PART 4:
THE CLEANSING
While Charlotte decided to end her sister's marriage, Arnold was running as fast as his legs would carry him toward Mighty Pete.
After an eternity, he finally arrived. He stood below the treehouse, holding onto the bottom board of the makeshift ladder, trying to catch his breath. Sobs drifted to his ears, floating down from the structure above him. He smiled.
She's here! he thought, relieved. Thank goodness I found her.
Once he got his second wind, Arnold took one more deep breath, held it, released. He had never been so scared or excited in his young life. He checked to assure himself he still had the object he had brought from his room, then began climbing. Toward the treehouse. Toward Helga.
Helga sat in the corner of the treehouse, knees drawn to her chin, face in her hands, softly crying. It was over. Her secret was out, her love knew about her feelings for him. For the first time in her life, Helga G. Pataki had no idea what to do next. She couldn't think, her brain was too busy flashing 'ARNOLD KNOWS!' in bright neon letters 20 feet high. The one thing that was both her greatest fear AND her fondest wish had finally come true. Arnold knew. That knowledge filled Helga not with joy, but dread. It sat in her belly like a stone.
What do I do now? she asked herself. I can't face him again. I can't face ANY of them again. I can't believe this happened just because Angelica was looking for toys! WHAT DO I DO NOW?
"Helga?" a voice called softly from the doorway. Helga snapped out of her thoughts and raised her head. She moaned when she saw the boy standing there.
"Go away, Arnold." she pleaded. "PLEASE go away!" Arnold shook his head.
"I'm not leaving, Helga." he told her. "I think we need to talk." She moaned again, and fresh tears spilled from her eyes.
"No we don't!" she cried, trying desperately to summon her anger to take care of this. But apparently her fury had gone on vacation without notifying her, leaving only fear and worry. "We don't have to talk about this, we don't even have to THINK about it! Just forget this whole day, okay Arnold? You never met my cousin, you never spoke to her, and we were never here. Just turn around and go home Arnold. Please?" He shook his head again, a determined look on his young face.
"No, Helga." he said, entering the treehouse. "Like it or not, your secret is out. Nothing you can do will change that. We can go about this one of two ways. Either you can sit up here crying all day and feeling sorry for yourself, or we can sit down and talk it out." She looked at him with wide eyes.
"Talk it out?" she whispered. "What is there to talk about? I love you, I have since we were little kids, but you don't even LIKE me! That's all there is to it." He shook his head a third time, and came closer to her. She scooted further into the corner, looking petrified.
"Don't come any closer, Arnold! We can talk if you want, just PLEASE stay there!" she begged. "It already hurts to SEE you after what happened, but if you were any closer to me . . . " She shook her own head, turning toward the corner and away from him.
Arnold stopped where he was, feeling extremely helpless. Everything he did seemed to cause her pain. Her shoulders trembled, she was either crying again, or very scared. Arnold had an idea it might have been a little of both.
His mind worked frantically. Suddenly an idea flashed. He sat down, legs crossed. He pulled the object he had brought from his room out of his pocket, and placed it on the floor in front of him. It was a little pink book. The same little pink book he and Gerald had found on the bus that day, all those months ago.
"'H is for the head I'd like to punt,'" he recited from memory. "'E is for every time I see the little runt. L is my longing for our firstest kiss.'" He stopped because that was when Helga had come running up and torn the page from the book as he read it on the front steps of the school.
Helga had stopped shaking when he spoke, and now she sat still as stone.
"How did the rest go, Helga?" he asked gently. "How did it end? I've always wondered."
She sat silently for a while, and he was beginning to think she wasn't going to answer. Then her shoulders slumped and she sighed deeply.
"'G is how good that longing is.'" she said quietly. "'And A is for Arnold.'" She turned and looked at him sadly. "Of course." He smiled.
"And if you put all the letters together, they spell your name. H-E-L-G-A." He shook his head slowly. "No wonder you tore that page out." She continued to look at him as he pushed the book forward. "I think this is yours."
"I can understand if you're disappointed." she said softly. He shook his head and smiled sweetly.
"I'm not disappointed, Helga. I'm surprised. I never knew you could write poetry like this. It's pretty good. Even if it IS all about me." he said, a blush spreading over his cheeks. She smiled slowly. "This shows me an entirely different side to you. I've always thought you weren't as bad as you seemed. This proves it."
"You liked the poems?" she asked quietly. He nodded, smiling.
"Very much. Of course, I'm not very impartial. They all WERE about me, after all." he said, starting to laugh. Her smile grew and she laughed a little.
"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't be the best person to judge them." she giggled, then quieted. She looked at him seriously. "But you're the only one that matters. I don't care what other people think of them."
"I just can't believe you wrote enough poems about me to fill an entire book." he said softly. She shifted uneasily, looking away. "What's the matter?"
"Well," she started, trying to find the courage to tell him. "THAT wasn't the only book of poetry I wrote about you. That was just the one I happened to lose on the bus." Arnold looked at her questioningly.
"There are others?" he asked, amazed. She nodded. "How many more?"
"Right now I'm up to volume 14." she said, looking worriedly for his reaction. "I usually write a few pages every night before I go to bed. In front of my-" She slapped a hand over her mouth before she could say it, but Arnold knew what she was going to say anyway.
"Your 'shrine'?" he asked gently. New tears fell from her eyes as she nodded, not trusting herself to speak. He reached forward and took her hand tenderly. "It's okay, Helga, don't be afraid to tell me the truth. I won't make fun of you, or tell everyone or anything like that. I know you're hurting right now, and I want to help you." She looked at him suddenly, eyes wide.
"What about THEM?" she asked, referring to the group of kids now waiting in the alley beside her house. "They all laughed! They'll never forget this! I won't be able to show my face at PS 118 ever again!" She was starting to shake, practically hysterical at the thought. Arnold scooted forward and took her face in his hands.
"Helga, calm down." he soothed. "After you left I had a little talk with those guys and they won't say anything about this. I promise you." His warm hands on her cheeks did more to calm her than anything he could have said. The butterflies in her stomach flew crazily at his touch.
"Really?" she whispered. He nodded. She was quiet for a moment as she regained the power of coherent thought. His hands left her face, then found her hands that were distractedly opening and closing the cover of the pink book. The took them into his own and gave a brief squeeze.
"Really." he answered, smiling. "I reminded them of their own little secrets, and asked them how they would feel if I told everyone about them. Needless to say, they looked sick just thinking about that. They agreed to keep your secret to themselves." She smiled back at him, and gave his hands a squeeze.
"Thank you, Arnold." she whispered. "I guess I'm kinda glad you found out how I feel about you. Even if you don't feel the same way about me." He looked at her questioningly.
"When did I say that?" he asked. "I may not LOVE you, Helga, but I do like you. And now that I found the REAL Helga, the one underneath the toughgirl," He shrugged. "Who knows? If she can write 14 books of poetry about me, and have a shrine in her closet dedicated to me, well then maybe she's a girl I should start paying a little more attention to." Her eyebrow shot up.
"Really?" she asked for the second time. "You mean you want to . . . "
"I want to get to know the REAL Helga. The one I'm seeing right now. I already know Helga the bully, and she can be a real pain in the neck sometimes." She blushed. "Now I want to know Helga the girl. I want to know her likes and dislikes, her hopes and fears, her wishes and dreams." She was staring at him, an expression of pure shock on her pale face.
"No one's ever cared about me enough to want to know that stuff." she said softly. "Well, except Sammy and Phoebs. I don't even think my parents know any of that." She studied him closely. "You're not joking are you? Getting me back for all the things I've ever done to you?" He gave her a slight smile.
"I think you know me better than that. Would I do something like that to ANYONE?" he asked. She thought for a second, then shook her head smiling. Of course Arnold wouldn't do that. That was part of the reason she loved him so much.
"Pretty dumb question, huh?" she asked, feeling relieved. "Criminey, what a day. My cousin shows up for a week, she finds out my secret, blabs it to the one person who wasn't supposed to know, making me think my life is over, only to end up here . . . with you." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. Suddenly a thought flashed in her head.
"Oh, CRIMINEY!" she exclaimed, smile dropping from her lips. "ANGELICA! I forgot all about her! Where is she? Is she okay? My aunt's going to KILL ME!" He laughed slightly and put a restraining hand on her shoulder.
"Whoa! Hold on! It's okay, Helga. The other kids took her back to your house and are waiting for us there. We could start over if you want." She thought for a second, then shook her head.
"I'd like to stay here for a little while longer, if it's okay with you." He smiled.
"It's fine with me, Helga." he said, making her smile. "I don't mind at all."
He took her hands once more, and they sat, quietly enjoying each other's company.
Meanwhile, back in the alley of Helga's house, the kids were starting to get antsy. After 10 minutes, Phoebe kicked a garbage can, making a stray cat run in search of quieter surroundings.
"I can't take this anymore!" she cried, and pushed past the boys on her way to the treehouse. Harold looked at Gerald worriedly.
"Shouldn't we do something?" he asked. Gerald watched as the small girl walked quickly and steadily toward Mighty Pete. He shrugged and started following her.
"You wanna stop her?" he called back. Harold and Stinky exchanged a glance, then started after their friends.
After a few minutes, Phoebe arrived at their treehouse and climbed up. She looked inside and relief flooded through her when she saw her two friends.
"Helga!" she exclaimed and rushed in, sitting beside her. "I'm so glad Arnold found you! I was so worried!" The smaller girl threw her arms around Helga and hugged her tightly.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, Phoebs." Helga joked. "Cool it will ya? You're as bad as Olga!" Phoebe released her friend and sat back, looking at Arnold and Helga alternately.
"Sorry, Helga. Are you okay? Did you two . . . talk about . . ." she stammered. Helga and Arnold smiled.
"Yeah, we talked about it." Arnold informed her. "Everything's cool." Helga nodded, still smiling.
"Very cool." she added.
Phoebe smiled for a minute, then a look of worry replaced it. Helga noticed the change in her friend's face and got worried herself. She was about to ask Phoebe if she was okay when the boys arrived. Gerald shot in first, followed by Harold with Stinky bringing up the rear. Arnold had time to marvel at the fact that the tall boy had been able to climb up here while still carrying Angelica, who was just starting to stir.
"Man, am I glad to see you two!" Gerald exclaimed, sitting next to Arnold. He looked at Helga. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. She rolled her eyes.
"Like you care." she sighed. "All right you guys. Let's get it over with. Get all the teasing out of your systems before you explode or something. Come on, I haven't got all day." The boys looked at each other uneasily.
"We're not going to tease you, Helga." Gerald said. Harold nodded.
"Yeah, we're not going to say anything about it either." he added. Stinky nodded as he sat down and plopped Angelica in his lap.
"That's right. We figure it's your business and just between you and Arnold." he said as Angelica opened her eyes and looked around her. When she saw her cousin, her sleepy eyes grew wide and she practically flew from his lap into Helga's.
"Oh, Helga I'm so sorry!" she cried, fresh tears coming to her eyes. "I never would have said anything if I knew it was a secret! Please don't hate me! Please, Helga! I didn't mean to!" The girl burst into tears and hugged Helga tight. Helga smiled and hugged her back.
"Angelica, it's okay." she soothed as she stroked the young girl's hair. "I was a little upset when you told, but Arnold and I had a nice talk and now everything's cool."
"Very cool." Arnold added. She looked up and smiled happily at him. He smiled back.
"So you're not mad at me?" Angelica asked, sniffling. Helga shook her head.
"Nope. You can be annoying sometimes, and a real pain in the neck, but you're still my cousin. And I guess I still love you." she joked, making the little girl laugh.
"I still love you too, Helga!" she said, squeezing her older cousin tighter. The other kids looked on, smiling. They had never seen this side of Helga before. It was a pleasant surprise.
The two blonde girls hugged for a moment, then Helga looked up.
"So what did you bring her here for?" she asked them. "Arnold said you guys took her home and were going to wait for us there." The kids looked worriedly at each other, then all eyes were on Gerald.
"Well, we DID go to your house . . . " he started, struggling to find the best way to phrase what they had discovered. "But we . . . uh . . . got tired of waiting." That was sort of the truth. Helga didn't buy it.
"Got tired of waiting?" she asked suspiciously. "How long were you guys there?"
"Too long." Harold muttered.
"What does that mean?" Arnold asked. Helga was looking at the boys with narrowed eyes.
"What's going on? Why do you guys look like you just burned my house down? You didn't did you?" she asked. Gerald looked at her, annoyed.
"Of course not!" he snapped.
"Then what's going on?" she asked, getting angry. She didn't like the way they were acting. Not one bit.
The boys stammered and shuffled uneasily for a few minutes. They mumbled things like 'Nothing's wrong' and 'I don't want to say'. Helga's fury had finally returned, and now she let it loose upon them with full force.
"ALL RIGHT YOU BUNCH OF GEEKS! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, AND I WANT TO KNOW RIGHT NOW!" she screamed, making Angelica jump. Arnold reached forward and gently pulled the young girl into his lap.
Gerald, Stinky and Harold exchanged a quick glance, then all three looked down at Phoebe. The small girl blushed furiously, lowering her head. Helga turned to face her.
"What's going on, Phoebe?" she asked angrily. Phoebe looked up into Helga's eyes, then quickly turned away.
"Well . . . Helga, I really don't know how to tell you this." she said quietly. Helga's heart stopped for the second time that day. If Phoebe had a hard time telling, it must be bad.
"Just spit it out, Phoebs." she told the girl. "Spill it." Phoebe took a deep breath, then let it out in a long sigh. She asked for it.
"We went to your house to wait for you and Arnold," she started. "The windows were open and while we were there, we accidentally overheard your parents and your aunt and uncle arguing. Your Aunt Charlotte told your dad that she was going to take you and your mother with them when they leave tonight. She called your father a number of insults, then informed him that tomorrow your mother would start divorce proceedings. He became incredibly angry and stormed out." She sat and waited for Helga's reaction. The blonde laughed.
"That's a good one, Phoebs!" she said, with a hint of worry in her voice. "My parents? Divorce? HAH! As if Big Bob would even ALLOW that! Great joke, Phoebe."
Her best friend said nothing.
"Come on, Phoebs." Helga urged. "What really happened?"
Silence from Phoebe.
Helga looked from Phoebe to Gerald. Same expression. To Harold. Worry. Stinky. Looked away. Without another word, Helga pushed through Harold and Gerald and descended the treehouse ladder as fast as she could.
"HELGA!" Arnold shouted as she ran for home as fast as her legs would carry her. Behind him, Harold was hoisting Angelica onto Stinky's back for the climb down.
"Come on!" Phoebe shouted as she started for the ladder. "She's going to need us!" Gerald was right behind her, followed closely by Harold and Stinky. Arnold lingered behind for a moment, in shock.
How could our lives change so quickly in such a short period of time? he asked himself. Poor Helga. First her biggest secret is revealed, now her parents are divorcing. And she's going to have to lea-
His eyes widened as the thought of Helga leaving hit him fully. He turned, grabbed the pink book, and sprinted after his friends.
All the way to Helga's house, only one thought passed through Arnold's head.
She can't leave.
She can't leave.
She CAN'T leave.
She CAN'T leave!
SHE CAN'T LEAVE!
~End of Part 4~
