Chapter Three

Cafeteria
Gabriella giggled.

"Earth to Freddy." She waved her small hand in front of his face. His eyes blurred back into focus on her stunning small and round face. Her enormous eyes blinked and she smiled wanly. His heart soared.

"Aren't you hungry?" She asked sliding in the seat across from him and dug into her greasy French fries. He had been picking and sorting, moving around the macaroni and cheese on his plate with a plastic fork.

"Aren't you worried about your figure?" He blurted out. In any case, it was true/ Most girls here at Springwood High were severely health conscious and devout readers of their fashion Bibles. He was stunned as to why this popular young lady was seated across the table from him and devouring fries.

She laughed loudly.

"Not really," as if to make a point, she dug her fry into a heap of ketchup on her paper plate and dropped it in her mouth, "I'm actually bulimic."

His eyebrow skyrocketed.

"Why?" He wrinkled his nose in distaste. She never ceased to amaze him. It was no wonder she was so tiny and fragile.

"Well I like eating fat foods but I always end up throwing it up after I eat them. I know it's a bad habit!" She waved her hand in a motion as if to brush it off.

"Oh." He replied in a small voice and forced a bite of food into his mouth.

"You're great to chat with Freddy." She said after swallowing a few fries and finished chewing them down to nothing. "I truly mean that. I feel like, like I can open up to you. You know?"

He nodded, speechless for words. Was he?

"So what's going on in the mysterious Fred Krueger's life?" She smiled, urging him to go on and spill his story.

"I'm babysitting. Tonight." He said after a quick silence between the two. He was beginning to notice the funny looks students were giving Gabriella behind her back. Her eyes were sparkling. She was genuinely interested.

"Really? Good job- for who?"

"A little baby. 1430 Elm Street." He finished, nervous she might warn him that the children were demonic prodigies.

"Neat...Elm Street is a beautiful street in Springwood." She sighed wistfully. "Shady trees and nice houses."

Please don't let Gabriella see how people are looking at her. Please don't let her have second thoughts about talking to me.

"Why are you here?" The words sounded reasonable in his mind-dramatic and to the point, coming out they just sounded rude and blunt. But instead of frowning, picking up her tray and storming off to scout out her real friends, she just laughed as she always did. Her eyes crinkling at the corners and patted his shoulder from her perch across the table.

"Because I think you're cute." She glanced at the clock. "Darn- cheerleading practice- sorry to cut this short." She pulled out from the table and then turned to Freddy again. A smile curved on her pretty features. "Bye Freddy." She giggled and his palms moistened, his muscles weakened.

He watched her walk out of the cafeteria, her poodle skirt swirling around her legs.

When the phone rang he wasn't reluctant to pick it up- figuring it'd be for Harold or Jake. Jake who was at the homecoming football game- the big game Gabriella was cheering at, and all the school had come to prove their spirit.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's me." He heard the munches of bubblegum- Catty.

"Catty?" He asked.

"Well, durr." She snorted. "I sprained my ankle doing a front walkover."

"Oh..." He could feel the tension over the phone line. What was she thinking? What was she doing? He heard the sounds of cheering in the background.

"Springwood touchdown!" Catty belted out in his ear and he winced. "Krueger, you coming over to do that project?"

What was with Catty in this lame project at the most random of times? He really didn't care if it added another fail to his report card. He had sure plans to drop out as soon as he was old enough.

He sighed. "Not right now. I'm busy." He argued bitterly- her constant chomping on gum was giving him an intense headache. He glanced at the clock- no. He had to be at 1430 Elm Street in twenty minutes. He hung up the phone hastily, pulled a wool sweater over his head and headed for his babysitting job.

Gabriella had been right about Elm Street being a nice place. The trees lined the streets and the shutters were freshly painted. He passed 1428 Elm Street and glanced at the white house and blue door. Nice place...no picket fence and all. There was something about it that drew him to it.

1430 was next door, so he jogged up and pounded on the door of the house with a clenched fist.

He heard thuds and footsteps from beyond the door and finally it swung open and the woman greeted him warmly.

"Please come in. I can't believe I never told you my name." She ushered him in the household. "Ms. Jenkins." She shook his hand firmly. "Quickly! Come in- Abby is in the kitchen. I don't want to leave her unattended too long." A handshake told a lot about a person's character.

He followed the harried woman into the bright kitchen where baby Abigail sat in her high chair banging her plastic spoon on her tray. Drool covered her bib.

"Here she is!"

Freddy smiled up at the infant.

"I'll be home around ten o'clock- if I'm late I apologize beforehand." She patted his arm. Everything about her was welcoming. "I'll miss you, Abby! I'll pay you about $4.00?"

He nodded eagerly. Wow, that money would surely go a long ways!

"Thank you." He said softly and watched as she strung her pearl necklace around her long neck and slipped her evening purse over her shoulder.

"Bye Freddy. Take good care of my Abby and help yourself to any food." Then she was gone.

First, he lifted the child from her high chair and set her on the kitchen table. Now he refused to change her, feed her or sing her a lullaby.

She clucked and reached a small wrinkled hand towards the teenager. He took the soft skinned hand and squeezed it so tightly as if he meant to break the delicate bones. She let out a cry of pain and he let go. There would be nothing to say to Ms. Jenkins if her child's hand was shattered. He was clever when it came to these types of things. Thinking before acting.

He made himself at home on the couch, after setting Abby in her playpen and flicking on the television set. With no remote control he found a decent program by flicking the channels with the knobs on the set.

Abby let out a whimper which gradually increased to a full fledged sob.

"Shh, Abby quiet!" Freddy gently whispered to the crying babe. The baby continued to sob. Probably needed a diaper change.

He made his way back to the playpen, the TV show forgotten by now and patted the infant's soft head.

"Hush, Abby!" He was slowly losing patience he had taken so long to obtain. Her ear-splitting shrieks were piercing his eardrums and creating a headache so monstrous he thought his head would explode.

"SHUT UP!" He roared. The baby stopped-and resumed her cries. She was sobbing even louder this time. Angrily, he made his way to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of coke from the refrigerator and cracked it open, taking a long swig before confronting the child.

He scooped up the baby and set her in his lap. She slowly stopped crying and even giggled. Mood swings- she was worse than a teenage girl.

He heard the door open at ten o'clock on the dot and the footsteps of Ms. Jenkin's heels on the tiled floor.

"Freddy?" She called and he slowly stepped out from the living room and nodded. He held Abby tightly in his arms, in a fatherly manner. Putting on a convincing act like he truly cared for the thing.

"She's really attached to you!" She beamed proudly to the sitter and daughter. "She hasn't had a male figure in her life since her father split." Her smile faded at the mention of her ex-husband and she sighed, rubbing at her temples.

She forked out four crisp one dollar bills and handed them to him. Propping up Abby with one arm, he accepted the money and handed Abigail to her mother. Hastily, in the situation that she whipped out breastfeeding utilities at the wrong time.

He really did have a way with children, didn't he?