Author's note: Craig Bartlett has said himself in an interview that Helga Pataki has a repressed "good side" (which we have seen), but at the other end of the spectrum, Lila Sawyer has a repressed "bad side." This story explores a bit of the "bad side" of Lila that might have developed as she got older.
The high school was buzzing with chatter more than a usual Monday morning, as high schoolers grabbed their homeroom seating and talked about their weekends. Gerald and Arnold walked into Ms. DiDomenico's science room and sat at their normal lab table.
Gerald groaned. "Another Monday.." he said and pretended to collapse on the table.
Arnold smirked, putting a book into his backpack. "Come on Gerald, it's not so bad," he said, as he fixed his crazy blonde hair.
"You know, for a guy who doesn't do anything new with his hair, you certainly care about it more than my own. And I care about my hair," Gerald said, pretending to excessively smooth out his perfectly cut 'do.
Arnold had a funny reply ready but was cut short by Rhonda, who was standing in front of the class.
"Attention everyone!" she said in her usual room-grabbing way. The room quieted down. "As you all must know already, this Saturday is my 18th birthday and my parents have planned an amazing party for me. It's going to have dancing, refreshments - it simply won't be a night to miss," Rhonda announced as she flipped her shiny, black hair.
Arnold's face didn't change. Gerald arched an eyebrow.
Rhonda started giving everyone sealed envelopes. "Here is all of the information that you'll need – it will be held at 8 o'clock at The Manor, Hillwood's most exclusive gala and reception hall," she said and smiled brightly. "I hope to see you all there! I mean, what else could you be doing?"
Helga looked at the invite Rhonda placed in front of her – she didn't bother uncrossing her arms to take it. Is she freaking kidding with this stuff? Helga thought to herself.
She glanced at Arnold, who was in front of her at the same large lab table. They were looking at the invites and talking quietly to each other. She turned to Phoebe, who just started to open the invite.
"Doesn't this look nice, Helga?" Phoebe remarked, reviewing the invite. "Rhonda didn't spare any expense with the invites, either – it almost looks like a wedding invite!"
"Well, what do you expect for little miss Princess?" Helga said a little too loudly, leaning back in her chair.
"What did you say Helga?" Arnold asked.
Helga shot right up to attention, almost hitting her knee on the table leg. "I, uh… I didn't say anything. Just… talking with Phoebe about the invites…"
Arnold looked at her for just a few more seconds that what would have been normal, and shrugged. "Oh… Okay."
Years ago, words like "football head," "head boy," and whatever other ridiculous insults came to Helga's mind would shoot out of her mouth, leaving Arnold irritated and Helga feeling like a moron. But high school had been different – Helga had made some very large jumps in her therapy sessions with Dr. Bliss and as she was growing up, she was focusing her energies on more healthy ways of expression, like art and creative writing. She was still head over heels in love with the weird-headed kid, and people sometimes still looked at Helga with a bit of careful eye so as not to overly annoy her, but therapy and maturity had finally started to show Helga that taking out all of her frustrations on Arnold, as she used to continue to do, would only push him away forever. She wanted to be better than that, and she was trying.
As Helga was lost in her own thoughts, Helga saw Lila come up to Arnold. Helga gritted her teeth. She knew it was stupid and she knew it was trite, but Helga just didn't like Lila, especially since she felt that Lila was starting to realize what a great catch Arnold was. Those insecurities still existed from when they were in fourth grade, and she just couldn't shake them.
"Good morning Arnold! Aren't you oh so excited for Rhonda's party? Will you be going?" Lila said in her usual chipper voice.
Arnold scratched his temple. "Yeah, I'm going. Gerald, you're going right?" he asked, trying to deflect some attention from Lila.
Gerald nodded, half listening as played with his phone.
"I'm glad to hear it! I'll definately see you there then," Lila said, giving Arnold a half-lidded look.
The bell rung for first period. Helga watched as Arnold, Lila, and Gerald scurried out of the classroom. Feeling somewhat defeated, Helga sighed to herself and grabbed her bookbag to get to her next class.
"So, I assume you're taking Phoebe to Rhonda's party?" Arnold asked Gerald, as they sat in Arnold's room after school.
"Yeah, man – you know she can't resist my charms," Gerald said, pretending to be full of himself. "What about you, Lover Boy? Who is going to be the lucky girl to be known this day forward as 'Arnold's date' – or are you goin' stag?"
Arnold's face changed to a more thoughtful look. "Well, to be honest… I was thinking of asking Helga to go with me. You know, if she wanted to."
Gerald rolled his eyes dramatically. "Are we still doing this? What year is it, Arnold!? You tried years ago to reach out to her. Remember when we got back from San Lorenzo? You guys kiss in the jungle like some modern adventure story, but every time you tried to show her affection when we got back home, she wanted nothing to do with it!"
"In front of people, Gerald – she didn't want to show it in front of people," Arnold corrected him. "We were kids – it was a lot to take in, and you know she's a very strong willed person. She wasn't ready. Have you seen who she has as role models at home?"
Gerald put his hand up and shook his head. "No, no… don't start with that. The girl was supposedly in love with you but treated you like gum on her shoe! That doesn't even make sense. You want us all to be friends and hang out, fine – I'm cool with that. But I can't watch my best friend go through this again. You've gone on dates with other girls, Arnold – you know what 'normal' is. Hell, you know that Lila is interested in you, it's plain as day! Does she or any of the girls you've gone out with call you 'football head' or shove you into walls and lockers?"
Arnold opened his mouth to fully reply but only "No..." came out.
"So why now? Why try this again?"
Arnold sighed. "Gerald – I can't put my finger on it, but our story isn't over."
"Your story isn't what?!"
"It isn't over, Gerald. There's just more to her. I'm drawn to her, you know? She's done so much for me, more than anyone ever has. Yes, she's complex – but some of the most amazing things in the world are complex and need better understanding to truly appreciate. And you can't tell me she hasn't been different the past couple of years. We all talk, we all hang out, there are no issues – she doesn't shove anyone around or anything like that anymore. She's actually really nice and creative, and really honest." Arnold explained.
Gerald crossed his arms and looked at Arnold with an unconvinced look.
Arnold continued. "To be connected to someone for so long, and in so many ways, with all roads leading to her – the past, what has happened, it cannot be 'done.' It just can't. I believe that there is more. Belief is what helped me understand that I could win that God-awful eating contest for Grandpa. Belief is what helped me accept that I needed to save Lockjaw with Grandma. Belief is what helped us continue to fight and save the neighborhood..."
He paused. "…belief is what made me hope that my parents could still be alive."
Gerald was silent for a minute. "Well, you got me there," he said, defeated.
Arnold put a hand on Gerald's shoulder. "I know it hasn't always been easy – I admit it. And I know it sounds a little crazy. But college is right around the corner. If I don't make a real, honest try to start something legitimate with Helga, for our lines of communication to really be open, and for me to tell her how I really feel … I might lose my chance."
Gerald shook his head, finally relinquishing his doubts. "Mmm mmmm mmmm," he sighed. "Well, if we are doing this – hopefully for the last time – let's do this right so we can all move on with our lives. First off, what are you wearing to Rhonda's party?"
Arnold looked confused and pointed to his current outfit of jeans, a green T-shirt and open plaid shirt. "This. Why? …no good? Can't I just button up the plaid shirt?"
Gerald slapped his forehead. "Arnold, do you know how Rhonda's parties work? It's the cream of the crop! Even Stinky will be wearing some suit – albeit an ugly suit, but nonetheless, a suit. I know you've worn suits before at her parties when we were younger. I know you know how this works."
Arnold was embarrassed. "Well, I guess I just haven't had a chance to get a suit in awhile, there's been no need. I mean, I have jackets and stuff but…"
Gerald wasn't listening, as he was already in Arnold's closet, going through his options.
"No… no… no…," he said as he tossed outfit after outfit. "What is up with you and plaid, man?"
Arnold grabbed the remaining clothes and hangers from Gerald. "Okay, point made. Let's move on," he said bluntly. "So what should I do now, Mr. Fashion?"
Gerald rubbed his chin. "I know that suit place not far from here has some good sales and decent options. We will get you something nice and hip that fits that scrawny body of yours and gives the illusion that you actually have definition!"
Arnold grumbled an acceptance to Gerald. He was by no means a wisp of a man, but Arnold knew where Gerald was going with this - he had taken over Jamie O's body building regime (and equipment) once Jamie O moved out; Gerald definitely had the bulk and body mass that Arnold didn't.
"And while we are out," Gerald continued, "let's get you some cologne."
Arnold waved his hands and shook his head. "NO. No way. Cologne?! I don't smell bad, why cologne? In fact, I remember Helga smelling my hair as a kid on more than one occasion!"
Gerald put his hands up in fake surrender. "Hey man… you're serious about this, right? You want to go into this and take control, give this an honest shot? You want to show Helga that you mean business? Then you have to go into this situation like you mean business. Chicks dig a good-looking guy in a nice suit that smells good and acts like he knows what's up!"
Arnold crossed his arms. "Did your Dad tell you all this?"
"Hell no!" Gerald exclaimed. "Jamie O told me! Since he moved out last year, we talk all the time. He gives me great advice on women now – it just took him moving to another city for me to not hate his guts."
Arnold's face changed from defensive to thoughtful. Maybe I should just let Gerald help. He does seem to know what he's talking about…
"Okay – I'm in. I'll take your advice," Arnold said. "Where do we start?"
Helga laid in her bed, clothes still on from the day, twirling the party invitation envelope in her hands. Should I go to this? Should I even bother? Arnold and Rhonda are pretty good friends, I'm sure he will go – and he's ADORABLE, what girl isn't going to want to dance with him? And little miss Li-la is just aching to see Arnold at this thing. I won't get a word in, I can't compete with Miss Perfect.
She took a big wad of her own blonde hair, messed it up, and started pretending she was Arnold. "I'm Arnold Shortman, I'm so smart and nice and helpful and my hair is crazy but endearing and all the girls just looooove me," she said in a terrible Arnold impression. She laughed at her own stupidity.
Her sad comedy act was cut short by her cell phone ringing. Helga looked at the screen and took a breath before she clicked to answer. "Hey Arnold…"
"Hi Helga. Are you busy eating dinner or anything?"
"No, Miriam sadly fell asleep when her pot roast was cooking. It's nothing but some meat/tar hybrid now," Helga recollected.
He laughed. "Yikes, sorry to hear that. Well, uh, since you're free to talk for a minute, I wanted to ask you something."
Helga's breathing ceased to exist at that moment. No sound of life left Helga at this point.
Arnold was quiet for a few seconds. "Helga? Are you still there? It got super quiet; I thought I lost the connection. You there?"
DOI! Helga, say something!
"Yes. Yes, sorry, I am here. So, what did you need to ask me?"
"I just wanted to know if you'd like to come with me to Rhonda's party next week. If you wanted to go."
Helga's heart thudded in her chest, loud enough where Arnold could probably hear it. She decided to play it cool initially.
"Oh yeah, Rhonda's party… man, been so busy today to even really think about it..."
That's a flat out lie, Helga thought to herself. This is stupid. He's asking you to go to a huge birthday party with him. You and NOT LILA. Stop being a jackass and accept it.
"… but yes, that would be cool," Helga finished her thought to Arnold.
"That's great," Arnold said. "I'm glad you can come with me. And hey… since Rhonda's party starts at 8, would you like to… get dinner first?"
Dinner. DINNER. Didn't expect that. Okay Helga, stay the course – this is GOOD NEWS FOR YOU.
"Sure, I'd be up for that."
UP for that? That just sounded weird. Is that opposite of "DOWN for that?" Isn't it essentially the same thing? Good grief, Helga.
She couldn't see Arnold but it felt like he was smiling from his reaction on the other end of the phone. "Okay, that's great! I'll come by your house around 6:45 Saturday and get you. Will that work?"
"Yes, sounds good to me."
"Sounds great, Helga," Arnold said. "I'm really looking forward to it. I'll talk to you soon then… bye."
As soon as Helga noticed that the call was indeed finished, she immediately called Phoebe.
A few rings and then Helga heard, "Hello?"
"Phoebe, this is Helga and before you say anything, I need help from you more than I ever have in my life. This is bigger than you, me, and everything in between. So, to get you up to date, I literally just ended a call with Arnold, and he asked me to go with him to Rhonda's party and to dinner with him before the party and this might be the last true chance I have with Arnold to make a longstanding impression before we all go to college and he meets up with all those brainless tramps, and I become the equivalent of last Monday's fish special and he forgets about me forever, and I have nothing to wear that doesn't make me look like a hobo or a dweeb so we need to work together until Saturday and figure all of this out because this is essentially what everything in our pre-teen years has been leading up to!"
Helga finally paused, now breathless. "Okay?"
All Helga heard was silence, and then Phoebe going, "Oh goodness, I'm so sorry Helga, I think my phone dropped out. I didn't hear a word you just said until the 'okay' at the end. Can you repeat that?"
A scrambled moan of frustration came out of the receiver of Phoebe's phone as she started giggling. "Kidding!"
"Phoebe!" Helga scolded, although her mouth was curved into an amused grin at her cheeky friend.
"So, you understand the goal of today, right?" Helga said as she entered a dressing room with no less than, as Helga described, 'one million dresses and skirts.'
Phoebe looked at her notebook and read off the mission: "Pick the perfect dress that will knock Arnold's socks off and leave him in a proverbial pool of his former self on the floor?"
"You got it Pheebs," Helga said as she closed the door.
Phoebe clasped her hands together as Helga changed in the room.
"This is very exciting – and so serendipitous! It's like the eternal forces of the world continue to bring you guys together, even after you both consistently misunderstand cues, landing you both back to square one. And he didn't invite Lila! I'm quite pleasantly surprised."
Helga opened the door. "Your words of expression are an acquired taste, Phoebe."
Helga then pointed to the dress she was wearing. "How about this green one?"
Phoebe made an unsure face.
"It's alright, but it does nothing for your waist. You look lost in it." She scribbled some notes.
"Fair enough, continue to be honest without killing my ego," Helga said, and retreated back to the dressing room and her many dress choices.
Phoebe scribbled some more notes down. "Helga, do you think Arnold will ask you to dance? Maybe kiss you? Maybe …something else?"
"I hope so, I hope so, and what the heck are you thinking here?" Helga responded, putting on another dress.
"Oh, I don't know," Phoebe said thoughtfully. "You're a woman... He's a man…"
"Thanks for the anatomy lesson. Let me mentally take one step at a time," Helga said, opening the door to reveal another dress. "How about this red one? It seems okay…"
Phoebe put her hands on her hips. "Will an 'okay' dress knock Arnold's socks off?"
"Point taken and noted," Helga said, returning to the dressing stall, exasperated.
"Look at these dresses - none are right! Too small, weird cut.. did I pick this leopard print?"
Phoebe stood up. "Helga! You are not being honest with your mission!" she said firmly, which was unlike her. "Your subconscious is picking out bad dresses as a way of self sabotage. You need to accept that you have a lot to offer, and darn it Helga, and you have a body that just won't quit!"
Phoebe stopped herself as Helga stared wide-eyed. "Give me one minute and let me look for you," Phoebe said. "I know your size. Trust me."
She scooted away to the dress department as Helga scratched her head in bewilderment. "Man, that girl is tenacious," she said to herself.
A few minutes later, Phoebe showed up carrying a dress on a hanger. "Here," she said. "This dress is your size so it should fit correctly. It's short, yes, but you are leggy – your legs will look amazing in this. The middle of the dress will hug your torso but elongate your frame, the sweetheart neck will accentuate the bust line, and the dress is strapless so it'll show off your delicate neckline. And you can't ever go wrong with a little black dress!"
Helga took the dress and stared at it. "Phoebe, I'm impressed," she said, moving her hand over the fabric. "I thought Rhonda was the Fashion Princess! Since when do you know so much about clothes?"
Phoebe shook her head. "It's not all about fashion – everyone has areas that they want to hide and others they want to accentuate. I took notes on how you walked and how your clothes fell on you, and the negatives from the dresses you tried on," she smiled. "It's simple observation!"
Helga was stunned. "Well… there you have it! I'll try it on."
Phoebe stopped her. "When you try the dress on, do not look in the mirror just yet. Don't create an opinion before you see someone else's. Try on the dress and show it to me first," she said. "Take me as the control – you can gauge how others will react organically, including Arnold, by my reaction. See?"
"You really have thought of everything, Pheebs," Helga said as she took the dress into the room to change. "But let's keep the weird 'you watching me walk' thing a secret."
After a couple of minutes, Helga opened the door. "Okay, I didn't look – what do you think?" Helga asked as she dramatically posed.
Phoebe's eyes widened and put hand to her mouth. "Helga… you look amazing!"
Helga turned to look in the mirror. "Helloooo Helga!" she said to herself. The dress was short but not "street corner" short, and Phoebe was right – it really showed off how nice her legs were.
Phoebe clapped, feeling accomplished. "Now that is the 'knock your socks off' dress!" she exclaimed.
Arnold and Gerald walked into Arnold's room, as he plopped a new suit in plastic onto his bed. "Well, that's done," he said. "Where's the cologne?"
Gerald handed him a bag. "Here you go, man – 'Wild Stallion'!"
Arnold grabbed the bag, exasperated. "Could we never repeat what the cologne name is? I liked how it smelled – not a big fan of the name."
"Okay okay, promise," Gerald agreed. "I think you're good to go, I can't think of anything we missed."
Arnold sat on the bed. "Gerald, I really appreciate you helping me out today. You're a good friend."
Gerald laughed. "Good friend? Best friend," as they did their special handshake.
"Well, I better get home. All you have is tomorrow at school and then you're golden," Gerald said. "Text me if you need anything else!"
Arnold waved as Gerald left and went to shut his door, but his Grandpa met him in the doorway.
"Hiya Shortman? Out with Gerald?"
Arnold fixed his sleeve on his shirt. "Yeah, just got back actually."
Phil peeked into his room and saw the clothes bag on his bed. "Hey now! That's one spanking new suit! What did you need a new suit for? Someone die?"
Arnold sighed. "No Grandpa… my friend Rhonda is having a really fancy birthday party and I don't think she would have liked if I went to her party dressed like this."
Phil squinted. "Are you okay, Shortman? You seem preoccupied," he said, and then his eyes widened. "Girl troubles?"
Arnold turned his head to his grandfather in shock. "H-How did you –" he stammered.
Phil laughed heartily. "I've been on this Earth a long time, Shortman! I can see in someone's eyes when the woes are women related. Hmmm… is it that girl with the one eyebrow again?"
Arnold couldn't help but laugh. "She hasn't had one eyebrow for a few years but, yes, it's her."
His grandfather rubbed his chin. "She always had a thing for you, didn't she?"
Arnold sighed. "She did, and then I did, but like… she was still kind of mean and in public, she would continue to push me away. Like she wasn't ready for the world to see how she really felt. Years later, here we are." He sat down on the bed. "I asked her to go to the party as my date. I feel there is more to her – like our story isn't done yet. But I'm pretty nervous. Is that weird?"
"Not at all! You've always been wise beyond your years – even your parents can't believe what an 'old soul' you have. You're an excellent judge of character, Arnold – if you feel there is more to the story, then you need to write it!" Phil said.
Arnold's face brightened. "Wow, thanks Grandpa. That really helped."
"You're welcome, Shortman! Anyway, I came up here to let you know that Grandma has dinner of the table – she's wearing her raccoon skin hat and carrying a musket, and I have no idea what she is considering 'frontier food'…" Phil said, making a face.
"Thanks Grandpa, I'll be right down."
Arnold waited to hear his grandfather fully descend the stairs before he grabbed his phone and wrote a text to Helga.
He paused over the button for a second, but then firmly pressed "send." With a nod of acceptance to himself, Arnold threw the phone back on his bed and went downstairs for dinner.
Helga was scribbling in her notebook when she heard her phone beep. She swiped the message to read it.
Hey Helga, really looking forward to Saturday. Just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you. See you tomorrow.
Helga almost dropped the phone. Wow…he was really putting it out there, wasn't he? No questions on that message! Should I answer back? YES! And be flirty. And fun. And not weird.
She thought for a second, and then typed her response:
Hey! I'm really looking forward to the party. It'll be nice for us to have some time at dinner too. I got a new dress for Saturday – I hope you like it. :)
She pressed "send." Was the smiley face too much? Eh – it's obvious he's looking forward to it, so I'm running with it. No place to go but up.
It was almost the end of the day Friday, with Arnold staring mindlessly at the front of the room as the teacher droned on. He looked to his left – Gerald was quietly playing a game on his phone, making sure the lab table carefully covered his indiscretion. He looked diagonally to his left and watched Phoebe diligently take notes on her laptop. He turned his attention to the front of him; Helga was facing him on the other side of the lab table, notebook propped up in front of her, writing.
Arnold scratched his head and continued to look forward at nothing. She seems pretty normal today. Just taking notes, see seems totally unfazed … why can't I concentrate? What's my problem?
Helga stopped writing and came back to reality. In her head, she thought she was writing details from class in her notebook. Once she snapped out of her daydreaming, all that was on her notebook page was doodles, flowers, and football-shaped nonsense. She sighed and looked at Arnold. Although he was facing her, he looked intently at the front of the room, seemingly very focused on what the teacher was saying. Why can't I focus? Arnold is paying attention just like any other day – of course he is, he's a perfect student and does not wrong in class. What's my problem?
All of a sudden, Arnold's eye line changed and met with Helga's directly. They were, for lack of a better word, staring directly into each other's eyes as deep as two humans could. There was no way to break the line of vision, it was like a tractor beam at this point.
Arnold did his famous half smile, lifted his hand slightly with a wave and quietly mouthed "hi."
Helga's heart thudded in her chest. Be cool, Helga – and for God's sake, respond!
She smiled and gave a little wave, but in her nervousness, she responded like she was asking a question as she quietly said back to Arnold, "hi?" Realizing her mistake, she lightly slapped herself in the forehead.
Arnold quietly laughed to himself and his eyes sparkled at her. Helga felt numb and full of electricity at the same time. I know he's interested, he knows that I'm interested, and he knows that I know he's interested, and I know that he knows that I'm interested—
The final bell thankfully, miraculously rang, stopping Helga's circling thoughts.
Helga was just about to walk in Arnold's direction when Gerald tapped Arnold's shoulder. "Hey man, did you still want to catch Evil Twin VI after school? The movie starts in 30 minutes – if we haul ass now, we can still have some time to get popcorn and watch the coming attractions."
Arnold laughed. "You and your coming attractions..." His attention changed when he saw Helga standing there awkwardly in front of him. "Hi Helga, uh, Gerald and I have movie plans we have to get to – but hey, I'll come by at 6:45 tomorrow, right?"
Helga nodded. "I'll be ready by then… probably."
Arnold smiled. "I'm looking forward to it – and seeing that new dress you mentioned," he said as he playfully squeezed her arm and walked off with Gerald.
Helga was frozen in place, as Phoebe walked up to her. "Helga! This is great news! He's excited, you're excited – this is going better than expected!"
Helga rubbed her forehead. "Yeah, no pressure or anything," she said. They both started to walk out of the classroom.
"Helga, it's all perfectly fine," Phoebe reassured her. "You're in the home stretch. Tomorrow is Rhonda's party, and everything will go great. All you need to do is be yourself. No one else can do that but you at this point," she said as she patted Helga's arm in reassurance.
"Yeah! I mean, what am I worried about?" Helga said, almost speaking like she was trying to convince herself. "Everything is perfect! The planets are aligned, the train is in motion, everything is poised and ready for this one big night. It's all in my favor, right?"
Helga stopped dead in her tracks. "So, Pheebs … why am I so afraid?"
It was finally Saturday evening, and Arnold was tying his blue tie and finishing up to go get Helga for dinner. After he was done, he smoothed his white dress shirt and examined himself in the mirror.
Huh… Gerald was right. I do look good in this suit, Arnold thought to himself as he hammed up in the mirror, winking and such.
"Arnold! Are you still here?" he heard a voice outside his half-opened door.
Arnold immediately stopped acting dumb in the mirror and pretended to fix his tie. "Uh, yeah Dad! I'm here, just getting ready to go soon."
Miles slowly opened the door the rest of the way. "Arnold, you look great! I wish your mother was home, she would love to get a picture of this! In fact, let me just—"
Arnold stopped him. "Would you mind that we took no pictures today? It's not a big deal, it's just a party I'm going to."
Miles looked at him suspiciously. "That's not true – aren't you taking Helga out first to dinner? That's a date, son."
"I'm sorry Dad, I'm just… nervous," Arnold admitted. "Helga's been a big part of my life for such a long time – I mean, I don't have to tell you what she did for me, for all of us. I just… I want her to know what she truly means to me, before we start finalizing college plans and our lives start changing forever. I just feel that her story – our story – isn't over yet."
Miles sat down with his son on the bed. "Arnold, I know your mom and I missed some very big things in your life growing up. We didn't see you go to school for the first time, we didn't see you lose your first tooth, we didn't see you learn how to ride a bike. But you have so much more in your life coming up, and your mother and I are so happy that we get to experience it going forward. The things we've already experienced in the past eight years has been amazing." Miles put his arm around Arnold's shoulder. "And one of the main things I've learned about you is that your heart and intentions are true, almost to a fault. You always follow your heart, what's true, and what's real. You have some amazing friends who are always there for you, but the one person who I feel has a heart as true as you is Helga."
Arnold was a little taken aback at what his father said. "Wow, Dad…. Do you really feel that?"
Miles hugged his son's shoulder. "You bet, Arnold. And if you feel that there is more to your and Helga's story, then you need to follow and trust that feeling."
Arnold started walking up the Pataki's household steps, flowers in hand. He had stopped at Mrs. Vitello's flower shop to pick up pink roses for Helga. He breathed deeply, exhaled, and rung the doorbell.
After some shouting inside about who was getting the door for several seconds, Big Bob finally opened the door. "Huh, what is it, what do you want?" Bob said in his usual stubborn way.
Arnold cleared his throat. "Uhm, hi Mr. Pataki… it's Arnold? I'm picking up Helga for Rhonda's party."
"Oh, uh, yeah… come on in," Bob said, somewhat uninterested in what Arnold just said. He yelled up the stairs. "Girl! Alfred is here for some party or something!"
"I'll be down in a minute, DAD," Helga could be heard yelling from upstairs.
Bob was clearly uncomfortable waiting with Arnold for another second, even though they barely said more than five words to each other. "Just wait here, she'll be down in a minute. I'm missing 'The Wheel,'" Bob said, and left to go back into the family room without waiting for Arnold to respond.
Arnold, his eyes looking exasperated, sighed and looked at some pictures on the wall across from the stairs. All the pictures had a smiling Olga, and whatever pictures actually had Helga in them, she didn't look pleased. Honestly, Arnold couldn't blame her for feeling that way.
As Arnold was lost in his own thoughts, he heard a voice coming from the bottom of the stairs. "Hey Arnold."
He turned to see Helga smiling at the foot of the stairs, and his mouth dropped open. He couldn't help but start at her lower half first; her feet were in these black-heeled strappy shoes, but… those legs! They went on for days! She lived in jeans most of the time but this was certainly not her "most of the time" outfit. It was a short black dress, fitted, strapless, and it looked unbelievable on her. To complete the effect, Helga's beautiful blonde hair swirled like an endless waterfall around her creamy shoulders.
For a couple of seconds, Arnold forgot how to appropriately speak. "I-I… Wow…" was all that came out.
Helga smiled even wider, and walked up to Arnold. "I'm going to take that response as a very high positive!"
She turned her attention to the roses. "Thank you Arnold, they are beautiful! I'm going to put them in some water right now."
She took the flowers from Arnold, kissed him on the cheek, and turned towards the kitchen. Arnold was sure his heart was exploding out of his chest, it was thumping so hard. He moved his fingers because he had started clutching the roses so hard. When did my hands get so sweaty? he thought to himself and quickly wiped them on his slacks.
Helga returned with a vase of water and the roses inside. "I'm putting these right here!" she said aloud as she placed them on the hallway table.
She turned her attention back to Arnold. "So, are we ready to go?"
Arnold's mouth was dry all of a sudden. He swallowed. "Yes, absolutely," Arnold said, finally finding some words in his vocabulary.
"Great!" Helga said, taking Arnold's arm. "Let's go Arnoldo!"
Arnold and Helga slid into their one-sided booth at Chez Paris, which was in the back corner of the restaurant – it was one of the most popular seating arrangements at the venue for young couples on dates. Helga didn't know, but Arnold had called beforehand and made sure he reserved it.
After they both ordered the chateaubriand (no brains and eggs this time), they sat shyly for a few seconds until Arnold spoke up.
"Helga, I have to tell you – you look absolutely breathtaking," he said, fidgeting his hands nervously, since he didn't know what else to do with them.
She smiled. "Thank you Arnold," she said and gave him a dreamy look as she eyed his suit. "You look quite handsome yourself…"
Arnold blushed. Reminder to thank Gerald eternally for the new suit suggestion, he thought to himself.
As the night went on, most of the nerves left Helga and Arnold. They reminisced about the past, laughed at the crazy adventures they had as kids, and talked about what was going on in their lives now. There were a few times where trying for a kiss was on each other's minds, but the idea was usually thwarted by a waiter coming by and interrupting them, or one of them getting a little too nervous to make a move.
After dessert and payment, Helga ever so slightly leaned into Arnold and sighed. "Everything was so delicious – thanks for thinking of this before going to Rhonda's party."
Arnold felt warm all over, but a good warmth. A comforting warmth.
"I'm glad I thought of it too," he said, taking Helga's hand in his. "So... you ready to get going to the so-called birthday party of the season?"
Helga smiled back at Arnold, squeezing his hand. "Let's kick it."
Rhonda was not kidding when she said her parents spared no expense for her 18th birthday party. Once they got to the Manor and through to the reserved reception hall, Helga and Arnold could hear people talking all over and loud music. They walked into the large room, which had tables, linens, balloons, hors d'oeuvres of every size and type, and a nice-sized dance floor with full DJ setup.
Arnold and Helga were pretty quickly spotted.
"Arnold! Helga! I'm so glad you could come! I mean, you'd be crazy to miss the party of the year," Rhonda said, dressed in a long sparkly spaghetti-strap red dress, with a slit a little past the knee.
She looked down and noticed Arnold and Helga's hands intertwined, and crossed her arms.
"Well well well… what do we have here?" Rhonda asked, eyeing both of them. "Can I assume that you both are attending this soiree finally as an item?"
Arnold nervously laughed and ran his other hand through his hair, while Helga avoided Rhonda's looks and rubbed her arm.
Rhonda put her hands on her hips. "You both are just ridiculous!" she said exasperated, which they could barely hear over the loud music. "Everyone knows that you both have had the hots for each other for years, you're not doing anything weird by finally dating or… whatever this is," Rhonda said as she waved her hand in the air.
It was obvious that Arnold and Helga were a little surprised at Rhonda's somewhat brash reaction, and she sensed that.
"Look… I think you both are good for each other," Rhonda said, much more politely this time. "Arnold, you know I've always thought highly of you, and Helga, we may have our differences sometimes but I know that you always have Arnold's feelings at heart. So this is a good thing for you guys!" Rhonda clapped her hands. "Now, let's have some fun already and celebrate!"
Rhonda walked with Arnold and Helga into the room until she was pulled away by some cousins of Rhonda's that they weren't familiar with. The music was thumping as they walked through the room and were stopped by Gerald and Phoebe.
"Hey, you guys made it!" Gerald said, looking dapper in a well-tailored dark suit and a crisp, high-collared shirt.
"Can you believe this party? And all she did was turn 18! I'd hate to see the Lloyd's final bill once Rhonda gets married, man…"
Gerald turned his attention to Helga. "Wow Helga, you look… really nice."
Phoebe smiled proudly. "I helped her pick out that dress."
"Of course you did, girl," Gerald said, hugging Phoebe at the waist as she giggled.
Gerald motioned to the dance floor. "Phoebe and I are gonna cut a rug on the dance floor, you guys coming?"
"We will be there in a little bit!" Arnold shouted over the music. He turned to Helga as Gerald and Phoebe went to the other side of the room. "Do you want some punch or anything?" he asked.
"No," she said, pulling Arnold closer. "I want to dance!"
Arnold smiled, took Helga's hand, and they ran to the dance floor, where they were greeted by many friends already dancing.
He noticed Harold on the dance floor with Patty. "Hey Arnold!" said Harold, waving with one hand and eating a deli sandwich with another. They both danced up to Arnold and Helga, who had started dancing themselves. "Did you try those crab puff things?" Harold yelled over the music. "They are awesome!"
As the next few songs played, Arnold and Helga were having a great time as they danced with each other, saw friends on the dance floor, and laughed. After dancing their hearts out for awhile, Arnold and Helga decided to take a short break and get some hydration.
"How about you sit here and I'll get us some punch?" Arnold said, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.
"That's a good idea, I'm parched! I think I screamed every lyric to every song out there," Helga laughed, fanning herself.
Arnold smiled and squeezed her shoulder. "I'll be right back," he said, and walked to the other side of the room.
As he worked on getting cups situated for punch, Arnold felt a playful squeeze on his arm. He laughed to himself and started to turn around. "I told you I'd get you punch Helga, did you miss me already—"
To his surpise, Lila - not Helga - was standing in front of him, wearing a silky green flowered dress. "Arnold! I didn't see you come in!" she said, holding his arm again.
She gave a flirty smile. "Oh Arnold, you look ever so handsome in that suit," she said, stoking her hand down his bicep and completely ignoring that he mentioned he was getting Helga some punch.
"Oh, well, thanks Lila. I just got it," Arnold said, trying to think of how hew as going to get out of this situation. They were friendly with each other enough, but Arnold didn't see Lila in a romantic way anymore – it had been years since he had, as a kid. Plus, Lila had actually ended up dating Arnold's weird cousin Arnie for about a year at the beginning of high school, so how she was acting was somewhat inappropriate.
Arnold scratched his arm nervously. "It was nice talking to you Lila, but I'd better go. I was just getting some punch for Helga, she's waiting—"
Lila put her finger on Arnold's lips. Arnold started to sweat and he could feel his ears get hot. What the hell do I do, she's not listening! This is not good.
"Arnold, I know you're a little leery about me in that way because I have some history with Arnie, but you were so right – you were an oh so much better choice than Arnie ever was. I was only 14, that was years ago, and I just didn't know any better. But we are all adults now, and well... I'd ever so much appreciate a second chance," Lila said, smiling in a weirdly devious way that made Arnold extremely nervous.
He shook his head and stayed true to his message. "Lila, like I mentioned before, I have to go as I was just getting Helga some punch. I brought Helga with me to this party for a reason. And even if I hadn't, you dated a relative of mine and I wouldn't—"
"Arnold, what I had with Arnie is ancient history, kid's stuff!" Lila said as she moved into Arnold's personal space. "Just like you and Helga. I just don't feel that way about Arnie anymore. But... ," Lila brought her lips close to Arnold's ear and whispered, "...I'd love to show you how I feel now..."
Arnold smiled and squeezed Helga's shoulder. "I'll be right back," he said and walked to the other side of the room to get punch for the both of them.
Helga sat in her chair and sighed. This was the perfect night! She had the perfect date! She looked perfect! Helga, old girl, you're doing it!
Phoebe came by and sat next to Helga, flushed from dancing so much. "The dance floor is so warm with everyone on it, I needed a break to breathe!" she said. "Are you having fun? You and Arnold look just wonderful."
Helga grinned. "It's unbelievable Pheebs! You were right – I had nothing to worry about. It's been seamless, not a single hiccup."
Helga stopped talking when she saw Phoebe's face change from happy to concerned. "Phoebe? What's wrong? What are you looking at?"
Phoebe squirmed in her chair. "Uhm, nothing!" she said, eventually breaking her stare.
Helga's furrowed her brow. "Phoebe, you're a terrible liar. You know this, you don't have it in you. If you won't tell me, I'll find out myself," she said as she turned around to see where Phoebe was looking.
Helga's heart dropped to her stomach. "Why... why is Lila touching Arnold like that?"
"Helga, don't freak out," she said, trying to stay calm for Helga's sake. "I-I don't know why she's doing that but... I mean, it's probably just a friendly conversation—"
She was cut off when Helga stood up, as Lila was leaning in and whispering something in Arnold's ear. Helga could see by Lila's body langauge that it was not innocent, as she saw Lila put her hand on Arnold's waist.
"That's IT!" Helga shouted and stormed over to where Arnold and Lila were.
"Excuse me, but what the hell is this?" Helga said, confronting the two.
Arnold was frozen. "Helga, I didn't—" he stammered.
"Just shut up a second, Arnold," Helga said and turned to Lila. "What the hell is your problem, Miss Perfect? You have every guy eating of your hand but you just have to come on to Arnold, don't you? Didn't you reject him like a million years ago?"
Helga put her hand on her hip, visibly irritated. "I know your game, Lila. I see right through you. Everyone thinks you're such a sweet and wholesome person, but I know you have garbage in your soul."
Lila put her hands up, feigning innocence. "Helga, I don't understand why you're yelling at me—"
Helga put her index finger up to Lila's chest. "Arnold came with me to this party. I'm his date. I don't appreciate you whispering sweet nothings in his ear and touching him when he likes me, not you."
A few guests of the party were starting to look in their direction because of the loud voices – including Rhonda, who had her arms crossed disapprovingly.
Arnold put himself in between Lila and Helga. "Helga, I can explain what happened, I wasn't going to—"
Helga turned to him. "Arnold, why didn't you push her away? Everything I did tonight was for you - the hair, the dress... and it still wasn't enough! I can't believe this!"
She turned back to Lila with fire in here eyes. Helga opened her mouth to hurl a few more verbal insults at her, but felt hot tears starting to sting her eyes and ran out of the room before anyone could see her cry.
Arnold was frozen in place, so embarassed at what just happened. Helga wasn't really wrong – Lila was trying to take advantage of a situation, even though Arnold was trying to politely decline. Helga had always saw Lila has a threat, and even though Lila might have been interested in Arnold, he just didn't see her that way personally. But Helga's insecurities from her pre-teen years didn't always see that there was nothing to worry about.
Arnold's embarassment quickly turned to anger. He turned his attention to Lila. "I'm going after her, Lila. She's too important to me, and what you did upset her. And quite franky, she's right – you do have a nasty side and I want nothing to do with it," Arnold said angrily, and ran out of the reception hall.
Although it was mid-spring, it was a bit cooler that night than usual. Arnold opened the door to leave The Manor and saw Helga, back facing him, sitting on the steps.
"Helga," he said softly. "Can we please talk?"
He could sense her body tighten when she heard his voice. "Fine, I guess," she said, rubbing her arms for warmth.
She must be so cold! Arnold thought to himself as he removed his suit jacket and lightly placed it on Helga's shoulders. She half-smiled and held the jacket closer to her body. "Thank you," she said quietly.
Arnold rolled up his sleeves and sat down next to Helga. "Helga – first off, what you saw with Lila and I was one sided. Please know that. She did tell me she liked me, but I did not reciprocate. I was trying to politely tell her that I came to the party with you, but she wasn't listening. Granted, maybe I should have been more forceful with her but I didn't want to create a scene... which ended up happening anyway..." he trailed off.
Helga sighed, her face in her hands. "Arnold... what's wrong with me?"
Arnold looked at her puzzled. "Wrong with you? Why would you—"
Helga cut him off. "You asked me to Rhonda's party. You asked me to dinner. You showered me with all the attention. And even with all that, it's like I go back in time to when we were younger when I saw Farmer Bitch talking to you, touching you. And I just go nuts and now everyone thinks I'm crazy, including you," she sighed. "I ruin everything I touch."
Arnold inched himself closer to Helga. He inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Helga... do you want to know why I did all this? Asking you to Rhonda's party? To dinner?"
Helga looked at him, a worried look forming over her face. "Why?"
Arnold took her cold hands and looked into her eyes. "Helga, I'm in love with you. And all night I was trying to summone the courage to tell you this when we walked to Chez Paris, after dinner...I was going to tell you at the party when we had a quiet moment but that... didn't quite happen," he softly chuckled.
Helga stared at him wide eyed. "You're... in love with me?"
"Of course I am. And I know we've had some weird years in the past but – I can't stop thinking about you. And I don't want to stop thinking about you. Our story is not over Helga, not by a longshot. I wanted you to know this, before summer came and things got crazy with colleges and everything. You're too important to me to not tell you how I was feeling."
Arnold lightly touched a soft curl of blonde hair on the side of her face. "Helga, you looked utterly amazing today, but please know that you don't have to wear fancy dresses or do your hair or pretend to be perfect so you impress me or make me love you more – I love you, Helga. The stubborn, feisty, passionate, loyal Helga. That's the real Helga I fell in love with," Arnold said, putting his arm around Helga.
Helga looked at Arnold. "Well, if we are being completely honest with each other..." she paused.
Arnold looked into her eyes. "Yes?"
"You have got to get rid of that cologne you're wearing. Jeez Arnold! It smells like paint thinner! You smell amazing just... doing whatever you normally do," Helga said as she smiled.
Arnold laughed hard and grinned. "That's all I have to do, huh? Okay, deal."
Helga leaned in closer. "Well, that's not all you have to do...," she said, and kissed him deeply on the lips. Arnold kissed back, putting his arms around Helga and holding her close to him.
Arnold smiled dreamily as the kiss ended. "Wow..."
Helga smiled. "Second 'wow' of the day, eh? Not too bad, Helga. Not too bad."
She sighed and put her head on Arnold's shoulder. "So, I'll bet Rhonda hates my guts now, since I essentially took all the attention away from her at her own birthday party and created a scene. Phoebe and Gerald probably don't think highly of me, either..."
Arnold stroked her hair. "I wouldn't worry – once everyone finds out what Lila was trying to pull, I don't think you're going to come out of that situation looking like the bad guy."
"Thanks Arnold. So... what happens now?"
Arnold looked at Helga and tenderly touched her cheek. "We continue our story, Helga – that is, if you're okay with that."
"I am definitely okay with that," Helga said, leaning closer into Arnold's body.
"By the way, I'm in love with you too, Football head."
Arnold laughed and smiled as he held Helga tight. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "I think I'm starting to like that nickname..."