Still clad in her floral dress and high heels, Francine set down her lunch tray
and seated herself next to Arthur and Alan. On the opposite side of the table,
Fern was occupied writing several stanzas of poetry on Sue Ellen's cast.
When the two girls looked up at Francine, they started to giggle hysterically.
Francine glowered at them. "What's so funny?" she demanded. "Is it the dress?"
"No, we like your dress," said Fern between giggles.
"It's...it's..." Sue Ellen collapsed in laughter before she could finish her sentence.
"Don't forget to breathe," quipped Francine as she took a bite of her turkey sandwich.
Glancing to each side, she noticed that Arthur and Alan were suppressing snickers of their own. "Okay, let me in on the joke," she said impatiently.
"You know, Arthur," said Alan, "it's never dawned on me until now what a lovely young woman Francine is."
Fern and Sue Ellen fell into paroxysms of laughter.
"You're right, Alan," said Arthur facetiously. "Up until she started wearing a dress, I didn't even realize she was a girl."
"I'd ask her on a date," joked Alan, "but I don't think I'm her type."
Furious, Francine jumped to her feet and carried her tray across the cafeteria to an unoccupied table, where she finished her lunch in solitude.
As she wandered out of the lunchroom, Van rolled up alongside her in his motorized wheelchair. "Hey, Francine."
"Hi," she said bitterly.
Van glanced around to make sure nobody was within earshot. "There's a nasty rumor about you going around," he half-whispered.
"What is it this time?" asked Francine indifferently.
"They say you're attracted to girls," Van continued. "Of course, I don't believe it for..."
The duck boy stopped in mid-sentence when he beheld Francine's horrified expression. "What...how...only Beat and I..." she stuttered.
"It's not true...is it?" asked Van curiously.
"Who started it?" The enraged Francine grabbed the armrests of Van's wheelchair and shook it. "WHO STARTED IT?"
"It...uh...it...was...Binky...who told me..." stammered the frightened boy.
Her face twisted with fury, Francine kicked off her high-heeled shoes and marched away from Van in her stocking feet.
Moments later, she saw Binky standing in the hallway next to George, holding a casual conversation.
"You really thought she had a crush on you?" Binky chuckled. "You tried to give her roses? Oh, you poor kid."
He and George turned their heads and were surprised to see Francine charging toward them, looking as if steam would start pouring from her ears at any second.
"Like, oops..." Binky mumbled.
Without breaking her stride, Francine walked directly up to Binky...and plunged her right fist into his left eye.
It was the punch heard around the elementary school.
The impact knocked Binky onto his back. He sat up, rubbing his injured eye, as the nearby kids began to form a throng around him, Francine, and George.
"Get up!" roared Francine, holding out her clenched fists. "I'm gonna make you pay, Binky Barnes!"
Binky stammered with fear. "It...it was Rattles' idea...he taped you...put a microphone in the girls' room..."
Francine paused only a second before turning and pushing her way through the crowd of spectators.
George grabbed Binky's hand and pulled him to his feet as he continued to rub his eye. Then a terrifying prospect entered Binky's thick skull.
"Omigosh!" he cried. "Rattles will slaughter her!"
It took only a few moments for Francine to locate Rattles, who was standing with Molly and a few other Tough Customers in a spot at the edge of the playground. Numerous children trailed her, hoping to witness a spectacular brawl.
Rattles was pleasantly amused at the sight of an angry, shoeless girl with painted nails and a floral-pattern dress coming toward him. "Oh, is this a special occasion?" he said mockingly. "Give me a minute to change into my tuxedo."
"You taped me!" cried Francine. "You invaded my privacy!"
Rattles stuck out his chest defiantly as the other Tough Customers stepped away to a safe distance. "Come on, girl. Show us how dainty and feminine you can be."
His taunts had the desired effect on Francine, infuriating her even further. She hurled a fist at his nose, but he knocked it aside with his arm. She aimed at his stomach with her other fist, but Rattles blocked it as easily as the first one.
Smiling condescendingly, Rattles let his own fist fly, striking Francine squarely in the left eye.
The surrounding kids gasped as if they had never watched someone hit a girl before.
Dazed, Francine struggled to stay on her feet and to keep her remaining good eye open.
When Rattles saw that his opponent wasn't moving, he reared back his fist again. "Say good night, Gracie," he quipped.
Then he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head just in time to see the black-eyed Binky's fist hurtling toward him...
----
In the three chairs placed before Principal Haney's desk sat Binky, Francine, and Rattles, each one of them with a painful-looking black eye.
"Two weeks' detention for you, Miss Frensky," Mr. Haney announced.
"Hey, why does she get off so easy?" Rattles protested.
"Because she's a first-time offender," the principal explained. "As for Mr. Ratola and Mr. Barnes, six weeks' detention."
"What?" exclaimed Binky and Rattles in unison.
"Two weeks for fighting," Mr. Haney clarified, "and four weeks for secretly taping conversations in the girls' room."
The miserable Binky put his hands over his eyes, only to quickly remove them when he put pressure on the tender tissues surrounding his left eye.
Rattles, meanwhile, inexplicably started to grin.
"What are you so happy about?" Binky asked sharply.
"Dude," said Rattles proudly, "I just set a new record!"
(To be continued...)
When the two girls looked up at Francine, they started to giggle hysterically.
Francine glowered at them. "What's so funny?" she demanded. "Is it the dress?"
"No, we like your dress," said Fern between giggles.
"It's...it's..." Sue Ellen collapsed in laughter before she could finish her sentence.
"Don't forget to breathe," quipped Francine as she took a bite of her turkey sandwich.
Glancing to each side, she noticed that Arthur and Alan were suppressing snickers of their own. "Okay, let me in on the joke," she said impatiently.
"You know, Arthur," said Alan, "it's never dawned on me until now what a lovely young woman Francine is."
Fern and Sue Ellen fell into paroxysms of laughter.
"You're right, Alan," said Arthur facetiously. "Up until she started wearing a dress, I didn't even realize she was a girl."
"I'd ask her on a date," joked Alan, "but I don't think I'm her type."
Furious, Francine jumped to her feet and carried her tray across the cafeteria to an unoccupied table, where she finished her lunch in solitude.
As she wandered out of the lunchroom, Van rolled up alongside her in his motorized wheelchair. "Hey, Francine."
"Hi," she said bitterly.
Van glanced around to make sure nobody was within earshot. "There's a nasty rumor about you going around," he half-whispered.
"What is it this time?" asked Francine indifferently.
"They say you're attracted to girls," Van continued. "Of course, I don't believe it for..."
The duck boy stopped in mid-sentence when he beheld Francine's horrified expression. "What...how...only Beat and I..." she stuttered.
"It's not true...is it?" asked Van curiously.
"Who started it?" The enraged Francine grabbed the armrests of Van's wheelchair and shook it. "WHO STARTED IT?"
"It...uh...it...was...Binky...who told me..." stammered the frightened boy.
Her face twisted with fury, Francine kicked off her high-heeled shoes and marched away from Van in her stocking feet.
Moments later, she saw Binky standing in the hallway next to George, holding a casual conversation.
"You really thought she had a crush on you?" Binky chuckled. "You tried to give her roses? Oh, you poor kid."
He and George turned their heads and were surprised to see Francine charging toward them, looking as if steam would start pouring from her ears at any second.
"Like, oops..." Binky mumbled.
Without breaking her stride, Francine walked directly up to Binky...and plunged her right fist into his left eye.
It was the punch heard around the elementary school.
The impact knocked Binky onto his back. He sat up, rubbing his injured eye, as the nearby kids began to form a throng around him, Francine, and George.
"Get up!" roared Francine, holding out her clenched fists. "I'm gonna make you pay, Binky Barnes!"
Binky stammered with fear. "It...it was Rattles' idea...he taped you...put a microphone in the girls' room..."
Francine paused only a second before turning and pushing her way through the crowd of spectators.
George grabbed Binky's hand and pulled him to his feet as he continued to rub his eye. Then a terrifying prospect entered Binky's thick skull.
"Omigosh!" he cried. "Rattles will slaughter her!"
It took only a few moments for Francine to locate Rattles, who was standing with Molly and a few other Tough Customers in a spot at the edge of the playground. Numerous children trailed her, hoping to witness a spectacular brawl.
Rattles was pleasantly amused at the sight of an angry, shoeless girl with painted nails and a floral-pattern dress coming toward him. "Oh, is this a special occasion?" he said mockingly. "Give me a minute to change into my tuxedo."
"You taped me!" cried Francine. "You invaded my privacy!"
Rattles stuck out his chest defiantly as the other Tough Customers stepped away to a safe distance. "Come on, girl. Show us how dainty and feminine you can be."
His taunts had the desired effect on Francine, infuriating her even further. She hurled a fist at his nose, but he knocked it aside with his arm. She aimed at his stomach with her other fist, but Rattles blocked it as easily as the first one.
Smiling condescendingly, Rattles let his own fist fly, striking Francine squarely in the left eye.
The surrounding kids gasped as if they had never watched someone hit a girl before.
Dazed, Francine struggled to stay on her feet and to keep her remaining good eye open.
When Rattles saw that his opponent wasn't moving, he reared back his fist again. "Say good night, Gracie," he quipped.
Then he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head just in time to see the black-eyed Binky's fist hurtling toward him...
----
In the three chairs placed before Principal Haney's desk sat Binky, Francine, and Rattles, each one of them with a painful-looking black eye.
"Two weeks' detention for you, Miss Frensky," Mr. Haney announced.
"Hey, why does she get off so easy?" Rattles protested.
"Because she's a first-time offender," the principal explained. "As for Mr. Ratola and Mr. Barnes, six weeks' detention."
"What?" exclaimed Binky and Rattles in unison.
"Two weeks for fighting," Mr. Haney clarified, "and four weeks for secretly taping conversations in the girls' room."
The miserable Binky put his hands over his eyes, only to quickly remove them when he put pressure on the tender tissues surrounding his left eye.
Rattles, meanwhile, inexplicably started to grin.
"What are you so happy about?" Binky asked sharply.
"Dude," said Rattles proudly, "I just set a new record!"
(To be continued...)
