Binky marched forward, his heart overflowing with determination. I'm gonna do it, he told himself. I'm gonna ask Molly to get together with me again. If anything gets in my way, I'll clobber it.
It was lunch break at Lakewood, and the playground was filled with children. Molly was on a bench, smiling, her eyes glittering as she talked and laughed with fellow Tough Customer, Rattles. "And my dad was all like, 'Turn off the TV and finish your dinner, young lady.' And I was like, 'But I'm not hungry.' And he was like, 'Then find somebody who is hungry, 'cause you're not watching TV until it's all eaten.' And then I stuck out my hand, and I totally went like this."
"Uh, Molly?" said the bemused Rattles. "That's your ring finger."
She was still holding her arm out when Binky arrived. "Hey, Molly," he said with a grin.
The rabbit girl made a quick adjustment. "Yeah, that's it," said Rattles. "That's the right finger."
Binky's face fell. No one's ever dared do that to me before, he thought. Molly must really hate my guts.
He turned and shuffled away, his hands in his pockets. If Bernadette were here, I know what she'd want me to do—find a girl and make her happy. But which girl? One who's really lonely, maybe?
Through the corner of his eye he saw Fern tossing a basketball in Prunella's direction, and he began to wonder. Fern Walters. Pluses: Smart, literate, a good singer. Minuses: Big nose, emotional baggage from getting dumped by Buster. Prunella Prufrock. Pluses: Has a crush on me the size of the Rock of Gibraltar. Minuses: A total whack job.
He walked slowly, and an orange-haired girl overtook him on her way to the school entrance. Sue Ellen Krantz, he thought. Pluses: Cute, well-traveled, likes to paint. Minuses: A known space alien, has evil parents.
Sue Ellen turned to shoot him a brief glance. Binky Barnes, she pondered. Pluses: Big, strong, kinda good looking, plays the clarinet. Minuses: Not very bright, can be mean sometimes, possibly gay.
Muffy sat in a patch of grass, wearing a red jacket over her optical fiber dress, eagerly looking over the pictures in a travel brochure. Muffy Crosswire, thought Binky, watching her discreetly. Pluses: She may not live in a mansion anymore, but she's got enough money to choke a whale. Minuses: She's involved with someone. Herself.
Sue Ellen passed by Arthur as she hurried to the library. Arthur Read, she thought. Pluses: Great kisser, plays the piano. Minuses: Overbearing mom, bratty little sister.
From her perch in the lawn, Muffy heard a noise from the bushes like a dog whining. Sounds like a hurt puppy, she thought. If I lived on another planet, I'd just push a button and a robot would come along and pick up the doggie and make it all better. She sighed. I have to do everything by myself on Earth...
Binky noticed that Francine was waving at him from a classroom window. Francine Frensky, he thought. Pluses: Good at sports. Minuses: Belongs to a weird religion.
Muffy stood up and brushed the grass from her skirt. "Don't cry, little doggie," she said, making her way into the tall bushes.
George Nordgren, thought Sue Ellen as she watched the moose boy munch on a candy bar. Pluses: Muffy apparently sees something in him.
Muffy looked this way and that, seeing plenty of leaves and branches, but no injured puppy.
A strong hand suddenly covered her mouth. Alarmed, she tried to scream, but found that something sticky had been fastened to her face, and was blocking her voice. As she flailed and kicked and tried to yell for help, an unseen pair of arms forcibly yanked off her jacket. This was followed by the terrifying and uncomfortable feeling of deft fingers unfastening the buttons on the back of her dress…
To be continued
