Thank you for all of the nice reviews and for everyone who has read it. For everyone that has stuck by so far, you are greatly appreciated =) here's chapter 4! Hope you all like!
Disclaimer: if I did own Hey Arnold, I wouldn't be here writing fan fiction, I'd be out there writing real episodes for the next season! ;)
"The Meeting"
"Arnold, I'm telling you man. For the fifth time, that red polo shirt looks fine with those blue jeans! Besides, why are you so worried about your looks any way. Its just us and Phoebe… oh yeah.. and Helga." Gerald sat on the edge of Arnolds bed, watching his best friend go through shirt after shirt, searching for the one that looked the best.
"I know, I just want to…look…more adult like. We are graduating in like two weeks right? Better start acting now." Arnold avoided eye contact with Gerald. If he did, he was afraid he might start blushing. Then he'd make Arnold tell him the real reason he wanted to dress nice.
"Arnold man, listen. You're like the most adult like, responsible, grown up person I know."
"Thanks Gerald. Do what do you think? Red is good? Maybe I should have kept the black." Arnold began digging through is pile of other shirts.
"Yes, its fine! Why are you so worried? Did you invite someone and not tell me?" Gerald asked curiously.
"I already told you. I'm just.. trying a new look. I want to look more… sophisticated." Arnold looked at himself in the long mirror by his bed.
"Whatever you say buddy."
Maybe I can talk to her, he thought.
Maybe I can get her to talk to me and tell me why she so mad all the time. Why she's been only so mean to me over all these years.
Maybe…"Yo! Earth to Arnold? You ok man? You've been starin' at yourself in the mirror for like five minutes. I've been calling your name, talking to you. You been eaten ya grandma's cookin' a lot?" Gerald smiled as he joked with Arnold, hoping it would ease him up.
"No." Arnold laughed at his friend.
"I just want to…look…nice." He straightened his collar in the mirror, hoping he looked good for…the evening.
"Yea, I heard that already." Gerald chuckled.
"So what movie are we gona see?"
"Attack of the Space Moles!" Gerald wiggled his fingers to make the title sound scarier than it was.
"Gerald, you know Phoebe doesn't like scary movies." Arnold turned to him with a smirk.
"I know. I'm hoping she gets so scared, so she can hold on to me. Then I can put her arm around her." He nodded his head with a smile.
"How long have you guys been dating now? And you're just now putting your arm around her?" Arnold asked curiously.
"I'm takin' it slow! Phoebe's nice, and I want her to think I'm a gentleman."
"But Gerald, you're not—."
"Hey, I'm tryin' !" Gerald through a pillow at Arnold playfully.
"I know. You seem to be getting a lot more serious since you and Phoebe got together. But I'm happy for you Gerald. Even if it's only been three months." Arnold joked back anticipating another his way.
"Yeah, well. She just has something other girls don't. Too bad you couldn't say the same for Lila hey man?"
"Gerald, I already told you. Lila and I were better off just being friends." He chuckled.
"Besides. She's more into, the 'bad boy' type and… that's not me. We just didn't click that way." He shrugged his shoulders as he began picking up his left over shirts and putting them away in his dresser drawer.
"So what's your type?"
"I don't know." He laughed.
"Just a girl, who's nice, smart, likes to have fun, pretty, someone I can talk to. Like a friend." Arnold's mind started to drift.
"I guess that rules out Helga Pataki huh?" Gerald laughed out loud, waiting for his friend's laugh in reply.
"Um, I said, I guess that rules out Helga Pataki?" he suggested again.
Arnold thought before he answered the question.
"Yeah," he coughed up a fake laugh.
"I guess it does." Arnold didn't know what to think when it came to Helga. One minute she was mean. The next she could be nice.
When no one's looking, he thought. Still, something about her was off. And tonight, he was going to find out what it was.
"Well Gerald, you ready? They should be here soon. Its almost 8:30." Arnold grabbed his light blue sweater and slid it over his giant head, making the red collar on his shirt stick out from over the top of his sweater.
"Yeah. Let's go." Gerald grabbed his red and white Letterman jacket with the big white letter 'H' on it, over his shoulder as he followed Arnold out of his bedroom. They ran down the attic steps like always, down the boardinghouse stairs and out the front door.
"Have fun kids!" called Grandpa Phil to the boys on their way out.
"We will!" was the response from both kids as the door shut behind them with a slam.
Arnold and Gerald took their usual seats on the front stoop, as they waited for their classmates.
"Where are they?" Arnold asked nervously, looking down at his watch for the third time in thirty seconds.
"Relax buddy. You know women? Always late." He laughed.
"Yeah. Right." Arnold chuckled hesitantly. Arnold's pulse began to quicken.
What am I gona say to her? He asked himself.
But before he had time to practice his speech over in his head, two shadows emerged from the darkness up the sidewalk and into the light. Arnold watched Gerald's jaw drop at the sight of his lovely Phoebe. She was dressed in a light lavender cotton dress, perhaps made of t-shirt material. The short sleeves cut off right over her shoulders, and flowed all the way to her knees. Coincidently, she matched Gerald, as he too wore a long sleeve, purple, buttoned down shirt (though his purple was more of a dark plum.) and black jeans.
"Phoebe, babe, you look beautiful!" Gerald welcomed her over with a hug.
"Why, thank you Gerald. May I say you look handsome yourself. So do you Arnold."
"Thank you Phoebe, you look nice too."
"What do you think Helga? Doesn't Arnold look nice?" Phoebe hinted to Helga who was standing right behind Arnold, hoping she would hold her composure.
Arnold turned to look at Helga, and could feel his heart rate double in speed. As he stared at her under the streetlamp, Helga seemed to glow. Her black jeans flowed all the way to the tip of her black boots. The heel on her boots only made her a half an inch taller than Arnold, as he was pretty much the same size as her now. Her crimson tank top fit her curves perfectly. And her thin black over shirt seemed to put the final touches on her out fit, along with her big bushel of blonde hair pushed back into a neat ponytail. Was that…make-up? A soft shiny pink color covered her lips, and a light mascara hugged her eyes. Arnold was lost for words.
"Uh..H-H-…"
"Spit it out foo-, I mean, is there something wrong, Arnold?" Helga asked nicely for a change.
"N-n-no. Not at all. You look…great." The young woman standing before him was not the same girl he grew up. He glanced up in to her crystal blue eyes for two seconds, as she noticed her face seemed to light up at his compliment.
"Thanks f-, Arnold. You look very…sophisticated." His heart leapt at that word, as he heard Gerald chuckle. He turned back to give him a look of an 'I told you so' smile.
"Well are we ready? Lets go." Gerald announced as he took Phoebe by the hand and walked down the sidewalk. Arnold began to follow when Helga stopped him.
"Arnold, wait!" she called after him. He turned instantly.
"Yes?" his butterflies multiplying by the second.
"Aren't you going to escort a lady to a movie?" she asked with a slight attitude, and a smirk on her face. She held out her arm, in what appeared to be hopes he would take it.
Just do it. Take her by the arm and walk her down the sidewalk. You can do this.
This clearly was not the same Helga from the mall earlier that day. Or maybe she was just in a good mood…
"Ok." Arnold replied with a corner of a smile, as he held out his arm for her to latch on too. As Helga linked her arm with his, he swore he could hear his own heart beat it, it was pounding so hard. They walked silently up the sidewalk until they met up with Gerald and Phoebe. Arnold didn't say a word as he was too nervous to ruin the moment.
I don't know why I'm so nervous anyway. Its just Helga…But it wasn't just Helga. Something in her eyes, told him there was more to her than he thought.
9