Jealousy
Chapter 11
Arnold found himself once again on top of the roof, gazing out at the stars. His thoughts were jumbled, and his emotions were in turmoil.
He kept replaying the conversation in the park over in his head, and each time he did, guilt consumed him. While he did not consider what he did "spying" it was an invasion of privacy, and it was disrespectful to Helga. Arnold knew he had to apologize, but was unclear as to how. Helga was not the type of girl you could give flowers and chocolates to, along with a puppy-eyes look of sorrow.
The window opening broke Arnold from his train of thoughts. Surprisingly, Arnie came through, still dressed from his date, or rather dates. He took a seat next to Arnold, quietly looking at the stars himself. Neither spoke for several minutes, just enjoying the peaceful night, such as it was with car horns, loud domestic disputes, dogs, cats, and various other noises that made up the city.
"She called me," Arnie finally said at last.
It did not take long for Arnold to realize who "she" was. Closing his eyes, he asked, "How much trouble did I get you in?"
Chuckling, he replied, "Well, it's a good thing Rhonda and Lila were in the bathroom, although the couple sitting next to me at Marty's got a show. Let me tell you, Arnold, in case you haven't noticed, that girl has a temper."
Laughing, Arnold turned to Arnie, "I'm sorry. I decided to ditch my plan and come right out and ask her what was wrong. She did exactly what you said, with the defense of nothing was wrong. I kept going, and she finally snapped. But then she said something that bothered me." Turning around so that he was fully facing Arnie, he pressed on, "She said that she always lived in Lila's shadow when it came to guys. I don't know what to make of that."
Arnie himself turned around to face Arnold, "Stop and think, cousin. Lila obviously had some guy's attention, a guy that Helga cared about. Stop and think of who that could have been."
"Arnie, Lila hasn't exactly been monogamous in recent years. She has had a lot of boyfriends," Arnold said.
Shaking his head, Arnie went on, "Arnold, focus. What guys do Helga and Lila have in common?"
This question perplexed Arnold. Helga and Lila did not exactly hang with the same crowd. Lila was into cheerleading, volley ball, and the social scene. Helga ran more with the creative scene, with writing and drama, and her sport focused more on baseball, and feat she and Arnold had in common. Lila dated a lot, but Helga had only gone a few, with Stinky, Harold, and Curly, and all had ended on friendly terms.
"Well, I don't think Harold, Stinky, and Curly liked Lila they most guys liked Lila. They thought she was cute, actually I think Curly's term was 'super booty- hotilicous.'
"You mean, they didn't like Lila like you liked Lila," Arnie stated.
Arnold was confused. "But I don't like her like that anymore."
"But you did."
Shaking his head, Arnold turned back around, answering, "What does any of this have to do with Helga?"
It was a second later that Arnold felt a pain in the back of his head, that had been preceded by a slapping sound. Slowly, his head processed that it had been hit. Stunned, he turned to Arnie, "What the hell was that for?"
"For your sheer stupidity. Because you cannot draw this conclusion on your own, I guess I'll have to do it for you. You liked Lila, Helga hates Lila. I took Helga out on a date. You got pissed off about it. You and Helga get upset when one goes out with someone else. Ergo, you and Helga have problems when other people get romantically involved with one or the other. What does that tell you?"
Arnold just blinked. He could not process what Arnie was trying to tell him. It was impossible. There was no way that he could take that step. "Are you saying I should take Helga on a date?"
"No, I'm saying you should tell her that you are hopelessly in love with her, have been since fourth grade, and then take her on a date," Arnie answered.
"WHAT?"
Rolling his eyes, Arnie replied, "She is crazy about you. Did not shut up about you during our date. Well, she mentioned the others, but she glowed when she talked about you. I see the change in you when she is near, and how you grin like some schoolgirl when she calls. I don't even have to ask to know who is on your cell when you pick up. When it's Gerald, it's, 'Hey man, what's up?' When it's your Grandpa, it's 'Hello.' When it's Helga, it's, "Hey," Arnie ended his last impression with a slightly higher pitch. "In other words, you guys dig each other, and it would probably do the rest of the world good if you would stop holding back, both of you."
For good measure, Arnie added, "She completes you."
It was Arnold's turn to slap Arnie on the back of the head, but Arnie just laughed and said, "Arnold, I didn't come here to cause trouble, and I'm sorry if I did. My class mates aren't half as interesting. They have their own drama, and I tend to stay out of the way. It was nice to have a change of pace."
Sighing, Arnold said, "I'm sorry, too. The first time you were here, I got angry because you went out with the girl I like-liked. This time you went out with the girl you claim I'm in love with, and it bothered more ten times more. But, I guess I should thank you. Helga is not going to wait around forever, and if I don't make a move, then someone else will. Someone who could be staying longer than a week."
Arnie punched Arnold's shoulder, "That's the spirit. Now all you have to do is get close enough to her without her murdering you, and confess your feelings, and all is in the clear."
Once again, guilt came over Arnold. He knew that would be easier said than done.
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