CONFESSION
The bell of P. S. 118 rang and everyone was excited to leave the school compound. Arnold, together with his usual gang of friends Gerald, Stinky, Sid and Harold walked casually out of the building.
“So, guys, what are you going to do later in the evening?” Arnold asked.
“I’m pretty free for the entire evening. I’m not sure what to do,” Stinky replied, scratching his long nose.
“I actually have some homework to do, but I think I’ll pass for tonight,” Sid said.
“I heard that the new funfair is gonna put in their final touches,” Gerald said in excitement.
“You mean that new Puke Your Guts Out fair?!” Harold exclaimed. “I heard that their rides are like the coolest rides ever! They have those swirling, twirling roller coasters and huge bumper cars and fast spinning merry-go-round and…”
“We get the drift, Harold! Don’t spoil the surprise!” Sid groaned, shoving the big guy’s shoulder.
“I guess that’s where they get the name of their funfair,” Stinky commented, going green over all the rides that could turn his guts upside-down.
“When are they going to officially open it?” Arnold asked, interested. His interest was short-lived.
“Out of my way, football head!” Needless to say, it was our famous Bully of the Century Helga Pataki, pushing her way through the boys with Phoebe following behind her.
“You can at least say ‘Excuse me’,” Arnold grumbled irritably at Helga who not only didn’t show as much as an inkling of kindness but also making her way to increase her Hall of Un-fame.
“Whatever, you dork,” Helga snorted. “Oh, and if you losers are thinking of going to that new Puke Your Guts Out fun \fair, I hope you have a strong stomach. Because I am going to that fun fair next week on the opening and beat you guys on all the rides they have!”
“You are going to the funfair?” Stinky bulge his eyes in disbelief.
“Of course I am, you knuckle head! Where do you think I’m going on a grand opening of the world’s famous gut-wrenching funfair?” Helga always had to scowl at everyone, like it was a permanent scar or something.
“To be clearly correct, the funfair is not exactly new,” the intellectual Phoebe said with her tiny squeaky voice while adjusting her glasses. “They have been around for a very long time, and this is actually their 6th branch to be opened next week.”
“The funfair is opening up next week? That soon?” Gerald seemed surprised.
“In case you haven’t notice, pinhead,” Helga snorted and took out a flyer from her backpack and shoved it in front of Gerald’s face, “the funfair has practically been making an extra spectacle of itself. Besides, the sooner the better.”
“I’m not surprised if you’re going to the funfair too, Helga,” Harold voiced out. “But I don’t think you yourself have the guts strong enough to handle those rides. Why do you think they named it ‘Puke Your Guts Out’?”
“Maybe it’s reserved for you losers,” Helga was good at shooting back cynical answers at her victims. “That is if you really are losers.”
“No, we’re not!” Stinky protested.
“Yeah! Just because you’re sometimes brave doesn’t mean we’re not!” Sid thumped his chest with a hand, emphasizing his point.
“Hah! I bet you wouldn’t even dare to set foot on a bumper car ride!” Helga scoffed.
“No way! I can sit perfectly firm on a bumper car ride and knock your socks off!” Sid bit back.
“Yeah, right. In your dreams, Sid!”
“Oh, yeah? Well, I bet you can’t even survive the Ferris Wheel!” Gerald had his hands on his hips, obviously frustrated.
“Oh? Is that a challenge?” Helga asked, pounding her fists, eager for a bit of bet.
“Yeah! We dare you to take all the rides and not even barf out a single crumb!”
“I can take all the rides over and over again and not even barf at all!”
Their squabbles were getting pretty heated up. Arnold, the peacemaker he was, stepped in between Helga and the boys and said, “Look, betting like this is going nowhere. I suggest that we’ll meet at the funfair next week first thing after school and we’ll try out all the rides. First person to barf will have to spend a whole week doing chores for the last one standing. How’s that?”
“Hmm, a personal slave for a week, eh?” Helga tapped her chin and considered for a while. She grinned an evil grin and said, “Make it two weeks.”
“Two weeks?!” the boys exclaimed.
“Why? You’re chickening out so soon?” Helga gave the boys a sly look. Phoebe egged in by giggling and imitated a chicken cluck. Hanging out with Helga sure did some attitude change on her.
“Of course not!” Gerald exclaimed. “We’re in!”
“Yeah! Yeah, we’re in!” the other boys chimed in one by one.
“Then I guess that settles it,” Arnold said with his hands on his waist. “We’ll meet at the funfair first thing after school.”
“Deal!” the boys said in unison.
“Bring it on, football head,” Helga gave Arnold a stink look before leaving towards home with Phoebe.
“She’s getting worse and tougher than I thought,” Gerald complained as soon as she was out of earshot. “Man, no one in this neighbourhood will ever get peace with her around.”
“Yeah…” Arnold agreed, his voice trailing away. He stared at Helga who was slowly disappearing, with her two pony-tailed blonde hair, pink dress and big pink bow. Despite the ‘pinkish’ appearance Helga portrayed on herself, her attitude and her heart was as cold as an icy blue. It totally contradicted the colour of her appearance. With that kind of personality, how would she ever understand that he…
Arnold wiped that thought away when his gang called him to go to the nearest drink house with them to grab some fruit smoothies.
Helga lay on her bed munching potato chips as her midnight snack. The rest of the Pataki family members were pretty much sound asleep, too drowned in their own slumber lands to bother about Helga being all hopelessly romantic and poetic again.
“Oh, Arnold. You are the love of my life. You are the sky and I am the clouds among you. You are the bright moon that shines the dark night and I am the stars that shine along with you. You have given life to this soulless heart of mine and given me hope that love still exists in me. You are my soul. You are my life.
“Oh, Arnold, my dear, dear sweet Arnold. Fate has brought us together to meet at the funfair where we can share rides—exciting, fun-filled rides—together and share the love that has been embedded deep inside my heart. But alas, fate has also played a terrible joke on us by forcing us to embark on such a bet that my pride cannot deny. I will show you, Arnold my love, I will show you that I will not fall and I will not regurgitate myself. I will not make a fool of myself in front of you and your friends and I will amaze you at how strong I can be. I will make you dazzle and…”
“Helga! Do you know what time it is? Go to sleep already!” Obviously Helga’s poetic side had caught the irritable ear of her father. Helga grumbled in annoyance at his intrusion.
“Alright, Bob! You go to sleep yourself!” Helga yelled back before throwing the bag of potato chips under her bed. She pulled the blanket over her and turned off the lights before whispering, “Goodnight, my love.”
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