Disc: I do not own Hey Arnold in any way. That privilege belongs to the great Craig Bartlett and the idiotic Nickelodeon for getting rid of the most brilliant producer they ever had. BRING BACK CRAIG!
One Last Shindig
Hatterlet
"It is my pleasure to introduce- our graduating class!" A flurry of cheers erupted through the gym of Hillwood high as the graduates tossed their mortarboards into the air.
Valedictorian Phoebe Heyerdahl stepped away from the podium and joined the recessional as the band played. As she reached the double doors at the far end of the gym, the neat line of graduates dispersed to various friends and family members.
"Phoebe-Chan!" She heard a familiar voice and turned to see her father, Kyo, and mother, Reba. She raced over to them, robe flapping slightly. She stopped a few feet away and bowed before launching herself at her parents.
"We're so proud of you, hon." Her mother drawled.
"Phoebe" said a stern voice. She turned to see her former principal, Principal Wartz. He extended a hand to her. "Very pleased to have a Valedictorian from P.S. 118." He stated, shaking her hand.
"Thank you, Sir!" she piped, glowing from the compliment.
"Hey Pheebs!" Another voice shouted. Phoebe looked up to see her best friend, Helga, waving from across the parking lot packed with happy faces. Excusing herself from her parents with another bow, she began to push her way through the crowd.
When she finally reached Helga she noticed a group of her classmates standing near her. When she saw Gerald the tall, dark boy gave her a coy wink and Phoebe blushed slightly.
"Hey, Pheebs. Tall-hair boy here has decided we're all going bowling. One last shindig. You in?" Helga asked with all her usual charm. Phoebe glanced around at the group assembled. In addition to Helga and Gerald, Rhonda, Curly, Eugene, Sheena, Nadine, Harold, Stinky, Sid, and Lila were gathered. In short, the whole P.S. 118 crew. With the exception of one, of course. She glanced at Gerald, questioningly, and he nodded and smiled.
"Definitely!" she told Helga.
When all the driving arrangements were finally figured out, it just so happened that Gerald and Phoebe ended up alone. That was just fine with him.
Both of the teenagers clambered into Gerald's slightly beat up red pick-up truck. He started the engine then glanced across at his gentle friend. She had been such a comfort to him for the last couple of years, especially after his best friend moved away. Gerald sighed, and then remembered the plan.
Phoebe sat with her hand clasped in her lap, lost in thought. He reached over and grabbed one of them, which he then squeezed tightly. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, concerned.
"Yes." She said. "Just thinking about Helga. She seems so-" she searched for the right word "disconnected anymore. Since he left."
"Don't worry about it" Gerald said. "I've got that covered."
"I know." Phoebe smiled again, and then scooted across the bench seat until she sat right next to him. Gerald grinned, then let her hand go and instead draped her arm around his shoulder and hugged her close. Picturing the small box he had hidden in his glove compartment, he allowed a wave of happiness to envelop him. With that, he gunned the engine and raced out of the parking lot.
It was going to be an interesting night.
Helga squealed into a spot in the bowling alley parking lot. Somehow in the chaos that was the High School parking lot after graduation, her little five-passenger car was crammed with several more people that was typically smiled upon.
She slammed the car into park and swiveled in her seat. Even though she had grown decidedly less nasty throughout High School, she still had a way with her fellow classmates.
"Alright, everybody out!" She growled. Three car doors popped open as Sheena, with Eugene in tow, Nadine, Rhonda, Lila, and Curly piled out into the balmy May evening. She watched as they trooped in the building, then as the vehicles holding Phoebe and Gerald, then Harold, Stinky, and Sid regurgitated their respective passengers into the bowling alley. She allowed herself a brief moment of annoyance that Phoebe had abandoned her for Tall-Hair boy, but she was used to that. A lot more since- but then she stopped herself. No use in getting herself upset on her graduation night. But still…
Helga sighed, welcoming the silence. With a practiced motion she drew a small, delicate golden locket out from inside her shirt. Much smaller and easier to conceal than the one she had carried throughout elementary school, she snapped it open to reveal a tiny photograph. Helga smiled, mentally caressing the football-shaped head, smoothing the golden hair.
Just looking at his picture still conjured poetry up in her mind. She fumbled for the small notebook she always kept in her glove compartment. In doing so, she caught a glimpse of something moving in the backseat in her rear-view mirror. Having had no use lately for 'Old Betsy', she clenched a fist, planning on surprising her would-be assailant.
Before she could attack, however, the rhythmic breathing and tell-tale glint of light on spectacles let her know just who her enemy was.
"Brainy!" she howled.
"Uh-hi." He wheezed.
"I said out!" She shrieked. "Now get out before I revert to my old ways!" As he fumbled for a door handle, she heard a knock on her window. She groaned. "Aw, criminy, what now?" She rolled down the window- it was Phoebe. "Yeah, Pheebs?" she asked sardonically as she unlocked her doors. As soon as he heard the 'pop', Brainy scrambled out of the backseat and sprinted for relative safety inside.
"Helga?" Phoebe queried. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, fine. Why?"
"Well, you were taking an abnormally long time exiting your vehicle. I was beginning to get apprehensive. I hypothesized that something must be troubling you."
"Nah, I'm fine. I just-" she paused, then continued. "-need some ice cream." She opened her door and headed inside. Phoebe smiled knowingly and followed.
Helga walked inside the building and was immediately blasted by light and sound. She walked up to the counter to get her shoes, but Phoebe tugged her away.
"It's alright, Helga. I've taken care of everything." Helga glanced at her dark-haired friend, and then shrugged.
The gang was already taking up several lanes. As she began to lace on the bowling shoes Phoebe produced for her the lights switched off and were replaced by black-lights. Helga looked up in time to see Eugene, disoriented by the sudden light change, loose his balance as he began his roll and topple head first into the gutter.
"I'm ok!" came his usual response as Sheena let out a gasp and went to his rescue, much to his chagrin.
Suddenly, a hush went over the group. Helga turned to see Gerald warmly greeting a tall young man who had just entered the alley. Although he was much taller than she remembered, and his blond hair no longer stood in straight points, there was no mistaking that distinctively shaped head. She slowly got to her feet, her normal shoes falling from her lap and dropping heavily to the floor.
"Arnold?" she whispered.
Hey, so there is the first chapter. Let me know what you think. I already have more written, but tell me what you think should happen. I'm always open to suggestions! Where has Arnold been? What does everyone think about him coming back? R&R please!