Chapter 6: I Have An Idea

The Boarding House

The next morning, Arnold was sitting in the kitchen with his stack of pancakes, when he watched Phil enter the room. "Mornin' shortman!"

"Morning grandpa."

Phil listened to the sad sigh, while seeing his grandson had barely touched his breakfast and asked "Say, what's the problem?"

"I don't know grandpa, it's just...the assembly's in two days. The class knows about Helga's feeling. I've shown them I don't care what they think of us, but she just can't handle it."

"That's because she's acting like a baby! Tell her that, and I guarantee she'll straighten up!" Phil said, as he pointed his fork at his grandson.

"What good would that do?"

Phil began to chuckle at his grandson's cluelessness and explained "Hehe oh Arnold. Women can't stand to be underestimated. You tell them they can't do something, and not only will they do it, they'll find a way to make YOU look like a loser WHILE doing it!"

"Oh he hurt his best girl!"

"He went and told her off."

"And then she took revenge,

And made him a laughing stock!"

Arnold looked over at his singing grandma who had been listening to the conversation, while finishing up the flapjacks. By that point Phil had learned to be annoyed rather than embarrassed by his wife's behavior and said "If she won't do it, you can always ask Pookie to perform for you."

Walk

Helga and Phoebe were on their way to the bus stop that morning. Tension was building up inside Helga after knowing the class still hadn't dropped their opinions of her and Arnold. He may have shown them it didn't bother him, but he never stood up and said "I love Helga G. Pataki. She is the one for me!"

Even if he did, would that stop the chaos? People are always looking for something new to make fun out of, and in their class, it didn't take long for such an incident to occur.

While Helga was trying to keep herself calm, Arnold was explaining his plan to Gerald, coming from a different direction.

"So let me get this straight. You basically plan on telling her she doesn't have the guts to let everyone know how she feels (when they already have a pretty idea of it), just to make HER okay with it?"

"Pretty much." Arnold shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what else he could do.

Gerald's eyes widened and pointed out "You do realize this is Helga G. Pataki we're talking about? The girl who threatens to introduce everyone to Ol' Betsy, just for walking too close to her. And yet, you're willing to put your own life in danger by joining the group and mocking her?"

"Look I know it sounds crazy, but I...OOF!"

Arnold then fell to the ground to see Helga lying there before him, while Gerald and Phoebe gave each other knowing looks. Why did the class' opinion have to matter to them as long as they were happy together?

"ARNOLD!" Helga cried out in front of the group. Before accepting his hand up, she smacked it and said "I mean, watch where you're going football head! Sheesh! Come on Pheebs!"

"Coming!"

Gerald and Arnold shook their heads at the overreaction, while Gerald asked "So when exactly do you plan on threatening her?"

Bus

Helga took a seat far in the back, while hearing the snickering of her classmates.

"Hey look everyone it's Helga! He...what's this?" Harold asked, when seeing Rhonda shove he copy of Pre-Teen Miss she had promised to bring him.

"I insist on you reading this before giving anymore opinions about relationships." Rhonda sneered.

"How howdy! Harold just got dating homework from Rhonda!" Sid pointed out to everyone.

The class began to laugh as Stinky joined in and said "I reckon that's about as pathetic as it gets."

Harold began to twist the magazine in anger as he stood to say "Shut up, or I'll pound all of ya!"

Rhonda watched the way he was handling her property and snapped "What on earth are you doing to magazine Harold? I said to read it, not destroy it!"

While this chaos was taking place, Helga was sitting in the back with Phoebe, happy the negative attention was being pointed somewhere else finally.

Arnold was three seats ahead when he heard Helga's sigh of relief. They were just kids. He may be bold enough to show no one's opinion of him mattered, but that didn't mean everyone had to be like him.

He was preparing to forget about his reverse psychology plan and address her, when someone else was ahead of him.

Arnold watched Rhonda walk all the way to the back of the bus, more excited than ever to see Helga humiliate herself.

"What do you want Princess?" Helga snapped.

"Nothing. I just came to say how anxious we all are about the assembly. I just know hearing your work again will be the highlight of the assembly."

After seeing Rhonda walk back towards the front, without hearing a response from Helga, Arnold didn't have the heart to push her the way he was planning to. All he wanted was for her to stop acting so ashamed they could feelings for each other. Perhaps he was going about it the wrong way.

P.S.118

Once the bus had arrived at school, Arnold watched Helga walk by him with a somber expression. It was one that implied she had given up on ever being happy again...all because of him. When ironically, she had told him he was what gave her the strength to move on.

This was all because Arnold hadn't done anything to prove his feelings were as strong as Helga's. Then again, were they? She and the rest of the class hadn't exactly made it easy to figure out. How was he supposed to think about himself when a friend was this down and in trouble however?

Helga loved him because he was so thoughtful and selfless (even if he couldn't go a day without butting into other people's business).

Was this the time to be considering the quickest way to get the class off their backs, or find out how he really felt about her? Sure he had always considered her a friend, but whether this went by quickly or not, the teasing would come to an end. Would it upset him as much as it did her if he had feelings as strong as she did for him however?

Arnold raced past everyone off the bus, hoping to be the first to the classroom. Gerald lifted an eyebrow at his friend. Normally, Arnold would at least TELL him where he was headed to, whether he was invited or not.

Classroom

Luckily, Arnold found that Mr. Simmons was not only in his desk, but alone as well. He had sped by the group so quickly, no one was THAT anxious to make it to class.

"Arnold! You're here early." Mr. Simmons looked over at his student.

Arnold then took a deep breath as he walked over to his teacher and said "Uhhh yeah. I wanted to talk to you about the assembly."

"Oh wonderful! Isn't it exciting! I can't wait for everyone to hear Helga's poem!" the giddy teacher said, as he folded his hands tightly.

Arnold began to rub the back of his neck and said "Well, the thing is, Helga doesn't want it read out loud to anybody. It was actually a mistake for it to be heard by anyone to begin with."

"But it was such a lovely poem! And I've already promised Principal Wartz a reading for the assembly?" Mr. Simmons reminded him.

Arnold then stared down at the floor, knowing there was no other way to fix the problem except by volunteering. "Well, I've actually had a poem I've been working on myself. I'd like to get everyone's opinion on it, if I could read it at the assembly instead?"

Mr. Simmons smiled at Arnold's suggestion just as the rest of the kids were entering the room. Arnold then took his seat, as he listened to Gerald ask "Man where were you? No one's THAT anxious to get the day over with."

Before the oblong headed boy could reply, Mr. Simmons stood to make an announcement.

Helga was sitting, doodling in her notebook, depressed as ever until she heard…

"Okay class, there's been a change with the assembly."

The blonde girl then cocked her brow as she looked up and listened to her teacher continue on with his news. "Instead of reading Helga's lovely poem, Arnold has volunteered to read one of his own. Isn't that wonderful?"

Helga's eyes widened as everyone in the room turned their attention to Arnold. Gerald wasn't sure what his friend had up his sleeve. If his poem turned out to be about Helga, why would he do it in front of the whole school? Then again, he was a bold kid.

Cafeteria

Phoebe watched the nervous look on Helga's face as the two of them sat together. "I suppose this means you're of any further embarrassment."

Helga's face quickly whipped from Arnold's table, back to her friend; free from it? Never once had one of Arnold's poems been read out loud in class. She didn't know what they were about, but something told her, they didn't have anything to do with HER. Now here he was volunteering in her place.

"Huh? Oh yeah, guess so hehe." Helga gasped, as she tugged at her collar.

Another Table

While Arnold felt like a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders (as far as the class' behavior went), Gerald looked at him and asked "So, what's this about you having a poem more touching than Pataki's?"

Arnold began to blush at his friend's question. Just as he was about to answer, they heard "Hey AWWNOWD! You gonna bring your pet pig to recite it for us?"

Gerald glared at the insult and said "You haven't given that magazine Rhonda handed you this morning much attention have you, Big Boy?"

The group began to laugh as Harold clenched his fists and screamed "Shut up or I'll pound all of ya!"

After watching the group walk away, Arnold saw Harold and Helga both felt they had reputations to protect, but neither of them had ever followed through on there threats. This gave him an idea...