Coming to Grips
By Littlepinkbook
DISCLAIMER – These characters aren't mine, they're the property of Craig Bartlett and I respect and acknowledge this.
AUTHOR'S NOTE – This is something that I decided to write because I strongly believe that Arnold and Helga are truly meant to be together and that things don't always turn out exactly the way we'd like but sometimes not getting what we want can be a marvellous stroke of luck!
I was following Lila around again, like a lost puppy; it's really kind humiliating but I just want to be with her, but every time I'm around her that thought just seems more and more hopeless. I sometimes think she enjoys leading me around by the nose but she couldn't be leading me on? Could she? She's far too nice for that, right? Come to think of it she's sweet all the time, it's constant actually. You know what it's like? It's like chocolate, chocolate is great at first glance but too much of it makes you wanna throw up. I'm not saying that Lila makes me want to throw up…at least I don't think that's what I'm saying.
We stop outside the bookstore, Lila whitters on about needing some weekly magazine or something, I'm not really listening. I've suddenly looked down at myself – I'm lugging around Lila's shopping bags, following after her like a doting, idiotic slave bending to her every whim in the hope she might one day return my affections. I can feel the said affections beginning to teeter on the brink inside me. I'm suddenly very ashamed of myself, what the heck was I doing? Lila doesn't like me the way I want and whose to say she ever will? It hit home like a ton of bricks; she was using me, taking advantage of my vulnerable state towards her! I could feel the beginnings of anger bubble inside my chest and just as it was about to boil over Helga emerged from the bookstore, laden with all sorts of interesting looking books.
I just stared at her, her presence suddenly felt like a breath of fresh air and something stirred inside of me, something I didn't recognise. For some odd reason relief to see her, to see this odd girl I had known all my life and had done nothing but torment me for most of it, the relief washed over me and it just confused me more. It just didn't seem to fit that I should be relieved to see my tormentor.
She eyed us curiously for a moment, completely ignoring the fact that Lila was greeting her and chattering away with synthetic cheeriness. She looked Lila up and down with complete disdain and I'm forced to say even hate, I knew Helga didn't like Lila, she had always made that perfectly clear. I had never been sure why but now after my dawning realisation of how she treated me I began to see perhaps what it was Helga had always seen.
Her eyes drifted over to me finally and lingered there, I caught her gaze with my own and held it fast. Her eyes displayed pure pity, she wasn't disgusted by my actions like I was, she just felt sorry for me. I felt even more humiliated now. She shook her head softly and walked away, with her books under her arm.
Lila made a little scoffing sound through her nose as much as to say "how dare she just walk away from me!" I felt a sudden twinge of hate towards this girl, and I never allowed hate to enter my spirit so I quickly ignored it. All I knew was I no longer held Lila on a pedestal, in fact, all I wanted to do was get away from her and retrieve some of the dignity I had left.
I watched Helga as she moved swiftly down the street – her nose already buried in one of the many old, thick books – she immediately fascinated me. Where had this come from? I was so confused!
"Arnold!" Squeaked Lila – snapping me back to reality and returning my attention to her, just how she liked it – her hands poised on her hips in annoyance. She annoyed me now more than anything else. "Are you coming or not?" She asked, not really expecting me to answer with anything else but "of course Lila". I looked at her and grinned, which surprised her. I shoved her myriad shopping bags into her arms – much to her shock – and simply said "Bye Lila!" And promptly chased after to Helga.
I wasted so much time chasing after Lila, never getting what I wanted but it led to something new, exciting and full of potential, so I guess it was worth it!
Fin