Chapter 3 – Helpful Henry

When lunch was over and all the Chewies devoured (even Zoe's), Mrs. Oddbod came back to collect the girls. Linda's head was buzzing with so much activity that even the walk downstairs didn't seem to tire her out. There was a lot to think about.

In just the last half hour, she had learned more about Fiona and Zoe than she had in all her life. She had already known that Zoe was as fast at talking as she was at running. But what she hadn't known was that Zoe had lots to say. Plus, Zoe had a weakness for chocolate despite her mum's strict rule against it, similar to Gurinder's case. And Fiona, while less of a talker and rather cynical and sarcastic, was indeed very nice beneath that mask of fiery fury she wore. Not to mention possessing a sense of humour revealed when taunting Zoe over the Chewies. Both girls made good company and seemed to genuinely like her, just like Gurinder. Lazy Linda felt very happy.

As luck would have it, the teachers' presentation was to take over their next period, meaning the students had an extended lunch break. So instead of taking them back to their classroom, Mrs. Oddbod led them out to the yard where everyone else was busy playing.

The usual chaos greeted them even before they stepped outside, though it quieted down significantly when the Head showed her presence. Rude Ralph stopped making faces. Greedy Graham stopped gobbling the extra Chewie he had successfully nicked. Jazzy Jim stopped beating the fence with two sticks. All eyes saw Mrs. Oddbod, but most averted quickly away in case they were in trouble.

Linda breathed in the sweet air and let the warmth of the sun wash over her. She felt very refreshed. And very awake.

They said goodbye to Mrs. Oddbod and the Head left them to return to the presentation in the auditorium. As soon as the door closed shut behind her, a small crowd of children approached Linda. Mostly girls, but also a few boys. Among them was Clever Clare. For some reason, she was looking very distraught, hugging herself as she trudged over. Her head was hung down low and she was quivering while Brian and Soraya tried to calm her down.

"What's going on?" Zoe asked.

Clare didn't reply to her. Instead, she faced Linda.

"Linda…" she began in a very small voice.

That was as far as she got before Clare burst into tears.

Linda was startled. "Clare? Are you okay?"

Clare covered her eyes, tears streaming through her fingers. "Linda, I'm so so sorry!" she wailed. "We-we heard you were sent to the nurse's office because you fell and someone broke your hand. I…I think it was me. I stepped on it!"

Brian patted her on the back. "C'mon, Clare, you don't know that –"

"Yes, I do!" she sobbed even louder. "I-I-I…I remember stepping on something squishy that didn't feel like the floor. But I wanted a Chocolate Fudge Chewie so badly that I just kept running!"

She removed her soaked hands and gazed mournfully at Linda's bandaged hand with a mixture of shame, shock, and regret. Linda had seen this look on Clare's face once before when she had received a 99% on a math test.

"Clare," she said, stepping towards the pigtailed girl, who cowered back slightly as if Linda was going to give her what she deserved. "Clare, it's okay. I don't know who stepped on me, but my hand isn't broken. Just a little bruised, see? Nurse Nellie said it'll get better quickly. As long as I keep it above my heart and take extra rests."

"That ought to be easy for you," Kung-Fu Kate observed.

Clever Clare wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve, gulping very loudly. "That's not the point. Because if it was me…I could never forgive myself for hurting you," she moaned, eyes boring into the ground. Even her pigtails seemed to wilt in shame. "I'm a horrible person!"

Linda felt her heart stab painfully at these words. "Clare, that's not true," she soothed. "You're the cleverest girl in the whole school. The whole world probably! You're a brilliant person and so talented too. You did long division when you were three and built a whole telescope when you were four. But most of all, you're a great friend. You always help me when I'm having trouble with schoolwork even when I don't seem to get it, and you're a great team leader. Remember when you were stuck in that group project with Henry? No one else could have handled that like you did."

"He was awful," whimpered Weepy William, who had been in the same group.

Slowly, Clare looked up. Her face was a mess.

"And besides, if it was you, Clare…you just said you were 'sorry'," Linda went on. "And I can see you're sorry too. That's good enough for me. You might not forgive you, but I do."

Clare blinked meekly. "You're not mad?" she sniffled in a small voice.

"I'm not mad. In fact…I'm really happy to have a friend like you."

Linda walked forwards and carefully put both arms around Clare, including the one with her bad right hand. Like Gurinder, Clare was a few inches taller than her.

Clare froze, her wet face looking very stunned. But only for a moment. She was soon hugging Linda back, crying all over again and soaking Linda's shoulder.

Kate smiled. Soraya sniffled and clasped her hands together. And Fiona rubbed her arm awkwardly, trying to mentally take back her earlier comment about giving Linda's wrong-doer a piece of her mind.

After a few minutes, Linda pulled away and inspected Clare's face carefully. She looked so broken, yet seemed to be trying to pull herself together now.

"I'm sorry I called you 'pathetic' before," Clare whispered.

"That's okay. You were right. I was pathetic."

The pigtailed girl looked at her with hardened eyes. "You're not pathetic," she said firmly. "You're really cool to forgive me so quickly like this. I never should have said that. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Clare," Linda said, finding some tissues from her pocket and reaching up to wipe Clare's tearful eyes, like how her mum would always do with her whenever she was feeling sad. "We all make mistakes. Even you."

Clare gazed down at her shoes as Linda cleaned her up. "I hate making mistakes," she mumbled.

This was true, for everyone knew that Clever Clare loved answering all the most difficult questions asked in class. Everyone also knew that she hated giving out wrong answers and hated even more being told as such.

"No one's perfect, Clare," Gurinder said, stepping in to place her hand on Clare's shoulder. "Not even you."

"I guess so," mumbled Clare. "Still…I'll find some way to make it up to you, Linda. I promise."

Linda beamed up at her. And this time, Clare managed to return her smile, albeit weakly.

Weepy William twiddled his thumbs. "Linda? Does your hand…hurt?" he spoke up nervously.

Linda turned to him. He was the shortest kid in the class. Not by much, but enough that she actually had to look down to meet his fearful gaze. He was the only one with whom she needed to do that. Despite being shy around boys, Linda always did like William, often sympathizing with him since she saw a lot of herself in him. So she gave him a hug too. "I'm okay, William. Much better now, in fact."

William looked relieved.

"What is this, National Hug Day?" asked Soraya in her sing-song voice. "If it is, I need to get in on the action." She bent down to hug Linda tightly while avoiding her hand.

"Me too!" Kate said, joining the embrace.

"They really were serving Chocolate Fudge Chewies today," Soraya hummed into Linda's ear. "But if we had only known you were stuck in the nurse's office before we all ate ours, I would have saved you mine!"

"And mine," Kate added.

"And mine," Clare said glumly.

"Come on now, don't bash yourself over that," said Fiona. "The good news is that Mrs. Oddbod saved her one after she left the nurse."

Soraya and the others looked relieved. Linda caught on quietly and decided not to disclose that she had actually had three Chewies today.

Zoe leaned over to Gurinder. "Have you noticed that Linda hasn't been so, y'know, snooze-ready all this time?"

Gurinder tapped her chin. "You're right, Zoe. She does seem to be more awake."

"Maybe if she got her other hand crushed, that'll really wake her up!" Zoe joked before receiving a swat to the shoulder from Fiona.

"You know…" Linda said, catching their attention. "I'm not sure why, but I don't feel tired. Not at all."

"You weren't nodding off at the nurse's office," said Gurinder.

"Or the Teachers' Lounge," added Zoe.

"The Teachers' Lounge?!" gasped Kate and Soraya. "No way!"

"Something's keeping you awake," said Gurinder to Linda. "We should find out what it is."

"Maybe the Chocolate Fudge Chewies," Zoe suggested. "Those things are bursting with sugar!"

"But those were after we saw the nurse," Gurinder pointed out.

"She was in a lot of pain," Fiona reminded them. "That's probably what kept her up."

"Or," Clare suddenly spoke, "it might be something else."

Everyone looked at her. Clare wiped the last of her tears away.

"I read somewhere that when someone's feeling really, really happy," Clever Clare said thoughtfully, "they can feel more awake than usual."

Fiona frowned. "Why would Linda be feeling really, really happy? Her hand's wrapped up with an ice pack, hello?"

But Linda was quiet. Linda was thinking. Linda remembered only feeling mildly tired during English today…which was after Gurinder had offered her kind words and two gummy fuzzballs to cheer her up.

She remembered how Fiona had used her fiery fury to protect her.

She remembered how Zoe had used her super speed to alert the nurse's office and find Gurinder.

She remembered how scared Gurinder had become after hearing that her best friend was in trouble.

She remembered the lunchtime she had shared with her new group of friends in the Teachers' Lounge.

She remembered how Clare had broken down in tears over her guilt for possibly causing her injury.

She remembered just now, how the classmates surrounding her were all concerned for her well-being and how they all wanted to make sure she was all right…

And then it hit her.

"Actually, Fiona…I think Clare might be right. I have been happy. Really, really happy," she said quietly.

"Why's that, Linda?" asked Gurinder.

Linda looked at her and smiled. "Well, maybe it's because today, I learned that I have a lot of things to be happy for," she said sincerely. Her voice was quiet, but it was strong. "I have a best friend who cheered me up when I was feeling sad."

She turned to Fiona and Zoe. "And I made some new friends today."

Zoe beamed and swung her arm around Fiona's shoulders. Fiona smiled.

"And I just got reminded that I have some more friends right here who care about me and want to know that I'm okay," said Linda, sweeping her gaze to Clare, Soraya, Kate, Brian, and William, all of whom grinned at her.

"So…I guess I just can't be tired when I have so much to be awake for," finished Linda with a shrug. This was the best that she could explain this new feeling inside her, a feeling of excitement and happiness…both things that could not help but keep her from feeling bored, tired, and lazy.

Singing Soraya put her hand down on Linda's shoulder. "We're always here for you, Linda. So you can always have a reason to be happy!" she warbled.

"And maybe always a reason to stay awake," added Brian.

"Maybe," Linda mused. "I've been trying all day to not sleep during classes. I really would like to stay awake during History next period."

"Ugh, that won't be easy!" exclaimed Kung-Fu Kate. "History can be so dull. Even I feel like taking a snooze!"

"You still have those fuzzballs, haven't you?" Gurinder asked. "I bet those will wake you up if you start feeling tired."

"You can't eat sweets in class, that's against the rules," Clare automatically intoned like a human rulebook. She froze when everyone else glared at her and Fiona raised a fist. "But…who cares, right?" she amended quickly. "If it'll help Linda stay awake today, she should try it."

"That's what we thought you said," Fiona sneered, lowering her fist.

Linda considered. "The fuzzballs would help…"

"But how are you going to sneak them without Miss Battle-Axe noticing?" Soraya asked. "She's got eyes in the back of her head."

"You could get into trouble!" squeaked William.

"I could," Linda said slowly. "But not if I get some help. Some professional help. And I think I know who I need to ask."

There was a moment of silence as the others looked at each other. Then they all started talking at once.

"You don't mean…" gasped Singing Soraya.

"Anyone but him…" groaned Kung-Fu Kate.

"He'll tattle on you!" wailed Weepy William.

"He'll make you pay a pound," warned Clever Clare.

"He's a dirty rat," growled Fiery Fiona. "Don't trust him!"

"He's a psycho!" yelped Zippy Zoe.

"We can think of something ourselves," reasoned Brainy Brian.

"Linda, I don't think we need to ask him," Gorgeous Gurinder started to speak, but Linda touched her arm to silence her.

"I'll be okay, everyone," she said confidently. "I just need to be smart in how I talk to him. He's the only one who can help me with this. Thank you for being so worried about me though. Just knowing that you all are makes me happy all over again!"

Linda turned around and started to walk. She got about five paces before she felt a hand grab hers.

"I'll come with you," Gurinder said.

Linda smiled up at her gratefully, but pushed her hand gently away. "No," she rejected firmly. "If we both show up, he'll get suspicious. I got this, Gurinder. Trust me."

Gurinder looked worried as she gazed at Linda's confident face, and then down to her injured hand. But she nodded and reluctantly let Linda go, allowing her to keep walking.

Across the courtyard she slowly strolled, holding her bandaged hand in front of her. Past Al, Toby, Dave, and Josh, who were playing 4-Square. Past Margaret, who was talking very loudly to Susan and Violet on the climbing frame. Past the bench where Inky Ian say quietly, writing out a very long passage in his notebook. She was heading towards the very end of the yard.

Where Horrid Henry sat against the fence, reading a comic.

Linda had had her share of run-ins with Henry before. She was no stranger to his nasty schemes and tricks, having been roped into them many times before. Last year, she had paid him 50p for a promised thank-you letter to her mean Uncle John for sending her handkerchiefs as a present that Henry had advertised would be written and mailed by him so she wouldn't have to. Her parents had punished her by forcing her to take swimming lessons, one of her most hated sports. The year before that, Henry had tricked her out of 25p for a copy of his newspaper that turned out to be full of false news that he had dreamed up. During Halloween before all that, she had received a walnut when she and Gurinder had stopped by his house for trick-or-treating, and he had pinched some of their sweets.

She didn't like Henry and was very certain that Henry didn't like her. He didn't like any of the girls. Her friends were probably right that she should avoid him. He wasn't called Horrid Henry for nothing.

But desperate times call for desperate measures.

All of Linda's friends held their breath as they watched Linda make her way bravely to her destination.

Henry's back was propped up against the pole of the chain-link fence. He was nose-deep in the pages of his comic book with great intensity in his darting eyes. He didn't notice that he had a visitor until she was standing right beside him.

"Hi, Henry."

Horrid Henry stuffed the comic into his pocket in a flash. His head snapped up wildly, clearly expecting to see a teacher, but instead locked eyes with Lazy Linda. He calmed down significantly and scowled.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want?" he demanded.

"I just came to say 'hi'," Linda said innocently.

Henry stared blankly up at her. Linda had never willingly said anything to him before. He glanced at her bandaged hand, but didn't show much interest other than that.

"Big history lesson coming up," Linda said in an airy voice.

The boy scoffed as he stood up. "So? I hate history!" he spat, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking down at her.

"It's a boring class, isn't it?"

"The boringest of boring," exclaimed Horrid Henry. "When I'm king, I'll make teachers learn all the history classes so we won't have to. And even better," he added with sudden fire in his tone, "I'll teach the history lessons myself. I'll teach everyone subjects that actually matter like the history of computer games or the history of why King Henry the Horrible is the greatest king of all time! Now that's what I call a history lesson!"

Linda smiled. "Too bad you're not teaching today's lesson, Henry. You'd make things so much more interesting. I find these ones so tiresome," she said, dragging out her words.

Henry grinned sickly at her. "I know!" he sneered. "It's a fat lot of rubbish anyway. Who cares about Queen Whatzherface this and the Roman Emperor who conquered Whocares that?"

He kicked a stone on the ground with deepest loathing. "But batty old Miss Battle-Axe would just bang on about me not paying attention again and again and again. Doesn't she have anything better to waste her breath on?" he griped.

Linda tapped her chin. "I reckon you have a really great scheme to do something super fun during today's class," she said quietly. "Without Miss Battle-Axe even knowing."

"You bet your dumb girl face that I do!" said Henry with a proud smile. "I'm gonna read the latest issue of Screamin' Demon while that bat drones on and on. You doubt me? Well, how about I bet you 50p that I can finish the whole comic without getting spotted before the bell rings for P.E.!"

There were his usual money-snatching pitches that Linda was all too familiar with. She stood her ground. "How about sweets?" she asked. "Are you planning on sneaking any of those during class?"

"Loads," Henry said modestly. "No one can sneak sweets in class without getting caught better than me! I once guzzled an entire bag of Belcher Squelchers and tossed all the wrappers under Bert's chair for good measure. Bert got detention, wasn't that great?"

Linda pretended to look shocked. "Wow, Henry! You are just amazing at breaking the rules. We could all learn from the master of sweet-sneaking!"

Her ruse was working because Henry puffed out his chest, beaming. "Well, Linda, it takes a lot of hard work and skills to get where I am now," he said, polishing the back of his fingers on his dirty striped shirt. "It's a dangerous mission to eat sweets unnoticed in school, but someone has to do it. That's where strategy comes in."

"What sort of strategy?"

"Stuff like remembering to unwrap all your sweets before class starts," Henry explained. "Zero wrappers, means zero noise. And then, when stupid Battle-Axe's back is turned for an instant, I slip a sweet into my fist and keep it there for a while."

"Why your fist?" Linda asked. "Why not just eat it right away?"

"'Cause traveling all the way my pocket to my mouth is too risky," Henry said impatiently. "The enemy is sure to spot you. And that's not all: then you gotta put your head down on your arms, pretending that you're actually writing those stupid notes on the board. And when your head is close enough to your desk and your fist close enough to your face, you can pop the loot into your mouth. And the cycle repeats. Works every time! But it's not just teachers I have to worry about. I also have to mind anyone who'll tattle on me just to make my job harder. Like that frog-face Margaret. Or bossy-boots Clare. They're always trying to ruin my day."

Henry put his hands on his hips, smirking triumphantly. "But I'm not the master of disguises and the fearless leader of the Purple Hand Gang for nothing. I never lose."

"You hear that, Margaret?" he suddenly hollered, cupping a hand to his mouth and shouting halfway across the yard to catch Margaret's attention. "Lord High Master of the Universe Henry always WINS!"

Margaret looked up and blew an angry raspberry at him. "Shut up, Henry!"

"Yeah, Henry, shut up!" Susan parroted sourly with her own raspberry.

Linda nodded, still pretending to look extremely impressed. Though to be quite truthful, she actually was a little awed by Henry's dedication to meet his own goals, even if those goals were doing everything he was not supposed to do. Henry hated work like she did, yet he would work extremely hard to meet his desires. "Well, thank you, Henry," she told him. "You've been a lot of help."

Henry suddenly stopped smiling. "What do you mean 'help'?"

Oops. Linda quickly collected herself. "Oh nothing, I just like listening to the master of his craft. I think you're very talented."

Henry examined her suspiciously as if inspecting whether she was concealing a tape recorder that would be used to tell the teachers of his secret plans. Or worse, Margaret. His eyes lingered a little longer on her injury site. Maybe he thought her ice pack was really a disguised tape recorder.

"Hmm. Well, it's about time someone recognized my true talents," he said at last.

Linda smiled sweetly.

Just then, the bell rang again, signifying the children to report back to class. Henry muttered under his breath of the unfair tortures of History period as he trudged back towards the school. Linda walked quietly beside him.

"You know what?" said Henry suddenly. "You're not Lazy Linda anymore."

"I'm not?"

"Nope," he said. "You're Crazy Linda now."

Linda was surprised. "Why's that?"

Henry looked down at her. "You're the only one around here who's ever recognized my talents. Not even Ralph says I'm talented. You're all right…for a girl," he muttered.

Linda blinked and slowly caught on that Henry had just given her a compliment of sorts. He had never done that before. "Crazy Linda. I rather like that."

It was certainly better than Lazy Linda.

A/N: Whoever is in charge of the Horrid Henry Wikia, I gotta say it needs some work. It's excellent that the characters are clearly separated by book and TV counterparts (although combining these 2 pages into separate tabs within the same character page would work better). But there are a bunch of inconsistencies and lack of info that could use touching-up. For example, it says that Brainy Brian and Clever Clare are enemies in the books, which has never been true. Granted, they don't share any moments in the books except for their stand-off in Horrid Henry Reads a Book that could be interpreted as competitive rivalry (especially with the new illustrations provided in the Early Reader version of that story), but all other times in all the other illustrations, they're shown sticking closely together as best friends. The A-Z Everything Horrid Henry encyclopedia book even states they are best friends. That's why I depicted them as very close in this story, which I think makes a lot more sense.