Author's Notes:
Hey guys! Hope you all enjoyed the next plot points set up in the last chapter. Although honestly after publishing it, I realize that I may have unwittingly incorporated too much narrative threads and/or characters to the main story, but I'm confident that the inclusion and/or mention of each plot point and character now and in the future will not be a waste of time. If not truly essential to the main story, these will at least serve to tie up loose ends or address possible loopholes and inconsistencies.
With that said, this chapter will have elements of "Helga on the Couch" and (in my attempt to salvage and connect it to "Rhonda Goes Broke") "Curly's Girl." Because some other characters will be relevant in this chapter, expect this to be another long one.
Enjoy!
Chapter XIII
The coveted sound of the final school bell rung throughout the halls of PS 118, signaling the end of another long Monday at 3 PM. While that momentous occasion would normally be most appreciated by the gang of Stinky, Sid and Harold as it meant they could now cause campus hijinks with a means of escape, on this particular Monday, 2 other fourth graders made their individual sighs of relief, as they could now leave school and process the happenings of the day.
One of these students was Helga G. Pataki. It was already enough that she couldn't help but wonder about the "game within a game" that took place yesterday morning. The game was football, of which she convincingly won when she made the game-sealing tackle and consequent knockout of princess Rhonda Wellington Lloyd. The game within said game was the deconstruction of what remained between the "friendship" of Arnold and Rhonda, of which Helga for the entire first half of football thought she was winning. But in that halftime, when the spoiled girl in red took her beloved by the arm and lectured him for being uncharacteristically petty and uncooperative, Helga saw how the tables had turned. And while she won the battle that everyone was focused on, she felt that she lost the battle that mattered more to her. The signs of victory were evident on the still visible wounds on Rhonda's face from the final tackle, but the symbol of defeat - Arnold helping Rhonda up and escorting her home - still ran through Helga's mind like a video stuck on repeat.
Helga remembered how, even during their pre-school days, Rhonda and her just never seemed to click. In fact, when Helga found out about the term "frenemy" during the 2nd grade, her mind immediately made a mental picture of Rhonda. Sure on some occasions they find themselves uniting under some common cause, normally at the trouble and expense of another, but when it came down to it the daughter of Big Bob Pataki and the princess of the Lloyd clan were seemingly always at each other's necks. But since Rhonda and her never seemed to get in each others' ways, and aside from when the Lloyd heiress did a mean but somewhat accurate impression of her during one of the girly girl slumber parties, Helga never had a "valid" reason to introduce her to Betsy and the five Avengers.
Yesterday was different. Had it not been for the acute development of her perception skills thanks to therapy sessions with Dr. Bliss, Helga would have dismissed what she witnessed in the park as nothing more than a mere "Arnold helps someone for a day and show's over" moment. But now, she couldn't shake off the observation that there's something deeper, something more, to what happened yesterday morning. It wasn't something Helga was comfortable with. It was already bad enough that the object of her years-long affection was consumed by his own yearning for ever so miss perfect, Lila Sawyer, but the possible inclusion of the spoiled and snooty Rhonda Lloyd -as farfetched as it sounds on paper, Helga admitted - in the mix was something that she couldn't afford. She needed to nip whatever was potentially developing in the bud.
Helga was by the school steps when Phoebe caught up to her. The little timid girl was worried that Helga would start regressing and allow her obsession over "Ice Cream" to take over yet again.
"Helga, as much as I want to let you make your own decisions, I can't help but admit that I am worried...will you attempt to do anything rash that involves, well, your obsession with 'Ice Cream?,'" she inquired.
"No...why would I? If Ice Cream wants to be geography partners with Princess, what do I care? Criminy!" Helga retorted, though it failed to convince the doubter.
"Helga...," Phoebe continued. "First, they were assigned to be partners, and second, your response does not inspire confidence at all!" Phoebe worriedly exclaimed.
Helga thought carefully of what she needed to say to get her best and meaningful friend off her back. "Ok Phoebe, I really don't know if I'd do anything 'rash' this Friday for Ice Cream, but it's been weeks since I did anything of the sort, and I'd like to think I've earned the benefit of the doubt. What do you think?" Helga said in amending, or rather changing, her statement.
"Well, I must admit, I wasn't aware that you'd be capable of restraining yourself for this long Helga, I suppose I should give you the benefit of the doubt...," Phoebe acknowledged, but some of her doubts remained. "...but should you find it difficult to keep the urge restrained, please promise me that you'll tell me, so that I may either keep you restrained or make sure you don't get caught?"
Helga smiled. Obviously Phoebe would stick to her, right or wrong. She may not have a healthy family or an observant sister, but at least she was blessed to have a great friend like the Heyerdahl prodigy. "Ok Pheebs, I'll take you up on that offer."
Phoebe would then proceed to the bus, while Helga proceeded to walk the opposite direction to "get a dental checkup," which was code for the Pataki girl attending another therapy session.
Elsewhere in Hillwood...
Rhonda was making it a habit to take more walks going home rather than taking the bus. Although she was initially forced to take up power walking as an alternative to save on what little money she had during her brief experience as a poor girl, she truly realized that not only did it often if not always beat riding a smelly old bus full of kids who had been playing and running around in school all day, but it was also the healthier choice but physiologically and mentally. It was just another way for Rhonda to reflect and be appreciative of her day. And on this particular day, she really needed the walk.
It was already 3:30 in the afternoon, and she had just bid Nadine goodbye as her best friend boarded the bus, after telling her of what Arnold and her discussed just before tapioca time. As she began walking and reflecting on the past couple of days, beginning from her disappointing visit to the Sunset Arms up to her declaration of a geography partner's promise, she couldn't help that something felt...off...different...missing. In fact, she felt that this vibe or presence that she had begrudgingly became somewhat accustomed to has been indeed missing for a while, even so far as her first few days of being broke. She couldn't help but wonder what exactly it was, until flashbacks of her mother's stained mink coat flooded her mind. Just as she was about to mentally puke for even remembering WHO she figured out was missing, the creepy voice she dreaded came up from behind with a different tone.
"Hi Rhonda."
Rhonda froze in place. She already knew who it was, but she couldn't quite figure out why there was no creepy compliment or uncomfortable touch to accompany the greeting. She turned around to see what she was afraid to see.
"Curly...not today, ok?" Rhonda warned him.
"Actually, I was just wondering if I can accompany you home...no funny business, I promise..."
Rhonda, still skeptical, asked "and why should I believe that?"
Curly, unfazed, answered, "because I only mean to be a friend."
Thought not completely convinced, Rhonda did notice how this isn't the usual slimeball pest that she has to deal with on a somewhat regular basis.
"Fine Curly, you can walk with me home. But you better keep your word, or else..."
Curly remained unfazed, saying, "don't worry, I intend to."
With that, Curly waked right next to Rhonda. No sudden hand holding, no unwarranted compliments, and no definite body dips with a follow-up request of "give daddy some sugar." Rhonda, though hoping no one would catch them in this predicament, and praying to whatever divine being would take the time to listen to her relatively mundane frustration, was sort of enjoying the little freak's company.
Besides, if he started doing any funny business, whatever aggression she still had from getting cut and bruised by Helga can definitely be channeled into an almighty slap to the face.
At Dr. Bliss' clinic...
Helga looked up at the ceiling lights. She had just finished telling Dr. Bliss about her usual developments - no break-ins at Arnold's boarding house, no animal sacrifices in honor of the closet shrine, not (a lot) of picking on the ol' football head. She was being honest and truthful in saying that, as far as what her therapist requested of her, she had complied with her restrictions yet again and was continuing to progress.
But Dr. Bliss, with all her expertise in the field and her understanding of the child that was quickly becoming a favorite presence in her clinic, was not so easily fooled. She knew that Helga had been telling her the truth, but she also knew that Helga wasn't telling her everything. She needed to probe a bit.
"Anything you want to say about your other classmates, Helga?" Dr. Bliss began.
Helga, hoping that she can maintain her composure, began to give truthful information that wasn't relevant. "Oh you know the usual...some of the boys have been hearing about potentially mooning Principal Wartz, Brainy still just can't get enough of my fists to his face, Eugene fell in another mudhole as we left campus, Phoebe saved me an extra serving of lemon pudding that was meant to be for Stinky had he reached for it in time, and Lila...grrr, Lilaaaaa...was being pestered again by Arnold, and she was laying down the fact again that she didn't like him like him, just liked him."
Dr. Bliss nodded with every observation, but remained in her probing state. There was obviously more that needed unpacking.
"I noticed you haven't talked about that one classmate of yours today, the one you normally have something snarky to say about...Rhonda, was it?"
Helga's eyes bulged slightly upon hearing her frenemy's name. 'Man, Doctor Bliss is good...,' Helga thought to herself. Nevertheless, Helga was committed to keeping the charade going.
"Well what's there to say doc? Princess is just same old same old, nothing interesting to say, will probably bore you." Helga answered with a sheepish yet unconvincing smile, in a pathetic attempt to put the probing to a halt. It didn't work.
"Funny, you had no problem telling the same old stories about most of your classmates, what makes 'princess' any different?"
Helga's smile then faded, replaced with a forlorn look. "There's no fooling you is there?"
No slight facial changes were on display to manifest the sense of pride within Dr. Bliss. "If there was, then you wouldn't have made all the improvements so far," the therapist said as she pat herself on the back.
"Well...last week we found out that her family went broke. And wow, WAS I entertained! Criminy doc, you should have seen her! Digging in the dumpster for bottles, no shoes, the front of her shirt torn from ripping old candy that got stuck, and her mental breakdown when she ran away after getting exposed! It would have been downright hilarious if it also weren't so pathetic...but what the heck, I laughed anyway," Helga stopped herself, realizing how she sounded like some psychotic and deranged queen of crime.
"That's a bit too much, don't you think? And, that was just to start last week off?" Dr. Bliss continued on.
"Yeah, but the day after that...I have to admit doc, she seemed like the same but different person. Her glow was back, even if she was wearing a weird dress and a straw hat. I didn't want to compliment her on her looks even though I myself admitted she was stunning, so i just asked her where she got her lunch. Even her response...was the same but different, you know? It was confident ol' RhondaLloyd without the princess attitude...it was like she was belle of the ball on a regular Tuesday!"
Helga observed her therapist to see if she wished for her to just continue with her retelling of the story. She got an affirmative glance.
"And yeah, for the next 3 days she went to Aspen or whatever club she was talking about, because on the same day she found out she was rich again. I didn't see it personally but the rumor went around that Rhonda thanked Arnold by giving him a tip..."
"She WHAT?" Dr. Bliss interrupted, but soon regained composure, and reassured Helga that she didn't mean to interrupt and that she ought to keep going.
"Well anyway, that's what I heard. And no one seemed to dispute the story, so I figured it was true. Then fast forward to Sunday, we had a football game in the park. Lo and behold, she actually showed up to play. I wanted to confirm myself if the rumor was true, and based on how Arnold was so indifferent and going out of his way to not paying her any attention, I assumed it was true..."
"I see. And how did you proceed with all these observations you made?" Dr. Bliss was beginning to be intrigued by this strange development.
"Well, I figured that I'd set them up as teammates just to really make her feel more miserable about it. It was working for the first half, until she pulled him hard on the side during halftime. They had some sort of scuffle, I think I heard her say something along the lines of Arnold ought to be able to work with her despite how he feels about her, and after that they just started clicking again...good thing we won the game in the end, I tackled the bejeezus out of her at the final play to make sure. But..."
Dr. Bliss noted the sudden pause. This was a bit unusual.
"...after that, Arnold helped her up. I sort of expected as much. But he brought her home even if Rhonda's best friend was already doing that for her. And then, just today, it was announced that they'd be working together for some geography project due next week, and I uhm...overheard...that they'll be working on it at his house on Saturday."
Dr. Bliss took note of the entire conversation and sensed no deception in Helga's words. She appreciated that despite it being a difficult topic, as it involved the object of her client's affections, she managed to share it with her anyway.
"So what do you feel about these recent developments? What do you think of their friendship?" Dr. Bliss took a risk with that two-part question. 'Maybe I should have stuck to just the first part,' she thought to herself.
"Well...I don't know doc. I guess at first I was just trying to mess with Rhonda like I normally do, but in the process I feel like I helped them sort of become ok with each other again. And before that, wow doc, Arnold couldn't stand her even sharing the same space in the park with him! It's like I accidentally had them on civil terms again."
Helga knew she couldn't dodge the second question.
"And about the 2nd question...not that there's a definite friendship again, but...there's something there doc. Something that I can't explain...and I think a good part of it too is because, while she still dresses up fancy and likes to be prim and proper, Rhonda seems like she's really...changed. She dresses the same, and talks the same, but you don't get the same feelings you did when you'd run into her. Or...I dunno maybe I'm putting too much though into it?"
Dr. Bliss decided to give her client some wisdom. "It's possible that she had some sort of epiphany during her stay out of town. I know you've become even more perceptive since we began our sessions together, so I don't doubt your observations." Dr. Bliss gave her the easy news before going with the difficult. "So, how do your observations make you feel?"
Helga had hoped she wouldn't be confronted with that question. But alas, this was the point of their sessions, for Helga to be confronted with the questions that she needed to be asked.
"I don't know myself...don't get me wrong doc, I still don't really like Princess and dream of finally giving her a sucker punch. But, it's not the same feeling I had when Arnold was crushing on Ruth, or when he's still like liking Lila. But, there's something there that I never felt or experienced before...and it makes me uncomfortable..."
Dr. Bliss could already notice that this was beginning to be a much heavier session than expected. Rather than probe further, she knew that Helga had given her all she could, and there would always be another session. She just needed to make sure that her favorite pre-teen client would stay on the right path.
"Let's pick up next week where we just left off for today, ok Helga? My new assignment for you is to keep your observations in a journal, and try to keep your distance from Arnold and Rhonda. It's important that you keep to your steady progress. If what you say is true, that it's not the same feelings of jealousy you get from Lila or Ruth, then I trust you'll be able to manage yourself, am I correct?" Dr. Bliss, without any facial cues to serve as tells, asked while trying to observe any doubts in Helga's mind expressed in her own facial expressions. She got a few, but she chose to believe in her client, and hoped that 1 week wouldn't be too much time for the young Pataki girl to do anything regrettable regressing.
"Yeah, sure doc. Wow, a journal eh? At least I'll get to practice on my penmanship again? My cursive's getting a little rusty."
They shared a brief smile before Dr. Bliss' secretary announced that her next client was ready.
"I'll see you net week doc. Thanks again..." Helga made her way out of the clinic, appreciating her days on the couch.
Approaching the Lloyd residence...
Rhonda couldn't believe it. Almost as much as the shock of hearing Arnold tell her that they were no longer friends, the little freak known as Thaddeus Gammelthorpe was actually (?) holding up his end of the bargain. 'If he keeps this up, I might actually grow to enjoy these walks...as long as they're not frequent, of course,' Rhonda mentally noted.
So far, there were no troubling signs of the Curly that Rhonda was unfortunately familiar with. For the most part he was just being civil and curious about her life and not much else. The questions for conversation starters, as far as Rhonda can recall so far, were "wow, Helga really did a number on you yesterday huh?," to "I heard the cocoa in Aspen's overrated, or was Peapod just pulling my leg?," to "you ever thought about changing up between contact lenses and glasses?"
As they neared her home, Rhonda was still expecting that her companion would finally break his promise and try something fishy. She braced herself, ready to pack a wallop of a slap in her dominant hand - something she had in common with both Curly and Arnold, and some other guy in class - but miraculously the need did not arise!
"Curly...you actually did it. You weren't...CREEPY...the whole walk home!" Rhonda said with clear delight in her voice, but did her best not to show any sign of appreciation, just so Curly wouldn't get any wrong ideas.
"Of course. I told you my intentions Rhonda, and now I'll proceed home. Farewell." As Curly got ready to leave, Rhonda couldn't help but let her curiosity do the talking.
"Wait, Curly...not to say that I suddenly care about you and what goes on in your life, but...did something happen recently? Like since you 'broke up' with me in the cafeteria all those weeks ago? This isn't, well...you..." Rhonda was doing her best not to accidentally wake up the crazy inside Curly.
"I guess you can say that..." Curly spoke, his eyes to to side, not wanting to make direct eye contact with his still object of affection. He decided that it would be best to be upfront about how he's been dealing with things.
"After our little 'breakup,' I realized that for the longest time I was just obsessed with the idea of you, of how certain and unwavering your pride was. I know Gerald usually saves it for Arnold, but I gotta say, I thought I liked you liked you because you were one bold girl...and that's why I broke up with you. I gave up that idea of you because I knew I can't win over an idea, so I had to adjust and win over a person - the actual you, flaws and all."
Rhonda, grateful that this conversation hasn't gone to freaky territory, listened attentively.
"But a lot changed when you, well, went poor."
Rhonda felt her insides turn with what Curly said, but she was no longer as bothered as she once was with the word. It was a simple fact of life that at one point, she was indeed poor.
"Not that wealth made you anything less of who you are...but I was disappointed with how you didn't believe that simple truth, and even more disappointed that as much as I wanted to help you get out of your own rut, I wasn't the person capable of doing that for you. It made me sad..."
Rhonda noticed a tear fall behind those heavy spectacles. Rhonda had no idea that there was even more to Curly's thoughtful side. It almost made up for his craziness.
"But I don't know what happened while you were in Arnold's boarding house, but I can conclude that since you were with him for that long, he must have knocked some sense into you. Something that I myself never could. So while it stung my pride that I wasn't your prince charming, I had to accept that I just wasn't ready to be the one to help. As far as I see it, if I can't even be half the man that Arnold was in your moment of need, I have no business pursuing you...as much as I'd want to."
Rhonda began looking for any flying pigs. 'Is THIS really happening right now?"
"Curly...that's, very thoughtful of you. I guess, you're not just an ok guy...you're a pretty swell one. I'm honestly touched."
Rhonda couldn't help but give the little weirdo a hug, with the accompanying statement of "don't get the wrong idea." Curly reciprocated the hug, without a single ounce of creepiness laced behind the action.
As Rhonda was about to enter, she just felt the urge to really gauge how different this Curly is. Before opening the door to her house, she asked, "Curly, we actually just had another moment. You're not gonna ruin this one too by asking for some of my hair to put under your pillow, are you?"
Curly nonchalantly responded, "Nope. I have no desires to."
Just as Rhonda was nearly impressed by the changes in her once most feared stalker, Curly indeed ruined the moment.
"I still have the last lock of your hair that I got after chasing you down that day, and I had it preserved so it'll still last a few weeks give or take."
Rhonda just facepalmed. "Since you were such a gentleman until that moment, I'm gonna let it slide. Goodbye Curly!"
With that, Rhonda stepped in her house. She decided to get a quick shower and was about to begin with some schoolwork. She greeted her parents and headed on upstairs. She wanted to really make sure that she did her research on her favorite European countries and share them with Arnold, in the hopes that she can convince him to pick her selections.
At around 6:00 in the evening, she smelled a very pleasant aroma coming from the kitchen. To her surprise, she yet again found her mom cooking. This was a sight she did not expect, almost as much as the moment she had with Curly.
"Mom, you're cooking? Again?"
Brooke Lloyd was delighted to see her daughter surprised. "Well darling after the success of feeding you and your beloved Arnold yesterday, I decided to really get back to basics and hone my cooking skills yet again. I'm starting by doing some of my own recipes and some of your grandmother's..."
"Well it certainly smells delicious." Rhonda complimented further, choosing to ignore the "beloved Arnold" remark her mother snuck in to try and get a reaction out of her. She wouldn't give her mother that satisfaction. Although, she couldn't help but notice the glee and joy behind every motion her mother made in the kitchen. It was hard to believe this was the same woman who had chefs on rotation for their monthly meal schedules.
Suddenly, a thought popped up.
"Mother, do you mind if I help you with dinner tonight?"
Brooke was flabbergasted, saying, "but dear, you know nothing about the kitchen. Remember when you were 7 and put raw eggs in a microwave?"
Rhonda could feel the uninhibited judgment from her parent, but strived to stay strong. "I'll be a fast and better learner this time mom. Please? There's something I want to learn how to make..."