Arthur the Senior

Chapter 3: The Tower of Pain

"Alright, it's time for lunch". Mr. Ratburn walked over to his desk and sat down, searching for a pen. As the class filed out the door, Buster tugged Arthur's arm. "Well?", he asked. "Well what?", replied Arthur. "Well are we gonna talk about yesterday?" Arthur had nearly forgotten what he said to Buster yesterday. He now remembered not being in his right mind then. "Oh yeah, shit sorry man, I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I was just thinking about her, about her body...". His voice trailed off. Buster examined him curiously. "Your shoes are untied". Arthur quickly tied his shoes and walked off.

During lunch, Buster kept eyeing Arthur. He saw him sitting with Francine and Muffy. Muffy was laughing at a joke he made. Francine kept her eyes on her salad bowl.

"Hey, mind if I join you?" It was the Brain. Buster made room for him. "What've you been up to"? asked the Brain. "Oh nothing much" said Buster. "Hey, do you think Arthur's been acting kinda weird lately?" Brain put down his spoon. "In what way?" Buster checked to make sure no one was listening. "Meet me at the Tower of Pain in the elementary school after class".

Buster waited at the Tower of Pain. He could see Arthur walking home with Francine not far behind him. Arthur seemed to be in that sex high again.

"Hey I'm here". The Brain was climbing up the ladder. "So what'd you wanna talk to me about?"

Buster ushered him closer. "Can you keep a secret?" The Brain nodded. Buster took a deep breath. "Well, Arthur's been having sex with Francine and he seems to think he's some sort of man now because he did it. I don't like how he's acting. He used to be so innocent." The Brain stared at Buster. "Now I don't even know if we can be friends anymore. It's like he's a whole different person". The Brain moved closer. "Listen," he said. "Don't be friends with Arthur anymore. I think he's gonna be a bad influence for you. Take my advice. Hang out with me after school during science club".
Buster pondered this request. "I'll think about it. But what about Arthur? What do you make of it?" The Brain thought for a moment. "Well, I think he's trying to fulfill something. Something internal. If you ask me, I think he's just trying to prove to himself that he's not a little kid anymore. You be careful Buster. He'll probably try to do more 'manly' things".

Buster suddenly felt queasy. The tower suddenly seemed to be moving. "Are you okay?" asked the Brain. "I think I've gotta run. Thanks Brain". Buster slid down the slide and clumsily walked off in a daze. He turned around and saw Brain's silhouette at the top of the tower, staring at him. He quickly ran off.

Arthur did not come to school the next day. Or the day after that. In fact, Arthur did not come to school for the rest of that week. Buster knew something was wrong. He and the Brain talked together during lunch. They agreed that something was going on with Arthur, either good or bad. All during lunch they contemplated different ideas of how to confront Arthur. "The easiest thing to do would be to talk to him" said the Brain. Buster hesitated. "What if he gets pissed at me? What if he's gone so low that he has no hope?" The Brain nodded solemnly. "Maybe he has, but there's definitely still hope. Just talk to him and explain things to him. It'll be alright". Buster felt sick for the rest of the day. As last period ended, Buster caught Brain's eye and gave him a slight nod. He knew what he had to do.