They weren't gasping at us.
Anyway, I guess they were gasping that the fact that Eugene was break- dancing and in the middle of his 'funky worm', he ended up crashing right into the snack table. He emerged from beneath the tablecloth, mumbling, "I'm okay." and with his white Elvis suit and cape stained pink from the spilled punch.
The gasp then turned to laughter.
I glanced from behind my mask at the costumed crowd. I saw Nadine, dressed as one of those big beetles that she loved so much. Rhonda was standing a bit away from her, she checking every spot on her ballerina costume to be sure it was perfect. I spotted Phoebe and Gerald dancing, giving the essence of Danny and Sandy, with Gerald's leather jacket sporting the T- Birds logo, and Phoebe spinning around in her blond wig and poodle skirt. Brainy was even there, but I only spotted him slipping off into the shadows of the bleachers, where the people who didn't have dates usually hung out. I almost felt bad for him. The keyword there was 'almost'.
'All or Nothing' by O-Town floated out of the speakers. Yes, I hate boy- bands, but this song is good.
"Wanna go dance?"
"Yeah, sure."
As the lyrics swept through my mind, I danced with Arnold. We just let the song sweep up off our feet, until we were flying through the midnight sky on a shooting star. I could not imagine anything else that could describe the way I was feeling. As the song ended, we pulled apart, noticing quite a few people looking at us.okay, maybe that 'few' was the whole crowd, but I didn't care. I was the happiest girl in the world.
Harold, in his pirate costume, strode over with a shockingly beautiful Rapunzel, which at a closer glance, turned out to be Patty.
"Hey, Arnnnnold!"
"Hey Harold. How are you?"
"Good. Patty and I were hanging out over near the snack table with Sid and Stinky until Eugene went and flew into it. Sid got covered in soda, and Stinky got sick because the sandwiches were set out too long, so Sid took Stinky home, and he's gonna stop by his house real quick to get a new costume before he comes back."
"Arnold, who's this?"
Arnold froze. "Uh, this is.uh.my FRIEND, yeah, my friend..from.uh."
I had to step in for this one.
What was I gonna say? Think, Helga, ol' girl! Think of a name! Wait.
"My name is Cecile. I'm Arnold's pen pal from Paris," I crooned in a French accent.
Patty tilted her head. "Really? You look nothing like that photo Arnold showed me."
I gave her a smile. "Growth spurt."
"Oh." Patty nodded.
The DJ's voice came over the music. "Hey, kids. the karaoke contest is coming up soon! Here's one last song before we draw the contestant's names and see who's the last one standing!" Pink's voice blasted over the speakers with 'Get the Party Started'.
"Let's go dance, Patty. Hey guys, come dance next to us."
"Okay, come on Cecile."
We slid out onto the dance floor. It was weird, hanging out and dancing with them. I never thought I'd say that I enjoy dancing, but I did at that point. It was different, but I had fun. The song ended, and the DJ's voice came over the speakers.
"Hey everyone, it's time to draw the names for the karaoke contest!" He held up a rather large bucket, full of slips of paper. "We have every one of your names in here, so let's pick our two singers!" He dug around in the bucket and pulled the first slip.
"Stinky Peterson!"
Harold yelled, "He went home sick!"
"Ok." He pulled another slip. "Helga Pataki!"
Arnold yelled, "She's not here, but, uh, my friend Cecile will take her place!"
"Arnold, what are you doing!?" I whispered to him.
"Trying to get you in the contest, Cecile." He said.
"Why not? Get up here Cecile!" The DJ yelled.
I bit my lip. Why not? I'm just gonna lose anyway. I went up there.
"Ok Cecile, your opponent will be." He pulled the slip.
"Brainy!"
Oh, no. I then saw Brainy emerge from the shadows and come slowly up to the stage. I saw his costume clearly for the first time that night, and was laughing inside so hard. Not because it was stupid, because it was cool! He came to the dance as Austin Powers!
"Ok, you two. Tell me which song you want to sing, and then, on your cue, belt it out! Brainy, want to go first?"
He looked at me. "Sure." I saw it in his eyes. He knew who I was. But instead of confronting me, he whispered something into the DJ's ear, took up the mike, and I stood back.
The music started.
I heard the drum roll, then that familiar guitar reverberation from Chad Kroger and Josey Scott's song "Hero".
I could not believe my ears. He sung so incredibly that there wasn't a dry eye in the crowd when he was done. The crowd almost knocked him over with their applause.
"Okay Cecile! You're up next!"
He expected me to follow that act? Oh, well! He deserves to win with his talent. But I whispered my song into the DJ's ear anyway, and Brainy handed me the mike.
"Why you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated,
Life's like this, you
you fall and you crawl and you break
and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty
and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it,
no, no, no."
I continued singing the rest, but I knew that I had lost anyway. Brainy should win anyway, he's got talent.
When I finished, I was surprised that I got as much applause, if not more than Brainy! I'm no good at singing!
"Well, the obvious winner is Cecile!" The DJ yelled. "But let's give a round of applause for Brainy!"
People clapped.a lot. I was surprised that he didn't win. I almost felt sorry for him.
The keyword there was 'almost'.
The DJ then gave me a envelope. "You win 2 passes to the Ambition concert this weekend!" (Sweet! Ambition is the best local punk rock band on this side of Hillwood!) Speaking of which, here's their new song 'Cry Not for Me'!"
I went back to Arnold. He was smiling when I wrapped my arms around him to dance.
"It's hard to stare you in the eye
There's nothing I want less than to make you cry
I try to be the girl for you
But my love just will never do
Don't cry for the price my stupidity cost
Don't cry for the time that we've lost
Don't cry because our love cannot be
Cry not, cry not, cry not for me."
I rested my head on his shoulder, staring towards the door resting in the shadows, and I guess something caused the strings to come loose and my mask fell off. I bent down quickly and put it back on. I don't think anyone saw. I was facing the door! Good thing I was quick. Otherwise, who knows what could have happened. Or rather.what DID happen.
**Don't be sad! I'll put the prologue up soon. My next story, well.I guess you'll know what it'll be about. But can you figure the little details out yet?
YES, that was Avril Lavigne's 'Complicated' that Helga sung. That song by Ambition? Ambition is the band I'm in, I'm the lead singer. That was some new material I wrote for this gig we're playing soon. You like? R&R and tell me!**
Anyway, I guess they were gasping that the fact that Eugene was break- dancing and in the middle of his 'funky worm', he ended up crashing right into the snack table. He emerged from beneath the tablecloth, mumbling, "I'm okay." and with his white Elvis suit and cape stained pink from the spilled punch.
The gasp then turned to laughter.
I glanced from behind my mask at the costumed crowd. I saw Nadine, dressed as one of those big beetles that she loved so much. Rhonda was standing a bit away from her, she checking every spot on her ballerina costume to be sure it was perfect. I spotted Phoebe and Gerald dancing, giving the essence of Danny and Sandy, with Gerald's leather jacket sporting the T- Birds logo, and Phoebe spinning around in her blond wig and poodle skirt. Brainy was even there, but I only spotted him slipping off into the shadows of the bleachers, where the people who didn't have dates usually hung out. I almost felt bad for him. The keyword there was 'almost'.
'All or Nothing' by O-Town floated out of the speakers. Yes, I hate boy- bands, but this song is good.
"Wanna go dance?"
"Yeah, sure."
As the lyrics swept through my mind, I danced with Arnold. We just let the song sweep up off our feet, until we were flying through the midnight sky on a shooting star. I could not imagine anything else that could describe the way I was feeling. As the song ended, we pulled apart, noticing quite a few people looking at us.okay, maybe that 'few' was the whole crowd, but I didn't care. I was the happiest girl in the world.
Harold, in his pirate costume, strode over with a shockingly beautiful Rapunzel, which at a closer glance, turned out to be Patty.
"Hey, Arnnnnold!"
"Hey Harold. How are you?"
"Good. Patty and I were hanging out over near the snack table with Sid and Stinky until Eugene went and flew into it. Sid got covered in soda, and Stinky got sick because the sandwiches were set out too long, so Sid took Stinky home, and he's gonna stop by his house real quick to get a new costume before he comes back."
"Arnold, who's this?"
Arnold froze. "Uh, this is.uh.my FRIEND, yeah, my friend..from.uh."
I had to step in for this one.
What was I gonna say? Think, Helga, ol' girl! Think of a name! Wait.
"My name is Cecile. I'm Arnold's pen pal from Paris," I crooned in a French accent.
Patty tilted her head. "Really? You look nothing like that photo Arnold showed me."
I gave her a smile. "Growth spurt."
"Oh." Patty nodded.
The DJ's voice came over the music. "Hey, kids. the karaoke contest is coming up soon! Here's one last song before we draw the contestant's names and see who's the last one standing!" Pink's voice blasted over the speakers with 'Get the Party Started'.
"Let's go dance, Patty. Hey guys, come dance next to us."
"Okay, come on Cecile."
We slid out onto the dance floor. It was weird, hanging out and dancing with them. I never thought I'd say that I enjoy dancing, but I did at that point. It was different, but I had fun. The song ended, and the DJ's voice came over the speakers.
"Hey everyone, it's time to draw the names for the karaoke contest!" He held up a rather large bucket, full of slips of paper. "We have every one of your names in here, so let's pick our two singers!" He dug around in the bucket and pulled the first slip.
"Stinky Peterson!"
Harold yelled, "He went home sick!"
"Ok." He pulled another slip. "Helga Pataki!"
Arnold yelled, "She's not here, but, uh, my friend Cecile will take her place!"
"Arnold, what are you doing!?" I whispered to him.
"Trying to get you in the contest, Cecile." He said.
"Why not? Get up here Cecile!" The DJ yelled.
I bit my lip. Why not? I'm just gonna lose anyway. I went up there.
"Ok Cecile, your opponent will be." He pulled the slip.
"Brainy!"
Oh, no. I then saw Brainy emerge from the shadows and come slowly up to the stage. I saw his costume clearly for the first time that night, and was laughing inside so hard. Not because it was stupid, because it was cool! He came to the dance as Austin Powers!
"Ok, you two. Tell me which song you want to sing, and then, on your cue, belt it out! Brainy, want to go first?"
He looked at me. "Sure." I saw it in his eyes. He knew who I was. But instead of confronting me, he whispered something into the DJ's ear, took up the mike, and I stood back.
The music started.
I heard the drum roll, then that familiar guitar reverberation from Chad Kroger and Josey Scott's song "Hero".
I could not believe my ears. He sung so incredibly that there wasn't a dry eye in the crowd when he was done. The crowd almost knocked him over with their applause.
"Okay Cecile! You're up next!"
He expected me to follow that act? Oh, well! He deserves to win with his talent. But I whispered my song into the DJ's ear anyway, and Brainy handed me the mike.
"Why you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated,
Life's like this, you
you fall and you crawl and you break
and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty
and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it,
no, no, no."
I continued singing the rest, but I knew that I had lost anyway. Brainy should win anyway, he's got talent.
When I finished, I was surprised that I got as much applause, if not more than Brainy! I'm no good at singing!
"Well, the obvious winner is Cecile!" The DJ yelled. "But let's give a round of applause for Brainy!"
People clapped.a lot. I was surprised that he didn't win. I almost felt sorry for him.
The keyword there was 'almost'.
The DJ then gave me a envelope. "You win 2 passes to the Ambition concert this weekend!" (Sweet! Ambition is the best local punk rock band on this side of Hillwood!) Speaking of which, here's their new song 'Cry Not for Me'!"
I went back to Arnold. He was smiling when I wrapped my arms around him to dance.
"It's hard to stare you in the eye
There's nothing I want less than to make you cry
I try to be the girl for you
But my love just will never do
Don't cry for the price my stupidity cost
Don't cry for the time that we've lost
Don't cry because our love cannot be
Cry not, cry not, cry not for me."
I rested my head on his shoulder, staring towards the door resting in the shadows, and I guess something caused the strings to come loose and my mask fell off. I bent down quickly and put it back on. I don't think anyone saw. I was facing the door! Good thing I was quick. Otherwise, who knows what could have happened. Or rather.what DID happen.
**Don't be sad! I'll put the prologue up soon. My next story, well.I guess you'll know what it'll be about. But can you figure the little details out yet?
YES, that was Avril Lavigne's 'Complicated' that Helga sung. That song by Ambition? Ambition is the band I'm in, I'm the lead singer. That was some new material I wrote for this gig we're playing soon. You like? R&R and tell me!**