"I just wanna let you know, that if we are gonna be working together on this project. We are going to need to set a few ground rules" Arnold spoke in a jaded tone.
Helga's brow shot up and she fiddled with her hands. She gulped and was ready to spill out what she had rehearsed before coming on the bus.
"Well yeah, I've been thinking too and there's no reason why we can't try and-" Arnold cut her off.
"-And by ground rules I mean no yelling at me, no insulting me and calling me 'football head' and no complaining" He listed off on his fingers while glaring at her. Helga felt her chest tighten and bit her lower lip.
"Right because that's exactly what I'm trying to tell you I-" Arnold interrupted once again and continued his lecture.
"Because to be perfectly honest, you are about the last person I wanna pretend to be married too" Arnold missed the droop in her pigtails "In fact I'd rather be paired with just about anyone else on the planet"
"But I-" Helga tried once again to interject but fell silent under his tirade.
"I know you don't like me, and frankly I don't like you that much either. I would've rather been paired with someone I get along with better. You know, someone like Lila" Helga's fists tightened "But as long as we have to work together on this project. I'm willing to put our differences aside and work together responsibly. What do you say" He help up his hand. But the expression on his face was much more of annoyance than compromise.
Helga's heart sank, looking down at her hands slightly more glum. "I..uh.."
'Don't get mad...Don't get mad...oh...oh no...jeez don't cry instead!'
She could feel her eyes sting and she stood up. Ignoring his hand. She turned her head away from him. "Yeah sure whatever, this is my stop"
Arnold paused for a moment. That was...not the reaction he had planned out. He expected her to argue with him, shout, call him a dumb football head or anything more Helga like. He glanced out the window and noticed they were at the least ten city blocks or further away from Helga's actual stop. She had only just gotten on.
She started forward without a word and pushed a stop button on one of the bars. Arnold had a bad twist in his gut and he wanted to call out to her. But he noticed the egg sitting on the seat and scooped it up to put in his bag. He felt the bus lurch to a stop and when he looked up Helga was already off the bus and walking in the direction of her home. Her actions were stiff and robotic and she was staring intensely at the ground. She was left behind in the dust trails of the bus as Arnold sat their slightly dumbfounded and holding the egg.
"Hey kid" He heard someone call from behind him. Another boy who looked like he was in middle school was staring at him disapprovingly "Dick move"
Arnold stared out the window. He was standing up for himself...but did he go a little too hard on her?
...
Helga stomped angrily as she wiped her tears as she took a shortcut through the city park. Keeping her head low and avoided eye contact as she held herself a little. Her face was burning as she tried to keep her lip stiff and her composure. But to be fair; her composure was lost on sixth avenue when she burst into tears and had to hid in an alleyway for 15 minutes before she could calm herself down enough to not look like a lost little girl.
She crossed the bridge and stopped in the center before pausing and looking down at the water.
'At least I didn't yell this time'
She leaned against the bridge railing, it groaned in protested and creaked. Helga numbly noted the weak integrity of the rusty railings as she began swimming in her own thoughts.
It wasn't really like Helga to let her more somber and depressive feeling nag at her this much but she couldn't stop replaying Arnolds grand lecture. The way he was glaring at her like she was just a nuisance made her feel small like when Big Bob actually got mad and yelled at her. A set frown was firm on her lips as she leaned further against the railing, ignoring it larger protest.
"Why is it that I always get compared to other people...I'm not perfect like Olga or Nice like Lila...I really just wanted to work together with Arnold on this project" She mumbled softly to herself.
Her eyes were stinging again. Just great!
She tried wiping the tears away but it felt almost futile at this point. She felt miserable from the lecture Arnold gave her and to make it worse. She knew he had some standing to do so!
She always treated Arnold horribly to make up for and hide her true feelings to him. Yelling names at him and scowling at him. Giving him the hot and cold treatment all the time with her flippant attitudes that usually exhausted everyone including herself. Normally she would've just blown up at him back and stormed off the bus with much more bravado.
But an unsettling sense of melancholy had dropped its weight on her. Her eyes still stinging with tears that she refused to shed. Helga dug into her shirt and pulled out her locket.
The picture of her football headed beloved stared adoringly back at her. Paralleling the nasty glare she had received in reality.
"Oh Arnold...why...why do I do this to us? Why do I cast off key moments for us to share. Key moments for you to see me at my best and most brilliant! I squander them with childish outburst and silent treatments. Firing spit balls and oh why am I such an odd ball? Oh Arnold, hair as golden as the honey of bees. Stinging sweetness is all I have to offer. A slap from one hand and a caress by the other from my mixed up ways. I should shower you with the poetry I keep locked in my head. I should gift you my sculptures. Serenade you with love songs and send you flowers to show you've made me bloom with your love. And yet..." Helga sighed. Deflating against the railing. "You'd rather be with little miss perfect" She sneered before the scowl slowly dropped from her face. Settling back down into her depressive mood.
She held out the locket in front of her at an arm's length. Admiring the golden shine in the afternoon sunlight. Arnolds picture staring back at her. Her thumb carrassed the picture as a long sigh escaped her.
"Hey Helga!" A high pitched voice came from behind her. Her heart jumped into her throat as she scrambled to stuff the locket inside her shirt. Nearly dropping it into the pond below. As soon as it was safe back inside her shirt she turned around with her best scowl.
"What?" She mustered up her best "I'm-not-in-the-mood-and-you-should-stop-pestering-me" tone and scowl to match. And when she saw it was Lila...She almost felt scared for a moment.
That shouldn't be right? Helga Pataki scared of Lila Swayer? Ridiculous!
But at the sight of the red head behind her with Eugene, Helga stumbled back and hit the railing.
Which also seem to be its 'breaking point' as well.
The railings weak and rusted screws that kept it secure to the bridge gave out and it plunged into the water. Throwing Helga off balance.
Helga waved her arms wildly in the air whilst her body was about to go over the edge. Lila shot her arms out to grab her hand in time. The blondes heels were teetering on the edge as her back was only a few meters from the water. Helga stared wide eyed at Lila; who returned her wide eyed look of terror. The red had her feet firmly planted to try and keep her anchored but she was leaning to far forward and had definitely lost her sense of balance. Eugene dashed up behind the two and grabbed ahold of Lila's middle and began pulling them up.
With the sudden jolt and a plot twist.
Helga's locket slips from her collar and is out in the open. Helga immediately lets go of Lilas hand and makes a grab to conceal her locket from the world again; heels slipping and she plunged into the water. Eugene and Lila and forced by momentum of their combined strength and the loss of the other body weight keeping them weigh down, to stumble backwards and into the opposing railing; which also gave way. The two also plunged into the cold pond water.
"Criminey!" Helga cried out. Hitting the water with her fits. "Like this rotten day just couldn't get any friggin' better!" She wanted to let out a blood curling shrieked.
She sat in the water, the tears finally spilling as her cheeks flushed with colour. Her hair soaked down her back as her pink bow sat wilted on her head. Her clothes on her torso that wasn't submerged in water clung to her and let the frigid cold seep into her bones.
Lila and Eugene began helping each other up, as the boy assured her he was okay. The two looked over concerned as Helga never actually had cried in front of anyone before. Her huffing and puffing her feeling away with a red face yes. But never actually shed tears. Inching a bit closer, not sure if she would yell at them for the whole accident.
"This is all Arnolds fault" She cried out.
The two looked at each other before they made their way towards her; wading through the deeper middle of the pond to get to her side. They approached Helga who was holding herself and trying not to full on sob.
"Uh Helga...How is it Arnolds fault?" Eugene asked. Lila inched closer and squat down beside her. The little blonde wept while keeping her hands firmly on her locket, clenched around like a vice. "I mean it was just a simple accident. No one got hurt just a little wet" He weakly chuckled. Admittedly he was scared of Helga, but this down right terrified him.
"Because he-" When she looked up, she looked right at Lila and a sob finally broke through. Helga stuffed the locket inside her shirt, only showing a flash of gold before it was hidden again.
A firm line was pressed on the red heads lips as she moved closer to her, placing her hands gently on her shoulders. "Just go away"
"I can't do that Helga, I just can't do that" She said softly.
Eugene began to wring out his hair.
"And why not?" Helga spat.
"Because you're crying in a pond and you're soaking wet" Lila listed off. Helga tried to suppress another sob and her shoulders shook. Snot was beginning to run down her nose so she pressed it into her knees. "And rather than yell at us...you blame Arnold" Lila tilted her head.
Helga froze at the sound of his name. "Did something happen today between you and him Helga?" Lila asked. Helga shook her head but she couldn't actually deny it this time. Swayer sighed and slowly stood up, her dress was heavy thanks to thick material taking in so much water.
Lila moved to help Helga out of the water and to her surprise, she accepted... after much coaxing.
…
The three sat in the dry grass and took their shoes and socks off, Helga wept but was able to keep herself quiet more or less. She and Lila sat behind a bush to ring out their dresses as Eugene's squeeze the water out of his shorts. When they convened after cringing while putting on cold wet clothing; Helga sighed, pulling her bow out to dry it out.
"I didn't even get a word in edgewise" She mumbled. Her weeping had subsided and she was left with a stuffy nose and red eyes.
"Huh?" Eugene leaned towards her.
"Arnold! I didn't get a word in edgewise! All I do is sit down on the bus next to hi to talk about the project and she starts going off on me. Telling me how he thinks I'm a horrible person and that I can't say this and I can't do that. I can't even call him football head!" Helga twists the wet ribbon in her hair. Eugene and Lila spare a glance at each other "That's whatever and I get it. He wants to be macho or whatever but then he has to be completely unnecessary and say-" She halts.
Her steam all puffed out and arms drop. She plops down and stares at the sky. "Forget it"
Lila reached out and gently touched her shoulder. Helga didn't try and shrug her off like she usually did. She parted her lips to say something but she was at a loss for words. She shook her head and tried again "Helga I'm sure Arnold didn't mean it like that-"
"Yes he did" Helga muttered. She rolled to her side "He was just like Bob right then"
Her two classmates froze.
A lot of rumors went around about Bob Pataki. None of them good. No one was dumb enough to say them on the school ground or Geralds field because that's where Helga usually hung out. But most of her classmates knew about her less than stellar home life or at least...a part of the picture.
Lila could gather a little bit more after the Big Sis little Sis program.
Helga was neglected at home by her parents. Bob's borderline refusal to call her the right name and Miriam's constant state drowsiness brought on by her intoxicating smoothies. She either didn't have lunch, or only a few bucks to buy the cheap stuff in the lunch line. Lila knew that Phoebe would slip her a few extra dollars or snacks when she could.
One time Lila watched the Lunch lady fill up her tray and tell her just to go eat. A few times she even paid in advance for Helga herself.
"God at home it's always 'You should be more like Olga. Olga would do this better. Olga would NEVER be diagnosed like that'" She sat up, anger returning to her. "Olga. Olga. Olga. If I was like Olga I would be an air headed boob who wants attention" Lila pursed her lips. She actually did like Olga but she decided now would not be the best time to mention it.
"Like frick! I get the second best grades in class, I participate in sports, I have friends! But no I'm always compared to Olga and now with Arnold comparing me to-" Helga felt tears slip down her cheks again before she wiped at them furiously.
"Helga...What did Arnold say exactly that upset you so much?" Eugene asked softly. Helga stopped in tracks and her anger slipped out again. She didn't look at them "Helga come on its Eugene...everyone's friend" He felt the light breeze through his clothes. He would've normally brought extra but...he was already wearing them.
Helga wrung her hands nervously.
"If you tell anyone about this..either of you... I'll knock you in the back of the head so hard your eyeballs will pop out and then I'll double knot them behind your head" She threatened with her last ounce of venom. Lila chirped cheerfully that she would never tell a soul so she burned her gaze into Eugene who crossed his heart he wouldn't share a peep.
Helga sighed and plopped back on the grass with them. She ripped some grass out with her hands. "He said, and I quote 'I know you don't like me, and I don't like you that much either. I would've rather been paired with someone I get along with better. Someone like Lila' that's what he said" She didn't raise her gaze to meet Lila. But she could already tell she was looking at her sadly.
"Well what did you say back? Call him a football head? Sock him?" Eugene started ripping out grass as well and forming it into a makeshift nest. Lila ended up doing the same.
"No I..." She finally looked up and decided since they already saw her actually crying, that it wouldn't hurt if they knew the rest "I told him yeah whatever fine and said my stop was up. Even though it was no one near my house I just had to get off the bus and away from him. Normally I would just get mad and yell but it just...hurt like...like..."
"It hit ever so close to home?" Lila offered. Helga nodded.
"It's just a bunch of stuff jumbled together and I left the bus and was walking down on 6th and I just can't stop crying. I hide in an alleyway for like ten minutes trying to get my stupid emotions under control but its just so damn hard today. Then I came here and...you know the rest"
"Good Grief Arnold" Lila sighed. Eugene raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "You know Helga...I know you and Arnold have a lot of history so maybe...maybe he will realize soon what he said was cruel and apologize to you" Helga smiled and it felt like a wave of relief washed over the three of them. "And if he doesn't. I'll...pound him" Lila offered.
Helga burst out in a fit of laughter. The thought of dainty sweet Lila decking Arnold in the face out of the blue was priceless. "Y-You? Oh my gosh if you did that it'd have to at school so I can sell tickets and film it" She chortled. Her laughter seemed to overly infectious as Eugene's giggles began to bubble up.
"Yeah I could sell snacks so I raise some money from new spokes for my bike" He snickered. Lila tried to put on a serious face and put her hands on her hips.
"Hey I'm beginning to think you guys don't think I have the moxie for it" She couldn't hold face ad she joined them in their laughter. Helga was clutching her sides as her face was going red "It would be like this 'Oh Arnold dear, could you be sweet and stand ever so still?' and then-" Lila made a punching motion before she couldn't continue as she doubled over in her own laughter. Eugene was wheezing with a huge smile on his face.
After a while their laughter calmed down and they were left with small smiles on their faces.
Lila and Eugene offered to walk Helga home. She began to protest but it died in her throat and nodded gratefully. They ended up stopping in at a convenience store Helga liked. They ended up filling their pockets with licorice and bubble gum candy bits and pixy stix. They paid and walked out of the store as both girls were thanking Eugene for footing the bill. He didn't seem to mind and offered to do it again anytime. Helga smiled softly to herself.
They were just a few blocks away from her place and had passed the street that had her father's business partners store. She almost wanted to drag them over to say hello so she could prolong her time with them.
"I uh..." Helga mumbled as Eugene and Lila were commenting on a car with a weird paint job. "Thanks" She forced out. Lila perked up at this.
"Sorry Helga I didn't hear you. What was that?" The blonde squeezed her eyes shut momentarily before looking at the two red heads.
"Thank you. Not a lot of our classmates would do this for me and I-" Helga glanced down "I'm really thankful I mean it but if you two-"
Lila and Eugene raised a hand simultaneously "We promise Helga. Not a soul will know what happened today" They smiled at her. Helga felt a warmth bloom in her chest as she sucked at pixy stix in her mouth.
The trio kept going and rounded a few more blocks before heading down Helga's street. Chatting away about their week. Helga felt much more relieved and noticed her overall demeanor had done a 180 on itself. She felt relaxed and happy. And not in a forced kind of way to keep up appearances. As much as she despised Lila for being the object of Arnolds affections. She was a really okay person and she was glad she ran into Eugene and her today. She was also surprised by how kind and open hearted the freckled accident-prone boy way to her. Especially since she rarely showed him any kindness. Maybe she'll bully him a tad less and tell Stinky and Harold to stop messing with his bike.
"Oh my" Lila gaspsed. Helga looked up and her blood ran ice cold.
"Oh hey Arnold...what are you doing here?" Eugene laughed nervously.
Arnold Shortman was sitting on the Helga G. Pataki's stoop looking like a kicked puppy.
When he looked up he saw the probably most unlikely trio heading towards him. Lila, Helga and Eugene of all people. He had about a billion questions at this moment and time but he couldn't find the words for any of them.
Why did they look they jumped in the Pierre and rolled around in the grass was one of them. Why did Helga have puffy eyes? Why did they have so much candy with them? What was with the heart shaped lump on Helga dress? Why was Eugene with them?
"Arnold...what are you doing here?" Helga asked softly but when he didn't answer and just kept staring at them; her trademark scowl set in on her face "Football head! Get your head out of the clouds and answer the question!" It seemed to work and snape Arnold out of whatever trance he was in. He blinked before gulping.
"Sorry what was the question?" He asked nervously.
"What are you doing here Arnoldo?" Helga repeated dryly. He laughed nervously as she stood tall and had her arms crossed over her chest.
"Well uh...I was a really big jerk to you...back on the bus," Helga's stance softened. "I shouldn't have said the things I said. It occured to me that as I was ranting on you, you were trying to tell me you wanted the same thing. Just to work together on the project as friends" He bowed his head down, slightly ashamed. A small smile made its way onto her face, Arnolds eyes widened for a moment before it was gone.
"Well...uh took you long enough to apologize Football head. You would've been in big trouble because I was gonna tell Mr. Simmons I wanted to be a single divorced mother" Lila snickered as did Eugene. Arnold smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.
"So...Are we okay?" He held out his hand. Helga froze for a moment before she looked down at her feet. She sucked in a breath.
"Yes we are but...Arnold what you said to me today...that really hurt" She spoke softly "So if you do it again I'm gonna pound you into next week, got it?" She punched her hand into her first as she scowled at him. Arnold felt relief wash over him as he smiled and stepped aside for her to get through the door. She climbed a few stares before he couldn't help it.
"Whatever you say Helga, whatever you say" He grinned at her. When her cheeks flushed a dark pink he couldn't help but wiggle his eyebrows at her. When she was about to open her mouth to either yell at him or stammer or a combination of the both. Arnold cut her off before she had the chance to."Oh hey did you want the egg-?" Arnold began to pull out the small egg and hand it to her but he fumbled and the four watched the egg plummet to the ground.
An audible splat on Helga's steps.
Silence consumed them as Arnolds hand was still outstretched to hand her the egg. Her eyes were staring directly at the egg on the steps with her brow raised high. She blinked a few times before she looked up at him with disbelief.
"Did you just fucking drop it?"
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