Sophomore Sorrows

Summary: It's almost sophomore year for the crew, but things are nothing like they used to be. Buster had moved to Metropolis—aka New York City—for his new life with his father's new family, never to write to Arthur again. Muffy had fulfilled her potential as class snob, and now she was aiming for a new status as class bitch. Some of the others are still the same, such as bookworm Fern and overly-intelligent Brain, but none of them have much contact with each other, at least other than common-courtesy-conversation. Can the group ever become one unit again or will it all fall apart? Rated K+, but there is some explicit language so pay attention to the warnings. Enjoy!

[Note: I'm a busy college student. I love this piece and want to get it to my fans as soon as I can, but there may be gaps in posting. Forgive me but I have no internet access at home, which means no posting when I'm away from the net. I promise to leave you with plenty to read before the weekends, aka my longest away time.]

PART ONE: FIRST DAYS

CHAPTER ONE

Fern sighed as she looked up from her latest Stephen Kings novel. The library was getting noisier and noisier, making the words bleed together in her mind. It was hard enough to read horror at home now that her sister had left home, but if she couldn't get peace at the library, she'd just have to get up.

"All of you, out!" the librarian hissed. He'd moved to Elwood City from Metropolis, his lisp ringing in Fern's ears. She hated the man, who still hadn't learned the layout of the library because his eyes were focused on ebooks and the new computer lab. The traffic going in and out of that hideous room made Fern shiver; she had to find a new spot to read at.

"Hey, Fern," Arthur nodded when she passed him. Arthur was wearing his new contacts, which made him look funny to Fern. He'd always had glasses, always. Why should he not have them for sophomore year? "Have you registered for school yet?" he asked. Fern nodded. "Well…what's your schedule like?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Fern murmured, turning to walk away. Arthur gave her a perplexed look as she faded out of the library's doors, more like a strong breeze than a person.

"Arthur, come on!" DW hissed, pulling on Arthur's arm. They'd seen online that a new movie was available for checkout, so she and Kate made Arthur and their mother drive them to the library. Their mother had gone on to the grocery store, but Arthur was stuck with his little sisters like always.

"Ooh, can I check out a book, Arthur? Pllleeeaaaassseeeee!" Kate begged, running off towards the stacks. Arthur sighed.

"Do whatever you want. Just be quiet before you get us kicked out," he groaned, remembering the group that left the library as they entered. They were from Pleasant Dale High, a private school just outside of Elwood City, meaning they were Muffy's new classmates. She'd abandoned the group long ago for the private school life. While she was stuck-up and snooty in Ratburn's class, she was now a million times worse.

"Arthur, where should we meet you?" DW whispered loudly from the DVD shelves. Arthur sighed, walking past her on his way to the comic section. He told her he'd be there, but he doubted she was listening. She'd squealed as she grabbed the DVD, hugging it to her chest. Arthur sighed again, moving upstairs to the comic section.

He was feeling nostalgic now. He couldn't look at comics with his former best friend, Buster, anymore. Buster had moved before high school to live with his father and step-mom. His father lost his job as a pilot, so he used his knowledge of history and his degrees (that no one knew about, even Bitzi) to secure a job at a popular Metropolis museum. He'd met his new wife there, a very rich wife with a loft in the city. She already had a son, but now Buster stayed with them as well. He'd been there for three years; he'd stopped writing after one.

"Arthur Read? Well it's been a long time," a female voice sneered from behind him. Arthur turned from his thoughts and the comic wheel to see Muffy Crosswire, her hair done in some famous fashion, her clothes perfected to match. "I didn't think you'd still be here, not with your mother losing her job."

"She's an accountant, Muffy. They don't lose their jobs," Arthur countered. During tax season, his mother went to live with Grandma Thora, who didn't mind letting her daughter-in-law hole up in her basement while she worked twenty-four hours-plus a day to work through as many returns as she could do. The money kept them going until the next year, with good budgeting. This year there was enough for a new van. There wasn't necessarily enough for the new baby boy, but there was enough for the car to drive them all around.

"Well, I forget such things. My father can't lose his job either, yet he did," she mocked. She then cackled loudly, "Then again, him being bought out by a bigger dealer who wanted to bring him onboard is the best thing Daddy every did! Oh, you middle-class nothings amuse me so much, Arthur Read. You must meet my other classmates so you can entertain them with your life," she laughed, marching down the stairs. The new librarian greeted her, forcing her out along with the other Pleasant Dale low-lifes…or high-lifes. Arthur scoffed at them all; he was here for comics, not torment.

"Was that Muffy?" Brain called from the stacks. He was a senior at Elwood City High, due for college at the end of the first semester. He'd maintained contact with his old classmates on social something-or-other; none of them could understand him anymore when he started talking about concepts and other things they were too young for.

"Yeah. Shouldn't you be studying?" Arthur asked kindly. Brain nodded fiercely, revealing a tall stack of books pouring out the top of a bursting shoulder bag. The local grocer's crest was on the front, but the sides of the bag had already been reinforced several times with various fabrics. None had worked so far; Arthur heard a loud ripping sound come from his direction. "Do you need help carrying those? If you offer the girls free ice cream, I'm sure they'd help us."

"Oh I've got it, Arthur. I've been studying the—multiple words that Arthur couldn't understand—to stay fit. I can lift approximately eighty pounds without strain now," he smiled. Arthur's face remained blank. He was thinking, 'So you're smart AND fit. What's left for me?', but he remained silent. "Well, I ought to be going. I just thought I'd see if that was our old friend being so rude. I wondered why she didn't answer my emails," he shrugged, moving past Arthur and down the stairs without much effort.

Arthur sighed loudly. Was this really what they'd all become?

"Arthur, let's go! Mom's honking out front!" Kate begged. Like DW, she was all about reputation. Trying to beat out Binky's little sister in popularity was hard work, especially when she wanted to be smart. Her books were above Arthur's reading level. 'Great, another Brain,' he thought, grabbing a random volume and moving with them to the checkout counter. The new librarian tried to push their new ebook line, but they passed.

Benji was screaming when they all piled into the van. Their mom didn't bother changing places with Arthur; they needed to get home now. She didn't even wait for seatbelts before pulling off, a stern scowl on her face.

A/N: So I'll be focusing on a few characters per chapter for a while, just so you get a feel for where everyone is now. This chapter was Arthur-centric, for the most part, but the next chapter will focus on Binky Barnes and his family. Where is Binky now? Check out Chapter 2 to find out!