Molly doggedly pursued Dudley for the remainder of the school day, much to his
chagrin. At the beginning of afternoon recess, he had scarcely set foot in the
playground when the rabbit girl scurried up to him--but this time something had
changed about her.
"I cut my hair during lunch hour," said Molly, whose hazel peepers were now visible. "How do you like it?"
"It, er, looks fantastic," replied Dudley, although the startling absence of the girl's frontal hair mop tempted him to say, "What did you use, a butter knife?"
"And as soon as school's over, I'm gonna ask my mom to buy me a new pair of jeans," Molly enthused.
"That's just...fantastic," Dudley strained to say. Noticing that Muffy was walking by, he called out to her. "Hey, Muffy!"
The finely dressed monkey girl balked upon seeing Dudley and Molly together, remembering the previous week's incident that had left George with a black eye.
"Molly, you know Muffy," said Dudley, gesturing toward her. "She's my...she's my girlfriend."
"I'm not..." the stunned Muffy started to say.
"...ready for the equivalency test, I know," Dudley interrupted her. "But we still have the rest of the month to study."
"You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend," Molly said to Dudley in a wounded tone of voice.
"You didn't ask," was Dudley's response.
"I would've asked if you'd told me," Molly rejoined.
Then Dudley took Muffy by the arm and walked away with her, leaving Molly to sulk in disappointment.
Once they were out of the tough girl's sight, Muffy turned to Dudley and asked, "Why are you pretending I'm your girlfriend?"
"I'm just trying to get Molly off my back," replied Dudley, releasing her arm. "I think killing a snake would only make her like me more."
A realization struck Muffy. "Wait...are you going to take the equivalency test too?"
Dudley nodded. "I arranged it with Mr. Wald today. Since I have no academic records, I have to take it so the school can assign me to a grade level. I expect the history part will be a challenge, but the rest should be easy."
"It's all a challenge for me," said Muffy glumly. "You weren't around when it happened, but I spent half the year in a private school where I didn't learn a thing, and then I ran away for three weeks. I'll have to study my butt off all month just to get a passing grade."
"Don't do that," said Dudley, shaking his head. "You'll need your butt if you want to be a fashion model."
Muffy chuckled. "It's a figure of speech, silly." Then an idea hit her. "Why don't we study for the test together?"
"That's an excellent idea!" exclaimed Dudley. "I'll meet you after school. I mean, after I sit my butt off in detention hall."
----
As they agreed to do, Muffy and Dudley walked to the Crosswire mansion after school let out. A dismayed look appeared on Muffy's face as they passed by the large FOR SALE sign posted in the front yard.
"I grew up in a cottage," Dudley related. "I don't know how it feels to move from a mansion into a smaller place."
"That's okay," replied Muffy.
They rang the bell next to the ornate pine doors, and to their surprise, they were greeted by Muffy's mother, not a servant. "Come in, kids," Mrs. Crosswire welcomed them.
They stepped into the palacial house and glanced around. While Muffy noticed missing paintings and pieces of furniture that had already been packed for moving, Dudley thrilled at the extravagance of what remained.
"I guess you're running the house now," said Muffy to her mother.
"That's right," answered Mrs. Crosswire, who was cradling baby Tyson in her arms. "All the servants left today. It's sad, because most of them don't have other jobs lined up."
Dudley ran his fingers over the wooden railing of the spiral staircase leading to Muffy's bedroom. "This house is fabulous," he marveled. "I could live my butt off in here."
Mrs. Crosswire scowled with displeasure. "Where did you learn to talk like that, young man?"
"He, uh, picked it up from the bullies at school," Muffy explained.
Mrs. Crosswire motioned for the kids to follow her. "Come into the kitchen. I've made a treat."
Muffy couldn't believe her ears. "You...cooked something?"
When she and Dudley arrived in the kitchen, they found a strange-looking brown mass waiting for them on a serving plate. "It's a caramel flan," her mother told them. "Help yourselves."
Eager to sample the homemade delicacy, Muffy and Dudley grabbed small plates and doled themselves portions using a serving spoon. They took their first bites at the same time...and their taste buds revolted. "Ewww!"
"What do you think?" Mrs. Crosswire asked the two grimacing children.
"It's...great, Mom," Muffy choked out.
"Quite tasty," Dudley lied.
"Could use a little less baking soda," Muffy added.
While Mrs. Crosswire departed for baby Tyson's room, Dudley used his fork to sweep the leftover flan into the waste basket. "I feel like puking my butt off," he whispered to Muffy.
"Dudley, about that figure of speech..." Muffy started to say.
"Muffy, your friend is welcome to stay for dinner," called her mother from the baby's room.
"What are you preparing?" Dudley asked.
"I haven't decided," came Mrs. Crosswire's voice.
"How about oatmeal?" Muffy suggested.
----
"Arthur Timothy Read, do you take Francine Alice Frensky to be your awfully wedded wife?" asked D.W.'s cowgirl doll, which was doubling as a minister.
"Yes, I do," said a troll doll who stood in for Arthur.
While D.W. simulated Arthur and Francine's wedding in her bedroom, the two lovebirds were holding hands and watching a Bunny League episode in the living room.
"My favorite is Amazon Bunny," said Francine. "She's so exotic and beautiful."
"And stuck-up," Arthur responded. "She thinks she's better than the others, like some kind of princess. She reminds me of Muffy." Francine scowled at him. "Uh, before she stopped being that way."
On the TV screen, the League was locked in battle with a supervillainess named Hydra, who split in two every time they attacked her. They soon found themselves surrounded by dozens of Hydra duplicates, and were forced to withdraw.
"Who's your favorite?" Francine asked.
Arthur grinned proudly. "No one will ever compare to Bionic Bunny."
A commercial followed, and Francine used the opportunity to give Arthur repeated pecks on the lips. Mr. Read walked past the couch as they kissed, muttering, "I wonder what Sue Ellen would think."
"I have no problem with it," said Francine with a smirk.
Finding the commercial break to be quite unfulfilling, she began to muse on the situation of Sue Ellen's family. "I'll bet they changed their names after they moved. If that's true, then what Fern and Alan did shouldn't put them in any danger. If it's not true, then what's to stop their new neighbors from bringing up our school web page and learning the truth?"
Arthur's expression became thoughtful. "I wonder if Sue Ellen is her real name. Maybe she was called something else before she moved to Elwood City."
"No, she's been Sue Ellen since the day she was born," replied Francine. "But notice I haven't said anything about her last name."
----
Throughout the afternoon and early evening, April was besieged by students from both Lakewood Elementary and Bainbridge Middle School, wanting to know if the allegations published on the school web sites were true. Certain that being unavailable for comment would only heighten their suspicions, April fielded all of their inquiries, as much as she hated to do so.
"They won't leave me alone," she groused. Augusta, who was once again mixing ingredients in a bubbling vial, nodded sympathetically. "I'm afraid Fern and Alan will make good on their threat, and then the whole city will be knocking down our door."
"Here's an idea," Augusta proposed. "I could use a charm to erase your memory of where the Armstrongs moved to. Then, if enemy agents capture you, they won't get any information they can use."
April smirked sarcastically. "And you say Plan Z is drastic."
A knocking was heard. April reluctantly shuffled to the door, wondering which of her old and new friends had come to waste her time.
It turned out to be George. The moose boy had seen April a few times in passing, so he wasn't bowled over by the girl's resemblance to Sue Ellen.
"Come in, George," said April with a clear lack of enthusiasm.
"Uh, hi, April," he greeted the cat girl. "I just wanted to stop by and tell you that I read all the stuff on the school's web site about you, and I don't believe any of it."
Augusta whirled, smelling the unmistakable odor of beating around the bush. "That's not why you came," she said suspiciously, walking toward George and waving her fingers.
The boy felt a strange compulsion to be honest about his intentions. "Okay, it's not," he admitted. "I want to find out more about Dr. Portinari, because I have reason to believe he's from another planet." When he realized what he had said, he slapped his forehead and groaned dejectedly.
"Same old George," April chuckled. When she saw Augusta's concerned expression, she added, "George thinks everyone's an alien. He even thought I was an alien once. It's something he picked up from Buster."
"Please don't tell Dr. Portinari what I just said," George pleaded.
Smiling, Augusta reached out and rubbed George's stubbled scalp. "I won't," she agreed. "You're just a regular kid with an active imagination. You see someone who's new in town and a little strange, and you think aliens have landed. That's a good thing. When the invasion finally does come, it's people like you who will save us all."
"You shouldn't encourage him," April protested.
Augusta seemed not to hear her words. "Rick says he likes kids," she told George. "When I meet with him on Saturday, you can come along. Just tell him that you want to be a psychiatrist when you grow up."
"Cool," said George excitedly. "Thanks, Miss Winslow."
Augusta groaned quietly as she watched the boy hurry out of the apartment. She had grown to enjoy wearing dresses, but being called Miss Winslow was still painful to her ears.
"I don't think taking George along is a good idea," April warned her.
"It can't hurt," Augusta replied. "And who knows? Rick may turn out to be an alien after all."
TBC
"I cut my hair during lunch hour," said Molly, whose hazel peepers were now visible. "How do you like it?"
"It, er, looks fantastic," replied Dudley, although the startling absence of the girl's frontal hair mop tempted him to say, "What did you use, a butter knife?"
"And as soon as school's over, I'm gonna ask my mom to buy me a new pair of jeans," Molly enthused.
"That's just...fantastic," Dudley strained to say. Noticing that Muffy was walking by, he called out to her. "Hey, Muffy!"
The finely dressed monkey girl balked upon seeing Dudley and Molly together, remembering the previous week's incident that had left George with a black eye.
"Molly, you know Muffy," said Dudley, gesturing toward her. "She's my...she's my girlfriend."
"I'm not..." the stunned Muffy started to say.
"...ready for the equivalency test, I know," Dudley interrupted her. "But we still have the rest of the month to study."
"You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend," Molly said to Dudley in a wounded tone of voice.
"You didn't ask," was Dudley's response.
"I would've asked if you'd told me," Molly rejoined.
Then Dudley took Muffy by the arm and walked away with her, leaving Molly to sulk in disappointment.
Once they were out of the tough girl's sight, Muffy turned to Dudley and asked, "Why are you pretending I'm your girlfriend?"
"I'm just trying to get Molly off my back," replied Dudley, releasing her arm. "I think killing a snake would only make her like me more."
A realization struck Muffy. "Wait...are you going to take the equivalency test too?"
Dudley nodded. "I arranged it with Mr. Wald today. Since I have no academic records, I have to take it so the school can assign me to a grade level. I expect the history part will be a challenge, but the rest should be easy."
"It's all a challenge for me," said Muffy glumly. "You weren't around when it happened, but I spent half the year in a private school where I didn't learn a thing, and then I ran away for three weeks. I'll have to study my butt off all month just to get a passing grade."
"Don't do that," said Dudley, shaking his head. "You'll need your butt if you want to be a fashion model."
Muffy chuckled. "It's a figure of speech, silly." Then an idea hit her. "Why don't we study for the test together?"
"That's an excellent idea!" exclaimed Dudley. "I'll meet you after school. I mean, after I sit my butt off in detention hall."
----
As they agreed to do, Muffy and Dudley walked to the Crosswire mansion after school let out. A dismayed look appeared on Muffy's face as they passed by the large FOR SALE sign posted in the front yard.
"I grew up in a cottage," Dudley related. "I don't know how it feels to move from a mansion into a smaller place."
"That's okay," replied Muffy.
They rang the bell next to the ornate pine doors, and to their surprise, they were greeted by Muffy's mother, not a servant. "Come in, kids," Mrs. Crosswire welcomed them.
They stepped into the palacial house and glanced around. While Muffy noticed missing paintings and pieces of furniture that had already been packed for moving, Dudley thrilled at the extravagance of what remained.
"I guess you're running the house now," said Muffy to her mother.
"That's right," answered Mrs. Crosswire, who was cradling baby Tyson in her arms. "All the servants left today. It's sad, because most of them don't have other jobs lined up."
Dudley ran his fingers over the wooden railing of the spiral staircase leading to Muffy's bedroom. "This house is fabulous," he marveled. "I could live my butt off in here."
Mrs. Crosswire scowled with displeasure. "Where did you learn to talk like that, young man?"
"He, uh, picked it up from the bullies at school," Muffy explained.
Mrs. Crosswire motioned for the kids to follow her. "Come into the kitchen. I've made a treat."
Muffy couldn't believe her ears. "You...cooked something?"
When she and Dudley arrived in the kitchen, they found a strange-looking brown mass waiting for them on a serving plate. "It's a caramel flan," her mother told them. "Help yourselves."
Eager to sample the homemade delicacy, Muffy and Dudley grabbed small plates and doled themselves portions using a serving spoon. They took their first bites at the same time...and their taste buds revolted. "Ewww!"
"What do you think?" Mrs. Crosswire asked the two grimacing children.
"It's...great, Mom," Muffy choked out.
"Quite tasty," Dudley lied.
"Could use a little less baking soda," Muffy added.
While Mrs. Crosswire departed for baby Tyson's room, Dudley used his fork to sweep the leftover flan into the waste basket. "I feel like puking my butt off," he whispered to Muffy.
"Dudley, about that figure of speech..." Muffy started to say.
"Muffy, your friend is welcome to stay for dinner," called her mother from the baby's room.
"What are you preparing?" Dudley asked.
"I haven't decided," came Mrs. Crosswire's voice.
"How about oatmeal?" Muffy suggested.
----
"Arthur Timothy Read, do you take Francine Alice Frensky to be your awfully wedded wife?" asked D.W.'s cowgirl doll, which was doubling as a minister.
"Yes, I do," said a troll doll who stood in for Arthur.
While D.W. simulated Arthur and Francine's wedding in her bedroom, the two lovebirds were holding hands and watching a Bunny League episode in the living room.
"My favorite is Amazon Bunny," said Francine. "She's so exotic and beautiful."
"And stuck-up," Arthur responded. "She thinks she's better than the others, like some kind of princess. She reminds me of Muffy." Francine scowled at him. "Uh, before she stopped being that way."
On the TV screen, the League was locked in battle with a supervillainess named Hydra, who split in two every time they attacked her. They soon found themselves surrounded by dozens of Hydra duplicates, and were forced to withdraw.
"Who's your favorite?" Francine asked.
Arthur grinned proudly. "No one will ever compare to Bionic Bunny."
A commercial followed, and Francine used the opportunity to give Arthur repeated pecks on the lips. Mr. Read walked past the couch as they kissed, muttering, "I wonder what Sue Ellen would think."
"I have no problem with it," said Francine with a smirk.
Finding the commercial break to be quite unfulfilling, she began to muse on the situation of Sue Ellen's family. "I'll bet they changed their names after they moved. If that's true, then what Fern and Alan did shouldn't put them in any danger. If it's not true, then what's to stop their new neighbors from bringing up our school web page and learning the truth?"
Arthur's expression became thoughtful. "I wonder if Sue Ellen is her real name. Maybe she was called something else before she moved to Elwood City."
"No, she's been Sue Ellen since the day she was born," replied Francine. "But notice I haven't said anything about her last name."
----
Throughout the afternoon and early evening, April was besieged by students from both Lakewood Elementary and Bainbridge Middle School, wanting to know if the allegations published on the school web sites were true. Certain that being unavailable for comment would only heighten their suspicions, April fielded all of their inquiries, as much as she hated to do so.
"They won't leave me alone," she groused. Augusta, who was once again mixing ingredients in a bubbling vial, nodded sympathetically. "I'm afraid Fern and Alan will make good on their threat, and then the whole city will be knocking down our door."
"Here's an idea," Augusta proposed. "I could use a charm to erase your memory of where the Armstrongs moved to. Then, if enemy agents capture you, they won't get any information they can use."
April smirked sarcastically. "And you say Plan Z is drastic."
A knocking was heard. April reluctantly shuffled to the door, wondering which of her old and new friends had come to waste her time.
It turned out to be George. The moose boy had seen April a few times in passing, so he wasn't bowled over by the girl's resemblance to Sue Ellen.
"Come in, George," said April with a clear lack of enthusiasm.
"Uh, hi, April," he greeted the cat girl. "I just wanted to stop by and tell you that I read all the stuff on the school's web site about you, and I don't believe any of it."
Augusta whirled, smelling the unmistakable odor of beating around the bush. "That's not why you came," she said suspiciously, walking toward George and waving her fingers.
The boy felt a strange compulsion to be honest about his intentions. "Okay, it's not," he admitted. "I want to find out more about Dr. Portinari, because I have reason to believe he's from another planet." When he realized what he had said, he slapped his forehead and groaned dejectedly.
"Same old George," April chuckled. When she saw Augusta's concerned expression, she added, "George thinks everyone's an alien. He even thought I was an alien once. It's something he picked up from Buster."
"Please don't tell Dr. Portinari what I just said," George pleaded.
Smiling, Augusta reached out and rubbed George's stubbled scalp. "I won't," she agreed. "You're just a regular kid with an active imagination. You see someone who's new in town and a little strange, and you think aliens have landed. That's a good thing. When the invasion finally does come, it's people like you who will save us all."
"You shouldn't encourage him," April protested.
Augusta seemed not to hear her words. "Rick says he likes kids," she told George. "When I meet with him on Saturday, you can come along. Just tell him that you want to be a psychiatrist when you grow up."
"Cool," said George excitedly. "Thanks, Miss Winslow."
Augusta groaned quietly as she watched the boy hurry out of the apartment. She had grown to enjoy wearing dresses, but being called Miss Winslow was still painful to her ears.
"I don't think taking George along is a good idea," April warned her.
"It can't hurt," Augusta replied. "And who knows? Rick may turn out to be an alien after all."
TBC
