Chapter 1: Last day of school
Another wintry day was beginning in Elmore, which had been covered in snow for the past few weeks. The recent snowfall was so heavy and severe that the streets were icy and residents' plots were covered in a thick layer of white fluff that made it impossible for some to leave their homes. A perfect example was Gumball, Darwin and Anais's mother Nicole Watterson, who had to clear the snow from their plot every day before leaving, because the tractor with its front shovel pushing the snow off the asphalt, which was already covered in ice, slid the powder onto the entrance of the residents' houses. Apart from her, there was no one competent to do this - she didn't want to ask the children to do it and Richard didn't get up until 12 p.m. , after his marathons of watching TV series he didn't have the strength or desire to get up earlier. At the start of the problem Nicole asked Richard to clear the snow from the driveway, but when he wanted to clear the snow from the area he threw a shovel in the process which landed on the Robinsons' plot. This was the last time the Wattersons would see their shovel in one piece and due to their financial situation Nicole didn't want to spend money on such a blah affair as a shovel so she used a toy one that her children used when they were little.
Despite these problems, the spirit of Christmas was palpable in this eccentric house, and especially awaited by Gumball, who had been dying to get one ever since the 'ElmorePlay 5' arrived. It was the latest gaming console that allowed him to play the latest titles. Two days after the launch, Tobias, who got the device for no reason, bragged about it at school. He came from a wealthy family, so such gifts were not unusual. But not in the Watterson household. The $500 console was a device well beyond their budget, which was already tight. Sometimes they didn't have enough money for food let alone such expensive toys! Nevertheless, after many requests, Nicole let herself be persuaded for her son and promised him that if he was good he would get his promised gift. Specifically, she threw out the idea that if he was good, Santa would take pity on him and he would get such a present. As a 12-year-old child with no problems, Gumball bought it and since then the blue cat has never bothered with the same question again. As Nicole's mother, she didn't want to break her heart for her child by explaining that in fact presents are brought by her and Richard, so she indirectly agreed to the gift.
At 7.30 a.m. Gumball was the first to get out of bed, straightening up on his bed casting his gaze to the view out the window. The sun was just rising on the horizon illuminating the nearby houses, which were lit up with Christmas lights where other children were also waking up to head to school for the last day before the Christmas holidays.
The blue cat jumped off the bed knocking on the bowl where Darwin was sleeping to wake him up.
"Wake up Darwin, it's time for school! Last day !" Said Gumball briskly shaking the bowl Darwin slept in, who lazily opened his eyes looking at his watch.
"Hi Gumball, what time is it?" Asked the fish sleepily.
"7.30 a.m. come on!" Gumball replied. Darwin shook his head vigorously then jumped out of the bowl straightening his legs.
The two of them walked down the stairs to where Nicole was getting ready for work in the living room, going through her briefcase to see if she had taken all the documents.
"Hi Mum!" Gumball and Darwin called out together, greeting the blue cat.
"Hi kids, breakfast is already waiting for you in the kitchen, forgive me for having cereal again, but I don't have time to do anything else. I still have to shovel the snow in the driveway...I can't leave again and your father prefers to sleep until noon" replied Nicole. In fact, two bowls of cereal filled with warm milk were already waiting in the kitchen.
"It's all right Mrs Mum, cereal is the best thing for breakfast!" Darwin replied. Nicole smiled warmly towards the boys and went outside to start shoveling snow from the driveway.
Meanwhile, the two boys sat down behind the table and began eating their breakfast. The chocolate and caramel cereal was sweet and crunchy which gave them energy for the rest of the day, until lunch, which is not so tasty anymore because it is served by the school canteen, where they serve almost the same thing all week long (only some holidays they give something different then you have to wait in line for almost the whole long break!), But it is still more profitable than making the kids lunch at home.
"Do you know what's in three days?" Asked Gumball excitedly as they ate breakfast. Darwin could see the tremendous excitement in his eyes and sensed what his brother was trying to say by this, but he allowed himself to gradually let the excitement out of Gumball so that he didn't wake the sleeping Anais with his excitement.
"I don't know, Christmas?" Darwin asked uncertainly.
"Yeah, and do you know what I'm getting for Christmas?" Asked Gumball.
"ElmorePlay 5!" Exploded Gumball immediately with a bewildered look at the TV as if it was the latest TV with all the features on the market. In reality, it was an old TV that is more than 10 years old and was controlled by a remote control or dials.
"I'm already looking forward to going through levels in games like [ElmoreField] or [Call of Elmore]. Have you seen the graphics in those games? It's photorealistic!" Said an excited Gumball. His joy and impatience at getting a present was a little unnerving for Darwin, who wondered whether to tell him that there was unlikely to be a chance that their TV could display such nice graphics, but in the end the fish refrained from saying this for the cat, he didn't want to break his heart.
"Well Gumball, I wonder if you're exaggerating about your gift? Yes it's nice to have a new console in the house, but think on ours we have fun too!" Darwin replied, but Gumball snorted an arrogant laugh.
"Yeah, we've gone through all the levels probably 10 times, wouldn't you like to experience something new? Experience better entertainment?" Gumball asked.
"I'd like to, but they're still just games..." Replied Darwin perplexed. For him, a console was nothing necessary to own. Yes, it would be nice to play newer games, but he thought Gumball's excitement was too high, he didn't see what he was so excited about.
"When we start playing you'll understand..." Sighs Gumball heavily. At that moment Nicole burst into the house, gasping as she layered her smart beige coat over her classic black and white outfit.
"Mum, you know what Friday is right?" Gumball asked. Nicole sighed quietly and turned towards the children with a plastic smile. She too had had enough of her son's speech. Gumball's chatter about the new console was probably annoying everyone in the house by now. And it was getting worse the closer we got to Christmas...
"Gumball, I told you that IF you were good you MAY get this console. Remember, Santa sees everything and constantly asking for a present can lower your chances of getting the present of your dreams" Nicole communicated. These words went straight to Gumball's heart, who immediately went quiet and all he did was nod with a movement of his head.
"Well, but I have to go now...last day at work, I've had enough of it. See you kids, I love you," Nicole said.
"Good luck Mrs Mum!" Darwin said goodbye after which the blue cat disappeared behind the front door.
At around 7.50 a.m., Darwin and Gumball were ready to leave for the bus. They put on their winter clothes that they got for their 10th birthdays (Nicole felt that as long as they fit into them they shouldn't buy any more unnecessary ones), then grabbed their backpacks and headed to the bus stop.
Outside it was freezing as befits winter especially as there was a gentle snowfall and a cold wind blowing. During the day the temperatures reached a warmest of -8 degrees in the morning it was around -15 degrees. Gumball had his red and green scarf wrapped around his head, making his scarf look like a turban and Darwin had covered his whole face so that only his eyes were visible.
At the bus stop it was just them. The last few days before Christmas shone with emptiness in the school as most of the children had already decided to take the last weekend off and it was hard to see anyone familiar in class. On Monday, Gumball, Darwin, Leslie, Penny, Tobias, John and Carrie were in class. Rather, they were the only ones staying for this last day from what Gumball asked of Darwin to make sure they wouldn't be alone in school. Staying alone on the last day of school is a terrible experience! Staying with Small - ok, it wasn't bad yet, but lessons alone with a Simian? That's something nobody wished on anyone - not even their worst enemy.
After 10 minutes of freezing outside, a black and yellow oblong vehicle pulled out of the intersection and moments later stopped at the bus stop picking up the two brothers.
School. Lessons with Mr Small were extremely boring due to his 'natural' and 'calm' approach to life. Pupils described him as a hippie who sees the world with rose-coloured glasses wanting to sow rose flowers wherever he goes, but he personally denied being a hippie, so his way of life was generally described as 'eccentric'.
As the bell rang, the lesson began and the pupils took their seats at their desks, a clouded man burst into the room, wearing a white and red Father Christmas outfit with his hat on his head and his thick beard shaped! The students laughed at the sight, but I guess that was the reaction Small was hoping for, because a smile appeared on his face. The sign of Santa's hat , he put it down on the desk and himself sat in his classic pose leaning his long legs against the edge of the desk.
"I would like to welcome my students one last time before we part for a long time. I would like you to tell me what you would like for Christmas before you go home? Joe you start," suggested Small.
"Well...I'd like to get a new phone" replied Joe.
"Really? And do you think you've earned it? Remember kids, Santa sees everything and figures out who deserves a present and who...doesn't" Small asked.
"Well...I think he does, he passes until the next class..." Replied Joe uncertainly, a wave of laughter went through the class, even Small laughed, but he did a quick check of Joe's grades just to be sure. He was passing in everything - even maths.
"All right Joe...how about you Penny? What would you like to get?" Professor Small asked.
"Professor, I'd like to get a boyfriend," said Penny. Gumball hearing her words opened his eyes wide with shock - after all, he is her boyfriend!
"After all, I am your boyfriend!" Said Gumball quietly as he turned to Penny.
"I misspoke Mr Small... I meant to say that I would like to spend Christmas with my boyfriend " corrected Penny quickly. Through her fiery body the blush the girl felt on her cheeks was not visible.
"Spending Christmas with loved ones is very important, especially at Christmas. Remember that these days are not about presents but about being able to spend time with your loved ones! And you Tobias, what would you like to get?" Small further asked.
"What would I like to get? After all, I already have everything! Well, at most money, because you can never have enough hehe" replied Tobias confidently, looking classically in his mirror. At Tobias' words the class sighed heavily - such a text from his mouth was nothing new to be honest.
"Ah, I forgot, he's the spoilt kid..." muttered Small grimly quietly.
"But back to you, Gumball, what would you like for Christmas?" Asked the professor.
"I'd like to get an ElmorePlay 5! " replied Gumball solemnly. A quiet whisper of gossip immediately spread through the classroom, which Gumball immediately picked up on, which is partly what he wanted - to cause a little sensation. Anyone more familiar with technology knew just how modern this console was.
"Hm...is this the new console that came out recently? I remember there was a long queue of youngsters at the mall last month for the electronics shop" Small asked thoughtfully, Gumball nodded with a shake of his head.
"I beg of you, I've already had it for 2 days since its release" snorted Tobias.
"But you've got practically every thing 2 days from release" reproached Carrie.
"My fault I have money for everything?" Tobias asked rhetorically.
"Well yes, indeed they are your ekhem...anyway, you must be a really good Gumball kid to get a present like that...and you Darwin, what would you like to get for Christmas?"
"I really just would like this Christmas Eve time to be peaceful, full of love, joy and a sense of the bond through which our wonderful whole family exists" replied Darwin. Everyone looked at Darwin with confusion and a kind of bewilderment as half the students did not understand Darwin's words and began to laugh quietly at the boy's words including Gumball, who poked his brother with his elbow with amusement while waving his head negatively.
"What are you saying Darwin, Christmas is for getting away presents not enjoying something you have every day" whispered Gumball to Darwin. The man was about to say something but was interrupted by Professor Small.
"Darwin makes a very good point. Instead of gifts you should focus on what Darwin mentioned. On family. Christmas is a time when all disputes disappear, conflicts don't matter and we are all one big family. I'm putting a positive mark on you Darwin at the end..." Said Small enthusiastically as the bell began to ring letting him know that the lesson was over.
"Alright, that would be it. Merry Christmas kids!" Small greeted everyone, everyone replied in unison "thank you and each other" after which everyone left the classroom.
Lessons were shortened that day, so they had one last hour left, unfortunately they had to end the day with a lesson with Simian, who, despite her heavy character over the last few days, behaved remarkably cheerful and positive which surprised a good part of the students. Usually she is a gloomy person who rarely ever smiles or laughs, but over the last few days she has been behaving completely like a different person!
"Have you also noticed that Mrs Simian is out of sorts?" Asked Gumball Darwin when they were in the canteen with the rest of the class. As it was the last day before Christmas at school, the canteen made an extraordinary effort by serving fish with mash and in dessert everyone got 2 Christmas gingerbread men each. Although the fish itself was not the tastiest, the mash was very good and, above all, there was enough of it to eat without eating the fish.
"The magic of Christmas makes even gloomy people like Mrs Simian change. Appreciate it," Darwin replied. At that moment Tobias sat down to them. With his confidence he moved the tray towards them so that it stopped exactly opposite them and sat down himself a moment later casting a confident glance in Gumball's direction.
"So Gumball you want to get an ElmorePlay 5 for Christmas... " began Tobias.
"Yes, and I'd like to point out that I don't want a and I'm getting an ElmorePlay 5 for Christmas. I'm already looking forward to getting into the latest games " replied Gumball with confidence. Darwin, hearing his words, darted his gaze from left to right sighing loudly, but neither Tobias nor Gumball paid much attention.
"You know, you have to be really polite to get a present like that..." Tobias chuckled uncertainly.
"What, that I wasn't polite? I got an E grade in maths on my last test, I was very polite and diligent!" Gumball replied.
"Actually to you got an E- and only because you begged the teacher for it... you had a point and a half!" Darwin interjected, Gumball gave him an aggressive look, it quickly had an effect, his brother fell instantly silent.
"Well, now that you're getting the consoles why don't we play something together? We've got over a week off, I think you can find the time to play together" Tobias suggested.
"Of course! In a few days we'll be able to play with our new consoles" replied Gumball confidently.
"Well I'm looking forward to it," replied Tobias, high-fiving the blue cat and walking away from them to join Joe.
"What are you doing Gumball! You don't even know if you deserve to get a console and you're already dating Tobias! With Tobias! Do you know what will happen if you don't get a console and he finds out about it!" Said an irritated Darwin. He was well aware of Tobias' nature and knew that he would take every opportunity to make fun of anyone at any possible moment. Gumball knew it too...it was just that the desire to get a new console had turned off his thinking.
"Come on Darwin, as you always dramatise, why shouldn't I get a console? I'm the nicest boy under the sun, there are none better than me!" Replied the blue cat confidently.
"There's Alex..."
"Don't mention him!" Shouted Gumball.
"He's unbeatable...it's impossible to be more polite than him..." Added the cat quietly. A moment later the bell rang signalling the end of recess.
"Sure...but you're the most polite one in the world," said Darwin ironically, then headed for the classroom.
After 2.20p.m. the school lessons were over and the children were off school for two weeks. The moment of leaving school with the knowledge that one would not see the building again for 2 weeks was a special feeling that gave incredible happiness and relaxation. This was good news for everyone, as sitting through lessons was something of a bore and frankly they got little out of it, as even in lectures they had fun throwing papers at each other.
The clouds on Elmore hung around all the time, when Gumball and his class went out to the bus stop it was quite dark, mainly because of the black clouds that floated in the sky. A frosty wind was still blowing and the snowfall had gently intensified causing the black tarmac to turn a whitish colour due to the snow. It might have seemed that a snowstorm might fall on the city, but this was unlikely as the sun shone through the black clouds.
At the bus stop, most of the children had a snowball battle while waiting for the bus in this way. It was not a peaceful battle, because when some got too excited, sometimes someone got hit on the head with a Snowball! Only a few refrained from the snowball battle and these were: Gumball, Penny, Darwin and Carrie. Gumball was talking to Penny Fitzgerald - his girlfriend who he has been with for over six months now! Looking at previous attempts at being with her this one is by far the longest and there was no indication that they were going to break up. After 3 attempts at being together the heat between them finally flared up enough that they didn't feel the need to break up after 3 or 4 weeks "because they need a break from each other".
As for Darwin this one spoke to Carrie, a ghost who went to class with them. Darwin had felt something for her for some time, but didn't quite know himself what it was (although Gumball explained to him several times that it was love), but he didn't want to believe him. And anyway , if he did he feared that he could not be with a ghost therefore he did not think about it much, or at least tried not to. For the girl, Christmas was not the most joyful time of her life, as her parents have been gone for a very long time and she lives alone. Darwin had planned to invite her to his house (the Wattersons') for the period, but also as with his feelings - he was afraid of her reaction he did not undertake to invite her home.
"Do you think we'll be able to get together over Christmas? I don't know if I'll be able to last that long without you," Penny asked innocently.
"Well, you know I'll be there for you in my heart...well and on ElmorGer and we can talk on Elmosc through the cameras whenever you want" replied Gumball. Penny laughed quietly while stroking the cat's head the way he liked.
"I don't think I'll ever understand your sense of humour...and that's what I love about you" added Penny as she finished giggling.
"Well, my sense of humour is quite original is a fact... but not as original as you," replied Gumball.
"Now you've overdone it now" replied Penny smiling sweetly. Gumball blushed smiling modestly not knowing what to say. He had a tendency to say compliments that the girls couldn't pick up on making them perceived rather negatively.
"Oh...but don't worry. I know what you wanted to say to me," Penny added convincingly.
Moments later, the bus arrived to pick up the kids, who were already looking forward to going home. They finished throwing snowballs at each other and shook off the snow that was on their clothes. The bus stopped as the kids took their seats and set off towards home.
On the bus, everyone took their seats and talked to each other one last time before the long school break. The bus was filled with positive energy, everyone was full of energy even the bus driver was relaxed knowing that when he finished this course he would be able to take a break from all the annoying shouting for him for 2 weeks! I guess those 2 weeks were needed for everyone to have a break from their daily routine.
On the bus, classically Gumball sat with Darwin and Penny and Carrie sat next to them, but they were too busy gossiping to listen to what was going on around them. Gumball decided to use this to tease Darwin.
"And what did you say to her?" Gumball asked sarcastically. A blush appeared on Darwin's cheeks that he couldn't hide.
"But what do you mean? What was I supposed to say?" Asked an embarrassed Darwin pretending not to know what was going on.
"Well Carrie, you were supposed to invite her to join us for Christmas" replied Gumball continuing to play his game.
"Hey, how did you know that!" Burst out Darwin more loudly irritated.
"After all I heard you say today in the bathroom in front of the mirror [I'm going to ask her about it today, you can handle it Darwin!] " replied Gumball. Darwin's face completely covered with a blush as he realised that his morning attempts in front of the mirror had been overheard by Gumball, who was now laughing right in his brother's face.
"No...I didn't make it...again," sighed a lost Darwin. Gumball patted his brother on the back claiming, "We'll make it next year".
When the bus was at the Watterson house Gumball and Darwin wanted to approach the bus door Penny grabbed the cat's arm. Perplexed, Gumball turned to look at his girlfriend, who was pulling a red and green bag from her backpack. He didn't have to guess for long that she had prepared a special gift for him.
"Wait Gumball, I have a present for you," Penny said. She stood up from her seat and handed the gift to her boyfriend, who stared at her frozen. He felt so stupid! He hadn't bought anything for her, he hadn't thought about it at all, his thoughts only focused on the console he so badly wanted to get!
"Oh thanks, Penny! I too...have a present for you! I was just waiting for the right moment..." Gumball said with difficulty, struggling to form a sentence. His statement was pure improvisation, which Darwin immediately detected and until he couldn't believe that Penny had bought it! The girl giggled then kissed Gumball.
"I'm guessing silly, after all I know you haven't forgotten me, merry Christmas" said Penny.
"Thank you and the same to you" replied Gumball, after which he and Darwin got off the bus.
When the brothers got off the bus Gumball couldn't help himself and opened the bag to see its contents. He laid it on the ground and pulled out a red and green jumper which had two characters embroidered on it in the middle (on the chest) - Gumball and Penny and a red heart between them! The cotton embroidered jumper moved Gumball, who sighed warmly at this lovely sight, which Darwin - similarly enthralled by the work - also admired. Penny was into embroidery but was mainly doing some hustling or embroidery on the shirt, you can see this was her first time on a jumper as there was a bit of a tear in the fabric near Gumball's tail area but it was still a brilliant job and a gift!
"I'm guessing you said a complete improvisation for her on the bus to somehow avoid humiliation in front of her and your classmates and now you're forced to buy her a present because otherwise you'll turn out to be a weak boyfriend and you're afraid you'll lose her because of it?" Darwin asked. Gumball nodded with a shake of his head.
"Penny gave me such a wonderful present and I didn't even buy anything for her !" Said the cat regretfully. It didn't even occur to him to give anything to anyone. Usually he was the one getting presents from everyone! Now, however, he felt a kind of embarrassment about his attitude.
"Well, you'll have to buy her something, now let's go home already. It's quite cold in the yard," said Darwin rubbing
his hands together to gain extra warmth. Gumball tucked the gift back into the bag then they headed home together.