Quick note - I have no expectations for this story…it's probably kind of corny & unoriginal...but I'm just free writing and felt compelled to post it. 'Shrugs'
Helga's POV
I walk into a room, I see a boy, his hair is golden like the sun, his eyes are green like the trees, his smile wide like a full moon. I see the girl next to him, boy is she sweet as can be; any boys dream, her eyes are green much like her dress and they twinkle like the stars at night. Together they make sense. And then there is me, dull as can be I have a face no one cares to see…not even me.
- Helga G. Pataki.
I stopped being his bully and now he doesn't see me
I wish to yell and scream and make him bleed
But I don't want to be that person
I don't want to be mean
I just want to be free and for him to notice me
But more importantly, I want to love me.
- Helga G. Pataki.
I sigh loudly as I reread some of my diary entries from junior high and early high school. What a difference a year or more can make… I look in the mirror, I'm not the girl I use to be, but at the same time I'm not the girl they want me to be. I'm a little more girly, I no longer have a unibrow and I guess by teenage standards I'm considered 'hot'. But I'm still somewhat of a tomboy, I refuse to wear high heels and prance around like a debutante on a daily basis, not because that's a bad thing, but because that just isn't me. While I'm grateful for the effects of puberty on my appearance, I've realized that being plainer looking was a blessing in disguise, because now I get a lot of unwanted attention from boys and even grown men who don't even know me and only want one thing from me. I get dressed in an outfit that I think suits me and hope for this last year of high school, to be filled with happier moments than prior.
Arnold's POV
Well, here we are once again, a start of a new school year. High school has been crazy; I almost lost myself. I'll admit I gave in to peer pressure a few times. I went after the girls everyone else did and spoke in ways that were completely unlike me. Gerald and few others from PS 118 were the only ones that seem to want the old Arnold back and everyone said that I was too nice. But hey that's the past, right now I am sticking to my guns and being the person I truly am, take it or leave it.
But enough reflection today is the first day of high school, I'm now a senior in high school and I'm ready to get back to living on my own terms. I walk off the bus and look up at the school 'Hillwood High School'. I see a group of guys rushes past a girl knocking her things out of her hands. I felt drawn to this girl for some reason, but her hair was over her face so I didn't know who she was.
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Arnold leans down to help this girl with her things. She moves her hair, now he can see her face, even though he's looking down. He blinks a few times, completely amazed at the beauty in front of him.
He puts all her features together and realizes who this girl is. "Helga!" His voice is full of amazement and disbelief.
Her brows along with her gaze rise up to meet his. "Arnold?" She really isn't shocked to have run into him. She knew it would happen eventually but she also didn't get a chance to prepare for this encounter.
Arnold pulls her into a hug, his fingers faintly strumming her back "Are you going to school here?" He asks while still embracing her, still shocked that the girl in his arms is Helga Pataki.
When they part she is still a little startled, but she gives a small head nod in response to his question and leans back down to try to pick up her things.
He kneels down next to her, unable to resist admiring her a little. "Hey, here let me help you."
"T-thanks," Helga says to him as she stands back up with her things properly in her grasp.
While still holding a copy of her class schedule Arnold reads it over and with a smile he hands it to her. He looks her over briefly. "You look great."
She's shocked and doesn't know if she heard that correctly. "What did you say?" She asks him.
"I said you look great." He repeats clearly. "Not that you didn't before, but-
She holds up her hand for him. "I get it, thank you, um, so do you." Helga notices that her hand feels warm for some reason; she looks at them and realizes that his hand is resting on top of hers as she is holding her things.
He looks down at their hands too. "Thanks and you're welcome…so…" He starts and then is interrupted by a familiar voice still as sweet as can be.
"Hello Arnold, oh hello Helga, it is ever so great to see you again." Lila Sawyer, he hasn't changed an inch. She's still almost chipper, almost sickeningly sweet; which always made Helga want to hate her but also made her feeling guilty about doing so. She honestly didn't want to be around to see the guy who still made her heart flutter going gaga over someone so opposite of her. It makes her feel as if she could never have a chance with him.
He removes his hand from on top of hers and steps back to politely acknowledge Lila. Her hand now feels cold due to the loss of contact.
Helga does her best to force a pleasant expression her way but she's reeking of disappointment. "Hi, Lila." She greets simply and then her eyes flicker to his. "Well, I'll see you around Arnold."
She shakes her head and groans lowly as she begins to walk away. "It's gonna be like Junior high all over again." She mumbles to herself.
Suddenly as she begins to walk up the steps to the building she feels a gentle hand on her back.
"Helga, wait up." The voice calling to her was soft, yet husky and full of kindness, just as it had always been.
She turns around and those warm eyes meet hers. "I saw from your schedule that we have a lot of classes together."
"Oh really, I didn't notice." She rolls her eyes at herself because she didn't even get a chance to look at his class schedule to compare.
But Arnold didn't give her hard time at all. In fact, to her surprise, he appears to be a little unsure of himself. In spite of that, he doesn't let that stop him from being friendly towards her. "Yeah, so I was hoping…well, I was wondering if I could walk you to class." He looks around them at the students walking by as he waits for her response. One corner of his mouth slightly droops as he continues to leave him waiting.
Helga is in shock and wonders why he's being so attentive to her.
Her eyebrow arches as she stares at him in wonder. "Um, I guess so, sure…" she finally said with a shrug trying to appear less than excited.
The corners of his mouth turn back up. "Great." He said with enthusiasm.
He rubs his neck with his gaze straight ahead. "Would you like me to carry your books?" Helga's mind went back to the 4th grade, that was last time he offered that and it was because she had just recovered from amnesia.
She stops dead in her tracks and faces him. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
He looks confused and unblinkingly stares at her. "Aren't I always nice to you?" Arnold frowns just slightly when she doesn't reply. He releases a sigh. "Maybe I've missed you."
Helga's face turns as red as Lila's hair and Arnold smiles at her, completely loving how sweet she looks. He finds himself caught in a moment, he has this suddenly expected urge to make out with her right there because she looks so good to him, but the gentlemen in him wouldn't let him even entertain such a thought. He felt guilty even having an urge because he always thought of Helga as the type of girl worth cherishing and treating right.
Raising a brow. "Why?" Helga asks in semi-disbelief.
"We were once good friends before you started ignoring me completely. And then you went to a different school. I just missed you, I don't know what else to say." He is a bit surprised at her skepticism towards his actions and said this authentically.
"Hmm well, you didn't miss out on much...I wouldn't have been much fun to be around." She responded her voice very low.
His brows shot up as he gave her a small grin. "If it's one thing Helga Pataki's always been, it's fun."
Helga smiles at his compliment because it seemed sincere and also it's such an expected or natural thing for him to do. "Yeah well back in 8th grade and even a year or so ago I was the complete opposite of fun." She moves her hair; which is waist length, out of her face.
He stares at her, studying her expressions, trying to figure her out the mysterious girl. "And what about now?"
She shrugs. "It depends..." She stated vaguely.
They walk inside the school finally. Helga stops and stares at the sight in front of her. Arnold peeks over at Helga and notices how her eyes went round, moving his gaze to her throat he saw her swallow hard. He gently wraps his hand around hers to try and help her relax. Helga looks down at their hands and so does Arnold and then their eyes meet. Helga relaxes some but looks away from him as quickly as possible to avoid awkwardness. "So where's Lila?" She asks merely to fill the tense silence between them.
He looks around at their surrounds. "Oh I don't know I guess she already went inside."
"I thought you would want to walk with her."
Arnold gaze falls down to the floor. "No, I see her all the time, I'd rather catch up with an old friend."
She could feel the corners of her mouth drop down. "An old friend." She repeats feeling disappointment overtake her.
He squeezes her hand. And she felt electricity shooting through her body; she wonders if he felt it too. He faces her; his expression is unreadable, that's another thing she noticed hadn't changed about Arnold.
"Yeah." His tone is soft and with some level of uncertainty there. "We should um probably get to class." He lets go of her hand to get a better hold of his things and they walk in silence together to their first class.
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-Let me know what you think so far:D