Phoebe and Gerald were trying to get a picture of a certain bird that was next on the list. Gerald had climbed the tree to get the picture. Mr. Simmons had told them not to catch the birds on the list, just take an unobtrusive picture as proof they found it. He had found a spot in the tree
where he could get a good shot without it seeing him. As the flash went off, the bird panicked, startling Gerald. He lost his balance and fell off the branch, grabbing at it as he fell. He landed hard, and Phoebe rushed to him and knelt by him to see if he was okay. After Gerald got his wind back, he told her he felt fine. As he levered himself up with his hands, he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his palm.
�Ow! Shit!�
Phoebe was shocked at Gerald�s sudden outburst of vulgar language, but dismissed it and asked, �What�s wrong, Gerald? Is something sprained/broken/fractured/twisted?�
Gerald laughed at her conclusion jumping in her concern. �It�s just a splinter. It�s in my palm though, must�ve got it when I grabbed at the branch.�
�Let me get it out.� She held his palm flat and steady and dug out the splinter as gently as she could as he grimaced in pain. When it was out she kissed his palm.
�What was that for?�
�What?�
�The kiss.�
�Oh! Did I kiss your palm?�
�Yes, you did. You didn�t even realize it?�
�It�s habit. When I was younger my mom used to kiss my hurts because it made them feel better. I started doing it too.�
�Well, it worked.� He glanced at her slyly. She blushed.
Trevor�s break came and the tanned muscular lifeguard in his early 30�s brought Mr. Simmons back to his secluded picnic area.
�Care for a yahoo?�
�Sure.�
�So, tell me a little about yourself.�
Mr. Simmons chatted with Trevor for a bit and he was having a blast. He explained about being a schoolteacher and how he believed everything was �special� in its own �special� way. Trevor talked about being a lifeguard and a body builder and a cyclist and how he too believed everything was �special� in its own �special� way.
After a half hour, Mr. Simmons decided that he had better get back to waiting for the kids so he told Trevor that he had to leave.
They exchanged phone numbers and gave each other one final handshake.
�I had a great time Robert. You�re a really special guy.� Trevor then gave Mr. Simmons an unexpected kiss on the cheek.
Mr. Simmons looked around to make sure no one saw and then stammered, �Good-bye Trevor.� He walked away stunned, but smiling, and went back to waiting for the kids.
Arnold and Helga were after their fourteenth item. It was a type of muscle. On one part of the beach, there was a cliff like, sharp land rise from the water. Helga was edging along one of the terrace like shelves in the rock formation to get a picture. She snapped it, hugging the rock face as best she could without hands. She lost her balance and fell into the water. Luckily, Mr. Simmons was smart enough to get waterproof cameras for the beach. Arnold helped her out of the water.
�Great, now it�s my turn to be soaked.�
�I guess we�re not having a good time with water.� He pulled some seaweed out of her hair as he helped her try and neaten up. She started to unbutton her blouse. Only the first three buttons of her blouse had been unbuttoned before and Arnold had seen what looked like a tank top. As she took off her shirt and skirt now, he saw it was a bikini. As he saw her wringing out her clothes, it occurred to Arnold that he�d never really seen what a great
figure Helga had acquired. He tried not to stare. At least not noticeably.
�On to the fifteenth item!� She marched off, leaving Arnold to follow after.
�Helga�s actually kinda hot,� Arnold thought to himself as he followed her, wondering why he�d never noticed it before. They went after the fifteenth item, a leaf of a particular, hard-to-find tree. They were walking around trying to find it, and chatting when Arnold brought up the interesting fact.
�Have you realized that now that Harold made it public knowledge that he�s going steady with Patty, an entire third of our class is now together.�
Hearing this from Arnold and also thinking that her foreboding feeling had not come true Helga grew very sad and jealous. Obviously these emotions were very clear on her face.
�You jealous of all the couples too, Helga?�
�What? I have no idea what you�re talking about.�
�I think you do, Helga,� he said, giving her the sly flirty eyes. Helga was getting mad at herself for her transparency, and at Arnold for seeing it.
�No I don�t!�
�Helga, seriously, I think you�re jealous. It�s ok, I�m jealous too,� he said continuing the flirty eyes. The torturous look just made her angrier at her jealousy.
�I AM NOT JEALOUS!�
�Whatever you say Helga, but I still think you�re jealous,� he said, increasing the flirtiness of his eyes.
�I SAID I�M NOT!� she said, picking up Arnold and pinning him to the tree they were looking for. �And if you say it one more time I�ll break our deal and pound you!� Arnold started laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"I just think it's funny how jealous you are."
"I said I'm not!"
�You don�t have to be jealous, you know.�
�What?� Arnold leaned in close to her face.