Chapter 2: This Is All New To Me
The next day, Helga woke up anxious to know what her first day in an open relationship would be like. She was in too big a hurry to care that her mom as usual, forgot to go shopping, so she could make her lunch.
Helga made it out the door and to the bus stop corner, to see Phoebe waiting for her. When Helga made it to her, Phoebe asked, "Did you and Arnold work things out, Helga?" Helga blushed, as she said to Phoebe, "Yeah, I have a feeling things are going to be fine now."
It was then that Arnold and Gerald approached the corner. Arnold hadn't told Gerald about his night with Helga yet. When they reached the corner, Gerald took Phoebe's hand to lead her onto the bus, as Arnold stood by Helga. He could see she was nervous as he reached for her hand, but she kept her promise. The two of them then entered the bus together.
Helga felt her body shaking, as well as her skin turning pale, while every kid on the bus stared at her and Arnold holding hands. Gerald (while sitting with Phoebe) said, "Mmm, mmm, mmm…. I never thought I'd see the day!" Phoebe just smiled, as Helga tried to smile back at her.
She and Arnold took a seat near the front. Helga felt a huge burden of relief had been lifted, just by sitting down, and given the excuse to let go of each other's hands. Arnold saw the tension in her shoulders and asked, "Is everything okay?"
Helga sighed and said, "This is all new to me football head; I mean you saw the way they were looking at us?! We've been touchy feely in public before, but it's always ended with me yelling at you! Now they know something's up."
Arnold put his hand on her shoulder, as they heard Harold begin to sing, "Helga and Arnold sittin' in a tree!"
As Arnold noticed Helga raising her fist and rising from her seat, he said, "Let me take care of this."
Helga crouched down in the seat, hating she had someone to fight her battles for her, as Arnold went over to approach Harold. "Harold," Arnold began "was that really necessary? We're not in grade school anymore, and Helga and I are happy together. Therefore, we'd appreciate it if you'd mind your own business."
Harold was too embarrassed to respond, as Arnold headed back to the front of the bus. Gerald told Phoebe Arnold had said yesterday he was going to take care of things. He didn't expect this to be the outcome however. Although Phoebe was happy for Helga, she was a bit shocked herself, knowing what a hard time Helga had letting go of her reputation.
Arnold made it back to the seat to see Helga with her arms crossed, staring out the window. He put his arm around her and said, "I promise, everything will be okay." Helga set her hand in his lap, and began to massage his leg, after not being able to respond.
The bus finally made it to H.S. 118. Although they were sitting near the front, Arnold could see Helga wanted to wait to get off. Everyone passed by them as if nothing new had happened. When they were the last two remaining, Helga got up, and once again, let Arnold hold her hand. They weren't just holding hands on the bus now. They were in front of the entire school. She went from shaking while feeling light headed to hearing her heart pound with sweat falling down her face.
Arnold walked with a smile on his face. He had never been the insecure type, or one to hold a grudge against someone. Therefore, this type of behavior did not come across as strange for him. As Helga walked with him, she felt emotionally naked. For the past few years, she had implied she no longer hated Arnold. She never did anything to confirm she had feelings for him however. Now here they were, walking hand in hand, all secrets revealed.
They finally made it inside, and Helga had never been so relieved at the idea of going to class before. Although no one in the hall paid them any special attention, holding Arnold's hand all the way to class made her feel as vulnerable as she felt the night before.
When Arnold continued to notice how uncomfortable Helga was, he let her go. She ran into her poetry class, too nervous to tell him goodbye. Arnold sighed, as he left for his English class, hoping the rest of the day would go better.
While sitting in her poetry class, Helga felt all sorts of mixed feelings. She felt vulnerable for giving up her reputation. First on the bus, then in front of the entire school. She felt angry for giving into the idea of doing it. Most of all, she felt guilty. Guilty for acting ashamed to be seen with Arnold. Hard as she tried, she couldn't reach deep down inside and find her feminine side. The side that would love to be given flowers, taken to dinner, or have a guy show any type of romantic gesture towards her in public.
As Arnold walked to English, he passed Gerald in the hallway. "Well Arnold, that was quite a scenario you and Helga set up for everyone on the bus this morning!" Gerald said.
"Yeah, but I don't think she was too comfortable with it." Arnold said regrettably.
"I thought you were going to set things straight between the two of you?" Gerald said confusingly.
"I did, and we both agreed we want to be together. She's still having a difficult time showing it, though. I guess sitting next to me, letting me talk to Harold for her, and holding my hand as long as she did was a huge step for her though." Arnold admitted.
"One step at a time I guess. You'll be taking plenty of them with her." said Gerald.
In Helga's poetry class, her teacher had chosen their first writing assignment. They were to pick one quality they would like to change about themselves, and write a poem about it. Helga already knew what needed to be changed about herself. Was she brave enough to write about it however?
Once class was over, everyone headed for the cafeteria. Arnold and Gerald met were in the hall, talking about how happy they were that neither of their teachers had assigned them homework. When they made it to the cafeteria, Arnold saw Helga sitting alone. Gerald knew Arnold wanted to sit with her, after hearing about their plans to act like a real couple.
"Go for it buddy." Gerald encouraged him.
"Thanks Gerald." Arnold said, as the two did their secret handshake.
Gerald saw Phoebe standing in the lunchline, and went to talk to her, while Arnold approached Helga.
Helga was working on her poem when Arnold came up to the table. "Mind if I sit with you?" Arnold said from behind her. Helga jumped, not expecting anyone to approach her, while working on her poem. When she saw it was Arnold, she quickly put it away, as she responded, "Sure footbaa… I mean, sure."
Arnold laughed and smiled at the effort she was putting into making things work. "So how have your classes been?" Arnold asked curiously.
"Not too bad. I've got to write some poem that's due at the end of the week. Aside from that, nothing big. What about you? How's class with that Amanda girl?" asked Helga, trying to keep calm.
Arnold gave a surprising look, as he asked, "How do you know who's in my class?".
Helga's heart stopped; she realized Arnold hadn't seen her spying on the two of them. "Oh, just a guess. After all, this is a huge school, there's got to be at least a few girls with that name, am I right?" she asked nervously.
Arnold laid his hand on hers, smiled and said, "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"
Helga was trapped. Arnold now knew about her stalking him, all she could do was admit to listening to his conversation with Amanda. It was so embarrassing to her, but what could she do? He wanted an honest, open relationship.
"Alright," Helga sighed, "when I saw her talking to you, I hid behind that trash can to listen to your conversation with Lila II".
There was an awkward silence. Helga thought Arnold was judging her, but he had just noticed a sheet of paper sticking out of her backpack.
As he grabbed it, Helga snarled, "Hey, who said…" but stopped herself before she could finish.
Incapable of sharing feelings.
Not showing signs of emotional healings
Vivacios; that's not me
Unable to open up emotionally
Less Likely to Lose Control
Not willing to show my inner soul.
Eager to be on top on things.
Restless over-bearings.
Always has to have first say.
Best when things go my way.
Lose is not in my vocabulary.
Everyone's defeat is my victory.
"Is this about what happened last night?" Arnold asked. Helga took back the paper, frustrated as she explained, "We are supposed to write a poem about one characteristic we would change about ourselves. I think we figured out last night, I don't give into things easily."
Arnold looked into her shameful eyes as he said, "Although your insecurities need some attention, I believe your dominant behavior is one of your most admirable qualities."
Helga looked at Arnold confused, based on what happened the previous night.
"I love how brave you are, I just wish the idea of being in a relationship didn't make you think any less of yourself." said Arnold.
Helga nodded as Arnold set his hand on hers. Before she could say anything, the bell rang. Arnold kissed her, not caring how insecure it may have made her feel. "I'll meet you outside after school," he said.
Gerald and Phoebe had been watching the two of them from across the room. "I never thought I'd see the day, Helga G. Pataki let Arnold take charge of things." Gerald said, shaking his head at the situation. "I believe the purpose of Helga's new behavior isn't to give up power, but rather to possess a better understanding of what it means to be in a relationship." Phoebe explained.
When the two of them saw Arnold leave the table, Gerald went to catch up with Arnold. "Smooth move, Arnold," Gerald complimented him. "Thanks, I think she's starting to open up more to me," said Arnold. "What makes you so sure?" Gerald asked suspiciously. Arnold then began to tell Gerald about the poem Helga had written, and knew he would have no choice but to tell him about the night before.
"Gerald, I got Helga to open up to me, but it wasn't easy." Arnold said softly. "Let me guess, you decided to give her a taste of her own medicine, and threatened 'her' with old betsy!" Gerald said jokingly.
"Well, you're not 'entirely' wrong…" Arnold said staring at the floor, as Gerald lifted an eyebrow.
"You see, I invited her back to my house to talk about our feelings for each other. When she wasn't able to answer my question about how she felt about me, she started kissing me."
"Well, there's your answer I guess, buddy." said Gerald.
"There's more. When it looked like she wanted to be intimate, I pulled off her shirt. Her insecurities took over as usual though; she yelled at me for touching her." sighed Arnold.
"And that surprises you?" said Gerald questionably.
"I was sick of the act she was putting on, so I sort of tied her up and made her talk to me. She wasn't too happy with me, but I finally got her to be honest about how she feels about me." Arnold said, trying to look on the bright side.
"And all it took was tying her up?" Gerald said sarcastically.
"She felt pretty vulnerable, which is understandable. I admit I might have taken things too far, but how else was I supposed to get her to talk to me? Every time she notices herself opening up, she's too afraid to risk any sign of weakness." Arnold said feeling conflicted.
"What do you mean by, 'you took things too far'? Gerald asked, ignoring Arnold's conflicted emotions.
"Well, since she started to get undressed before I tied her up, I decided to keep going after tying her up. Until finally… we did it." Arnold gulped.
Gerald's jaw dropped.
"Mmm, mmm, mmm. Arnold, last night when you two were getting all 'touchy feely' did you stop to say to yourself… 'Okay, I'm going to walk the earth for the rest of my life saying I lost my virginity to Helga G. Pataki.'?" Gerald asked anxiously.
Arnold rolled his eyes, knowing he was the only one from their grade school class who would ever see the sensitive side of Helga.
Back in the cafeteria, Helga sat there a moment blushing after Arnold had kissed her. Although no one in the cafeteria seemed to care about what had just happened, she could feel her head spinning. All her life she wanted to be with Arnold, but was it worth feeling this way? Would she eventually like the idea of letting him do things for her, or was she always going to crave feeling as though she was in control of everything.
As she sat there pondering the idea, Phoebe came over. "Hello Helga, how was lunch with Arnold?" Phoebe asked curiously.
"Oh hey Pheebs, let's go to class," Helga said, trying to change the subject.
"It looks as though you two are an official couple now," said Phoebe questionably.
Helga sighed, as she responded, "We said we are, and I really am trying to show it. This vulnerability crap just isn't my thing. I like being in charge. I don't like sharing my feelings. I care what people think of me, but I don't like letting them know it."
"Perhaps you just need to give it some time." Phoebe suggested
Helga spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about her aggressive behavior. What did she have to gain from it? No one in her family noticed her, no matter how she acted. Arnold knew her secrets; she had nothing left to hide. There was no one in particular she was trying to impress, so why did the rest of the school's opinion of her matter?
At the front of her class, Helga saw a couple sitting together. They were talking about the special evening they had planned together, not caring about who heard them. Then the girl dropped her pencil on the floor. Before she could bend down to reach it, her boyfriend picked it up for her and said, "Let me go sharpen this for you."
Helga sat thinking about how she would never let Arnold do something like that for her. She would never do anything to make herself appear helpless. Then she realized, that was probably how she had made Arnold feel, even before they were together. She always gave him orders, yelled at him for doing nice things, and waved off any chance she had to get closer with him.
When the bell rang, Helga met Phoebe at their lockers. Phoebe saw the puzzled look on Helga's face and said, "I can see you're not enjoying this calm personality the relationship has forced you into. If you're not happy, maybe it just wasn't meant to be." Helga looked at Phoebe and said, "Not happy? What are you talking about? I've never been happier in my life!" Helga said nervously.
Helga then walked outside to wait for Arnold.
Arnold was walking with Gerald on his way out of school. "Well Arnold, enjoy your night with your new girlfriend." Gerald said, still not believing what had happened between the two of them.
"Thanks Gerald, I'm going to take her somewhere fun. We can just act like friends, but at the same time, not be afraid to be seen with each other. Like you said, one step at a time." said Arnold.
"Whatever you say, Arnold." Gerald said, while shaking his head.
The two of them made it outside, as Arnold saw Helga standing by the stairs. He saw her staring at the ground, not noticing him coming over. He grabbed her hand and asked, "Ready to go?" Helga stood there remembering what had happened in class. How her classmate let her boyfriend do those sweet things for her, in front of everyone. Now this was Helga's chance to let Arnold be seen doing something nice for her.
"Uhh sure. Where are we going?" Helga asked, while trying to ignore the fact that Arnold was still holding her hand.
"I thought we could go to the fair! It shouldn't be too busy, since it's a weekday. That is, if you don't have a lot of homework to do?" Arnold asked hopefully. He looked at the nervous look on her face, as she continued to look at the other kids around them.
"Whatever floats your boat footbaa, I mean sounds good." Helga said, not having an easy time breaking her old habits.
"You know Helga, I was thinking on the way to class how hard this must be for you. Like you said, you're not like the other girls. If we love each other, there are just things we'll have to learn to accept about each other. If I want to be with you, I'll learn to get used to you not showing off our relationship in public. Although, I do wish you would let me do things for you." Arnold said understandably.
Helga looked into Arnold's eyes, still holding his hand, as she said, "I guess I could try harder. I mean, it's only been one day."
The two of them passed by Helga's house as Arnold said, "Would you like me to pick you up at five? Or I could come in now, and help with your homework?" Arnold suggested.
Helga held the back of her neck nervously as she said, "I'm sure Miriam's passed out at the counter, and Bob's in front of the tv, so I'll see you here at five."
Arnold smiled as he walked away, while Helga walked inside full of shame. Her predictions about her parents' whereabouts were correct, that not being the cause of her pain.
She once again ruined an opportunity to get closer to Arnold all because of her foolish pride. She laid on her bed thinking to herself...
Is this really how things are going to be? Not wanting him to leave me, but not wanting to be seen with him. All because I'm not willing to show the world I have a soft side?
She pulled out her locket as she said to herself…
"Oh Arnold, you poor creature! Here I finally have you within my grasp, and what do I do? How do I return the feelings which I have so longed to see you feel for me? By lowering myself to the shallow person you know I have proven more than to be! If ever I have a chance to prove my love for you, it's tonight! I shall stand by your side, despite…"
"Helga!" her mom said in a tired tone.
Helga groaned as she responded, "WHAT?!"
"Have you seen the blender I use to make my smoothies with?" her mom asked.
Helga rolled her eyes as she said, "How on earth would I know what you did with it?!" Helga sighed, hearing her mom walk away from the door, hoping things would go well between her and Arnold that night.
On Arnold's way back home, he ran into Gerald. "Well buddy, is your new lady excited about the romantic evening you have planned?" Gerald asked sarcastically.
"I think so. I also told her, I understand she's not the type of girl who cares about romance, so I would try not to push it on her as much." said Arnold.
"You're just now figuring that out about her?" Gerald asked curiously.
"No, I just didn't think she would be that way around someone she had close feelings for." Arnold said defensively.
"So, what are you still doing with her then?" asked Gerald.
"Just because she's not romantic, doesn't mean she doesn't have a sensitive side Gerald. Not all girls are the same. When you think about it, she's done so much to help me over the years…
Helped us save the neighborhood
Won the trip to San Lorenzo
Woke up my Parents
Helped with Gerald Field
Defended Mighty Pete with us
Warned me when Summer tried to use me to win the sand castle competition...
"Okay! Okay! I get it!" Gerald said annoyed at Arnold's response.
The two of them then arrived at the boarding house.
"Well, good luck tonight buddy. Now that you know how fragile she is about this whole situation, you can just take her to the Tunnel of Love if you decide you want out." Gerald said jokingly
Arnold rolled his eyes as the two did their secret handshake.
Arnold opened the door to the boarding house as he walked past the usual stream of pets that poured out passed him. He passed his grandpa reading on the couch in the living room.
"Hey there shortman!" said Phil.
"Hey, grandpa. I think I'm going to take Helga to the fair tonight." said Arnold
"Ooohh the fair! Don't forget to take her to the Tunnel of Love!" exclaimed Phil
"I don't know if that's a good idea. Helga's still not comfortable with the idea of showing off our relationship." Arnold said questionably.
"Oh nonsense! You remember all those stories I told you about your grandma picking on me! It just means she likes you even more!" Phil insisted.
"That's the thing though. Now that she knows I know, she realizes showing off our feelings to people would mean losing her reputation." Arnold pointed out.
"Now you got a problem." Phil said regrettably.
Arnold sighed as he looked at the floor.
"Well Arnold, just give it some time. If she really loves you, she can't act like this forever." Phil insisted.
"Thanks grandpa, I'll be in my room" Arnold said.
Arnold went to put his things in his room. He sat on the couch wondering if Helga would ever feel comfortable opening up to him around other people. Eventually, it became time to go pick her up.
As he walked down the street, Arnold passed Mrs. Vitello's flower shop. For a moment he considered stopping in to buy some flowers. Then he thought about how Helga could barely handle the idea of sitting beside him on the bus. It made him wonder just how casual he was going to have to keep the night if the two of them were going to have a good time together.
Back at Helga's house, she knew Arnold would be there soon to pick her up. She thought about what she had said to Arnold at school, "I guess I could try harder". Although they would be spending the evening at the fair, she wondered if that meant she should try dressing up her appearance a bit. While standing in front of the mirror, trying to find the right makeup to use, she was reminded of how uncharacteristic doing this made her feel at Rhonda's party.
Although she didn't care about dressing up, she had learned over the years girls tend to choose makeup that matches their outfit. That being said, she chose some light pink eyeshadow and lipstick to match her pink tank top. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to do anything unique with her hair. Therefore, she decided to leave it down, while still wearing her signature pink bow.
As she was finishing up, there was a knock at the bathroom door. "Hey, Helga you in there? You're little friend Alfred is here!". Bob exclaimed.
"It's Arnold, dad!" Helga sighed, while still surprised he had remembered her name.
"Yea, Arnold, whatever! Anyway, he's waiting outside for you!" Bob said.
Helga ran downstairs to meet Arnold. When she opened the door, Arnold was not expecting to see Helga looking any different than she had at school. When he saw her with her makeup and hair down, he looked at her for a moment until finally he said, "You look really nice."
Helga blushed as she said, "Thanks Arnoldo." Not caring that she had made fun of his name.
"So, you ready to go?" Arnold asked with his hands in his pockets. Helga stood there a moment, surprised he didn't want to hold her hand. "Yep, I'm ready." she said.
The two of them walked quietly down the street, not knowing what to say to each other. When Arnold didn't want to hold hands, Helga wondered if he was starting to lose interest in her. As she gulped, she reached for his arm. Before she could touch it, Arnold pulled out his hand to point and said, "We're here!".
Helga felt a sigh of relief. She had an excuse not to try anything romantic, until they made it to the ticket booth. She thought to herself, "Oh no. Do I have to let him buy my ticket?". She kept her money in her pocket, waiting for him to buy, until she heard him say to the ticket master, "One please."
After Helga bought her own ticket, Arnold said anxiously, "Let's go ride some rides!". While following him, she thought about what he had said to her back at school, "if we love each other, there are things we'll have to learn to accept about each other." Was he acting this way because he was finally accepting the idea of her not being like the other girls, or would she really have to try harder to keep him around?
On their way to the roller coaster, they passed the Ring Toss game. Arnold wondered if Helga would feel too uncomfortable, if he offered to win her something. Then, he heard her say…
"Bet I could beat you at that Ring Toss game football head!".
"You're on!" Arnold laughed.
The man in charge of the booth gave each of them three rings. As Arnold threw, he tried to win the teddy bear on the top shelf. All he could think about as he threw was what he would do with the prize when he won it. His inability to concentrate caused him to miss every time.
Then it was Helga's turn. She wasn't thinking about winning the prize, but rather following through on her word to beat Arnold. Every time Helga threw, she could sense Arnold watching her, but refused to take her eyes off the game. Finally, she heard "We have a winner!"
The man handed her the teddy bear on the top shelf, as she said, "Told ya I'd win Arnoldo!"
As Helga hugged the bear, Arnold put his arm around her, not thinking about what he was doing. Helga stopped for a moment to think about how this must look to everyone. She again remembered her promise to try harder to make things work between them, therefore decided not to say anything.
Arnold wondered if maybe she just hadn't noticed his arm was around her, but didn't want to ruin the moment. They then decided to keep walking as they were, until they came to the Ferris Wheel.
As they passed it, Arnold pointed out "Hey look the Ferris Wheel! We could go for a ride.. You know, as friends… I mean plenty of guys ride with girls as friends… I mean…"
Helga saw how nervous he was and butted in, "Sheesh Arnoldo, why don't you hold my teddy bear while we're on it, to calm yourself down!"
The two of them waited in line as Arnold noticed Helga getting quiet. She stared at the couples on the ride, looking at each other kissing, holding hands and wrapping their arms around each other.
"Are you okay?" asked Arnold.
Helga turned to look at him as she said, "Just wondering if this lame-o ride goes any faster than it appears to be going."
Finally, a seat was available for them. As they got in, Helga thought it would be a good idea to set her teddy bear in between the two of them. "There, that should give us some space." She thought to herself.
Arnold saw how uncomfortable she looked, wondering if it was a bad idea to come on the ride. Then it began to spin. He saw her hair blow back in the wind, opening up her face that she had touched up for their 'special' night. It was hard to believe someone so beautiful could be so insecure.
Helga saw the smile on Arnold's face, realizing she was ruining the night by carrying what other people thought of them. She then decided to scoot closer to him. As Arnold looked across the park, he felt something on his hand. He looked down to see Helga laying hers on top of his, with a nervous smile on her face. The two of them kept their eyes on each other for the rest of the ride. By the end of it, Helga decided how lucky she was to be there with Arnold, and didn't care who noticed it.
When the two of them left the ride, they were holding hands across the park. Arnold looked at his watch and said, "It's getting kind of late, and the roller coaster is on the other side of the park." Helga smiled as she looked over and said, "There's the Tunnel of Love, we could go on that instead?"
Arnold couldn't believe what he was hearing. The girl who shot spitballs at him in class wanted to ride the most romantic ride in the park with him. He then lead her over to the ride. As Helga held his hand, she felt him shaking from anticipation, and said, "Easy there Arnoldo! Save it for the ride!".
Over at the popcorn stand, Gerald and Phoebe were watching. Gerald shook his head as he said to Phoebe, "Mm, mm, mmm. I don't know what's crazier. Knowing those two are together, or seeing them be that open about it?!"
Phoebe smiled as she said, "It is a bit precarious, but the openness of their situation shows the comfortability forming in it."
Finally, it was Arnold and Helga's turn to ride in a swan boat. Arnold helped Helga into the boat, anxiously following after her. As their boat took them into the tunnel, Arnold couldn't believe how much Helga was opening up to him. While passing the hearts hanging from the ceiling and and the crystal blue waterfall, Arnold put his right arm around Helga, and held her hand with the other.
Helga sat there thinking about when they were kids. When she knew Arnold had feelings for Ruth, she did everything she could to ruin his night at the fair with her. While she succeeded at keeping him from getting close with Ruth, she didn't exactly have the best night herself. It made her wonder how insecure she would have felt if she had ended up riding in the tunnel with Arnold. Would she have been as happy as she was now, or would she have been too embarrassed to let either of them enjoy it?
She thought about the person she used to be. How even though she'd always loved Arnold, she was never able to show it. Now here she was, on the most romantic ride in the park with all their friends knowing about it.
As she realized this, Helga turned to look into Arnold's eyes. He didn't hesitate to kiss her. Neither of them cared at that moment who saw them or what anyone's opinion of their relationship was.
Helga then laid her head on Arnold's shoulder, amazed at the point they had finally reached in their relationship. She had always dreamed of being with Arnold, but never expected it to happen. While she knew she had always had a sensitive side that was fitting for him, she felt he would prefer to be with someone who was willing to show those feelings.
At last the ride ended, and the two of them left the boat, still holding hands. When Arnold saw Helga was no longer uncomfortable showing off their feelings for one another, he asked, "Would you like me to buy you some cotton candy?"
Helga stopped to think about everything she had already let Arnold do for her. They rode rides together, held hands together, kissed in front of the rest of the kids in the tunnel. Would it really be that big of a deal to show a sign of weakness now?
"Uhhh sure Ar-arnold." she said nervously.
As Arnold went to buy their cotton candy, Helga sat down at a table. She looked around, hoping no one would be paying them too much attention. Arnold looked so happy and confident while buying their snacks. Helga looked at him and said to herself...
Oh Arnold, when will I get over myself and show the world on the outside, how you've always made me feel on the inside? When will I put away this shameful cover of arduous, and open up my soul to your presence? If only you could see.."
"Helga?" Arnold interrupted her as he returned with their snacks. Helga jumped as she heard Arnold say her name from behind her. "Arnold! I mean, stop creeping up on me!" she scowled.
"Were you reciting another poem about me?", Arnold couldn't help but ask. Helga blushed as she stared at Arnold, unsure of how to respond. After realizing that was what she had to be doing, he helped her save face by saying, "just kidding."
As the two ate their cotton candy, Sid and Stinky were watching from another table. "Whilikers! Arnold on a date with Helga! What in the heck you think's goin' on there?" asked Stinky.
"Boy howdy! Talk about embarrassing!" Sid responded.
As the two started laughing harder, Arnold and Helga looked over to see them staring in their direction. Arnold rolled his eyes as Helga did her best to ignore them. "Would you feel more comfortable if we just left?" he asked.
Helga glared as she responded, "And let these losers think they've won? Are you kidding?!"
"What do you mean by that?" Arnold asked.
"Arnold, if we have to let losers like them see us together, we can't let them know that they bother us. It shows a sign of weakness!"
Helga stopped as she said this. She finally realized, her reputation wasn't protected by her position, but by her self esteem. People seeing her in a relationship didn't make her any less of a person, and 'her' opinion about it was the only one that mattered.
Arnold smiled as he put his hand on her's and responded, "Whatever you say Helga."
Helga blushed, trying to keep character, as she said, "That's right, whatever I say!"
After the two of them finished eating, they decided to head home. As they walked down the street to Helga's house, Arnold asked Helga, "Are you really comfortable with this?"
"What do you mean, football head?" Helga asked.
"After seeing how uncomfortable you were today, I realized this just may not be your thing. Even if you do have feelings for me, only you can be the one to show them. Maybe you would just be happier as friends?" Arnold said sadly.
Helga stopped walking as her eyes lit up. "Crimeney hairboy! What's it going to take for you to realize, all I've ever wanted is to be with you! Just because I act tough, it doesn't mean I don't care about you!"
At that moment, Gerald and Phoebe walked by across the street. Arnold didn't notice them; he just stood there thinking about what Helga had said to him. When Helga saw them walking by, she pulled Arnold close to kiss him.
"Mmm, mmm, mmmm! This night just gets scarier and scarier!" Gerald said to Phoebe, as she stood there smiling at Arnold and Helga.
"When you think about it, this all makes quite a bit of sense. Studies show at least 50% of relationships forming started out with one distraught figure." Phoebe pointed out.
"You do realize we'll be in their wedding, right?" Gerald said regrettably.
As Helga released Arnold, he noticed Gerald and Phoebe. Gerald giving him a sympathetic look, as Helga didn't appear ashamed at all.
"I don't know if my tough girl attitude will ever change, but I do know my feelings for you never will." Helga said confidently.
Arnold smiled as he took her hand. The two of them continued walking to her house. On the way there, they passed by "Chez Paris."
"I remember our last 'date' there," Arnold said sarcastically.
Helga rolled her eyes as she said, "It's not my fault they've got more than one french restaurant in this part of town! Chez Paris, Chez Pierre, are the names really that different?! Could they not have just accepted the coupon?! Sheesh!"
"I had fun washing dishes with you, though. Telling them the truth about what happened was pretty sophisticated of you." Arnold insisted.
"Oh brother. At least I didn't end up in the restroom gagging my brains out like the first time I went on a date with you there!" Helga said.
Arnold looked at her confused, as he asked, "What are you talking about?"
Helga then realized, she had never told him about pretending to be his pen pal Cecile. She looked away nervously, as she said, "Ohhh wait, that must be someone else I'm thinking of. Hehe.. nevermind!"
Arnold glared at her, as he asked, "I understand if you're never going to be able to put away your bad girl attitude, but the least you can do is be honest with me."
Helga sighed as she responded, "Okay! Fine! Remember when we had to do that stupid Pen Pal thing in fourth grade?!"
"Yeah?" Arnold said.
"I wanted so badly to spend Valentine's day with you, but I just couldn't bring myself to confess my feelings for you. Therefore, I stole your pen pals letter, and asked you to meet me at Chez Paris." Helga said while blushing heavily.
Arnold paused, until finally he said, "Wait! That was you?!"
"Oh come on football head! You said yourself, I looked nothing like her picture! Was it REALLY that hard to figure out who I was?!" Helga exclaimed.
Arnold smiled as he looked down and said, "No, I guess not. You were just the last person I would have expected to want to go on a date with me."
Helga rubbed his hand as she sighed and said, "Yeah, I guess I could understand that."
The two of them crossed the bridge over the park as they saw Madam Blanch's love potion shop. Arnold looked over and said, "I wonder if those things actually work?"
Helga smirked as she said, "What do you think football head?"
"I don't know?" Arnold said curiously.
"Trust me, they're a rip off!" Helga scowled.
"How do you know?" Arnold asked
Helga started thinking about all the other secrets she had shared with Arnold, and realized telling him about this wouldn't be a big deal.
"Well my unrequited love for you when we were kids began to drive me crazy at some point. I then went into that store to ask for a potion that would make me forget about you. Then when I went to ask for the 'spell' to be reversed, I found that cheapskate had just charged me $10.00 for some grape pop!" Helga explained
"Haha, yeah I guess I'd be pretty upset too! Did you get your money back?" Arnold admitted.
"No, I was just happy knowing I got to be in love with you again." Helga admitted.
They continued walking, as they passed by PS 118.
Arnold looked over as he said, "We sure shared a lot of good times there."
"If by good times, you mean crazy memories, then yeah." Helga corrected him
"I'll always remember the baseball games, the class projects, the field trips, even that school play Mr. Simmons made us do." Arnold said.
Helga gulped as he brought up the play.
Arnold said questionably "I forgot which play it was. I just remember I didn't want to be in it. Hamlet? Or Macbeth? Or…"
Helga sighed as she said, "Romeo and Juliet dingus!"
"That's it! Weren't you in it too?" Arnold asked
"Yes hairboy! I was the one who kissed you at the end… doi!" Helga said angrily
Arnold's memory of the play suddenly came back to him. He remembered the long kiss Helga gave him, and how awkward he felt during it. "I guess you were pretty happy when you heard you got the part, huh?" he said jokingly.
Helga rolled her eyes as she explained, "I wasn't GIVEN the part Arnoldo. I sort of, forced the other girls to drop out, so I could have it."
Arnold gave Helga a questioning look, as he asked, "What do you mean you FORCED them?"
"Well Rhonda, Sheena, Phoebe, and Lila were all in line for the part, so I had to find a way to make them drop out one by one, before Simmons would agree to give me the part." Helga explained.
"They all agreed to drop out for you?" Arnold said surprisingly.
"No, dingus! I had to attack them personally." Helga exclaimed.
"How did you do that?" Arnold insisted on knowing.
"Well, Rhonda was a piece of cake. All it took was telling The Queen of Fashion that she would have to wear a monstrous outfit if she was going to play Juliet." Helga laughed.
"Yeah, I can't see her going through with that." Arnold agreed. "What about the other girls?"
"Sheena didn't seem too comfortable with the idea of being in a violent play… as if the sword fights and corpses were real? What an idiot!" Helga explained while she rolled her eyes.
"Well, not everyone's as tough as you are Helga." Arnold smiled.
"Then, I went over to Pheebs' house. I offered to 'help' with her lines." Helga said sarcastically.
"I'm assuming that means you taught her the wrong lines?" Arnold asked.
"I'm not THAT evil hairboy! I just pointed out she would have sooo many lines too learn, and could easily end up blowing it on stage. That it might lead to a case of stage fright and letting down Simmons and the entire class who worked soooo hard on the play." Helga said simply.
"Almost as hard as you did to get her to drop out of the play." Arnold said sarcastically.
"Ohh shut up!" Helga exclaimed.
"So, that just leaves one more girl." Arnold pointed out.
"You mean little Ms. Perfect?" Helga asked as she rolled her eyes.
"She must have been pretty easy to get rid of," said Arnold.
"Are you kidding?! Nothing scared her! Not the outfit, not the scenes, not the lines! Arnold, that's why she's called… little Ms. Perfect!" Helga pointed out.
"So, how did you get rid of her?" Arnold asked anxiously.
Helga sighed as she said, "She wouldn't give me the part if I didn't have a reason for wanting it. Before I could even consider telling her how I felt about you, she guessed I liked you."
"It was sweet of her to give up the part for you," Arnold pointed out. "I'm kind of surprised she never said anything to me about it."
"I threatened to strangle her with my bare hands if she spilled the beans to anyone!" said Helga.
"Well that explains it," Arnold said.
The two walked silently, hand in hand, until Helga finally said, "I took advantage of every opportunity to be near you when we were younger Arnold…
Being in the play
Being on Babe Watch
Winning the trip to San Lorenzo
Helping you save the neighborhood
Pretending to be blind on April Fools Day
Pretending to have amnesia
Helping you….
"Whoa! Wait a minute! What do you mean, 'pretended' to have amnesia?" asked Arnold shockingly.
"What does it sound like it means, football head?!" Helga said annoyingly.
"You mean, after I hit you with the baseball, you never actually lost your memory?" Arnold asked.
"After you took me home, took care of me, did whatever else you did for me, Miriam came in my room the next morning pretending to be mother of the year, and asked how I was feeling. After pretending to care, she told me what had happened to me. I was so happy to have an excuse to spend time with you, that I decided to fake having amnesia."
"Wow!" Arnold exclaimed.
"That is, until I saw how upset you were that you wouldn't be able to go to the game with Gerald. I decided then to let go of the act, and pretended to hit my head against the fountain, to set you free." Helga said sadly.
"You were a pretty good actress," Arnold said sympathetically.
"Not good enough to win you over," Helga pointed out.
"We're together now?" Arnold pointed out, as he looked over at Helga. She smiled thinking about all the information she had shared with him, and was surprised by how open she was learning to be.
As they were almost to Helga's house, they passed the pet shop, 'Pet's Love'. Helga saw Arnold look over and said, "Don't tell me you're thinking about getting another pet to add to that ridiculous collection of your's."
Arnold smiled as he said, "Actually, I was just thinking about that pet parrot I brought to school in fourth grade."
Helga's heart skipped a beat as she heard him bring that up.
"It just flew into my room one day, and kept reciting some bizarre poem that already had my name in it?" Arnold said.
"Oh well, there are all kinds of lunatics in this town. He must have copied it from someone." Helga said as sweat began to form on her face.
"I guess so. Didn't you bring a pet to school that day too?" asked Arnold.
"Me? Don't be ridiculous! Why would you think that?" Helga said nervously.
"I remember the bird was eaten by some strange lizard, as he was finishing up his poem." Arnold said confusingly.
Helga gulped, hoping he wouldn't put two and two together.
"Weren't you standing next to it, when it happened?" Arnold asked.
Helga rolled her eyes as she said, "Fine! It was mine! The bird, the poem, the lizard, everything! You happy now?!"
Arnold looked at her frustration as he asked, "What was it doing in my room?"
"I don't know Arnoldo! Bob picked it up one day, then decided to stick it my room the night I was reciting a poem about you. I woke up the next morning to hear the stupid thing had memorized every line of it!" Helga said angrily as Arnold tried not to laugh.
"As if that wasn't bad enough, I came back to my room to find it had flown out my window when I returned with the chainsaw I had planned to use to destroy it!" Helga said.
"I guess I'd be pretty worried too" Arnold admitted.
"Doi! I chased that thing up and down the streets 'til finally, I saw it fly into your room! I tried hiding out in there, but you took the stupid thing to school with you!" Helga said defensively.
"You hid in my room? How did you do that?" Arnold asked curiously.
"Uhhh… nevermind." Helga said nervously.
Arnold looked over at her nervous expression, waiting for her to confess. The awkward silence made the story even more embarrassing for Helga, until finally, she responded. "That wasn't the first time I had to steal something back from you Arnold. By that point, I had learned how to hide from you in there."
"What else of your's did I have?" asked Arnold
"Oh brother! Remember that book of poems everyone at school thought was pathetic?" Helga asked upsettingly.
"You mean, the little pink book I found on the bus?" Arnold asked, thinking back.
"That's right football head! I wrote them! I waited in your closet, watching you and Gerald run those lame tests. Thinking you could figure out who was behind them. Hairboy suggested getting some ice cream from Slaucen's, but you wouldn't do it. Therefore, I ended up spending the night in your closet!" Helga scowled as Arnold looked at her surprisingly.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It explains why you tore out that last page, before I could finish reading it. I just didn't find it unusual for you to shoot spitballs at me." Arnold pointed out.
"You made it halfway through my name, before I tore out the page. Was it REALLY that hard to figure out who did it? Just like with the parrot. I mean, do you know anyone else whose name rhymes with 'wacky'? Sheesh!" Helga scowled.
"Haha yeah, I guess you're right; so is that everything?" Arnold laughed.
"What do you think?" Helga smirked, as Arnold looked at her, waiting to hear what she had to tell him next.
Helga stayed quiet as the two continued walking down the street, holding hands. Eventually, they passed by 'Gentle Dentistry'. Arnold saw her sigh, as he asked, "Is everything okay?"
Helga turned to looked at him as she said, "I'm guessing you've never had a filling before football head?"
Arnold looked at her random response confusingly as he answered, "No, have you?"
"I had quite a few as a kid," Helga pointed out. "Eventually, that quack dentist suggested I use laughing gas during one of them."
"That doesn't sound so bad." Arnold responded.
"Are you kidding? Do you know what happened?! I started blabbing my feelings for you to everyone in the building!" Helga screamed.
"Oh…" Arnold laughed.
"As if that wasn't bad enough, the stupid dentist didn't even care! He just let me jump out of the chair I was sitting in, to steal the receptionist phone and call you! What kind of medical professional is he?" Helga scowled
"Wait, you called me?" Arnold stopped her.
"That's right hairboy! When I realized what I was doing, I went to your place to steal back the tape from the answering machine." Helga explained
"I'm guessing you got it, because I never heard it?" Arnold insisted.
"Your lunatic grandmother played it, then told you I was Helen of Troy trying to sell you a passion fruit drink." Helga explained as she rolled her eyes.
"I think I remember that. Wasn't Gerald with me?" Arnold asked.
"Him and what turned out to be the rest of our idiot classmates after I finally got my hands on the tape! I fell through your wall in front of you. Everyone just stared as I walked out!" Helga reminded him.
"Oh wait, I remember now! That was when we were discussing our plans for buying the new go cart!" Arnold jumped as his memory of it all came back to him.
"Guess your money went towards buying a new roof instead, huh football head?" Helga smirked.
Arnold smiled at her as the two continued walking. As embarrassed as Helga was, she couldn't believe how accepting Arnold had been to it all.
The negativity
The schemes
The crazy obsessions
They then past another familiar building. "Look at that tall building," Arnold pointed out.
Helga glanced out of the corner of her eye, as she said, "What about it?"
"I just find them fascinating." Arnold admitted.
"Maybe you should take a trip inside, sounds like you could use one," Helga said sarcastically.
"What do you mean by that?" Arnold asked, having no idea what she was referring to.
"Read the sign dingus; Hillwood Medical Center." Helga scowled.
"Have you ever had therapy Helga?" Arnold asked after reading the sign.
"Me? Are you kidding? Why would a confident person like me, need some psychopath to tell me how I should feel?" Helga lied, as she hoped Arnold would drop the subject.
"Everyone needs help with something Helga. They may not need someone to talk to about it, but nobody's perfect." Arnold gave her a sorry look, hoping to reach her.
"Well, I might have stopped in there once or twice, just to humor myself." Helga admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.
"What do you mean, humor yourself?" Arnold asked interestingly.
"You remember when that stupid psychiatrist decided to visit our school in 4th grade?" Helga sighed.
"Yeah" Arnold responded as he continued to listen.
"Well, I was the one that nosey lady couldn't take her eyes off of the entire day. She insisted by shooting spitballs at you, staring at you, and calling you football head, I would be the perfect candidate for her stupid practice. Then, decided to close the deal when she saw me sock Brainey." Helga explained aggravatedly.
"So, I was what you talked about the entire time?" Arnold asked.
"She wanted to, but I found ways to change the topic. I'm just that good." Helga said confidently.
"Whatever you say Helga. So how did you change the topic?" Arnold asked, hoping he hadn't gone too far.
Helga rolled her eyes, as she responded, "I just told her how angry my family makes me. That may have been a mistake, because she couldn't seem to let that go either ! 'I want to try to get to the root of the matter; uncover any secrets you may be hiding' Oh brother!" Helga told him, as she remembered.
"Well, that is what they do; help people find the cause of their emotional troubles, and eventually a solution to them." Arnold pointed out.
"Oh for crying out loud! I didn't need HER to know the solution to my problem would be just to tell you how I felt." Helga looked down as she added. "That I've felt this way about you from the first moment I saw you at Urban Tots Preschool."
"So why didn't you just tell me then?" Arnold asked.
"I thought we settled this last night? I wasn't ready to say it, and when I was, you weren't ready to hear it." Helga reminded him angrily.
"You're right, and that's one of my deepest regrets." Arnold said sadly.
"Why is that, Arnoldo?" Helga asked.
"Because if I had been, we could have been together, that much sooner." Arnold smiled.
As Helga looked up at Arnold, he let go of her hand to put his arm around her. The two of them felt closer than ever. Finally, they made it to Helga's house.
"Well, this is it I guess." Helga said sadly.
Arnold looked up at her and said, "Unless you'd like me to come in and hear some of those poems you wrote about me?" he laughed, while hoping she'd say yes.
Helga gave him a glare as she said, "Watch it football head. Just because we're closer now, doesn't mean I can't still sock you!"
Arnold stepped closer as Helga nervously went on to say, "But you never know, you might get lucky one day."
Arnold kissed her in front of the other people walking down the street; Helga not caring about who saw them. "I'm already the luckiest guy in the world!" Arnold said happily.
Helga blushed heavily, as she said, "Well, doi! You're with the best girl in the world!"
"Whatever you say Helga." Arnold laughed as he waved and walked away.
As Arnold walked away, Helga stepped inside. She pulled out her locket as she leaned against the front door and said to herself…
"Oh Arnold, my love! Finally, my lifelong feelings for you are being shared. Yet, while I draw closer to you, I cannot bare to part with my everyday hostile behavior. If only there was some way to prove my outward behavior in no way justifies I haven't always cared. When will I be able to put aside my…
"What's going on in there?!" Bob interrupted.
"Uhhh nothing dad." Helga said nervously.
"Well pipe down, I'm watching the wheel!" Bob exclaimed.
Helga groaned as she walked upstairs, thinking about the lack of appreciation that was shown for her in her own home.
As Arnold was walking down the street, he heard Rhonda and Nadine laughing as they were looking at Rhonda's phone. "Heyyy Arnold!" Rhonda said, anxiously. He turned around to see Rhonda holding a picture of him kissing Helga in the Tunnel of Love.
His face turned bright red, as he asked, "Where did you get that?!"
"Oh Arnold, don't be so embarrassed; after all, you wanted a more open relationship with her." Rhonda pointed out.
While knowing it was true, the last thing he wanted was to make Helga uncomfortable. He knew if that picture ended up going public, it would humiliate her.
"How did you even get that picture?" he asked angrily.
"Remember how when we were in fourth grade, Rhonda made Harold ride the Tunnel of Love with her? Well the two of them were right beh…. OW!"
Rhonda smacked Nadine before she could pass out anymore information.
"Let's just say, I have my ways." Rhonda said proudy.
Arnold rolled his eyes as he stopped to think for a second "If you and Harold were behind us, that means he knows too. Which means, Stinky and Sid were probably laughing about that at us when they saw us at the snack table, which means…"
"Yep, it won't be long before this picture is circling H.S. 118!" Rhonda said proudly.
"What are you so worried about Arnold? I thought you were the one trying to convince Helga to open up more around other people?" Nadine asked confusingly.
"Not like this! She can barely hold hands with me in front of other people. How do you think THIS will make her feel?!" Arnold shouted
"If anything, we're doing you a favor. You want her to be open, and she's never going to be this open on her own. You've waited years to see it from her. Trust me, you'll thank us later." Rhonda insisted.
"Thank you for what? Publicly humiliating us?" Arnold glared at her.
"Maybe we 'should' let them do this their own way Rhonda? What do 'we' have to gain from it? Nadine pointed out.
"News flash! As the coolest girl in school, it's my job to stay on top of what really matters, Fashion, Romance, and Gossip!" Rhonda shouted.
Arnold rolled his eyes as he responded, "This isn't grade school. I don't know what makes you think you're still the coolest kid, or why any of that stuff still matters?"
"Well, if it doesn't matter, I have no reason to feel guilty about spreading the word." Rhonda argued, as Arnold walked off, knowing he would never reach her.
As he approached the boarding house, he saw Big Patty buying a popsicle from the Jolly Olly man. "I asked for a Mr. Fudgey, this is an Ice Cream Sandwich?" Patty pointed out.
"My records don't indicate that." The Jolly Olly man said sarcastically. Patty pulled him close and said, "Give me what I asked for, or I'll give you what you're asking for!"
The Jolly Olly man switched her treats as he said, "Fine! Take it! Some girls are just lunatics!" As Patty turned around, she saw Arnold, "Oh, Hey Arnold."
"Hey Patty, what happened there?" Arnold asked.
"That jerk wouldn't give me the ice cream I wanted, so I threatened to knock his teeth out if he didn't." Patty explained.
Arnold stood there for a second and thought about how different Patty was from Rhonda. Rhonda was all about Fashion, gossip, and cared about other people's opinions of her. Patty dressed casually, wasn't too social, and made sure to make herself happy.
"Oh, well, I'm glad you got your ice cream" he said. "Yeah, see you around Arnold." Patty said.
Finally, Arnold made it home. Arnold saw his grandma in the kitchen, pretending her flyswatter to kill a fly was another jungle adventure to kill a man eating tiger. As he looked at her, he thought about the similar stories his grandpa had told him of their childhood together. It made him wonder how long it took her to open up to Phil.
Back at Helga's house, she laid on her bed, thinking about the wonderful night she had opening up to Arnold. Although she had fantasized about someday being with him, she never in her wildest dreams, imagined being able to reveal the secrets she had revealed about their childhood the past two days.
She pulled out a journal from her nightstand as she began to write..
Oh Arnold, what care and loyalty you have shown to me
As I hide my tender soul, you are still able to see
Tomorrow shall be the day my love will not go astray
Your hand will guide me through the halls, and I will not away
As Helga sighed with relief, her phone beeped; it was Arnold. She anxiously put away her journal, as if he was there to read it.
"Hey Helga, I really enjoyed hanging out with you tonight!" Arnold texted.
A smile covered her face, as she knew the only thing still standing in the way of them was her foolish pride.
"I had a pretty good time myself" She texted, holding back the insulting nicknames.
After reading her response, Arnold fell back on his bed and sighed, wondering if the right thing to do would be to tell her what happened, or just let them both see for themselves how bad the word had spread at school the next day. "What do I do?" He said to himself.
As he began to type, "I have something to tell you," he stopped to think about the kiss. For a moment he forgot about the threatening picture that was taken of it, and just thought about how much he enjoyed her warm touch. Along with the comfortability they both showed with each other in the ride together.
As Arnold was thinking about this, he received another text. "I really enjoyed that kiss in the Tunnel of Love."
Helga was shaking after she sent the text, "Crimeney! I can't believe I just did that! What am I, some type of slut?"
She waiting anxiously for his response, hoping she hadn't scared him off.
Arnold looked at the text and thought to himself, She's finally opening up to me! I can't ruin things now! I have to know how she's going to feel tomorrow though?
"I bet I enjoyed it even more!" Arnold responded. When Helga read this she fell back on her pillow with a lovesick grin. Maybe this sensitivity crap won't be so bad? She thought to herself. Before her thought could go any further, she received another text from him.
"It's too bad we don't have a picture of it, huh?"
Helga's heart froze, but her mind scattered. What IF there had been a picture? That would mean actual evidence of my sensitive side. I did promise to try harder, but am I ready to take a chance like that? What if it fell into the wrong hands? Thankfully, I've nothing to worry about…
"Yea, it's too bad I guess." Helga said, with a sigh of relief, as Arnold read the text, wandering if she was serious.
"What if there was a picture?" Arnold asked, while rubbing the back of his neck.
Helga lifted a part of her eyebrow eyebrow, wondering why it mattered to him.
"I don't know? Why do you even care, football head?" she asked aggravatedly
Arnold sighed, thinking to himself, she's going to hate me for this!
Helga realized she was getting worked up, and texted back before Arnold could respond…
"I suppose as long as no one else saw it, it would be a nice thing for us to have… but just us!" she said.
Well at least she's okay with the idea of there being a picture, Arnold thought to himself while looking on the bright side.
"Yeah, I understand. Well, I guess I'll let you get some sleep now. See you tomorrow." Arnold texted
"Night football head."
Helga slipped into her pajamas wondering why Arnold cared so much about having a picture of what had happened. It made her start to feel she wasn't moving fast enough as far as opening up her sensitive side went.
What's wrong with me! Here I have Arnold showing the love and care I've always dreamed he would for me, but I just can't let go of my dark side! Why is it so important to me? Who cares what anyone else thinks of us? Why would I care that everyone in school saw me in a relationship with who just happens to be the hottest guy in school? Why do I torment us both with what appears to be 'hostile sensitivity'? That does it! Tomorrow I am marching up to him, and doing every gooey romantic gesture a couple does, no matter what!
As Arnold changed into his pajamas, he thought about the different personality traits he had seen when he ran into both Rhonda and Patty on his way home. He thought about how not all girls have the same interests and qualities, which made him think about Helga. Although she was happy to stand up for herself like Patty, she still cared what others thought of her like Rhonda.
After remembering how infuriated he was with Rhonda for sending the news of their Tunnel of Love ride, it made Arnold wonder if he should feel just as guilty. Was he testing the strength of Helga's insecurities by simply letting her find out the news for herself? He wanted Helga to be honest with him about everything, now here he was, keeping a terrible secret from her.
It was too late to change things. All they could do was try to get some sleep and pray the next day wouldn't be as judgmental as Rhonda made him believe it would be.