"Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence." -H. L. Mencken
Part Ten: The Unexpected Announcement
Her eyes had been the deepest oceans of blue as her face inched closer and closer to his. He could still feel her breath against his ear as she whispered his name softly, her blonde hair tickling against his cheek. He could remember the pink color of her lips . . .
"Hey Arnold! Hello, is anyone in there, man?"
Arnold blinked and his daydreaming gaze suddenly focused back reluctantly into the real world, where Gerald was leaning over on the lunch table, waving his hand inches in front of Arnold's nose. "Huh? What? Oh, err, sorry Gerald," Arnold said, looking down at his tray at the barely touched school pizza that the lunch lady made generously so near to the end of the school year.
Around him throughout P.S. 118's cafeteria, several conversations from the various tables where his own class and another fourth grade class were chatting away with more than the usual excitement. He could distinctly hear Harold's mocking laughter at Sid for some reason or another . . . Rhonda talking snidely about the attire of a fifth grader she'd seen in the ladies room . . . Curly talking to himself and giggling for who knows what reason, nothing Arnold was sure he'd wanna know about . . . Eugene and Shenna discussing some more dance steps . . .
"Criminy!"
That loud shout broke Arnold off of the other conversations. He turned his head toward the source and saw Helga standing up over Phoebe and shouting at her, "What the heck is the matter with you! Can't you watch where you're going! Sheesh!" She was holding her wrist with her other hand.
"S-sorry, Helga," Phoebe said meekly, holding her tray close to her, but so close she was in danger of spilling the contents on her clothes.
Helga snorted and stomped out of the line toward the exit where Arnold and Gerald sat at their table. As she passed by Sid's chair, he scooted it up more, and kept eyeing her balled up fist warily. Obviously the punishment she'd inflicted on Belch had made her tough girl reputation even more formidable. Earlier that morning, Arnold remembered seeing Big Patty give Helga a respectful nod and thumbs up, which Helga responded to with a barely noticeable nod back. Even Wolfgang had made way for her as she passed some fifth graders in the hallway later on that morning, eyeing her a little more respectfully.
As she passed by him, Helga glanced over at Arnold, who was again looking at her strangely. She stopped and looked at him, scowling. "What are you looking at geek-bait?!"
Arnold frowned slightly and looked away then. Why does she do it? Why does she always have to act like that? He thought to himself annoyed.
Helga snorted and walked out of the cafeteria into the hallway making her way to the girl's bathroom. After looking under the stalls to make sure nobody was there, she pulled her locket with the cracked glass from her pink jumper and looked upon the image of the boy she'd just insulted.
"Oh Arnold, why must I always insult you the way I do? Why must I always mock you with sarcastic tongue-lashings, rather than the sweet words of love and adoration that I harbor deep within my very soul?" She held the locket close to her heart and sighs. "Why am I always doomed to a meaningless existence of forever watching you from afar, too timid and bashful to be close, to show you that there is more to me than just a mean, scowling bully? If only I had a chance to prove to you that I am so much more than I appear to be."
She closes her eyes, the locket against her chest . . . then hears an all too familiar breathing coming from the trash can near the door, where Brainy rises from. He looks at her, breathing and smiling that weird smile of his. "Uh, hello," he mutters in his deep breathing voice.
Helga scowls and starts to hit him, but remembers that her fist is bandaged, so instead she grabs him and tosses him into one of the stalls, head first. There is a flush as the pink-painted stall door shuts. Helga stalks out back to the cafeteria, replacing her locket to its place as she stalked out.
Back in the cafeteria, just after Helga left, Gerald frowned and looked over at Phoebe sympathetically. "I wonder how Phoebe survives having Helga G. Pataki as a best friend?" He shakes his head.
Arnold sighs, the lingering memory of his dream still in his head. "I don't know either Gerald, but I do know that sometimes Helga isn't too bad. Think about what she did yesterday."
Gerald looks over at him. "Hey man, I know the girl saved you from getting your head split open yesterday, but if you ask me I think she did it because Helga's just a bad girl to mess with."
Arnold looked at Gerald and thought about it. Maybe he was right? But then again—
"Helga can be really mean sometimes, but I know that she's not a bad as she acts all the time?"
Helga had been about to go into the cafeteria when he heard her football-headed angel say those words. She stopped short and gasped, moving closer to the doorframe to hear them better.
Gerald blinked and looked at his friend as if he were a little strange. "Hey Arnold, this is Helga were talking about here, she's always been a tough person to deal with." He raised an eyebrow at Arnold, "Why do you suddenly defending her man? I mean, she picks on you in particular more often than anyone else in this school."
Sighing Arnold replies, "I know she does, but sometimes she can be . . . I don't know . . . okay, I guess."
In the hallway not more than ten feet from them, Helga smiled at that. He does care, she thought smiling to herself in a goofy way. She leaned against the wall and sighed happily.
Gerald shakes his head, "Arnold man, I worry about you buddy. You calling Helga Pataki 'okay' what's next, you asking her out on a date?"
Arnold blinked and looked at his best friend, "Yeah right, me and Helga Pataki on a date . . ." He said it was a hint of sarcasm and a little amusement.
Unfortunately, at that moment, Rhonda and Nadine had been dumping their leftovers into the garbage can near their table. Rhonda Wellington Lloyd, who had an ear for gossip and who did not pick up on the sarcasm. She turned and looked at the two boys wide-eyed.
"Whoa! Hold up! A date? Arnold and Helga on a date?!" Her eyes were gleaming with a look of utter surprise. "Oh-my-gosh!" She pronounced the last part emphasizing the three words with single sharp syllables.
Arnold blinked again and turned around, "What?" He looked at the look Rhonda had and his own eyes widened. "W-wait a minute! I never said . . ."
She cut him off, not letting him have time to say more. Rhonda had heard all she was going to hear. "Oh yes you did, Arnold! I heard you!" She turned around and looked at Nadine, "Arnold wants to ask Helga Pataki out on a date! This is too weird!"
Several of the fourth graders heard those words; many of them turned and looked at Arnold strangely, muttering to themselves. Harold and Sid started laughing. Phoebe blinked and looked at Arnold surprised, as did Lila and Sheena.
"Now wait a minute!" Arnold tried to say, starting again.
Again he was cut off by Rhonda. "Oh come on, Arnold, I heard you with my own ears." Nadine nodded also, having missed the slight sarcasm in Arnold's words as well.
Outside in the hallway, Helga smirked watching Arnold squirm over this. Trust 'Little Miss. Rhonda-Lloyd' to not let him explain himself better, she thought shaking her head and started to walk in to put a stop to all this . . . when a little voice in her head stopped her.
Criminy Helga! What are you doing?! The little voice in her head told her. Don't you see a good thing with it comes your way?!
Helga paused, thinking about this. Arnold was about to be picked on for talking about a date with her, which was only a misunderstanding on Rhonda's part.
Then suddenly she blinked, a very clear and amusing idea was forming in her head. She smiled to herself. Oh this is almost too perfect, she thought to herself, making the decision very quickly.
Helga stomped inside the cafeteria, using her normal scowl to shoot looks at people. "What the heck is going on in here?!" she asked, pretending to have just returned and having not heard anything.
Rhonda smirked, "Believe it or not Helga but Arnold was just about to ask you out on a date."
Arnold's eyes widened when Helga reappeared, and his face fell when Rhonda uttered those words. "WHAT?! Wait, I never said . . ."
Helga turned and looked at him, her gaze intent on him, suddenly made him very quiet. "You and me? A date? Criminy, football-head that is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard . . ."
She smiled a little to herself, wondering what his reaction will be to the next part. "Still, I guess that since I saved your scrawny butt yesterday, you do owe me a little something. So I'll do you a favor and say yes."
Helga felt a chuckle build inside her watching Arnold's pupils shrink at that. He looks so cute like that, she thought to herself.
Rhonda looked a bit taken aback also as did everyone watching. Gerald looked wide-eyed at her. Normally this would have been too much for her to let happen, but her excuse about "making up" for the fight was just enough of a cover for her true intentions.
Arnold felt his throat tighten and a bit dizzy. I-is this really happening?! He asked himself in shock. This is all happening way too fast.
"W-wait!" Arnold tried desperately to stop this, but again was cut off by Helga. She pointed a finger at his nose and said, "How about dinner and a movie, seven sharp? Pick me up at my house, and nothing on the cheep side, bucko!" She turned to leave, feeling a bundle of nerves and excitement in her stomach.
"Helga, wait a sec . . ." Arnold tried once more, feeling himself totally losing control of this situation.
Helga smirked and turned, adding, "Oh, and you better dress up for this. I don't wanna be seen with a slob tonight. See you at seven, football-head!" She turned back and stomped out, shouting, "Phoebe! Come on, let's blow this joint."
"Coming!" Phoebe said, running quickly to catch up, and glancing at Arnold out of the corner of her glasses as she passed him and Gerald.
Arnold, for his part, looked very pale and at a loss. I—I'm going on a date with Helga G. Pataki?! His mind was still trying to process this information and not doing so well.
Gerald glances over at him, snickering into his hand very hard, and his eyes watering from the laughter he was holding back desperately.
There was a lot of general muttering over the last few minute's events. Rhonda and the girls gossiped and the boys were all either laughing at Arnold's misfortune, or giving his looks of sympathy.
Arnold, for his part, just stared after Helga as she left feeling totally disoriented and thinking to himself, how did I get myself into this mess?
To Be Continued . . . .
"Our love must not be a thing of words and fine talk. It must be a thing of action and sincerity." -1 John 3:18