Chapter 23

Helga checked her phone. It was 12:15, and Rhonda still hadn't shown up. She sat on the concrete blocks lining the front of the school building, hoping no one would recognize her and shoo her off the premises for being suspended and loitering.

Maybe Rhonda decided she'd rather rot than go to the dance knowing Helga would be getting what she wanted, too. Typical, she thought.

The bell rang, and Helga realized that it was lunchtime. She had planned on going into the office with Rhonda between classes so they could avoid any unnecessary gossip from their classmates, but at this rate it didn't seem she was going to show up at all.

"Helga?" a voice asked.

Helga turned to see Lila standing next to her, smiling awkwardly. "Lila, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well, Rhonda told me you wanted to talk to me, at noon in front of the school?" Lila, seeing Helga's confusion, added, "It seems you and I have been set up though." She sat down next to Helga anyway.

"Why would she do that?" Helga asked herself more than Lila.

Lila stared down at the books in her lap. "I heard you were suspended," she said.

Helga sighed. "Yep, but I guess I deserved it."

Lila shrugged. "I don't know about that. But I want you to know I didn't say anything to anybody about that night."

"I didn't think you did," Helga said honestly.

Lila crossed her arms and her voice became strained. "Even though I could have, even though Arnold picked you instead of me," she said, an edge of hurt in her tone.

Helga folded her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry for that," she said, surprised to feel the truth of her words. "If it makes you feel any better, I was as shocked as you. I still am actually. He had to work with me on a school assignment, and we spent time together, and...none of this was to hurt you, or compete with you. I just-"

"-love him," Lila finished.

She looked at her. "Yeah."

Lila looked up at the sky and sighed. "It's not like I don't get it. You're fun and exciting, and you speak your mind. It makes sense why he'd want to be with you."

Helga didn't know what to say. In a way, Rhonda had been right when she'd told Helga in the bathroom that she'd always been jealous of Lila. She was kind, and smart, and cared about doing the right thing, and without any effort at all made friends everywhere she went. In so many ways, she was like Arnold. It was surprising to hear Lila talk about any of her good qualities.

Lila smoothed her dress and tapped her fingers on her books. "Helga, I have a confession to make, and I hope you'll forgive me. Arnold, well, he didn't actually let me borrow that love languages book. It's just that I wanted so badly for him to like me. I thought that if I could make you think he liked me, I'd have a better chance."

Helga laughed. It was so uncharacteristic of Little Miss Perfect to look so guilty. "Well, I can't fault you for that. It seems like the kind of schemey thing I would have done," she said, thinking of the times she herself had schemed to ruin things between Arnold and Lila when they were kids.

Lila put her hand over her mouth to cover a smile. "Yes, I suppose that does sound a little like you."

Helga didn't know how to tell Lila she was sorry things had turned out the way they had. They both had such history with Arnold. It seemed odd to be in the situation they were now, after all these years. "Did you really tell Arnold to go to the dance with me?"

Lila shrugged. "It's what he wanted. And I know with how much of a gentleman he is, he never would have gone back on his word to go with me."

Helga shook her head. "No, he wouldn't have."

"You don't have to feel bad about the dance. I'm actually going with someone else. Rhonda knows a lot of cute guys," she said.

At this bit of information, Helga suddenly realized why Lila was there and not Rhonda. Rhonda, as awful as she was, was sticking up for her friend. She didn't want Helga at the dance if it meant Lila's feelings would be hurt by seeing her with Arnold- even if that meant Rhonda couldn't go. Despite how much she loathed Rhonda, she had to hand it to her: that was loyalty.

"Lila, I actually came here to try to lift the suspension for me, Rhonda, and Nadine, so we could go to the dance. But if you don't want me there, I'd understand."

"Oh, Helga, of course I want you to go-"

"No. Don't do that," Helga cut in.

"Do what?" Lila asked.

Helga put her hands on her hips. "That thing you do, the whole modesty thing. Arnold does it, too, that thing where you don't say what you want because you're all about being moral and taking the higher road and making other people happy and blah blah blah. You two would jump off a bridge if it meant you'd save everyone else. Just say what you want!"

"Arnold said your love language was words," Lila said quietly, as if Helga hadn't said anything. "Have you figured out what his is yet?"

Helga snorted, wondering where this line of questioning was going. "You mean, have I asked him what his blood type or horoscope sign is?" she asked.

"I'm certain I don't know what you mean by that, Helga."

Helga shrugged. "I just don't think labels are going to help me love someone," she said. "If I told myself, 'Oh, his love language is gifts,' then all I'd ever do is buy him presents and let myself think that's enough. But I want to keep finding new ways to love him, because then I'll really know him, and appreciate him the way he deserves."

Lila smiled warmly. "I like that," she said. She suddenly stood up and dusted herself off. "Well, it was nice chatting with you, Helga. Hopefully, I'll see you at the dance." She winked, and then turned and walked back into the school.

Helga was left sitting outside, wondering what had just happened.

That afternoon when Arnold came over, Helga was lying on her bed doing her homework. With things as up in the air as they were about the dance and suspension keeping her from school, she needed a distraction other than staring longingly at the gorgeous dress hanging in her closet.

Arnold sat on the bed next to her. "So, how'd it go today?" he asked. Helga pushed her homework away and propped herself up.

"I had an interesting conversation with Little Miss- I mean Lila today."

Arnold noticed the correction and smiled. "Well, it must not have been too terrible if you're using her name."

"No, but, well, it got me thinking...why did you stop liking Lila? I remember you liking her for a really long time."

Arnold leaned back in thought and ran his fingers lazily up and down Helga's back. She melted at his touch. "Honestly?" he said. "We were too much alike. I mean, we had a lot in common, but it was just...boring."

Helga turned over on her back. "Are you saying I'm not boring?"

He smirked. "Helga, you couldn't be boring if you tried."

She smiled, thinking back to the origins of his crush on Lila. "Speaking of not boring, did you know that I wrote 'Arnold loves Lila' on the wall in fourth grade?" Arnold stopped his ministrations and looked down at her.

"What?! Why would you do that?"

Helga laughed at the shock on his face. "I actually wrote 'Arnold loves Helga', but then I heard people coming, erased my name, and wrote Lila's." She covered her face, trying not to laugh. "It was stupid, I know."

"Why did you pick Lila of all people?"

"It was the first name I could think of!" she exclaimed. "People were coming! I panicked, okay?"

Arnold started laughing. "Oh my god, that's when I started liking her, because of you writing that on the wall."

Helga laughed. "I know! It was so infuriating." She beat her legs on the bed.

"No wonder you've been annoyed by her all these years," he said. They laughed until they had tears in their eyes. She crawled over to him and placed her head on his lap. He began stroking her hair.

"You know, I defended your honor yesterday," she said.

"Please don't tell me you punched Rhonda again."

"Ye of so little faith." She rolled her eyes. "No, I merely suggested that she choose a nickname that fits you better."

He was quiet for a moment. "You don't think she'll use that against you?"

She sighed. "Honestly, football head, I don't know and I don't care. At this rate, I could end up staying suspended and not go to the dance and I'll still be okay. I have you." She leaned up and kissed him softly, then he pulled back to look in her eyes.

"Helga, if the dance doesn't work out, can I take you out anyway? I want to take you on a real date," he said, looking at her.

"Really?" she said like a starstruck teenager.

He chuckled. "Yeah."

She switched to a no-nonsense tone. "Well, in that case, it'd better be first-class all the way. Nothing on the cheap. Got it, bucko?"

He rolled his eyes. "So demanding."

She smirked. "And wouldn't I be boring if I wasn't?"