He tilted her chin up. He saw it. Her eyes. They were filled with something, something he didn't quite understand. He wiped her sorrowful tears with his red plaid sleeve and helped her up...
"Helga, I know….I know I may not be as important to you as phoebe, or your parents, or even maybe some of your other friends, but I'm someone you can talk to, if you really need me to be, I'll be there. I'd like to think that we are at least somewhat friends you know, I mean; we've been practically growing up with one another since preschool. That counts for something, right?"
She couldn't look at him.
"Arnold….." He wrapped his arms around her.
Salty petals of water slid from her lashes.
She felt unbearably vulnerable.
Helga's breathing started to shorten. She couldn't stop, she tried to keep it in, but she couldn't.
He held her tighter. His chest pressed up against hers. If she wasn't envisioning…..him… she might have enjoyed the moment….
"…..Whatever it is….it's okay…"
No…I don't think…..it'll ever be…..okay….
She lightly pushed him back.
The things you don't know. The things you don't realize, they can be the most deadly poison to a person.
Arnold couldn't understand her. He wanted to. But he couldn't.
"Helga…..just talk to me…." Helga touched her scar over her clothes.
She told him. She told everyone. Countless times. She told them how he ran his hand up her thigh, how discussing his prickly gray stubbled beard ran across her neck, scratching her skin. Every time he touched her it made her feel like she was bleeding hot oil. She couldn't remember anything else. She didn't think it was real . She kept having dreams, but she could never remember the hell. She honestly didn't know what was real, or what was in her dreams.
"It's nothing Arnold. Really, I've just…been having a really bad week."
She smiled weakly.
Something didn't seem right.
And Arnold knew her. More than he'd admit. He'd occasionally sneak a glance back at her in class. And stare at her when they'd pass in the hallways.
He knew Helga.
"Helga….I…."
He wrapped his hand into hers. He tilted her head once more and leaned in ever so sloes to her delicate frame.
"CUT!"
A gouty voice was heard in the background.
"What do you mean cut?" The blonde pushed the plaid wearing boy aside.
"This isn't how I wrote it Helga!" A small squeamish boy rounded the corner. Fluffy hair and a voice a little bit too high with clothes of perfectness you could expect from him.
"Yes! Yes it is! I'm supposed to be this over delicate touch walled emotional person!"
"Helga! You're making it seem like something worse happened to her!"
"No I'm not Eugerm!"
"It's Director Eugene to you missy!"
"Whatever."
"She gets shot in the side while her father is trying to protect her. They drove in to the secret hide out where the mayor and his mistress were making hooky, so the mayor pulls out his gun and shoots but bob tried to protect you."
"Yea, you'll never win a directors award with that attitude."
"That's why in trying to make this seem as real as possible!" Helga crossed her arms.
"Real as possible? The only truth to this script is that we have a school camping trip today second to the fact me and Arnoldo here actually live next to each other."
"I also decided to use your real names and love quarrelationship." Helga blushed.
"We are portraying what? Fifth graders? Were sixteen, dude. Were JUNIORS in HIGHSCHOOL."
"Sixth, ranging to seventh. Fifth would be a tad in the creep factor. And the beauty is supposed to be made evident. Its sorrow and beauty with in blossoming love, the concern of Arnold and how he cares about everyone, but especially cares for yo-"
Helga sharply slapped Eugene's head.
"Stupid." She exited towards her house.
"It's a film portfolio. Not a TRAUMATIZING PORN flick!" she slammed the door to her house.
"What's her problem?"
"Your stupid narrations are stupid!" she screamed from her window.
Eugene brushed off his shoulder.
Arnolds face was still red.
"Arnold?"
"Huh? Oh. Yea. Uhuh. See you tonight." He closed the door to his complex.
Eugene crossed his arms.
"I think ….I like this."
He smiled.
"I'm leaving!" Helga stormed downstairs with her suitcase.
"Oh! Where you off to Helga?" Merium emerged from the living room sofa.
"Camping, I told you two weeks ago. And then again yesterday." Mariam got up sluggishly from the badly colored couch. She dragged her feet to the living room.
"Honey, we need to talk. Now I know your dad wanted to have this talk, well, he is the man and yadda yadda, but he told me he wouldn't be home tonight so…..Just sit down."
Helga raised an eyebrow.
"What's up Merium? What's with the being all parenting all of a sudden? It's kind of freaking me out."
"Oh, no, I know. But Helga you're getting to that age were….well….Hmn…..Let me just show you."
She slowly walked out of the room with a yawn.
"Merium?" Helga tilted her head in her mother's direction.
"Here we go. A nice big one." Helga paused.
"A nice big what?"
She pulled out a box with a pink bow on it.
"Now I was going to wait till your eighteenth birthday and what not, but I know you youngings like to get a head start on us old folk. So here, happy two years birthday?" she placed the box on her lap.
"What's this?" Merium made her way back to the couch.
"There's a good ol instructin book in there, for everything, and your dad threw in some extra poppers for good measure. He says he "aint want them younings yet" mnn."
Helga peeked into the white box laced with pink ribbon.
"Open it when you start unpackin in your room over there."
"Okay? Whatever you say Merium…"
she tried peeling off a bit of wrapping paper; sadly, there was more wrapping paper under the wrapping paper.
"Oh yee. Your father made me tripplewrap it. No peeksies."
She grumbled and headed toward the door.
"Bye mom! I'll be back….eventually!"
Merium blew her a kiss and waved bye.
Helga stepped out of her house.
She turned to see a flustered Arnold.
"She walked down the stairs and waited for him.
"But grandpa you know I-"
"No no Arnold, there's no tellin what you young folk are going to be doing with one another these days. Just take it and go. You can bring it back if you don't need it, but Pookie says it's just better this way, and you know Pookie." The door slammed.
He swung his backpack over his shoulder and sighed heavily.
Arnold's face looked confused and disgruntled.
"What's with the long face Arnoldo?"
"You didn't hear? All the adults are freaking out."
"Freaking out? About what? "Helga started walking down the block towards the local bus.
"Nadine …..Her parents caught her…umn…..Her and Peapod…..well…they…"
"They what? Stop beating around the bush football h-"
"They did it"
Arnold stopped walking.
"Did what?" Helga turned to Arnold.
"It."Arnold swallowed.
"It?"
"It."
"No…way…" Helga clasped her hand to her mouth.
"Yea…I know."
"Arnold….you're a nerd. "Helga kept walking.
"Hey, it's one thing to talk or joke about it…but…they actually did it. And Nadine's mom caught them. So now the whole towns freaking out about kids being all-"
"Arnold. You're kidding, we just saw Mr. And Mrs. Awful couple frisking in their bedroom. Eugene even filmed some of it. Good improvisation my ass, he just wanted to record it so he could-"
"I don't get it."
"What do you mean Shortstop?"
"Stop calling me short stop, I'm actually a bit taller than you now."
"Only in heels football head."
He frowned.
"But the whole 'doing it' thing. My parents never talked to me about it. I just picked up some things here and there. I know the basics."
"Helga….I've….I've never even made out with a girl."
Helga stopped.
"You've an awful memory Arnoldo."
"What do you mean?" they reached the bus stop. The bus wasn't there, so they took a seat.
"If you don't remember, it's not worth talking about." She smiled reminiscently.
"Well….anyways…my grandpa gave me this."
He pulled up his backpack. And unzipped the front pouch. He pulled the flap open.
Helga peeked into the dark space.
"No way." Her face bloomed red.
It was a palm sized square, a shape of a circle was protruding through the hard plastic covering.
"The worst part is he didn't even tell me what it's for. He just said 'you'll know when the time is right."
Helga cracked up.
"You've got to be kidding me. How old are you?"
"Same age as you remember?"
Yes. I do. I know everything about you silly. Down to the very day you found out Santa clause wasn't real.
"Oh yea." Helga leaned back. She rested her palms against the back support of the bench.
Arnold stared at her.
"Yea, but you have had to have seen porn or something right? I know my dad keeps a stash of Toy Bunny magazines under the rug in the closet back home."
Arnold swallowed hard.
"Don't tell me Eugene pinned you picture perfect in the script." Arnold looked away.
"You're kidding." She sat up.
"Eugene got a lot of things….right….." He swallowed hard.
"I'm sure he did." She snared at the comment she made. She Stood up and put the white box into her pink messenger bag.
"Well…actually….Eugene worked on part of the script with me so…."
Helga walked away from Arnold.
"I…I guess what I'm trying to say is that….I think I…I might just sort of like you more than –"
"Hey Football head! You getting on?" Helga shouted from the bus window.
She fell back to her seat and slumped.
Arnold looked down. He frowned.
"Not this time." He clenched his fists and stepped onto the bus.
His heart felt like it was a well shaken soda can ready to be opened.
He sat next to Helga.
"Whoa there" Helga sat up; She distanced herself a bit from him.
"There's hardly anyone on the bus dude." Arnold turned to her.
"I know." Helga uncomfortably schuffled closer to the window.
"Uh….I promised phoebe I would save her a seat, she likes to talk about-"
"Yea, uhuh, that's great, but there's something kind of important I need to tell you."
"Well….what is it?" She caved her chest in and arched her shoulders up.
"Helga, for quite some time now, I don't know when, But it happened, I don't really quite know why either, but that's also not important, what I wanted to tell you, what I'm trying to tell you, is that, Helga Pataki, I think….I think I-"
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