CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Warning: Some explicit language
Arthur sat with Kevin at lunch, his eyes on a neighboring table. Muffy sat alone, munching a homemade sandwich, a very homemade sandwich. It was falling apart in her hands, covering her hands with different sauces. She'd likely made it herself, which meant that her loyal butler or cooks or any other staff weren't with her anymore.
"Hey, Read, what's the staring about?" Kevin asked. Arthur nodded towards Muffy, who had given up on her destroyed sandwich. She paws napkins out of a case with a sad gaze. "Yeah, the new kid," Kevin grinned. "She's in Claire's art class, a horrid student."
"She doesn't even know how to make a clay pot. How is she in sophomore-level art?" Claire asked angrily.
"She came from a prep school. I had classes with her until she moved there, but she's always being mean to us when we see each other in town. I'm surprised she isn't going around bullying people now," Arthur said, taking a bite of his school food.
"People change," Kevin shrugged. "It sounds to me like something just humbled the shit out of miss fancy pants. No one but her could really know that, but I don't recommend talking to her. The joys of high school come in ignoring people for the right reasons without any true motives. Fun times," Kevin smirked.
Arthur shrugged, watching Brain and Binky emerge from the line. It was strange to see the two together. Binky was only decent at school, yet he seemed to have improved over the years. Brain was always an overachiever. He seemed to look down on Binky for not taking school as seriously as he could, but he seemed to look down on everyone now that he was a senior.
"Hey, Read, I found this where you sister was sitting this morning," Ryan said as he sat down, handing Arthur a Crazy Bus eraser. DW had been off Crazy Bus about as long as she'd been off Mary Moo Cow, yet their mom never learned. It still made her the butt of the joke. Ryan himself was snickering, singing a parody of the song that had gone viral a few years ago.
"Oh fun times," Kevin chuckled, taking the erasure. "Sure you don't want it, Read?"
"I'm sure," Arthur nodded, taking another sweep of the room.
"Hey, you look distracted. What's on your mind? You can tell us everything," Kevin smiled. Arthur shrugged. "Oh, come on, Arthur!"
"I just have a bad feeling, okay?" Arthur said, sighing as he looked down to his plate. He'd had the feeling all day, but he'd been able to hide it with his school work. Now that he was trying to enjoy a quiet lunch, his uneasiness had come forward fully.
Above them, the intercom beeped loudly. Most people kept talking over the announcement. Arthur looked up softly.
"Arthur Read to the front office ready to go; Arthur Read to the front office ready to go," the announcer repeated, clicking the connection closed.
"Good luck, Arthur," Kevin whispered, patting his friend's back. "I'm sure it's just a doctor's appointment you forgot about, nothing big."
Arthur turned in his tray and returned to his class to grab his things. He was hoping that Kevin's theory was right, but underneath it all, he knew he wasn't. Arthur's mom was good about telling her kids when appointments were coming, except DW because she was always trying to get out of things. Arthur would've known, meaning this was something else. He hoped for a surprise family vacation, but he knew he was wrong, very, very wrong.
A/N: Wondering why Arthur is getting pulled from school? We'll find out in a later chapter (yes I'm making you wait^~^). Next up, we'll check back in with Francine and Muffy in Coach Peters' social studies class. Will Muffy's years of bullying her classmates finally backfire on her? Will Francine's feelings for Coach Peters egg this on? Find out in Chapter Twenty-Six.