Very Short Chapter, but hopefully it will lead to an exciting story. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Chapter 1: It's For You
It was nearing the end of fourth grade. Arnold was playing football at the park with Gerald and Sid one sunny afternoon. The boys were enjoying their afternoon, excited to know spring break had at last arrived.
"Man, I'm so glad our break's here!" Gerald exclaimed.
"Me too. What do you guys want to do?" Arnold asked, as he kneeled down to hold the football for his friend to kick.
"We could…"
"I DID IT! I DID IT!" Sid exclaimed after kicking the ball half way across the park.
Arnold smiled at his hyper friend as he stood from the ground and said "Great job Sid!"
Gerald lifted an eyebrow at his overly anxious friend, with his hand on his hip and said "Now if we could just teach you to dribble."
Before the boys even considered going to retrieve the ball, they heard a dissatisfying noise from the other end of the park.
"OWWW!"
The three boys turned their heads in time to see an angry teenager marching their way. While Sid was trembling with fear, Arnold slowly approached the injured teen and said "Sorry about that. We were just…"
"Not watching what you were doing!" the vexed boy shouted. Sid looked at the muscular boy with dark hair and angry blue eyes. His jaw stuck out with a lower tooth that couldn't be hidden.
"We're sorry mister! It...it won't happen again! I swear!" Sid trembled with fear, as he hid behind Arnold.
The threatening teen then shoved the football into Arnold's chest and snapped "It better not! Next time you won't be so lucky!"
The boys then watched the stranger march away, as Gerald shook his head and said "Mm, mm, mmm. Maybe you should stick to baseball Sid."
Eugene's House
The clumsy boy was sitting in the living room, watching The Abdicator, when he heard his father walk in.
"Hey son…"
"Oh hey dad!"
"Why don't you run down to the store and get us some strained beets to go with dinner tonight?"
"Sounds great!"
After leaving the house, Eugene began happily walking down the sidewalk towards The Corner Store. That is, until he saw a group of kids riding their bikes down the street. The redhead's smile turned to a frown as the memory of his red bike that was wrecked came back to him. If only he had the money to buy a new one.
Sheena's House
The healthy girl was in the kitchen doing the dishes when she was tapped on the shoulder. Sheena turned to she her mother handing her her weekly allowance.
"Oh thank you mother!" the polite girl smiled, after setting down the dishes.
"You're welcome sweetie."
Sheena held the money in her hand, thinking to herself…
Soon I'll have enough saved up to buy the newest selection of Healthy Cook Books.
Harold's House
After his walk home from school, Harold was approaching his front stoop when he heard something from behind…
"Meow!"
The husky boy turned to see a girl carrying a chocolate colored kitten with a white stomach. Harold pouted at the sight and thought back to the week he spent with what he hoped would remain his pet; Cupcake. If only he had the money to buy a pet he really could call his own.
Rhonda's House
"What do you mean you're cutting me off?!"
Rhonda stood wide eyed before her parents, appalled at the news that was being broken to her.
"Rhonda I'm sorry, but we can't risk losing our home again when our stocks are as unsteady as they are." Brooke explained.
"This is unbelievable! I'm forced to live like a po-poo-poor person, while you two are free to spend your money however you please?!"
"Oh calm down Pumpkin. It's just temporary." Buckley insisted, as he saw his outraged daughter storm off towards her bedroom.
Stinky's House
The country boy walked inside and dropped his bag by the front door. His father who was sitting in the dining room with a grilled cheese sandwich saw the mopey look on his face and asked "What seems to be the problem son?"
"I was fixing to beat my high score on Whack A Mole when I ran out of quarters. I don't reckon I'll be going back anytime soon. On account of I'm completely broke. This really bites."
The elderly held his sandwich in his hand as he continued to stare at his depressed son and replied "Son, you're a dang fool."
Walk
Arnold, Gerald and Sid were heading towards the boarding house. While Arnold and Gerald had tossed the incident in the park over their shoulder, Sid was nervously following beside them, unable to forget about it.
"So what do you think that guy's planning to do to us? Oh gosh! What if he's friends with Wolfgang! Or worse, has an entire gang of tough guys who he could use to beat us up if he wanted! AHHH!"
"Calm down Sid, you're overreacting." Arnold said, patting his friend on the back.
"And that surprises you?" Gerald glared, not finding it to be unusual for their friend to react that way.
As they approached the boarding house, Arnold turned to his nervous friend and said "Let's just go inside and relax. There might still be some cookies in the kitchen we can have."
"Sounds good to me man!" Gerald smiled, as he stood out of the way of the pets swarming out the front door.
The Boarding House
The boys entered the kitchen to see Phil reading at the table. Gerald and Sid took a seat with him, while Arnold went to find some cookies in the cabinet.
"Hey there shortman! How'd your day go?" Phil asked.
"It was…"
"It was horrible! There's this huge guy who wants to kill us!" Sid exclaimed.
Arnold pulled the cookies out of the cabinet as he saw Gerald not caring to soften Sid's description of the event. Their classmate was always going to be a paranoid freak. What was the point in trying?
Phil rubbed his chin at the response and said "Hmm...kill ya eh? You try reasoning with him?"
Arnold sighed as he took a seat at the table with their snack and replied "He is not going to kill us. Everything's fine grandpa."
"Well you're quite a risk taker." Phil said just as the phone began to ring.
The boys sat at the table, sharing the cookies as they listened to Phil's end of the conversation…
"Hello? Yes...If this is about the murder, my grandson has a right to a fair trial. Oh well that's different then hehe. It's for you shortman."
Arnold stood to answer the phone, while Sid sat shaking in his seat. Gerald continued to eat the cookies, curious to know what the call was about.
Arnold picked the phone up from Phil's hand and said "Hello?"
"Good afternoon. This is Hillwood Police Department. Am I speaking with Arnold Shortman?"
"Yes?" Arnold replied hesitantly.
"Ninety days ago, you found a bag with $3,937. No one has claimed it within that time. Therefore, the money is yours to keep."