The pink sketchbook and the blue umbrella.

Chapter 1: My 'trusty' blue umbrella

Arnold's p.o.v

It was a rainy day. Cold, wet, and windy. But I had my trusty blue umbrella to cover my head, and keep me dry. I thought it would sound cool to call it 'trusty'. It wasn't. I'm not much of a sly guy. I'm just… me. I guess the only reason why I have so many friends at school is because my best friend; Gerald, is popular. Therefore, I'm popular in a way. I'm known as Gerald's friend with the weird shaped head. I don't really care though. I do have a funny looking head. I'm also on the baseball team. Gerald encouraged me to try out. But to be honest… I didn't really want to. Don't get me wrong, It's fun. And apparently I'm one of the best hitter's on the team. But It kind of feels like… a waste of time. I only do it to hang with Gerald. The truth is, there are just other things I'd rather be doing. I want to become an explorer. Discover new things, places, stuff like that. So I usually find myself in the library researching basically anything related to that. I guess my priorities are just different than the guys at my school. I like jazz and coffee. They like rap and beer. I'm desperate for an adventure. They're desperate to get a girl in bed. They have a certain style. It's just not my style.

I had a feeling today wasn't going to be a good day. The wind was starting to pick up, and I wasn't even halfway to school yet. It's times like these where I wish I had a car. But I persisted and kept going. The wind became heavier and heavier with every step I took. And out of nowhere, I hear a girl's voice groan, followed by a splash. I turn my head to the other side of the street. My eyes spot a blonde girl covered in mud, basically nailed to the ground. Without even a thought, I run across the street. I was about to call out to her and ask if she was okay. But as soon as I reach the sidewalk, I recognize the helpless girl struggling to stand up in front of me. My eyes widen. It was… Helga. A wave of memories filled with shoving, taunting and name calling smacked the back of my head like one of her signature spitballs. She picked on everyone back when we were kids. But there was just something about me that compelled her to decide that I would be her personal target. To sum it up, she didn't like me very much. We rarely talked anymore. And I'd like it to stay that way.

I immediately get the thought to just back away and pretend I never saw her slam into a muddy puddle. But I couldn't leave her like that. Despite the way she feels about me, no one deserves to be ignored when they need help. I took a few steps closer and held the umbrella over her head. She snapped her head up rather quickly, (probably startled) and landed her eyes on mine. "Are you okay, Helga?" I found myself asking. She stared at me for a few seconds before answering. "... Football head?" ah, of course. Who could forget her favorite nickname she had for me. Football head. She couldn't go a day without calling me that at least once. Flattering, I must say. Ignoring the insult, I continue. "Do you need help?" I ask, extending my hand. Rolling her eyes at my gesture, she pushes herself up on her own. She wore high waisted jeans, and a brown tank top. Though, that could just be the color of the mud soaking into her shirt so I wasn't actually sure what color it was. Her hair was in a now soaked ponytail, and she looked pretty… miserable. "I'm fine," She blurted out, trying to wipe off the staining mud. Well, that was a flat out lie. I notice that my arm is still out and retract it back to my side. "Alright well, I just-" Helga decides she's done listening to me and starts to walk away. You know. Like a nice person would. But before she could get any further, she loses her balance and slips again. I immediately wrap my arm around her waist to prevent her from hitting the ground. And so, we just stood there. In that position. Trying to process what had just happened. Despite how cold it was outside, her body felt warm. That's… a weird thing to observe. Stop that Arnold.

Anyways, I notice that she's staring at me, so I slowly release my arm away from her. And I swear to god, this is the weird part. Without a single word, we just start walking together. I guess it was some sort of silent agreement we had. She knew she needed my umbrella. I knew it too. And that was it. Her arms were folded and she directed her eyes away from me. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It was extremely awkward. I was protecting my childhood tormenter from the harsh rainstorm. There was minimal space, so we were very close to each other. Every now and then, our elbows would touch. And everytime, we'd pull away quickly as if one of us had the plague. But for some reason… I got this strange feeling. It was familiar. Why is this so familiar? I steal a quick glance at her. Does she feel it too? It's like we've done this before. But we haven't. Couldn't have… have we? I'm pulled out of my thoughts when I notice Helga's body. She was shivering. Of course she was shivering, she only had a tank top on. I, on the other hand, was wearing a jacket. "Are you… cold?" I asked. I don't really know why I asked. I don't know why it mattered. And I don't know why I cared. All I knew was that I did. I think it was because of the way I found her. On her knees. Covered in mud. The genuine sadness radiating from her face.

After waiting for her to respond, and then realizing that she wasn't going to respond, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I slowly slipped my free arm out of it's sleeve. Then, I switched the umbrella to my other hand and untangled out of my jacket. Before I could talk myself out of it, I laid my jacket onto her shoulders. I noticed her blink as soon as it touched her skin. I quickly shifted forward and continued to walk as if nothing happened. But I could sense her staring at me. Why did I do that? We continued walking until we reached Hillwood High School. We made it to the steps where I could have sworn she whispered "thanks," under her breath. But It was hard to clearly hear her due to the thundering storm. I watched her run up the stairs and into the building. Suddenly, I realized how cold I was. And then it hit me. She still had my jacket. Damnit. Oh well. She needs it more than I do. Time to shrug off that strange interaction and go along with my day.