He was late.
After first period they usually had five minutes to get to their next class. He'd quickly gone to the bathroom in those five minutes and then ended up going on a detour because he thought he saw one of the buildings on fire, but it turned out to just be a load of smoke coming from one of the chemistry classrooms. By the time he stopped staring and remembered he was supposed to be in class, he was already ten minutes late and the room was on the other side of the school. He hurried through the deserted corridors, not really worrying all that much. His teacher was used to Buford's antics by now. She probably wouldn't even bother to tell him off.
Despite the horrid drama in his life, he was in a rather good mood. Just before he and Baljeet had gone their separate ways before class, the smaller boy had leaned up for their usual goodbye kiss (which was really just the slightest brushing of lips and Buford had previously only put up with it to keep up appearances) and he'd decided to just take advantage of the way things were. He knew eventually something bad was going to happen and end up separating them, so when Baljeet leaned up he wrapped one strong arm around the boy's waist and dragged him closer, giving him a much more intimate kiss than they'd ever had. It had been their first kiss since Buford realized his feelings, and now he could enjoy it freely without being confused as to why he was enjoying it.
When he'd pulled away, everyone except Ferb had looked surprised, and the green-haired teen had just chuckled quietly and shook his head.
His good mood came crashing down when the reality of the situation hit him. For gods sake, he was going to have to break up with Baljeet as some point. Maybe he should be trying to get the kid to end up disliking him so by the time it happened, he wouldn't be upset at all. Instead, he'd just gone and encouraged him.
He took a breath and let it out. Could he really go through with it?
Laughter ripped through his thoughts, forcing him to a stop. He already knew who it was before he even turned, suppressing a groan. Why couldn't this guy just leave him alone? Sure enough, Chris was standing right behind him with a smug look.
"So," the blond said casually. He leant up against the wall of the corridor and fixed Buford with an evil smirk. "Short shit likes you, huh? Oh, whoops, loves you. I forgot. How disgustingly cute. It was so perfect that he told you while you were dancing. Tell me, did you feel butterflies, Buford? Was having someone fall in love with you all that its choked up to be?"
"Just because no one will ever like a freak like you," Buford snarled in response, hands curling into fists.
"Shut it, faggot," Chris' voice turned cold. "At least I didn't let my mother's boyfriend take me up the ass."
Buford flinched and looked away, his blood turning icy. He was so fucking sick of this asshole continuously bringing that up. He just wanted it to go away. Chris laughed at his reaction and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Once he'd put one in his mouth and lit it, he leaned forward and blew the smoke into Buford's face, laughing again when the other tried his best not to start coughing.
"As you've probably already guessed, the mission is pretty much drawing to a close," Chris took another drag of his smoke. "You've accomplished what I told you to. The foreign brat love you, its time to finish this."
"Why do you hate him?" Buford had heard Baljeet's side of the story, but he wanted to know why such a tiny little thing had driven Chris to this extent.
"Because he's small and weak... and because I can?" Chris dropped his half-finished cigarette and stomped on it, crushing it into the tiled floor of the corridor.
"That's a stupid excuse."
To the blond's credit, he did manage to slam Buford up against the wall and pin him there, his elbow digging into the brunet's throat, before he even realized what was going on. Chris' face was close to his own, sneering in distaste. "You are going to break him, Buford, like it or not! You will rip out his heart, you will do it publicly, and if you don't fucking doing it I'll make your life a living hell, got it?"
"You already have," Buford muttered. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to just lunge for Chris, but he held back.
"Oh my god," the blond pulled his face away just a bit, but kept his elbow where it was. "You like him back, don't you? You actually developed feelings for the scu-"
His self control snapped. With a yell, Buford shoved the other away from him and followed it up with a clenched fist swinging towards Chris' jaw. The blond dodged and tried to retaliate, but Buford just rammed into him, slamming him into the wall and suddenly their positions were reversed. The brunet had his hand around Chris' throat, seriously considering tightening his grip. Not to kill him, god no, but just to inflict some pain onto the kid who was the reason he was so fucked up right now. He realized that his fingers had been tightening without conscious thought and he let go, disgusted at himself. He wasn't like this, not anymore.
Chris sank to the floor, one hand going up to cover his throat. "You'll regret this, Van Stomm. I'll make fucking sure of it!"
Buford's only response was a glare before he turned and continued making his way towards his class, which he was now seriously late for. He could hear Chris cursing behind him.
Buford threw open the door of the dressing room, storming inside. The last two days had been horrid. Chris wouldn't stop badgering him and everytime he saw Baljeet he'd feel a fresh wave of guilt and confusion. He claimed he really liked Baljeet, and yet he was planning on hurting him. It made his head ache just thinking about it.
"Buford! Hey!" Phineas called from where he was sitting, waving his arm. Ferb was sitting beside him, watching Buford with a raised brow.
"What's wrong?" the green-haired teen asked lightly.
"Nothing's wrong," the brunet grunted angrily. "What the hell makes you think something's wrong?"
"You're looking pissed off."
"I'M ALWAYS PISSED OFF!"
"No, you're not," Ferb frowned.
"Uh, hello?" Buford sank down into the seat next to his friend just as Phineas got up to go grab the wig he'd be wearing for the play. "Where have you been living the past forever?"
"Well, first I was in England and now I live with Phineas," Ferb answered seriously, despite the fact it was a rhetorical question.
"Oh, your darling Phineas," Buford spat.
A look of hurt crossed Ferb's face but the bully was too nervous and upset to care. They were about to go on stage and perform the play. He was most likely supposed to complete the mission during it, and he was completely on edge about it.
Ferb grabbed his arm, wearing a half serious, half pissed off face. "What the fuck is wrong, man!"
Buford didn't answer, but it didn't matter because Ferb got distracted anyway. The door, which had closed after Buford had stormed in, opened again. Chris stalked in and stared around at them all. An evil smirk was playing at his lips. "Alright, who's going to help me get dressed?"
One of his nerds rushed over and stood by his side. Chris nodded at him before surveying the room once again. He grinned at Buford and then winked at Baljeet (who was on the other side of the room, helping Phineas with his wig, and Buford hadn't even realized he was there). After this, he pulled his nerd off to the make up station to get ready.
It was the first time Chris had ever been so into the play. Hell, he hardly ever showed up for auditions, but now he looked pumped and excited. It was the only confirmation Buford needed. He was going to have to finish the mission during the play.
Could he really go through with it?
He saw the exact moment that Ferb realized why Chris was so pumped as well. He turned to Buford with a worried expression, opening his mouth, but Phineas, wearing his blonde wig, came and sat back down beside him before he had the chance to speak. Just at that moment, their teacher (who had been putting stage make up on Isabella) stood up and clapped her hands. "Alright, we have an hour before we go on! I want everyone into their costumes, now! I'm going to run this show like the army!"
"She doesn't mean like an actual army, right, Ferb?" Phineas asked.
"It's okay, Phin," Ferb replied, the worried look never leaving his face. "She probably means if we don't hurry up she'll give us detention, not the whole 'I'll turn all of your friends against you so they beat you up with soap and pillow cases in the middle of the night' army thing."
Phineas didn't look very convinced, but he nodded and walked away to find his costume. Ferb turned to Buford, opening his mouth, but yet again he was cut off, this time by the teacher yelling at them. "Get your costumes on now, boys!"
Ferb attempted to talk to Buford four times as they were getting ready, but each time he failed. Almost an hour later the two were standing in the wings of the stage, waiting for the curtain to rise up. Phineas approached and stood on Buford's other side. They were all wearing the dresses that Candace had painstakingly made for them.
Buford began to freak out, looking around for Baljeet. He couldn't see the Indian anywhere. What if Chris did something to him while Buford wasn't there to protect him? His breathing began to quicken, and Ferb elbowed him in the side. "Calm down!"
"It'll be okay!" Phineas reassured, obviously thinking Buford was worried about the play. The redhead, so innocent, took Buford's hand and squeezed it. "Everything will be fine."
And suddenly they could hear a huge crowd clapping and the voice of the narrator echoed out over the hall they were all in. "Once upon a time there was a mermaid named Ariel-" there was a pause, some rustling sounds and muted cursing. "Who switched my scripts around?"
Buford sighed. He knew it was going to be a long night.
The curtain rose to reveal a large white canvas, and somewhere in the back of the hall there was a projector shining a slideshow onto the canvas. The first picture was one of Buford as a baby, but it had been edited (surprisingly well) to make him look like a girl.
"Once upon a time there was a young girl named Ella. Well, Cinderella, because she was constantly dirty, but that comes later. Anyway, she was a beautiful young girl who lived with her parents and had a peaceful, happy life. Until her mother died and her father married and evil stepmother with two ugly daughters who were intent on making Cinderella's life a misery..."
As the narrator spoke, the pictures on screen changed. All of them were edited photos of Buford when he was younger. Ferb was snickering quietly beside him, and the bully threw him a glare.
One of the Chris' buddies, who Buford seriously disliked, popped up in front of them. "Aww, Buford!" he cooed. "You were so cute when you were little!"
"Would you shut up?" the brunet hissed, shoving the boy by the shoulders roughly. It was a horrible move because the boy stumbled backwards and landed on his arse- right on the stage in front of the audience.
"Oops," Buford grinned.
There was an awkward paused before the narrator stopped with his lines and said, "Evan! Get off the stage!"
The boy, Evan, scrambled up and ran into the wings, face bright red. He avoided Buford's eye, who was smirking. Ferb looked amused as well, but Phineas was frowning at them both.
The stage went dark and several helpers rushed on, pulling the white canvas away. Buford knew that behind it was a staircase and a balcony, and he also knew that this was his cue. He was shoved roughly onto the stage and he turned around, seeing Isabella waving innocently at him. He pulled the finger at her in response just as the lights came back on.
He turned bright red, realizing the whole crowd was watching him, being the only one on stage. Trying to ignore the fact he was wearing a blonde curly wig and a brown, ragged dress, he cleared his throat and did his best to recite his lines, knowing the tiny microphone clipped to his dress would pick up his words. "Oh, woe is me, my-"
"Buford!" a not so quiet voice hissed from the front row of the audience. "Psst, Buford!"
"MOM!" the bully exclaimed in embarrassment, watching as his mother waved excitedly and pointed her video camera at him.
He abruptly remembered where he was and began to pace the stage, trying to remember his lines. "My step mother is so mean to me, and my step sisters are too!"
His foot caught on the ends of his dress and he stumbled, almost falling on his face. He muttered a few choice swear words, and he could hear Ferb laughing from off the stage. He sent a death glare into the wings, wishing he could just leave. The teacher, obviously panicking, sent Phineas and Ferb out onto the stage.
"Oh, look who it is," Phineas sneered. He seemed like he was getting really into it. With his red dress and blonde wig, he actually looked the part too. "My lazy little step-sister who couldn't even be bothered to wash my clothes!"
"I've been so busy with the dishes, sister-" Buford started.
"Shut up!" Phineas cut him off. It was Ferb's line next and they both looked at him, who looked completely unimpressed in his green dress and black wig.
"You're such a bitch, Cinderella," he muttered, putting no effort into it at all.
Buford rolled his eyes. Phineas pointed an accusing finger at the brunet. "Oh my gosh! You aren't doing your chores! MOTHER!"
Chris appeared at the top of the balcony, dressed in a poofy pink dress and a brown wig. He waved his arms around dramatically. "My darling daughter! You called for me?"
"Fall off, bitch," Buford muttered. Ferb cracked up laughing beside him. Their microphones had been temporarily turned off to allow room for Chris' entrance, so they weren't worried about their voices being carried all over the hall.
Chris slowly made his way down the stairs that lead to the balcony, talking all the while. "How dare you not do your chores? We took you in when your father died, we gave you a home, the clothes on your back and put food in your mouth!"
Once he'd reached the bottom he took his place between Phineas and Ferb. "I expect you to do all the washing within the hour!" he then put his arms around the brothers. "Come, dear daughters! Let us go down to the market!"
The look on Ferb's face clearly told Buford what he thought of Chris touching him. The green-haired teen elbowed the blond in the stomach before leaving the stage. Chris cursed under his breath. "Uhm," Phineas took Chris' arm. "I'm sure she's just angry at Cinderella, mother!"
He pulled Chris off the stage. Buford made a mental note to high-five Ferb at some point. "Well, I guess I better get started," he said out loud before hurrying off the stage himself.
The lights dimmed and helpers rushed onto the stage in order to set up the next scene. Buford caught sight of the narrator as he shuffled through some papers, obviously trying to find his lines. Isabella was helping him, all dressed in her fairy godmother costume. Their teacher was drinking something that looked suspiciously like alcohol.
Baljeet was waiting in the wings and Buford felt his breath catch at the sight of him. The teen was dressed in figure hugging slacks, a fake sword strapped to his hip. He wore a billowy shirt and a cap with a feather sticking out of it on his head. He looked like a prince.
Buford leaned down and pressed a kiss to his cheek quickly, muttering, "break a leg."
The Indian smiled before hurrying onto the stage. Ferb approached and Buford high fived him before they both turned to watch Baljeet's scene.
"Meanwhile, in the palace..." the narrator intoned.
The lights came back on to show Baljeet sitting on a chair. The boy sighed dramatically and wriggled around. "I am bored and lonely! I must find myself a beautiful dame who I shall sweep off her yonder feet!"
Buford snorted at how dramatic Baljeet was being. Ferb was grinning as he watched. Phineas joined them a moment later, whispering, "wow, he's really good at this!"
The grand duke, played by Django (the boy who'd originally played him had gone on holiday), walked onto the stage from the wings on the other side. He was fiddling with one of the props his character had as he walked, a glass eye thing that Candace had insisted on incorporating into the play after seeing it on the Disney movie version of Cinderella.
Django's fingers slipped and the glass fell, shattering on the ground. There was a moment of awkward silence before he walked over to Baljeet, who was standing right next to the wings. Buford narrowed his eyes, staring into the semi-darkness of the opposite wing. "Is that... Chris? What's he doing?"
He could see the other bully on his hands and knees, still in his costume, getting closer and closer to where Baljeet was standing. No one was taking any notice of him, and he passed into a part of the wings where there was no light and suddenly Buford couldn't see him anymore. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Dear prince!" Django exclaimed. "We should hold a wonderful ball and invite all the beautiful ladies of the land! Then we shall find your one true love!"
"You are right!" Baljeet agreed, jumping up from his seat. "I shall find my one true love!"
He pulled out his sword dramatically. Buford covered his mouth, trying to not burst out laughing. So that's what Chris had been doing. Impaled on the end of the sword was a cucumber, which slid off when Baljeet drew the plastic prop and waved it around. It was flung right into the audience and landed on a person's lap, who just so happened to be Jeremy Johnson. Candace was sitting beside him and they both stared incredulously at the vegetable.
Baljeet and Django sprinted off the stage. Buford was holding his sides with laughter. For once, Chris had done something right. That had been absolutely hilarious. The lights on the stage went out once again as the scene changed.
"So the prince organized a ball, because fuck logic, true love can obviously be found in one night-" the narrator started. Buford turned to look at him just as Adyson smacked him around the head.
The brunet chuckled and nodded to Baljeet, who had just hurried past. It was too hectic to try and stop for a chat, but the Indian did give him a huge smile before disappearing again.
"And so we return to Cinderella..."
Buford hurried back out onto the stage, barely managing to keep himself from tripping just as the lights came back on. He picked up a broom that was leaning against a chair and began to sweep. Not too long after that there was a loud knocking noise and Buford opened the fake door that had been set up during the black out. There was a messenger on the other side, and they just stared at each other for a few moments.
Buford slammed the door in the guy's face, hissing into his microphone, "what are my lines again?"
Phineas, who was closest to Buford in the wings, called out his lines as quietly as he could. Ferb was grinning behind his brother, obviously finding the whole situation rather amusing. Nodding in thanks to Phineas, Buford re-opened the door to a bewildered messenger. "Hello there! How may I help thee?"
"This isn't Shakespeare, Van Stomm!" a kid called from off stage.
"Well it is now!" Buford called back.
"Shut up and do your lines!" the teacher hissed at them.
The messenger handed Buford a letter and ran back into the wings. Buford opened the letter and read aloud, "Dear Ladies and Gentlemen of the kingdom, you are hereby invited to attend a royal ball in honor of the Prince and his quest for his true love, sincerely the Grand Duke."
The door to the balcony opened and Chris entered, his arms outstretched dramatically. Phineas and Ferb both followed him out. Ferb bumped into Chris as he did so, seemingly on accident, and the bully almost fell from the balcony. Ferb turned and hurried down the stairs to avoid Chris' glare.
"You! Heinous creature!" Ferb pointed a finger at Buford, who face-palmed. Looks like he wasn't the only one to forget his lines.
Phineas came hurrying down the stairs after them. In a blur of motion he tripped over his dress, much like Buford had done, and flew straight into Ferb, who ended up on the ground from the impact. Ferb groaned when Phineas landed on top of him and rolled them over so he was on top, preparing to get off and stand up.
"Go for it!" Buford snickered, intending his voice to be quiet. Instead it echoed throughout the entire hall, courtesy of his still on microphone. Ferb glared as Chris came down from the balcony.
"Oh, my clumsy daughters! Get up, dears, for we have received an invitation!" Chris yanked Ferb into a standing position, who in turn helped Phineas up.
The redhead took a moment to recover from his fall before leaning over and snatching the letter out of Buford's hands. "We have been invited to the prince's ball!"
"All of us?" Chris asked. Phineas nodded, sneering at Buford. "Well, my dear Cinderella. You shall be allowed to the ball if all your chores are done. Oh, and you must also prepare our dresses for us."
"Yes, step-mother," Buford sighed. They all turned and left the stage. Phineas, Ferb and Chris hurried into a special area cordoned off for costume changes. Buford stood near the stage, ready to re-enter when he heard his cue.
"So Cinderella did all of her chores and prepared her step-mother and step-sisters' dresses, but once done her ugly step-mother refused to allow her to go. And so Cinderella was forced to watch her sisters flaunt their beautiful dresses in front of her," the narrator said.
Phineas and Ferb reappeared at Buford's side, this time dressed in their ball costumes, and they entered the stage together. Phineas twirled around in his dress before admiring Ferb's, exclaiming, "we are going to be the fairest at the ball!"
"Too bad you can't go," Ferb sneered at Buford. "Look at you! How disgusting."
He gestured towards the brunet's dirty and ragged dress, which looked cheap next to the beautiful red and green dresses of the brothers'. Chris entered the stage from the balcony and descended the stairs, wearing a horrid florescent pink dress.
"We are leaving now, girls!" he looked down at Buford with an evil little smile that the brunet was well acquainted with. "I want this entire house clean by the time I get back!"
He took Phineas and Ferb by the elbows and attempted to lead them into the wings. Ferb stuck out his foot and tripped him when they were halfway before grabbing Phineas and leaving. Chris stumbled back to his feet and followed, wearing a murderous look. Buford had his head in his hands, pretending to cry like the script said, but he was really laughing uncontrollably. Once he'd gotten a hold of himself, he headed off stage, intending to thank Ferb at some point. It was obvious the green-haired teen was purposely trying to make Chris' life difficult, and Buford appreciated it.
"And so Cinderella cleaned the entire house," the narrator read as the stage went dark. "Once she was done she sat down and cried because of how horrible her life was."
Buford had already climbed back onto the stage as the narrator was talking, and he situated himself on a seat in the middle of the stage and buried his head in his hands. The stage once again lit up and he pretended to cry.
Isabella entered through the door at the top of the staircase and descended, holding out her arms dramatically. She looked amazing in her silver dress, complete with fairy wand and tiara. "Do not cry, my dear," she said in the softest voice she could manage. "I am here to make all your wishes come true!"
"Really?" Buford looked up at her and added a little sniffle for dramatic effect. "You could help me get to the ball?"
"Of course! I will sort everything out, for I am your fairy godmother!" she hit Buford over the head with her wand, much harder than necessary the bully noted, and the lights on the stage went haywire, flashing brilliant colours. The audience couldn't see what was going on very clearly as a helper rushed onto the stage, handed Isabella the props she needed and then left. The lights settled down to show Isabella holding out a gorgeous silvery blue dress and blue slippers (it had been decided that high heels were just too much for Buford, and he wouldn't be able to walk around in them). "Take these. There is a carriage waiting for you outside, my dear. But you must be back by midnight, for then your dress will turn into rags and your carriage into a pumpkin!"
"Yes, fairy godmother," Buford replied, trying to force the proper happiness into his voice. "Thank you so much!"
They both exited the stage and Buford hurried over to the cordoned off changing area, struggling to get into the silver-blue dress and slippers. At one point Adyson came over and helped him, seemingly unaffected by the sight of him in his boxers. She was completely professional, keeping a straight face throughout. She transferred Buford's microphone from the old dress to the new and then pushed him back towards the stage when she was done. "Thanks!" he whispered and she smiled and nodded in response.
He joined Phineas and Ferb in the wings and watched the stage, where the next scene was already playing. Baljeet was sitting in a chair on top of the staircase, Django beside him, looking bored. There were a bunch of people milling about on stage, dancing and talking. For a ball, it didn't look too exciting.
"Why couldn't we have done Aladdin instead?" Buford muttered to Ferb, gesturing to his dress. "At least Jasmine gets to wear pants."
"Yeah, but the only other thing she wears is a bra," the boy replied with a smirk.
"Good point."
Chris joined them, standing beside Buford and throwing him a nasty smile. "Alright, Van Stomm?"
"Fine," Buford spat. "And you, Fraser?"
"Oh, just peachy," the blond snickered before looking at Phineas and Ferb. "Alright, Flynn, Fletcher, come on."
The three of them rushed onto the stage. It said in their scripts they had to throw their hands into the air for some unknown reason (really, they shouldn't have let Candace help). Phineas and Chris did it fine, but Ferb somehow managed to throw his fist into Chris' jaw. Buford snickered loudly as the blond held his face and glared daggers at Ferb, who had turned his back on him as if nothing had happened. God, he so owed Ferb for this.
"My prince, maybe one of these girls could be your true love!" Django said to Baljeet, gesturing to Phineas and Ferb.
"Perhaps we should go talk to the prince," the green-haired teen said unenthusiastically.
"Yes, brother, we shall!" the redhead exclaimed.
"...I'm your sister," Ferb corrected, grinning when Phineas blushed and looked absolutely mortified.
They climbed the staircase and started to converse with Baljeet. Ferb was hitting on him like crazy, obviously deciding if he had to do it, he might as well do it right. Phineas was grinning and making a comment here and there.
Chris was watching them from the 'dance floor' right next to one of the makeshift doors, arms crossed over his chest. "God, I need a smoke," he muttered. Unfortunately for him, his microphone was still on and his voice carried over the hall. Everyone turned to stare at him and he was just about to stalk off when Buford threw open the makeshift door, uncaring that it almost hit Chris in the face.
Buford stormed to the center of the stage and stood with his hands on his hips. All the other dancers stopped and stared at him. "Look how beautiful that girl is!" they murmured.
Baljeet stood from his chair and pushed Phineas and Ferb out of the way, staring at Buford intently. "Her!" he said, pointing. "She is my one true love!"
As he had been speaking, he had been making erratic arm movements. Phineas began to copy him, throwing his arms in the air and mouthing the boy's lines. Buford cracked up laughing at this. Baljeet frowned at Phineas before descending the staircase and holding out his hand. "Would you care to dance?"
Buford opened his mouth to agree when he spotted a bee floating about above Baljeet's head. He stumbled backwards in fright, flushing bright red when the audience and most of the cast started laughing. The bee landed on Baljeet's arm and the boy sighed and shook his head before flicking it off. He held out his hand again and Buford took it, trying to ignore the audience as slow music began to play.
It was so different to hold Baljeet's hand, and to dance with him, when there were so many people staring straight at him. He still felt a bubbly kind of feeling in his stomach at the contact, but he also felt self-conscious, wondering if people could see how his cheeks were heating up. Their dancing was awkward at first because even with the high shoes Baljeet had been forced into wearing, there was still a huge height difference. It would have been fine if Baljeet had been the female, but unfortunately that role had to be left to Buford.
Other couples began to join in with the dance, Phineas and Ferb both finding partners, although they would send jealous glares over at Buford every now and again. "Who is that strange girl?" Ferb stage whispered to himself. At one point, when Phineas and his partner were dancing close to the brunet, he overheard Phineas singing quietly to himself. "Can you feel the love toniiiiight?"
Buford stumbled over his dress once again and heard an ominous ripping sound. Completely fed up with it by this point, he let go of Baljeet and leaned down, ripping off the bottom so the dress now came down to his shins.
"Oh my fucking god," they heard Candace say loudly. "I spent ages on that dress."
No one payed much attention to her at that point, because the music changed from soft and slow to upbeat and fast. It was a techno song that was quite popular amongst the teens, and Buford only had to look around to see who was responsible. Chris was no where to be seen, confirming his suspicions. Was fucking around with the play all apart of his master plan, or was it just something to amuse the bully? Buford didn't know.
They all waited for the techno to stop but it didn't. Apparently no one could turn it off. Shrugging, the students on the stage all began to dance again. The play was already screwed up anyway. Who cared if the music was weird?
There was a loud chiming sound in the background and they heard the narrator say, "but then the clock struck midnight!"
Buford toed off one of the slippers before sprinting off the stage. It was so much easier to move now that he'd shortened the dress. Once in the wings, he turned to see Baljeet pick up the slipper and hold it high above his head. "I declare here and now in front of all of you, I shall find this mystery woman who has stolen my heart!"
Rolling his eyes, Buford turned to make his way into the changing area to get back into the ragged brown dress he'd previously been wearing. He'd just pulled off the silver-blue dress and was in just his boxers when Chris approached him.
"It's time, Van Stomm."
Buford's grip on the brown dress he was holding tightened. This was the moment he'd been dreading for weeks. It was now he'd have to make his choice. His happiness, or Baljeet's happiness.
He closed his eyes and pictured Baljeet's smile. Remembered his laugh, his sweetness, his kisses. The way he'd always supported Buford no matter what, the way they'd stayed friends even when Buford bullied him.
Could he go through with it?
He knew, even before he opened his eyes and fixed Chris with a murderous glare, that the next thing he said would seal his fate forever.
"No."
"What are you talking about? No?" Chris frowned. "You know what happens if you don't do it, Buford. I'll ruin you."
"I'm not going to do it, and nothing you do will make me," Buford snarled in reply, his heart thumping. Had he made the right decision?
"You either do it during the next scene, or I'll ruin you in the next scene," Chris sneered.
"You're bluffing," the brunet said, but he could feel dread right down to his feet. Chris wasn't the type to bluff.
"Watch me."
Chris stormed out of the area just as Adyson entered. She saw Buford just standing there holding the dress and frowned. "What are you doing? They're already setting up the stage for the next scene! The one you're in!"
She rushed over and helped him into the dress, making sure to transfer the microphone. He knew without her help he never would have made it in time, because his limbs were suddenly heavy with too many emotions to name.
He made it just in time to get into his position on stage, standing in the back near the staircase, when the lights came back on, revealing him, Phineas, Ferb and Chris all on the stage. There was a knocking sound and Chris walked over to the door and opened it to Baljeet with Django by his side. "We have come to test each lady to see who fits the slipper left by the woman I love!" Baljeet informed him.
"Alright, come in," Chris stepped aside. "Girls! The prince wishes to see you!"
Phineas and Ferb both rushed up to the prince and tried on the slipper, but it fit neither of them. "You are not my true love," Baljeet told them, and they both glared at him.
"Is there no other lady present in this home?" Baljeet asked Chris nervously.
"Of course not," Chris gave an evil laugh, fanning his face with one hand. "No one of worth."
"What about this charming young lady over here?" Django pointed at Buford.
"I am but a lowly servant in this home!" Buford managed to keep his voice steady, despite how afraid he was. Seeing Chris standing so close to Baljeet was making his situation all to real.
"Listen to her!" Phineas cackled, sounding suitably evil.
"Yes, listen!" Ferb was a lot less enthusiastic, obviously picking up on Buford's mood. He was frowning slightly. "She is dirt, she is nothing."
"Every young woman shall try on the slipper!" Baljeet announced confidently. He strode over to Buford who sat down on one of the lower steps of the staircase. He produced the slipper and slipped it onto Buford's foot, exclaiming at the perfect fit.
"God, he has big feet," Chris muttered under his breath.
"Size doesn't matter," Phineas whispered in response.
"Unless your talking about pe-" Ferb started to say, but was cut off by Baljeet's next line.
"You, dear lady, are my true love!" he grabbed Buford's hands and pulled him up and into a hug.
Buford buried his face into the boy's shoulder, a surge of emotions surprising him. The presence of the smaller teen was surprisingly calming, and he thought that maybe, just maybe, Chris might have been bluffing after all.
"Oh my, you must have gotten it wrong, prince," Chris' voice shattered his illusions. This wasn't in the script- Buford knew Chris was about to out him. Baljeet pulled away from the hug and looked at the blond strangely as he continued. "How on earth could you want this little whore? She's nothing but trash on the side of the road."
He heard a few people gasp at the language Chris was using, but no one made a move to stop him, curious as to where he was going with this. Ferb had an alarmed look on his face, Phineas was frowning and Baljeet looked downright confused. "Fraser, what are you-"
"He's so tarnished in so many ways," Chris continued, dropping all pretenses. He was no longer talking about Cinderella, it was just Buford now. "I mean, he's just a little faggot who likes to take it up the ass."
He began to laugh, the sound echoing around the deadly quiet hall. "Especially by Mummy's darling boyfriend."
Everyone was staring with wide eyes and open mouths. This was not the way the play was supposed to finish. They heard Isabella off stage calling for a teacher, but apparently not one was close by.
"Isn't that right, Van Stomm?" Chris chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. He no doubt felt powerful with all eyes on him. "You loved having Mummy's ex boyfriend give you a quick fuck, right?"
"Excuse me?" this time it was Baljeet who spoke, and the tiny Indian teen looked absolutely furious. "What are you even talking about? You are nuts! What a bunch of lies!"
Buford took a moment to marvel at the fact Baljeet had actually stood up to Chris, but that moment was over soon enough. He knew it was all over. He knew that in a few minutes the amazing, confident, intelligent boy defending him would soon hate him. Tears stung his eyes but he forced them back.
"So that's the secret he was blackmailing you with..." Ferb mumbled quietly. Unfortunately for him, his microphone was still on, and the whole hall heard.
Buford looked up at him in alarm, hissing, "dude! Shut the fuck up!"
Ferb looked suitably horrified and covered his mouth. Baljeet glanced over at Buford looking confused. "Blackmail? What is he talking about, Buford?"
"Oh that?" Chris turned his evil grin onto Baljeet before Buford could even open his mouth. "Don't worry about that, Baljeet, darling. He was just playing around with you so I wouldn't tell everyone that he fucked his mother's boyfriend."
Everyone except Buford and Ferb looked blank. Sighing, the bully elaborated. "Your whole relationship was a sham. He never really liked you, he was just playing you. And you got played."
"What are you...?" Baljeet's eyes travelled over to Buford. "Is this true?"
Buford couldn't speak. There was so much that Chris had left out, but it was all pretty much true anyway. He nodded before looking down at his feet.
"Oh my god," Phineas whispered.
"You lied to me!" Baljeet hissed, and the hurt on his face caused Buford's insides to shrivel up in pure agony. He'd known this was coming but he hadn't expected it to hurt so bad. He stood stock still as Baljeet stalked over to him, went on his tip-toes and slapped him full across the face. The pain in his cheek didn't even compare to his emotions at that moment, and he barely even felt it.
Baljeet gave him one last look of loathing before he brushed past him and stormed off the stage, Buford turning to watch him go. There was a moment a silence and suddenly Phineas was yelling. Buford thought it was at him, but when he looked back, he saw Ferb shake off Phineas' restraining hands, pull Chris around to face him and slam his fist into the blond's face.
Chris landed hard on the floor. A few of the larger guys who'd been helping set up jumped forward to hold Ferb and Chris away from each other. Although Chris was straining against them, swearing and yelling at Ferb, the green-haired teen made no move to hit him again so the larger guys eventually let him go. Phineas looked like he had no idea what to do before he shot Buford a murderous look and took off after Baljeet. Ferb rubbed his knuckles and looked up at Buford, who just turned and left the stage, making sure to go into the opposite wing that Phineas and Baljeet had gone into. Ferb followed him, jogging to catch up.
"Buford-"
"Just leave me alone!"
They were out of the backstage area and in one of the many corridors. His bag was all in one of the changing rooms, but Buford was determined to leave and wasn't going to go back for it. One of the teachers would probably give it to his mother anyway.
"Buford!" Ferb grabbed his arm and forced him to stop. "Is that really what happened?"
"Just fuck off, Fletcher!" the brunet tried to tug his arm away but Ferb held on stubbornly.
"Look, Buford, it's okay! We can sort this ou-"
"No, we can't fucking sort this out!" the bully snarled. "My entire life has just been completely ruined!"
A bit over dramatic, but Buford didn't really care at that point. Baljeet hated him, Phineas hated him, pretty much everyone except Ferb most likely hated him. There was a gaping feeling in his chest, as if someone had ripped out his heart and left him to bled. He was still struggling not to cry.
"Look, just because Chris told everyone you had sex with a guy-"
"It was rape, Ferb," Buford cut in quietly. "I didn't have sex with my mother's boyfriend. He raped me. That's why I didn't want anyone to know."
Ferb's eyes were wide, and it was when the look of pity came onto his face that Buford yanked his arm away and jogged down the corridor, looking for the nearest exit. He couldn't handle any kind of sympathy talk right now. He left Ferb standing motionless in the corridor, too stunned to say anything.
Chris had pretty much achieved what he wanted. Buford's life was ruined and Baljeet was no doubt a mess.
How on earth was Buford going to get through this one?