Chapter 28

Kiss Kiss Flash Flash

Bo was stunned by Bitzi's texts, her summation, to the best of her knowledge, of what their son had done. He was disappointed that Buster had chosen to come to the ball with Muffy and he had not even discussed it with Ladonna beforehand. They were going to have a serious talk about this soon, that was, if Buster survived. According to Bitzi, Ladonna was on her way to the Autumn Ball, and Bo did not think she would be happy in the slightest once she got here.

I don't understand, he had texted once Bitzi had sent him the gist. Why would he do this?

I don't know, had been Bitzi's reply. Maybe you should see if you can step in. Take him aside, explain that Ladonna is on the way. Maybe you can prevent things from getting nasty.

Bo had planned to Roger that and leave his post to talk to Buster, but his thumbs had not even touched the first key when he saw Ladonna stroll through the gym doors, undeniably crushed by the sight of Buster and Muffy together. Instead, he sent his ex-wife a different message:

Too late. The eagle has landed.

Muffy and Buster stood frozen in Ladonna's presence. Moments before, as they headed toward the limo and away from the wretched Autumn Ball, Muffy had begun forming her explanation and apology for her misdeeds in her head with the intent on running them by Buster at the Sugar Bowl. She wanted them both to be prepared for what was to come. However, now there was no time. For whatever reason, Ladonna was here, hands on her hips, and preparedness had been tossed out the window. Taking in the uncharacteristic severity in the girl's expression, Muffy's words had momentarily abandoned her.

"And what exactly d'ya hope I'll understand, Muffy," Ladonna said, "why you've got my boyfriend by the arm at the Autumn Ball?"

Muffy glanced down at her arm, which was still linked with Buster's, and she quickly slipped out of the hold. Buster remained a whimpering statue a few seconds longer until he apparently found the courage to speak up.

"What are you doing here?" he said.

"Lookin' for ya," said Ladonna.

"Why…why aren't you in Virginia?"

"Weddin' is off, thank the Lord, so we turned around and came home. I wanted to surprise ya by droppin' by your place, so we could come here together after all. But I guess I was the one who was in for the surprise. Is this what ya call 'playin' video games at home'?" A weird definition, if ya ask me. Your mama was under the impression ya were still comin' to the ball with me. Why's that, ya reckon?"

"Ladonna," he said weakly, "I promise that, whatever this looks like…it's not…."

"Did ya come here with Muffy? 'Cause that's what it looks like."

"I…did."

"Well...don't let me keep ya, then." Ladonna turned on her heel, and she was headed toward the doors.

"Ladonna, wait!"

"Stop," Muffy said, grabbing Buster by the shoulder.

"I have to explain," he said pitifully.

"No, let me. I owe you this. Just stay put…."

Muffy was hot on Ladonna's heels. "If you leave, you'll be making a huge mistake!" she called after her.

Ladonna's voice was just as loud. "Muffy, talkin' to me right now is probably not a grand idea!"

"I get it—you're mad. You have every right to be. I'd be pretty pissed off, too. But don't take it out on Buster. This is all my fault, so take it out on me."

"I think I'd rather take it out on both of ya."

"Ladonna, please! This is a major misunderstanding, and you two are just too cute together to allow me to mess things up!"

Ladonna stalled just beyond the doorway. She turned around, visibly confused. Muffy took the opportunity to catch up with her, her hands clasped together at her heart in a prayerlike, pleading gesture that somehow felt involuntary yet completely genuine. "You have no idea how fortunate you are. What I wouldn't give for a boy to think of me the way he thinks of you."

"Oh, yeah? And Buster thinks so much of me that he goes to the school dance with another girl the moment I leave town? After lyin' to me?"

"It sounds crazy, I know, but yes. Trust me, Buster wants nothing to do with me. He's all about you. He's only here with me because he likes you so much."

Ladonna opened her mouth to retort but paused. It looked as if whatever phrase she had intended to clap back with did not apply, and she was reassessing how she should respond. Finally, she settled on, "This'd better be a darned good explanation." She crossed her arms and listened.

Muffy began with, "This whole thing was my idea. It started when I overheard you telling Buster you were leaving for Gussie's wedding…."

Muffy told her everything, careful not to let her nerves get the best of her and rush through. She wanted to make sure every word she had to say was clearly understood. As Ladonna often struggled with a runaway motormouth herself, Muffy hoped the girl would appreciate the effort. She explained how she felt like an unwanted loser and how all she wanted in the end was some company at the Autumn Ball, how Buster had refused in the beginning because he considered it disrespectful to Ladonna, how desperation had led her to buying Buster's companionship, offering him a ridiculous amount of money for a few hours of his time.

"And he was even going to turn that down until I reminded him that he could use the money to take you out on an amazing date. That's when he accepted my offer. He didn't want the money to spend on snacks, or games, or more ugly shirts. He only wanted it to spend on you. He thinks he has, like, a weak grasp on you, or something, like he has nothing to offer you."

"But that's not true," Ladonna said slowly. "He cares about his friends and his family, he makes me laugh, and he's really sweet."

"Yeah." Muffy nodded. "He is. Maybe he came here with me, but he's been thinking about you the entire time. He said he couldn't imagine the ball being any fun without you here with him, and it looks like he was right. The decorations are nice and all, but this is shaping up to be the dullest party in history. But you two? You always have fun wherever you go, so I know you would've had a great time no matter what. He wore that shirt because he thought it would make you laugh, and this…." Muffy pulled on the elastic around her wrist, freeing her hand from the leaf and acorn corsage. "He made this with you in mind, because he knows how much you love fall and he wanted your corsage to be unique. Look—it even compliments your dress."

Muffy held the corsage out to Ladonna, who gaped at it for a moment before taking it. As she examined the cluster, comprised of dry and brittle things rather than lush greenery and supple petals, she broke into a wide grin. Then she looked back to Muffy, her eyes shining.

"It's one of a kind," Muffy reaffirmed, "a Buster Baxter original."

"Aww…." Ladonna said, sliding the band onto her wrist and holding her hand up to admire the corsage some more. "It's gorgeous, isn't it?"

Muffy smiled back at her. "It sure is!" she said.

"Did he say anythin' else about me?"

"A lot of adorable, heart-achingly-sweet things."

"Like what?"

"Why don't you go to him?" Muffy gestured toward Buster, who stood at a distance, still watching them, though his head hung low between his hunched shoulders, and he looked more nervous than Muffy had ever seen him. "Go and be his Autumn Ball date, the way it was always supposed to be. Maybe he'll tell you himself."

Ladonna said nothing but gave Muffy a single nod as she walked back into the gym. Muffy watched her pass, happy that it seemed she and Buster were about to reconcile. That had been a close one. It felt good to set things right, yet she had a niggling thought: How would it have felt if she had possessed the strength never to screw things up in the first place. Would she have been proud of herself? Perhaps there was no way to know for sure, what would have been. Knowing what she knew now about how a lot of the guys at school viewed her, how a lot of her friends still expected her to be selfish and affected, being seen as a dateless loser should have been the least of her worries. Muffy looked beyond Buster and Ladonna, who were now standing close, laughing, no doubt because Buster had managed to say something to break the ice, and she examined the Autumn Ball crowd in its entirety. Apart from the newly-reunited couple, pretty much everyone else in attendance looked to be in a state of confusion, trepidation, or misery, despite Chris Brown's saccharine ballad "With You" coming from DJ Phat Stackz's speakers. Muffy backed away from all of them, eager to exit the gym. Truly, there was nothing for her here. She was free to do whatever she wanted now, only where would she go?

Home, she thought.

Muffy would not stay there, however. She had an overwhelming desire to get out of her gown, to change into something more sensible and brush the curls out of her hair. Then she would go to the Sugar Bowl after all, by herself. Better yet, she would head to Mill Creek Mall, find comfort in a warm Cinnabon and maybe do a little shopping. Her thoughts were interrupted as she collided with someone. Muffy let out a surprised "Oh!" as she stumbled forward a couple of steps, but she did not fall, for the person she had run into had grabbed her arm to help steady her.

"I am so sorry!" she said as she spun around. "I should've paid attention to where—"

Muffy's apology stuck in her throat. She could not believe what she was seeing. Standing in front of her, tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a crisp suit in charcoal gray, was none other than Alan Powers. After a couple of seconds filled with her dumbfounded silence, Alan greeted Muffy with a short wave of his left hand and a small half-grin. Muffy did not know why he was here, but he was a sight for sore eyes. Cheeks aching from how hard she was smiling, she told him, "Shut up!"

Buster could not hear everything Muffy was saying, but he had a good idea of some of the things she might be explaining to Ladonna. He watched, stomach performing cartwheel after cartwheel until, miraculously, to his immense relief, he saw his girlfriend smile from afar as she donned the corsage he had spent so many hours assembling for her. The next thing he knew, Muffy had gestured his way, and Ladonna was coming back to him looking as happy as the day she had first declared her affection for him.

"So…." she said when she had finally come to a stop in front of him, "Muffy told me everythin'. I didn't mean to jump to conclusions. Who knew I had a jealous streak? I sure didn't."

"I can't imagine what you were thinking," Buster said apologetically, "when you came in and saw us together. I don't blame you for being upset…. You look really nice...pretty. For the first time today, I actually feel under-dressed."

Ladonna burst into a fit of giggles as she took in his shirt. "You're such a goober," she said adoringly. "What possessed ya?"

"You know me—I'll do anything to get a laugh…especially if it comes from you."

"Not that I don't find it funny—'cause I do, it's hilarious—but, bless your heart, I think you've got a thing or two to learn about what's appropriate in a given situation."

"Yeah. Mr. Crosswire sort of said the same thing."

Ladonna held up her wrist to show off her corsage and said, "This is amazin', by the way."

The corsage looked absolutely perfect on her. Taking Muffy's advice, he told Ladonna so, and she looked like she could have melted from the compliment.

"So, what happened?" he said. "Why was the wedding called off?"

"Gussie came to his senses," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Gave Mama a call before we ever got close to the Virginia state line. Believe me, it's for the best. Let's just leave it at that."

"Uh-oh. Well, it sounds like there's a pretty interesting story there. And you don't want to tell it?"

"I'd rather talk about how dear ya are. Ya went through with this just so ya could spring for some over-the-top date?"

"It was going to be very, very, nice, nice," said Buster. "I wanted to do something really special to make you happy, like at Ingram, you know?"

"Buster Baxter…ya don't have to feel pressured to wow me all the time. Not gonna lie, that flight was incredible, but it's not everythin'. Little things, like this and this," she said, pointing to his shirt and her corsage respectively, "mean just as much. Maybe more, cross my heart. They're big little things. Ya get what I mean? They make me happy, too."

He could listen to her talk for hours.

"In fact, I feel so happy right now, why, I think I could kiss ya. Right here in front of everyone."

Buster chuckled nervously as she closed the gap between them. "Well, I did brush my teeth before I left home, if that makes the decision any easier."

"A little," she said dreamily.

Before he had time to register what was happening, Ladonna had planted both hands on either side of his face, and she pulled him close, kissing him. Buster's lips felt as if they were on fire, and his legs had inexplicably turned to rubber. Somewhere far off, a small number of people witnessing his and Ladonna's first kiss whooped a resounding, "WHOOO-OOO!" Buster saw lightning flash behind his eyelids. This was all at once one of the best and most bizarre feelings he had ever experienced, and he could not wait to experience it over, and over, and over again.

He and Ladonna parted, breathless, and they stood speechless for a long moment. Ladonna smiled and Buster returned it. He was about to joke that they had better save all subsequent kisses for after the ball, lest Principal Brooks find out and punish them for their inappropriate behavior, but a familiar voice cut him off before he could speak.

"Holy crap, you guys."

He and Ladonna turned to see Francine, standing mere feet from them, wearing a shimmery blue dress that, oddly enough, did not look completely weird on the tomboy. Francine smiled from behind her prized camera, having apparently taken a photo of their intimate moment.

"Looks like I made the right choice when I decided to come to this stupid thing after all," she said as she reviewed the picture on the camera's screen with a pleased expression. "That is one helluva shot."

Without waiting for them to reply, Francine tucked a strand of her shoulder-length brown hair behind one ear and moved on, likely in search of her next subject. She only made it a couple of paces before turning back to them, casually adding, "Eh, don't act so surprised to see me." And then she was off, into the crowd.

To be continued…