Chapter Nine
|Brat List Confirmation|
It was during a class change when Arthur felt Muffy's eyes upon him. She ran up, her high heels clacking on the tile, her face covered with makeup and a smile. Arthur sighed, trying to change out his books as quickly as he could with only one good arm so he could get back to class. The last person he wanted to see right now was Muffy.
"Arthur, can I talk to you?" Muffy asked sweetly. Arthur closed his locker, "Sorry, I need to get to class," he tried, but Muffy blocked his path, "Listen, I heard a rumor that my name was behind that little picture leak, and Brain told me your whole bus thought I was responsible. It's not me, I swear it! In fact, I found this on Sue Ellen's phone," Muffy whispered, flashing the original picture of a pregnant Naomi.
"Muffy, I don't want to hear it," Arthur said, trying to push past her, but Muffy stood her ground, "Listen, I can tell you're angry with me. Please, you have to believe me. Do you?" she asked, trying to throw a hint of sadness in her voice. Arthur scoffed, "I'm going to class. Get out of my way," Arthur said firmly, trying to push past her again.
As Muffy stood her ground, Arthur had no choice but to push her out of his way with his good arm. Muffy cried out as dramatically as possible, and people around them froze, in particular Francine. She huffed, approaching the two and gently pulling Arthur away.
"Muffy, stop being such a drama queen. Come on, Arthur," Francine whispered, pulling Arthur up the hallway. Muffy continued her dramatics, drawing in a teacher but no students. They were finished with Muffy's antics, and because of Arthur's sudden popularity, no one particularly cared what her problem was with him. They simply wanted him to be comfortable, and if Arthur wasn't comfortable, the one who was causing the discomfort deserved to be shunned.
During the next class change, Arthur sensed this change. Normally he crossed paths with Muffy on his way to the second floor, but today she was gone. People were still looking at him, their faces sympathetic. And when he entered his next class, he noticed Sue Ellen standing nearby.
"Arthur?" she called before he could step inside. He stopped and turned to her. "She went home, Arthur. She blamed me for the picture and tried to get me in trouble, but…it's been deciphered. They know," she smiled. "Don't worry about anything, Arthur. Just relax," Sue Ellen smiled, patting his good arm before departing.
Arthur's heart pounded as he took his seat. So Sue Ellen was standing up to Muffy for him? Arthur still had no idea what was going on, his mind still weak from his illness. He didn't understand why the politics had changed, why the usually-powerful Muffy was now on everyone's personal Brat List. He didn't understand, and truly, he didn't want to. He just wanted to go to class…and daydream more about his new range of romantic choices.
|Photo Fiasco|
Arthur went home with Buster after school, hoping to escape from the dramatic day. He'd been sent an important email from school staff that asked him to meet with the counselors the next day about Muffy's incident. The photo, which had gone viral among the high school's students, was removed, but Arthur knew that serious damage had probably been done. He just didn't really want to think about it right now.
"How do you like the model I'm making?" Buster asked, throwing his backpack down beside his bed and gesturing to his desk. Arthur nodded with satisfaction, "I think even Brain would like this. Are you going to finish painting it soon?" he asked. Buster nodded, pointing at the art supplies in the corner, "My mom wants to help me tonight. She was upset that I didn't let her in on it, so I kind of owe her."
Arthur nodded, sinking on the bed as Buster's computer beeped. Buster twitched the mouse and brought the screen to life. He immediately gasped excitedly and gestured Arthur over. The school's social media page was going wild again, this time over the girl drama playing out on another site: Naomi was fighting back.
"Naomi doesn't know much about Muffy, does she? Wait, she called her 'Daddy's Little Baby'? Ha!" Buster howled with laughter, nearly falling out of his seat. Arthur looked at the livestream of messages back and forth. They bounced in like firecrackers that hadn't gone off yet, but Arthur knew they would probably explode together in a huge fight.
"We need to put a stop to this," Arthur whispered, "before someone gets hurt," he said, trying to take control of the mouse. Buster stopped him, "No, Arthur. Just look and hear me out: Muffy deserves a good telling-off from someone other than her classmates. I know Sue Ellen did her best, but Naomi? Well if she's in her twenties, she should really be Muffy's idol. Let this play out. I bet they'll be best friends soon."
"I don't want that either," Arthur reminded him. Buster chuckled nervously, "Yeah, that would be pretty awful for you. Aww, it's glitching!" Buster cried, watching as the feed flickered then disappeared. "So much for that. Want to do your homework with me?" Buster asked weakly, his ears falling as he moved to his bag.
Arthur hesitated, "Do you think I should go home and comfort Naomi? She might need me right now, and—"
"She'll be fine, Arthur. It was a harmless photo anyway. Well, not entirely harmless. My point is that this will all blow over when it blows over, just like these girls fighting over you. Hey, I heard you were with Francine earlier. Is she after you as well?" Buster asked. Arthur sighed heavily, "No, she was helping me get away from Muffy. Why do you sound like you're so wired up? Do you want me to be with one of these crazy brats?"
"I want you to be happy, but…I do kind of want you to take advantage of this. It's not every day you get onto the hottie list, even if it is for something as crazy as a broken arm," Buster smiled weakly. Arthur shrugged, gathering his things. "Where are you going, Arthur? Please, stay for dinner. Mom is going to do her famous Italian Mash Up Casserole. The recipe won the newspaper's contest and everything. Arthur, wait!" Buster called, running up to him. "I'm sorry about whatever I said to upset you," he apologized.
"It's not you, Buster. I just…I feel like I should be home right now. Tell your mom to save me a plate. I'll have it tonight or tomorrow, whichever is the easiest for me," Arthur smiled weakly. Buster patted his good shoulder and walked him out. He hovered in the door and watched him leave before shrugging and heading upstairs. He immediately went back to the computer to see if anything had changed, but there were no new updates.
When Arthur got home, he found his mother helping the kids through homework, her face covered with stress lines. Arthur couldn't help her because she was opening containers of yogurt for the twins, but he could ask what was up.
"Naomi is holed up in the garage on the phone with your classmate. What happened at that school today, Arthur?" Jane asked. Arthur sighed, "Muffy pulled a prank involving me and Naomi. The picture has been taken down and—"
"See, this is what I was afraid of when we let those stupid Crosswire's look into her. She's a good girl, Arthur, but look at her," Jane sighed, glancing out the window. Arthur did the same; Naomi looked stressed. "She asked if she could bring her daughter here, but now I don't know if I should let her. What if Muffy tries to come over and do something to her? I'd feel horrible if I let something like that happen," Jane cried.
Arthur didn't really know what to say. He grabbed an apple and watched as his mother slinked into the den to find DW and Kate. While she wasn't looking, Arthur left out the front door. A few minutes later, he was back at Buster's house. Buster smiled and let his friend inside, happy to have someone to share dinner with.
|Fern the Informant|
It was about an hour after dinner when the doorbell rang. Bitzi, who was editing articles at the dining room table while the boys watched television nearby, decided to answer the door. She allowed in a teen girl: Fern.
"We need to talk," she said in a soft voice, her eyes focused on Arthur. He nodded, standing up and following her outside. They took a seat on the nearby bench, swatting at mosquitoes that were starting to appear. "I've been doing my own research on Naomi, research that includes the same documents the investigator looked at. They don't line up."
"Fern, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but—"
"You need to hear this. If she was able to trick a licensed investigator, then she could be a pretty big threat. I just don't know why she would've faked some of these documents. There's a birth certificate for a young girl with some discrepancies, and her enrollment papers have mysterious smudges hiding her true major and course track. She's up to something, and I just…I want your family to be safe," Fern sighed.
Arthur nodded solemnly, "Well, I'm a little tired of hearing about her right now. I have to go to a meeting tomorrow because of Muffy's antics, and I think Muffy and Naomi are in contact with each other, which means major cat fights. I'm done right now. I don't want any of this."
"I understand that, but sometimes you have to deal with social discomfort to get things done," Fern said, sighing heavily. "Listen, I've been thinking of ways to get back at Muffy for what she did to me. I had a wonderful friendship going, but she ruined it for her selfish reasons, and I no longer have any friends because of her. I want to show her what it's like to feel like she's on the bottom of all society. I want you to be as brutal as possible in that meeting, okay? I want you to be bru-tal," Fern emphasized.
"I make no guarantees, but…yes, Muffy deserves to feel like that," Arthur nodded. "I've gotten to know Naomi, and she shouldn't have to deal with a stupid high school girl's antics. What she did was…well it wasn't quite unforgivable, but it's pretty close. I'll do what I can, for you and for Naomi."
"Just don't protect Naomi too much. If she needs to fall, let her. I really think these lies point to something that just isn't right," Fern said, gathering her things and standing up, swatting a mosquito as she did. "I want you to keep me informed. Oh, do you mind giving me Sue Ellen's number again? She wanted to talk to me earlier."
"She and Muffy had a falling out," Arthur whispered, holding out his phone with Sue Ellen's contact information on the screen. "Maybe she wants to reconnect with you, pull you back into the loop," Arthur smiled. Fern grinned gently, "I'd really like that. Francine was nice to me today. She hasn't been nice to me since Muffy spread that rumor that…well, you remember," Fern blushed. Arthur nodded, waving to Fern as she walked away.
Once inside, Buster nearly dragged Arthur upstairs for details. Arthur told him everything, and then he called to make sure he could spend the night with Buster. Jane was frazzled, but she didn't mind letting him stay with a friend. She almost wished she was a few decades younger so she could do the same.