Whereever he looked, she was there, smiling out at him. Mocking him. What he would have given to touch her arm, to hold her tightly, and hear her laugh once gain. Just once. It really wasn't so much to ask, was it? Or time. Things would have been different. Oh things would have been so different if he knew then what he knew now. If he knew that the sound of her voice sent chills down his spine…if he knew that making her laugh was the most rewarding thing he could do…if he knew, he would have never let her leave. He would have stayed with her, gone with her, fought for her…died for her if he needed to.
He loved her, but he didn't realize it until she was gone.
"Arnold…Hey Arnold…HEY ARNOLD!"
He was finally pulled from his daze, forcing his attention from the missing poster plastered on the light post and to his best friend. Gerald had certainly changed, but not as much as Arnold would ever admit. His hair was still taller than his head was, but he was still one of, if not the coolest kid at Hillwood High School. "Man, did you not hear a word I just said, man?" Gerald sighed, shaking his head.
Arnold glanced back at the missing person's poster and then to Gerald. "Sorry…no, I didn't."
Gerald rolled his eyes. He should have been used to this by now, but Arnold's constant daydreams never ceased to surprise him. "You ougta let her go, man. I mean, you never even told her how you feel."
Arnold's eyes narrowed into glare aimed at his friend, "I didn't know how I felt until she went missing." He stated defensivlly, his voice low and menacing.
"I know, man, I know!" Gerald declared, throwing his hands into the air. "My point is, you gotta move on, man. Why don't you ask Lila to the formal next week?"
Arnold rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Gerald, Lila and I just…don't work."
"Why not?" Gerald asked loudly. "I mean you and that girl have so much in common."
"We have too much in common." Arnold mumbled. "Besides, since she dated Arnie…it would just be…weird."
Gerald shrugged, "Alright, not Lila. How about Rhonda?"
Arnold laughed loudly and shook his head, "Even if I was interested, Rhonda wouldn't give me the time of day, Gerald. I mean, she's the queen bee of every clique at school and she only dates college guys."
Gerald frowned, though Arnold had a point, "Alright. What about…"
Arnold cut his friend off before he could continue as they turned into an alley, a shortcut to Arnold's house. "Gerald…I really don't want to be with anyone."
"Anyone but Pataki." Gerald challenged playfully.
Arnold frowned and kicked a can at his feet. "Yeah, Gerald."
They were silent for a few seconds before Gerald finally stopped and perked up, listening intently. Arnold raised an eyebrow at his friend looked around for the source of the noise. "Gerald…what're you doing?"
"Don't you hear that, Arnold?" Gerald asked in a hushed tone.
Arnold listened, and he did hear it.
"What is that?" Arnold asked cautiously.
Gerald shrugged and they stood still. The sound was a warping melody of grinding gears, or something of the like. What was that?
A gust of wind caught their attention and when they turned around, their voices were taken from them.
"That…that wasn't there before." Gerald stated, his voice shaky and uncertain as he and Arnold slowly walked toward it.
"It looks like a…blue phone booth." Arnold said to himself once they were standing before the structure. And he was right. It did look like a blue phone booth. The kind you phone in the United Kingdom. One saying Police Box. It didn't make any sense.
"Well where did this thing come from?" Gerald asked, cautiously reaching out and knocking on the bright blue wooden paneling, just to make sure that it was real.
Arnold and Gerald bloth screeched and jumped back when the door swung open and a man jumped out onto the pavement before them. He seemed harmless enough, wearing dark sunglasses, a tweed suit, and a blue bowtie the same color as the Police Box, his hair a mop of brown. He took off his sunglasses and stared intently at the two of them. Arnold and Gerald just stared at him as touched the brick wall and licked the residue off his fingers before contemplating for a moment. It was unclear if he was contemplating what he had done, why he had tasted a wall, or what he was doing here.
Finally, he cleared the distance between himself and Arnold, taking the football headed teen's face into his hands, forcing his mouth open, and gazing at his tonsils. "Ah yes, you must be Arnold!"
Arnold stared at the man, his confusion only growing when he was pulled into a firm embrace. The british man patted his back firmly before releasing him. "Yes, well no time to lose. Come along." The man turned on his heels and bounced back to the blue phone box.
"Who are you?" Gerald asked, unsure of what was happening or what was going on, who this person was, where that damn box had come from, and how this man knew Arnold from looking down his throat.
The man turned around and gave them a devilish smile before straightening his bowtie. "I'm the doctor. Come on, Gerald. Your girlfriend's waiting."
"PHoebe?" Gerald gave Arnold a panicked look, and his only got a shrug back. "If you've hurt her I swear to god!" Gerald lunged at the man, but he stepped aslide and opened the doors. Arnold rushed forward when Gerald vanished inside. Arnold glared at the man, but stopped dead in his tracks once he was inside the box.
"Impossible." Gerald breathed as he got onto his feet.
Arnold glanced back at the Doctor, who looked a bit smug as he watched them admire his box. "It's…it's…" Arnold began.
The Doctor shrugged, "Go ahead, say it."
"Bigger on the inside." Gerald and Arnold finished together.
The doctor chuckled, "That is my favorite part of showing someone new the Tardis."
"Tardis?" Arnold asked.
"He says he has information about Helga." Arnold and Gerald looked up to see Phoebe Heyerdahl seated casually on a staircase in the massive structure.
Gerald rushed to his girlfriend and kissed her firmly. "When did he get you?"
Phoebe shrugged, "About an hour ago. Probably five minutes after you and Arnold left my house."
Arnold and Gerald glanced at each other. "Babe…we only left your house about ten minutes ago."
Gerald and Phoebe stared at each other, unable to fathom a proper response. The doctor stepped in and gave them one instead. "Ah yes well you see the Tardis is a time machine, and a spaceship. Anywhere in time and space you want to go and you're there!"
"Then…why did it take so long to get to Gerald and Arnold?" Phoebe asked cautiously.
The Doctor frowned. "She takes me where I need to be. Not always where I want to go."
"She?" Arnold asked.
"Enough questions." The doctor went to the center of the massive room and started pulling, pushing, twisting, and turning switches. With a lurch they were off. The doctor casually went to the door and pushed it open, revealing a cosmos just outside, leaving Gerald, Phoebe, and Arnold breathless. "Now…I needed to talk to all of your about our mutual friend, Helga Pataki."
Sorry it's kinda short, but I wanted to get it writ and I'm kinda sick. May be more by tomorrow, but there also may not be. Please review if you'd like me to continue.
