Keeping Secrets: Baljeet X Buford

Chapter 5

Xoxoxo

Later that night, Buford was on his bed staring moodily at his TV, not really watching it, when the phone rang. His mother was in the shower, so he rolled over and picked up the receiver from his bedside table. 'Yo?'

'Buford!' Baljeet's voice came through, the volume startling him and almost making him drop the phone.

'Hey, Buford!' another voice said, and he realized it was Phineas.

Confused, he muttered, 'what?'

'Three way calling is ingenious, isn't it?' Phineas gushed. 'You're on speaker over here, by the way. Ferb's listening in too. Say hello!'

'What are you, my mother?' Buford heard Ferb's voice mutter, and he grinned slightly.

'Okay, so it's a three-way call with four people,' he summed up, switching off his TV and laying back down on his bed. 'What do you guys want?'

'Well, we were thinking-' Buford was momentarily distracted when his mother, who'd evidently gotten out of the shower, turned on the TV downstairs. He zoned back in to hear Baljeet finishing with, 'it will be fun! Do you want to?'

'Uhm, sorry, repeat all that? I got distracted.'

Baljeet huffed, but Phineas and Ferb both chuckled. It was Ferb who ended up explaining. 'We were thinking the four of us could go to the amusement park tomorrow. Isabella has some kind of Fireside Girls meeting so she can't make it. It'd just be us guys.'

'Sounds good,' Buford stood and began to make his way downstairs. 'Just let me ask Mom.'

There was a chorus of 'okay!'

His mother was sprawled out on the couch when he approached and asked. She smiled and ruffled his hair, telling him it'd be good to get him out of the house for a while. He scowled and shoved her hand away from his hair, tromping back upstairs. 'Mom's okay with it,' he said into the phone.

'Sweet!' Phineas sounded excited. 'How about we all meet at Ferb and I's place at midday, have lunch here and then go?'

'That sounds good,' Baljeet replied. Buford grunted in agreement.

'MOM! I'M HOME FOR A VISIT!' Buford heard screeched into the phone, and he winced and held it away from his ear slightly.

'Oops, that's Candace,' Phineas chuckled, but he sounded kind of nervous. 'Better go before she skins us alive.'

'It's the pregnancy hormones,' Ferb muttered. 'See you guys tomorrow.'

'Bye!'

There was a click, and then it was just Baljeet on the other line. An awkward pause ensued, before Baljeet cleared his throat. 'You know, if you do not really want to go, you do not have to.'

Buford rolled his eyes, knowing the smaller boy wanted him to go desperately, but he knew that Buford wasn't great at handling their relationship in public. He was kind of touched at Baljeet's consideration. Part of him didn't want to go, but he hadn't been to the amusement park in ages. 'No worries, I'll go. I'll pick you up on my way to Phineas and Ferb's?'

'Okay!'

Buford could hear the smile in Baljeet's voice. 'I'll see you tomorrow, then, squirt.'

'Squirt? Really?' Baljeet faked an angry sigh. 'Will you ever stop with the demeaning nicknames?'

'Not a chance.'

Xoxoxo

The phone ringing woke him up around nine in the morning. He groped for it and pressed it to his ear, eyes still shut. 'Who the hell are you and why are you ringing me at this ungodly hour?' he snapped. He was grateful his mom was at work. If it'd been her day off, and the phone had woken her up, she'd be screaming her bloody head off.