**A/N: I know, I know. This STILL isn't the update you are waiting for! I swear I'm about 1/2 way through the next chapter of "What Is Truly Meant to Be"...
This was a Valentine's Day gift to the super-awesome ChibiSunnie! She had made me a wicked cool drawing for Christmas and I never even THOUGHT to do something for her! So I offered to make it up to her by writing whatever fluff piece she wanted for Valentine's Day. I told her "As long as it's still Hey Arnold! you can have ANY romantic story you want. It doesn't need to be Helga and Arnold."
Eugene is her favorite character, and he and Sheena never get any lovin' as a couple. So Chibi suggested the "Married" episode redone through Sheena and Eugene's POVs. Neither of us figured this "little one shot" would turn in to a 22pg beast! I mean, daaaang! I blame Eugene... I went from having NO CLUE what to do with him, to having a FIELD DAY tormenting the poor kid. And soon his dream nearly doubled in length compared to Sheena's... so I had to bulk hers up as well.
Anyway, after three days of self-forced isolation, I was able to write this story for Chibi! YAY!
Also, sorry for the weird ~*~ E x S ~*~ things... I wanted a way to put in a time break and normally I would just use the line, but I was using that to break between the sleeping Eugene/Sheena and the dreams. I hope I wrote it well enough to get what's going on without the formatting, but I wanted to make sure, so I snuck that time break in there...
DISCLAIMER TIME:
Hey Arnold! and its franchise are owned by Nickelodeon and remain the intellectual property of Craig Bartlett. I do not own any of the used characters or locations.**
ONE-SHOT
The sun was bright that spring morning. There was a light breeze in the air as the students of P.S. 118 gathered on the playground. School was about to start, but some of Mr. Simmons' fourth grade class had been at the school for nearly ten minutes already.
Arnold and Sid were batting around the tether ball. Not really playing a game so much as they were serving the ball in to the other's awaiting hands, attempting to catch it. Helga was climbing on the jungle gym, mostly hanging upside down and trying to discretely watch Arnold as he played. Lila was sitting on a bench against the school, reading one of her text books; the rest sitting next to her in a pile. Nadine and Phoebe sat at the picnic table near Lila, discussing the homework that was due that day. Sheena and Eugene had finished drawing up a hop-scotch board and were looking for rocks so they could play.
Then Rhonda Wellington Lloyd made her entrance on to the playground. Tucked under her left arm were her books, but the fingers on her right hand played inside an origami craft she made the night before. The paper item dancing in her hand had four points to it and each of her fingers controlled one. She would group her fingers together to close all four points in to one large one. Then she'd open her fingers as wide as the paper toy would allow. Then she regrouped her fingers together so that the large point would open horizontally and then vertically. She made a display of how easily she worked her little paper puppet.
"Gather 'round, girls," she declared as she placed her books on the picnic table. "For I have discovered the wonders of fortune telling."
Nadine and Phoebe instantly stopped talking. Lila looked up from her book briefly before politely smiling and continued to read.
"I, Rhonda Wellington Lloyd," she continued with an exaggerated gesture towards herself, "have mastered mysterious powers that will allow me to see-" She cut herself off for dramatic effect. She then stepped up on to the picnic bench across from the girls, knelt down on the table, and leaned in to Nadine and Phoebe before dropping her voice down in both pitch and volume in order to draw her audience in, "-the person you are destined to marry."
Nadine and Phoebe sat up tall and chattered among themselves before Nadine called Sheena over from her game with Eugene.
"Yes?" Sheena squeaked out in a breathy voice as she reached Nadine's side.
Rhonda swiveled so she was sitting on the table; her feet on the picnic bench. She twisted her back slightly so she could see the three girls to her right. She placed her right hand on the table behind her and continued to play with the origami craft now resting on her left fingertips.
"Ok, ladies," Rhonda smirked, "who's first?"
"With what?" Sheena asked. Meanwhile, Nadine and Phoebe nervously looked at each other. Did they want to know who they were going to marry? Did they want everyone else to know? How much could they trust the folded sheet of paper engulfing Rhonda's hand?
"Sheena should go first," Nadine finally stated.
"With what?" Sheena repeated.
"Perfect," Rhonda gestured to the bench beside her feet, "take a seat and I will predict who it is you will marry when you grow up."
"Marry?" Sheena stole a quick glance at Eugene before hurriedly sitting in front of Rhonda.
"Alright, Sheena," Rhonda sat poised and ready. Each of her thumbs and each of her index fingers nestled in to its own private nook in the origami toy, ready to move the little points at any moment. "What is your middle name?"
"Rosemary," Sheena replied.
Rhonda moved her fingers so the paper craft opened alternatively vertical and horizontal each time she spoke a letter. "R-O-S-E-M-A-R-Y" When she was done, Rhonda left the fortune teller open. "Now, what is your favorite color?"
"Pink."
Rhonda continued where she left off, repeating the alternating way she reopened the toy with each letter. "P-I-N-K." Again she paused as she asked her last question, "OK. What's your lucky number?"
"Three."
Rhonda finished her ritualistic opening of the fortune teller as she counted. "One. Two. Three." Leaving the origami toy open and secured with her left hand, Rhonda reached in to the folds with her right hand, "That means, conclusively-" Rhonda unfolded one of the corners tucked in to the paper craft; a name of a classmate was written underneath the corner, "-that according to my foolproof origami marriage predictor, you are, absolutely and without question going to marry-" Rhonda looked down at the unfolded corner, smiled, and clutched the paper to her chest as she revealed Sheena's result, "Eugene."
"Eugene?" Sheena's eyes brightened and a smile grew. No name would have been sweeter to hear. She started clapping excitedly, "Oh, that's wonderful!" She then gleefully pushed herself off the bench and sprinted over to Eugene, gripping the poor boy's hand as she reached him. "I'm gonna marry Eugene!" She proudly proclaimed.
Eugene had clearly heard Sheena call out their fate and was already fear-stricken by the thought. However, he couldn't bear to break Sheena's heart, nor hurt her feelings. He did the best he could to stay his normal positive self as he nervously replied, "Oh, well, gosh! I'm-" He really wasn't sure what to say, but he just couldn't upset his best friend. She was smiling so widely and clearly didn't notice his terrified look as he forced a smile back at her. With a quake in his voice he finally continued, "I'm sure we'll be very happy." He finished with a couple forced laughs before finally releasing an exasperated sigh.
"Well, of course you will," Rhonda replied, proudly showing off her refolded piece of paper. "The origami marriage predictor is never wrong," she made sure to stress the word 'never' to prevent further questioning of her divinations. She then felt the need to justify her statement, "According to my own scientifically accurate method, this test will absolutely calculate, beyond any doubt, the matrimonial futures of each and every one of our classmates." Rhonda continued on about wanting to match up every child in the class by the end of the school day, and then turned her attention to Lila.
Neither Sheena nor Eugene paid much attention after Rhonda stressed that her predictor was fool-proof.
Sheena gripped Eugene's hand tightly as she mentally transformed in to an animated princess. Birds flew around her, chirping gleefully. Rabbits and deer bounced around her and nuzzled her leg and arm. The animals all hummed a song as she floated a little bit.
She was going to marry Eugene. Life couldn't be any better. Her prayers were answered and her dreams will one day come true. She will forever be with her best friend. They will grow old together with a beautiful family and dancing every night.
Meanwhile, the shock was still frozen on Eugene's face. He was going to marry Sheena? He awkwardly glanced up at the overtly ecstatic girl who had his left hand in a loving death grip. She and Stinky were the first in their class to hit growth spurts. This left Eugene about even with his intended's elbow. It was awkward enough to think of marrying someone he considered a sister, but it was even more awkward with her holding his hand; the height difference forcing Eugene to picture Sheena as his mother.
How could he possibly marry his best friend? How could Sheena not find this concept disconcerting? How could she have that goofy grin still stretching across her lips? Most importantly, how could he possibly hurt her feelings? If she liked this foretelling than Eugene guessed he could find a way to live with it.
Before their brains could explode Sheena's from euphoria, and Eugene's from inconceivability they were both spared by the ringing school bell.
"Oh!" Eugene squeaked as he ripped his hand from Sheena's, "The bell! I guess we better head in to class." He swallowed hard and immediately hoped Sheena didn't hear him do so. He couldn't help that the harsh ringing was a welcome beckon inside the building. He could have the classes distract him for the time being. He can worry about all that marriage business later.
After he grabbed his books, Eugene rushed through the door that Arnold propped open. As much as he tried, he knew he couldn't hide the large grin that snuck on to his face as he envisioned the wonderful distraction education would bring.
Sheena had an opposite opinion of that vibrating, metallic tone. With that blasted ringing, her idealistic, animated, fantasy world scurried away, and she was left with Eugene pulling his hand away from hers. She mournfully watched as he sprinted to his stack of books and then breezed back past her as he hurried to the school.
She was soon restored to her chipper self when she remembered that she would have the rest of her life with Eugene. School was only going to interrupt their time together another nine or thirteen years. Sure, stolen moments will be stolen back by that incessant bell, but in the long run she'll have plenty of instances where nothing would whisk her beloved away.
Again sporting a smile, Sheena casually grabbed her books and followed her classmates in to the building. She can have more time with Eugene at lunch and then recess. The thought brought the sparkle back in to her eyes.
~*~ E x S ~*~*~ E x S ~*~*~ E x S ~*~
The day didn't go as either Sheena or Eugene had planned. Sheena wanted to spend more time with her betrothed and talk about their future together. Eugene wanted to avoid the subject completely. Since he couldn't break it to Sheena that he just didn't see them together romantically, he attempted to avoid the subject by simply avoiding her. He spent a lot of time with Arnold and the guys, but Rhonda was even picking them off one by one with her fortune teller. No matter where he hid, the subject would keep coming up and he would again get clammy thinking about his twice-his-height ball-and-chain.
The few times Sheena did get a chance to corner him, the vibe between them was off. Eugene wasn't playful and bright. He was shy around her and had a hard time meeting her gaze. His mind seemed to wander off when she mentioned how lovely it would be to grow old, and have their kids and grandkids visit them. Sheena didn't like how distant Eugene had become.
She tried talking to the girls about the change in her best friend, but they were all too giddy about their matches. The best anyone could do was when Phoebe suggested that perhaps he was just overwhelmed, considering the fact that the average nine-year-old boy typically didn't think about marriage.
By the end of the day, Sheena was in a trance. She didn't know what to do. She was still excited about the probability that she would one day marry Eugene, but the news became bittersweet since it also brought this awkwardness between them. He had even decided to walk home instead of taking the bus with her, as they normally did. He had sprinted out of the building so fast he nearly lost one of his flip-flops.
Wondering what to do, Sheena blankly walked down the school's front steps. She didn't notice Helga walking in front of her and then sneaking in to a hiding spot beside the stairs, nor did she notice Rhonda and Gerald teasing Arnold about his resistance to do the marriage predictor test. She simply went in to auto-pilot as she carried her books on to the bus.
As the city past by Sheena's bus window her mind drifted. Her worries seemed to pass as quickly as the scenery. Phoebe was probably right. Eugene just needs some time to get used to the idea of marrying her, and then everything will be back to normal. Maybe even better. No matter what issues they came across now. No matter how much she'll miss her best friend at this moment. The end result would be the same. She will marry her love and live in wedded bliss as Rhonda predicted. Sheena focused on that.
"I get to marry Eugene," she audibly reminded herself, "so in the end, this whole day is just spectacular."
"This whole day is a disaster," Eugene moped to Park. The Ginger and the Korean-American met up about a block from the school. Although they didn't really interact all that frequently outside of class, even Park was concerned for Eugene and his uncharacteristic sense of doom.
"It can't be all that bad," Park tried to reason, "I mean, at least you'll marry someone you're good friends with."
"Park!" That was precisely the problem. He and Sheena were best friends. The fact that he was going to marry her was what made the whole situation so tragic.
"I'm sorry," Park looked away, unsure how else to comfort Eugene. He attempted one last thought, "At least you weren't matched up with someone who hated you? I mean, could you imagine if that marriage predictor matched up a couple like Helga and-" Park thought for a second. Really, Helga and anyone would be a bad match. Park finally settled on "Arnold?"
"Nothing could be worse than marrying Sheena," Eugene huffed. He instantly felt guilty about stating that. What if it got back to her? She'd be devastated, and he had no clue how he'd be able to make it up to her. The best Eugene could think of to defuse the statement was to amend it with, "Rhonda's predictor could be wrong, can't it?"
"Well," Park was fairly confident that if Rhonda Lloyd claimed something to be true it had to be so. Regardless, he still weighed the possibility Eugene presented, for no other reason than to get the old Eugene back. "I suppose it is plausible that it is just a game and none of the results are actually binding."
"Exactly," Eugene attempted to speak in his typical optimistic voice, "so there's no way I'll marry Sheena." Trying to convince himself more than anyone else, Eugene restated his resolution, "I am not going to marry Sheena."
~*~ E x S ~*~*~ E x S ~*~*~ E x S ~*~
"I'm going to marry Eugene!" Sheena was in her bedroom, getting ready for bed. After talking to her Uncle Earl about the situation, Sheena felt more and more confident about the day's events. Sure, Earl didn't really help too much. He had a hard time giving advice that didn't involve boating in any way, and Sheena didn't really understand his advice about a third of the time regardless. Just him listening to her woes, and his comforting embrace were enough to revive her confidence. She was again excited about her predestined future with Eugene.
"Marrying Eugene is like a beautiful dream!" She spun around her room, pretending she was doing her and Eugene's normal choreography of dances and lifts.
"Marrying Sheena is like a horrible nightmare!" Eugene stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. Even after his talk with Park earlier, and after repeating his mantra of never marrying Sheena, Eugene still couldn't get the prediction out of his head. He started brushing his teeth as he finished his bedtime routine. How could he possibly handle marrying her? How could he possibly have a family with her? Everything seemed so topsy turvy and he couldn't stand it. His mind raced as his mouth foamed up with toothpaste.
"Rhonda predicted I marry the only boy I would want!" Sheena leapt in to her bed, legs and arms outstretched as she landed on her back. With a satisfied smile, she then crawled under her covers.
"Why did Rhonda predict I would marry the only girl I wouldn't want?" Eugene moaned as he pulled back his sheets and sluggishly sat on his bed, kicking off his slippers. With yet another exasperated sigh, Eugene tucked himself in.
As Sheena turned off the light in her bedroom, she snuggled with a bear Eugene had won for her at the last cheese festival. He had meant it as a simple friendly gesture, but Sheena cherished it nonetheless. With a long, joyful sigh, she closed her eyes muttering, "Eugene! Oh, Eugene." She continued to mutter his name as she drifted off to sleep.
Eugene turned off his bedroom light and pulled the sheets over his head. He wiggled towards the foot of his bed so he could bury himself further under the blankets; yanking his pillow along with him. As he tightly clutched his pillow, he continued his mantra in an attempt to calm his mind. "Sheena and I are not going to marry. Sheena and I are not going to marry. Sheena and I" As his eye lids increased in weight his words drifted off.
Church bells chimed and an organ played as guests entered the building. Eugene, in a twenty-three-year-old body, stood up by the altar. He had on an extravagant coat and tails, as well as a confused look on his face.
Adult Eugene first turned to see a priest to his right. Eyes widened even more; Eugene quickly looked away from the priest and instead scanned the guests taking their seats in the pews. Most of them were adult versions of his classmates. They were all dressed in equally evening-formal gowns and tuxes. In the front row kitty-corner from Eugene were Sheena's Aunt Shelley and Uncle Earl. Earl looking incredibly out of place wearing a tux instead of his normal yellow fisherman gear his beard still long and unkempt.
When Eugene caught Arnold's eye, the Ginger quickly waved the oblong-headed man over to him.
"Arnold," Eugene squeaked, "what is all this? What's going on?"
Arnold laughed, "Don't tell me you're now regretting the black-tie attire! We told you it wouldn't be comfortable to wear at your wedding-"
"Wedding?" Adult Eugene's eyes again flew open wide. "No! That can't be right, I mean, I'm only nine!"
Arnold cocked an eyebrow at Eugene, "Nine? Boy, do you have the oddest case of cold feet."
This wasn't right. Eugene was only nine. He looked at everyone and again at himself. He wasn't sure why everyone looked like they were in their twenties, but he knew he was nine. They all were.
"Arnold," Eugene grabbed for his friend's arm, "I can't be getting married."
Arnold gave a comforting smile and patted Eugene on the shoulder, "Don't be so nervous. You proposed to a great girl."
The back doors to the church opened and the organist started playing the Wedding March. A woman in an elaborate wedding gown started walking down the aisle, a veil covered her face.
"Whoop, that's my cue!" Arnold quickly ducked towards the seats as the rest of the guests stood and turned to watch the bride walk down the aisle.
Eugene squinted as he tried to make out who was walking towards him, "Who are you?" He finally asked.
The woman stopped next to him at the altar. She towered over him, and as he briefly looked away from her covered face he realized he was about eye-level with her waist.
"Silly," she finally replied to his question. His bride's voice had a whispy quality to it, and Eugene's head shot up as he realized he recognized it.
Sheena lifted the veil off of her face, "How could you forget we were getting married?" She smiled and her eyes twinkled.
Eugene tried to back away from her, but she quickly grappled his hand. His retreat now halted, Eugene whimpered. "No. This isn't right."
The priest seemed to ignore Eugene's protests and quickly jumped in to the vows. "Do you, Sheena, take Eugene to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, honor and cherish till death do you part?"
With a tight squeeze of Eugene's hand, Sheena turned towards the priest, "Oh, I would be delighted to!" She blushed as she realized what she said and revised her reply, "I mean, I do."
The priest nodded and turned to Eugene. "And do you, Eugene, take Sheena to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love, honor, and cherish till death do you part?"
"Uh," Eugene looked up at the towering Sheena. Her face looked so happy. How could he disappoint her? At the same time, how could he possibly go through with marrying her? "Well, gee," he stalled, "I mean, I'm not really sure." He again scanned the guests and spotted Rhonda. "Rhonda, you made a mistake, right?"
"I'm afraid not, Eugene," she refuted, "You are most definitely marrying Sheena. Just as my guaranteed-accurate origami marriage predictor said." She stood up and pulled the cursed item out from behind her back. With a demonic smirk she played with the origami, making sure to open it so Eugene could see inside. No matter how she opened the dreaded thing it always had Sheena's name written on one side, and Eugene's on the other. Open. Close. Open. Close. Each time "Sheena and Eugene" reappeared when the paper folds opened.
"See, Eugene?" Sheena cooed, "We're supposed to be together! So just say 'I do'!" Her face was so filled with hope and joy. As uncomfortable as Eugene felt, he still couldn't bear to break her heart. With a forced grin and a heavy sigh he submitted with two words: I do.
"I now pronounce you Husband and Wife," the priest deadpanned.
"Oh, goody," Eugene half-heartedly replied. Sheena, on the other hand, squealed with delight and quickly slid the heavy wedding band on to Eugene's finger. The metal ring taunted him.
"You may now kiss the bride," the priest motioned with his hands.
Eugene's eyes bolted open one final time. "I have to kiss a girl?" he whispered to the priest. The man simply nodded to the Adult Eugene.
With a gulp and furrowed brow, Eugene gave an uneasy smile to his bride and kissed Sheena on her hand.
She laughed at the gesture and scooped him up like a doll. Holding him in a bridal carry, Sheena planted a huge kiss on Eugene's lips.
With a scream, Eugene awoke, kicking at the collapsed sheet-tent trapping him. He quickly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Quaking, he clutched his pillow tighter and chanted, "It's okay. It was a dream. I'm not going to marry Sheena."
A few blocks away, Sheena clutched her teddy bear tightly to her chest. She nuzzled her pillow and talked in her sleep, "I do. I do. I do. I do."
Bells and wind chimes echoed through an untouched forest. A small clearing rested among the tall, ivy- and moss-decorated trees. Sheena, in her early twenties, stood in the center of the clearing. She had on an elegant, white sundress and hemp-woven sandals. The sundress was long, flowing, and had hand-stitched Celtic knotting covering the bust. Her brunette hair hung down to her lower back, with braids and wild flowers running throughout her locks. In her hands was a bouquet of ferns, ivy, curly willow branches, and more wild flowers. She looked like a beautiful wood nymph.
To Sheena's right, holding her hand tightly, was Adult Eugene. He was about three inches taller than her, and had on a pair of comfortably lose-fitting, khaki pants and a soft, white, cotton, button-down, untucked shirt. On his feet was a pair of dress, strapped sandals. He would have looked perfectly at home at a fashion shoot on a beach somewhere.
In front of them stood Sheena's parents. Her mother was in a pale green dress with hand-stitched, Celtic knots very similar to Sheena's gown. A halo of wild flowers laced her hair and a patchwork vest hung off her shoulders. Sheena's father wore a suit similar to Eugene's but with a pale blue button-down shirt. He also had on a patchwork vest that was nearly identical to the one his wife was wearing.
Behind Sheena and Eugene, on makeshift benches, fallen tree trunks, and boulders, sat their classmates and family. They were all dressed in a similar style of semi-formal outfits. In the front row were Sheena's Aunt Shelley and Uncle Earl along with Eugene's parents.
"Oh, I do," Adult Sheena blissfully stated. She smiled as she looked in to Eugene's eyes.
"And of course I do as well," Eugene dreamily sighed as he pulled her in to him.
Sheena's parents smiled at each other before jointly announcing, "We now proclaim you Husband and Wife."
Without being told what to do next, Eugene ran his hand through Sheena's draping hair, and pulled her lips to his. She wrapped her hands around his neck, her bouquet cascading down his back. As the guests cheered and blew bubbles, Eugene scooped up his bride and carried her out of the clearing.
~*~ E x S ~*~*~ E x S ~*~*~ E x S ~*~
The sun set on the Grand Canyon. The plateau of the rift was lit up with burning oranges and reds. Warm indigos and cool shadows blanketed the main face of the stone, highlighting the multiple shades of rock that made up the chasm. The earth constructing the base was painted in purples and blues. The Colorado River shimmered in the dying light. The scene was beyond breathtaking.
Sheena and Eugene sat on one of the cliff perches along the face of the Canyon. They were in matching hiking gear khaki cargo shorts, white tank tops, and green, plaid, button-down cover shirts. Eugene's shirt remained open, better showing off the muscles he grew in to as he aged. They weren't spectacular, but they were lean and prominent; showing a little even through the tank top. Sheena also showcased her looks a little. She had the top half of her cover shirt bottoned and the bottom half tied in a knot just above her stomach. The tucked in tank top was perfect for showcasing her slender waist and tight stomach. Sheena's hair was pulled half-back with twin braids secured with a pink, daisy, hair accessory.
A pair of mules munched on feed as the newlyweds lay out on a picnic blanket and enjoyed all the hues stretched out before them. Eugene placed his right hand on Sheena's left and played with her wedding band.
"Are you happy?" Sheena uneasily asked.
Eugene stopped playing with her ring and shifted so he held her hand instead. With a gentle squeeze he softly responded, "I can't imagine being happier, my beautiful flower." He kissed her temple, and when she turned to face him he kissed her again, this time on her lips. She gave a satisfied sigh and nuzzled herself under her husband's arm.
Once the sun finished setting, the couple cleaned up their picnicked dinner and repacked the mules. Sheena mounted her mule first, and with relative ease as Eugene held the creature steady. When it was Eugene's turn to mount his beast, the stubborn thing bucked him back off. Sheena gasped as she saw the Ginger go flying and land hard on the rocky trail.
Eugene, however, started laughing and casually waved to his wife. "I'm okay!" he chuckled as he dusted himself off. He then walked over to Sheena and gave her another kiss to prove he was fine. The mule allowed the indestructible man to ride him on Eugene's second attempt, and they continued their trek down the cliffside to the welcoming water below.
The entire trip the couple joked about Eugene's misfortunes, and how he must have been such a jinx because he was saving all his luck for being able to woo Sheena.
Sheena tossed in her sleep and cooed, "Oh, Eugene. You're so sweet."
Meanwhile, Eugene was also tossing in his sleep; clawing at the blankets that still encased him, and shouldering his pillow off of the bed. He painfully moaned and softly whimpered.
Dressed in his normal outfit of a white polo shirt and blue shorts, Adult Eugene fearfully stared at the zipline he was being hooked to. Standing to his left, in her normal outfit of jeans and a green shirt with a pink daisy, Sheena was also getting hooked up to a zipline. She reached out for his hand and played with his wedding ring. Feeling the heavy, metal reminder that this was their honeymoon didn't calm Eugene's nerves.
"Are," he stumbled over the words as he meticulously watched the gentlemen rigging them to the lines, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Of course!" Sheena chirped. "What could be better than to fly through the trees? I hear it is great fun."
Eugene nervously cleared his throat and stared the hundred feet down. "Yeah," his voice shook, "Loads of fun." He turned to Sheena and gave a terrified smile.
With a squeal of delight, Sheena started down the zipline. Since she was still holding Eugene's hand, he also went, regardless of his readiness to do so.
They both screamed as they slid down the cable Sheena with adrenaline, and Eugene in terror. Eugene's scream increased when something went haywire with his zipline. His hand slid out of Sheena's and he flew past her, his speed steadily increasing.
He faintly heard Sheena calling out his name as he flew faster and faster. Eugene quickly didn't care about his speed when his vision focused on where he was headed full speed in to a very large tree trunk.
Sheena stood over the stretcher as Eugene was carried off the landing platform. Her guilt-ridden face pained him even more than his broken bones and bruised spleen. With as much strength as he could muster, he groaned out an "I'm okay."
Eugene again bolted upright in bed, and quickly checked himself for injuries. Once satisfied he was in one piece he collapsed back on to the mattress and tried to turn off his brain so he could hopefully fall back to sleep. "I'm okay" he chanted for a few moments, before nodding back off to sleep muttering "no ziplines."
Over in Sheena's bedroom, she hugged her pillow close, the teddy bear from Eugene resting between the pillow and her arm. A large smile stretched across her face.
The sun was high on a weekday. The park was empty of all the children still in school. The only ones on the playground were Adult Sheena and Eugene. They were on top of the slide, Sheena already on the inclined, metallic sheet, and Eugene trying to find a way to climb on behind her so she was nestled between his legs. Eugene had on a pair of jeans and a blue polo. Sheena had on black shorts and a fitted pink tie-dyed top. The couple chuckled as they tried multiple gymnastic maneuvers before they were finally settled atop the slide. On the count of three Eugene pushed them off and they jointly slid to the ground with Sheena squealing and Eugene laughing. When they reached the bottom Eugene leaned against the cool metal and Sheena leaned against him. They laughed a moment as they sat at the base of the slide.
Sheena then finally stood up and started to dust herself off. Eugene climbed off the slide and playfully spanked Sheena, "Tag! You're it!" With a grin he broke off in a sprint. Sheena chuckled "cheater" and chased him around the park.
Eugene zig-zagged among the trees and Sheena kept on her pursuit. As Eugene snaked back to the playground Sheena finally caught up. With a quick tag, she abruptly changed directions and ran off. The two continued their game of tag for about ten minutes until Eugene gave up attempting to avoid Sheena's tag. He hid behind a tree and at the last second jumped out and bear hugged Sheena.
"I'm It" he panted and kissed her on the forehead. He then scooped her up in a fireman's carry, Sheena's knees pressed against his chest and her arms wildly dangling down by his knees. She squealed and tried to kick herself free. He simply laughed at her and walked over to the swing set.
In a quick movement Eugene placed Sheena down on one of the swings and then sat in the adjacent one. They linked pinkies and began swinging in union. After a few quiet moments of them swinging gently, Eugene pulled his hand way, "Bet I can swing higher than you."
Sheena accepted the challenge and they both pumped their legs, trying to best the other. When they each reached their peak Eugene attempted something he hadn't for years. He let go at the crest of his swing and leapt off. He excitedly yelled as he flew for a brief moment. Unfortunately, he was still a klutz and didn't make a gentle land. As soon as his feet touched the ground they slid out from beneath him and he ended up on his back.
"Eugene?" Sheena started to slow herself down so she could also jump off in order to check on him.
He raised a hand, "I'm okay." He gave an embarrassed chuckle and dusted himself off. He then walked behind Sheena and gave her a push. They remained in silence for a few minutes as Eugene pushed his wife on the swing set.
"I want to have a garden like this," Sheena finally stated. "It will have flowers, produce, and a swing for us."
"That sounds like it would be really nice." Eugene caught the chains of the swing and slowed Sheena to a stop. "Where do you want the garden?"
"I think we can use the roof of our home, don't you?"
"Why, my little lily, that is a brilliant idea! When do you want to get started?" Eugene walked around and knelt in front of her.
"Would this weekend work?" She gave Eugene a hopeful look as she folded her hands in front of her in a plea.
"Saturday would be perfect." Eugene cupped Sheena's head and brought her in for a kiss.
Nine-year-old Sheena squeezed her teddy bear close and gave a satisfied sigh in her sleep.
"Is this enough?" Adult Eugene placed a package of topsoil next to his wife. With a content sigh he wiped the sweat off his brow. He wore a pair of denim coveralls, but with the top bib folded down, the shoulder straps hanging in loops around his hips. He also had on a teal shirt, brown work boots, and a cowboy hat to keep the sun out of his eyes.
Sheena knelt on a knee pad as she worked the soil. She had on a dirt-covered, red sundress, work boots that matched Eugene's, and a large-brimmed sunhat. She looked around her and smiled at the extent of their garden.
Their marital home was a lovely flat near the edge of the park, and they had transformed their rooftop in to one of the largest gardens in the city. They grew their own produce, and flowers, and had a little rock garden leading to a bench swing. On clear nights they would just curl up on the swing and watch the city below.
"This should be plenty," Sheena smiled up at Eugene.
"I'm so proud of you." He knelt beside her and helped with the weeding. "This has to be the most fantastic garden ever created in Hillwood." He kissed her cheek.
"I don't believe it's that amazing," she humbly replied, "and besides, we built this together. You should take the credit as well."
"Nonsense, this garden was your design. I simply helped."
Sheena blushed, "Well, I was only able to design this garden through your inspiration. So thank you."
"Sheena, my flower," Eugene stood back up and held out his hand, "you are just too adorable. I just want to dance with you! Shall we?"
"Oh, Eugene!" Sheena allowed her husband to help her up. They ignored the dirt they were both covered with and began to twirl around the rooftop. He hummed show tunes in her ear as they danced so that she could hear the beautiful music that played in his head whenever she was near.
As Eugene finished his song he lowered Sheena to the bench swing. He then stood behind and gave the swing a gentle push. Sheena giggled as she tucked her legs under her.
"You have such a fabulous voice," she told her husband. "You should try out for that upcoming musical. I just know you'll get the lead."
"My sweet daisy, you always believe in me." Eugene leaned over the back of the bench swing.
Sheena swiveled in her seat so she was lying out across the full bench. "Of course I do, Eugene. I will believe in you every day for the rest of my life."
"Oh, buttercup! You are easily the best wife in existence! And I want you to know I will back you every day as well!"
"I know you will," Sheena leaned up and their lips met.
Sheena flopped around so she was on her back, wrapped in her blankets like a piece of sushi. She softly chanted "yes" under her breath as she slept.
Meanwhile, Eugene was now curled up in the fetal position, and mumbling "no" to himself over and over.
"We're living here?" Adult Eugene stood on the sidewalk with boxes scattered all over. Sheena proudly stood by his side, her arm wrapped around him. As she cheerfully pulled him close, his head hit her midsection and he was again reminded of how much she towered over him. He heaved a sigh and soft moan.
"Isn't it just perfect, Eugene?" Sheena released her husband and clapped. "You have always loved it, haven't you?"
Eugene scratched the back of his head and bit his lip, "Well, sure, but-" He looked up at the treehouse built in to Mighty Pete the oldest tree in the neighborhood, "that was when we were nine."
Sheena grabbed Eugene's hand and pulled him to the wooden planks nailed in to Mighty Pete's truck as a permanent ladder. She beckoned him to follow her up to the wrap-around porch attached to the treehouse. Eugene reluctantly joined her up the ladder.
"Oh, Eugene," she said to him once they were both up in the tree, "won't you carry me over our threshold?"
Eugene's eyes went wide. He stared his giant of a wife up and down and then looked at the entrance to the treehouse. "Um," he bit his lip as Sheena smiled down at him, her hands folded in a pleading prayer. "Of course?" He gave a nervous chuckle.
As they stood outside the entrance Eugene attempted multiple different stances, wondering how a man as short and wiry as himself could carry a woman nearly twice his height. Finally, he felt he had the right footing and awkwardly scooped Sheena up.
He shuffled his way through the door, wobbling back and forth as he tried to keep his balance as well as remain standing under the added weight. The task was certainly not simplified by the way Sheena was happily kicking her feet and gripping Eugene's neck tightly as he carried her. Thankfully, he was past the threshold when he did finally slip. Sheena caught herself easily enough and simply stood up as if Eugene meant to put her down then.
She helped him off the floor and walked him over to the window and pointed down to the sidewalk, "Now we just need to get our stuff up here." Desperation flooded Eugene's face.
About half way through the moving process, an old man with a long gray beard and a yellow fisherman's jacket walked up to Eugene. Without looking, Eugene recognized the man after hearing the gruff greeting of "arr!"
"Sheena," Eugene called up to the treehouse, "your Uncle Earl is here."
"That's fantastic," Sheena called back down.
Eugene thought so too. Even if he was a cooky old man, any help with the move would be appreciated. He turned to greet the old Seadog and was shocked to see the man with a wagon filled with boxes and an old army pack slung across the yellow coat.
"Um, what is all of this?" Eugene pointed to the wagon.
"Arr, it be my stuff," Earl replied.
"Um-" Eugene was cut off as Sheena embraced her uncle. Even Earl wasn't as tall as the woman, and came up about a few inches short.
"I'm so glad you're here," she said as she motioned to pull the army pack off of her uncle's shoulder. "Here, I'll take this and you can follow me up with your stuff." She motioned for Earl to follow her.
"Eh, wait," Eugene cautiously spoke up, "where is he going with his stuff?"
Sheena spun around with a huge grin and lit up eyes, "In to Mighty Pete, of course. Where else would he store it?"
"His home might be a nice spot," Eugene's lips twitched in to a smile.
Sheena laughed, "Which is why we're putting it in Mighty Pete!"
"Arr," Earl added, "It sure be nice that you share your dwellin' with an old seadog like m'self."
Nine-year-old Eugene gave a low, grumbling, moan as he tossed over to his stomach; his hands reached up and encased the back of his head.
Across town, Sheena giggled in her sleep.
Limos lined the street and searchlights crossed in front of the large theatre. A red carpet was rolled out and velvet ropes edged the soft fabric. Fans and paparazzi alike flooded the area as every famous theatrical actor, composer, director, and producer walked the red runway.
Sheena's hair was elegantly swept to the side and kept in place with a pink daisy clip. She wore a flowing and elegant gown. The playful, organic, cotton outfit had shades of green and brown in an extravagant pattern. Her feet sported a pair of bamboo-cork wedges with ballerina-like laces that wrapped around her ankles. She looked amazing, but she was still surprised to have so many people take her picture as she was escorted out of the limo.
She knew the real reason so many paparazzi cared about the limo she exited was because of the gentleman who helped her out of the car: her magnificent Eugene. He had on a white coat and tails, with a top hat resting slightly off-center on his head. He looked elegant and angelic in the full-white tux. She was so proud of him and he deserved to look so amazing.
Her husband linked their arms as he escorted her in to the Lighthouse Theatre for that year's Freddy Awards. Eugene was nominated for Best Male Lead in a Musical as well as Best Choreographer. Sheena was also nominated for Best Costume Design, but she was certain she wouldn't win, so she focused on Eugene's accomplishments.
The night progressed with great performances, amazing acceptance speeches, and lots of fun. Sheena was having the time of her life sitting next to her husband and cheering him on. She didn't even notice her category was up until Eugene squeezed her hand and nudged her gently. She humbly waved it off.
"You should see the costumes for 'Madam Mayham' they were brilliant," Sheena whispered.
"Not as good as your work for 'Someday, Susan'. I know you'll win," Eugene replied with a smile.
Sheena huffed it off and kissed him on the cheek. She was about to reply that he was probably the only one who thought as much, but she was cut off when she heard "Sheena Horowitz" announced. She froze and her eyes grew wide. Eugene chuckled and reminded her that she needed to go accept the award. He stood up and escorted her out in to the aisle. With a gentle shove, Sheena got started down the walk towards the stage, still dumbfounded.
As she held the Freddy award made up of glass versions of the Comedy and Tragedy Masks, she scanned the crowd a moment.
"This is," she didn't have the words, and instead placed a hand on her chest to help choke down the tears. "Thank you. Thank you to the judges. Thank you to my magnificent crew." She then pointed to her seat, "And thank you to my husband Eugene. He knew I would get this award tonight, even when I didn't think I would." She blew him a kiss and walked off stage.
After she was done with her backstage interviews, Sheena headed back towards her seat. While off stage right, Eugene ran up to Sheena and scooped her up in a twirl. She giggled and hugged him tight. "What are you doing back here?" Sheena's joy was quickly replaced by panic, "I didn't miss the Choreography category, did I?"
"No," he chuckled, "I'm here to showcase one of the songs from 'Baby, Please' and I figured I'd congratulate you while I was here." They kissed deeply before Eugene brushed her cheek and pulled away. "Don't go back to the seats. Stay here and watch."
Sheena agreed and Eugene grinned widely before running over to one of the floor directors. After a brief conversation, Eugene gave Sheena a thumbs up and jogged over to his place behind the stage curtain.
After a quick announcement, the music for Eugene's number started up. It was a sweet ballad the male lead sang to the character's love interest. Sheena loved listening to Eugene sing it, and he often practiced by singing it to her. Even after eight months performing the musical, Eugene still sang it to her nearly nightly.
Eugene stared down the audience without an ounce of stage fright. Sheena mouthed the words as he started to sing.
"Millions of dames would rush me, wanting to be my bride. But none of them was a girl that I could abide. What had commanded me to never take a wife?" Suddenly, Eugene turned completely away from the audience. Without skipping a single beat, he stared directly at Sheena and held out his hand. "Subconsciously, I knew you'd come in to my life." The floor director Eugene previously spoke to walked up behind her. He quickly whispered for her to head out there, and took her Freddy award. Nervous and confused, Sheena stumbled out to the stage. Meanwhile, Eugene continued his song perfectly in rhythm, "Baby, heed the beat of my heart palpitations and you'll hear it filled with strife."
With a few, slick dance moves that were very reminiscent of the Golden Age of films, Eugene pranced over to his wife. Sheena recognized the choreography as that from the show. She instantly realized she was being used as a proxy for the female lead. She blushed and nervously smiled.
Eugene took one of Sheena's hands and knelt down as he sang, "Hug me, my dreamy huggable you." He then stood and placed Sheena's hand on his heart, "Hug me, you indispensable you." He winked and Sheena knew what to do. She followed the female lead's choreography cues and allowed herself to be spun, "One glance at you my heart becomes Pollyannish." With a gentle tug, Eugene cued Sheena and she fell in to his arms as he dipped her seductively, winking at the end of his line, "Only you can make me feel like I am Spanish." The way he put on an accent with that last line always sent shivers through Sheena. She was beginning to forget that they were on stage in front of thousands and televised to millions more.
Eugene raised his wife so she was back on her feet. She pressed herself against him as he waltzed her around the stage. "I adore your magnificent grace. I want to hold you in an embrace." The music slowed and Eugene pulled away so they would be arm's length from each other. He then playfully wagged a finger at her, "Don't be a rascally honey," and then his wagging finger became a beckoning one, "come to daddy, you know it's true." To finish the number, Eugene pulled his wife back in to him and lifted her above his head as they spun, "My dreamy, huggable you"
As the music crescendoed, and the audience gave a standing ovation, Eugene slowly slid Sheena back down to the stage. They both bowed as Eugene called out in to his headset, "My beautiful wife, Sheena!"
The fact that Eugene won both his categories as well that night was just hot fudge on their ice cream. As soon as the Horowitzes walked off the stage hand-in-hand, Sheena knew the night was the best it could be.
"Oh, Eugene," Sheena mumbled as she dozed, "so nice"
"Not good," Eugene whined in his sleep, rocking his head back to forth.
"Eugene!" Adult Sheena called for her dwarf of a husband. She was in the kitchen area of Mighty Pete's treehouse. Dinner was boiling over on the stove while she paid close attention to her Aunt Shelley. The woman sat in her school nurse uniform while bandaging up a three-year-old boy, and Sheena was listening intently to her Aunt's tutelage. The boy had Sheena's triangular-shaped head and facial features, but had Eugene's paler complexion and curly, red hair-puff. Showcased by the boy's multiple band-aids, the kid was just as much an accident-prone klutz as his father. Because of this, Shelley frequented the treehouse for multiple first-aid training sessions.
"I'm a little busy," Eugene called back. He tried to keep a positive tone in his voice, but his stress and exasperation coated his words. He was standing on a collapsible foot stool with black suspender-like straps hanging off of it. With Eugene being so short compared to Sheena and the rest of the house, it was just easier for Eugene to always carry the stool on him like a backpack. At the moment, he was attempting to coax his five-year-old daughter off one of Mighty Pete's branches, and he needed the foot stool to reach her. The girl was the reverse of her brother. She had Eugene's pear-shaped head and freckles, but had Sheena's nose and long, brown hair. She was climbing higher and higher up the tree, and her nervous father kept reaching up to pull her down.
Out on the other side of the wrap-around porch, Earl was in his fishing gear and baiting his rod with shelled peanuts. With a flick of his wrist he let the wire fly in to a tight grouping of branches.
"Squirrel fishing be an excellent sport," Earl gruffly said to an infant boy playing in the crib next to him. The child had Eugene's hair puff, but with Sheena's brunette locks. He also had Sheena's darker complexion and facial features, but Eugene's pear-head.
A family of squirrels clearly did not enjoy being disrupted by Earl's "fishing" and quickly burst out of the branches and pounced on the old seadog. The infant clapped and laughed as Earl jumped up and ran around the porch, screaming out "Arr" as the squirrel mob chased him.
"Eugene, is Uncle Earl alright?" Sheena called out.
"I got ya!" Eugene called out as he grabbed his daughter's arm and pulled her off the branch. She laughed as he lowered her back to the porch, which was a rough task since the lanky five-year-old was already about half Eugene's height.
The bandaged-up boy emerged from the kitchen with his arm in a sling. He laughed as he watched Earl being pursued by the squirrels and ran out to join them. While the boy chased the squirrels that were chasing his great-uncle he tripped on an untied shoelace. Stumbling, his foot got caught in one of the straps attached to Eugene's stool; pulling on the foot stool and knocking the man over the porch railing and plummeting to the ground. The boy finished his spill by slamming in to the wall of the treehouse at about the same time Eugene landed on the ground.
The girl ran to the railing, terrified for her father. In a joint chorus, the little boy to the daughter's left, and Eugene lying on the ground below, both groaned, "I'm okay"
Earl ran another lap with the squirrels following, crying out an "Arr" to muffle the joint groans of father and son.
Fourth-grade Eugene laid sprawled out on his bed, mimicking how his adult self looked, plastered to the ground below Mighty Pete. He let out a low moan in his sleep.
Adult Eugene sat on the couch. His usual white polo and blue shorts were scuffed up and torn from his earlier fall out of Mighty Pete. He had a bandage wrapped around his head, but was otherwise unscathed. He was still exhausted from the day.
The kids were tucked in a three-bed bunk built in to the branches. Earl was wandering around the vacant lot below, searching for buried treasure. Sheena and Shelley were cleaning up the toys scattered throughout the tiny home.
"Eugene?" Sheena turned to him. While he was sitting down he was now eye-level with her knees. He tiredly looked up at his towering wife.
"Yes?" He forced his lips to curl in the corners, forming a horrible mockery of a smile.
"Could you please put the dishes away?"
With a sigh, Eugene pushed himself off the couch. He shuffled his way in to the kitchen and stared at the cupboards he needed to put the clean dishes in. With Sheena being so freakishly tall, the roof of the treehouse had to be raised, and the cupboards were raised as well. Although Eugene could still reach their handles, he was too short to reach the upper shelves hidden behind the cupboard doors.
He slid off the collapsible foot stool he kept strapped to his back, opened it, and started climbing up and down to put away the mountain of dishes. If nothing else, climbing up and down like that all the time gave Eugene fantastic leg muscles.
"You almost done?" Sheena asked a few minutes later, her head poking through the kitchen door.
"This is the last stack," Eugene replied as he balanced a tower about a foot tall.
"My Aunt Shelley just went home." Sheena walked in to the kitchen and grabbed half the dishes off of Eugene's stack. She began putting them away with him. "Although, with all the first aid we need with this family it might be a good idea to have her move in too." Eugene didn't want to argue, so he lazily nodded an agreeance to her suggestion.
As they finished their chore she turned to him and gave him bedroom eyes. "I'm so glad we're married," she said as she leaned in and puckered up.
Eugene still wasn't used to the idea of kissing his best friend. He stared uncomfortably at Sheena's lips before leaning in and kissing the tip of her nose instead. She giggled at the playful affection and kissed him back on the forehead. It was tender as she softly kissed the bandage wrapping. Eugene's head felt a little better with the gesture.
He forced a chuckle and hopped off his foot stool. With a quick motion he collapsed it again and slung it on to his back. Sheena smiled and took his hand. She led him through the little treehouse and over to their children. They were awkward and a little ugly, but they looked happy in their beds. On the older boy's bandages Eugene spotted a little smiley face Sheena drew. He then took a good look at each bandage the boy had on and discovered that they all had a silly smile. Sheena used to do the same for Eugene when they were in first grade. The smiles were supposed to make him feel better and heal faster.
He watched Sheena brush the hair out of each of the children's faces, and he knew that they were greatly loved. He slid the stool back off and opened it up so he could reach his daughter and injured son in their bunks. With an awkward smile he kissed them both on the cheek before recollapsing the foot stool and kissing his infant on the cheek too.
Sheena again took her husband's hand and led him out on to the porch. The moon was shining brightly, and so were the stars. Sheena sat on a lounge chair and pulled Eugene on to her lap. Eugene blushed at the gesture.
"Don't we have the best life, Eugene?"
He didn't know how to respond to his wife. It was uncomfortable to be so affectionate towards his best friend. It was weird seeing three hybrids of their faces. It was chaos having so many people inside the treehouse. It was ridiculous they were even living there in the first place. It was inconvenient to have to walk around with a step stool all the time. It was exhausting trying to run a household. It was a pain having to deal with Earl treating Mighty Pete as a land-locked ship. Eugene was sick of telling Earl that he couldn't force people to "walk the plank" whenever they misbehaved. Married life was as disastrous as he had feared.
Yet, at that quiet moment, with just him and his best friend hanging out in the treehouse they loved when they were kids; the love he felt as Sheena cradled him. That part wasn't so bad. Sure, he still felt like Sheena was family, and was uneasy with the affection. But he felt comfortable enough to finally respond to her question.
He gave her a quick peck on the lips. It felt like he was forced to kiss his mother good night, but at the same time, it felt natural to kiss Sheena like that. He submitted and rested his head on her shoulder.
Eugene awoke the next day surprisingly refreshed considering the number of times his sleep was disrupted. And he felt a lot calmer than he did the day before. So he was going to marry Sheena. So his life would be insanely chaotic and overwhelming. What's life without a few challenges? Perhaps Rhonda's prediction wasn't so disastrous after all. Like Park said, at least he wasn't matched up with someone he hated.
~*~ E x S ~*~*~ E x S ~*~*~ E x S ~*~
"Good morning, Eugene," Sheena smiled widely at him as he stepped on to the bus. As he walked up the aisle she patted the seat beside her. Yes, he had come to terms with one day marrying her, but he wasn't sure he was ready to sit with her on the way to school.
"Eh, I actually need to finish reading last night's assignment, so I'm just gonna spread out right back here, okay?" He gave a half-hearted grin and took the vacant seat behind her.
Her face sank for a moment but then she shifted so that her legs were out in the aisle. She propped an arm on the back of the seat and asked him if he needed any help with the assignment.
"I'm good, thanks." He forced a chuckle and opened his book.
"I can't wait to tell you about this dream I had last night," Sheena chirped, "Oh, Eugene it was fantastic!"
"Heh, yeah, I'm sure it was really something," he replied, "you can tell me during lunch, alright?"
Sheena didn't want to wait that long. She was beyond excited about everything that she dreamt and wanted to tell Eugene. Perhaps after hearing about his success at the Freddys Eugene wouldn't be so upset about them marrying. Eugene seemed busy with his reading, and so she reluctantly agreed.
Eugene was thankful that she caved in so easy to his request. Even though his nightmare wasn't so bad in the end, he still needed time and space to wrap his head around giving up his best friend so she could become his spouse.
Sheena sat quietly and peaked over the back of the bus seat. She watched Eugene and thought back to her dream, mentally retelling herself everything she remembered in order to make sure it didn't slip away.
Eugene was acutely aware of Sheena staring at him. He went from pretending to read the assignment which he already did the night before to actually re-reading in order to avoid her noticing his rouse. Doing so, he couldn't help but overhear Arnold talking to Gerald a few seats over.
It seemed Arnold was in the same boat, having a nightmare about being matched up with Helga G. Pataki. Poor kid. Eugene stifled a chuckle at how Park pegged that they'd be paired.
At the next stop Rhonda climbed on to the bus proclaiming, "Everyone? I have an announcement." The bus driver seemed unimpressed and continued on his route. The rest of the bus turned towards Rhonda to hear her latest news. "Last night, much to my dismay," Rhonda gestured to herself and then reached between the book in her left arm and her chest. She pulled out the dreaded paper toy that had started all the chaos of the past twenty-four-hours. "I discovered a flaw in my origami marriage predictor, and well, the fact is-" she crumpled the paper in her hand and carelessly tossed it. Again the driver did not seem thrilled with Miss Lloyd. "All the results are null and void."
Eugene sat upright, his ears perked, and closed his text book. Rhonda gestured to Sheena and regrettably delivered the news of what the announcement truly meant, "Sheena, you are not going to marry Eugene."
Sheena's grin vanished as she placed a hand on her chest. Her voice sank and quaked a little, "Oh, no! Are you sure?" The dream Sheena tried so hard to remember seemed cruel now.
Eugene, on the other hand, heaved a sigh of relief. He wiped his brow and collapsed in to the seat. Rhonda apologized to the disappointed Sheena and then continued her rounds. She let Peapod Kid down gently as well. He seemed as crushed as Sheena. Rhonda then gave her greatest heartfelt apology to Arnold for any "pain and torment" she caused with her prediction. Arnold didn't appear as relieved as Eugene, which was curious.
It didn't really matter, neither Sheena nor Eugene were paying attention again. Eugene was euphoric. He could keep Sheena as a best friend. Everything could go back to Status Quo. He could worry about future romances in a few years. Right now he was still nine, he was unmatched, and he was never happier.
He then looked at Sheena broken in the seat in front of him. He slid out of his seat and stood over her. After his dream it felt odd to look down at her. "Hey," he said and gave a smile, "mind if I sat here?"
Sheena wiped her nose across the length of her sleeve and slid towards the window, slumping against it.
"You're not really all that upset about the whole married thing, are you?"
"Oh, Eugene! You don't understand. I had the sweetest dream about us being married. I just can't believe it will never come true." The window felt cool against her head; it helped a little.
Eugene couldn't stand seeing her so upset, and he knew that not everything about being married would be so bad. They sat in silence for a minute or two while Eugene psyched himself up for what he was about to do. He quickly glanced around, but everyone on the bus was too distracted with the announcement about the origami marriage predictor.
"You can do this," Eugene thought to himself as he took one last, deep breath. Without thinking about it, Eugene closed his eyes and quickly kissed Sheena on the cheek. He immediately sat back in the seat and stared straight ahead. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sheena bolt upright almost as quickly as he moved. If the idea of what he just did wasn't so terrifying to Eugene he would have laughed at the shocked look on his best friend's face.
She dumbfoundedly turned her head and stared at Eugene. He avoided her gaze and instead commented, "You don't know your dream will never come true." He then turned his head away as he felt his face burn. With a gulp he continued, "I mean, we're only in fourth grade. Marriage predictor or not it's too early to tell who we'll marry. Life is filled with a bunch of twists, turns, and loop-the-loops. So-" he scratched the back of his head and nervously chuckled, "you, uh- well, you just don't know what is going to happen in the future. Who knows?" He didn't turn to face Sheena. He remained with his back to her, his feet in the aisle, and staring out the window on the other side of the bus. He did reach behind him, searched the seat with his fingers for a second, found Sheena's hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Maybe one day life might have your dream come true." Eugene was certain his face matched his hair.
Sheena's heart raced and instantly cheered up. Eugene didn't tell her that he liked her-liked her, but he admitted to the possibility of it in the future. It was good enough for her. She had her best friend back and he wasn't repulsed by the idea of someday marrying her. She squeezed his hand back.
Eugene turned back around and sheepishly looked up at her. He pulled his hand away and added, "We're nine. What are we doing thinking about marriage now anyway? Let's just be kids and worry about that stuff later, okay?"
"Sure, Eugene. We can worry about it later." She smiled at him and they sat quietly the rest of the way to school. She daydreamed about being eighty with Eugene, sitting on that bench swing. This time it was on a wrap-around porch attached to a house in the suburbs. Her and eighty-year-old Eugene were quietly holding hands and watching their grandkids playing in the front yard.
Sheena never found out that Eugene had daydreamed the same thing as he sat next to her.
~FIN~
**A/N: What a ride, right?
Well, aside from coming up with the idea to begin with, ChibiSunnie also super helped me a lot as an idea-beta. Uncle Earl was her biggest contribution... LOL. She also came up with Eugene's speech to cheer up Sheena at the end. So let her know she also has a gift for words! OOOh, and thank you to fellow Hey Arnold! fan Solace Of Songs. His input on the inner-workings of a nine-year-old boy really helped me figure out Eugene.
I wonder if anyone got my little Easter Egg with Helga at the beginning. Since we didn't know what she was doing during the opening scene, I decided I'd give a nod to the Recess character Upside-Down Girl. Both characters have blonde pigtails, a pink dress over a white shirt, and the voice actress Francesca Smith. How could I NOT make Helga resemble Upside-Down Girl!
For those who didn't catch it, the "Freddy Awards" is supposed to be a parody of the "Tony Awards" - complete with the "Lighthouse Theatre" instead of the "Beacon Theatre". However, anyone in the Tri-state area of PA, NY and NJ (or is it PA, NJ, & DE?) might also recognize the "Freddy Awards" as the high school version of the Tonys. It's held annually at the State Theater in Easton, PA.
As for Eugene's song at The Freddys... that's a parody of the song "Embraceable You". I made sure to keep the syllable count the same so you can still sing my version to that song's melody. Boy was that a pain...
Anyway, for more Author's Notes about this story, check out my blog. The link is in my profile.
Thank you for any reviews you leave. The Con/Crits help me become a better writer for you!**