A/N: Oh, I forgot a very important detail in my last A/N...
Lyle Sawyer is the character creation of NintendoGal55, and I in no way, claim to own him. I'm not evil enough to come up with an ACTUAL male Lila anyway. XD I would have had someone replace her in the story line, but it wouldn't have been as dead on, and, in my opinion, not as powerful. Lyle Sawyer... XD Geez, that's killin' me here. OH! Or MAYBE I should say, "Vile Lyle" *Rolls around laughing* Good one, Flint!
Anyway, I thank everyone who has reviewed this story so far, especially a CERTAIN person named after a CERTAIN color who's review just happened to send me over the edge of sanity, because it was so danged hysterical. XD And now, since I am becoming infinitely more lazy, instead of review REPLIES (Don't worry, I'll still do them for my other story), I am just going to toss out shout outs to everyone who has reviewed! :D In order of who reviewed first and then who reviewed after them and so on...
AwEsOMe PeOpLe:
NintendoGal55
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Phantom Amethyst
T-Kiwi02
Jadeykins
loonytunecrazy
TippyToe Zombie
Azure129
Princess Diana Artemis
Dreamnorm
AnimatedBritney
frecklemaggie
angie93
acosta perez jose ramiro
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Hellerick Ferlibay
ThAnK yOu!
Okay, and now I would like to point out just EXACTLY what type of yacht Rhonda has. She has pretty much the biggest yacht from Wally Hermes Yachts. Look it up, man. It's gorgeous, and the PERFECT setting for this party. I was looking through yachts, trying to find the perfect one that I'd envisioned them having their little sleep over on, and this one was almost DEAD on. The only difference was that it has six bedrooms instead of just two. XD It's also got the perfect deck for my vision, and a pool and a wonderful living area that the kids can run around in. :D I've got a video of the entire yacht's inside and outside favorited on my youtube page if anyone wants to lookie! :D The link is on my page.
I was VERY tempted to have their party be on a completely different yacht, though. It's my dream yacht that I know I'll most likely never have, so if I can't have it, then I figured Rhonda Wellington Lloyd could get one, no prob. :D It's, like, the AWESOMEST thing on the water, dude. It's called "Octolus" and is by Schopfer Yachts, who are freakin' geniuses when it comes to design. Check it out! It's freakin' gorgeous! :D Plus, it's fun to look at awesome stuff you can't have. XD People are such teases for putting up pictures of this stuff. But I decided not to go with this particular yacht mainly because I found that other yacht that worked even better for the story, and because I wasn't sure how many bedrooms the Octolus has. DX Oh well.
Oh! And quick fun fact that actually isn't so fun about the Octolus: It costs over ninety-million smackaroons! That's a really hard pill to swallow right there! DX See why I said I'll most likely never own it? Geez, I can hardly save up fifty cents let alone ninety-mill!
Disclaimer: I, SuprSingr, in no way claim to own the rights to "Hey Arnold!", and respect Viacom and Nickelodeon's rights to the series. But if they just happened to blow up randomly one day, I wouldn't care, because, in my possibly slightly biased opinion, Nick is dead without that lovable football! WE LOVE YOU, CRAIG!
"Hey Arnold!"
-The Pickle Jar-
Arnold and Gerald boarded the large yacht, their night bags under their arms and Arnold with a very tentative smile on his face. Almost as soon as their feet hit the deck, they were greeted by a very enthusiastic Rhonda Lloyd, wearing a long, white nightgown with fluffy trim on the hem and collar. "Gerald, Arnold, darlings! So glad you could make it!" She grabbed them both in a small hug and released them just as quickly, grinning. "You're some of the first to arrive actually."
Gerald smiled coolly, setting his bag down so he could cross his arms over his chest. "Yeah, sorry for being a little early, Rhon'. We were just a little excited to see what a yacht actually looked like." He looked around, smirking. "But I guess we still don't know, because this is clearly a cruise ship."
Rhonda laughed, waving him off and wandering back into the den through the glass doors. "Oh no, Gerald, none of that smooth talk is going to work on me." She replied smoothly, picking up a tray of food off of the coffee table and turning to them. "Hors d'œuvres?" She shoved the tray towards them. (A/N: For those who don't know, that's pronounced 'Orderves')
Arnold looked upon the food, looking to vary from tiny finger sandwiches to very strange looking miniature beef wellingtons to... was that chicken? He wasn't sure. Arnold shook his head, smiling politely. "No thanks, Rhonda. I'm..." Lyle walked over suddenly, his hand coming over to grab up one of the finger sandwiches. He smiled at Rhonda brilliantly. "Thank you, Rhonda. These look wonderful." He took a small bite, walking off then to set his sleeping bag down over by the couch. Arnold's face went blank as he finished his thought dryly, "...not hungry." He walked off back onto the deck.
Gerald looked after his friend with mild concern, before turning back to Rhonda with a smile. "Not just yet, babe. But I'll be sure to try some of these delicious looking items of yours later." He flashed her a smile, before deciding Arnold probably just needed some space (Or maybe Arnold was just a TEENSY bit scary when he was angry, probably because of how rare those times were), and walking over to the spiral staircase to look for a place to put his stuff, preferably one of the multiple bedrooms Rhonda claimed this boat had.
Rhonda shrugged, setting the tray back down and walking over to properly welcome Lyle.
Arnold sat down on one of the chairs on the deck, setting his night bag down beside him so he could clench his fists. He'd forgotten HE'D be here. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...
Helga walked on deck then, dressed in a flowy, light pink night gown and her hair worn down for the occasion, her pink bow holding it in a very low ponytail that looked like it could go any minute, and the sunset reflecting beautifully off her golden hair.
Arnold stiffened at the sight, his eyes widening.
'No, I take it back. This was definitely a good idea...'
Arnold gulped down all his courage and stood, trying to look confident as he walked over to her. She spotted him, her purple night bag slung over her shoulder. She forced a smile upon seeing him. Arnold saw her blue eyes snap to him, and he tripped almost instantly, barely able to catch himself, though he did manage to, thank goodness. A dark blush crept onto his cheeks at her giggle, and he had to stop himself from trembling a bit at the familiar, wonderful sound. He gulped again, finally making it all the way across the deck to her. He managed a small smile. "H-Hey, Helga."
Helga just smirked at him, trying not to laugh again at that embarrassed look on his face. "Hey, Twinkle Toes. How've ya been?" She couldn't help but snicker a bit at his added blush.
Arnold laughed a bit shakily, clasping his hands behind his back. "O-Okay, I guess. Um," He took a small step towards her. "You?"
Helga shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, could complain but I won't bother you with my problems." She smirked slightly. "That's what Phoebe's for."
Arnold chuckled, before a more serious, though still more than nervous expression came to his face. "Really, Helga, if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here."
Helga tried not to roll her eyes at the predictable statement, having heard it from so many people before. She knew they never really MEANT it, they were just being nice. Well... Lyle meant it. She tried not to giggle happily at the thought, seeing Arnold still standing right there. She cleared her throat, forcing a smile. "I'll keep that in mind, Arnold."
Arnold blinked, tilting his head at her. He could so easily see she wasn't being totally sincere, and it bothered him a bit, but he tried to shrug it off for now. It was still only the first day. Maybe she'd trust him a little more by the end of the week. He sure hoped she would. He wanted her trust more than anything. He sighed very lightly and nodded. "Good, because I mean it." He took her hand a moment, intending on kissing it, but after a very hesitant moment, he just shook it slightly and then let it go, frowning to himself. 'I know Gerald said that I might want to leave the more affectionate gestures for later, but...' He sighed mentally.
Helga blinked, raising one side of he eyebrow for a second at the strange reaction from him. In her peripheral vision, though, she spotted a certain reddish-brown haired boy through the glass of the doors leading into the den. He was eating a finger sandwich, smiling politely at Rhonda who was seemingly blathering on about something or other. There was no telling with Rhonda. But by the way she was touching around on her nightgown, it seemed Lyle must have commented on it, which of course meant that she had to go on an hour long brag-fest on all the different colors it comes in and how she had it designed by only THE best fashion designers and how the silk was imported from some fancy, far away country. All of this didn't really concern Helga, though, as her eyes were glued solely on Lyle's smiling face. She felt her mouth go a little dry and her stomach fill up with butterflies. 'Oh my gosh... He's here. He's actually here.' She smiled a bit of a dazed smile, before remembering Arnold's presence and snapping her eyes back to his. He was staring at the ground with an almost pouting expression, and she suddenly noticed that a pair of deep, dark green eyes were now looking at her from her peripheral vision. She froze a moment at this realization, before an idea popped into her head that had to make her smirk. She leaned a bit closer to Arnold's face, though he still didn't look at her as he seemed too involved with his sudden moping. She grunted very lightly, which seemed to get his attention as he snapped his much lighter, bright green eyes up to her own, and they widened upon seeing just how close she suddenly was. Helga smiled with half-lidded eyes, putting a hand to his cheek. "Thank you so much, Arnold! You're really just too sweet!" She said just loud enough, before she leaned in and gave him a little peck on the cheek. Once she pulled away, she glanced over inconspicuously to see Lyle blink a bit in surprise.
Arnold, meanwhile, froze for only a second this time, before he melted, slumping a bit and giving the girl a half-lidded, lovesick expression. "N-No problem, Angel."
Helga paused a moment, pursing her lips. 'Angel? Hmm... That's good. Sure hope he keeps this up.' She giggled at him for show, petting his hair back gently. "Oh, you really are too kind..." She paused, thinking, before a more confident, if not slightly smug smile came to her face. "Honey."
Arnold's eyes widened a bit at the name, feeling his heart going in overdrive. His emotions on auto-pilot, he took a step forward and grabbed her hand, grinning. "Wow. What got into you?" He stroked her hand a little lovingly.
Helga, hoping beyond all hope that this was provoking SOME kind of possessive, jealous feelings in Lyle, just forced a very airy giggle and smiled. "Well, we are BOYFRIEND and GIRLFRIEND now, so..." She glanced over quick to see Lyle tilting his head at them somewhat curiously, before bringing her eyes back to Arnold. "I figured I might as well get into it." She twirled one of his blonde locks around her finger a moment.
Arnold had to try VERY hard to repress a shudder at her words and touch, feeling his insides all but turn to mush. He knew somewhere in the back of his head that the things running through his conscious right now were forbidden at the moment, but he couldn't quite control himself when she actually TOUCHED him. But luckily he WAS able to stick with just a little bit of his sense, as he settled with just giving her hand a few appreciative pecks, insteadof jumping on her and throwing both of them overboard; Because that would be BAD... right? Heh, heh...
Helga bit her lip a bit, glancing over to see Lyle just shake his head a little and walk away, leaving Rhonda to stand there, giggling her head off at the display. Helga hadn't noticed her standing there. Darn. She swallowed, absently wondering if that was a 'Well, she's nuts' head shake or a 'They're too cute' head shake or maybe even a... 'I can't watch this because I might lose control and pummel that boy into the ground for even LOOKING at my woman' head shake... She looked back down at the scarily dazed Arnold before her then, still holding her hand and staring at her so... strangely adoring. Like he was admiring her, but at the same time contemplating something or questioning her. She just blinked at him, before sighing, knowing that there was no more Lyle to try and make jealous anymore. So she just slipped her hand out of his own and patted his head with a smile, before walking off, and throwing back to him, "Well, see ya inside, Arnoldo."
While Helga was busy staring over somewhere else, Arnold was just standing there watching her. For a while, he was just wondering how in the world someone's eyes could be that beautifully blue, but it was around the middle of his thoughts that he realized she wasn't looking him in the eye anymore. He blinked at that, but unable to bring himself to tear his eyes away from her, he just wondered somewhat absently what she was looking at. But once she had slipped herself away from him and back into the yacht, he finally managed to come out of his very distracting thoughts to look over curiously to try and find the source that had apparently interested Helga so. But when he looked, all he saw was Rhonda standing there, still giggling a bit to herself over something it seemed. Perhaps Helga was wondering what was so funny, just as he was now. After another second of contemplation, he just shrugged it off and walked back into the yacht's den.
He had more important things to concern himself with anyway.
About a half-hour later most of the guests had all arrived, and were all dancing and mingling around the large boat in their pajama's. Helga and Phoebe were playfully hitting eachother with the couch pillows over on the couch, Harold was over by the snack table eating anything he could get his hands on, Stinky and Sid were conversing about something over in the corner of the room, undoubtedly up to no good, Rhonda was wandering around the boat mingling with assorted people with Nadine by her side with a very persistent Peapod kid hot on her trail, Brainy was currently looking for a life preserver to toss to Eugene who had fallen overboard while searching for some fish friends, Iggy and Gerald were having some kind of 'cool' contest whilst surrounded by quite a few of their peers who were cheering, Curly was currently running around like a lunatic, his chosen sleepwear being some leopard pattern shorts, a black tank top, and some socks (Since his feet would get so cold during the night and all)...
...and then Arnold was doing what he always did at parties...
Trying to stay the heck out of everyones' way!
He was currently seated firmly on the couch right beside Helga who was having too much fun with Phoebe to care about him, so he just stayed crammed against the arm rest, a good ways away from her, as he tried his hardest to remember WHAT it was Gerald said he was supposed to be doing right now...
Oh yeah, charming Helga.
What kind of a ridiculous plan was that? What 'charms'? He was just a shrimpy little orphan kid with a very funny looking head. What kind of 'charms' could HE possibly possess? Well... Helga did seem to laugh a lot when he was around... mostly when he tripped, blushed, or stumbled (Which was a lot), which was both humiliating and intoxicating at the same time when she laughed. Leave it to Helga to make him feel like he was both floating on a cloud and wearing nothing but his underwear in public. But, really, what was he supposed to do? She was already more than content with ignoring his presence all together and having a blast with one of her best friends. He sighed at these thoughts, feeling a bit tired all of a sudden as he stood from his seat and just wandered off, figuring she wouldn't miss him.
He soon found himself sitting on the edge of the pool, his bare feet just resting in the refreshingly cool water as the sun was setting more and more with each passing minute. The beautiful streaks of orange and gold couldn't help but make Arnold smile a little, and cause his eyes to go half-lidded in that carefree gaze he found more and more fleeting with each passing year. He should have been used to being all alone like this, he shouldn't have felt so empty, but he guessed he couldn't help it.
It was moments like these he truly wondered what had become of his parents, where they were, what they were doing... why they weren't here with him making him feel better.
His eyes went downcast and a small frown found it's way onto his face, as hugged himself a little in a futile attempt at finding warmth and comfort.
He felt so alone.
The sound of the glass doors sliding open and some foot steps coming his way broke him of his reverie, and he quickly wiped some tears that had trailed down his cheeks away before the mystery person could see. He hated being like that, he hated feeling so sad. He wished he could be more uncaring about it all like Helga was about her family. But then again, Helga had friends who cared about her dearly and despite her parents neglection of her, Arnold was sure that her parents did love her deep down.
He was grateful, though, despite everything. He may not have had many friends (Gerald being pretty much the only one), his parents may not be present in his life, but he did have his grandparents and the boarders who were kind of like some wacky extended family. Probably one of the reasons he spent so much of his time locked in at his home. It was the only place he felt truly safe and secure and loved. But sometimes he couldn't help but slip back into that way of thinking where his parents had left, he hardly had any friends, and how he was madly, unconditionally in love with a girl who barely even knew he existed. He couldn't help but feel pretty alone and helpless when his mind slipped away into those thoughts...
The person sat down beside him, and he didn't glance at them. He wanted to be left alone right now. He just needed some time to think things out, maybe come up with a better strategy at wooing his way into Helga's heart. It wasn't as if she was just going to come to him and-
"Hey, Arnold, I was just wondering if you wanted to dance."
His eyes widened at the voice, and he snapped his eyes over to see Helga giving him a very anxious smile. His jaw dropped. Hadn't he just been - And now she was - and how did - and she was actually- and with-with-with HIM? His mind nearly short-circuited.
Helga snickered at his expression, shaking her head. "What's with the look? We are kind of dating right now." She stood up, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him into a standing position. She smiled. "So, what do you say, Romeo?"
Arnold felt a bit numb now, his mind reeling and his heart pounding and his face flushed and his hands clammy and-WHY COULDN'T HE SPEAK?
After a few more seconds of continued silence, Helga finally just sighed and gently took him by a sweaty, shaking hand and lead him back inside of the yacht, the first sounds of a slow, jazz song just meeting his ears, as he mentally noted that the lights had been dimmed and there were quite a few couples all out on the dance floor now. He didn't notice them, though, as he was too consumed in staring into that warm, blue gaze of Helga's as she led him to the middle of the dance floor.
He stood there a bit stiffly, feeling her warm arms come around his neck, and feeling her start swaying to the music. He blushed, the effects of having Helga so close to him finally hitting him as he brought his arms around her form and pulled himself a little closer to her out of instinct.
He looked up into her beautiful blue pools, feeling his heart fluttering insanely in his chest just from her mere presence, and the fact that her arms were around him and he could feel her body heat radiating off of her and onto him from her close proximity only made his heart flutter faster and harder and a batch of butterflies unleash themselves in his stomach.
He noticed Helga glance away inconspicuously a moment, and he wondered what she was looking at. He almost looked, but her eyes returning to his and her arms wrapping just a bit more firmly around his neck caused any such thoughts to fly out the window.
But in wrapping her arms more around him, Arnold suddenly noticed that her face was much closer to his than he'd first realized... and his eyes were automatically drawn to her lips then, feeling his breath catch in his throat...
He saw her lips shift slightly, as if she were glancing away again, though he couldn't fully process this through his very hazed mind at the moment. He felt her stiffen then, and he shifted his green eyes up to meet a surprised blue, and he also noticed that a very pretty blush had risen in her cheeks...
Neither noticed that they'd stopped swaying...
After a few more moments of just staring into each others eyes and their breaths coming more and more shallowly, Arnold suddenly felt he'd go insane if he had to wait any longer. So with these urgent thoughts rushing through his brain, he pushed his head forward, shutting his eyes tight and-
"CRIMINY, Arnold, WAKE UP ALREADY!"
He jolted awake at the feeling of being shaken almost violently, and his eyes flew all around to see that the lights were on, the people were dancing to up-beat music, and that he was still sitting on the couch with a very frustrated Helga gripping his shoulders and a slight scowl on her face.
He blinked rapidly. 'HUH?' It was about this time that he realized he must have been dreaming, and he felt himself deflate instantly. 'Awwww... I just can't catch a break, can I?' And he realized, only now on a conscious level, that Helga had once again made him feel as if he were in heaven, and then sent him straight back into heck, just like that. 'How ironic...' He sighed. 'I can't even kiss her in my dreams, now?'
Helga let go of his shoulders then, giving him a very annoyed look, though he noticed that a slight blush was on her cheeks. Helga let out a sigh then, her eyebrow still narrowed at him. "Thank goodness you're awake. You kept muttering my name in your sleep." Her blush got a bit bolder due to some giggles coming from some of the other girls sitting on the couch by her. She glared at them all a second. She noticed then, amidst her glaring, Lyle come inside from the deck finally, since he'd been just gazing at the stars for most of the evening now, and felt a bit of excitement rise up in her. She cleared her throat, her blush finally beginning to diminish as she brought her eyes back to Arnold's both alarmed and slightly upset ones. "Uh..." She stood up, offering him a hand. "Ya want to dance?"
Arnold's mind completely blanched out at those four, simple words, before it fired back up into overdrive and he felt a grin spread across his face as he stood up. "Okay," He took her hand, bringing her out onto the dance floor, completely ignoring the other giggling girls.
Arnold stopped just in the middle of the dance floor, turning to Helga and putting his hands on her waist without a moment's hesitation (He'd been waiting for a chance to dance with her for YEARS). Helga just put her hands on his shoulders tentatively, glancing around to try and spot Lyle again amongst the crowd. It figured Arnold had dragged them right into the middle of a bunch of people. She couldn't see any-Oh, there he was! She felt her heart flutter at the sight of him, just leaning against the wall and gazing out at the other couples contently. Helga gulped, her heart fluttering ever so gently as she stared at him.
"What do you keep looking at?"
She snapped her eyes back to Arnold's finally, who was justturning his head now to glance in the direction she'd just had her head turned. Panicking, she grabbed him by his chin and forced his face back to facing her's. Arnold blinked, his mouth forming a small 'o' in surprise. She laughed a bit nervously. "N-Nothing important, Honey."
And thus, he melted against her, his questioning green gaze melting away, and she mentally sighed in relief, thankful that had worked. Hearing the song speed up a little, though, and the feeling of Arnold embracing her so tightly and lovingly becoming increasingly more awkward, she began trying to dance her way out of his arms, her feet doing a multitude of different dance steps and patterns.
Arnold felt her moving out of his embrace, and pouted a bit dazedly a moment, before he felt her grab his hand and twirl him around real quick. He blinked a few times to try and fully process what had just happened and to gain back his bearings as he was a bit dizzy now, before the realization that she was currently dancing circles around him hit him and he felt himself flush. He knew she could dance, he just didn't know she could dance this GOOD... He swallowed down the urge to grab her and kiss the living daylights out of her, and just settled on beginning to dance himself, his hips moving and his feet all over the place.
Helga blinked in surprise upon seeing him join in her dancing full on, before a slightly impressed smile spread across her lips. She did a little twirl, and saw then how he, in response, smacked his heels a few times against the floor and then even managed to do a small split before coming back up fully and continuing to dance, and if she didn't know any better, she could've sworn she saw him smirk ever so slightly when he did so. Helga laughed. "Wow. Where'd you learn to dance?" She asked loudly over the music.
Arnold grabbed her hands, pulling her to him and telling her simply, "My grandma taught me." He pushed her away from him then, continuing to dance with a small, half-smile on his face as he looked at her.
Helga just laughed a little at his response. "That's a little weird. Your grandma's pretty old, isn't she? Where did she find the energy?"
Arnold had to hold back a laugh at her questions, thinking back on all the cartwheels his grandmother had done just this morning in the hallway. He shook his head. "You'd be surprised."
Helga just shrugged at his response, her dancing lightening up a bit now as the song had cooled down.
Arnold did the same, putting his hands back on her hips and swaying happily to the music. "So, where did you learn?" He blushed, his eyes shifting away shyly. "You're really good..."
Helga just smiled, shrugging her shoulders as she answered casually, "Thanks. My sister forced me to take dance classes with her a few years back." She rolled her eyes. "Despite how annoying being around Olga so much was, I actually did learn quite a few things." She placed her hands back on his shoulders, swaying.
Arnold smiled stiffly, trying not to show too much emotion at the mention of her sibling's name. He banished these thoughts from his mind, though, managing to smile a more genuine smile at her. "Well, did you at least have fun?"
Helga shrugged, her eyes half-lidded. "Eh, it was okay. Would've been better if there weren't a bunch of girly-girls in the class. But then again," She added with a snicker, "I guess I should be used to girly-girls considering I'm friends with RHONDA LLOYD."
Arnold chuckled warmly, feeling his heart flutter at her sense of humor. "Yeah, I-"
"Mind if I cut in?"
Arnold stiffened at the voice, his eyes hardening. He turned to Lyle, who was smiling in a very friendly manner at him that made his stomach churn. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Well, actually-"
Helga let go of Arnold's shoulders instantly, already grabbing Lyle's arm and leading him away. "Thanks, Arnold!" She yelled over her shoulder, disappearing into the crowd.
Arnold frowned deeply, digging his hands violently into his pockets and wandering out of the crowd.
Later on, everyone was gathered around the flat screen television, watching a horror/romance movie, if you could believe that. The horror was for the guys, and the romance for the girls, so no one could complain.
Arnold sat uncomfortably next to his best friend, his eyes consistently being drawn to Helga and Lyle who were sitting together... pretty closely, if you asked him. He felt his heart ache and his nausea level rise, and frowned even broader as he stood up, whispering to Gerald, "I think I'm going to turn in early." He noticed Gerald was giving him a concerned look now, but he ignored it, and instead just separated himself from the crowd inconspicuously, making it up the spiral staircase and to his room, where he laid down and fell asleep almost instantly, the exhaustion from his very long day finally catching up with him.
Arnold jolted awake, his hands clammy and his heart pounding as his eyes snapped all across the room, taking in his surroundings. He noticed that a few boys had their sleeping bags set up beside his bed (Gerald being one of them), and felt himself sigh in both relief and grief from realizing it had all been a dream. He tentatively laid back down in his bed, trying to ignore any and all thoughts of his previous dream...
'But what if this all really doesn't work out, and Helga ends up dumping me for Lyle...?' His face paled even more at the thought, and after a few more minutes worth of thoughts much like this, he concluded to himself that sleep just wasn't going to come to him tonight. He sighed, getting out of bed and carefully stepping over all the sleeping boys, before walking drearily down the stairs, feeling his heart drop with each step.
All the lights were off, he noticed, and it sounded like everyone was asleep considering the almost deafening silence, only to be filled in by the sounds of the water they were floating on swishing back and forth every so often. Suddenly, though, as he made it to the bottom of the stairs, he noticed two figures out on the deck, standing in front of eachother. He blinked, taking a step closer as voices began drifting in from the door not being fully closed...
"B-But, I just thought... I mean, you asked me to dance and then we sat together for the movie and we were having such a good time. You keep sending out mixed signals! You like me, you don't like me, you like me, you don't like me. It never ends!"
"Helga, I've always liked you, and I'll admit I do enjoy spending time with you, but the point I'm trying to get across is that I don't like you like you..."
Arnold blinked in shock, coming a few steps closer and hiding himself behind the couch, trying to ignore the pangs of guilt he felt for how he was very obviously eavesdropping.
Helga's voice drifted in, sounding very irritated and confused and even a drop of hurt in there that broke his heart, "Well, why not? You liked me before! What changed? What's wrong with me?"
"Oh, Helga, there's nothing wrong with you. I just think you're the wrong girl for me. And as for what changed - My feelings did. You know how these things are, Helga. People change, feelings change..."
"But we only went out for three days! You barely even gave us a chance!"
"Still, it was enough time, Helga, and I'm sorry to say that I really don't like you like that. Please understand. There are plenty of other boys that like you. I saw you and Arnold flirting just a few-"
"Oh, Lyle, forget Arnold a moment," Arnold's heart shattered. "forget Brainy, and Arnie, and anyone else who may be holding a secret torch for me. I... I only... I mean... I really like you a lot, Lyle. You're sweet and kind and thoughtful and-"
"And I don't like you like that, Helga. I can't control how I feel."
"Have you even tried?"
"Helga..."
"What?"
"Helga..."
"Fine, fine, I'm sorry..."
"It's okay. Now what I-"
"And you're so forgiving!" Did she just swoon? Arnold's eye twitched a little, and he sunk down lower behind the couch.
"Helga, listen, I think you're sweet, funny, talented, and... an all around nice girl." Arnold snorted quietly in bitterness. 'Understatement of the century. You don't deserve her.' "But I just don't like you like that. It's as simple as that. I can't change it, and even if I could, by the way you're acting, I'm not quite sure if I even would."
"...Lyle, I-"
"I'm sorry, Helga. I didn't mean to snap at you. But you're just so frustrating sometimes."
"...I-I-"
"Listen, Helga, I really am sorry about all this. I do hope we can still be friends, though."
"Yeah... friends..."
"Goodnight, Helga." He heard footsteps coming inside and then ascending the stairs again, and luckily since it was so dark he didn't notice Arnold sitting behind the couch.
Arnold stood up when he was sure Lyle was gone, and looked over to see through the glass doors that Helga had her back turned to him. He frowned, walking quietly over to the doors. Once he did, he was almost sure he'd heard her whisper, "Night, Lyle." Arnold slid the door open, which was surprisingly quiet, and stood in the doorway mentally preparing himself. He expected tears, anger, maybe even some of that bitterness he'd unwillingly held in his own heart... but she didn't make a sound. He took a hesitant step forward, and her head turned at the sound of his footsteps. When he saw her face, he noticed that there were no tears or anything on her face, just a slightly bitter disappointment and some sadness. Still, he hated it. He offered a sad smile, and she just gave him a slightly fearful look for a second before she laughed quietly to herself, bitterly. "You hear all that?"
Arnold nodded slightly, walking the remainder of the way over to her and setting a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "I'm sorry..."
Helga just sighed, shaking her head. "Don't be. If anything, I'm the one who should be sorry. I used you to make Lyle jealous." She frowned deeply. "What kind of a person am I?" She walked away from him then and sat down on one of the plush white chairs with a slight huff, taking care not to look at him.
Arnold just sighed lightly to himself before walking over to sit down next to her, rubbing her back gently. "You're a confused person with a good heart." He smiled.
Helga blinked in shock, looking over at him with wide eyes. "What?"
Arnold blinked, before smiling again and repeating, "You're confused, but have a good heart."
Helga narrowed her eyebrow down in utter bewilderment, looking at him strangely. "Why are you still here?" He'd just found out that she'd been using him the whole time, and yet he was still here. What was wrong with him?
Arnold couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Well, I'm here trying to make you feel better over some jerk who-..." He caught himself, blushing and giving her a shameful look. "I'm sorry... I just meant, that I don't think he deserved you, anyway." He looked down at his hands in his lap.
Helga raised one side of her eyebrow, asking half-jokingly, half-seriously, "Are you trying to say that you think YOU deserve me?"
Arnold snorted slightly, laughing. "Of course not." He blushed, looking over at her again with a kind smile. "But then again, I don't think anyone really deserves you, to be honest."
Helga looked away, feeling a slight blush coming to her cheeks. "Heh, heh, thanks, I guess..."
Arnold smiled warmly at her. "You're welcome."
After a few moments of silence, Helga glanced at him somewhat hesitantly, licking her lips. "So you're not mad at me for using you?"
Arnold sighed, looking back down at his lap. "I'm not mad... just sad." He rubbed his arm.
Helga sighed this time, much more loudly than he had. "I'm sorry. I only proposed the whole 'girlfriend for a week' thing because someone dared me to be your girlfriend for a week, and originally I'd said no, but then she started talking about how it would make Lyle jealous and how if I didn't accept I'd lose my position as Queen of Pranks and..." She groaned, falling back onto the long chair. "I'm sorry I suck so much. You probably hate me now."
Arnold shook his head at her, adjusting himself so he could look down at her. "It's not that simple, Helga."
Helga blinked, looking over at him with one side of her eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?"
Arnold sighed, laying back down on the long chair beside her, and folding his arms behind his head as he gazed up at the stars. "I've been IN LOVE with you since preschool... that's SEVEN years, Helga." He looked over at her with as serious expression. "Seven years of TRYING to stop, TRYING to get over it, and every single time..." He lost his train of thought when she shifted over to laying on he side to look at him better, her head a bit closer to his than it had been before. He stared with his mouth slightly agape. Helga just sighed, snapping her fingers in front of his face. Arnold blinked a few times, coming back to reality. He chuckled in realization that he'd just drifted off into his daydreams again. He smiled at her with half-lidded eyes. "I just can't." He stroked her hair back lovingly.
Helga allowed him to do so, though there was a hint of uneasiness in her eyes, she tried to ignore her instincts at batting his hand away. He was just being affectionate, and after seven years of unrequited love, she figured he deserved a break for once. Though she hated to admit it, she did kind of like that he loved her so much. It proved she was actually worth caring about. It proved her parents wrong, and that made her feel really good. And so, she just allowed him to stroke her hair back gently, and looking at her with that caring, green gaze. Helga sighed lightly at his expression and actions, her eyes shifting down. "I'm sorry."
He blinked, finally ceasing in stroking her hair back and giving her a questioning look. "What for now?"
"For putting you through all this unrequited love stuff. If it really is worse than just getting dumped by your crush, then I can only imagine how painful that must be for you."
Arnold smiled softly at her, beginning to stroke her hair back once again. "You really don't have to apologize, Helga. You've been doing that enough tonight."
She sighed, rolling her eyes a little to herself. "Yeah, I'm sorry." She hit her forehead with the palm of her hand, shaking her head. "I'm just sleepy," She explained, letting her hand drop from her face, "and being too tired sometimes makes me overly sappy."
Arnold chuckled, turning over on his own side to look at her. "Well, I kind of like it. It's cute." He blushed, glancing away.
Helga stared at him, blinking her eyes in amazement. "You really do love me, don't you?"
Arnold snapped his light green eyes to her, raising a very incredulous eyebrow at her. "At this point, you're really going to ask me that?"
Helga chuckled, rolling back over on her back, a hand behind her head as her other hand scratched her stomach. "Well, I don't know. I know I always said that you loved me and everything, it's just that it... it never really seemed REAL. I mean, why would anyone really fall for me? It's not like I have anything really great to offer. I mean, Brainy likes me, but I honestly don't think he's really in love or anything. I'm pretty sure that's just a crush, but I don't know. And then there's your cousin, Arnie. That was DEFINITELY just a crush-"
"Arnie is not my cousin anymore." Arnold interjected firmly, a large frown on his face.
Helga laughed, remembering back when Arnie had confessed that he loved her and then started dragging her all over the place on "dates", despite her horrific answer of "NO WAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Arnold had been supremely jealous and angry on the whole thing, especially since Arnie KNEW that he was in love with her. Helga could only imagine the horrible things they must have done to each other when Arnie got home. Two boys who liked the same girl being under the same roof could definitely not be a good thing.
Getting back on track, though, Helga looked over at him with an amused shake of her head. "Yeah, that whole experience was horrible for BOTH of us, trust me." She winked, giggling slightly. "But as I was saying, I'm pretty sure he just had a crush on me, 'cause he got over it pretty quickly it seemed. But you," She looked at him strangely, yet with some awe mixed in there. "you really do seem to love me."
Arnold smiled warmly, wanting so badly to hold her right then, though he managed to hold himself back. "Well, of course I do. You're sweet, and kind, and caring, and funny, and witty, and talented, and passionate, and beautiful, and..." He sighed dreamily. "You're perfect." He murmured dreamily, scooting closer to her unconsciously.
Helga, a massive blush on her cheeks, laughed a little in nervousness and embarrassment. "I'm not perfect, Arnold. I've got flaws, you know. And a LOT of them, too."
Arnold laughed softly, the lovesickness still glowing in his eyes as he gazed at her. "I know that, Helga. But your flaws only help to make you even more charming." He scooted closer to her.
Helga gulped, realizing how close he was getting, and scooted herself away from him. She laughed nervously. "Heh, heh, heh... I've never heard it put quite like that before."
Arnold sighed softly, scooting closer and humming in the back of his throat. "You know, Helga..." He played with some of her hair absent-mindedly, twirling it around his fingers as he gazed at her. "I never did understand what you saw in Lyle. He's nice, I guess, but..." He sniffed her hair, sighing blissfully. "What shampoo do you use?" He asked in a very dazed sounding voice, completely forgetting about what he was talking about.
Helga eyed him uncomfortably, twitching at how close he was and how he kept smelling her hair. 'I wonder if he knows how creepy he is sometimes...' "Uh... I can't remember the name. It's some fruity smelling junk." She shrugged. "But I like Lyle because he's honest, and kind, and very thoughtful, and handsome, and sweet, and-"
"Helga..." Arnold moaned sadly, his green eyes looking almost gray.
Helga blinked, coming out of her daydreams. She smiled apologetically at him, patting his cheek quick to try and comfort him. "Sorry. But don't worry. It's not like anything can come of it anyway." She sighed sadly, before groaning slightly in frustration, and narrowing her unibrow up at the sky. "I just don't understand why he doesn't like me. He used to. What did I do wrong?" She looked over at Arnold.
Arnold could see in her eyes that she was seeking some kind of security and understanding, and the fact that she was asking him for it made his heart swell. He smiled at her with soft eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong, Helga. It's not your fault he can't see what a wonderful person you are." He sighed softly again, his eyes going half-lidded and his heart pounding at all his thoughts of Helga.
Helga noticed the look in his eyes, and frowned lightly, snapping her fingers again. "No, Arnold, stay with me here."
He blinked, his eyes going wide. He blushed darkly, glancing away. "I'm sorry..."
Helga eyed him, before shaking her head with an amused, half-smile. "You know, you daydream an awful lot."
Arnold shrugged, the blush not completely gone from his face. "I-I know. I can't help it." He looked at her, his eyes going half-lidded again in that dreamy gaze. "You have that effect on me."
Helga quirked her mouth to one side, seeing how he was lost again. "I see." She smacked his cheek with the palm of her hand, causing him to yelp slightly and give her a questioning look, rubbing his cheek. She laughed at his reaction, smirking at him. "But can you keep your large head out of the clouds long enough to make me feel a little better here? You didn't just get dumped by the person you thought you were destined for." She giggled.
Arnold looked her over, still rubbing the cheek she'd just hit. "You don't seem all that sad to me..." His hand dropped from his cheek, a small frown now crossing his face. "And in a way, I did just get dumped by the person I love." He caught himself about to sigh miserably, and blinked, forcing a smile to come to his face as he looked at her. This wasn't about him. She mattered a lot more, and the last thing he wanted from her was pity... "But really, do you think you'll be okay?" A genuinely concerned look came to his face.
Helga couldn't help but stare at him, realizing he was right. She'd just been rejected (AGAIN) by a guy she'd had a crush on for only about four months... and HE'D just gotten the girl he'd been in love with for seven years to give him a chance finally and be his girlfriend, find out he was being used and the whole thing was just a joke, and have his heart broken all in the same day... And to think she was complaining... and yet he was still more concerned about HER. She gaped at him slightly. Since WHEN was anyone this nice? "I'll be fine, Arnold." She heard herself say, and blinked in surprise at her automatic answer. She paused a moment, realizing that that was right... She really did feel like she'd be okay. Lyle was just a crush. She didn't want a crush. She wanted love. Despite seeing that painful tint to the boy's green eyes, she could also see this strange happiness jutting around in there too. Love definitely seemed more appealing to her. She sat up, her elbow supporting her as she pointed a firm finger at him. "But you won't be will you?"
Arnold blinked in surprise, giving her a questioning look. "Helga, I don't-"
"Tell me you're okay with us breaking up." She narrowed her eyes at him, the finger still in his face.
Arnold gaped at her, stammering for a way out of this conversation, "H-Helga, I - I mean, i-it's okay, really. I'll... I'll..." His eyes darted around. He didn't want to talk about this. He didn't want to burden her with his problems when she had her own, much more important ones.
Helga frowned, her finger finally falling from his face. "You see? You can't even say it."
Arnold was about to stammer another excuse, but he stopped himself and sighed, looking up at her in exasperation. "Please, Helga, I don't want you to worry about me. I'll deal with it, you don't-"
Helga put a finger to his mouth, silencing him, as a small smile fell across her face. "And that's exactly why I'm not going to break up with you."
Arnold's eyes widened, as he stared at her unblinking in incomprehension. Had he heard her right? "You're what?" He asked quietly.
Helga smirked at him, sitting up all the way and crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not going to break up with you. Our deal is still on. Only this time instead of one measly little week, how does a month sound? The week will just be a formality, you know, so I don't lose the bet and lose my rightful role as Queen of Pranks. So you've got one month, and we can do all the usual boyfriend/girlfriend stuff. Go on dates, spend lots of time together, and bla bla bla. But I will need my space, because you can get a little weird if I stay around you too long. So if I say I need to go, don't question me. And at the end of the month, if I like you enough to want to keep spending time with you, we'll continue dating. How does that sound, huh?"
Arnold stared at her. His jaw had dropped somewhere during her proposition, and he'd pinched himself in the middle of all that to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Thankfully, he wasn't, though he guessed he should've known that already, otherwise they would have gotten to the making out a LONG time ago. But his brain had all but shut down, and he couldn't feel his lungs responding, so he guessed he must have stopped breathing. The silence was deafening, but he just couldn't find his voice. So he did the only thing he could think to do.
He sat up next to her slowly, staring at her a moment longer before he flew forward and wrapped his arms around her happily, hugging her with all his might.
Helga gasped in surprise when he hugged her, before a smile came to her face at the sound of him-... What was that sound? Did he just SWOON? She couldn't help the roll of chuckles that bubbled up from her chest, hugging him back.
Arnold tightened his grip on her briefly, before he pulled back and grinned at her, giving her a huge kiss on the cheek. "Oh, thank you, Helga! I promise you won't regret it!" A thought occured to him then, and he shifted in her loose arms to look down at his watch, seeing how late it was. "Oh no." He looked up at her in concern. "We should really go to bed, Helga." He stood up, walking over to the sliding glass doors, waiting for her.
Helga, a blush on her cheeks from him so unexpectedly kissing her (Which was strange, since she rarely ever blushed), stood up from the chair and wandered over to him. But before she could reach to open the door, Arnold opened it up for her and gestured her to go inside with a smile. Her blush got stronger, and she walked inside, hearing his footsteps following after.
This had been a very interesting day for both kids, and as Arnold kissed her hand sweetly and then wandered back into his room, Helga couldn't help but think she'd made the right choice in still giving him a chance.
Only time would tell if she was right.
A/N: SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD! This only reached about 9,000 words! D: I wanted it to be another 12,000, but I felt like this was the perfect spot to end this chapter. So I had to! DX
Oh well. 9,000 words is still a pretty amazingly long of a chapter for me to write, so I guess I shouldn't complain. I got the next chapter up! Yay! :D
Also, I'd like to comment real quick on how the first chapter recieved 17 reviews... :O Wow. You people really like this! Oh, huzzah! Please, if you liked this chapter also, please repeat your previous actions and...
REVIEW!