AN: This fic is based as much on HA canon as possible, since canon stories are always my favourite. I've randomly decided that the characters were 9/10 in 1999/2000, so they're 17ish here. This is just a short intro.
"So, Phoebs. Is it looking like Rhonda's?" Helga sighed.
"I'm afraid so," her best friend replied, sitting herself primly on the edge of Helga's bed.
Helga groaned, opening her wardrobe to survey her outfit choices. "Don't you ever wish something exciting would happen, Phoebs? Some break to the monotony of our existence? We've done the same thing for New Years for the past three years."
"I will admit, our lives seem to have lacked variety lately," Phoebe agreed.
Helga sighed again. "Well, the whole gang will be there I suppose, and there'll probably be alcohol. Maybe it won't be so bad." Helga had tried to be more optimistic the past few years. Seeing as her old provider of optimism was off in the jungle somewhere.
Phoebe smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure it will be fine."
"You bring your outfit with you?" Helga asked.
"Yep!" She looked down to the backpack at her feet. Just then her phone buzzed in her hand, and Helga noticed that her expression went strange as she read the text.
"Who's that?" asked Helga bluntly.
Phoebe jumped a little. "Oh just Gerald."
"What's Tall-Hair got to say?"
"That there might be another party to go to."
Helga raised her eyebrows (now plural). "Where?" It seemed awfully short notice.
"He didn't say yet. He says he'll keep us informed."
Helga considered calling him for more info, but she figured it could wait. She shrugged. "Well I have to take a shower anyway. Spent an hour on some bullshit Pilates workout; I smell like a hog." She grabbed her pink dressing gown off the back of her purple door. "Be back in ten. Try not to trash the room while I'm gone."
Phoebe nodded with a smile, used to these sorts of 'commands'.
Helga closed the door behind her and made her way to the bathroom. She turned on the water, left her clothes on a shelf, and stepped into the hot shower with a sigh. Grabbing a loofa, she began to sing as she scrubbed. Helga only sang in the shower, and she figured the world ought to be grateful for that.
After a minute or two, she heard the doorbell, and some commotion as her father yelled for someone. Maybe it was Gerald, or one of those UPS guys her mom liked to flirt with.
She washed her hair, gave her unruly eyebrows a quick tweeze, and walked back to her room wrapped in her soft dressing gown.
Phoebe's eyes followed her as she entered and started to put her clothes away, that strange expression back on her face. Except it was stranger this time.
She turned to her friend with a sigh. "Okay Phoebs, what's up?"
Phoebe looked almost scared. "Arnold just called by."