasn't his daily routines. It was Arthur, his ex-best friend. It had only been about three days since everyone he knew turned against the aardvark upon refusing to apologize for using violence against his own sister. Nobody knew the exact reason behind his rebellious attitude, but it only took a day and a half for them all to forget about it and carry on with their normal lives. Everyone figured that karma would catch up to him and give him a nasty reward for his malicious deeds.
The story of Binky popped up in Buster's head as he realized that Arthur's mental health could get worse if something wasn't done to help him in seeing reality once more. Odds were that Arthur would slowly transform into a being who was the complete opposite of who he once was. Visions of fights and police involvement flashed in the rabbit's mind. All were gruesome and dark. There were people running down streets in massive stampedes, some of them were lying on the pavement bruised and bloody, and gunshots were going off one after the other with loud bangs.
Buster visualized himself present at one of the appalling events. He walked throughout the area while police and medical officers passed him in flashes along with a few other people rushing towards any safe place they could find. The bodies of those who weren't luckily laid on the road and sidewalk. A lot- if not all -of the victims had been shot to death, the bullet-hole wounds were giving it away. About half of those killed were drenched in their own blood. Though it was in his own imagination, it made Buster physically sick just picturing it.
As the rabbit continued to imagine the tragedy unfold, he found himself inside a parking garage. Buster surveyed the massive, dark space that was the first floor of the building. A good amount of the lights had been shut off while a few were kept on- they flickered at random moments which gave him a sense of intense fear. The type of fright Buster was experiencing was very similar to how a person would feel when they believe that they were not alone. He indeed thought he was being watched by a dark character in the shadows.
Buster looked around him to see if there was anyone in the parking garage with him. Sure enough, he caught sight of the silhouette. Whoever it was, he or she inched closer to the rabbit. Based on their size, Buster suggested that the character was a kid like him. When the person appeared in the flickering lights, the rabbit nearly suffered a heart attack from the apprehension that had been building up within him that had now morphed into horror.
The person who had stepped out of the darkness was Arthur- at least that's what Buster could tell. He was still wearing the recognizable clothing he would normally wear, along with his shoes and glasses. What made his appearance so striking was that his shirt and pants were torn and stained with different substances- one of which could be classified as blood; the other he could not identify. His shoes were also covered in the same substances. His glasses were still intact, but his face was scratched and bruised with streaks of dry blood near the wounds on his cheeks.
There were no words to describe how scared Buster was. What made him paralyzed with fear was the item Arthur had in his hand- a semi-automatic pistol. It was black and the aardvark held it fiercely, symbolizing that he was lost in blind hatred and was willing to kill anyone who dared to approach him. As if he had his arch-enemy in front of him defenseless and weak, Arthur raised the pistol up to Buster's forehead. The rabbit stumbled back, only to fall onto his rear and stay there. He was so afraid of what was yet to come that he could no longer move after the fall he took.
At the moment when the weapon was aimed perfectly at the rabbit's head, the trigger was pulled. To Buster's surprise and relief, there was only a clicking sound and no bullet penetrating his forehead. Arthur brought the pistol up to his face and quickly examined it, as if he had x-ray vision to see what was wrong inside of it. It had no more bullets- anyone could've guessed that. Letting out the growl of a rabid canine, Arthur threw the gun to the side and began advancing towards Buster. As he approached the rabbit, the aardvark readied himself for his assault on his prey, who was trying to escape but was somehow unable to get back up on his own two feet.
Buster continued to back away from Arthur by crawling on his hands and knees. They were both moving at the same speed, and yet Arthur seemed to be closing in on his former best friend. Buster tried as much as he could to crawl out of the parking garage; at one point, he turned his head to Arthur and cried, "Arthur, it's me! Your best friend, Buster!"
There was no response from the savage Arthur at first. When Buster collided with one of the building's support beams, he laughed villainously and stood in front of his defenseless prey. Tears bled out from Buster's eyes as he pleaded with the aardvark he once remembered as a good friend to leave him be. He said, "Arthur, please don't do this! I'm sorry for what everyone's been doing to you but-"
If Arthur had not grabbed Buster's shirt collar and hoisted him up to his eye level, he would've continued his pleading. The two boys made eye contact. They each saw into the other person's eyes and read their emotions- Buster beheld the rage that had engulfed his once moral friend, and Arthur saw the horror his ex-best friend was experiencing at that very moment. The aardvark grinned sinisterly, his facial expression indicated that he was ready to laugh again.
Arthur did not, though. He instead separated his right hand from Buster's shirt collar, leaving his left hand to continue holding his prey as firm as he could. Buster watched as the hand was slowly molded into a fist. Then, as more tears cascaded down his cheeks, he started hyperventilating at what was to shortly come.
Arthur had not changed his mood or taken his eyes off of Buster. From what Buster could tell, his former pal was completely lost in hate- the result of the indignation from his past. In one final attempt to escape him, the rabbit controlled his breathing and searched for all of the right words he could use for persuasion. Buster was sure he could convince Arthur to release him; but when he saw that there was still no alteration- either physical, mental, or emotional -in Arthur at all, he knew that he was doomed.
At the exact moment Arthur's fist could've struck him in the nose, Buster finally snapped out of his visual nightmare with a loud gasp. While he regained his normal breathing, the rabbit glanced around the familiar area that was his own bedroom. He greatly desired to seek comfort from his mother Bitzi; to Buster, that would soon lead up to the adults' involvement in the situation he and his friends were facing. In his opinion, what his mother would do would be very identical to how any other parent would handle any other dilemma: they would discuss the problem at hand and come up with a solution, which they would act out immediately. But Buster knew right away that this problem would spark outrage among the adults, and as a result, they would call the police and get in contact with every psychologist for miles around. A strong reaction such as that would soon spread to the kids at school and then Arthur would fully become a pariah to everyone.
Buster did the best he could to erase all of the negative thoughts about the possible future for the young aardvark who was once everyone's best friend out of his head. Practically every single prediction for what could eventually happen to Arthur still lingered in the rabbit's intellect- even after he was certain he had ridden himself from it all after a few short minutes. As a result, Buster was left to suffer with every horrible conclusion that his brain could imagine for the rest of the night.
When morning finally arrived, the poor rabbit was completely exhausted. He was able to get perhaps three and a half hours of sleep, but that still wasn't enough to shake off the bad feelings and thoughts about Arthur or energize him for the day at school. But with the energy he still had inside him, Buster got out of bed, dressed himself, and walked to the kitchen where his mother was making breakfast.
Bitzi instantly noticed the weariness in her son as he sat down at the kitchen table. "Are you alright, Buster?" she inquired.
"Yeah, mom," Buster yawned. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure of it."
Bitzi placed a hand on Buster's forehead to check his temperature. "You're not sick or anything, right?" she asked.
"No, I'm not," replied Buster who was becoming agitated by his mother's worrying. He knew things like these would happen- especially since his parents were divorced and he rarely seen his father, so much in fact that he hardly remembered him. "It was just a nightmare, that's all," Buster then added. "Nothing to worry about."
"Okay," said Bitzi as she returned to her cooking. "But remember, if you ever need to tell me something, let me know."
"I will, mom," Buster responded.
As Buster ate his morning meal, the awful thoughts that bloomed from the night before returned to torture his mind. Those familiar, horrible predictions about the future of Arthur Read were swirling around his head at the speed of a swarm of angry bees. The dreadful forecast of what was yet to come for his ex-best friend continuously tormented him; the grisly thoughts actually acted like enraged bees to Buster, their invisible stingers puncturing his skin and injecting fear-inducing venom into his veins. He truly desired to inform Bitzi about what was going on with Arthur, and yet the reaction of everyone else besides his good friends was enough to persuade him to keep quiet.
After cleaning up, Buster collected his backpack from his room and set off for school. Bitzi saw him off. Earlier, she had asked her son again if he was sick or not and if he wanted to stay home for extra bed rest. Although he was what others would refer to as "lazy", Buster refused and stated that he would be alright going to school.
During his journey to Lakewood Elementary School, the rabbit attempted unceasingly to push all of the horrible predictions far away from him. That was the last thing he needed- spending almost half of the day being haunted by the repulsive thoughts while learning about history and mathematics. At the same time, he continued to ponder why no one else but him was concerned about Arthur. Had everyone at school accept that Arthur Read was nothing more but a felon? Buster was not hoping, he was praying that it wasn't fact. If it was, how would he get others to assist him in helping their fallen friend, who was slowly being devoured by the vile notion of using violence to solve all of life's problems.
"Someone has to help him," Buster said to himself. "I must get everyone to open their eyes and give Arthur their word to help him see the light he has gone blind to!"
Buster picked up his pace and raced to school.
By the time he had finally arrived, it was twenty minutes until the first class of the day was to begin. That was just enough time to search for his friends and convince them as much as he could to lend a hand in aiding Arthur's mentality to its original state. At a great speed, Buster rushed throughout the hallways of the building in his search for everyone he knew and had known Arthur since the start. The aardvark was nowhere to be found, but searching for him was not part of the plan until the near end.
The first familiar face Buster was able to find was Binky, the former Tough Customer and second victim of Arthur's destructive rage. At the current moment, the bulldog was getting a drink from one of the school's water fountains. Buster wasn't sure what his feelings were; they didn't matter though, the rabbit had more important things to worry about.
"Hey, Buster," said Binky. "What's up?"
"Oh, nothing much, Binky," Buster replied. "But, I was wondering...you know."
"I know what?" Binky inquired; he wasn't gaining curiosity at a fast rate, but rather at a steady rate.
Buster slightly hesitated before speaking again. "Oh, you know," he said. "Arthur."
"What about Arthur?" Binky asked, sounding like he was losing interest.
Buster quickly decided to let it all loose. "I think that Arthur is starting to go crazy," he told the bulldog.
Binky crossed his arms. "So?" he grumbled with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm talking about the idea of about all of us turning against him," Buster explained. "Since we have our backs turned away from him, Arthur is getting more angrier, and that means he'll get more violent."
There was no point in judging Binky's mood, he was clearly not buying what Buster was saying. "Uh huh," Binky said. "What else don't I know?"
Buster was losing patience. "Are you seriously gonna let him suffer like that?!" he roared.
"After what he did, he deserves it!" Binky stated.
"And after he injures a whole bunch of people and gets arrested, you still won't care?!"
"You bet I won't!"
Buster snarled like a lion ready to kill; "You are being totally absentminded, Binky! I'm worried sick about what might happen to him in the future! But the fact that you can is completely awful! How can you live with yourself?"
Binky's blood started to boil like water. "I'll make you pay for saying that!" he hollered as he advanced towards Buster.
Just like in his nightmare, Buster has stumbled and fallen onto his rear while attempting to escape Binky. The enormous bulldog was a few seconds away from delivering blow after blow to the rabbit below him. However, just before he could unleash his fury, Binky suddenly had a change of emotion. Buster watched as the former tough guy slumped to the floor and began to sob. As he crawled over to his friend's side, the bulldog used his arms as a shield to hide his tear-stricken face. His cries were audible, and Buster once again sensed the dreadful predictions that were yet to come if Arthur was not given the help he desperately needed.
From down the hall, Francine and Muffy noticed right away of what was occurring a few feet ahead of them. They walked over and Muffy asked, "What wrong with Binky?"
"I was talking to him about Arthur," Buster explained; "and then we got into a little argument and he wanted to punch me, and then he back off all of a sudden, and here we are now."
Francine and Muffy looked at each other for a moment, and then turned their attention back to Buster. "Why would Binky punch anybody?" Francine questioned; and then she added in a slightly irritated tone, "He's not angry like some other people are."
"Like I said," said Buster; "I was talking to him about Arthur and his-"
Muffy cut him off, "Why are you still going on about Arthur? No one should be worried about him!"
"Oh, so you're all against him, huh? Is that it?"
Both Muffy and Francine replied "Yes."
Outrage continued to fill Buster's brain as if someone was pouring it out of a container. He just couldn't believe it- what Arthur did was of course wrong but it was something done out of anger; it was a simple dilemma that could be resolved, but did anybody help him? No, everyone just shunned him for it. And then Binky came along and punched the "enemy" and that led to him getting beat up and arrested. It seemed that everyone around him- not just Binky, Francine, Muffy, and Fern -had just pushed Arthur out of their lives, and Buster was completely disgusted by their actions against the ex-benevolent aardvark.
Buster felt his growing vexation give birth to words that traveled from his mind to his mouth. He yelled, "Arthur is in danger of becoming a monster, and yet you guys don't even stop to think about his future?! Come on, get real!"
Francine and Muffy were, without a doubt, increasingly confused and angry at Buster for his opinion, and anger was taking the lead in the race. "Don't you dare side with that bully!" Francine warned Buster.
"It's bad enough that he deliberately hit his baby sister," Muffy added; "but the last thing we need is for you to still be his friend!"
"It's not that I'm still his best friend!" Buster argued; he felt as though he would erupt like a volcano from all of the rage inside him. "I'm just incredibly worried about what's going to happen to him if he becomes fully insane."
"So?" Francine snorted.
Once again, Buster felt his temper rise. In another moment, if Francine or Muffy started speaking their objections, the rabbit would've exploded and pounce onto his three companions like some deranged beast. He would obviously be outcasted like Arthur in no time if he was to surrender to his inner demons. But how could he not desire to unleash his rage upon others? They were all giving Arthur the cold shoulder and everyone was oblivious to the fact that his behavior would aggravate and transform into someone no one would ever want to be around.
Buster calmed down a tiny bit and growled, "You guys have no sympathy for the person who was once our friend. He was everyone's best friend; but do you ever stop to think about helping him? No, you don't; you just don't care!" He turned away from them sharply. "I was hoping to finally knock some sense into your heads so you can help me with Arthur, but you simply reject it as soon as I bring it up! But it's fine. I'll do everything myself!"
Buster began to stroll down the corridor away from his friends, if that's what he could still call them. As he walked (or rather stomped) down the hall, Francine called back, "Buster, if you even attempt to take one-"
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY! I'M GONNA DO IT!"
The rabbit's roar was that of great passion. It was not pure fury and outrage that gave his cry its flavor, it was the disapproval on behalf of his empathy. The fact that he was the only kid in school- perhaps the only person in Elwood City -who was concerned about the mental health of Arthur Read could be regarded by the other kids as "stupid" because, from what they had heard, the aardvark had committed an unforgivable act. Buster didn't want this to carry on forever for what could happen if Arthur becomes more brutal. What would exactly happen though? He wasn't so sure, and pondering about it was awful, so he brushed it all aside.
Eventually, the school bell rang and everyone headed to their classes to begin the next seven-to-eight hours learning about events in history or whatever their teachers planned for the day.
Buster entered Mr. Ratburn's classroom with a few other students he knew. Sitting in his chair at his desk was an inexpressive Arthur. Even though his face was blank and clearly devote of any emotions, he appeared to be ready for what the day's topics were. Buster wanted to dash over and try to talk to him, but then Binky, Francine, Muffy, and Mr. Ratburn walked in. He had no choice but to go to his desk.
During Mr. Ratburn's lesson, Buster was struggling to pay attention to his teacher. It was beyond grueling not by the drowsiness returning to him, but by the concoction of emotions that was still fresh within his soul. The bad thoughts were clinging onto him, giving off an itching sensation as if it was a rare allergic reaction. He suddenly felt as though he was running low on oxygen. Not wanting to draw the attention of everyone else, which would lead to a full class disturbance, Buster tried to breathe as calm as he possibly could.
It took about three minutes until the rabbit was able to breathe in and out comfortably. When that moment came, he was already in the thinking process of pondering what he could say to Arthur. He didn't care if he would disturb anyone around him, all he wanted was to get his best friend to foresee the error in his ways and start the rehabilitation he desperately needed.
The distance between Buster and Arthur was not vast so there wouldn't be any difficulty for either one of them to interact. Arthur was silent, looking at the teacher and the chalkboard while the lesson was being taught to the class. Buster was no longer paying attention to Mr. Ratburn, he was staring at Arthur timidly. He would often glance at the teacher for a few seconds- ten seconds at the most -before returning his gaze to the aardvark.
At last, Buster could not hold his urges for another moment. His brain was already mustering words for sentences for him to say directly to Arthur. His voice box was about to operate and Buster tried to keep his voice volume as low as possible. "Psst. Arthur," he whispered to the aardvark nearby.
There was no response from Arthur- not even a reaction. It was as if he didn't hear him like his ear drums had been turned off. Though he did not reply to Buster trying to communicate with him, it was plain to see that Arthur was keeping his eyes on Mr. Ratburn. Whenever the teacher moved from one side of the chalkboard to the next, the aardvark's eyes and head pivoted so he could continue focusing on the day's lesson.
Once again, Buster attempted to get Arthur's attention. "Hey, Arthur," he whispered, this time a little bit louder.
Much like before, there was no success. If Arthur was trying his best to ignore him, he was doing a very good job at it.
Buster was losing patience with his ex-best friend's behavior. Obviously Arthur did not want to be talking with anyone he knew that had turned their backs on him, and a person who can understand someone's emotional struggles could comprehend it.
After a quick mental debate, Buster decided on using his next tactic to get the attention of Arthur. He reached out and started tapping the aardvark's shoulder rapidly while whispering in a much louder, audible volume, "Arthur. Hey, Arthur."
"Mr. Baxter," came Mr. Ratburn's voice from the front of the classroom.
Buster jumped when he heard the teacher speak. Instead of completely falling out of his chair like done in comedy skits, the rabbit got back in the normal sitting position and faced Mr. Ratburn. He was staring at him along with a few other students- among them were Francine and Muffy, giving him looks of utter disgust.
Mr. Ratburn began speaking again; "May I ask what you're doing?"
"I...uh," Buster stammered, searching desperately for the correct words. "I was just asking Arthur a question about...um...last night's homework assignment."
"Well your question can be answered when we get to that point," replied Mr. Ratburn. "But for now, please pay attention to today's lesson."
Buster nodded in agreement and the lesson resumed.
It was a relief that Mr. Ratburn actually believed in a hastily made lie. That didn't matter, though; at this point, he didn't care if trouble awaited him- he just wanted (needed was the better word) the old Arthur back. A week without television was an appropriate punishment, but being forced to become an outcast was not exceptional, and the recent brawl between Arthur and Binky was the reason why. Buster did check his surroundings to see if anyone was still looking at him. No one was, but for a brief moment, Francine did make eye contact with Buster, giving him a furious glare. This made Buster gulp and turn his head away from her.
He then turned to see if Arthur had responded at all. From what Buster or anyone could tell, the aardvark had remained still as a statue and silent as the night. How it was possible for him to do so was an entire mystery to the rabbit. That mystery swiftly morphed into a puzzle he could solve once he would be able to speak with Arthur again. It was an opportunity that was yet to come; the teaching session was still in progress.
Buster found out later on that getting Arthur to utter even a single syllable would be a much more difficult task than he first conjectured.
Throughout the next few classes, Buster would make various attempts to communicate with Arthur. He would first start with whispers, then with taps to the shoulder, and, if the first two tactics didn't work, he would think up of any other method to get Arthur to look at him so he would have a chance to speak to him. Every attempt he made failed.
Gym class, recess, and lunch were clearly different from the other classes because of their advantages. Buster knew that these sessions would be perfect, his plan would fit in with one of them.
Unfortunately, all three sessions turned out to be as much as a disappointment as the rest of the normal school classes.
In Gym class, the class was to play the same game they played the other day. Everyone decided to still have players they had on their teams while having new ones on their side. Buster was hoping that Arthur would be on his team, but, alas, he chose to be on the opposite team. And just like the previous day's match, Arthur was able to dodge every foam ball that was fired at him.
When recess came along, Arthur was again seen walking around the playground at a tranquil pace. Buster observed his former comrade leisurely stroll on the invisible path he was now accustomed to. To the observing rabbit, it was like the aardvark was walking along the boundaries of the playground, a world where he no longer existed in- that was ridiculous of course since Arthur was once seen doing pull-ups on the equipment. Buster actually attempted to get Arthur to stop walking and talk to him, but it was no use.
At lunch, Buster mustered up the remaining amount of courage and hope he had and sat at the empty table where Arthur was sitting. Earlier, Francine and Muffy had warned Buster that if he dared to defy them, he would soon regret it. He didn't take note of their threat and made his way to Arthur's table. The only sounds that came from the aardvark were the familiar sounds of any other person eating. Buster continued to plead with the boy to say something. No matter what, Arthur did not emit anything that sounded like a syllable or a word.
Buster was slowly losing hope. Arthur's refusal to communicate or interact was both irritating and agitating. Someone could call the aardvark "stubborn" based on certain unjustified facts. But if a person was to gather more information on what had been going on in the world of Arthur Read, their feelings of anger and shock would be replaced with empathy, and maybe someone would help him.
For now, though, the mission of breaking the icy, impenetrable shell around Arthur was solely being carried out by Buster Baxter, the only kid who was aware that there was a way to prevent evil from fully taking control of the aardvark who was once everyone's greatest companion. Despite the fact that practically every attempt he endeavored flunked with the same level of disappointment, Buster was determined to keep trying. And with the final half hour of school approaching, he had one final chance.
Surely enough, the last school classes finished up early and all of the students were eager to be going home. When the final school bell rang, every 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grader in the building, as well as a few teachers, hurried out of the classrooms and into the flooded hallways. Buster dashed out of his last class and joined the hundreds of other kids on their way out of school. Unlike the majority of those departing for home, he had a distinct reason for rushing down the corridors like many of the kids- he was on the lookout for Arthur, so he could finally bring him somewhere where they could converse in private.
After the ongoing shoving and changes of direction, Buster spotted Arthur only a few feet away from him. All that had to be done now was catch up to him and pull him to the side once they were out of the building. He picked up his pace, although it was quite difficult due to the stampede of kids around him. It took a few moments, but the rabbit eventually caught up with the aardvark, who was sauntering his way down the main corridor which led to the main exit.
Buster took a moment to catch his breath and, when he did, said to Arthur: "Arthur, we have to talk. It's urgent!"
Arthur still gave no verbal or physical response; this did not weaken Buster's ambitions to release his now-immoral friend from the clutches of pure sin originating from his transgressions. "Arthur, please!" Buster pleaded. "Just listen to me! That's all I'm asking! I will not-"
Buster's supplication was cut short as someone grabbed his backpack and dragged him away. He turned his head and was immediately staring into the enraged eyes of Francine Frensky. The orangutan hauled the rabbit in the opposite direction of the leaving crowd of children. As he was being dragged, Buster watched as Arthur made his way through the doors and vanished from sight among the departing kids.
Francine released Buster and snarled, "You really know how to push my buttons, don't you?!"
Buster spun around until he was facing Francine. Behind her was Muffy, Fern, and Binky- all of them had angry expressions plastered on their faces. They were obviously furious about him not listening to them to stay away from the enemy. Anyone Buster's age would've been scared out of their wits, however Buster didn't allow fear to get a hold of him and he quickly summoned up all of the courage he had left.
Francine began to speak once more. "Have you completely lost it?!" she barked. "You know all too well that what you're doing is wrong, and you shouldn't talk to Arthur until he apologizes to his sister!"
"But," Buster stammered, trying to reason with the girl. "But, Francine, it...it's not-"
"It's not what?!" Muffy growled. "What are you trying to prove? That Arthur is not the one at fault? Are you playing games with us?!"
"I'm not playing games, you guys," said Buster with honesty drowning in slight fear. "You all have to-"
"You have no right to be around that villain!" roared Fern.
Buster felt vexation return to him and he wrestled with his inner emotions. "Would one of you please listen to me?!" he hollered. "This isn't how things should end! It's only going to get worse!"
"What a joke!" said Binky. "Who in their right mind would go out of his way to waste his time? You ought to be carrying on with your life- without people like Arthur!"
"So I should be keeping my distance away from you?!" Buster roared, pointing a finger at the quartet in front of him. "If so, I'd gladly take the offer!"
Francine stepped forward to intimidate Buster. "You are blind to the truth, Buster!" she yelled.
"NO!" Buster screamed in full fury. "YOU ALL ARE BLIND TO THE TRUTH!"
After that, Buster turned around and ran out of the building and away from the group of people he had dared to once call his friends. Shocked as they were, all four kids were immensely infuriated by the rabbit's nerve to defy them. Silence had its grip over them as they strolled through the doors and into the world around them.
As soon as the school doors closed behind them, Muffy broke the silence. "I can't believe it!" she said, beginning her rant. "First, Arthur hits his little sister and makes her cry. Then, he goes right ahead and beats up Binky. And now, Buster is losing his marbles over the situation! What is this world coming to?!"
"I don't understand it, either," said Binky. "Because of him, I'm no longer a Tough Customer!"
Though he had said that over and over again from time to time, Binky's complaint was accepted in their side of the argument.
Francine, shaking her head calmly, mumbled, "If Buster doesn't want to be a good friend to us, that's fine by me!"
If Buster did hear what Francine had just said, he probably wouldn't even care. He was too busy thinking about any other possible strategy to persuade Arthur to realize what he did was wrong and that there was still a better solution for him than beating up others. Until the moment came when he would finally get Arthur to start talking again, Buster would not give up no matter what other would say or do. He was that devoted to the mission at hand.
"I know Arthur still has a chance to see the light again," Buster said as he walked to his apartment. "If I have to lose every other friend I have in the process, well...they don't matter to me anymore! All I need is old Arthur back, and no one who stands in my way is going to tell me otherwise!"