(A/N: Greetings, eager readers! I'm pleased to announce that all of my commissioned pictures are officially on AO3 and linked in chapters 11, 18 and 27, next to their represented scenes. If you haven't checked em out yet, I strongly encourage it! Tapioca Pudding did an amazing job, as she always does, and I couldn't be more happy! Further more, the next chapter may take a lot longer than normal (not that there... really is a normal) due to a few tragic events surrounding my family. Be patient, as always because I'll never fail to eventually come through! I appreciate everyone's support and just know that your reviews always make my day!)
It's strange how things can change. One moment, you're playing and dancing in an open fire hydrant, trying to stay cool from the summer's heat, in only your bathing suit… and the next, you can't even imagine showing your friends your naked skin. Suddenly, you become conscious of yourself and those around you. You begin to wonder how they see you in their eyes; you worry if you're too fat, or too skinny, if they find you attractive or utterly repulsive. When once you were just careless friends, having fun and enjoying each other's company, and now when you suddenly notice your own imperfections… you wonder if they see them too.
Hours passed while Arnold was deep in his thoughts. He could hear the ticking of his clock next to him. Just what time was it? He wasn't sure and didn't dare to look. Instead, he replayed certain images in his mind over and over. It was almost like if his mind was a broken cassette tape that continued to skip and rewind.
He listened to the noises around his room: The creaking of an old wooden board from below him from someone walking in the hallway, a fire alarm beeping from a dying battery, cars passing his house with a loud muffler that needed to be replaced… everything he heard seemed so loud.
Laying on his bed, flat on his back with his pillow clutched to his chest, the boy just listened and watched the images for what seemed like an entire night, but what probably only a few hours. He never ended up making it back downstairs to help his family, and instead decided it might be better for him to take a shower to wind down, and ponder his thoughts by himself.
Why did these images mock him so?
Arnold took in a deep breath as flashes of his memory came forward of the things Helga had done to him in her room. The way she slowly walked up to him, how she placed her hand on his and slowly backed him up against the door until it closed behind him. The way she lightly dragged her fingers across his body, from his hand to his chin. How she spoke in a soft unassuming tone and feeling her warm breath on his skin. He knew what she wanted, yet he was frozen in place. "It's more like going on a roller coaster for the first time! To put it bluntly, she'll make you really excited and nervous but in a way you've never felt before." His father's voice reminded him, causing the boy to shift uncomfortably.
Playing back the scenes of the movie, Helga's voice echoed in his brain. "Those are two people who could die at any moment, grasping for any sense of relief from their dire situation. It's not romantic, it's pathetic." Yet, the acts of kissing and touching seemed like something people who were in love would do. Arnold felt something tug at his heart and he closed his eyes. There were so many things that didn't make sense, and that included his own feelings.
These two things contradicted themselves. Helga claimed that what those two adults did, wasn't romantic… it wasn't love, yet it's something two people do when they are in love. The feelings his father explained he would feel, along with Gerald's concern with them living together and being alone behind closed doors and finally, the unrelenting urges to be as close to her as possible… weren't they also connected to love? He only had these feelings when he was with her. Was love not the common denominator?
Arnold knew he understood what love meant. He understood that people must love each other very much to get married and start a family. People who are in love, do anything for each other, including sacrificing things they wouldn't for other people. These things are openly spoken about everywhere you go; in books, movies and even seeing families together in the park or on dates. Love was something that was warm, joyful, and affectionate… but was there more to it he didn't understand?
Feelings of frustration caused the boy to roll to his side. Why did things have to be so complicated?
The next morning, Arnold awoke to a loud trumpet being played loudly from downstairs. He quickly jumped out of bed, put on his clothes, and raced down to see what the commotion was about. "What's going on?"
When he got into the kitchen, he saw his grandma in Army attire, plating stacks of pancakes in front of the hungry boarders.
"It's about time you got down here, Colonel." She stated as she placed a 5th pancake on top of Ernie's plate. "We can only keep the troops at bay for so long, so you'll need lots of energy!"
The young boy sat down at the table, and looked around in confusion. "Where's Mom and Dad?" He asked, remembering the tickets Helga had given him.
"Oh, they'll be along." She explained, rounding the table to give him his own set of pancakes. "Rowdy soldiers are always getting into trouble and injuring themselves, you know. A couple of greenhorn recruits… Always making trouble for our poor nurse." The old woman shook her head and plopped a few pancakes down on Arnold's plate.
Opening his mouth to ask for more information, Arnold was interrupted by the sounds of male voices crying out in pain.
"The old man and Miles were trying to fix a hot water pipe." Ernie said as he finished a large bite of his breakfast. "Got themselves burned so Stella is patching them up."
"Are they okay?" Arnold asked in concern, looking between the adults.
"Merely a flesh wound!" Gertie shouted before giving Arnold a salute. "You need skin tough as leather to win this war, Colonel. Better to rough em' up now before the real danger begins." She then turned around and marched back into the kitchen.
Arnold poured himself a glass of orange juice and took a sip, wondering if he should go looking for them or if maybe it was better to stay out of the way. He then noticed that Helga was nowhere in sight. "Has Helga come down for breakfast yet?"
"Oh, you mean the little blonde girl who's always angry?" Oskar asked, as he poured more syrup on his stack. "No, Arnold. She hasn't been downstairs."
Mr. Hyunh forcefully grabbed the bottle of syrup from Oskar and placed it back down on the table. "And she won't have any syrup for her pancakes! Leave some for other people, Oskar! Why are you always so stingy?"
The three began to bicker about each other's selfishness but Arnold paid them no mind. He took a few bites of his food, another sip of his juice and then pushed himself out of his seat in route of his parents' voices.
It became obvious after a moment that they were down in the basement, as the door was still slightly ajar and their voices became louder. Arnold walked down the stairs and saw his mother applying ointment to his grandpa's hand, as well as his father attempting to cut a bandage with his own bandaged fingers.
"Arnold!" Miles happily greeted his son. "Good morning! How does it feel to be twelve years old for a second day?"
Stella turned around and smiled at him, before grabbing the bandage from her husband and wrapping it around her father in laws hand.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Phil shouted as he attempted to snatch his hand away from the woman, who only gripped it tighter in response. "Are you trying to break my hand off or fix it?!"
"If you'd quit squirming, I wouldn't have to." She scolded, jerking his arm forward. "Did you have a good sleep, hunny?"
Arnold hesitated before walking down the last few steps of the basement stairs. It always surprised him to see the dynamic between his elders, but at least it was amusing most of the time. "Sleep was good and I feel fine." He answered both with a smile. Placing his hand at his side, Arnold could feel the tickets still in his right pocket. "I was wondering if you guys had any plans for today?"
"And… finished!" Stella said contently as she fastened the bandage on Phil's hand. "I hope this teaches you boys to not do things you THINK you can do, and instead, calling someone who KNOWS what they're doing."
Phil examined his bandaged up hand and scowled at the woman. "I'll have you know that I've fixed everything around here by myself since I knew how to hold a socket wrench! Nothing some common sense, tools and duct tape can't fix!" He then turned to his son and pointed his good finger at him. "And this would have never happened if Miles had turned off the water like I said!"
"I did turn off the water!" Miles defended himself, angrily. "You just didn't give it enough time!"
"Enough, you two…" Stella placed her hand on her forehead, then turned to Arnold. "I'm sorry, Arnold, could you repeat that?"
The young boy fumbled awkwardly in his place for a moment, feeling as though he shouldn't have interfered in their affairs. "I was just wondering if maybe we could go out someplace today?" He asked shyly.
The two parents looked at one another, before smiling at their boy.
"Of course, we can go out today!" Stella walked over and gave the boy a big hug. "Where did you have in mind?"
Arnold took out the tickets and handed them to her. "Here." He stated, waiting for his father to join them. "Helga gave them to me as my birthday present and I was hoping we could go."
"Give me the boot, why dontcha!" Phil grumbled to them playfully before grinning and mushing down Arnold's feathery hair. "Where ya going, Shortman?"
Stella looked them over, then handed them to Miles. "We wanted to go here right before Arnold started school, remember?"
"Oh yeah! We saw an advertisement for this exact exhibit in the newspaper! I almost forgot!" Miles laughed and handed them both their own ticket. "Sure, we can go today!"
Arnold smiled at them both. "Alright. Thanks!"
"Just give me a few minutes to freshen up and put away this first aid kit, and then we'll be on our way." Said Stella with a wink, before placing the last of her medical tools back inside their box.
"Yeah." Miles agreed as he looked at the palms of his dirty hands. "I better wash these as well."
The two gathered up their things and left the basement, leaving Arnold and his grandpa to watch them disappear.
"That was a pretty nice gift she got you, eh Arnold?" Phil smirked at his grandson. "I would've assumed she would have wanted to go, instead of your parents."
Arnold looked down at his ticket. "Yeah… I thought the same thing." He explained, sounding a little down. "But she said that I haven't been spending enough time with them." He then looked back up at the old man and gave him a proud smile. "I guess she's just trying to look out for me."
"Oh, women and their mysterious ways…" Phil chuckled before giving Arnold's hair another tussle and going back to the water valve to turn it back on. "Hey Arnold, would ya do me a favor and hand me that wrench?"
To the left of him on the table, Arnold spotted a toolbox and ran towards it. "Is this the one you need?" Arnold asked, holding it up.
Phil took a quick look then waved him over. "That's the one!"
Feeling a sense of importance, Arnold rushed over to the man and handed him his tool. He deeply missed this sort of bonding he always had with his grandpa. Now that his parents were home, they seemed to be the ones helping out around the boarding house, leaving Arnold to study up in his room. He understood why things had changed, however it left the boy feeling a little lacking.
Seeing a small crate, Arnold flipped it over and sat down to silently watch the man work.
"Something you wanna talk about, Shortman?" Phil asked as he turned his wrench delicately, as to not accidentally cause more damage to the already falling apart pipe.
It was almost like his grandpa always had a sixth sense for knowing when something was bothering him. Sometimes it was a blessing, and sometimes it was a curse but, in this situation, Arnold wasn't really sure which one it was. "Sorta…" He confessed, feeling uncomfortable about the whole thing. Giving himself a few seconds to collect his thoughts, Arnold knew his grandpa probably had the answers he sought. "I'm just a little confused about something…"
"And that something… is…?" Phil pressed on, glancing over at his grandson. He could see the boy's expression and knew it was going to be something important.
"When two people love each other, they want to be close, right?" Arnold started, feeling nervous and testing the waters with his question.
"Right…" Phil swallowed, hoping this conversation wasn't headed in a direction he feared.
Arnold began to fidget with his fingers as he contemplated how to proceed to his next question. "Would… there ever be a situation where two people wanted to be close, even if they didn't love each other?"
The innocent question caused Phil to flinch and accidentally bang his head on the pipe. "Consarn it!" He yelped in pain, rubbing the top of his head. "Aren't you a little young to be worrying about stuff like this?" His voice was harsh from the pain. When he noticed his grandsons worried face, he forced a smile. "Oh… geez…" He said quietly before looking around and finding a box to sit on. When he sat down, he gave Arnold a serious, yet sympathetic look. "And you sure you wanna be asking an old man like me this, instead of your dad?"
"You've always helped me out when I was confused…" Arnold tilted his head, not understanding why his grandpa would ask something like that. "Why would that change now?"
Phil frowned and looked down. "Well… I suppose it wouldn't." Guilt came over the man as he thought over his feelings. Truthfully, this very topic was weighing heavily on his mind ever since Miles had given Arnold 'the talk' in his place. A man should always tell his son about the facts of life, however when Phil took Arnold in, all of those talks and experiences were his job, and to suddenly have to relinquish that job was hurting his old heart more than he wanted to admit. "I was just thinking… maybe you'd want someone younger to ask about… things like this, instead of an old foggy like me." He lied, hiding his fears.
"The last time Dad and I tried to talk about… stuff like this, it really put a strain on him." Arnold thought back and gave a small chuckle to his father's obvious awkwardness. "It's always been easier talking to you."
Placing his old and wrinkled hand on the boy's knee, Phil smiled. "I appreciate the compliment, Arnold but you know I won't be around forever. Even if your dad gets uncomfortable having these sort of talks with you, he'll eventually have to get over it, and so will you." He noticed the boy's face get grim, and patted his knee a few times before straightening back up and feigning confidence. "But since I'm still here, I suppose I can answer a few questions. Lay it on me, Arnold. Give me the whole story!"
Arnold nodded. "Why would two people who aren't in love, want to get… physically close?" He asked plainly.
Unable to control his cringe, Phil faked a cough. "W-well… hmm… How can I explain this in a way you'd understand…" He then felt his stomach grumble and his hunger gave him an idea. "You ever have school lunch and then look over at someone else's bagged lunch and think, man I would much rather have that?"
"I… guess?" Arnold cocked his eyebrow, not sure where this example was going.
"It's sort of like that. You like your lunch, but you'd rather have someone else's. You don't need it, but you want it because it tastes better!" Phil smiled, sure of himself. "It's not always about being hungry, Shortman. Sometimes, you just really want that pudding cup because you know how good it tastes!"
"I think I get what you're saying…" Arnold gave a small laugh but shook his head. "But I don't really see how that answers my question."
"Lust! Arnold." Phil shouted out, throwing his hands on his old and boney knees. "That's the answer you're looking for!"
The sudden outburst caused Arnold to recoil. "Lust?"
"Yeah! When you have a strong desire for something you don't really need!" The old man then reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. "You know that old picture of Hedy Lamar I'm always carrying around?" He asked as he fumbled through the bill folds. When he finally found it, he held it out to his grandson. "Look Arnold, I love your grandma with all my heart, and I always will, but this is a whole lotta woman!" He then let out a full belly laugh, which followed with an awkward cough. "Do you see what I mean?"
Arnold took the picture of the old actress, back in her beautiful youth and stared at it, hoping maybe it would clear up some of the confusion. She was indeed beautiful in her own way, but staring at the picture didn't make him feel anything.
"You don't always eat when you're hungry, right? Sometimes you want to eat just because you're bored or because you know it tastes good." The old man explained, snatching the picture back and placing it back in his wallet. "Doing… those types of things… falls under a similar category. Sometimes people will just wanna be close with someone, because they like the way it feels."
The explanation was beginning to make a little bit more sense in the young boy's mind, and he smiled. "So… some people just want to be close… in that way, just because it makes them feel good? And love doesn't have to be involved?"
"Exactly!" Phil nodded. He stood back up and gingerly stretched his tired legs. "Did that clear it up?"
The young man nodded and stood up. "Thanks, Grandpa. I think I understand now."
As Arnold turned to leave, Phil caught the boy by the wrist, causing him to turn around with a confused look.
"Don't think you're getting away from me that easily." Phil said with a stern, yet kind face. "Sit back down, Arnold." He said as he motioned toward the crate. As the boy sat down, Phil let go and gave a heavy sigh. "I need to know why you needed something like that cleared up. It would be very irresponsible of me to just let you leave without knowing the whole story and I know there is more to it than that…" He watched as his grandson gave him a nervous look, then averted the man's gaze to his feet. "Are you doing something you shouldn't be?" As he waited for Arnold to reply, the old man silently prayed. Oh… please don't be doing anything bad! I've told your parents so many times to trust you… don't give them reason not to now… Then we'd BOTH look bad! Please let it be some random street kid coming to you with boyhood problems that you're trying to solve… and not your own.
Despite knowing his grandfather was a very understanding person, Arnold couldn't help but feel guilty. "Well… We all went to the movies yesterday and we didn't realize until midway into it that it wasn't… family friendly." He confessed, hoping he wouldn't get any backlash from the accident.
"I see." Phil nodded and smiled as the weight was lifted off his chest. "And I can only assume you saw some very… interesting scenes?"
"Yeah." Arnold gave his elder a bashful look and scratched the side of his arm. "At first it didn't bother me but then when I realized that the two people weren't dating or anything, it just didn't make sense anymore. Helga said that they were just pathetic and doing it to make each other feel better but…"
"People do a lot of crazy things for a lot of crazy reasons, Arnold." Phil interrupted compassionately, knowing the boy was already uncomfortable admitting his wrong doing, and didn't want him to have to explain something so simple further. "You won't always understand why someone might do something you wouldn't. All that matters is that you do what you think is right. Always remember that!"
"I will." Arnold agreed, feeling thankful that his grandpa didn't ask how they ended up watching an R rated film.
Phil looked the boy up and down, then cleared his voice. "You… uh, aren't doing anything like you saw in that movie, are you?" He asked, even though he really didn't want to know the answer. "I don't want you to think I don't trust your judgement… but you know, I gotta ask…" He watched Arnold open his mouth the speak, but interrupted him quickly, afraid of what the answer might be. "Holding hands and kissing is fine, Arnold but treading anything past that might get you into some trouble." He then paused for a moment and thought about his words. "I know you're a smart kid but always remember-"
"To follow my good instincts." Arnold finished with a smile. "I know, Grandpa. You don't have to worry."
The two took in a moment of silence to read the other's moods and behaviors before they both decided that the conversation had ended.
"You're a good boy, Arnold." Phil said with admiration as he stood up and patted his young grandson on the head. "You better go upstairs before your parents start thinking I roped you into helping me fix this piece of junk." He finished, knocking on the old metal pipe with his knuckles.
The man watched as Arnold got up and headed up the stairs, and pride began to fill his heart. He knew he had no need to worry about his grandson's decision making, however he also knew the trials and tribulations of growing into a man. Your mind may tell you one thing, your heart another, and your body can completely ignore all of that and decide to call the shots… and it was these instincts that he had to look out for.
"Thanks so much for the help today, Harold." Mr. Green sighed in exhaustion, as he finished ringing up his customer. "Sunday mornings have been getting busier and busier lately."
Harold looked up at the clock and noticed it had just become 2pm and he wiped the sweat that had been forming under his paper cap. "Oh, that's not a problem." Harold responded with a smile, taking off his dirty apron and throwing it in a bucket that was labeled "To Be Cleaned". Over the last month or so, Harold had been working their nearly every Sunday morning, between 10am-2pm in order to help with the morning rush. "Why has it been so busy lately?" He asked as he slowly made his way around the counter to face the older man.
Looking over at his nearly empty display case, Marty Green shook his head. "A lot of meat processing plants have had to shut down due to not meeting code, so the grocery stores aren't able to meet the customers' demands. Bad for their business, but great for mine."
"Meeting code?" Harold questioned. "What's that mean?"
Mr. Green gave the boy an aggravated look before wiping down his counter. "Every business has a safety standard and cleanliness code. If you don't meet up to regulations, you get shut down." He then pointed to a plaque hanging on his wall. "See that sign there?" The boy walked up to it and gave it a read before the man continued. "Every time the health inspector comes, I always pass with flying colors. I would hate for one of my customers to wind up sick or in the hospital because my meat wasn't being stored or handled properly. It's why before we close shop, we always make sure to clean everything thoroughly, otherwise I could lose this place."
"Ohhhh…" Harold said as he scratched his head. "Did the processing plant get shut down because it was dirty?"
"I don't know, Harold!" Marty yelled. As much as he enjoyed Harold's help and enthusiasm about the butcher shop, one of the things that never failed to get on his last nerve was the boy's constant questions. "You better get going." The moment he finished his sentence, a lightbulb went off in his head and he bent down to open the storage area underneath the display case. "Oh wait, but don't forget your mothers order."
"Oh, right!" Harold ran over and took the package of meat out of his mentor's hand. "I wouldn't want to forget this. Thanks, Mr. Green."
"Yeah, yeah, sure." The man waved his employee off before grabbing another rag to begin cleaning his scale. "Tell your parents I said hi."
The bell of Green Meats rang loudly as Harold opened up the door and headed outside. Feelings of pride and accomplishment coursed through his veins and he couldn't help but smile widely. Usually, he hated doing chores and cleaning and whatever adults told him, but when it came to helping out in the butcher shop, it was just different. He got to learn about food, which was probably one of his number one favorite things. He got to handle all sorts of different cuts of meats, as well as learn the suggested cook methods, if ever a customer should ask, and see their happy faces as he handed them their product. He even got praise from the old butcher from time to time, when Harold did an especially good job. It was a feeling different from when his parents praised him, and he always fought hard to stay on Mr. Green's good side in hopes of maybe, when he was older, he would officially work there and maybe even take over the business. Harold was aware that Mr. Green was the last man in his family's blood line that was likely to own the shop, unless a possible grandchild wanted to step in, but even that chance was hardly likely, as the butchers only child was a vegetarian and so was his family. Sad as this situation was for the owner, it gave Harold some hope, even if it was slim. His parents always tried to encourage him to look towards the future and to focus on the things he was good at, rather than the things that didn't always work in his favor, and what this meant for Harold, was to continue to listen to his Rabi's wise teachings and focus on the passions he had for working at that butcher's shop.
The wind blew and caused Harold's skin to prickle up with goosebumps, as he was still a bit moist with sweat from today's hard work. Although it seemed cooler outside today than it did the day before, he knew he still better rush home before his mom's order of ground beef got too warm and spoiled.
He walked a little ways before he started to hear a crowd of voices in his direction. Curiously, he walked towards it and noticed a bunch of kids huddled in the corner of the former vacant lot which was now called by his friends "Gerald Field". It had been a while since him and his friends had been able to play a peaceful game of baseball or football there, since Ludwig and Wolfgang had taken it over completely, but every now and again, they somehow managed.
Getting a little bit closer, Harold managed to step on a stick, causing a loud crack and for the one of the heads in the crowd to look up and give a menacing glare in his direction.
"What are you looking at, Fat boy?" Ludwig yelled towards Harold, causing him to clutch the order a little harder.
The large and muscled boy's statement caused more of the boys to look up and turn around, each with their own expressions of amusement and frustration.
"N-Nothing!" Harold reassured him before slowly walking away.
The crowd opened up completely and allowed Wolfgang to walk through and up to Harold, blocking his way. "Whatcha got there?" He asked with a snarky expression before attempting to grab at the bundle of ground beef. Harold quickly avoided the boys grasp and curled himself around his prize, causing Wolfgang to scoff. "What's wrong? I just wanted to look."
Loud laughs came from the crowd of boys behind him, causing the bully to devilishly grin but Harold didn't budge. "It's just ground beef, Wolfgang." Harold whined. "Just move so I can get it home to my mom before it goes bad."
"Yeah, Wolfgang." Edmond laughed from the mass. "You better let him go or his mommy will be mad."
Harold's face flushed with both embarrassment and anger but Wolfgang paid no mind. "Whatcha gonna do about it, Tubby?" He laughed as he pushed his finger into Harold's big round nose. "It's not like you're gonna fight back. You're just a wuss, just like all the other little elementary school kids."
"Just let him go, Wolfgang." Ludwig yelled from the snickering kids, causing them to quickly shut up. "We have more important things to do."
Wolfgang gave Harold's nose a quick flick before shrugging and heading back towards his friends, leaving Harold to watch him as he went, rubbing his nose with a frustrated scowl on his face.
Once the kids were all assembled again, they circled something once again and began to whisper to each other. The sight was an odd one for Harold to see, as normally they were either playing some game or torturing some kid out of their lunch money and he couldn't help but feel a little curious. "Just… Just what are you guys doing, anyway?" He asked loudly, mustering up all the courage he could and standing taller.
"What's it to you?" Ludwig replied, turning from the crowd, and crossing his arms. Although Harold had much more history with Wolfgang, Ludwig always seemed easier to talk to even if he knew he could still beat the crap out of him.
"Just ignore him." Another 7th grader said but Ludwig brushed him off.
"You got some guts, kid… or you're just stupid." With a small smirk, Ludwig walked over to Harold and looked him up and down, noticing that they were almost the same height. "How old are you, anyway? You seem a lot bigger than the other kid's you're always hanging around with."
"Fifteen…" Mumbled Harold as he clutched the meat tightly, in case this boy wanted to try and steal it from him too.
The bully's eyes grew wide and he took a step back. "Seriously?" He asked before letting out a small laugh. When he noticed Harold wasn't retracting, Ludwig looked back at Wolfgang, who shrugged, and then back at Harold. "Then maybe you really are just stupid."
"I'm not stupid!" Harold shouted in defense, causing a few adults to look out their windows. "I just started school really late!"
"Okay, okay!" Ludwig laughed as he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Calm down, will ya? I was just joking with you." When he noticed Harold's huff, the boy smiled. "So, you're fifteen, huh? Maybe you should join us…"
"What?" A kid cried.
"Are you serious?!" Yelled another.
Wolfgang gave his fellow bully an angry scowl as he watched Ludwig put his arm around Harold's shoulders and guide him towards the vacant lot. "What are you doing? He can't join us!"
"Hey! This is still my vacant lot and I say he can!" Ludwig stated harshly before smiling at Harold. "He's my guest…"
Confused, Harold looked around and could see that no one really wanted him there. He could feel his insides churning and knew he had made a mistake asking questions when he had the opportunity to leave.
"Whatever…" Wolfgang huffed before turning back.
Once Harold got into the crowd, he noticed there was a stack of magazines on top of an old wooden box. Each kid grabbed one and began giggling and flipping through the pages. When he looked closer at the front covers of each one, he noticed they each had different pretty ladies, posing in some interesting positions. "What's so special about these magazines?" He asked innocently, causing his companions to look over at him with a mix of expressions.
"See!" Wolfgang growled angrily, "Dude! He's clueless!"
Ludwig gave Harold a sly smile and held out a magazine to him, which Harold grasped in his one free hand. "My old man got sent back to jail, so my mom was tossing out all of his stuff and I found a bunch of these." He explained softly as he reached out and finally managed to take Harold's package away. He watched Harold began to flip through the pages and enjoyed the boy's surprised reaction to the content. "Pretty cool, huh?"
Unable to really process what was just handed to him, Harold continued to curiously flip through the magazine silently. Each page was different than the next but all had a similar theme of different woman being posed in suggestive positions, wearing very revealing clothing.
Once Ludwig had become content with curing Harold's curiosity, he snatched the magazine away.
"Hey!" Harold cried out, attempting to grab it back but failing. "I wasn't done!"
The group laughed as Ludwig continued to toy with him, pulling it in and out of Harold's reach.
"Is this your first time seeing this stuff?" Edmond asked, somewhat astonished. "Are you like, sheltered or something?"
"His parents probably have child blocks on everything." Wolfgang cruelly laughed, enjoying his friend's amusing act.
Throwing the package of ground beef back at Harold, Ludwig handed the magazine over to another kid and placed his hands on his hips. "I think it's time for this wussy fat kid to finally become a man…" He announced to the gang as he watched Harold pick up his package and scowl angrily at him. "You like what you saw, right? Well, there is plenty more where that came from and better."
"You holding out on us?" asked a dark skinned boy with a weaselly looking face.
"Yeah." Wolfgang shouted. "What the hell, Ludwig?"
Placing his finger to his lips, Ludwig shushed the crowd and looked back at Harold. "What do you say? Interested in seeing more?"
Flustered, Harold ignored the others and wiped off the grass from his package. He hated getting teased but it was even worse when it was coming from these kids. Still, he knew he wasn't able to just ignore the leader in front of him and walk away unscathed. "And what if I do?" He asked shortly, attempting to seem big, causing the crowd to jeer once more.
"Then it's about time you became a real man." Ludwig replied with an adventurous smile. "Prove to me that you're man enough to enjoy this… mature content and I'll let you see the real stuff."
The group of boys began to talk amongst each other in suspicion and curiosity, save for Wolfgang who was eyeing his companion with interest, knowing there must be something up his sleeve.
"What do you want me to do?" Harold asked, doing his best to ignore all the voices around him.
"Shut up!" Wolfgang shouted to the group, causing them to be silent once more. "I want to hear what he has to say!"
Ludwig smiled and nodded at Wolfgang before returning back to his prey. "Downtown in Smithington, right in front of the subway entrance to the D train, there is an old abandoned pet food mill that's going to be demolished soon. My family used to own it so I know how to get inside." He gave a small pause once he saw Harold shutter in fear. "Oh, I see you've heard of it. Well, by the end of this week, I'll have hidden my stash somewhere in that building and if you can find it, you can have it, deal?"
The group began to whisper again, causing Harold's nervousness to only grow.
"Dude…" Wolfgang quietly intervened. "Isn't that the place where that guy got ground to death? It's super haunted!"
"Yeah, well what better way to prove himself?" Ludwig replied carelessly.
"I heard some high school kids went in there and never came out…" whispered Edmond, with a shiver. "Not even I would go in there…"
Wolfgang punched the lanky boy in the arm. "That's because you suck, Edmond."
"So, what do you say, kid?" Ludwig asked Harold calmly, keeping his attention focused on him. "Do we have a deal?"
Harold didn't have a brave bone in his body; this was known by everyone but he wanted so badly for people to look up and respect him. If he wasn't being teased by this group of kids, then it was his own classmates making fun of him and it was about time all of that came to an end. Taking a large breath in to stable his mind, Harold nodded. "Okay. It's a deal." The crowd of boys cheered and patted him on the back, making him feel accepted but he kept his brave front and didn't falter, even when Ludwig's eyes lit up with malicious intent.
"See, Wolfgang?" Ludwig spoke with authority over the group, eyeing his friend. "I knew he had it in him."
"Yeah, well let's see if he comes through." The large boy scoffed back, crossing his arms in defiance. "What's his punishment if he wusses out?"
"Punishment?" Harold repeated, shocked and shaken as he looked between the two.
Tapping his lips in thought, Ludwig suddenly let out a loud laugh and nodded. "If you can't pull this off, not only will you not get to see the treasure but I'll hand over this magazine to your mom and tell her that you were…" His expression changed to that of an innocent boy with a quivering lip. "Tainting our innocent minds with your smut."
With a face full of horror, Harold gasped. "H-hey! That's not fair!" He shouted despite his voice being drowned out by the hysterical laughter of the boys that surrounded him.
"Then you better not chicken out then!" Ludwig said as he jabbed his finger painfully into Harold's nose and looked him square in the eye. "You have until 6am next Sunday to find the stash. That's the time my grandparents will be going there to look the place over and sign the final papers for its demolition and I'm going with them, so I'll know if you found it or not."
"What if I search for it but, but can't find it?!" Harold panicked as he watched Ludwig snatch each magazine from its holder and place it back in the old crate.
Once he was done collecting them all, he roughly smashed the top of the crate back on, making sure the nails were held tightly in place, and picked it up, placing it over his broad shoulder. "Not my problem." He shrugged thoughtlessly before waving to his crew to follow him.
Harold stood there, frozen in place as he watched the boys laugh and turn the corner until they were nowhere in sight. He knew that he shouldn't have stuck his nose in their business but now it was too late. Wolfgang knew where he lived and he couldn't bear the thought of his mother's shame and despair if she knew he had been looking at such material, not to mention he would probably be grounded until he graduated high school. The thought caused Harold's stomach to clench tightly, making him want to throw up but he held it in.
Quickly, he ran home and threw the meat in the refrigerator before running to his bedroom and quickly closing the door. He sat down on his bed and hugged his pillow tightly.
"What am I gonna do…?" He asked himself, holding back his tears. "I can't go in that creepy place! I'll probably disappear and die like those high school kids!" He began to rock back in forth, in an attempt to soothe himself. "And that place is huge! If something doesn't kill me, I'll probably get lost and die of starvation! They'll knock the place down and my body will be hidden in the rubble… no one will find me. My parents will look for me for the rest of their lives and die of sadness and it will be all my fault!" He let the overflow of tears finally explode and they began to saturate his pillow. "All cuz I couldn't keep my stupid mouth shut!"
He sobbed loudly until the sound of the Jolly Olly man's musical tune came through his open window and filled his ears. Feeling his stomach grumble, he wiped his face with an old shirt and threw it to the ground, before running over to his window just to see how close it was. Children began to gather at the side walk, so he knew it had to be close.
Harold threw open his room door, dashed down the stairs and out into the street. The sight of the old ice cream truck made him forget about his tough problem and the boy gave a joyous smile as he joined all of the others who were eagerly awaiting the truck to stop.
As the large boy looked around at the group of smiling and cheering kids, suddenly an idea popped into his head. They said I had to find the stash by Sunday… but they never said I had to do it alone…
The truck stopped and Harold impatiently moved to the front of the line and thrusted some money at the Jolly Olly man. "Two Mr. Fudgey's, please!"
The man sneered down at him, snatched the money, and threw the ice cream down at the boy. "Next!" He called out, causing the kids to push Harold out of the way and fight for who was next in line.
Harold unwrapped his ice cream and took a bite of his familiar frozen treat. The chocolatey goodness filled his mouth, causing him to close his eyes and reveled in its glory. It was almost as if this small stick of ice cream was telling him not to worry and that everything was gonna be okay.
Happiness filled the Sunset Arms, as Arnold and his parents finally returned from their outing, ranting, and raving about the good times that they all had.
Phil sat in his favorite chair and listened on as his grandson's smile beamed brightly and his son held his wife close, as she finished her story. His heart swelled with joy as he looked upon his happy family. "Sounds like you had a good time, Shortman!" He said as he crossed his boney legs and placed his hands on his knee. "Who knows? Maybe I'll take your grandma to see this show you all keep boasting about."
"The lantern show was so beautiful… Gertrude would love it!" Stella sighed as she placed her hand on her heart, reminiscing. "The way the flowers glowed underneath the lanterns as they mimicked the moonlight, was absolutely breathtaking!"
"I just can't believe that some flowers are able to bloom like that!" Said Arnold, as he looked up at his parents with surprise. "I mean, I know plants adapt to their surroundings and there are many different species but I always thought they needed just the sun. I never stopped to think that the moon's glow was just borrowed sunlight!"
"It reflects the light from the sun." Miles corrected as he ruffled his boy's hair. "It doesn't borrow it."
"Right." Arnold nodded, his cheeks becoming rosy with how much he had been smiling. He had imagined taking Helga there and seeing her reaction to all of those flowers glistening in the fake moonlight, as all those colorful lanterns bounced around on their suspensions. He never had imagined something so romantic could exist and knew he would have to one day share it with her. Looking over at the open doorway, Arnold remembered that he had yet to even see her today. "Did Helga ever come down for breakfast?"
Phil scratched his head. "Mmm… I'm pretty sure I heard her and Pookie in the kitchen earlier, but my conception of time has been warped for years now. Maybe it was an hour ago or maybe I imagined it? Who knows? But I'd start there if you're looking for her."
After giving both of his parents a quick, tight hug, Arnold left the room in search for his certain someone. He walked towards the kitchen and could hear his grandmother's soft voice and stopped. Should he intrude? Were they having a private conversation? Deciding it might be safe if he announced his presence first, Arnold slowly walked up to the entrance. "Grandma? I'm home!" He shouted loudly before entering.
Once he walked in, the vision that Arnold saw, stunned him in place. Standing over a kitchen table, in a frilly pink apron was Helga, as she rolled out what looked like some sort of dough. Next to her, was an empty bowl, baking tray and a few cookie cutters with various shapes. The moment their eyes met, her face turned a dark red and she seemed just as stunned as he was.
"Welcome home!" Gertie called out as she quickly closed the oven door after placing a tray in. "Eleanor here, was just helping me bake some cookies!" The old woman walked behind the red faced girl and placed both of her firm hands on top of Helga's shoulders. "Weren't you, deary?"
Helga felt her heart stop and knew that if this old woman wasn't holding her shoulders for support, her legs would have given out, causing her to stumble to the floor. The amount of embarrassment was off the charts and there was nothing she could do or say to get her out of this situation. "I… I…" She stammered but stopped when she noticed Arnold's stunned face, slowly turning into a somewhat adoring smile. Although her embarrassment didn't subside in the least, she somehow managed to at least snap back her focus to the task at hand, and began rolling her cookie dough once more.
The sight was too much for the boy to handle, and the butterflies in his stomach clustered up and flew out through his mouth as a small boyish giggle. Her bright red face turned into an angry scowl but instead of yelling at him, he watched as she grabbed a heart shaped cookie cutter and began to press it into the beige colored dough. Arnold felt a familiar warm feeling begin to wash through his body, making him feel calm and content in that moment. He wanted to give her a hug and let her know that he was happy she was baking cookies with his grandma, but also knew she wouldn't react well to that type of affection while she was clearly embarrassed and flustered. "What kind of cookies are they?" He asked, watching as her movement halted again.
"Sugar cookies!" Gertie gloated as she gave the girls shoulders a quick squeeze before she patted her on the back and went to wiping off the flour that was dusted all over the counter. "Why, Eleanor stayed cooped up in her office for half the day so I figured it would be nice if we had a little girl time and did some baking together."
As Helga pressed the heart shaped cutter into the soft dough, the woman's recollections of the incident caused her hand to twitch and mess up her craft. "You mean you dragged me out of my bedroom and demanded I help you bake cookies…" She growled back, giving the old chuckling woman a sideways glance. "Then reminded me that if I didn't, there was more than one way to skin a deer…"
Arnold's smile grew wider as he watched Helga struggle to remain calm, knowing that she was probably fighting every cell in her body from flipping out. "My Grandma has… a way with words…"
"I felt terrible knowing how stressed our First Lady was last night…" Gertie continued, with a solemn face as she remembered the misunderstandings from the night before. She finished wiping up the counters than threw the dish rag into the sink, turned around and smiled. "And what better way to relieve some stress than to bake?"
"I can think of at least 100 ways…" Helga growled again, quickly patching the dough and continuing to angrily punch hearts into it.
Letting out another chuckle, the old woman walked over and placed her soft hands on Helga's angry ones, causing them to stop. "Remember what I said about baking…" She then picked up Helga's hand and softly pressed the cutter into the dough. "You bake with intentions." Slowly, she continued the process until there was no more room left to cut. "If you handle every ingredient with love, mix with care and shape with caution…" She let go of Helga's hand and smiled at her grandson. "Then your real feelings will always shine through. And besides, who wants to eat an angry cookie?"
Helga stared blankly into the cut dough and wished she was literally anywhere else. Was the old woman trying to embarrass her further? Wasn't this enough torture as it was? She could feel the woman's presence leave her side and saw her walk across the room towards Arnold.
"Why don't you help her finish the rest?" She suggested with a wink before fully exiting the kitchen and leaving the two kids alone.
Arnold gulped as he could feel Helga's hostility grow so thick throughout the room, that he felt it was near impossible to approach her safely. "I'm sorry…" He apologized sympathetically. "I know my grandma can be kinda much sometimes..." He watched as she picked up the raw heart shaped cookies and delicately placed them onto the baking sheet next to her. Once she was done filling it up, he gathered up his inner strength and headed over to the table. "Is this the last of the cookie dough?"
"What does it look like?" She hissed, flicking the empty bowl next to her, causing it to create a loud ping that echoed through the room.
Silence fell around them as they both really weren't sure what to say.
Awkwardly, Arnold walked over to the oven and noticed that the timer his grandmother had set still had about 5 minutes before it would go off and they would pull out the baked cookies. He turned back to Helga and watched as she rolled the little bit of remaining dough in her hands and squished it like it was playdough. "Are you gonna make one more cookie?" He asked, hoping some sort of conversation might ease her stress.
Helga continued to roll the dough in her hands and noticed it was beginning to get mushy as the butter began to melt, leaving her fingers greasy. She recalled her boldness from the other night, and anxiety shot through her veins. This was the first time they had seen each other since then… what did he think of her now? Trying her best to push all the negative thoughts about how she might appear to him out of her head, Helga breathed deeply. Being agitated would only worsen things and she had already made the decision that she wouldn't take her anger out on him anymore. Now, it was time to just face him.
"No more room left on the pan." She informed casually before breaking off a piece of the remaining dough and popping it in her mouth. She hoped its sweet taste would calm her nerves, but instead, all it did was remind her more of how she enjoyed toying with him and kissing him that night, and she blushed again.
Noticing her demeanor shift a little, Arnold began to wonder if maybe he was doing the right thing with just using casual conversation as a way to bring her down. "What did you do while I was gone?" He asked as he pulled out a chair and sat down next to her.
Quickly, she turned away so he couldn't see her flustered face. "Didn't you hear your grandma, Football head?" She replied, her pitch a little higher than normal. Helga cleared her throat and damned herself for being so apparent. "I was in my room, enjoying my time alone, until she dragged me out to bake with her."
Arnold tilted his head to try to see her better. "I'm just surprised you didn't leave to do something fun." He stated. "It was really nice out today. Perfect for throwing rocks at a dumpster, in the river or wherever else you usually like to throw them."
"Y-yeah… Well, I can throw rocks any day I want!" She insisted hastily. "Sometimes I just want to have some peace and quiet, not that it's very possible in this place…"
The timer behind them began to beep loudly, causing Helga to jump up and quickly turn it off. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she was grateful for the timer's distraction from her thoughts. As she opened up the oven to pull out the cookies, their sweet smell wafted past her and filled the kitchen. It was a nice smell, a nostalgic one of Christmas time at her house when Olga would force her to bake cookies with her, very similarly to what Arnold's grandma did, just with a lot more guilt tripping and sweetness rather than blatant threats. For a small second, Helga allowed her thoughts to wonder just what her sister was doing and if she had ever gotten her letter.
"They smell good." Arnold's voice rang from behind her, causing her focus back at the task at hand and grab the oven mitts.
"They're cookies, of course they smell good." She replied blandly as she grabbed the hot baking pan and plopped the tray on top of the oven.
Noticing that she had left the small bit of cookie dough on the table, Arnold grabbed it and popped the remainder of it into his mouth. It tasted exactly how his grandma's sugar cookies always tasted, except just a little different. There was no obvious ingredient change but something told him that it was because it was made with different hands than what he was used to. This thought brought a smile to his lips once more and he looked over at Helga fondly. He had never seen her cook before and couldn't help but think of how cute she looked in that apron, even if it was gaudy and atrocious. Something about it seemed to suit her.
"Here." Arnold stood up and handed her the cookie sheet that was left forgotten about on the table.
Instinctively, she turned around to accept it from him but stopped the moment her mitted hands grasped the cold metal rim. He was staring at her with his half lidded gaze, the one that made her want to throw those stupid cookies to the side and engulf him in the passion that always threatened to overflow whenever he looked at her that way. Could he see how she felt? Had he realized yet how her knees would get weak whenever he looked her way? Did he have any idea of the thoughts that went through her head whenever they were close and alone? She knew he didn't have a clue, but part of her wished he did. Part of her wished she could somehow just pass on her immense feelings that she was constantly holding back, and see exactly what he would do if he felt the way she did. Would he hold back and shy away from them, like she normally did? Or would he act on them like she did last night. Sure, she saw it as a game of cat and mouse but his flustered look during those sweet moments just looked so delicious to her that she wanted more, and it was a shame their immature experiences caused each other to fumble on what could have been something truly magical.
"Helga?" Arnold called out to her, wondering why she wasn't actually taking the cookies from him. He could see her eyes were glazed over and she seemed like she was in a daze but he wasn't really sure.
His voice bounced around in her head, whisking her off into a world she dreamed might actually become a possibility one day. Her holding him in her arms as she lovingly fed him cookies.
"Helga?" He tried again, this time with more fervor, hoping she would snap out of it. "Are you okay?"
His question finally shattered her delusion and caused her to jump. When she saw his look of confusion, she snatched away the cookies, quickly placed them in the oven and shut the door. Her once swept away heart was now back into the reality of Arnold standing next to her while she went off into la-la land and probably looked like a fool, not to mention the get-up she was wearing made her look like something that might come out of a 50's sitcom. Just why couldn't she pull herself together? "Yeah, I'm fine." She finally said after she caught her bearings. "I was just feeling a little… lightheaded."
"It is pretty hot in here…" Arnold noted since they were so close to the oven, and none of the windows were open. "Maybe you should sit down." He walked over to a cabinet and opened it up to pull out a cup. "I'll get you some water."
Helga was charmed at how caring he was being despite how looney she was acting. Was he simply that dim or did he really know more than he led on, but purposely hid it so she wouldn't feel worse? She considered her history with him and concluded it was definitely the former, and sat down to let him tend to her.
Once he brought the glass of water down in front of her, he smiled again, noticing she had finally calmed down. "I had a really great day with my parents." He started as he sat back down in his chair. "The botanical gardens were a lot bigger than I had expected them to be. They had all sorts of controlled rooms that helped them grow to their natural environment. I learned a lot!"
"Leave it to you to enjoy something resembling a school field trip." She snorted in response, but was still eager to hear more. "Do anything cool besides look at plants?"
Arnold thought back to the lantern show and his cheeks glowed a light pink. "There's a place I'd really like to take you sometime…" He hesitated, feeling a little nervous. "I know gardens aren't really your thing but there was this cool light show they had set up. I think you might like it."
"And what in the world would give you that idea?" She smirked, awaiting his response, whatever it was.
He thought for a second, wondering which words would make the most sense until giving up and realizing the initial truth was the best. "Just seems like something you'd really like. Call it a hunch." He finished with a wink, causing her to blush in turn and look away. He took this moment to embrace her embarrassed demeaner once again, but this time felt a lot more comfortable about it, now that the air had been cleared. "And you should bake more often."
"And why's that…?" She asked cautiously, slowly turning her gaze back to him. His whimsical boyish charm was never something she could ignore forever, and despite all of her embarrassment, there was just something about the way he was carrying himself in that moment that gave off a faint sense of confidence.
Arnold grinned. "Because, you look cute in an apron."
Helga blinked a few times at his innocent yet bold statement, closed her eyes in an attempt to hold down her fierce frustrations, gritted her teeth when her attempts weren't working and finally stood up and bashed her fist on the table when she heard Arnold giggle in spite of her internal struggles. She had no words, just simply glared at him until he rose from his seat and backed away in surrender. Part of her was filled with overwhelming joy over the compliment, but the other part felt he was just teasing her for the fun of it, which she just simply couldn't have.
She slowly walked towards him, with an absurd but deadly grin on her face, causing Arnold to now fully regret poking the sleeping bear, yet still feel somewhat intrigued at her intentions. He knew she would never actually hurt him, yet her expression said the exact opposite. With a gulp, he decided to stand his ground and accept whatever it was he had coming to him.
Helga examined his new found confidence and determination the moment she stopped inches from him. Was he really challenging her right now? Calling her bluff? She could tell he was looking directly into her eyes and wasn't hesitating at all, even though she could tell his heart was beating fast. Had their encounter last night somehow changed him? Her death glare turned into a snarky smirk, causing his confidence to falter a little in confusion, as she quickly flicked his tiny blue hat off the top of his head. "Stupid Football Head."
At first, he immediately wanted to retrieve the item she had so carelessly flicked away, but when he saw her smirk turn into a smile, he couldn't find the will the move at all. Something was beginning to change in her, something he couldn't exactly point out. Similar to the way the cookie dough had tasted, there was just a hint of something special in something he was already used to, that made everything just feel right. Arnold smiled back and shrugged, causing her to roll her eyes and head back towards the oven to place the hot sugar cookies on the cooling rack. "You're lucky you're cute…" She grumbled in an angry tone, but secretly smiled in a girlishly way that he could never see.
"Whatever you say, Helga." He sighed, crossing his arms, and enjoying every moment of their exchange.