Okay to recap, I have begun this fanfic with a rewrite of Arnold for President, a book published in 2000 by Simon Spotlight. The chapter book does not fit in with the original series and contradicts it in places, so I have offered a rewrite that streamlines it with the original series and my fanfics. If you can not get a used copy of this book from an online source, or if you do not have a copy yourself, then perhaps I can help prepare you for the remainder of my fanfic by giving you a brief synopsis of the events of the rewrite based on the original book. I can not give you all a full-script version because that would be copyright infringement for sure. Here is my synopsis.
Arnold for President begins with Arnold and Helga reliably running into one another. (Which makes me think Arnold should never be allowed behind the wheel of a car. Hmmm.) Helga acts grumpy but is swooning for Arnold. She espouses her love for Arnold to her locket, then is passionately angry at Brainy for lurking. I have her toss Brainy in a trashcan after she stops herself from socking him. Mr. Simmons announces the class will be voting for class president. Gerald, former class president, convinces Arnold to run this year. Phoebe nominates Helga and Nadine nominates Rhonda. Curly nominates himself as the final candidate.
The next day, all of the candidates make their first campaign speeches. Helga makes some unpleasant, moderately insulting comments about Arnold as a candidate. It is the beginning of strife between them, because Helga really does want to be class president and remains unconvinced by Arnold's warm-hearted speech.
Arnold and Gerald go home to Arnold's house to plan their campaign. Arnold comes up with one really, good-sounding idea of promising his classmates a skatepark for their playground. In my edited version, Gerald uses some of his political experience to take staff from the school newspaper and Arnold over to P.S. 119 to speak to the students there and see the famous skatepark for themselves. With this example in mind, they hope to convince their fellow classmates to vote for Arnold so he can work toward building one for their own school.
Arnold experiences a bit of hesitancy, but with Gerald supporting him, Arnold pitches the skateboard park idea to his class at their next meeting. Helga continues her vitriol comments toward the rest of the candidates and is especially angry about Arnold's skateboard ramp idea. She plots with Phoebe to find a way to steal Arnold's idea. This she accomplishes by going through her father to support a local skateboard project spearheaded by the fifth graders as a vital co-sponsor. Then, during the second round of debates, Helga calls Arnold liar and idea thief when in truth, poor Arnold only had the misfortune of arriving at the skateboard park idea independently of the project her father is now involved in. But the assault on his reputation is too much for Arnold to bear. He gives Helga a really angry stare, then moves out of his desk in front of Helga to a place far across the the classroom. During lunchtime, Arnold and Helga bump elbows in the lunch line and throw pudding on one another's heads at a low-point in their friendship. But Helga mourns Arnold's anger at her and tries to make it up to him by making a retraction in her next speech. She tells the class that Arnold is not a liar and that she herself had exaggerated. Arnold forgives Helga and moves back into his old desk in front of her. The two decide to be friends again. But Curly has given his fellow students coupons for free icecream. The majority votes for Curly and when he wins, Curly runs down the hallway screaming in diabolical laughter.
And now, Chapter 2 of my Rewrite for Arnold for President
"I can't believe! I just can't believe it!" Rhonda Lloyd complained looking up at a the corner of the classroom's chalkboard. "Would could have ever imagined that Curly would become class present. It's unthinkable! It's even more unthinkable that he ran against me!" Rhonda slapped her chest with her palm as if she anticipated to suffer a heart attack from her shock.
"It's okay, Rhonda," her best friend Nadine spoke as she examined the board. Rhonda crossed her arms with a humph.
"This wouldn't have happened if you'd voted for me!" Rhonda snapped. But Nadine took her ire calmly.
"I did vote for you, Rhonda. It's just that the vote was split. Think about it, Rhonda. Four of our class were candidates. Everyone's best friend voted for their best friend. That left just Sid, Stinky, Harold, Sheena, Eugene, and Iggy to vote and all of them were very happy to support a president who promised free icecream."
"But the skatepark!" Gerald staggered out. "Who could have said no to that?"
"Well, there was the whole argument between Arnold and Helga that ruined both their credibilities," Nadine elucidated them. "But mostly, no one really cared all that much. Harold is really bad at skateboarding. Iggy is unfriendly with Arnold. Sheena doesn't have a skateboard, and Eugene is banned from using them on school campus after what happened to Principal Wartz. It's even in the school code."
"I wish we had known all that," Gerald pouted with a heavy frown. His tall-hair drooped as he bent his head forward in .
"Don't feel too bad about it, Gerald," spoke up Phoebe from nearby. "These kind of outcomes are notoriously difficult to predict." Phoebe tucked her arm into Gerald's to make the boy feel better.
"I'm sorry, Arnold," Gerald breathed out with remorse. "I failed you, man."
"No, you did not Gerald!" Arnold objected with fierce loyalty to his best friend. "I didn't think of these things either, and maybe… I could have acted better myself. I'm sorry that I didn't get it together sooner. I just let things get to me and well… maybe I got a little crazy," said Arnold ruffling his bangs with one hand. A silent Helga watched the motion, one eyebrow lifted with curious-delight as she observed Arnold's face. Somehow he looked even more beautiful than ever during this confession.
"Phoebe?" Helga said calling her best friend's attention to herself. "Come on, let's go take our campaign posters down." Helga began her slow march away. Phoebe tottered after.
"Hey! And you can do us a favor and take our posters down, too," Gerald shouted in complaint after them. "Seeing as you'ave papered over them!" With an eep, Phoebe buried her nose in her spiral notebook in shame. But Gerald had really been shouting to Helga, who looked dully unrepentant Maybe they would get pulled down and maybe they wouldn't.
"Well, let's go home, my man," Gerald said to Arnold with optimistic cheer. "Tomorrow's a brand-new day!"
"Yeah!" Arnold said. The two strode off toward the nearest school exit.
Cars were hurdling down the streets with clockwork impatience the next day when Arnold and Gerald walked to school. They pressed the button at the crosswalk, waited, then walked across when their walk light flashed. Then they arrived at their school, which could be beautiful at times with its brick and mortar. The school janitor, Varkas, was busy scrubbing graffiti off a corner of the building to ensure it stayed beautiful. A police car rolled to a park beside the school's speed limit sign. It parked on the corner where Arnold and Gerald crossed, perhaps to pull over any speeding cars.
Thaddeus Curly Gammelthorpe was not exactly an ordinary boy. His fellow classmates had long known the boy to have extraordinary behavior, and now that he was class president, his acting out was more to be expected than his election had been. Curly did not disappoint in this regard.
Arnold pressed himself forward through the classroom door and stopped still at his desk. He looked toward the back of the room in shock. At her desk, Helga lifted half her brow and grinned with mirth at his expense.
"Good morning, Arnoldo. You like our new despot-of-the-year?" Helga jerked her head sideways. At the back of the room, Curly had moved two desks together to make one. On his head was a monarch's crown and leading all the way up to his seat was a long red carpet. Curly sat at his desk, his hands folded together calmly but wearing a maniac grin.
"Maybe I should have voted for Rhonda," Arnold acknowledged.
"You think?" Helga quipped. "Oh well, Football-Noggin. It ain't all your fault. It's mine, too! I'm as much to blame if it makes you feel better."
"Thanks," said Arnold sitting down in his chair. Mr. Simmons entered the room. It would be interesting to see what he had to say.
"Alright, class. Now…. Curly? What's going on? What have you done there?"
"I'm Emperor!" Curly declared wearing his wide grin. Mr. Simmon's face twisted up with an expertly suppressed frustration.
"Ah, Curly, you were elected class president. Not emperor. Maybe we should go over the details to make sure you understand."
"Ha!" Curly barked from his desk. "It's my crown, peon!"
"Yes, Curly? I get the sense you aren't listening to me. Curly?" Mr. Simmons struggled. Helga rolled her eyes.
"This is the beginning of a LONG semester," observed Helga. With a firm frown bending his lips downward in a pout that Helga always found adorable, Arnold blinked at the scene unfolding in his classroom. But at least Helga was happy. At least she had Arnold's consternation to watch.
To be continued.