Well, I have Part 4 up within 48 hours, due to the quality of demand.
I don't know
what is more fun; writing my vision, seeing it up on ff.n, or reading the
reviews. It goes
without saying that I would like more of the same. Let's see...
Dramagirl, I am.
Horseamew, your question is answered; & while it might be a red herring it will be instrumental in advancing the plot, in an understated way; you'll see.
Houkanna Yuuhou, you're right.
JESS, you might want to take a refresher on Big Sis, a 4th season episode which was the flipside to Sid the Vampire Slayer. I don't know when it's coming on, but I'll keep my eye on Don Del Grande's listings & I advise you to do the same.
Starry Nights, thanks especially; it's mutual.
Hey, maybe now that I've finally joined Kim's message board, the word will get out more and I'll have too many reviews to respond to individually. Anyway, y'all might spread the word; I especially look forward to seeing feedback from Yardbird9. Please r&r, y'all.
Hey Arnold! is created & / or owned by Craig Bartlett, Snee-Oosh, & / or Nickelodeon, which in turn is owned by Viacom. The movie mentioned herein is based on Pay It Forward, starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, & Haley Joel Osment, copyright Warner Brothers 2000.
Another day dawns on Hillwood. Friday, the last day of school, the day before Arnold's birthday. The day on which, after much preparation, events will be set in motion that will change the lives of so many, forever.
As the students file into PS118 for the last time until autumn, an unlikely pair was deep in conversation. 'Unlikely' as in no one had ever before seen this particular twosome having any sort of conversation; in fact, they had never been more than casual acquaintances in the opinions of everyone, including themselves.
"Well, this is the day."
"Yes."
"Are you ready for, for whatever it is for which we're supposed to be ready?"
"Well, considering that we have no way of knowing what is supposed to happen, I am as ready as it is possible to be."
"You have a point, Phoebe."
"By the way, Lila, what was in that box anyway?"
"It was a video camera, with two blank video tapes included. It seems the Big Sis Little Sis organization wanted us to have a permanent record of our activities this summer; isn't that just ever so sweet?"
"Sweet, yes. But 'permanent' is not exactly what I would call it; those video tapes will disintegrate inside of a couple of decades."
"Oh, that's so sad."
"Let me give you some advice: as soon as you have those video tapes filled, transfer them to DVD. I could have it done for you; I know a couple of people who would be glad to do it." She doesn't need to know it's Arnold & Gerald she thought.
At that moment Phoebe's usual conversational partner made her presence known: "Phoebe!"
"Coming." Phoebe hesitated just long enough to tell Lila, "We'll just have to see what happens." And was gone before Lila could respond.
As Phoebe made her way to Helga, she passed Arnold, in the act of opening his locker. In addition to and in front of his usual school paraphernalia was a piece of paper with a few words scrawled on it. Arnold, puzzled, looked around in a vain attempt to guess the perpetrator; then he stuffed it into one school book and took out his usual needs for his first class, finishing with the customary slam of the locker.
Meanwhile...
"So what were you doing talking with Miss Perfect?"
"Well, both she and I happened to be at your house last night..."
"Pff! Don't remind me; the idea of her AND Olga under the same roof as myself at the same time, I still haven't gotten used to it."
"Then you know why she was there. I was there to bring you your homework. By the way, what was wrong with you?"
"Oh, just one of those 24-hour bugs. One day you're worshipping the porcelain goddess, the next you're back to normal. But don't change the subject, Phoebe."
"Well, while we were there we both received telegrams, addressed to us at that address."
"Huh. Wonder why I didn't hear about it."
"I was wondering where you were."
"Whadda ya mean?"
"Well, when I took your homework upstairs, you weren't in your room."
Only Phoebe would have been able to tell that Helga was getting a bit nervous. "Uh, well, did you look in the bathroom?"
"No."
"Uh, well, I was, there. You know I was, sick yesterday. When Lila came in I bolted for the commode just in time to keep from making a mess. I mean as soon as I knew she was in the house, BAM! I tell ya, Pheebs, those two are hard enough to take separately, but together they generate enough saccharine to give those lab rats cancer AND enough sugar to put them into diabetic comas. Free advice, Pheebs, watch your step around either of them, much less both."
Helga had huffed & bluffed in her explanation in her trademark fashion, so Phoebe knew better than to believe a word of it. But she also knew Helga well enough to not let her (Helga) know that she (Phoebe) knew she (Helga) was lying. "Watching."
"So what did the telegram say?"
But before she could tell her best friend, Phoebe was quite literally saved by the bell. Helga as much as chased Phoebe to Simmons' classroom, peppering her with questions. But Phoebe kept her mouth shut. Why? Maybe because Helga hadn't been honest with her. Whatever the reason, she clammed up.
Not so elsewhere in the classroom.
"So what did the note say?"
"I have it right here, Gerald."
"Let's see, 'Who wrote the little pink book?' Hmm. We never did figure that out."
"Maybe this was written by the same person."
"Arnold, if you're going to start with your Ruth MacDougal theory again..."
"Nah, I am so over her by now, Gerald."
"Okkay. Well, you do have a point about the handwriting. We can compare them after school."
Any further conversation was cut off when Mr. Simmons entered the room.
'Helloooo, class!"
Muted response.
"Class, I know how on the last day of the school year it can be hard to focus on one's studies, what little is left. For this reason, as you might have noticed, I gave you your final tests for this school year earlier this week.
"Now, you might wonder what reason there could be for you to even be here; well, as I said yesterday, we have come up with something I think you will like.
"Right now we're going to watch a movie. Afterward I will tell you what we have in mind, but in the meantime I suggest you take notes on what you see; it will work to your advantage later. Gerald, will you please get the lights?"
Gerald complied.
The room went dark. The screen of the television - which had been rolled into the classroom for the occasion - lit up. For the next two hours and three minutes the attention of the class was more or less focused on Pay It On Ahead to the Front, a tearjerker movie from a couple of years ago about a class project to change the world through doing good deeds without recompense.
When the movie ended and the lights went up, tears were seen on some faces. Mr. Simmons was just this side of crying his eyes out. But he sucked it up, after a minute or so; and after dabbing his eyes, he turned to the students.
"sob, uh, class, you might have guessed that the movie we just saw has something to do with your final project for the school year.
"As you are no doubt aware, at the end of the school year you are usually assigned a list of books that you are to read over the summer. Well, this summer, I thought we'd try something a little different.
"Your final project is to help someone without expecting anything in return. I hope you took notes from what you just saw because they will be helpful to you, although I would advise against trying to set me up with someone's mother.
"Now, this project will be much easier for you than it is for the boy we saw in this movie. He was one person who tried to help three people; you will be in groups of three who try to help one person. Won't that be special?"
Various shades of muttering and grumbling were now going on.
"Aw, more good works? Don't I get enough of this from Rabbi Goldberg?" That was Harold.
"Charitable endeavors? Can't I just send money?" And that was Rhonda.
"Huh? I don't get it." Yup, you guessed it, Stinky.
But the last statement didn't go unheeded; Sid tried to explain to Stinky. "It means we all have to be Arnold for the summer."
"Oh, I get it. No wait, that doesn't make any sense at all."
Well, in the manner of what someone once said, if you have any questions go to Sid, then go to Phoebe if you want the real answers. If this was an old saying or not, it was nonetheless put into practice now, as Phoebe contributed to the conversation.
"It means that we are to go about doing good for someone without asking anything in return, much like Arnold does on a regular basis."
"That's right, Phoebe." Simmons finally got a word in. "And how observant of you to point out one of us who in fact has already been putting the lessons of Pay It On Ahead to the Front into practice for years. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if the movie was based on him."
A few laughed. Arnold was not enjoying all of this attention. And even his best friend wasn't helping.
"Hey Arnold, next time we get ice cream from the Jolly Olly man, how about you springing for it? You should have the money with all these royalties you're getting, right?"
Arnold just looked at his friend with a baleful glare that as much as said, 'Et tu, Gerald?' His attention was interrupted, however, by yet another spitball.
It wasn't often that one managed to find its way under his hat, but when one did it really hurt.
"CUT IT OUT!" he hissed, his head whipping around to where Helga sat.
"What?" she innocently asked. She was good at assaulting him one second and looking innocent the very next one. She should; she had been doing both for years.
What she said to herself next also came from years of experience.
"Hmph, Arnold! Such a do-goody know-it-all meddler! So naive with his little football head in the clouds!
"And yet..."she continued, opening her math book to the miniature shrine.
It was a good thing she could turn in her textbooks anonymously at the end of each school year --- cleaned out, of course. It was also a good thing she was good enough at math that she didn't need most of what she cut out every year, and it was a third good thing that when she did need something that had been sacrificed for the football-headed love god --- like homework she needed to study --- she could work out of Phoebe's textbook.
"...I pledge my undying adoration to him. Such a boundless, bottomless bounty of benevolence. Of course he will change the world; how could he not? Nicholas, Valentine and Francis of Assisi combined had not the pure unfettered altruism of the one, the only, St. Arnold."
Helga paused in her reverie to listen; this was the point where she was used to hearing the wheezes of a certain geek who would invariably have a meeting with Old Betsy, or not, since she had been seeing Dr. Bliss. Only he had not been keeping those appointments for well over a year.
She would never admit it to anyone, least of all to herself, but she missed that. Ah, she'd get over it.
But now Simmons had her attention again.
"Okkay, the groupings will be: Group 1 --- Arnold, Helga, and...,"
Of course, Arnold's wince was the counterpoint to Helga's sadistic smile, for a second.
"...wait, that's not right, it's..."
Now Arnold was momentarily relieved and Helga puzzled.
"...oh, it's Arnold, Gerald & Helga,." And now Gerald's gloom matched that of his best friend as Helga's stupefaction continued.
As did Simmons' voice.
"Group 2 --- Brainy, Lila & Phoebe," And now Helga was even more befuddled, as the latter two in that group looked at each other with wonder and not a little concern, Brainy's face maintaining its characteristic inscrutably blank look.
"Group 3 --- Nadine, Rhonda & Sid; Group 4 --- Curly, Harold & Stinky; Group 5 --- Eugene, Lorenzo & Sheena.
"Now class, you'll have all summer to complete this. And so that you can get a head start, you can get together and plan your strategies for the rest of the school day. Which means that as of now, you're practically free to go; although Principal Wartz insists that you not leave the school grounds until 3:00.
"Oh, and one more thing. Your group activities are to remain strictly within the group, which means you can't tell anyone what you're doing, except for me, as I might need to approve certain directions in which you might decide to go.
"Well, I guess that's it. I'll be right here for the rest of the day if anyone needs me. And in case I don't see you again before the end of the day, I hope you all have a very special summer."
As soon as Mr. Simmons sat down after finishing his remarks, the students took same as a cue to empty the classroom, filing out in ones & two & threes --- or not --- amid a welter of confused babblings, from which one could catch aural glimpses of coherent thought.
"Aw, I got stuck with Curly & Stinky?"
"Harold, man, is there anyone you wouldn't have objected to working with?"
"Well, you and Arnold wouldn't have been that bad."
"Yeah, well, we don't particularly like who we're working with either."
"Yeah, I can't stand Madame Fortress Mommy. But at least there's two of you to one of her."
"I don't mind working with you, but Sid?"
"I think he's cute."
"I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but this is not about how you look. Watch your step around him, Nadine; he's a player, or he would be if girls would give him the time of day."
"Rhonda, I'm hurt. You know that's not true."
"Yeah, right. Every time I'm foolish enough to invite you to one of my parties I see you flirting with every girl that's even remotely attractive; Ruth MacDougal, for one."
"I do not; that's Arnold's crush."
"Sid, I've seen you."
"Mr. Simmons, suppose the person we wish to help is in the group?"
"I just don't get it. It was supposed to be you & me taking on Football-Head. Now I'm stuck with him AND Tall Hair Boy! Criminey!"
"'supposed to be'?"
"Yes! I mean I made sure that, er, uh, I mean, what are they thinking, assigning charitable activities over the summer?"
"It is from noble intentions."
"That's not the point. This is forced volunteerism, which is a contradiction in terms. They probably got the idea from that Kennedy cousin who went to Maryland and got herself elected lieutenant governor, you know. Whose idea was it to assign summer projects anyway; don't they know kids are supposed to have summers off?"
"Maybe its preparation for adulthood, when we'll never get summers off."
"All the more reason for us to enjoy our childhood while we can!"
While the rest of the class hung around talking with each other, Lila was the only one who had reached the hall by now; specifically, the lockers.
She opened hers, only to find a note inside, in front of her school stuff.
"Meet me at the library to discuss the project." That's what it said.
Lila was just a little bit frightened now, and she wondered.
Did it come from Phoebe? No, Helga still had her ear.
Who, then? Brainy? Where is he anyway; she hadn't noticed him in class as she was leaving.
She made the appropriate exchange of books and Pony Expressed it for the library, the sound of her locker slamming echoing in an empty hall.
When she reached the school library she wasn't sure exactly where to go, so she wandered up one aisle & down another.
As she turned a corner to where some tables were, she heard a very unfamiliar voice.
"Hello, Lila. Please, have a seat; make yourself comfortable."
Lila couldn't believe her eyes or ears.
"Brainy?"
Ayup, cliffhanger time again. But we don't want to rush things here. Don't worry. In the words of Sledge Hammer, trust me; I know what I'm doing. The next part will be up within five days, or five reviews, whichever comes first. Or maybe sooner, or later; y'all know how rl can deal unexpected hands.
Now, two things. One, I have no idea what projects the other groups would do, with the possible exception of the Eugene-Lorenzo-Sheena group. Any suggestions? Two, the usual: read & review please. Or is that three things; the two there go together so integrally. Well, do it anyway. And I'll cy'all around.
Dramagirl, I am.
Horseamew, your question is answered; & while it might be a red herring it will be instrumental in advancing the plot, in an understated way; you'll see.
Houkanna Yuuhou, you're right.
JESS, you might want to take a refresher on Big Sis, a 4th season episode which was the flipside to Sid the Vampire Slayer. I don't know when it's coming on, but I'll keep my eye on Don Del Grande's listings & I advise you to do the same.
Starry Nights, thanks especially; it's mutual.
Hey, maybe now that I've finally joined Kim's message board, the word will get out more and I'll have too many reviews to respond to individually. Anyway, y'all might spread the word; I especially look forward to seeing feedback from Yardbird9. Please r&r, y'all.
Hey Arnold! is created & / or owned by Craig Bartlett, Snee-Oosh, & / or Nickelodeon, which in turn is owned by Viacom. The movie mentioned herein is based on Pay It Forward, starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, & Haley Joel Osment, copyright Warner Brothers 2000.
Another day dawns on Hillwood. Friday, the last day of school, the day before Arnold's birthday. The day on which, after much preparation, events will be set in motion that will change the lives of so many, forever.
As the students file into PS118 for the last time until autumn, an unlikely pair was deep in conversation. 'Unlikely' as in no one had ever before seen this particular twosome having any sort of conversation; in fact, they had never been more than casual acquaintances in the opinions of everyone, including themselves.
"Well, this is the day."
"Yes."
"Are you ready for, for whatever it is for which we're supposed to be ready?"
"Well, considering that we have no way of knowing what is supposed to happen, I am as ready as it is possible to be."
"You have a point, Phoebe."
"By the way, Lila, what was in that box anyway?"
"It was a video camera, with two blank video tapes included. It seems the Big Sis Little Sis organization wanted us to have a permanent record of our activities this summer; isn't that just ever so sweet?"
"Sweet, yes. But 'permanent' is not exactly what I would call it; those video tapes will disintegrate inside of a couple of decades."
"Oh, that's so sad."
"Let me give you some advice: as soon as you have those video tapes filled, transfer them to DVD. I could have it done for you; I know a couple of people who would be glad to do it." She doesn't need to know it's Arnold & Gerald she thought.
At that moment Phoebe's usual conversational partner made her presence known: "Phoebe!"
"Coming." Phoebe hesitated just long enough to tell Lila, "We'll just have to see what happens." And was gone before Lila could respond.
As Phoebe made her way to Helga, she passed Arnold, in the act of opening his locker. In addition to and in front of his usual school paraphernalia was a piece of paper with a few words scrawled on it. Arnold, puzzled, looked around in a vain attempt to guess the perpetrator; then he stuffed it into one school book and took out his usual needs for his first class, finishing with the customary slam of the locker.
Meanwhile...
"So what were you doing talking with Miss Perfect?"
"Well, both she and I happened to be at your house last night..."
"Pff! Don't remind me; the idea of her AND Olga under the same roof as myself at the same time, I still haven't gotten used to it."
"Then you know why she was there. I was there to bring you your homework. By the way, what was wrong with you?"
"Oh, just one of those 24-hour bugs. One day you're worshipping the porcelain goddess, the next you're back to normal. But don't change the subject, Phoebe."
"Well, while we were there we both received telegrams, addressed to us at that address."
"Huh. Wonder why I didn't hear about it."
"I was wondering where you were."
"Whadda ya mean?"
"Well, when I took your homework upstairs, you weren't in your room."
Only Phoebe would have been able to tell that Helga was getting a bit nervous. "Uh, well, did you look in the bathroom?"
"No."
"Uh, well, I was, there. You know I was, sick yesterday. When Lila came in I bolted for the commode just in time to keep from making a mess. I mean as soon as I knew she was in the house, BAM! I tell ya, Pheebs, those two are hard enough to take separately, but together they generate enough saccharine to give those lab rats cancer AND enough sugar to put them into diabetic comas. Free advice, Pheebs, watch your step around either of them, much less both."
Helga had huffed & bluffed in her explanation in her trademark fashion, so Phoebe knew better than to believe a word of it. But she also knew Helga well enough to not let her (Helga) know that she (Phoebe) knew she (Helga) was lying. "Watching."
"So what did the telegram say?"
But before she could tell her best friend, Phoebe was quite literally saved by the bell. Helga as much as chased Phoebe to Simmons' classroom, peppering her with questions. But Phoebe kept her mouth shut. Why? Maybe because Helga hadn't been honest with her. Whatever the reason, she clammed up.
Not so elsewhere in the classroom.
"So what did the note say?"
"I have it right here, Gerald."
"Let's see, 'Who wrote the little pink book?' Hmm. We never did figure that out."
"Maybe this was written by the same person."
"Arnold, if you're going to start with your Ruth MacDougal theory again..."
"Nah, I am so over her by now, Gerald."
"Okkay. Well, you do have a point about the handwriting. We can compare them after school."
Any further conversation was cut off when Mr. Simmons entered the room.
'Helloooo, class!"
Muted response.
"Class, I know how on the last day of the school year it can be hard to focus on one's studies, what little is left. For this reason, as you might have noticed, I gave you your final tests for this school year earlier this week.
"Now, you might wonder what reason there could be for you to even be here; well, as I said yesterday, we have come up with something I think you will like.
"Right now we're going to watch a movie. Afterward I will tell you what we have in mind, but in the meantime I suggest you take notes on what you see; it will work to your advantage later. Gerald, will you please get the lights?"
Gerald complied.
The room went dark. The screen of the television - which had been rolled into the classroom for the occasion - lit up. For the next two hours and three minutes the attention of the class was more or less focused on Pay It On Ahead to the Front, a tearjerker movie from a couple of years ago about a class project to change the world through doing good deeds without recompense.
When the movie ended and the lights went up, tears were seen on some faces. Mr. Simmons was just this side of crying his eyes out. But he sucked it up, after a minute or so; and after dabbing his eyes, he turned to the students.
"sob, uh, class, you might have guessed that the movie we just saw has something to do with your final project for the school year.
"As you are no doubt aware, at the end of the school year you are usually assigned a list of books that you are to read over the summer. Well, this summer, I thought we'd try something a little different.
"Your final project is to help someone without expecting anything in return. I hope you took notes from what you just saw because they will be helpful to you, although I would advise against trying to set me up with someone's mother.
"Now, this project will be much easier for you than it is for the boy we saw in this movie. He was one person who tried to help three people; you will be in groups of three who try to help one person. Won't that be special?"
Various shades of muttering and grumbling were now going on.
"Aw, more good works? Don't I get enough of this from Rabbi Goldberg?" That was Harold.
"Charitable endeavors? Can't I just send money?" And that was Rhonda.
"Huh? I don't get it." Yup, you guessed it, Stinky.
But the last statement didn't go unheeded; Sid tried to explain to Stinky. "It means we all have to be Arnold for the summer."
"Oh, I get it. No wait, that doesn't make any sense at all."
Well, in the manner of what someone once said, if you have any questions go to Sid, then go to Phoebe if you want the real answers. If this was an old saying or not, it was nonetheless put into practice now, as Phoebe contributed to the conversation.
"It means that we are to go about doing good for someone without asking anything in return, much like Arnold does on a regular basis."
"That's right, Phoebe." Simmons finally got a word in. "And how observant of you to point out one of us who in fact has already been putting the lessons of Pay It On Ahead to the Front into practice for years. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if the movie was based on him."
A few laughed. Arnold was not enjoying all of this attention. And even his best friend wasn't helping.
"Hey Arnold, next time we get ice cream from the Jolly Olly man, how about you springing for it? You should have the money with all these royalties you're getting, right?"
Arnold just looked at his friend with a baleful glare that as much as said, 'Et tu, Gerald?' His attention was interrupted, however, by yet another spitball.
It wasn't often that one managed to find its way under his hat, but when one did it really hurt.
"CUT IT OUT!" he hissed, his head whipping around to where Helga sat.
"What?" she innocently asked. She was good at assaulting him one second and looking innocent the very next one. She should; she had been doing both for years.
What she said to herself next also came from years of experience.
"Hmph, Arnold! Such a do-goody know-it-all meddler! So naive with his little football head in the clouds!
"And yet..."she continued, opening her math book to the miniature shrine.
It was a good thing she could turn in her textbooks anonymously at the end of each school year --- cleaned out, of course. It was also a good thing she was good enough at math that she didn't need most of what she cut out every year, and it was a third good thing that when she did need something that had been sacrificed for the football-headed love god --- like homework she needed to study --- she could work out of Phoebe's textbook.
"...I pledge my undying adoration to him. Such a boundless, bottomless bounty of benevolence. Of course he will change the world; how could he not? Nicholas, Valentine and Francis of Assisi combined had not the pure unfettered altruism of the one, the only, St. Arnold."
Helga paused in her reverie to listen; this was the point where she was used to hearing the wheezes of a certain geek who would invariably have a meeting with Old Betsy, or not, since she had been seeing Dr. Bliss. Only he had not been keeping those appointments for well over a year.
She would never admit it to anyone, least of all to herself, but she missed that. Ah, she'd get over it.
But now Simmons had her attention again.
"Okkay, the groupings will be: Group 1 --- Arnold, Helga, and...,"
Of course, Arnold's wince was the counterpoint to Helga's sadistic smile, for a second.
"...wait, that's not right, it's..."
Now Arnold was momentarily relieved and Helga puzzled.
"...oh, it's Arnold, Gerald & Helga,." And now Gerald's gloom matched that of his best friend as Helga's stupefaction continued.
As did Simmons' voice.
"Group 2 --- Brainy, Lila & Phoebe," And now Helga was even more befuddled, as the latter two in that group looked at each other with wonder and not a little concern, Brainy's face maintaining its characteristic inscrutably blank look.
"Group 3 --- Nadine, Rhonda & Sid; Group 4 --- Curly, Harold & Stinky; Group 5 --- Eugene, Lorenzo & Sheena.
"Now class, you'll have all summer to complete this. And so that you can get a head start, you can get together and plan your strategies for the rest of the school day. Which means that as of now, you're practically free to go; although Principal Wartz insists that you not leave the school grounds until 3:00.
"Oh, and one more thing. Your group activities are to remain strictly within the group, which means you can't tell anyone what you're doing, except for me, as I might need to approve certain directions in which you might decide to go.
"Well, I guess that's it. I'll be right here for the rest of the day if anyone needs me. And in case I don't see you again before the end of the day, I hope you all have a very special summer."
As soon as Mr. Simmons sat down after finishing his remarks, the students took same as a cue to empty the classroom, filing out in ones & two & threes --- or not --- amid a welter of confused babblings, from which one could catch aural glimpses of coherent thought.
"Aw, I got stuck with Curly & Stinky?"
"Harold, man, is there anyone you wouldn't have objected to working with?"
"Well, you and Arnold wouldn't have been that bad."
"Yeah, well, we don't particularly like who we're working with either."
"Yeah, I can't stand Madame Fortress Mommy. But at least there's two of you to one of her."
"I don't mind working with you, but Sid?"
"I think he's cute."
"I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but this is not about how you look. Watch your step around him, Nadine; he's a player, or he would be if girls would give him the time of day."
"Rhonda, I'm hurt. You know that's not true."
"Yeah, right. Every time I'm foolish enough to invite you to one of my parties I see you flirting with every girl that's even remotely attractive; Ruth MacDougal, for one."
"I do not; that's Arnold's crush."
"Sid, I've seen you."
"Mr. Simmons, suppose the person we wish to help is in the group?"
"I just don't get it. It was supposed to be you & me taking on Football-Head. Now I'm stuck with him AND Tall Hair Boy! Criminey!"
"'supposed to be'?"
"Yes! I mean I made sure that, er, uh, I mean, what are they thinking, assigning charitable activities over the summer?"
"It is from noble intentions."
"That's not the point. This is forced volunteerism, which is a contradiction in terms. They probably got the idea from that Kennedy cousin who went to Maryland and got herself elected lieutenant governor, you know. Whose idea was it to assign summer projects anyway; don't they know kids are supposed to have summers off?"
"Maybe its preparation for adulthood, when we'll never get summers off."
"All the more reason for us to enjoy our childhood while we can!"
While the rest of the class hung around talking with each other, Lila was the only one who had reached the hall by now; specifically, the lockers.
She opened hers, only to find a note inside, in front of her school stuff.
"Meet me at the library to discuss the project." That's what it said.
Lila was just a little bit frightened now, and she wondered.
Did it come from Phoebe? No, Helga still had her ear.
Who, then? Brainy? Where is he anyway; she hadn't noticed him in class as she was leaving.
She made the appropriate exchange of books and Pony Expressed it for the library, the sound of her locker slamming echoing in an empty hall.
When she reached the school library she wasn't sure exactly where to go, so she wandered up one aisle & down another.
As she turned a corner to where some tables were, she heard a very unfamiliar voice.
"Hello, Lila. Please, have a seat; make yourself comfortable."
Lila couldn't believe her eyes or ears.
"Brainy?"
Ayup, cliffhanger time again. But we don't want to rush things here. Don't worry. In the words of Sledge Hammer, trust me; I know what I'm doing. The next part will be up within five days, or five reviews, whichever comes first. Or maybe sooner, or later; y'all know how rl can deal unexpected hands.
Now, two things. One, I have no idea what projects the other groups would do, with the possible exception of the Eugene-Lorenzo-Sheena group. Any suggestions? Two, the usual: read & review please. Or is that three things; the two there go together so integrally. Well, do it anyway. And I'll cy'all around.