The Last Person You'd Expect
This happens the day after Arnold moves. Helga is wracked with depression, when the most unlikely friend arises.
I saw her, just sitting there on the steps of the boarding house. She was staring at the ground, not even blinking. Her eyes were red and puffy, and I knew why. I missed him too, but not in the same way. I could never miss him as much as she must. Poor girl. I wish there was something I could do. But what was the point? Helga wouldn't want to talk to me of all people. So I just watched, not being noticed. I saw a person coming down the sidewalk. It was Harold, probably on his way to Mr. Green's butcher shop. He saw her and started doing something I couldn't believe.
"Hey Helga, whatcha doing in front of Arnold's house?" He noticed her eyes.
"Aw, do you miss him? HAHAHA!!! You liked Ahnold!! I can't believe you actually liked him!! Hahahaha!!"
She glared at him silently. Losing Arnold had changed her usual attitude. That was just too much! I stepped up to him with a very angry expression.
"Stop it Harold! You're being ever so mean!"
He had no idea how to react to my sudden outburst. Silently he continued walking away from us. I didn't understand why he would be oh so cruel about it. We all missed Arnold, it was nothing to be ashamed of. I turned my attention back to Helga, who was looking at me with great confusion.
"Helga? Would you like to talk?"
"No." She said in a low coarse voice.
I frowned. If she kept everything to herself she'd never be happy. But I guess I was hoping for too much if I expected her to open up with me. But a strange feeling came over me, an emotion that refused to let me leave. Maybe like I was a part of her suffering. Like I had to make up for all those times I had… well… been ever so leading him on. I sat down next to her.
"No matter what you say I know what you're feeling. You didn't want to lose him anymore than the rest of us. So if there's a chance to talk it out you should take it."
That was when she got angry.
"Because you're such a kind and `ever so' understanding person? Forget it sister. Go peddle your pity elsewhere."
I didn't know what to say. After all, she was telling the truth. It wasn't out of friendship that I was talking to her; it was because I pitied her and felt just the smallest bit guilty.
"Why don't you just admit you're doing this because you have that little ms. Perfect image to keep? You don't care, you've never cared."
"That's not true Helga. I care… and it's because I cared that I did what I did."
She stood and towered over me.
"Let me get this straight; You come here in the middle of the year, entrap all the boys under your spell, send Arnold mixed signals, LIE to him, even USE him, and this is all for me!?"
"Did I ever actually say that I liked him liked him? It's not my fault he developed romantic feelings for me."
Her blue eyes filled with sorrow.
"Then why did you lie to him?"
I had no idea what she meant.
"Lie? When did I lie?"
"Oh come on! `I've been taking ballet lessons for two years!' 'I'm allergic to stuffed animals!'"
I saddened at a memory.
"I was just trying to make him feel better about not being able to hit the bottles over. And I really did take ballet… that is, until mother died and we couldn't afford it anymore…"
Helga saw the tears well up in my eyes. For a minute I wasn't sure if she thought I was sincere. But Helga, always a perfect judge of character when jealousy wasn't involved, saw the truth.
"Oh Lila, I…"
I looked to see a hand on my shoulder. Helga gave me a reassuring look.
"I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time. All you ever wanted was to fit in."
I wiped the moisture from my face.
"I'm sorry, too. After the School Play I tried to give you room to bond with Arnold. But you just kept acting… well, ever so mean, to both of us. When the Cheese Festival came up, I decided that saying yes would be oh so friendly thing to do. Speaking of which, I saw you there."
She recoiled in shock.
"You did!?"
I smiled. Arnold had been ever so dense, but I hadn't. I'm more observant than she notices.
"Why of course Helga. And I saw you in the tree that day. Why do you think I turned Arnold down?"
"You did that for me? Would you really have taken him back?"
"If I hadn't been reminded, yes. When I saw you there I knew that I could never care about him as much as you did. So I let it go."
"Wow… it's just…"
"Yes Helga?"
"It's just that you have no idea what it's like to be jealous of someone!! It's maddening!!"
That was when I got angry.
"Oh, so I suppose stealing Arnie from me was nothing to even be considered!?!"
"Hey hey hey! I didn't ask for Arnie any more than you asked for Arnold!"
Both of fell silent. Then we burst out laughing. Here we were yelling at each other when in fact we had both done the same thing: be attractive to the wrong guy.
"What did you see in that, that, beanie wearing, (clearly she was struggling to not insult him) boy anyway?"
I sighed wistfully. Arnie, my oh so special someone. Often I dreamed of him. Though I didn't have a locket or write poetry,
I cared about him as much as Helga did Arnold.
"Arnie was shy, and didn't let a lot of people know the real him. Underneath the gum and package reading, he's really a very nice boy."
Heh, that's what Rhonda said about Arnold.
"If you knew him better I'm ever so certain you'd understand."
Helga made retching sounds.
"I don't want to know him better."
We didn't know what to say for a while. Eventually we decided to go our separate ways.
"Will you be all right Helga?"
"Maybe. It's not going to be easy, getting used to life without Arnold. But if I've got Phoebe, and you, I might just make it."
The End
This happens the day after Arnold moves. Helga is wracked with depression, when the most unlikely friend arises.
I saw her, just sitting there on the steps of the boarding house. She was staring at the ground, not even blinking. Her eyes were red and puffy, and I knew why. I missed him too, but not in the same way. I could never miss him as much as she must. Poor girl. I wish there was something I could do. But what was the point? Helga wouldn't want to talk to me of all people. So I just watched, not being noticed. I saw a person coming down the sidewalk. It was Harold, probably on his way to Mr. Green's butcher shop. He saw her and started doing something I couldn't believe.
"Hey Helga, whatcha doing in front of Arnold's house?" He noticed her eyes.
"Aw, do you miss him? HAHAHA!!! You liked Ahnold!! I can't believe you actually liked him!! Hahahaha!!"
She glared at him silently. Losing Arnold had changed her usual attitude. That was just too much! I stepped up to him with a very angry expression.
"Stop it Harold! You're being ever so mean!"
He had no idea how to react to my sudden outburst. Silently he continued walking away from us. I didn't understand why he would be oh so cruel about it. We all missed Arnold, it was nothing to be ashamed of. I turned my attention back to Helga, who was looking at me with great confusion.
"Helga? Would you like to talk?"
"No." She said in a low coarse voice.
I frowned. If she kept everything to herself she'd never be happy. But I guess I was hoping for too much if I expected her to open up with me. But a strange feeling came over me, an emotion that refused to let me leave. Maybe like I was a part of her suffering. Like I had to make up for all those times I had… well… been ever so leading him on. I sat down next to her.
"No matter what you say I know what you're feeling. You didn't want to lose him anymore than the rest of us. So if there's a chance to talk it out you should take it."
That was when she got angry.
"Because you're such a kind and `ever so' understanding person? Forget it sister. Go peddle your pity elsewhere."
I didn't know what to say. After all, she was telling the truth. It wasn't out of friendship that I was talking to her; it was because I pitied her and felt just the smallest bit guilty.
"Why don't you just admit you're doing this because you have that little ms. Perfect image to keep? You don't care, you've never cared."
"That's not true Helga. I care… and it's because I cared that I did what I did."
She stood and towered over me.
"Let me get this straight; You come here in the middle of the year, entrap all the boys under your spell, send Arnold mixed signals, LIE to him, even USE him, and this is all for me!?"
"Did I ever actually say that I liked him liked him? It's not my fault he developed romantic feelings for me."
Her blue eyes filled with sorrow.
"Then why did you lie to him?"
I had no idea what she meant.
"Lie? When did I lie?"
"Oh come on! `I've been taking ballet lessons for two years!' 'I'm allergic to stuffed animals!'"
I saddened at a memory.
"I was just trying to make him feel better about not being able to hit the bottles over. And I really did take ballet… that is, until mother died and we couldn't afford it anymore…"
Helga saw the tears well up in my eyes. For a minute I wasn't sure if she thought I was sincere. But Helga, always a perfect judge of character when jealousy wasn't involved, saw the truth.
"Oh Lila, I…"
I looked to see a hand on my shoulder. Helga gave me a reassuring look.
"I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time. All you ever wanted was to fit in."
I wiped the moisture from my face.
"I'm sorry, too. After the School Play I tried to give you room to bond with Arnold. But you just kept acting… well, ever so mean, to both of us. When the Cheese Festival came up, I decided that saying yes would be oh so friendly thing to do. Speaking of which, I saw you there."
She recoiled in shock.
"You did!?"
I smiled. Arnold had been ever so dense, but I hadn't. I'm more observant than she notices.
"Why of course Helga. And I saw you in the tree that day. Why do you think I turned Arnold down?"
"You did that for me? Would you really have taken him back?"
"If I hadn't been reminded, yes. When I saw you there I knew that I could never care about him as much as you did. So I let it go."
"Wow… it's just…"
"Yes Helga?"
"It's just that you have no idea what it's like to be jealous of someone!! It's maddening!!"
That was when I got angry.
"Oh, so I suppose stealing Arnie from me was nothing to even be considered!?!"
"Hey hey hey! I didn't ask for Arnie any more than you asked for Arnold!"
Both of fell silent. Then we burst out laughing. Here we were yelling at each other when in fact we had both done the same thing: be attractive to the wrong guy.
"What did you see in that, that, beanie wearing, (clearly she was struggling to not insult him) boy anyway?"
I sighed wistfully. Arnie, my oh so special someone. Often I dreamed of him. Though I didn't have a locket or write poetry,
I cared about him as much as Helga did Arnold.
"Arnie was shy, and didn't let a lot of people know the real him. Underneath the gum and package reading, he's really a very nice boy."
Heh, that's what Rhonda said about Arnold.
"If you knew him better I'm ever so certain you'd understand."
Helga made retching sounds.
"I don't want to know him better."
We didn't know what to say for a while. Eventually we decided to go our separate ways.
"Will you be all right Helga?"
"Maybe. It's not going to be easy, getting used to life without Arnold. But if I've got Phoebe, and you, I might just make it."
The End