Some of you may hate me for not getting right into what happens with Helga and Ryan….but it's my story so deal with it.
P.S. I'm sorry, I still love you…please don't hate me. I promise I'm not just gunna leave you guys hanging…for long.
P.S.S. I was planning on making another dream scene to explain more crap and junk in the first place, but since peeps made requests for it, I think it's only fair to let you know that more answers shall be questioned…or whatever.
P.S.S.S Can you tell I wanna go snowboarding? Ahh! No more P.S.'s. Onward!…I promise.
"I'll do it." Arnold muttered, standing behind Lila as she burrowed into her locker.
Lila turned around with a curious expression. "I'm ever so sorry…you'll do what, Arnold?"
"I'll go to the stupid dance with you." He grumbled, crossing his arms and glowering at the ground.
Lila didn't seem to notice his annoyed and bitter fashion of acceptance. She was simply thrilled that he had agreed to go with her. He walked her to the sidewalk, not saying a word and scowling the entire time. Arnold's therapist had told him it would be best if he tried getting back into a normal routine and urged him to accept Lila's invitation to Sadie Hawkins. Eventually the only thing that got him to agree to go was when Sid was forced to do the same. At least then he wouldn't be miserable alone.
He saw Sid being dragged out the door by Rhonda, of all people. Sid waved at Arnold weakly as Rhonda pulled him into her car, rambling on about how she 'absolutely had to take him shopping for his tux'. Sid looked ready to drive a stake through his chest when she said they'd make a 'most charming couple'.
Lila's father pulled up on the curb next to them and she got in the car, waving goodbye and smiling sweetly. Arnold rolled his eyes and began trudging home. He walked through the door, stepping aside to allow Abner and rest of the animals to stampede out of the boarding house before shutting the door behind him.
"Hey Shortman." Grandpa Phil said enthusiastically. "How was school?"
"Fine, grandpa." Arnold answered briefly.
"Hey Shortman!" Phil said before Arnold could start climbing his steps. "Your parents are coming to town in a few days. Say they have a surprise for you."
"That's great, grandpa." Arnold said, his tone not changing. "I'm gunna take a nap, grandpa."
"Oh. Well alright, Arnold, we'll wake you up for dinner." Phil sighed and looked at Gerdie, who was wearing a pirate costume and a serious expression. "Ah Pookie, I don't know what else to do about that boy."
Gerdie shook her head, "Tex just needs Eleanor and Mary to come back. Mostly Eleanor Everything will be better when she gets back from her safari."
Phil sighed as his wife skipped into the kitchen. "I'm starting to think she won't be coming back, Pookie."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Arnold didn't bother to hide the surprise on his face when he looked over to see Ryan at his side where Harold had once been. He looked over his shoulder and down the lift to see a grumpy Harold standing next to a confused Helga. Ryan had decided to take advantage of her family's connections and had gotten the gang set up with gear and lift tickets for the day. Arnold and the rest of the gang had snowboarded for a year before. Ryan claimed to have 'dabbled' in it. Helga was the only one who hadn't been before, but Ryan insisted she come anyway.
"Um…hi Ryan." He managed to say. "I thought you were riding the lift with Helga."
Her gray eyes were narrowed as she ripped off her green mittens and shoved them into one of the many pockets of her black and white coat. "I was. I need to talk to you though."
"Oh. Ok. What about?" He watched as she scooped one end of her board under her unbound foot. Arnold realized what a good idea it was and decided to do the same, shocked at how much weight it took off the foot bound to the board.
"It's about Helga." She stated bluntly.
"What about Helga?" Arnold was beginning to sound nervous.
"Has she done anything to anyone since term started?" Her voice was as cold as the air.
Arnold rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, no."
"Was she terribly unpleasant at Rhonda's stupid party or at the club afterwards? Or dinner the next day?"
Her glare and icy tone sent chills down Arnold's spine. It was like the fear he used to experience in grade school when he was threatened with a 'pounding' from someone who'd actually give it to him…only it was worse. It was a slow and suspenseful kind of fear. "Well, no, she was actually kind of pleasant, from what I can remember."
"Exactly." Ryan snapped. "I was the one getting kicked out of parties and calling people twats, even if they did deserve it." She didn't go out of her way to show it, but everyone knew Ryan hated Rhonda, and the feeling was mutual.
"Um…Ryan…I'm just a bit confused as to why you're asking." Arnold stammered.
"Because everyone's giving her the cold shoulder, and you're no exception." Her glare held fast with his gaze and Arnold swallowed a lump in his throat.
"Then why not talk to everyone about it? Why not talk to everyone?" He asked innocently.
Ryan rolled her eyes, "Because, genius, you're the fucking ring leader."
"So what are you saying then?" Arnold asked, growing tired of beating around the bush.
"Can you please just open up to her?" She asked. "Make sure she knows that she's wanted. And by more people than me. She's all…coiled up in this little ball and she's too afraid to just be herself because of how she was as a kid."
"And you're saying she's some kind of saint now or something?" Arnold challenged skeptically.
Ryan scowled. "Not to brag or anything, but I'm a much bigger bitch than Helga is, but you've all welcomed me with open arms. I'm just asking you to give her a chance." Ryan moved onto the edge of the seat and moved her legs, preparing to get off of the lift. Arnold followed in suit.
Arnold almost tripped as he and Ryan moved to the side of the lift, embarrassed when she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him upright. Arnold and Ryan both sat on the top of the slope, working to tighten their boots. They were pulled from their tasks when Harold and Helga finally reached the top. Harold staggered, but managed to not topple over. Helga, however, wasn't so lucky. Her board caught and edge and she crashed into the snow with a loud thud.
In an instant, Ryan had undone the binding keeping one of her feet attached to her board and secured it in a bank. Normally she would have poked fun at Helga, but not in the malicious way that Harold was already doing.
"Helga's so stupid she can't even stay on her board getting off the lift!" Harold screeched before laughing hysterically, pointing a beefy finger in Helga's direction.
Helga buried her face into the collar of her coat, face burning with embarrassment. She felt a hand on her shoulder and, expecting it to be Ryan, she let the other person help her up. "Arnold?" She asked once she was on her feet.
He smiled, "Don't worry about it. Getting off the lift is always the worst part. I still fall on my face getting off sometimes." He knelt down and took her binding off, half expecting her to push him away and call him 'football head' and say something rude to him.
"Thanks." She said weakly.
They were pulled out of their conversation as the sound of fist-to-face interrupted them. Arnold was shocked to see Ryan standing over Harold, bare fists clenched and fury in her eyes. "Helga might let you get away with being an imbecilic asshole, but no one treats my friends like that and get away with it, got it?" She bellowed.
Helga hid a giggle behind her hand and shook her head and Arnold just stared with wide eyes. "I never thought Ryan would be able to take down something so big." Arnold finally said.
Helga took her board from him gently. "She knows I'd do the same for her."
"What, you mean Betsy and the five avengers are retired?" Arnold asked playfully.
Helga gave him a confused look before she laughed, "I guess you could say that."
"Well that's good. They always scared me a bit anyway."
Helga smiled at Arnold and almost said something in return, but they were interrupted when they were joined by Ryan, who had Harold by the ear and writhing in pain. "You have something to say, halfwit." Ryan snapped, driving her nails deeper into his ear.
"OW OW OW! I'M SORRY!" He bellowed, eyes tearing up, "I WON'T EVER DO IT AGAIN!"
"Yes you will." Helga sighed. "Ryan, let him go."
Ryan obeyed reluctantly and shook her head as Harold rushed off to strap on his board. Ryan, Helga, and Arnold sat together and began securing their boots into the bindings. "So Hells Bells." Ryan started.
"Hells Bells?" Arnold asked. "That's an odd expression."
Helga's cheeks turned pink. "It's my nickname." She explained.
"So Hells Bells," Ryan began again, trying to hide her annoyance at being interrupted. "I figure we'll take it pretty easy."
"Ry, just go and have fun. I don't need lessons." Helga protested, perfectly aware of Ryan's skill when it came to snowboarding. Ryan's family had been skiing in the alps since before she was born. However, when she turned seven she traded her skis and poles for a board, like her older brother had. It was actually the only time they'd ever really bonded. Helga didn't want to keep her friend off the black diamonds at her expense.
"Don't need lessons?" Ryan repeated, crossing her arms. "Helga, do you know what you're saying?"
"I can take her." Arnold volunteered, catching both the girls' attention. "I'd rather take it easy today anyway." He smiled briefly at Helga, who's cheeks turned almost as pink as her coat.
"Sounds like a great plan to me." Ryan said, smiling at Arnold, who just shrugged back. "We all remember that we're meeting at the Moose Horn Lodge for lunch at two?"
"How could we forget?" Stinky said as he and Sid took a seat to strap up behind them.
Ryan looked over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at Stinky.
Sid was quick to strap up, rocking into a standing position on the heel side of his board. "Alright, I'm out of here." Sid said quickly, but before he could leave, Stinky grabbed his friend and pulled him back down on his haunches.
"Sid, I ain't letting' you go on the diamonds alone. I don't care how long you been boardin'" Stinky said seriously.
Helga smirked. "Ryan's going on the diamonds." She said quickly.
Ryan's mouth fell open and she glared at Helga. Sid raised an eyebrow. "You're going on the black diamonds?" He asked in disbelief.
She glared at him, "I might go with you if you stop being weird and trying to flirt with me. You aren't good at it."
Sid raised his hands defensively. "Hey now, I haven't flirted with you since I found out you were royalty. Let's be honest, we'd make a horrible couple. I mean, can you picture me having tea with the queen?"
Ryan's eyes narrowed. "I can't picture you having tea period."
"Exactly." Was all Sid said.
Ryan studied him long and hard for a moment before shaking her head and getting onto her heels. "Just try keeping up."
"No, I like the view from back here just fine." Sid replied.
Ryan hopped onto her heels and started racing for the black diamond trail, doing her best to hide the smirk on her face.
Arnold got onto his heels and held a hand out for Helga, "Ready for your first lesson?"
She smiled and accepted his hand, "As I'll ever be."
Arnold pulled her up and began telling her about how important it was to keep her toes of heels digging into the snow or she'd catch an edge and fall. To his surprise, she listened intently and caught on quickly. As he studied her he started to see what Ryan was saying. He liked what Helga was hiding more than he'd ever expected.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"You stupid bitch." Ben snarled, his hand coiled around Helga's neck as she gasped for air, clawing at his grip. "You honestly thought you could escape?"
Helga managed to hack a mouthful of spit and send it onto Ben's face.
He raised his hand to strike her and she winced, bracing for the blow. A disgusting sound of bones crushing replaced. Ben's heavy breathing. His grip went lax and Helga jumped away before he crashed onto the bathroom floor.
Ryan's mouth was hanging open, eyes wide, and she was shaking like a leaf, blood splattered across her face and covering her hands. Helga managed to get a look at Ben and almost vomited at the visual, the hooked end of the crowbar lodged in the back of his skull. Helga jumped over him and she and Ryan fell into each other's arms, Ryan sobbing hysterically.
Once Helga was able to pull herself together, she realized that there was a dead man in their bathroom. She led Ryan to the bed and sat her down, sitting next to the phone, trying to ignore the hammering in her ears. She had to call someone. But who? Later she'd realize that the police should have been the first call, but she was too frazzled to realized that the number she dialed was, in fact, not the police.
The phone rang and she held fast to it, palms sweaty and everything shaking. Her neck was sore where Ben had been strangling her, but she focused on the ringing in the receiver.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Arnold rubbed his eyes and rolled onto his back, picking up his phone and staring at the caller ID for a second before answering it, deciding that this person had already gotten him out of bed anyway. "Hello." He mumbled sleepily.
"Hi…who is this?" the person on the other end asked cautiously.
Arnold raised an eyebrow at the phone. "Um, I'm Arnold. Maybe you have the wrong number."
"No! Arnold, don't hang up, it's me!"
Arnold thought for a moment before he realized where he'd heard that voice before, "Helga?"
"Yeah…Yeah, it's Helga."
"Ask him who we call." a weak voice said in the background.
"Is that Ryan?" He asked hopefully.
"Yeah, it's Ryan. This is going to sound so stupid…but we have an emergency and…and." Helga's voice was cracking like she was about to cry.
"Don't cry, Helga!" Arnold pleaded, "Please don't cry. Just tell me where you are and I'll come get you."
"We're in Arizona."
Arnold frowned. Arizona was a few days drive.
"We have a dead guy in our bathroom. We um…" Helga faltered.
Arnold shook his head. "You have a dead person in your bathroom?" He exclaimed, "You have to call the police!"
"How do we do that?" Helga screamed. She was crying now.
"It's 911." Arnold asked, trying his best to not sound condescending.
"Oh, that's right…thank you."
The line went dead despite Arnold's screams, protests, and wails. He dialed Sid's number and started climbing down the stairs.
"Arnold, it's three in the morning." Sid said sleepily.
"The girls are in Arizona." Arnold said simply.
"Is this some kind of a sick joke?" Sid snarled.
"No joke. I just got a call from them."
"We're going to Arizona then." Sid answered. Arnold could hear his friend jumping out of his bed.
Arnold smiled and pulled his keys out of his pocket. His parents' surprise had ended up being a car. "I was just calling to tell you to get packed."