Saturday, February 10th 11:25 PM
Arnold laid back on the chair. The water ameliorated the bone-dry sensation in his throat. He smiled deeply looking up at the ceiling. The ornate ceiling trim drew his eye. "There's no way that's machine made," Arnold thought to himself. He brought the plastic cup half full of water back up to his lips and finished his drink. Arnold sat forward and took stock of his friends.
"Gerald, who had always wanted to go to business school. He knew what he wanted out of life. His dad was pretty strict, but I know he just wanted Gerald to be successful. Phoebe on his arm, she had always been the smartest, most driven student in whatever school she was in. She's going to do amazing things someday. I bet her parents are proud of her," Arnold thought to himself.
Arnold looked over at the girl next to him. She sat and laughed with Phoebe while holding his hand, his arm hooked around her shoulder. She laughed, at something Arnold had not heard and leaned her head on his shoulder. Arnold looked down at her. The air he breathed smelled like lavender, and vanilla. The scent of her hair filling him with elation, he smiled down at her. "She's everything I could ever want," Arnold thought. Arnold buried his nose in her hair. "She's smart, gorgeous and complicated. I love her anger, her passion, her combative nature. Nothing makes me feel more alive. Even her flaws are perfect." Arnold thought. "She's going to do amazing things. She can do anything she wants in life. And she'll let you know what it is," Arnold smiled at the thought. The smile was short-lived, as he looked away from her.
Helga looked up and she met his eyes. Arnold looked into her eyes. A cerulean labyrinth he could always get lost in.
"You OK there, dummy?" Helga asked with a grin. Arnold was without words for her.
Still lost, Arnold snapped to attention. "Uh... Yeah, I'm good," Arnold said as he stood suddenly.
Helga asked, "What's wrong?"
Arnold turned to her and looked down at her. "I envy her, she knows exactly what she wants and she fights for it every time," Arnold thought to himself. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just gonna go take a walk. I need some air," Arnold said.
"I'll go with you," Helga said. She began to stand up when Arnold cut her off.
"No, that's fine, Helga. It's cold outside. I'm just gonna step out for a second. I'll be right back," Arnold said, with a smile. Helga looked unsure, her eye contact never broke. "I'll be fine, I just need some cold air," Arnold said once more as he stepped away from the group.
"Alright," Helga said, with a frown and an incredulous tone.
Arnold grabbed his coat from the foyer closet. He stepped into the chilly darkness. The city had itself a warmer winter this year. Cold but unable to break freezing. The brisk air filled Arnold's lungs. He expanded and contracted his chest, he looked up into the sky. He extended his arm and rested his finger on a bright star. "Alpha Pictoris, a white dwarf star," Arnold thought. He drew with his arms, all the way through to Delta Pictoris. "Pictor, The Painter's Easel. That's funny," Arnold thought out loud as he smiled and chuckled at the constellation.
Arnold walked the circumference of the property. The party had not died down, more people had come since he had arrived. Each new arrival seeming to have gotten the memo to bring alcohol. "How are her parents letting this going on?" Arnold thought to himself. "Maybe her dad just leaves for long stretches of time without telling anyone. I know that feeling," Arnold thought.
Arnold's thought's drifted back to his father. He thought about his parents. His father seemed further and further from him. "I don't think he'll ever really understand. I just feel so trapped. So… cornered," Arnold thought to himself. Arnold took in a deep breath, so as not to raise his heart rate. Arnold found himself at the tip of the driveway. He turned back to the house. "At least I can be with her, just a little longer," Arnold thought to himself. He walked the length of the long driveway, back to the Loyd house.
The party continued to rage on, as Arnold walked up the front deck stairs. He opened the door and looked over the crowd of people. Being taller than most people had its advantages. He looked over the crowd looking for his friends. Arnold started to take off his jacket, absentmindedly moving through the crowd. He waded through the sea of drunken teenagers. The music still pulsing. Arnold had tuned out the music and most other noises around him. "I must be getting old, this music is way too loud," Arnold thought to himself.
Arnold's forward momentum was reversed suddenly, as something he had not seen pushed back against him. "Hey, asshole watch where you're…" Arnold heard the familiar voice and stopped looking over the crowd to see the group of three men they had met at the beginning of the party. The three older teenagers, the shorter, but lean and strong looking dirty blond. The much taller black haired teen. He reached Arnold's height, however, lacked the mass Arnold had. Headed by their apparent leader. Auburn hair, burning brown eyes and a different shirt that Arnold had not ruined. Arnold stopped for a moment to take full stock of them. All looked older than Arnold. The shorter one had a full beard. "Are these guys in college?" Arnold thought to himself.
"Oh look who the fuck it is, it's fuckin Lennie… What's the rush? You crush some p-poor guy's hand?" The lead said to Arnold. His speech was slower, slurring every other word. Arnold looked at him, his adrenalin starting to climb. Arnold thought about how to respond. "He's drunk, I gotta get out of here," Arnold thought to himself. "Sorry again, you'll have to excuse me," Arnold said as he started to make his way around the trio.
"W-Where you going?" The leader pushed Arnold again, this time sending Arnold back. Arnold attempted to get around the three men only to get pushed back by the tallest of the three.
"Guys, come on, we're just trying to have a good time," Arnold said in a conciliatory tone. He smiled and gestured his hands in front of his chest.
"Oh yeah? Well, you know what I think?" The drunken teen asked, stepping forward, backed up by his two followers. "I think you have a lack of respect for people's personal space," the lead continued. "I think that you need to learn how to respect people. And now that you don't have that twat to fight your battles for you, you're gonna have to learn it like a man," The lead finished. The three continued to lurch forward, pushing Arnold back and clearing the crowd. When they had started in the hallway they were making their way into one of the large entrance area where they had met once before.
Arnold kept looking about to see if someone else would come along to break up the potential altercation. His friends were all in the living area towards the back of the house. The music too loud for inter-room communication. Too many people talking or partying over the music. Arnold started feeling claustrophobic being pushed against the crowd. The only relief was the slight clearing of the crowd. It was not well received as Arnold knew they were stepping back anticipating something to happen.
"Guys, come on we're all adults here. We can work this out, there's no need to talk like that to each other," Arnold said lightly.
"Oh just fucking great, a boy scout," the lead said he moved forward and shoved hard against Arnold's chest. Arnold stepped back and the leader stepped back. He pursed his lips and raised his hands, balling his fists ready for Arnold to attack back. Arnold couldn't move.
"Come on man!" Arnold yelled, desperately trying to avoid a confrontation. "We can just talk, we don't need to-" Arnold's voice was cut off by the swift swing coming from the brown-haired leader. Arnold not expecting punch took the full force or the hit. Arnold being hit many times before was able to absorb the hit without reacting. "Come on man…" Arnold tried one more time before the second punch was thrown the leader. Arnold instantly moved his body to the side, the punch completely missing him and the leader's momentum pulled him forward.
The crowd had completely backed away at this point anticipating the ensuing fight. Some shouted "Fight!" as loud as the music would allow. The crowd became raucous. Pulling out there phones to record the event. "Kick his ass! That was a week punch! Hit him back!" Arnold kept hearing from the crowd. Arnold's fight or flight instinct began to surface. The room slowed and Arnold was able to see the movements of the leader as he continued his assault at his unwilling opponent.
"I'm not gonna fight you!" Arnold shouted at the leader when he regained his footing. The leader swung one more time and Arnold expertly avoided the hit. Arnold was trying to get into the crowd so he would not have to fight. "I can't fight outside the ring, it's not right we're better than this!" Arnold thought to himself. The crowd was a barrier he could not penetrate.
The leader, becoming enraged at the lack of fight in Arnold, shoved into Arnold's back with his elbow. Arnold felt a slight pain in his back but was unaffected by the hit. Arnold turned towards the mad teen who swung one more time at Arnold. Arnold, seeing exactly where the fist was heading, raised his hand and parried the attack. He pushed his back into the crowd as he stumped to the side. The pandemonium in the large area was overpowering. Arnold tried his best to push through the crowd, only to be shoved back by the tallest of the three teenagers. The man followed up his shove with a strong punch to Arnold's face. Arnold stumbled back. Arnold frantically looked around for someone to come and break up the fight. He had given up trying to convince the others to sue for peace.
Arnold looked over the almost bloodthirsty crowd, trying to find Rhonda or his friends who could help break up the fight. Seeing no options, Arnold began feeling dread in his system. He was too busy to notice the henchman of the brown haired leader had made their way to either side of Arnold. Arnold only snapped to his attention when he felt both his arms were pinned behind his back. The shorter blond had one arm and the taller black haired man had the other. Both using all their strength to keep Arnold from moving. Arnold struggled against the two men. All three followed along with Arnold's movements. Arnold could move, but could not get free. Arnold had his head turned towards his right arm when he felt the full force of a strong uppercut shot into his stomach. Here came the auburn-haired man giving yet another hard hit to Arnold's stomach, as the other two held Arnold in place.
"Oooof…" Arnold managed to get out before the third shot to his face came. The crowd grew louder, yelling at the three for their tactics. Arnold could not register the shouting. The room grew silent, a loud buzzing took place of the chaos. The leader continued his hammering into Arnold's flesh. One shot to his stomach, another to his face. The full force of the hits being something Arnold, while used to would make him weary after a while. One after another, as Arnold began to fight the force of the people holding his arms. Arnold's fight instinct began taking over. Arnold continued his struggle against the forces pinning his arms down.
One more hit registered right into Arnold's eye. Arnold saw the white flash, and could not make out the fog of the foreground in front of him. He only felt his arms unable to move and the blows to his head and stomach. The room was still slowing for him. One blow to another felt like an eternity.
Arnold felt the anger growing in him. He saw the room turn red, as the leader continued his furious barrage of attacks. Arnold gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. He felt trapped once again. Powerless to stop someone from controlling him. A cornered animal was capable of anything. Arnold felt the heat in his stomach starting to rise. He felt that familiar thrill of the ring. A powerful shot to Arnold's right cheek woke Arnold from his sleep. Arnold, try as he might, could not contain his anger. He belted out a wild "AHHH!" and like a bell starting the round the punched snapped Arnold into his fight instinct. For Arnold, the room went black, and something primal took over.
The teenagers, confident they could pummel Arnold into submission, continued their coordinated attack. Just then, Arnold suddenly jerked his body to the side. Pulling the shorter teen who had let his grip of Arnold loosen only slightly. Arnold bent his knee positioning himself lower than the shorter teen holding his arm. He then like a compressed spring, straightened his leg forcing his body up to stand straight. The top of Arnold's head rammed into the middle of the shorter man's face. Arnold could not register what felt like a tomato being crushed on the top of his head.
The shorter teen instantly let go of Arnold, freeing one of his arms. The shorter teen wailed and held onto his face, backing away from the scrum. Arnold with one arm free pushed the other teen still holding his arm, who abruptly let go of Arnold when he felt the force of Arnold pushing. The leader had stopped his attack and stepped back seeing Arnold free.
Arnold planted his feet, bent his knees and was ready for a fight. The tallest came at Arnold one more time with a wild haymaker. Arnold skillfully moved to the side letting the full momentum of the teenager to push forward. This time Arnold would not stop himself from a counterattack. With his opposite arm from the one the attacker used, he wound up and threw a hard hook. The hardest hit anyone on that room had ever seen. The momentum of the attacker moved him forward in the same direction as Arnold's own calculated haymaker. The full strength Arnold put behind the hook was felt by the tallest man. It connected with expert aim into the side of his face, the crowd almost completely losing any semblance of order yelling "ooooh!" at the efficiency and brutality of the hit.
Arnold was ready for his counter-attack, but black-haired man's body went limp the moment the hit connected. He fell to the floor unconscious and unmoving. Arnold stepped over the limp body without a thought, seeing the shorter man ready to fight.
His nose, broken and his face pouring blood down his front, the bearded man was mad with rage. He raised his hands ready to take on Arnold. Arnold, enraged, ran towards the smaller man, jumping slightly and raising his knee. Arnold's knee collided with the smaller man's chest and they both rammed into the wall of the room. The crowd behind getting out of the way just in time, putting a body sized dent into the drywall. The blond man took the full power of the assault, he slid to the floor clutching his chest and writing in pain.
The taller man had regained consciousness and stood to face Arnold. Groggily he raised his hands defensively. The taller man's eyes darted to a beer bottle laying on the ground. He looked towards Arnold, menacingly walking towards him and then once more at the bottle. The man dove for the bottle and smashed the bottom. He held the neck. The other end a jagged, sharp knife like weapon pointed at Arnold.
Arnold came within arm's length of the man. The room people in the room pushed further back making a larger area. Some screaming could be heard, upon the weapon's entry into the situation. Arnold did not regard the weapon being thrust at him. Arnold dodged each attack as if it were any other. Arnold stepped to the side and a wild swing from the bottle sliced into Arnold's arm. Arnold could not feel the pain, nor the blood rushing down his arm. One more wild slash from the attacker, caused Arnold to react by lifting his leg and kicking on the chest of the taller man. The taller man stepped back, creating space between the two.
"Arnold!" could be heard over the wailing crowd. "Arnold!" this time slightly more panicked. Arnold's focus remained on his attacker. Suddenly, Arnold's torso twisted swiftly causing him his whole body to move. He brought his leg up on the spin raising his back heel towards his attacker. His back-heel connected with the head of the taller man. The crowd went wild with yells, which Arnold had not heard. "Arnold! Arnold!" could be heard making it's way closer and closer through the crowd.
Arnold steadied himself after his spin. I white-hot shot of pain went straight to his brain and broke through the chemicals in his body numbing the pain. "AH!" Arnold yelled. He felt something stick deep into his arm. Almost like a large needle. Arnold grabbed at his arm and felt one more hot flash of pain as the object seemed to be pulled, just as suddenly as it had come in, out of his arm. Arnold turned to see the leader, stepping back. He held in his hand a serrated pocket knife covered in fresh blood. The red only added to the red Arnold saw in his eyes. Arnold paced towards the man with the knife, without hesitation.
The knife wielder dodging the thrusting knife. He parried attack after attack from the man. Finally, the knife wielder thrust his weapon, ferociously aiming for Arnold's chest. Arnold moved his body to the side grabbing the wrist of the man. Almost as if it were the same movement, Arnold brought opposite arm into the straightened arm with the knife, bending the man's arm in the wrong direction. The crowd heard a loud crack as the man's arm broke effortlessly with Arnold's counter-attack. The knife dropping to the floor.
"Ahhh!" the man shouted as louder than anyone there. The pain and agony not yet completed, Arnold grabbed the shirt of the man.
"You want to see a ruined shirt?" Arnold shouted into his face of the now defenseless attacker. Arnold raised his hand and brought down a heavy cross into the face of his attacker. "Why don't we ruin your new shirt!" Arnold shouted between his first and second blow to the man's face.
Arnold could not stop his attack. One after the other he rained down fists to the face of the once angry leader. Arnold felt no will to stop. He wanted to hit him until he could no longer move. Arnold continued hitting him, as blood started to stain the man's new shirt and Arnold's knuckles.
The attack continued, the man not fighting back. His friends no longer able to aid. Arnold raised his arm for one more attack when he felt something holding onto his arm. He felt his body being dragged back. Stinky, Gerald and Harold had finally pushed their way through the crowd to see Arnold beating the brown-haired man. Arnold only saw the man still able to move. His rage peaked once more as he pushed Gerald and Stinky off him. Harold unable to hold Arnold back by himself let go. Arnold ran towards the man attempting to stand and grabbed his collar once more, thrashing him again with hard hits to the face. Arnold could not stop himself. Almost as if someone else were driving his body.
The crowd was growing more and more raucous as this continued. The three aided by two other from the crowd tried to pull Arnold off of the man again unable to hinder Arnold's great strength. Arnold could not stop himself.
"Arnold!" The panicked scream ripped through the air. Arnold heard this. He stopped his attack suddenly. He looked over towards the source of the scream. His eyes landed on the terror-stricken face of Helga. Her eyes full of tears with her hand over her mouth. Phoebe right behind her with an equally shocked face. Arnold stopped and looked around at the crowd of shocked faces. He looked back at the battered face of the brown haired teen. Swelling eyes, broken nose, and blood coming from his mouth. Arnold's dread began to come back. The rage he felt was being slowly replaced by fear. "What have I done?" Arnold thought to himself. He let go of the teen who subsequently crawled away.
Arnold stood and looked around at the chaos he caused. The taller teen on the ground only slowly trying to get up. The smaller one still clutching his chest in pain against the wall. The crowd of shocked faces terrified Arnold. Each one holding a cell phone seemingly recording the entire thing.
"Arnold….." Helga anxiously muttered. Arnold turned to see her face. Tears still streaking down her face.
"I-" Arnold began when a shout cut him off.
"Nobody move! Police! Let us through!" That shouting was coming from three different police officers who had made their way through the crowd. The crowd started to descend into chaos as the foyer area began filling with police uniforms.
"On the ground right now!" The police shouted to Arnold. Ascertaining the situation seeing Arnold bleeding and covered in blood pulled their pistols and pointed towards Arnold. "Hands up and get on the ground right now!" They shouted to him. Arnold stood frozen seeing the guns pointed at him. "Get on the ground! We won't tell you again!" The presumptive lead officer yelled to Arnold.
This registered as Arnold put his hand up, and went to his knees in response. "Hands on your head!" the officer shouted. Arnold complied, putting his hands on his head. "On your stomach!" the officer shouted. Arnold put his face to the ground, hands on his head lying flat on the ground.
Three officers descended upon Arnold. Two grabbing his arms and pushing their knees into his back. The third put his knee to Arnold's neck, making sure he was unable to move. Arnold struggled as the feeling of pain from his stab wound in his arm started to become more and more intense.
"Ah!" Arnold shouted in pain.
"Stop moving! Stop resisting!" the officers screamed. The other officers started to disperse the crowd.
Arnold managed to look towards Helga. She was being escorted by two officers. Struggling and yelling at them. "He did do anything! He's complying, stop! He's bleeding he needs help!" she screamed at full volume at the officers trying to wave her on. Her tears poured down her cheeks, terror on her face. "He was defending himself! He didn't do anything!" Helga continued to shout trying to break away from the officers to run towards Arnold.
Arnold felt the cold metal of handcuffs on his wrist. The closed them tight around his wrists. The pain dwarfed by the bleeding stab wound and the area of flesh sliced open by a broken bottle. Officers removed their knees. "We're gonna lift you up, don't do anything stupid. You're a big guy, don't make us nervous," The officer said to Arnold. The three officers began lifting Arnold, and Arnold got onto his feet. The crowd slowly trickling out of the house, replaced by police officers going over the scene of the trouble at the house. Some taking statements. Arnold looked over his shoulder as the police lead him out of the door. He saw Helga yelling curses at the police officer holding her back. Their eyes met.
"She looks terrified of me," Arnold said to himself.
The officers lead Arnold to a police vehicle and opened the door. "Watch your head," The officer said. He pushed Arnold's head down and Arnold sat in the back of the police car. Arnold exhaled heavily and pressed his forehead against the window.
"Dammit," he said to himself.