Query

Hello everyone! I have been on a roll with ideas for stories lately! I just need a roll for finishing my old one. So I had to run over here to the computer (just to say, I have no Internet, so I'm going to have to do this on my bud's computer) and start typing! I never ever finish typing the story before I post it, but I do have a plan! **That's a first** Briana, shut… wait, your right; that is a first! Hmm. Well, while you guys are reading this, I'll be outside chewing on Jumbo sugar sticks dipped in chocolate sauce and listening to my Rick Dee's Weekly Top 40 and humming a 3 Doors Down song!

Disclaimer: If there's a contract for it, then it isn't mine! It's Simple as that…. Yes, when you're as hooked on television as I am, you're mind blows for creativity.

Um, dudes, I think I need a better title… any ideas for it from this chapter? Much appreciated. Cheese!

I love Phoebe, hence the name Phebga. And I loved this idea of mine! ~Hugs the keyboard and grins like a maniac until the National Guard come in and uses a tank to separate Phebga and her idea~ NO! It's mine, it's my precious, and it's my brainchild!!!!!!

Chapter One

A young teenager picked up a brush with a wooden handle from her dresser and ran it through her hair. She took a hair tie and lifted her hair into a small ponytail. She grabbed a pair of white tennis shoes and quickly pushed them on her feet and tied up the laces.

Walking over to the corner of her desk, she grabbed a small stack of textbooks and notebooks and stuffed them into her book bag and then flung it over her shoulder. She walked out of her room, but not before looking at a picture of a boy on her desk and blowing a kiss to him lovingly.

She started running down the staircase hastily, almost tripping on the way down and stubbing her toe. She hopped on one foot into the dining room and sat down at the chair. She let go of her backpack and let it rest at the dies of her chair.

A red headed woman walked in, carrying a tray with three plates of white egg omelets, melon slices, and toast. She was smiling widely. "Hello, little pumpkin," she said to her. "How's my Phoebe doing this morning?"

"Fine, mother. Just fine," answered Phoebe, inhaling deeply. "Mm. That smells wonderful."

"It'll taste wonderful, too, Phoebe. Tuck in," said Mrs. Hyerdhal.

Phoebe lifted her knife and fork and started to cut the omelet up. "Mom, where's Dad?"

Mrs. Hyerdhal sat down across the table and said, "Oh, he'll be down in just a second. He's still trying to figure out how to make that tie work. A month into his new job and the man can't tie a knot."

Phoebe giggled and took a sip of orange juice.

"Can someone please help me up here?" asked a man in a thin Japanese accent from the second floor.

The two women tried hard to refrain from laughing out loud as they hustled up the stairs.

~*~

Phoebe walked down the traffic-packed hallway and stopped by her locker. She fiddled with the combination lock and opened it up. Kneeling down, she unzipped her backpack and emptied out her books except her Algebra 1 book and binder. She stood up and closed the door, and she almost jumped when she saw what was behind it.

A boy her age, only just a little taller, with light brown hair that was slightly spiked up was leaning on the lockers, smiling at her.

"Hey, Pheebs," he said, standing up straight.

Phoebe smiled and leaned forward to kiss him on the check. "Hi, Kyle. How's it going for you today?"

Kyle smiled and returned the peck. "Oh, it's going all right. Only I couldn't get a hold of you last night, what were you doing?"

She smiled and clenched her books tighter to her side. "I had a difficult time finding final information for my History report… you know, the one that's due tomorrow. I had to use the Internet for a while."

Nodding, Kyle picked up the binder he had dropped on the floor and playfully punched his girlfriend. "Well, I guess I'll see you in third period, okay?"

"Sure. Bye, Kay."

"Bye, Phoebe."

Barely even taking two steps, Phoebe was stopped short once again by a different friend.

"Hey, Pheebs, what's up?"

Smiling at her best friend, Phoebe said, "Oh, I'm doing good enough, Helga. I just hope I do well in our Algebra test this morning."

"Oh, come on, Phoebe," said Helga, placing her elbow on Phoebe's shoulder, "why do you even worry about this stuff? You always finish your test before everyone else and you always get at least a 95 percent on every one of them."

Phoebe smiled. "I'm flattered, Helga, really, but I had so much extra work last night that I'm afraid I didn't get enough study time in, if you know what I mean."

Helga rolled her eyes. "Once again, I have to give the smart on advice on test-taking. You know this stuff. I wouldn't even be pulling the B average I'm making in this class if it wasn't for you. Heck, Gerald wouldn't either, and I'm pretty sure Arnold would be having trouble keeping an A, too. So, just go with the flow and do your best." She stopped suddenly in her lecture. "Whoa. Maybe that anger management class Dr. Bliss suggested me to go to for that week last year really DID do something." She shivered. "Scary."

The two thirteen year olds laughed their way to their classroom. Sitting in the second row was a pretty tall African-American with a shorter up-do than years past, and in front of him was an average height, blond, green-eyed, football-headed boy.

"Yo, Gerald, Arnold, did you save us our seats?" called Helga as they walked into the room.

"Who do you think we are, Helga," said Arnold, "dumb nitwits that can't remember their friend's wishes?"

Helga smirked. "Do you really want me to answer that, Football Head?"

"Just sit down, you two women!" called out Gerald from behind Arnold.

Brrrrrriiiiiiiiiing!!!!!!

"Good advice, Mr. Johansson," said Mr. McMahan.

Gerald smirked as Helga sat next to him and Phoebe sat next to Arnold.

~*~

Curly ran out of the middle school, the first one to do so, and cried out, "SANCTUARY!" He then took part in running down the block and hailing a taxi, even though the bus was stopped right on the side of the school.

The rest of the school shortly followed after, including Phoebe, Helga, Arnold, and Gerald.

"So," said Arnold, "my house in an hour, right guys?"

"Okay, dude, but don't forget," said Gerald, "I've gotta be a half-hour late because of basketball practice."

"Oh, yeah," said Helga, "and I have to prep up for volleyball, too. I'll be there about ten minutes late, okay?"

"Oh, and I have to meet Kyle down at Slausen's, Arnold," said Phoebe, suddenly remembering what Kyle had asked her during lunch. "I'll be ten minutes late."

Arnold looked over to Gerald. "Are you sure you have to leave me alone with two girls on a Tuesday? You know what they're like."

"Shut your face, Arnold," said Helga, smirking. Phoebe just glared at him good-naturedly.

"As much as I would like to join you in this, I'm sure, ever so delightful event," said Gerald mockingly, "but I must partake in my Athletics classes."

Helga snorted and Phoebe hit Gerald on the shoulder. "Don't act like that, man," she said, "you sound way too… oh, what's a good word?"

"Stupidly preppy and showing off your vocabulary skills?" said Helga.

Phoebe nodded in agreement. "Exactly."

"Aw, come on, Pheebs," he said, walking over and placing his arm over her shoulder. "You know that I've gotta take my stupid sarcastic remarks on the painful events Arnold has to go through since baseball season is next semester while I still can."

"Yeah, he has too… wait a minute, what did you say?" Arnold punched his best friend on the shoulder once he realized the meaning of these words. "You'll have to go through the twenty minutes of study grouping while I'm doing that, since you're only in basketball and track."

Gerald winced. "Oh, right in the heart, brother."

"Will you two ever mature?" asked Phoebe, desperately.

"I think this is as far as they'll get," answered Helga.

"Excuse me, girls," said Arnold, "but I think you guys need to get going, along with Gerald. You don't want Kyle down your throat, you don't need Coach Harrison down yours, and Helga… well, your skills need to be tuned up."

"Yeah," said Helga. "I got to get going. See you in a while, guys."

"I need to go, too," said Phoebe when Helga was gone. "Bye, Gerald. Bye, Arnold."

~*~

The gentle aroma of a chicken sandwich, a hot dog, French fries, and two milkshakes met Phoebe's nostrils as the waiter placed them in front of her and Kyle. Phoebe picked up three fries and stuffed them in her mouth hungrily.

"Mm, fried foods," she said. "When all you have is foods that are non-meat and nutritious, salt and grease is the perfect thing."

Kyle lifted his foot-long and swallowed a bite. "Sushi, vegetables, and non-meat things for two months with no break. Now you know why I invited you to Slausen's. Grease, salt, and ice cream are exactly what you need."

"Yeah," said Phoebe. "My mother and father think I need more brain food."

Kyle lifted his left eyebrow. "Brain food? I thought your brain was already stuffed."

Phoebe nodded. "Parents. When you're good at something, they just want to make you even better at it. Like you and your art."

Kyle nodded and sipped on his milkshake. "Yeah. I got an A in finger painting and it was pastels and canvas everywhere, you know."

Phoebe nodded again and bit into her hamburger. "So, why, besides giving me the treat of fattening foods, did you ask me here?"

Smiling, he reached into his backpack and pulled out two long pieces of paper and a smaller one with handwriting on it. "Look at these."

Phoebe reached over and took them from his hand. She read what they said and then gasped. When she looked up, she was grinning. "Kyle, I love you so much!" she squealed, leaning over and giving him a bear hug. "Where on Earth did you get these?"

In her hand--well, know in her seat because she dropped them in excitement--were two tickets to an Evanescence concert, and the smaller piece of paper was a reservation for Chez Pierre afterward.

Phoebe kissed Kyle in happiness. "This is simply astounding, Kay! Oh my gosh, where… how did you get these?"

Kyle smiled again and kissed Phoebe. "My aunt's sister has a daughter who works at Chez Pierre, and my uncle won a contest on the radio, but he didn't know who Amy Lee even was, so he gave them to me, and now I'm giving one to you."

Phoebe stood up and squealed again. "Kyle, your family is made of miracle workers! My favorite band and the most expensive restaurant in the town all in one night!" She sighed. "I didn't go out with you for this, but it is a humongous benefit."

Kyle smiled and then glanced at his watch. "Oh, shoot! I'm sorry, Phoebe, but we can celebrate some more at a later time

. I'm about to be late for my new job at Yorkshire Souvenirs."

Phoebe looked at him with a question on her face. "Since when are you employed to Yorkshire?"

He shrugged. "I've gotta find some way to pay for the food you're gonna eat." He walked over to the counter and grabbed two to-go boxes. "Speaking of which, we can both eat soon. You've got that study group with Helga, Arnold, and Gerald."

Phoebe smiled as she helped put the food up. "Someday you'll have to accompany us. You know, when you have the time. You sure do work a lot."

"I know," he said. "And the rest of my time is taken with painting, but that just makes these dates even more special, huh?"

"After seven months of this? Of course. Bye, Kay."

"Bye, Phoebe."

~*~

"Solve the equation. When d equals 7.5, what is d to the second power times 8.7 divided by parenthesis 5 plus d parenthesis." Helga slapped her pencil on her notebook. "Phoebe? Can I have a little help here? What part do I do first?"

Phoebe sighed and scribbled something down. "The parenthesis part, then the exponent, then the multiplication-"

"Then the division! Okay, I think I've got it now."

"Helga," said Arnold, "how hard is it to remember PEMDAS?"

The group was sitting around Arnold's room. Arnold was at his computer desk, Gerald was on the couch, Helga was on the bed (for some reason she kept laying her head on the pillow), and Phoebe was lying on a pillow on the floor. Everyone had a bottle of water and some snacks next to him or her.

"I've got the same problem, Arnold," said Gerald. "I keep forgetting the math terms. I get the Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally thing stuck in my head."

Phoebe smiled at Gerald. "Oh, you poor, poor thing! Come on, Gerald, it isn't that hard!"

Gerald looked back at his notebook and mumbled, "I don't even have an Aunt Sally."

"Gerald, she's right," said Arnold. "If you don't even have an Aunt Sally, why do you think of that so much?"

"Can we change the subject, please," said Helga. "I also have English homework."

"What answer did you get, Helga?" asked Phoebe.

Helga flipped through her notebook to find the page. "I got 38.614. Is that right?"

Phoebe smiled. "Correct."

Helga looked happy for about three seconds, and then went back to her homework.

Soon, however, Phoebe couldn't stand the pressure any longer. "Um, guys?" she said quietly. "Guess what Kyle got for me?"

"A rose?"

"A CD?"

"A book?"

"Gerald, you were closest," she said. She took a deep breath and grinned ecstatically. "He got us two tickets to an Evanescence concert and a reservation for Chez Pierre afterward!"

Helga closed her eyes. "Don't ever say Chez Pierre in front of me ever… are you serious?" She finally let the first group of words set in. "Oh, crap, I can't believe this!" She screamed. "Where the heck did he get that stuff?"

"That's really cool, Pheebs," said Gerald, smiling.

"Kyle must really love you, Phoebe," said Arnold.

Gerald snorted. "Uh, Arnold, where have you been? No duh they love each other! What was it again, Pheebs, from last week?"

Helga laughed. "I think it was, 'Oh, Kay, it's only been seven little months, it feels like such a shorter period of time.'"

Gerald snorted in laughter again and stood up. "Oh, Phoebe, I know, but I love you so much! I never, ever, ever, ever, ever want to be away from you!"

"The longest time I've ever had a boyfriend, and it has been working out flawlessly. Kiss, me, Kyle Washington!"

"Kiss me, dear, sweet, Phoebe Hyerdhal!"

Helga and Gerald started making smooching sounds and pursing their lips while Arnold looked on laughing and Phoebe sat next to the bed blushing.

"Stop it, you two!" she cried in between two laughs.

Gerald bent down, still saying, "Mwa, mwa, mwa." He came close to Phoebe's nose and made a humongous smooching sound. When he stood up, Helga began to pretend to faint. She fell on Phoebe's pillow.

At the end of their laugh, Arnold was rolling on the floor laughing so hard he was in tears. Phoebe was still blushing, but laughing just the same. Gerald was throwing a small fit and Helga was giggling loudly. Of course, Arnold was the last one to finish laughing. The other three looked at him with blank expressions until Helga gently kicked him in the ribs.

"OW! Hey, what was that for?"

"I had to stop you some how! You were drooling from your own laughter. You would've ruined your carpet."

Arnold took a deep breath and pulled himself into his seat.

Phoebe sat on the floor, smiling. She then pulled her History notebook out of her binder and finished writing her report.

So… how do you like it? This is only the first chapter, and don't worry, there'll be tons of surprises! And just to give you all the down low, in case you didn't know, Arnold still has no idea of Helga's secret, so, no, they are not going out. I'm not going to give anything else away, because with my big mouth, you guys do NOT want me to say anything else. Unless you absolutely hate reading and just write reports based on chapter notes from a leaflet and the summary. But I'm not one of those people, so I'm going to seal my mouth with peanut butter! ~Takes out big spoon and scoops it into jar~ ~stuffs peanut butter into mouth~ ~mumbles indistinctively~  ~mumbles more~ **She says to stay tuned, because she's on a roll with this one, and I'll probably have to wait forever to use my computer again!** ~Swallows~ Hey! You're sharing it with me!

Phebga Madame Fortress Mommy