Mrs. Armstrong was still surprised, "You?"
He lowered his head in shame, "…Yes, I couldn't keep it a secret any longer, I lied to too many people... I… Love you!"
"There isn't anything to be ashamed about I had a crush on one of my teachers when I was younger, those love notes you wrote were very beautiful. Where did you write such beautiful calligraphy?"
Max ignored the question, "But I can't go on keeping it a secret…"
She looked at Max and she could see the sadness in his eyes, the desperation, "You are a good kid, but it wouldn't be right if you were to have a loving relationship with a teacher, I know you saved my life, but you should probably go for someone your own age…" Max had tears welling up in his eyes he knew he was probably going to cry; he couldn't accept the cold harsh truth, however she smiled at him "But I do know of someone who is one of my best friends?"
He was nervous, "Who?"
"Someone named Max Clarkson," He had hugged her she hugged him back and said, "I don't deserve these chocolates, give them to a girl you really like and we will pretend this had never happened."
"But…"
Mrs. Armstrong interrupted him and she spoke softly to the tiger boy whose eyes were filled with tears, "Max, this wouldn't be right, as of right now I know you have a crush on me, I suggest you read 'On a very special Arthur,' it tells the story of Alan having a crush with someone, I don't want to hurt your feelings…"
Max sighed sadly, he had a deeply inspiring crush on her and he knew people would do anything for love, but he knew this love couldn't be, because she was happily married; if he were to successfully land a relationship with her not many people would be too happy about it because of various lawsuits with teachers that go beyond the student-teacher relationship, "…Ok."
This wasn't the way he wanted things to end but he had to accept it he didn't want to get her in trouble; it was a load off his mind telling her what he was doing but it at the same time upset him because of all the lying he was doing to Buster and Prunella.
Prunella was a girl he had a crush on, but he was too nervous to tell a soul. He figured Mrs. Armstrong would be the best person to tell, "Prunella…"
"What about her?"
"That is the girl I have a crush on."
As he concluded that sentence the bell had rang, "We will have to talk about this during lunch. I don't want to see you become incriminated by your peers."
Max sat down and smiled at her, she was the only person who he could confide in; he was having some problems fitting in at school, he always talked to Mrs. Armstrong, he sort of reminded her of Sue Ellen for some reason...
Mrs. Armstrong was still in class grading some tests when Arthur walked by getting his books and he walked in, "Arthur can I see you for a moment?" He had walked in, with curiosity on his face, "Can you please hang around with Max a bit more? He seems to have problems making friends."
Arthur was still curious.
Mrs. Armstrong was a bit saddened, "He needs friends his own age, and I noticed he is having some problems adjusting here… Where ever he lived before he had never seen snow in his entire life.
"But he… well has emotional problems…" Arthur admitted.
"He just needs someone his own age to hang out with; please can you and George just do something with him?"
Arthur sighed, as they agreed to, the met up with Max, who was a bit nervous of their presence, "So whatcha doing?"
Max was looking at the snow mysteriously, "…Like cold wet sand."
"I see… what do you have planned for D.W.?"
"I will show you…" they both went to the art room, Sue Ellen was there doing some final touches on Max's creation, "An octopus made out of paper Mache."
It was of an aqua green color, "Whoa!" Arthur exclaimed, "You made that?"
George was a bit envious of the creating, "Cool!"
"I had a little help, should we show it to D.W.?"
Arthur looked at it in awe, "I like the black button eyes you gave it…"
Max picked it up, "I used rubber snakes for the arms, to make its arms feel so real," he explained as Arthur and Max left the classroom to show D.W.
"AHHH!" D.W. shrieked and she ran off.
All Arthur and Max did was laugh hysterically, Max concluded by saying, "This brings great justice because I need to stand firm when dealing with her."
"Try the Tibbles?" Arthur suggested. Max and Arthur saw the bear cub twins wreaking havoc down the hallway, "They make D.W. look like a perfect angel."
Max lowered his head in sadness, "Already did and I failed miserably..."
-----------------
Starla, her mother, Muffy and Buck were taken to Terra, with Sue Ellen and Fern's weapons, they had just landed and had walked around the space port, different aliens were selling strange fruits, others were peddling strange religions. As well as not so strange religions
"Learn the science of Scientology!" An older aardvark man wearing a simple uniform yelled, he had continued, "How about the fundamentals of Fundamentalism?" Muffy sighed, she figured this guy wasn't serious; he had continued, "The anarchy of Anarchism? Or the methods of Methodism?"
She turned around, "Now you are just making stuff up."
"How about-…"
"You shut the hell up and step off." Buck said as he started to get annoyed, "I had a long trip and I don't want to hear about how religion is going to better us. We both come from non-religious practicing homes, and you can shove what ever you are pushing up your ass." They both went into a nearby restaurant, it was a cozy little place, "Hey barkeep, give me a shot of whiskey!"
Buck got a shot glass with of some fine whiskey in it, and Muffy just ordered some tomato soup, "I hope those gangsters give up the search."
"They won't…"
"I hope no one minds we are carrying around Sue Ellen and Fern's broken weapons…" Muffy turned to Starla and her mother, "What are your plans now?"
"We will settle here," Mrs. Benneditto stated, "I will see if I could find a job, get Starla enrolled in a school and we will be a happy family.
"It was great knowing you Muffy, I know we both been through a lot together," Starla added sadly as she and her mother had set off to the Dark Mage village.
"I wonder if we will see them again…" Muffy asked curiously.
"Not likely…" Buck replied as the dark mage handed him Fern and Sue Ellen's broken weapons.
One of the handmaidens heard the names 'Fern and Sue Ellen' and walked forward, "Sue Ellen and Fern, you both know where they are?"
Muffy was curious, "Why should we tell you?"
"They are in danger, I-"
Buck stopped her, "No, we are we just got off Earth to get away from some gangsters, we got their weapons and pretty much came with some dark mages; they are back home where they belong."
"Ok, I don't believe you and now is the time to say that you both are under arrest for the murders of two members of the order."
"What?" Muffy shrieked.
She had summoned a short alien with a small build with red skin and oddly shaped eyes, he slapped the cuffs on them both, and he spoke in a strange alien language, loosely translated he said "We will send you to Kubăz."
"Huh?"
The Handmaiden had translated the alien, "You will be going to Kubăz."
"Where?"
"It is a planet where we send the likes of you both to atone for their crimes; it is a dry arid planet, which is a prison planet, you will have members of organized crime and members of heresy lords trying to kill you both."
To Be Continued.
