Chapter 83: The Junk Food Kid:
Tommy's POV:
Chuckie and I were on our way to the El Dorado Playground.
"Too bad the others couldn't come," says Chuckie.
"I know," I said.
. . .
We were at the playground while Grandpa was talking about western stuff. Chuckie and I then met this blonde-haired girl in an orange dress.
"Howdy," she says.
"Howdy," Chuckie and I both say.
"You two are new around here, ain't you," the girl asks. We both nodded. "Thought so. My name's Belinda."
"I'm Tommy, and this here is Chuckie."
"You look thirsty. What'll it be," asks Belinda.
We both said apple juice. As Belinda sets the apple juice boxes on the counter, Chuckie points at the bandage on her shoulder. "Wow, that's a nasty boo-boo," says Chuckie.
"Yeah, how'd you get that," I asked.
"UUUUUUUUUmmmmmmmmm, somebody pushed me," says Belinda.
"Really? Who'd want to do something like that," I asked.
"I... I don't want to talk about it," says Belinda, "hey, wanna go play on the monkey bars?"
. . .
Chuckie and I are now playing with Belinda. "This playground is great," I said.
"Yeah," says Chuckie.
Then the bell rings and all the kids were running, scared.
"Uh-oh! I gotta go," says Belinda.
"Where are you going," I asked.
"It's almost no-shadow time," says Belinda. We didn't get it. "ou know when the sun gets really high, and the shadows go away? Well, that's when the Junk Food Kid comes round'!"
"Who," we asked.
"The Junk Food Kid. The meanest toddler around! Everyone's afraid of the kid!"
"Maybe we'd better go, Tommy!"
"Naw, come on, Chuckie! How bad could one kid be?"
Then the Junk Food Kid came. She has brown hair and wears a yellow shirt and a black dress. She is holding a chocolate bar in one hand, and a popsicle in the other. "Well, if it isn't Goldilocks! And who are these? Your two bears," asks the Kid. She then points her chocolate bar at Belinda. "I thought you were smart enough to stay away when I came around, but I guess with all that curly hair on your head, there's no room for any brains!"
"Hey, you leave her alone," I said. She then snarls at me. "Please?"
"How old are you," asks the Kid.
"Three," I said.
"Well, if you want to live to be five, you'd better git!"
"But we just..."
"Be careful, Tommy," says Belinda.
"We just want to play here," I said.
"If that's all right with you, Miss Junk Food Kid, Ma'am," says Chuckie.
"Well, it ain't! Now, get out of here!" None of us move. "What are you waitin' for?"
"We're waiting for you to take your foot out of our bucket, so we can keep playing," I said.
The Junk Food then looks down and sees she has her foot in our bucket. She kicks it off and then smacks Chuckie's face with her chocolate bar. "AAaahh! I've been branded," says Chuckie.
I try to help him, but the Junk Food Kid sticks her popsicle in my pants. "Yeow, it's cold!"
The Junk Food Kid laughs.
"Hey, that's not funny," says Belinda.
Belinda walks away as the Junk Food Kid takes out a piece of bubble gum. She chews it and blows a bubble. She then sneaks up behind Belinda and tosses the Bubble into her hair, causing it to splatter all over it. Belinda puts her hands on the gum in her hair and starts crying.
"What are we gonna do, Tommy," asks Chuckie.
"There's only one thing we can do," I said.
Then the three of us were crying.
. . .
I was in my bedroom. Spike was howling and Dil was sleepwalking. I thought about what everyone said.
"The Junk Food Kid! The meanest toddler in town!"
"Real tough hombrés stood for the right thing!"
"Well, if you want to live to be five, you'd better git!"
"I'm here too," says Imaginary Harold.
"The right thing!"
"Lookin' for a fight?"
"The right thing! THE RIGHT THING!"
"I get it," I said.
. . .
Grandpa was taking us back to the park.
"Tommy, why are we going back to the park? I don't like the park!"
"Chuckie, we have to stand up to the Junk Food Kid if we want to be tough omelettes!"
"Oh. Tommy?"
"Yeah?"
"Do we want to be tough omelettes?"
"Yeah! I think so."
. . .
"Hi, Tommy. Hi, Chuckie." Belinda had some haircut.
"Belinda! What happened to your hair?"
"My Mommy had to cut it up cause' of all the gum!"
"Wow! You're almost as bald as Tommy used to be!"
"Aw, don't cry, Belinda!"
"Chuckie and I will make sure that Junk Food Kid stays out of your hair!"
"Or what's left of it," says Chuckie.
It was No-Shadow Time. Everyone was hiding.
"We gotta hide," says Belinda.
"No," I said, "it's a free playground, and... and... and... and... and I'm gonna tell the kid she's gotta leave us alone!" Everyone cheered. "I'll show her we're not a-scared of her!" Everyone cheers again. "And all of you are gonna stay here and help me!" The cheering stops and the other kids run off. "Or not."
"We're with you, Tommy," says Belinda.
"Besides, all the good hiding places are taken," says Chuckie.
"Thanks Guyses," I said.
"Y'know, it doesn't look like that stupid Junk Food Kid is here, anyway," says Chuckie.
"UUUUUUUUUhhhhhhhhh... Chuckie," says Belinda.
Chuckie looks and sees the Junk Food Kid is behind him. "But the very smart Junk Food Kid is here!"
"You two go cover for me at the monkey bars," I said, "and Chuckie, if anything goes wrong, get her out of here!" Chuckie and Belinda then leave.
"I thought I told you not to show your sorry hide around my playground," says the Junk Food Kid.
"I'm not sorry, I won't hide, and this isn't your playground anymore," I said.
"Says who," asks the Junk Food Kid.
"Says me! This playground is for good kids who get along and play nice!"
She then gets out her candy cane. "'Play nice'? I'll show you 'Play nice'!" The Junk Food Kid tosses her candy cane, which lands in front of Chuckie and Belinda, who both gasps. The Junk Food Kid then takes out a piece of chewing gum and puts it in her mouth. She chews on it. Belinda covers her eyes with her hands.
"I can't look," says Belinda.
"Aw, this is nothin'! He's been in worse trouble than this! Once, he got his tongue stuck to an ice cube," says Chuckie.
"Wow!"
We then walked slowly to each other. I then get out the popsicle stick. "One more blow and I'll pop it to pieces," I said. The Junk Food Kid then tosses the stick away. I probably shouldn't have told her that. Chuckie then finds the Junk Food Kid's candy cane and throws it to me. I then popped the bubble with it.
The Junk Food Kid's whole face is covered in gum. The Junk Food Kid then starts crying and her Mommy came. "Oh, I could kick myself for letting you have that gum, Prudence!"
She then takes her away and I couldn't believe her name was Prudence.
Everyone cheered.
. . .
Chuckie, Belinda, and I were all playing. Then the Junk Food Kid came. She had her hair cut.
"Hey, kid, what you eatin'," I asked.
"Carrot sticks. Anybody want one," she says in a nicer voice. I guess something about getting gum in your hair changes you.
"Sure," I said.
"Prudence, would you like to play with us," asks Belinda.
"Okay!"
. . .
And with that, it was time to ride off into the sunset... back home.
AGU Adventurers' POV:
Tommy: Well, I was sittin' in a coffee shop, just havin' a cup to pass the time
Swappin' Rodeo stories, with this ol' cowboy friend of mine
When some motorcycle riders started snickerin' in the back
They started pokin' fun at my friend's hat
And one ol' boy said, "Hey, Tex, where'd you park your horse?"
My friend just pulled his hat down low, but they couldn't be ignored
One husky fella said, "I think I'll just rip that hat right off your head"
That's when my friend turned around, and this is what he said
"You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky
You'll rope an ol' blue northern, and milk it 'til it's dry
Bulldog the Mississippi and pin its ears down flat
Long before you take this cowboy's hat"
He said, "Partner, now this ol' hat it's better left alone
You see, it used to be my daddy's, but last year he passed on
My nephew skinned the rattler that makes up this ol' hat band
But back in '69, he died in Vietnam"
"Now the eagle feather was given to me by an Indian friend of mine
But someone ran him down somewhere around that Arizona line
And a real special lady gave me this hat pin
But I don't know if I'll ever see her again"
"You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky
You'll rope an ol' blue northern, and milk it 'til it's dry
Bulldog the Mississippi, pin its ears down flat
Long before you take this cowboy's hat"
"Now if your leather jacket means to you what this ol' hat means to me
Then I guess we understand each other, and we'll just let it be
But if you still think it's funny, my back's against the wall
But if you touch my hat, you gotta fight us all"
Right then I caught a little sadness in that gang leader's eyes
He turned back to the others, and they all just shuffled on outside
But when my friend turned back towards me, I noticed his ol' hat brim
Well, it was turned up, in a big ol' Texas grin
You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky
You'll rope an ol' blue northern, and milk it 'til it's dry
Bulldog the Mississippi, pin its ears down flat
Long before you take this cowboy's hat
You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky
You'll rope an ol' blue northern, and milk it 'til it's dry
Bulldog the Mississippi, pin its ears down flat
Long before you take this cowboy's hat
You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky
You'll rope an ol' blue northern, and milk it 'til it's dry!
In the next chapter, the Rugrats look for Ice Cream Mountain, not realizing that Glowface is there.