Great state fair
"This is going to be amazing!" Dede cheers, bouncing in her spot a little, as all the kids of third street school were all patiently waiting outside to get into the buses for their field trip to the state fair.
"Ah, the Great State Fair. Is there anything fairer?" Mikey asked in his poetic way.
"Anybody needs me, you can find me at the game booths kicking some carny keister." Says Vince as his competitive side comes out.
"I'm eating all the junk food I can lay my hands on, then hitting the thrill rides." Was TJs plan.
"Well, I can't wait to see Lardantuon." Says Gus.
"Lardantu-what?" Asked Paloma.
"Lardantuon. The biggest pig in the whole wide world, and he's right here in our own state fair."
"Get out!" Spinelli says not believing him.
"Yeah, Gus, there's got to be more than a dozen state fairs, And the world's biggest pig happened to pick ours?" TJ said also not believing it.
"It's true." Gus argues back. "I saw it in the State Fair Newsletter and on "State Fair TV" and in the schedule of events that came with this ultra-cool State Fair t-shirt." Gus shows everyone all that he had as proof.
"Wow, Gus, I didn't know the State Fair
was such a big deal to you." Dede said to her friend.
"Yeah, well, with my family moving around all the time, I never had a chance to go to any state fair."
"Never?"
"Nope. I thought about it plenty of times. The rides, the exhibits, the cotton candy... They all seemed like a dream to me, a dream that would never come true."
"That is so sad." Mikey almost cries.
"But today that's all going to change. I'm finally going to the Great State Fair! With you guys! This is going to be the best day ever!" As Gus exclaimed this all eight of them cheered along with him, high fiving each other.
"Board the bus in an orderly and harmonic fashion, and please have your signed permission slips ready." Miss Grotke called out as kids were boarding the bus, handing her their permission slips as they went.
"Ah, the good ol' 'get out of class free' card." Spinelli said, taking hers out of her jacket pocket.
"This is one note from school I'm happy to have my parents sign." TJ says doing the same thing.
"Oh, no. Oh no. Oh, no!" Gus cries as he searches his pockets, not finding his permission slip.
"Don't tell me you forgot your permission slip, Gus." Asked Spinelli as they all looked at him.
"I had it this morning. My dad signed it at breakfast, and then he must've put it in his pocket by mistake."
"Maybe your father could bring it from his office." Suggested Mikey.
"He's not at the office. He's out with the whole division having war games, and mom's out looking at drapes."
"Not to worry, Gus. Miss Grotke will understand." TJ said as he walked up to her.
"Thank you, Phil. Watch your step, Judy." Miss Grotke said to the last two students before the gang was to enter the bus.
"Miss Grotke, we have a problem." Dede said, getting her attention.
"Gus forgot his permission slip." Paloma finished.
"Oh my, that is a problem. Without a permission slip, Gus, you can't go. It's school policy." Miss Grotke informs.
As Gus starts whimpering, TJ walks over to Miss Grotke. "Listen, Miss Grotke, going on this field trip really means a lot to Gus. How's about you reconsider with a little help from my good friends, Abraham and George?" TJ took out a couple of coins from his pocket.
"T.J. Detweiler!" Miss Grotke scolds him.
TJ quickly puts the coins back in his pocket and backs away. "Yes, ma'am. That was wrong."
Miss Finster walks up to them all, hearing the conflict. "What's this I hear? Griswald's staying behind?"
"I'm afraid so, Muriel." Miss Grotke confirms.
"No problem. I've planned some fun-tastic activities for both of today's stay-behinds."
"Both of us?" Gus asked.
"Hey ya, Griswald." Looking over at the new voice, they saw Gellman standing there.
"Gellman?" Gus stuttered. "You're staying behind, too? TJ, Dede, can't you do something?" Gus asked, turning to his two resourceful friends as gestured to Gellman, not wanting to spend the day with him and wanting desperately to go to the state fair.
"Gus, I promise somehow, some way, I will get you to that fair." TJ promised.
"It may just take a little while." Dede says as she rests her hand on his shoulder.
"Quickly, children, take your seats, or we'll miss Rubbery Earl the rodeo clown." Miss Grotke said as the others gave her their permission slips, with TJ and Dede looking back at their friend.
At the fair all the kids ran off the school bus to go and enjoy themselves. From the Ashley's enjoying some shaved ice, to Randall and then cornchip girl doing a test of strength game and the kindergarteners running straight to the zoo part of the fair to look at all the animals.
The gang were all currently still together looking around before they all went their separate ways to enjoy what they wanted to do. "A pumpkin in the shape of a very large carrot." Gretchen said as that's what they were currently looking at.
Vince looks around, noticing two of his friends weren't looking at the pumpkin with them. "Hey, Teej, Dee, how come you're not amazed by the amazing carrot-shaped pumpkin?"
"Reminds me too much of Gus and how amazed he would have been." TJ sighs, while Dede stays silent, seeming to be in her own world.
"Look, TJ, I know how you feel, but we're an awful long way from school."
"Yeah, it would be rather difficult for us
to help Gus now." Gretchen agrees with Vince.
"Well, we got to try." TJ said, gesturing to himself and Dede. " we promised our friend Gus, and somehow we're going
to get ahold of his dad and get that permission slip."
"How are you gonna do that, Teej?" Asked Spinelli.
"I don't know, but we better work fast. There's no telling what torture Finster's putting Gus through right now." TJ stands up, knocking Dede out of her thoughts and walks to his other friends.
"Maybe we can try calling his office, he might have had a change of plans and is back there." Dede suggests, hoping her far fetched idea is correct.
"That's a great idea, do you have your phone on you Dede?" TJ smiles at her plan.
Dede nods and hands her phone over to TJ, who then finds a phone book from somewhere, Dede had no clue where it came from, and calls up the office, only to get Lt. Griswalds answering machine. "This is Lieutenant Griswald. I'm not in my office right now. but I'll be back as soon as I've destroyed the enemy."
TJ hangs up the phone as he sighs, giving it back to Dede. "Well, it was worth a try."
"We verified that Gus' father can't be reached by phone at the office. Communicating with him directly while he's on manoeuvres would seem impossible." Gretchen says, hoping her two friends would give up and just enjoy themselves.
TJ was ignoring her though and looking around for another way. "Wait just one minute!" He ran over to a cage that had a bird sitting in it. "The army uses pigeons to carry messages into the battlefield. I read about it in Señor Fusion, 'The time warp of Johnny Doughboy.'"
"But T.J.--" Gretchen tried to get his attention.
"Just a sec, Gretch." TJ said as he took out a piece of paper and pen and started his letter. "'Lieutenant Griswald. Gus needs you.' Exclamation point. Exclamation point." He opens the cage, grabs the bird and ties the letter to its leg. "There. That oughta do it."
"Yes, but, T.J.-- "
"I know, Gretch. It's a crazy idea, but it just might work." TJ lets the bird go.
"Actually, what I've been trying to tell you was that it wasn't a pigeon. It was a dove." Gretchen finally gets to explain.
"A dove? But what kind of person would leave a dove out in a cage?" They all looked to the stage next to them and saw a massive sign saying 'Barrios the great' on it.
After a few more tries to get in touch with LT. Griswald and all failing, the gang were walking around the fair again. "Look. You two, it's real nice that you're trying to help Gus." Said Spinelli.
"Your many plans have been imaginative, indeed." Says Mikey.
"Yeah. Making a run for the interstate in that bumper car was bold." Agreed Vince, still impressed with what TJ tried to do.
"But, honestly, these ideas of yours, while imaginative, are also completely ridiculous." Gretchen says putting her hands on both of their shoulders. "Face the facts. There's nothing we can do."
"Gee, sorry, guys. I wasn't thinking." TJ said as he and Dede looked over at their friends. "Here we are at the fair, and because of us, no one's having any fun."
"You guys should go enjoy yourselves." Dede said, not wanting to drag her friends down.
"What about you two?" Asked Paloma.
"Well, this morning we promised our friend Gus that we'd get him to the fair, and we will not enjoy ourselves until we do." TJ said.
As the others were all going to go and do their own things, some startled screams could be heard. They all looked over to see all of the animals had somehow escaped from their pens and cages and were running amok. Though as Dede was going to usher her friends to a safer place her bracelet starts to beep, causing her to gasp. "I uh... I'm gonna go to the bathroom really quickly." Dede was quick to run away before her friends could stop her. She had to hide behind the bathroom building as some kids were inside it.
(A/N - just imagine the episode 'nuclear infected' there isn't a transcript for it online and to be 100% honest with you all, I am going through some MASSIVE burnout for writing this story at the moment.)
"Alright, take me home boys." Dede said to Sparky and X-5, after having just completed their mission. "I need to send a message to LT. Griswald. Before Dede beamed back down to earth, she, with the help of X-5, sent a quick message though Morse code to the area LT. Griswald would be in, hoping he'd receive the message before it was too late for Gus to enjoy the fair.
When Dede got back to the state fair she walked around the building to see Randall standing outside the girls bathroom door. "Um... what are you doing Randall?"
Randall started going off on a tangent, Dede just looked at him not being able to understand what he was saying. All she could pick up was 'gorilla' and 'bathroom'. As the door to the girls bathroom opened up Randall jumped behind Dede, thinking this 'gorilla' was going out, but it was only Paloma. When he saw her he was quick to call out. "Careful, there's a gorilla in there!"
Paloma just looks at him with a smile on her face. "Randall, I think you need to get out of the sun, there's no gorilla in there." Randall just ignores her and runs into the bathroom to check for himself, seeing no gorilla like Paloma said.
Dede walked in after him. "Are you okay Randall." While she may not like Randall, at all, she still wanted to make sure he was alright.
Randall looks at her before walking back out. "I'm not crazy. I know what I saw!"
"Wonder what got into him?" Dede asked as she and Paloma walked off to find their other friends.
"He must have a really active imagination." Was what Paloma chalked it down to, though she knew Randall wasn't lying as that gorilla was her.
When they got back to their other friends, they saw that the others were all worried. "Where the heck were you two?" Spinelli asked as she hugged Dede, glad her pseudo sister was ok.
The two looked at each other before both shrugging, neither able to come up with a good excuse quick enough. Though thankfully before anyone could ask again, they are distracted by the sound of a helicopter landing nearby. When the door opens it reveals Gus, his father, Gellman and Miss Finster.
The army helicopter seemed to be a big hit as a lot of people were crowding around it. Some of the few that weren't were the gang and Gellman, all of whom were looking at this massive pig that Gus wanted to see. "I got to hand it to you, shrimpy. You was right all along. That is one big old pig." Said Gellman.
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Again, sorry if this is rushed. As I said a bit earlier I'm the chapter I'm seriously going through a burnout with this story. I feel like I'm forcing myself to write chapters and they're not turning out how I want them to.
I'll post the Christmas chapter tomorrow like promised but then I'll probably be taking a little break from this story to hopefully get rid of this burnout quickly and get back into writing, just in general.