Helga rolled over and groaned.
"Baby sister, wake up!"
Helga sat up on her bed and rubbed her eyes, then looked at Olga.
"Daddy called me on my cell phone. He says he wants to meet us down on Richton Street. I just called a cab, it'll be here in about fifteen minutes. Grab something to eat and get dressed." Olga smiled as she sat on the bed and touched Helga's arm. "And... Baby Sister, I'm sorry for how I acted last night. I was just stressed. I was in the wrong, not you, and I hope you can forgive me." Olga held her arms open for a hug.
"Yeah, forgiven." Helga ignored her as she got out of bed and walked to her closet. Her sister sighed before leaving the room and closing the door gently behind her. Helga yawned as she changed from her pajamas into her usual pink dress, pulled on a clean pair of socks and stepped into her shoes. 'Richton Street? Isn't that where all the sort-of-rich people live?' Helga grabbed her brush off of the dresser and yanked it through her hair. She winced at each tangle, but couldn't care less when she was finished. Helga walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. She opened the door of the fridge saw her reflection on an empty piture stare dully back at her. Mom's death was tragic, don't you understand that? You didn't even cry at the funeral, but now when everyone's trying to cheer up, all you do is sit around and feel sorry for yourself. Helga closed the fridge door. You should be ashamed. Olga's words lingered in her head like the sting on her cheek after she'd been slapped. She lost her appetite, even while her head felt dizzy and her stomach growled loudly.
BeeBeeeep! A car honked outside. "Helga, the cab's here!" Olga grabbed her purse and opened the door. Helga left the kitchen and walked outside to the taxi, Olga locked the door and followed.
"Where to?" The hairy man in the driver's seat put out his cigarette and grabbed the steering wheel.
"Richton Street!" Olga's voice rang.
"Okay." The car started and Olga began a conversation with the driver about what her college experience was like, while the driver explained how he dropped out of high school and never made it to college. Helga just stared out the window and watched her neighborhood go by. The streets were practicly empty, since all the kids were still at school. They passed by Gerald's Feild, where everyone still played baseball. She recognised Rhonda's house as it went by as well. Then they passed Chez Paris, where she had her first date with Arnold. Helga looked over to Olga and the driver, who were too into their conversation to notice her, and then pulled out her locket and stared at the picture. "Oh, Arnold," she whispered, "Do you remember that night, around four years ago? I do. That night we had shared feelings, shared them! You saw a hidden side, why can't you realise it was mine? Was it because you thought I was Ceciel? But I wasn't really someone else, it was still me! It was still my voice, my words, I had meant everything I said! Did we not agree that the best presents can be inside the plainest of boxes? Yet, you still fall for the pretty wrapping paper outside. Why can't you see that I'm the one you should be with? That the wrapping is just paper and a box is just a box, but it's what's inside that really counts? Will you ever find out the real me? Will you ever-"
"Richton Street. That'll be thirty-seven forty-two, Ma'am."
Olga reached in her purse and pulled out two twenties. "Keep the change!" Helga tucked her locket back into her dress and the sisters stepped out of the taxi into a quaint, happy little neighborhood.
"Thanks! And, hey, good luck with college!" The driver yelled.
Olga waved and the taxi drove off. "He was really nice. Oh, I see Daddy! Daddy!" She called and ran to him. Helga groaned and walked after her.
They met him on the sidewalk in front of a row of houses. "I bet you two are wondering why I called you here. Well, to tell the truth, I was wondering what you thought of this blue place, right here." Bob turned to the house behind him and proudly put his hands on his hips. "Isn't it perfect? Just perfect."
Helga's face turned pale.
"Oh, Daddy, it's gorgeous! Are you going to buy it?" Olga clapped her hands and hugged her dad.
"Maybe. I want to see what the inside looks like first, you know, make sure I get my money's worth. The price is kind of high, but the owner's said that they'd haggle. I'm going to try to weasel them, uh, bargain with them for a lower price."
"But, Bob, what about school and my friends?" Helga worried, even though she didn't care a whole lot about school and Pheobe was her only real friend.
He put a hand on his youngest daughter's shoulder and tried to sound sympathetic. "Now, relax. You'll spend the rest of the school year at P.S. 118, then go to a different school next year. Don't you have like another month of school left anyways?"
"I don't go to P.S. 118 anymore, Bob, I go to Hillwood Jr. High now. Besides, After this week there's only three days of school left!" Helga sighed in agony.
"Only that long? Sheesh, time goes by fast. Anyways, it'll give you more time to make new friends. Ever since Miriam died, the house just hasn't felt the same. Besides, the place is a dump. We need some new scenery, Olga.'
"I'm Helga, Dad. Helga."
"Whatever, Olga. We need change. Change is good, it'll be good for us. Okay?"
She just looked down at the ground. It was obvious she couldn't win.
"Daddy," her older sister called from the house and was looking inside the window, "How can you afford this house? Did you get a raise or something?"
"Glad you asked!" Bob walked away from Helga and walked up to Olga. "The president of Movie-Electrics heard about our misfortune and decided to collaborate with Big Bob's Beepers! We're working on a new type of cell phone; it's supposed to be able to record video and audio twice as long and with twice the quality of a normal phone, or something like that. We haven't worked out all the features yet. Now," Bob dangled a couple of keys and unlocked the front door, "Let's check out the inside of this beaut'!" They bothed went inside. Helga grumbled and followed. She heard a hissing noise as she walked up the wooden steps of the porch.
"What in the heck?!" She looked down to see two large brown raccoon eyes through the floor boards. "Aaaaack!" Helga screamed and ran in the house. 'At least it wasn't a rat.' She thought as she closed the door behind her and let out a breath of relief. Then she looked up and studied the rooms in front of her. Right now she was in a hallway and on her left was the laundry room, on her right was the kitchen. Further down the hall were the stairs and the living room. The hallway, living room, and kitchen had nicely polished wood floors and Helga frowned as she remembered running her hand along Miriam's coffin. She shook her head and walked in the living room. The room was noticably bigger than the one at her current house and the wall paper was striped blue. On the otherside of the room a glass door could be opened to the back yard. It looked to be about half the size of Gerald's Field, and twice as green. Helga turned around and went upstairs, where Bob and Olga were.
"Look at this! The bathroom is a little bit smaller than ours, but there's a guest bedroom AND an office with it on this floor! The bedrooms are upstairs if you want to see them."
"Can I help you decorate the guest room, Daddy?" Olga smiled cutely and bashed her eyelids.
"Sure, Olga. In fact, you can decorate the whole thing if you like."
"Oh, thank you so much!" She kissed him on the cheek and Bob started talking about what he wanted for his office. Helga just walked across the hall and up the next flight of stairs, and noted the third floor. First, she looked in the room on her left. It was pretty big and connected to a small bathroom.
"This must be the master bedroom." Helga thought out loud. Then she walked out, passed the stairs to the attic, and into the other bedroom. The window was large and had a huge tree right next to it. Helga turned around and looked at the walls, which were decorated with wallpaper. Red, with pink roses printed on them. "Yeck." Helga sneered, then walked to the closet. She slid opened the door and looked inside. Just a regular closet. "I don't want to move, especially not to this prissy neighborhood." Helga looked around and listened carefully for Bob and Olga. Still down stairs. "Perfect." She pulled out the locket from her dress once again. "Arnold? How will I survive without you?" She turned to face the wall and sat down. "You were always there for me. Even when I ridaculed you and called your names like Football Head and Hair Boy, when I questioned your plays, and even when I tortured you to no end, you still cared. And now, so far away, how will I be able to see you? When things get hectic? When Bob forgets my name and ignores me, when it feels like no one cares? When I just want to get away from home, who will I talk to?" Helga sighed deeply.
"Rough home life too?"
Helga jumped about a foot in the air. She put her locket in her dress and turned around, scowling. "Crimeny! Why the heck did you sneak up on me like that?! I oughtta deck you for that." She looked at the boy in front of her. He was boots that went up to about mid-calf, his pants were black with thin white strips going down and a chain on one side. He had a black t-shirt on it with a creepy looking guy on the front. His hair was spiked up and dyed bright green. "How'd you get in here?! And who are you supposed to be, The King of Shadows with over-grown grass for hair?"
He smiled and took a step closer. "Fiesty, are we? That's good. Nice to know my new neighbor isn't some perfect froo-froo. What's with the pink and the bow, though?"
"What's with the black?" Helga snapped.
"Touche. As for your questions, I climbed up the tree and in the window. I didn't mean to sneak up on you, I just have that quality about me." His boyish smile turned into a mischievous grin. "As for who I am, you'll have to find that out later."
Helga crossed her arms and needed to ask one more question. "How much did you hear?"
King Grass Head over here copied Helga by crossing his own arms."Of what you said? I came in at 'When Bob forgets my name?' Is Bob you're step dad or something?"
She uncrossed arms and put her hands on her hips. "None of your business, so beat it!"
"Girl, are you still in here?! It's time to go!"
The older boy in front of her looked out the door, then started walking backwards towards the window. "So, Helga's your name, huh? Not a name I'd choose, but okay. I guess I must be going." He stepped out onto a large limb on the tree, but before he was completely gone, he turned back to the girl in the pink dress. "Well, Helga, you're very pretty." He gave a smile. "I hope you get to move in." Then he slid down on to a lower branch and was out of sight, leaving Helga standing alone with her mouth open.
'Me? Pretty?' She thought.
"Come on, let's get moving!" Bob's rough voice demanded.
Helga shook her head before stomping out of the room and down the stairs. As soon she got out the front door (cautious of the raccoon that might still be under the porch) she went straight to the back seat of the car and closed the door. She watched Bob lock the door, then put the keys under a flower-print welcome mat. Then he and Olga walked back to the car.
"Well, what do you think? Olga's only going to be here for a few more days, so she'll help us move and then go back to finish college, but Helga, I need you as a full time worker. And when we start living here, you better keep it clean. Three stories, a front and back lawn, an attic and a basement, what do you think? There's enough room in that house you can finally get that dog or cat you've been wanting." Bob buckled his seat belt.
Olga sat down in the passanger's seat and buckled her own belt too.
"Dad, I don't even like animals." Helga groaned and slid down in her seat as Bob started the car.
"Whatever. What do you think of the house?" He started the car.
Helga sat up again. "It's terrible! I don't know any of the buses around here and it's almost a fourty dollar cab ride to back home! How do you expect me to visit my friends? And the neighbors are weird!"
"I thought you didn't have any friends. Oh, well, you can walk or call them or something. Now, pipe down young lady, I say we're buying this house. It's good for us!"
"You mean it's good for you! Just because you don't have any friends, doesn't mean that I don't! I want to stay at our real house!"
Bob's face started turning red. "You better watch your mouth, I do to I have friends! I have plenty of friends! I've got..." He scratched his head. "Well, there's..."
Helga glared at him in the rearview mirror.
"Well, you don't have a choice! We're moving and that's FINAL. Do you hear me? Final!"
"Daddy," Olga's voice was full of worry, "You're so tense and stressed out! How about when we get home, I make a lemon pie and play some piano while Helga starts on the packing." She reached over and put a hand on her dad's shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah, that's a wonderful idea! I am feeling a little overwhelmed with everything that's been going on and you're lemon pies are the best! How about you play the Minute Waltz. Olga, you a wonderful daughter. But you, Helga, I'm less than proud with you."
"Of course you aren't, Dad, I'm just not perfect enough for you, am I?" She whispered and stared out the window for the rest of the way home.
HILLWOOD JR. HIGH
Arnold was sitting practicly alone in the lunchroom as he waited for Lila. Sheena had given him a note third period, and Arnold read it over again.
Dearest Arnold,
I'm afraid we need to talk. Meet me at lunch, at the table next to the water fountain.
Lila
'What's the matter? We've only been officially boyfriend and girlfriend for...' Arnold thought as he checked his watch. '3 days, 17 hours, and 26 minutes. What could I possibley have done in that time? Did I not call her enough? Did I call her too much? Was it something I said?' He gulped loudly. 'Did she find someone else?'
"Arnold!" Lila interupted his thoughts. "You're here early. Don't tell me you skipped just to see little ol' me?"
"Oh, no! My class was let out early today. So, um... I got the note. What's going on? Is it my fault? I'm sorry! I mean..."
"Let me explain. I got a call from Rhonda yesterday. It might be only a rumor or something, but she said she saw you walking with Helga. And... well, maybe Rhonda just saw wrong, but she said... she said... oh, Arnold, I like you ever so much, tell me it isn't true!" Lila's eyes were watering and she looked so sad, Arnold wanted to reach out and hug her, and tell her everything was okay, but he didn't know what to do.
"Tell you what isn't true? What did Rhonda say?"
Lila sat down next to Arnold. She took a deep breath and continued. "She said that Helga hugged you and she said she saw... she thought she saw... she said it looked like you two... you... k-i-s-s-e-d." She stared down at her feet.
"Wha- what... no! That never happened! That would never happen!" 'Though it has...' Arnold mentally slapped himself. "I mean, I was walking her home and we did talk, and she did hug me..." Lila looked up at him, close to crying. Arnold glanced around the lunch room, then leaned down to whisper so no one else would hear, "Her mother died and her family... I was walking her home from the funeral. She hugged me, but that was it."
Lila wiped her tears and smiled. "Really? Promise?"
"Promise."
"I'm ever so glad! But... why would Rhonda lie to me?"
He smiled and put his arms around her. "Well, I didn't see her at the time she said she saw me, so, maybe she was just far away and was at a bad angle?"
"Maybe, but right now, I don't care! I'm just happy that she was wrong." Lila squeezed him back and leaned her head on his chest, but her smile turned into a frown. "What happened to Olga's mom? I wonder if she's okay."
Arnold twisted his face. "Olga? You mean Helga's older sister?"
"Yeah. We were friends for a while, but then she had to go back to Bennington College. I think she should be graduating soon, but that's not the point. Olga seemed to be a lot closer to her family than Helga. From what she told me, Helga pretty much stays away from everyone. So... how did her mom die?"
Arnold sighed. Right now, he wanted to be holding Lila's hand and walking in the park, or listening to her funny jokes, anything but talk about Helga and her family. "Um, I don't know all the details, but look, here come Gerald and Sid! Hey, Gerald!"
"Hey, Arnold. Hey Lila. I saw you guys together and got you some fries. I would've gotten more, but the lunch lady said giving more than one lunch to one person 'wasn't fair'." Gerald sat next Lila and Sid sat across from Gerald. Arnold had to shift under Lila to grab the fries.
"Not fair? Not fair?" Sid raised his voice. "Harold get's two lunches all the time!"
Arnold swollowed a mouthful of fries. "Yeah, but I think he pays extra."
"He didn't pay extra for the bag of chips he stole from me last week." Sid grumbled and took a bite out of his greasy cheese burger.
"Eckhem."
"Oh, sorry Lila! Do you want to go outside and talk or something?"
Lila sighed. "No, that's okay. I need to talk to Rhonda and tell her she was wrong. I'l see you later Arnold!" She kissed him on the cheek and skipped out of the lunchroom. Arnold touched where Lila kissed him and sighed a little too loud.
Sid leaned over to Gerald and put a hand around his mouth. "Are they going out or something?"
"No, Sid, they're just good friends." Gerald rolled his eyes sarcasticly.
"Aha, ahahaha!" Harnold took the food from Arnold. "Ha, ha, I got your fries! Ahahaha!" He ran off and plowed into Eugene.
"I'm okay!"
"Arnold! Are you just going to let that Harold take your food everyday?!" Gerald swollowed his own bite of burger.
Arnold's eyes were half closed and he sighed, still watching Lila as she giggled with Rhonda and Nadine. "Huh? I'm too in love to care." A goofy smirk spread across his face.
"Hey Gerald?"
"Yeah, Sid?"
"I don't think they're just good friends."
Gerald groaned and slapped himself in the face.
SUNSET ARMS
"Hey, Grandpa, I'm home!" Arnold put his backpack down in the kitchen and looked in the fridge for a snack.
"Hey, Short Man, how was school today?" He folded his newspaper and put it down.
Arnold pulled out the milk and poured himself a glass, then grabbed some cookies and put them on a plate. "Scary, Grandpa. Lila thought I cheated on her, but I didn't. I told her the truth and we're all okay now. She's so perfect, Grandpa. I think I love her." He set the milk and cookies on the table and grabbed himself a seat.
"Perfect, you say? Well, that's terrible!"
Arnold choked on his bite of chocolate chip cookie. He coughed a few times until his throat was clear. "Terrible? Why?"
"Because, Arnold, don't know ever watch the movies?! Perfect girls aren't really perfect! They're vicious man eaters! She'll draw you in close and rip your heart out! She'll tear it into a million pieces! Don't fall for her trap, Arnold, don't fall for it for a second! Or, she's just a really nice girl. You should invite her for dinner sometime, that would be great. Unless Grandma makes watermelon again." Grandpa and Arnold groaned at the same time.
"Thanks, Grandpa, but no thanks. I don't think she'd like having dinner here."
"And why not?" Grandma walked in the kitchen and took one of Arnold's cookies. "What's the matter, is she too perfect for our weird little home? Her charm and sophistication can't handle a little craziness?"
"No, Pookie, he's talking about your cooking. Speaking of which, what's for dinner tonight?"
"What should it matter, you're going to eat it anyways."
"Oh, Pookie, come on! I just want to know!"
Arnold finished off his milk and took a few more cookies. "I'm going to my room. I'll be down for dinner."
"You be sure to Arnold. And don't forget to invite your girlfriend over for dinner sometime!" Grandma turned and smacked Grandpa in the head.
"What was that for?!"
"What's wrong with my cooking, huh? Are you wishing you married a better cook all of a sudden?"
"Oh, no, Pookie, you know you're the only gal for me, I love you!"
"Aw, weeell, I love you too." Arnold saw his Grandparents kiss out of the corner of his eye before he ran up stairs to his room. He jumped on his bed and stared at the clear blue sky through the window on his roof.
'They sure are crazy, but they're crazy about eachother.' Arnold closed his eyes. 'I wonder if I'll end up with someone like that.'
-
Author's Note: Hm. Sorry this took so long. I've been writing a lot of Helga's view, and even though it technically is her story, I want to get more of the other characters in. I'm thinking the next chapter will mainly have the new guy's view. I'm having a hard time thinking of a name for him though. Suggestions? After that I want to get more Gerald and Arnold in, and more Lila, without neglecting Helga. Scripting, scripting... Oh, I've only recently been catching up on the episodes, but I haven't watched all of them yet so I miiiiight write in things that don't agree with an episode in the show. If it's something important like when I miss-spelt Phoebe, then tell me. If you can move around it though, just... do that... I guess. I can't believe how well this is doing! Thanks! (Need... name... suggestions)
-TS
