Hey Arnold: I Promise You That

The Duet Match

This was an intense moment for Sarah. She never imagined herself standing up to a bully. Normally, she would run and hide from them, crying from the pain they had given her. For once, she felt brave. This wasn't like her.

For Anthony, it was going to be a piece of cake; he picked on small individuals and groups before and he would usually win. So why would picking on this "Sarah" be different?

Anthony placed the ball in the middle of the pitch whilst making eye contact with the girl. Behind Sarah, there where her group of friends. They were anxiously waiting for the pair to begin their match. Having a group was one thing but two people playing against each other was another matter.

"You sure you have the guts?" Anthony warned.

"I'll take my chances", Sarah replied. "Now, be a gentleman and allow the lady to have her first kick?"

But Anthony didn't listen. In a flash, he dodged a tackle underneath Sarah's legs.

She wasn't going to let him get away with it. Sarah ran behind the bully, chasing him down the pitch. The group went wild - there were loud cries, calling out Sarah's name. There were boo's when Anthony had sneaked past Sarah and knock her down for his chance to dribbled the ball.

Arnold and Helga were terrified. They felt responsible for allowing Sarah to tackle against Anthony. If anything happened, they'll probably never themselves. In one tense moment, Arnold quickly wrapped his arms around Helga. For a second, Helga sighed happily. Knowing that her football headed love God was hugging her. Then releasing that they were in public, Helga pushed Arnold away from her.

"Hey! Who said you could touch me!" she snapped.

This continued to last until - in one tackle and two strong kicks (after the ball hit the bar), Sarah scored a goal, much to Anthony's amazement and her friends' delight.

When she scored on her second kick, Sarah feel down to the ground, with her back touching the soil first. Luckily, she wasn't badly hurt though she was going to have bruises from that fall.

The group ran to Sarah, bringing her into a group hug to congratulate on a winning goal. Sarah laughed happily; she had a reaction like this before and she liked it. But there was someone who didn't.

"Alright", Anthony said. "You won but next time, I'm going take you down".

"Don't count on it man", Gerald replied with pride. "And by the way, tackling harshly and not allowing our girl to go first? That was no way to treat a lady!"

Anthony stormed off in a huff. He couldn't believe that he got beaten by a girl. He had never felt so embarrassed.

Sarah watched Anthony sulking in triumph.

"You got some moves, girl", said Gerald. "If you were in a scorer team, you have to be a captain".

"Thank you, Gerald", Sarah replied. "Mind you, I have to take some rest for a little while before I can play again". And that's just what she did.

As she watched her friends play, Sarah observed them with joy. She was lucky to have wonderful friends and, she thought, maybe - they'll appreciate me for who I am. She couldn't guarantee it. Arnold accepted Sarah's Autism but how would the others cope with it. Also, she thought back to the duet match. She never knew that she felt confident and comfortable playing scorer (but in truth, she still thought "football" was better). So, what if she could try out for a team outside school or maybe tryout for the school team? These were possibilities but Sarah needed to think carefully. There were some barriers but surely, they can be solved? Can't they?