Chapter 4: Just Give It Some Thought
Arnold was approaching the end of the hallway, just as the girls were listening to Gerald's suggestion. Without feeling she had the time to explain things to Phoebe, Helga grabbed Gerald and scowled "Fine Geraldo! Let's move it! See ya Pheebs."
Arnold made it to the cafeteria doors to see Phoebe standing outside with a concerned look. "Is everything alright Phoebe?.
Phoebe looked at her friend and replied "Gerald felt as though he would be the right person for Helga to discuss her current dilemma with."
Arnold didn't know how to break the news to Phoebe without telling her what was going on. While Phoebe loved being there for Helga in her time of need (no matter how demanding she may be), Arnold knew Gerald wasn't one to care about Helga's problems. If anything, he encouraged Arnold not to waste his time feeling sorry for that girl when something uncanny happened.
Although Gerald said it was about Phoebe, Arnold couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with the locket. Doing this for Gerald rather than Helga, the blonde boy turned to his quiet friend and suggested "Since they seem to be busy, you want to eat together?"
Phoebe smiled at the offer and replied "That would be delightful Arnold!"
Cafeteria
While Arnold and Phoebe were standing quietly in the lunch line, Phoebe couldn't help but notice her friend dragging Gerald to the furthest away table.
"Look, I know you and football head are as tight as me and Pheebs, so what's it gonna take for you to keep your big mouth shut?" Helga scowled.
Although she was pointing an angry finger at him with a vexed look across her face, Gerald sat back and asked "Well for you thing, why are you still calling him football head?"
Helga lowered her finger as she stared at the calm boy with his arms crossed who said "I think those words you let slip in the hall made it clear he's more to you than that."
Lunch Line
As they were approaching the end of the line, Arnold saw Phoebe staring at her friend. Even from a far distance, she could see the wide eyed facial expression and sweat forming on her face. Helga was a brave person. The only thing that made her weak was anyone other than Phoebe finding out about her most intimate guarded secret.
"Did you want this Phoebe?"
The petite girl's attention was taken away from her friend's dilemma to see Arnold offering her the last of the tapioca.
A smile then formed on the sweet girl's face as she replied "That's very kind of you to offer. I'm certain you should take it however." The last thing on her mind was her stomach.
Helga's Table
"So what if I was shouting his name? It's a free country. I can say whatever the heck I want!" Helga insisted outrageously.
Flashback
Restroom
Earlier that day, after finding out the raged girl's secret, Gerald made a stop to the restroom before class. He looked at himself in the mirror and said…
"Helga? Helga G. Pataki in love with my man? Not that this won't be fun to drag out, but that girl's been bullying him for years! In what world does this make sense?!"
Gerald then turned to hear someone exiting one of the stalls. He didn't know how well this would go when Arnold hadn't even heard the news.
He then saw it was Eugene with a smile on his face. "Hello Gerald! Ready for class!"
Knowing Eugene wasn't one to gossip, Gerald began to rub his neck and sighed "I guess so. There's this girl I found out likes someone, but we would never have expected it."
Eugene kept a smile on his face and replied "Don't worry, people in love treat each other differently all the time. My parents used to act crazy! I guess their genes were passed down to me….WHOA! The clumsy boy screamed after tripping on a paper towel.
"I'm okay."
End of Flashback
Cafeteria
"If you're really that soft though, why not act that way around him?" Gerald suggested as Helga began to blush.
While their dilemma was going on, Arnold noticed Phoebe still unable to take her eyes off Helga. "Don't worry Phoebe. I'm sure you'll like your surprise."
The Asian girl turned to meet Arnold's eyes after hearing this. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean Arnold?"
Arnold wondered if he had said too much already, but Phoebe had appeared concerned ever since they entered the cafeteria.
"Well, Gerald said he needed to talk to Helga about you. I'm guessing that means she has something planned for you, since you and Gerald like each other so much." Arnold shrugged his shoulders.
Helga shared everything with Phoebe. Even if it was a surprise for her, why would Gerald act as though he cared? Then again, Helga was the one who yanked Phoebe aside for lunch, without giving her a chance to decide what her plans for that afternoon were.
Helga's Table
"I'm just saying, give it some thought. My man isn't one to judge people." Gerald insisted, after trying to encourage Helga to confront him about her feelings.
Even if he wasn't on board with caring about Helga's feelings, that didn't mean it would be an easy thing for him to hide from Arnold. Now every time Helga bumped into him, sprayed him at the fountain, or acted rude for no reason, Gerald would have to toss it over his shoulder if she didn't confess. He was Arnold's best friend, meaning they had no secrets from each other. Something about spilling Helga's personal feelings when she wasn't ready just didn't seem right...even if she DID deserve it.
