"Morning, guys!" Carlos cheered as he happily strolled over to the dining table, at which Mrs Knight, Katie, Kendall, James and Logan were seated. Mrs Knight cleared her throat and Katie glared at the short boy. He noticed their reactions to his greeting, smiled and added, "And girls."
The bundle of energy bounded over to the table and sat in between James and Logan. Carlos fidgeted in his seat a little as he poured the new Fruit Smackers cereal and milk into his bowl and started eating. Everyone else noticed this activity but didn't say anything. Then eventually, Carlos piped up.
"Uhh, Logan? Could you move up one please?"
Logan looked at the empty seat to his left. "Why?"
"There's no one else coming to eat with us, is there?" Mrs Knight asked, a serious look plastered on her face. It's not like she needed any more youngsters to take care of.
"No, it's just..." Carlos looked upwards to his helmet, sighed, and looked over to Logan's seat. "Never mind." He continued to eat his cereal with a small, childish frown on his face.
A few seconds later, Carlos heard a scoff and a thump and looked up to find the seat to his left was now empty. He looked a little farther away and saw Logan sat two seats away from him.
"Yay!" Carlos cheered and clapped his hands excitedly. He grabbed his helmet rack and placed it on the seat to replace Logan. He removed his helmet from his head and placed it on the rack. Logan rolled his eyes.
Later that day...
Logan lay on his bed and buried his head in the pillow. It was another beautiful sunny day in Los Angeles, and the rest of the gang were at the pool. But Logan didn't feel like doing anything that day. He was too lost in thought. He was thinking about Carlos...he was thinking about the helmet. Logan hated that helmet. He felt like it was stealing one of his best friends away from him. It was just a stupid inanimate object! Why did Carlos find it necessary to spend every minute of every day with it? What was it about that helmet that Carlos craved? He was obviously completely attached to the thing, everybody could see that. Logan just wanted to know why Carlos kept it with him all the time, why he protected it, why he loved it. Logan thought about that chilly, damp day back in Minnesota, when he met Carlos, and that wretched helmet...
"C'mere, new kid," the large boy stomped over to Logan as he cowered against the cold, hard wall of the school. He was cornered. As the bully approached little Logan, the poor boy couldn't help but whimper. The bigger boy ripped off Logan's scarf, grabbed the collar of his coat and threw him against the wall. His warm breath on Logan's face caused him to wince.
"Gimme your money. Now. Or else."
"Or else what, Doug?" a confident voice sounded in the distance. Logan managed to turn his head as he saw a boy a little shorter than him throw on a black plastic helmet, give it a double-tap, and shriek like a banshee as he charged towards the monster almost engulfing Logan in his darkness.
Doug snorted. "Oh yeah? What are you gonna do..." a gruff scream pierced the air as the boy with the helmet slammed into Doug, knocking him onto the ground.
When he got up, scratched and bruised, Doug apologized to Logan in a shaky voice and ran away, his reputation as school bully ruined. Logan just stared at the boy, wide-eyed and open-mouthed in shock, just staring at the boy who saved him from getting pummelled on his first day.
"I'm Carlos," The boy said with a cheeky grin, holding his hand out, as if none of that just happened. "And this is Helmet." Logan held his shaky hand out and shook Carlos'.
"Logan," He introduced himself. He wondered why Carlos had a helmet. And why did he personify it, introducing it as if it were another person?
"Logan...That's a cool name. Why don't you come meet my other friends, Kendall and James?" Logan nodded and shyly smiled.
"I'd like that." The two new friends walked off into the fog.
"Logan? Logan, are you there? Hello, Earth to Logan?" Carlos waved a hand in front of Logan's face. When he snapped back to reality, Logan immediately looked at the top of Carlos' head to see if he was wearing the helmet. Sure enough, he was.
"Ugh," Logan grunted in disgust. He pushed Carlos' hand away, got up and left.
"Hey Logie, where ya goin'?"
Camille was sitting in the lobby rehearsing for yet another dramatic play. She was dressed in a very smart golden colored dress with a tiara sitting on her brunette curls. There was dramatic music playing in the background for added effect.
"Mother, don't be so wicked! I don't care if he's poor; I'm in love with him! Oh, hey Logan. Logan?" Logan ignored his ex-girlfriend and stormed through the lobby, out the doors to the pool area.
Meanwhile, Carlos was sat on the orange couch in the apartment, flipping through channels on the TV. Now he was the one lost in thought. Why did Logan push me away? He seemed really bothered by something. Was it me? Was it something I said? Or did?
"What's up?" Katie popped up from behind the couch, making Carlos flinch.
"Whoa! Katie! Don't scare me like that!" Carlos scolded.
"Sorry," Katie smiled. She saw Carlos' expression, and her smile disappeared. "Are you okay?" Carlos shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah I'm fine." Katie looked into his usually joyful eyes and noticed a hint of concern in them. This wasn't normal. Carlos didn't look like the happy-go-lucky childish boy Katie was used to.
"Hmm...Will a game on the swirly slide make you feel better?"
Carlos' eyes lit up. "Race ya there." And typically, he forgot about all his worries in a matter of seconds.
Logan's usually sweet chocolate brown eyes had an evil glow in them as he scanned the pool area looking for his friends. He spotted James and Kendall, both lying on sun beds. Kendall was reading a hockey magazine, and James was tanning, as usual. They lifted their shades in unison to find the cause of a shadow that had just been cast over them. They were surprised to see their brainy best friend towering angrily over them.
"Hey bud. How's it going?" Kendall asked casually.
"Hey, can you move that way a little? You're blocking my sun," James complained pointing to the left. Logan completely ignored both of their questions and started yelling.
"Okay, aren't you guys just sick of that helmet?"
"You mean Carlos, right?" Kendall asked, a little confused at why Logan was so angry.
"Of course I mean Carlos! Who else wears a stupid old helmet everywhere they go?" Logan paced back and forth in front of the boys.
"Dude, you need to chill. It's just a helmet. You're acting like Gustavo," James replied, getting a bit annoyed because he wanted to get back to tanning. It was the hottest time of the day.
"James, right now I am angrier than Gustavo will ever be! Don't you see what that helmet is doing to us?" James shook his head and mouthed 'no.' Logan leered at him like he'd just incorrectly answered the easiest question in the world. Logan continued, "It's stealing Carlos away from us! You know Carlos, our best friend?" he emphasised that last part. Kendall stood up.
"Logan, I hate to disagree with you, but I don't find anything wrong with Carlos' obsession with the helmet. I mean, of course it's a little weird, but if it's what makes him happy, then let him be happy. Taking away his helmet is like...banning hockey for me, or destroying every med school in the world for you. You're overreacting. You'll get over it, trust me."
Logan just looked at the boys in disgust and stormed off. Does nobody understand him?
"He'll get better," James said, relaxing; he was happy to have his sun back.
"Totally," Kendall agreed, lying back down and reading his hockey mag whilst sipping his pink smoothie.
It turns out Kendall's kind words didn't calm Logan down, in fact, they only made him angrier. That night, he sat at his desk, thinking. That night, he had an idea. That night, Logan Mitchell decided that he would get rid of Carlos Garcia's helmet for good.