'Back then I would round a corner and I always bumped into you
Is it wrong that I wish for those days again?
If only just one moment
To feel your presence
For your hand to reach out for mine
Now no matter where I'm heading, I'm always hoping
I get to see you around the corner
Even if for only a second or just a minute'
Helga puts down her pen and rereads her words. She brings a finger to her mouth as she smiles to herself.
"Hey girl!" She hears Bob, her dad, calling to her from downstairs.
Helga groans loudly, gets up and goes to open her bedroom door. "What?!" she yells back at him.
"That Alfred kid is down here, he's asking for you."
Helga's eyes perk up and she leans against her door. "Do you mean Arnold?"
"Yeah Arnold, whatever, just hurry up and get your fanny down here!"
In spite of his usual bad attitude, Helga smiles and her voice reflects her happiness even with her raised volume. "Alright dad, God...just give me a second!"
She closes the door and checks herself out in the mirror for a few seconds. Her hair is down with natural loose waves that fall to her waist, she doesn't really do much else with it style wise, and she puts on a light lipstick which was dark purple. Her style is what Rhonda labeled tomboy femme, back in junior high, nothing much about her style has changed much; except maybe the figure under it. She wears a baggy checkered black and white flannel with the sleeves rolled up, with a fitted white tee shirt that reveals her midriff just slightly, and somewhat loose fitting black jeans with black combat boots. Despite the fact that she was covered up, she couldn't hide the curves in her body; a body that was the positive result of years of dance lessons and yoga. Helga wasn't caught up in her beauty, she's aware of it, but the only time she really thought about it was the result of guys yelling out catcalls from their cars or when she walks pass a construction sight.
She collects her items and glances at her phone, it was 7:20; he was early.
She picks up her large backpack tote bag and left her room shutting it before strolling down the stairs.
"Thanks for letting me know so politely, dad." She said with just a hint of sarcasm, which he probably didn't detect.
"Yeah, whatever just don't be late getting home."
She sighs as her eyes find her mother lying on the couch completely out of it; she looks out the door and sees Arnold standing there. She peeks out to check him out a little bit, she's grateful he's not wearing his team uniform that shows off his arms.
"Bye!" She yells back to her parents and then walks out on her stoop.
Arnold raises his eyebrows and simpers. "Hey, Helga." He admires how she has her own style and didn't look like a clone like all the other girls. He notices how she made a tomboy style look very sexy.
"Hey Arnold, you're a punctual one I see."
He chuckles. "Well, I was scared if I didn't get here on time, then I would get hit by ol Betsy and the five avengers."
Helga blushes and looks away from him. Then she turns to face him with her infamous scowl. "You were right and don't you forget it, bucko." She held up one fist and waves it in his face.
He grabs her fist and blew on it and rubs it against his chest, making Helga shiver. The corners of lip tune up with his eyebrows lowered as he watched her squirm a little ."Isn't that what you use to do?"
"Um…yeah...I guess." She said unable to control releasing a giggle even once she had pulled her hand away from his grasp. she looks at him and he's just standing there coyly, a scowl returns to her face and she places her hands on her hips. "So are we going to school or are we going to stand here all day?"
He chuckles and points towards the street and brings his eyes back to hers. "My car is right here."
He motions with his head faintly and walks ahead of her to his car, which was a used Honda. He opens the door for her.
She tries to roll her eyes and appear as if she was unaffected by this gesture but still the tiniest smile manages to slip out of her. "And he's still a proper gentleman too...you must have all the girls."
Arnold nods at her and shuts the door and strolls over to the other side. He watches as she reaches over and unlocks his door, which made him quirk his eyebrow and grin.
As soon as he gets in starts the engine, his radio starts playing.
Once she dials into what is being played, she turns the volume down a little bit. She looks him over with her mouth slightly gaped. "Wait...hold up, you listen to rap?"
His eyebrows rise up at her question and the disbelieving tone of her voice. "Is that bad?"
She laughs a bit and shakes her head. "No, but I just thought-"
He fumbles through one of the departments in his car to get his CD booklet and hands it to her. "I like mainly the stuff from when were little, for example this is A Tribe called Quest." He points to the radio to indicate what he is referring to.
Her neck rolls over and she glares a bit at him. "I know who that is hair boy."
"Well excuse me." He starts to pull off after checking his mirrors. While managing his vision on the road he peeks at her. "What did you think I listened to?"
She covers her mouth and snickers. "I don't know classical music."
He glances at her and chuckles. "Ha…actually…I do sometimes, I like jazz too."
Helga nods and peeks over at him her features softening."Jazz is nice, though, it's real romantic." She immediately blushes since that made him turn and stare at her.
He raises his eyebrows putting his focus back on the traffic before him. "Romantic huh…yeah I agree, it is." Suddenly he pulls into a local food/coffee joint.
"Arnold where we going?"
"Oh, this is my morning routine; I always come here to eat before school."
"Why don't you eat at home?"
He frowns a bit and she wonders why. "I guess I just like the food here." He says, but Helga could tell her question bothered him for some reason.
"Oh."
His expression softens as he pulls up to the drive-in window and looks for at her. "Have you eaten?"
She shakes her head. "No, I didn't have time to make anything."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"No it's not your fault, most days I skip breakfast."
"That's not good; you're not skipping today, so I'm getting you something."
"Thanks, dad." She says as a joke and he turns and pokes her in the arm.
He speaks into the intercom and orders two breakfast sandwiches, with a cup of fruit and orange juice. Once they get their food he looks over at Helga.
"Do you want to eat inside or can we drive to school?"
"Whatever you typically do is fine with me." Her face is on her phone.
He shrugs and pulls off. He drives into the school's parking lot. Helga looks ahead and notices that a lot of people take notice of Arnold's presence as he drives and many waves at him.
"You're still gonna deny that you're Mr. popular."
He laughs and bit down on his lip. "I knew you were going to say that."
He pulls into an empty space that was kind of away from the other cars and starts eating.
Arnold looks over at her. "Aren't you going to eat?" He asks her after he swallowed his food.
She has her mouth slightly open, watching his movements. "I'm just fascinated by how you just inhaled that whole sandwich, have you been hanging out with Harold these days. Taking notes."
Arnold chuckles lightly. "Hey, I was hungry and I'm a growing boy, I have to eat, besides coach puts us through a beating during practice."
"I didn't know that having practice meant stuffing your face your face like it's your last meal, but okay...if you say so Arnoldo." She replies as she starts eating herself.
He peeks at her with some amusement. "You eat like a bird."
"What?" She asks after swallowing her food.
"You eat like a bird, you take small bites…I would never have guessed that's how you eat."
Helga rolls her eyes at his observations about her eating habits. "What did you expect me to eat like a pig?"
He laughs. "No, just not so dainty like."
"Well, excuse me I am a girl you know."
"Oh, I can see that." He replies and closes his eyes slightly with a small chuckle to himself. She continues to eat and Arnold waits patiently by listening to music and looking at his phone.
"Done." She finally said throwing her garbage in the bag and crumbling it up.
Arnold hopped out of the car picking up his bag and Helga got out too.
He eyes her book bag. "Nice bag, it's different."
She looks at it. "Yeah, Olga bought it for me."
"It looks heavy, though, you need me to carry it."
Helga bust out laughing. "What?" He asks with a shy smile.
"Arnold what do you think I am a helpless damsel in distress who can't carry a book bag."
"No, but you are rather slim and you did remind me that you are a girl so-"
She scowls. "Yes I'm a girl, but that doesn't mean I'm weak either!"
He raises his hands up in the air with his brows raised. "Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to offend."
"And I might be slim, but check out these guns." She states while flexing.
He laughs and squeezes her arm to feel her muscle, taking notice of how soft her skin is. "Nice…"
"Hey, I am a Pataki."
Suddenly Helga burps kind of loudly causing Arnold to laugh hysterically.
"Excuse me," Helga says feeling a little embarrassed. She glares at Arnold who was laughing and punch him in the arm, but not hard. "Hey, it's your fault for buying me that food, my body isn't used to breakfast."
He stops laughing for a second and they start again. "Arnold you're a jerk…my feelings are hurt." She's not being serious, but she walks fast ahead of him.
"Helga… wait up." He says while still chuckling and jogs up to her grabbing her arm. "I'm so sorry Ms. Pataki; I didn't know you were so sensitive." He says comically.
"Yeah well, do it again and I will give you a taste of my guns." She threatens lightheartedly.
He laughs some more and then relaxes his expression. He honestly didn't know many girls that wouldn't get really get offended by him laughing like that. He admires her sense of humor.
Helga notices he was still holding her arm and then he ends up taking her hand; it was almost as if he wasn't aware he was doing it.
They walk into the building together and went to their separate lockers, but before that, Helga got many stares and looks from people around and she saw some of them whispering too.
Arnold left his locker to head to his class when suddenly a group of guys rushes up to him.
"Arnold! Who was that blonde chick with you, she's freaking hot!"
"Yeah, man are you banging that or what, because if you are that's a huge step up from those other babes you messed with."
"If you're not smashing that, can I have her? She's a certified 10 plus."
Arnold frowns deeply and starts slowly shaking his head."Don't talk about her like that; she's not that kind of girl okay."
"What does she have a penis?"
They all laugh, but Arnold doesn't find it funny. "I respect her alright…"
"But the question of the hour is… are you banging her?"
"Banging? Real nice word…she's my friend okay."
"Cool, so that means she's open for business!" He gave his pals high fives after he made this statement.
Arnold feels a chill run down his spine; he wraps his hands around the guys' throat and shoves him against a locker. "Don't you ever, ever in your little pathetic life, talk about Helga like that again, do you understand me?"
"Yeah dude, calm down…she's just a chick."
He relaxes and releases him. They all slowly walking away; giving him wide eyed stares.
Gerald walks up to his locker while eyeing those guys. "What was that about?" He asks Arnold.
"They were talking trash about Helga."
Gerald starts laughing. "What?" Arnold asks.
"It's just funny, you just started hanging with the girl and already she got you defending her honor. She got you turning into a thug. Man, you got it bad!" Gerald continues laughing.
Arnold frowns with a sly smile closes his locker and then puts Gerald in a playful headlock.