Hi everyone! This chapter takes place after the previous one. Phoebe rushes to Helga's house to talk about what had happened on Christmas.
Helga tried desperately to distract herself while she waited for Phoebe to come over. She tried to write, but to no avail. She went downstairs to watch something but as usual, Big Bob was hogging the TV. She went back upstairs, opened her laptop and attempted to watch whatever YouTube channel was able to get distract her mind. That did it...for now.
She hardly slept the night before. She was not able to fully grasp what had almost happened between her and Rodrigo. A thought kept occurring in her mind that she tried desperately to avoid thinking about. It was too surreal, too abject, too terrifying for her to ponder about it. She couldn't be honest with herself. She refused to even consider it, yet the thought kept circling around her mind, driving her almost crazy. What was that thought? For the first time ever, she was developing feelings for someone else and she didn't know how to handle it. Yet it was not a simple fact. She was still not sure what to fully make up of her feelings towards Rodrigo, especially as her feelings for Arnold have not really subsided.
As Helga watched a funny video, she recalled her phone conversation with Phoebe.
Yesterday evening...
"Phoebe, I need your help."
"What is it Helga?" her best friend asked
"I have to talk to you in person. Can you come over tomorrow please?" Helga asked.
"Tomorrow? Yes , I believe I am free. But, what's the matter?" she asked with a concerned tone.
There was a long pause from Helga. All Phoebe could her was her heavy breathing and her attempts to not cry. She then knew that it was serious.
"Helga?" She called out again.
"I...I almost... ki...kissed Rodrigo earlier today." she finally spoke.
Now it was Phoebe's turn to be silent. If Helga could see her face, Phoebe's eyes widen. She was almost as much shocked as Helga was that she had to sit down, for fear of fainting.
"Pheebs?" Helga called out to see if she was still there.
"I'm sorry Helga. I'm still here. I'll come over in the late morning. If you need to, please call me." she confirmed.
"Thanks Pheebs." She said and then she hung up.
Helga didn't need to explain to Phoebe the significance of this event. Phoebe was fully aware of Helga's deep, yet loving obsession for Arnold throughout almost her entire life. Not once had Helga's feelings ever been redirected for someone else. It was either Arnold or no one. Phoebe took this close call very seriously and was concerned about how Helga was dealing with it. She wanted to come over earlier, but her family had already made plans to have a nice after Christmas breakfast.
December 26 (Boxing Day)...
By the time they had eaten their breakfast; Phoebe excused herself and informed her parents that she needed to see her best friend. She wanted to see how she was doing and to discuss about how this close call came about. Even more importantly, she needed to know how she can help Helga, especially since everyone agreed to meet up later in the afternoon.
She quickly put all of the dirty dishes to the kitchen, grabbed her jackets, scarf and hat, put on her boots and quickly ran out outside. It was still snowing and the sidewalk had still not yet been cleared, so it was difficult for Phoebe to run in the snow. Yet, she was determined to get there as quickly as possible.
After some time, she finally made it to Helga's house. After Miriam opened the door and some small chit chat with her parents, she quickly ran up to Helga's door and knocked.
"Helga, it's me." she called out.
Helga opened the door, allowing her best friend to walk in.
"Sorry for not making it earlier, the sidewalks were still not cleared." She explained to Helga.
"It's ok Pheebs. Thanks for coming." She said, attempting to sound that she still retained some sort of self-control.
Phoebe wasted no time and quickly put her jacket on the floor, sat down on the floor and bluntly asked her,
"Helga, what happened? How did that close call even came about?"
Helga sat down in front of Phoebe, and explained everything to her.
Helga wasted no time in revealing everything that had been going on between her and Rodrigo since they met. She told her the first time she experienced jealousy and anger whenever she would see Rodrigo dance with another girl. She told her that they have been secretly taking dancing lessons in order to help her relax and learn to dance with someone else. She told her the day when she revealed to him her pink bow, much to Phoebe's shock. She told her about how Rodrigo got a part-time job at the boarding house. Essentially, everything.
Helga was practically letting everything out that she had been bottling inside of her for months that on a few occasions she started getting hysterical. Phoebe, not once, but twice, had to slap her in the face in order to get her to calm down.
"Helga!" she cried out as she slapped her the second time.
*smack*
"Thanks Pheebs." Helga said. "Ow! That really hurts. No wonder Rodrigo was really upset with me when I slapped him yesterday." She continued as she caressed her cheek.
"What?! Why did you slap Rodrigo?" Phoebe asked her.
Helga finally gave the coup de grâce. She explained to Phoebe how the whole scenario came about, how she fell asleep beside him, the slapping, and the moment when they looked at each other's eyes together.
"And did you pull away?" Phoebe asked her.
"No, that's just it; I didn't pull away. I was...I was actually waiting for him to kiss me, but he didn't. I don't know what his reasons were, but he was the one that pulled away from the moment." She explained, her face being completely filled with sorrow and shame.
"I guess he didn't want to run the risk of being slapped again." She said while letting out a small chuckle.
"But I know that he also must have felt that 'moment'. I saw it in his eyes and in his reaction. He's not oblivious about it; he knows there was a moment between us." she continued.
"Helga, if Rodrigo had kissed you, what would you have done?" she asked.
"I don't know!" she exclaimed, as she tried not to let tears fall down. "I don't think I would have refused. I think would have kissed him back!"
"I just can't believe this is happening to me...I never, ever, would have thought about ever betraying Arnold. And now here I am, feeling so ashamed that I almost kissed someone else!" she said while finally starting to cry.
Phoebe, instead of slapping her a third time, went up to her and hugged her tightly.
Helga was not yet ready to tell Phoebe the truth: that she and Arnold had broken up before he left. There was no agreement, not even a mention, of either of them waiting for the other. Helga took the breakup as a permanent change to their relationship status, but still hanged on an obsessional hope that it could change in the future. She was effectively single. Yet, she nevertheless felt the shame of betraying Arnold.
Phoebe for her part, although not aware of Helga's relationship status as being single, still knew that this close encounter was more than just a betrayal; it was an existential threat to her current identity. Part of the reason why Helga was on the verge of having a breaking down was because, for the first time, she called into question, her entire existence.
After a few moments of helping her calm down, she released Helga from her arms, gave her some tissue and then said to her,
"Helga, I know what you are thinking and you are not a bad girlfriend."
"What?" She asked.
"Helga, it's been more than two years since Arnold left, away from you holding him, kissing him, or even seeing him. Unfortunately, as much as we would like to think otherwise, people don't just wait for someone for years without eventually succumbing to the whims of our desires." She explained.
"I know it doesn't look like it, but it is naturally for you and people in general to be attracted to someone else. Especially in your case, with Arnold not being here, you want to experience that that sense of having to be with someone, to kiss and hug each other. In other words, you want love. Unfortunately Helga, as much as we humans like to think so, we have never been good at monogamous relationships."
"What are you saying Pheebs?" the blonde girl asked her.
"I'm saying Helga that it should not be surprising for you to feel this say after not being physically close with Arnold for more than two years. I'm not saying you should pursue a relationship with Rodrigo, no. I'm only saying that despite how much you love Arnold, it is not uncommon for people in a relationship to find other people attractive or to develop feelings for them. I know that your love for him is a bit...extreme, but you are no exception to this." Phoebe explained.
"Well that makes me feel a whole lot better Pheebs." she said jokingly as she wiped a tear from her eye. "But I get your point. It's just...scary. " she continued.
"Helga, what do you think about your feelings for him now? Are they still the same?" Phoebe asked.
"Pretty much. Even after almost kissing him, I still don't feel that usual romantic sensation. I still don't think about him, much less fantasize about him. Even when I see him, I don't get nervous around him, I feel I can be my usual, cynical myself. It's just, somehow, I feel drawn to him." She explained
"Can you elaborate a bit more about what you mean by 'you being drawn to him'?" She asked.
Helga simply pulled her hair in utter frustrating.
"That's just it Pheebs, I don't know! I can't exactly pinpoint what it is about him that I am drawn to. The only areas that come up are that he doesn't just see me as a tough, bullying person. Whenever he talks about me, he describes me as if I am this beautiful, strong person. He is not afraid of me. Like Arnold, he sees something of value in me. Yet at the same time, he doesn't forget my flaws. He sees me for what I really am. If anything, he's told me that he likes my tough exterior, even though it can be frustrating to deal with it sometimes. And, I like that about him, that he is not judgmental. That and he is a very intuitive person. Every little, if anything escapes him. Like Arnold and you, whenever I talk to him, I feel like that I'm talking to someone mature rather than a child. He may not be as patient as Arnold is, but he is understanding and he is incredibly smart. We also seem to be getting along well, finally. I know we had our ups and downs, but things are finally stabilizing where we can just enjoy each other's company. Whenever I see him I feel...happy. Yet all of that is fleeting! I sometimes feel that is what I may find him attractive, but then it just disappears! It comes and goes." She explained.
"Are you going to be nervous if you see him later today?" She asked.
"A bit, but only because of that 'moment'. It'll feel more awkward than nerves." She confirmed.
"You've mentioned to me that he constantly reminds you of Arnold. Are you perhaps imagining that it is him you are seeing?" Phoebe asked.
"If you are referring to the possibility that I maybe hallucinating, then no. I'm not going crazy and I don't literally 'see' Arnold in him. A good chunk of his personality does remind me of him, but nowhere to the extent that my mind blinds me. I know that the person I am looking at is Rodrigo and not Arnold and I know that whatever feelings I have for him is for Rodrigo." She confirmed.
"There is one other thing. It is something that I admire about him." She confessed.
"Which is?" Phoebe asked.
"He is able to do something that I have not been able to; be happy. I told you about his issue with his relatives and how they ostracized him and his family. I know it was rough for him and it still affects him, but he doesn't let that get to him. He is able to move on with his life and live as happily as he possibly can. He's told me that despite what they did to him, he doesn't hate them. If he did, then they would have won. He doesn't let that happen. If anything, he is proud of it and he uses that to be who he is. I haven't been able to do that yet, Pheebs. Rodrigo has been helping me and I know I have made some progress, but I am not there yet." she explained.
"He is more confident in himself than I am." she continued. "I like that about him, that he doesn't let the crappy things in life to get him down. I know that I am making him sound a lot like Arnold, but there is a difference. Arnold is idealistically optimistic, whereas Rodrigo is more down to earth. A bit more realistic, but still maintains a sense of optimism. I find that less annoying." she said jokingly with a bit of a smile on her face.
Phoebe realized that she was running out of time. Things with Rodrigo have progressed faster than she anticipated. With school and her other activities, she has had little time to research on Helga's psychological state. She thought about perhaps informing Helga with that little information she did gather, but she decided against it. Helga would have had hundreds of questions to ask her, to which Phoebe would have little information to answer them, so there was no point. Only after she can conclusively pinpoint to her mental state will she then discuss it with her.
Helga for her part, wanted to ask Phoebe's opinion on what she thinks she should do about this. Yet, she reframed from asking this specific question because it would imply to Phoebe that Helga was asking her if she should perhaps pursue things with Rodrigo. Instead, she asked Phoebe this,
"Phoebe, what should I do about this? I mean, what can I do to ensure things do not continue to progress with Rodrigo?"
Truth be told, Phoebe was at a loss on how to properly respond. She was at an impasse. The obvious thing to do would be to spend less time with Rodrigo. However, she was afraid that that would jeopardize Helga's few friendships, not to mention this could reverse many of the positive changes that Helga has been experiencing since Rodrigo came into her life. Phoebe was afraid Helga would resort back to isolating herself if she attempted to avoid him. In addition, Rodrigo would take notice of Helga's avoidance and would naturally inquire on it. And unless Helga was willing to confess, she would have to lie to him about why she is avoiding him, which based on experience, has never led to any happy conclusions. On the other hand, doing nothing could only strengthen her feelings for him. If Helga was single, Phoebe would actually encourage it, but since she was still in a long-distance relationship with Arnold, she was against in doing anything that would jeopardize her relationship with her beloved football head.
For a time, Phoebe started to regret in preventing Helga from leaving Hillwood to see Arnold.
Perhaps it was best if she did leave Hillwood to be with him. Who's to say that she would not have adjusted herself in San Lorenzo? She could have. She thought sadly.
Yet, it was too late for that. She re-focused on the matter at hand and proceeded to respond to Helga.
"I'm sorry Helga, but I have no way of giving you a proper answer. The only thing I can tell you is to attempt to resist these temptations and to only see Rodrigo as a friend. If you find it to be necessary, then perhaps try to spend less time with him. Don't avoid him; just spend less time hanging out with him. And always remember what made you fall in love with Arnold to begin with and how much he cares about you and vise-versa."
"But what if I can't resist it? What if I fall more into this hole and fall out of love with Arnold?" she asked with a worried face.
Phoebe had no answer to that. She could try as much as she can to reason with Helga. She can even lock her away until Arnold returns. Yet in the end, if Helga does falls for Rodrigo and falls out of love for Arnold, then there is nothing that neither she, nor Helga could do. The heart wants what the heart wants. And if that happens, then it isn't fair to Arnold to force Helga to be with someone that she no longer loves.
"Helga, just give me some time to see what I can do to help you. I promise I will do what I can." She reassured her.
"In the meantime, perhaps it is best if you also seek advice from Dr. Bliss. I'm sure she can help you on how to deal with this." She continued.
"Thanks Pheebs. And I guess I can ask the doc about this." She said.
At Rodrigo's house...
While Helga and Phoebe discussed about last night's moment, Rodrigo was also in thought about this, albeit less so than Helga. Based on the way Helga was looking at him last night, he suspected that Helga might start developing feelings for him; however he was not entirely sure just how strong they were. At the moment, he felt that they were minimal at best; nowhere near enough for her to question her relationship Arnold. He tried to reassure himself that despite her possibly growing feelings for him, they will always pale in comparison to the feelings that she has for Arnold.
There is no way she will ever break up with Arnold all because of a dumb 'moment' with me. She has been in love with this guy since she was three. They are still in relationship, so I'm sure that Helga is fully aware of her love for him and she will never do anything to jeopardize that. He thought.
In addition, the thought of her being with Arnold and not with him didn't seem to bother Rodrigo, much to his relief. Yet he was still perplexed as to why he would grow nervous whenever Helga got close to him, especially when she got all nurturing towards him. He remembered starting to sweat and his heart starting to beat faster whenever that happened. Yet last night when she kissed him on the cheek, he felt nothing.
It's really weird. But I guess it is probably because I know that she is taken and I did not want to be that close with anyone who is taken. He continued to think.
Yet in the end, he pushed such thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. He was getting ready to meet everyone that the Hillwood Complex mall. But first, he needed to make a pit stop at a place within the neighbourhood. His mother had made tamales, a Central American cuisine, and he wanted to take it to a few people. As soon as he was ready, he went outside and quickly made his way to this destination.
As he walking, his thoughts strolled back to last night. He thought if he should talk to Helga about what happened, just to clear things up between them, but he hesitated. With the way Helga reacted last night, he wasn't particularly confident if she even wanted to discuss it. Knowing her, she probably just wanted to forget it ever happened.
Maybe it is for the best if I just let this go. Yeah, I'll do that. At the very least, if Helga wishes to talk about it, then ok, but if not, then we'll just move on and forget it ever happened. I'm probably making it a big deal than it really is. I'll leave it up to her if she wishes to talk about it. He concluded.
Despite the conclusion, it did not make Rodrigo feel any better. Quite the contrary, he felt ti touched a nerve and couldn't help but feel a bit...disappointed. He wasn't sure why he felt this way, but he assumed that it was the thought that Helga wanted to forget the moment ever happened, as if whatever it is that they shared was not enough for her. he wasn't sure if it was just his pride or something else that felt that pinch, but whatever the case, he couldn't do anything about it, other than swallow the hurt and move on.
In the meantime, he also thought if he should say anything to their friends about them meeting up last night. Obviously he had no intention of telling them about the 'moment', but anything prior to that, that's nothing worth to hide. The reason why he was thinking about this is because if he was not going to say anything, then he had to act as if he was just seeing Helga for the first time since school, which worried him. He wasn't sure how Helga would interpret this. In the end, he decided he would tell his friends about them meeting up after dinner, only omitting the park scene.
At the Hillwood Complex Mall...
Helga and Phoebe entered the mall and started looking for the rendezvous point. Everyone had agreed to meet up at entrance D. As they walked toward the rendezvous point, Phoebe began to speak.
"So have you thought about if you are going to say anything to Rodrigo about what happened last night?"
"I've decided to just forget it ever happened. It was only a onetime thing and I'm going to make sure it never happens again. I don't want to make a big deal out of this." She confirmed.
"I just hope he doesn't bring it up." She continued.
"How are you feeling now?" Phoebe asked her.
"Ok, just awkward." She responded back.
After a few more minutes, they saw Rodrigo with Nadine, Sheena and Lila waiting for everyone else. They quickly approached them.
"Hi everyone! Merry Christmas!" Phoebe exclaimed cheerfully.
"Merry Christmas!" Rodrigo, Nadine, Sheena and Lila said simultaneously.
Everyone hugged each other, except with Helga, they merely waved at her, to which she responded. Rodrigo on the other hand, went up to her and extended his closed hand to her.
"Merry Christmas again Helga." he said to her with a smile.
Helga was a bit surprised when he said that out loud.
Did he tell them what happened last night?! She thought.
Not wanting to cause a scene, Helga responded back with her own fist and touched his.
"Merry Christmas." she said nonchalantly.
"Was everyone waiting long?" Phoebe asked them.
"Not really." Nadine explained. "Lila, Sheena, Rhonda and I came here early. We went shopping. Then Rodrigo texted me to see if anyone was here. We met up with him just ten minutes ago and just to pass the time, we told each other how our Christmas went."
"So where is Rhondaloid?" Helga asked.
"She went to a see a few stores. She should be back soon." Lila explained.
Helga then looked at Rodrigo but then asked everyone,
"So how was everyone's Christmas dinner?"
"I guess it was the usual for everyone. We all had a nice big breakfast, we opened our presents, and then we had a nice dinner." Sheena said.
Helga was not interested in how their Christmas dinner went. She wanted to know what Rodrigo said about his Christmas and especially after the fact.
"What about you Rodrigo? Was your Christmas boring as well?" she asked him with a serious tone.
Rodrigo however, was unfazed and responded,
"Well ya. It was a bit lonely, considering it was my first Christmas in Hillwood. Which is why when you texted me last night, I asked you if you wanted to meet up, remember? We took a walk, talked a bit, and then went home."
Helga then calmed down a bit, relieved that Rodrigo had not spilled anything about what happened at the park during their walk. Rodrigo for his part, just gave her a cold stare, indicating that he was a bit offended of her thinking he would ever say anything to anyone about the incident.
"Ya , I remember." she said.
Just then Rhonda showed up.
"Phoebe darling! Merry Christmas!" She said cheerfully as she hugged her, but made no attempt to hug Helga and simply said to her nonchalantly, "And Merry Christmas to you too Helga."
"Likewise Princess." Helga responded back with a small smirk.
Rodrigo then looked at his cell, as he just got a text message from Gerald.
"Well, the guys are here, but they are at the video game store. Did you ladies wish to meet up with them there?" he asked them.
"I guess we could go there. I'm done my Boxing Day shopping...for now." said Rhonda cheerfully.
As everyone agreed, they started walking to where the boys were at, which was on the other side of the complex mall.
As the girls were talking among themselves, Helga noticed that Rodrigo was being very distant and quiet from everyone. Something was bothering him, but she didn't know what. She hesitated about approaching him, afraid that he was just bothered by what happened last night and did not want to bring up the topic.
What's his problem? He looks like he has seen a ghost. He can't be that bothered by the incident at the park. She thought.
Helga's suspicious of him being distant were true. Rhonda had just asked Rodrigo a question, but he was so preoccupied with whatever was bothering him that he didn't hear her.
"Excuse me, Rodrigo? Hello?!" she exclaimed to him.
"Huh? Sorry what?" he asked, getting out of his thoughts.
"I asked you where the video game store is, exactly. I don't want to go around in circles." She asked with a bit of annoyance in her voice.
"Sorry Rhonda. It's that way." He confirmed.
Throughout the entire time, Rodrigo said nothing unless spoken to and looked completely distracted. Helga by now was considering this to be nerve-wreaking. She really did not want to touch the subject, but she didn't know if Rodrigo was bothered by last night's event or if it was something else. Worse, if it was about last night, why was it bothering him so much? It was the unknown that was causing her to be nervous.
Was he developing feelings for me too? Did he want to kiss me? Ugh, crimeny this is torture! She thought angrily.
Finally, the girls and Rodrigo met up with the boys who were busy playing with the free games. After everyone greeted each other and said their usual 'Merry Christmas' statements, the whole gang decided to go to a few stores, much to Rhonda's delight.
Helga had other plans. No longer able to take it, she decided to confront Rodrigo about what was bothering him.
"You know what? You guys go ahead. I gotta talk to Rodrigo about something. We'll catch up to you soon." She said, surprising Rodrigo.
Huh? What does she want to talk to me about? he thought.
"Ok Helga. Text me so we can direct you where we are." said Phoebe.
As the gang started to walk away from them, Helga immediately grabbed Rodrigo by his jacket, walked the other way and then finally asked him.
"Alright bucko, talk. What's bothering you?" she asked him while still grabbing onto his jacket.
"Huh? Nothing. What's up with you?" he countered.
"Don't play games with me Latino Boy. You come here with your long face, being all quiet and you're expecting me to believe that it is nothing? Is it about what happened last night at the park?" she asked with a raised voice.
"What, No. That's not what's bothering me." he said.
"Really? So you're telling me that by sheer coincidence something else happened to you last night that has been making you be quiet and distant this whole time?" she asked him suspiciously.
"Believe it or not, yes. I just can't talk about it. It has nothing to do with what happened last night. Yes, I was thinking about it, but I didn't want to bring it up unless you wanted to talk about it." He explained.
"I didn't want to bring it up; it never happened, got that? But you started acting all weird and quiet that I got nervous if you were really bothered with what happened last night that I had to confront you about it." She said annoyingly.
"Helga, trust me when I say this;" he said with a serious tone. "whatever that was at the park, it was nothing more a very small 'heat of the moment'. I know you love Arnold very much and I respect that. You're my friend and I would never, ever put myself between you and him."
Helga couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed by his statement. With the way he sounded, it looked as if he did not return the feelings that she had for him. Yet, this is what she 'wanted' to hear.
"Good, see that you don't." she said aggressively, as she let go his jacket and crossed her arms.
"So if it wasn't last night, what has been bothering you?" she asked him.
"I told you I can't talk about it. It's doesn't concern me, it's someone else."
"It must be pretty serious if it is affecting you." She implied.
"Ya, it is a bit serious. Not life or death serious, but still enough for it to affect me. Don't worry about it. It'll pass. Nothing I can't handle." He said reassuringly.
Helga said nothing.
"So we cool?" he asked.
"Yeah." She said, as she turned around started heading to where their friends were. Rodrigo followed suit.
As they continued walking, none of them said anything to each other. Rodrigo wanted to say something, just to get rid of this awkward silence that was developing, but he didn't know what to say. Helga did not seem to be in a good mood, so he relented from saying anything to her.
As per Phoebe's direction, the gang was at several stores. The girls were in one store, while the boys were in the other. Rodrigo however, had no desire to go shopping. He just wanted to spend him with his friends, even if it meant going shopping.
"You can go and meet up with Phoebe. I have no desire to succumb myself to this capitalist enterprise." he grumbled to Helga. He then walked toward an empty seat and sat down.
Helga looked at him for a second and then toward the store where the girls were at. Like him, she too had no desire to shop. She never does.
Rodrigo took out his phone and attempted to play a game, confident that he was going to be alone. To his surprise, he felt Helga take a seat right next to him.
"Don't want to go shopping?" he asked.
"Are you kidding? I hate shopping." she declared.
"Good to know I'm not the only one." he said with a chuckle.
Rodrigo continued playing with his game, guessing that Helga still did not want to talk. Yet, again to his surprise, Helga then asked to him,
"How much did last night's event bother you?"
Rodrigo immediately stopped playing his game and put his phone away. He was now a bit exasperated that Helga still wanted to talk about it, despite stating that she did not want to bring it up in the first place.
"It bothered me, but I didn't lose sleep over it." he said.
Wish I could say the same. She thought.
"It took me by surprise that that 'moment' actually happened." he continued. "Obviously, I wasn't expecting it. Yet at the same time I shouldn't be surprised. It happens to a lot of people really. I've seen a lot of drama and bad breakups with my friends and classmates back in L.A.. That's why I'm hesitant to have a girlfriend so early in my life."
"You don't want a girlfriend because you are afraid of a lot of drama?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It sounds bit cowardice, I know, but the chances of couples getting together so early and actually making it to marriage are slim. Everyone knows that teenage years are full of chaos, uncertainty and irrationality. I honestly don't know how you and Arnold managed to stay together. I know you guys must have had your rough days, but it is pretty incredible that despite everything, you two managed to still be together." he said with a smile.
By this point, Helga started getting choked up, but reframed from showing it, and the pain she was feeling. As with Phoebe, Helga wasn't ready to tell the Rodrigo the truth about her and Arnold. She wasn't even ready to acknowledge it with herself.
"Thanks." was all she could say. "So you're telling me that you are actually going to wait until you are old, fat and grumpy before you decide to find someone?" she continued.
Rodrigo just laughed and said with a smile on his face, "No, I'll wait until the right one comes. But that doesn't mean that I won't have fun in the meantime." he said with a smirk.
"Ugh." she said with a disgusting look on her face.
"Thanks, for not telling anyone about what happen last night." she continued.
"No worries. It's not like I want to tell people that you slapped me. It's a little embarrassing." he said.
"Crimeny, you're not going to let that go are you?" she asked jokingly.
"I will...eventually." he said with a smile.
As the two teens continued talking, they didn't notice someone approaching them. He was a skinny, but somewhat tall guy. He still wore his yellowish shirt, even after all these years and still wore glasses. As he got closer to the two teens, Helga noticed the heavy breathing coming from behind her.
"Uh, hi Helga." said the stranger.
Helga turned around and to her complete surprise, instantly recognized the guy.
"Brainy?" she asked.
Brainy simply nodded.
Helga smiled at him, got up and to Rodrigo's surprise, gave Brainy a big hug.
"It's nice to see you again. How you been?" she asked him with a big smile on her face.
"Uhh, doing pretty well." he said with his heavy breathing. "I'm just shopping for Boxing day. I didn't know you were into shopping." he continued.
"I'm not. I'm just here with our friends. We're waiting for them." She said while continuing to smile at him.
Wow, whoever this guy is, he must have seriously impressed Helga for her to act so nicely. He thought.
Rodrigo got up and waited for Helga to introduce him to Brainy.
"Oh Rodrigo, this is Brainy. He is a good friend of ours. He used to go to the same school with us, but he had to move before entering high school."
"Hi Brainy, it's nice to meet you." Rodrigo said with a smile and shook his hand.
"Likewise." Brainy responded back.
"Where do you live now?" Rodrigo asked him.
"Uhhh, on the other side of town. I just came here to see this new mall and to see old friends." Brainy responded back.
"Are you going to be here long?" she asked him.
"Just a bit more." he said.
"Well let me get everyone so they can say hi to you. I'm sure they will be happy to see you." said Rodrigo and he went inside the stores to get them.
After a few minutes, the gang all ran out of the stores to see Brainy.
"Brainy, oh my god! It's ever so lovely to see you again." Exclaimed Lila.
"Yo Brainy, how's it going?" said Sid as he gave him a pat on the back.
"My man Brainy, good to see you again." said Gerald.
Rodrigo was a bit surprised to see how happy everyone was to see him, including Helga. He figured he must have been a close friend of theirs. Yet, as they went to sit down and talked, it soon dawned on Rodrigo that Brainy, despite formerly living in the same neighbourhood and even going to the same middle school, was never really close to them, other than a few times of hanging out with them.
"So wait, you guys are telling me that he was not really close to you, but you guys almost jumped on him when you saw him?" he asked.
"Ya, Brainy holds a special place in Helga's and Arnold's heart, literally. But I'll let Helga tell you about it." Said Gerald.
"And besides, after the fifth grade, we got a chance to get to know him more, and slowly he started coming out of his shell. But like Helga, he always liked being on his own. Unfortunately, by the end of the eighth grade, his parents have moved to the other side of the city, so Brainy had to go a different high school. " Said Nadine.
"It's also the nostalgia Rod. Seeing Brainy sure brings up a lot of good memories when we were kids." Stinky continued with the story.
Despite Brainy's similar appearance, he changed a lot since he moved. Although still retaining his heavy breathing, he let his hair grow a bit, with his face becoming a bit more masculine and cuter.
"Uh have you guys heard anything from Arnold since he left?" Brainy asked.
"Ya, we write him letters whenever we can. Heck, he even sent Rodrigo one. What's your home address Brainy? If you want, I can send it to him so he can write you a letter. I'm sure he will be happy to get in contact with you." Said Gerald.
"Uuh sure." Brain confirmed and gave Gerald his home address.
"Has he visited Hillwood since he left?" he asked again.
"Nah man. He tried to come a few times, but he had to cancel at the last minute. This kid is always busy." Gerald responded back.
"Oh, that's too bad." he said.
Rodrigo grew very uncomfortable at the mention of Arnold. He was not able to hide it in his face, but luckily, everyone was looking at Brainy, so no one noticed.
Brainy then turned to Helga and said to her,
"Uhh Helga, I see that you started coming out of your shell as well."
"What?" she asked.
"I saw you talking to Rodrigo. I'm assuming he made an impression." He said.
"If you consider bumping into me on the first day of class, sure I guess. I let him roam around with me whenever I'm bored." She said nonchalantly and with a smirk on her face.
"You must be pretty bored all the time, cuz you let me roam around with you a lot of the times." Rodrigo responded back with his own smirk.
Rodrigo and Helga told Brainy on how they met and how their friendship started to develop, while omitting the obvious, secretive parts.
"I'm uhh, glad to hear that you two have become close." he said.
Despite being happy for Helga, it was also not lost to him as to why Helga opened up to Rodrigo, while still shutting out everyone else. Rodrigo must mean something to her than either of them were willing to admit.
After some further conversation, Brainy informed everyone that he had leave. He had extended family coming over later today and he promised to help his parents with making dinner.
"Uhh I better get going everyone. It was great seeing all of you." he said.
"Keep in touch man, you have our numbers." said Gerald.
After their goodbyes, he departed from the mall. The rest of the gang spend another hour at the mall, roaming around, trying on new clothes and talking. Eventually, everyone decided to head home for the day.
Back in the neighbourhood...
Rodrigo decided to walk Helga home today, but not to make sure she was ok. He had been wanting to ask her about Brainy.
"So what's the story with Brainy? Why does he hold 'a special place in your and Arnold's heart', as Gerald put it?" he asked.
"We've known Brainy since pre-school." she began to explain. "Initially, I never liked him. He had this very irritating and invasive habit of always showing up unannounced whenever I wanted to be alone. I know why he did it; he liked me. Obviously, I was never able to return his love, and I think he knew that the chances of us being together were very slim. He knew I loved Arnold but he nevertheless persisted in showing up unannounced. I'm not sure what he was trying to accomplish. It was actually very intrusive, so much so that every time he did it, I would punch him in the face, sometimes breaking his glasses."
"Did he ever stop?" he asked.
"Nope. He continued doing it. I can't judge him though. I kind of had the same habit with Arnold, although less intrusive." she responded back sheepishly.
"When we went to San Lorenzo, during one night, I decided to confront Arnold about my feelings for him. I could not have chosen worst time to do it. Arnold was still busy worrying about his parents and unbeknownst to us, he made a secret deal with our tour guide, who turned out to be Lasombra. He told Arnold that he can help find his parents but forced him to promise to not tell any of us. This was obviously bothering him. So when I told him about my feelings, he freaked out and at that moment, a boat light shined on us. He used it as an excuse to get away from having to discuss my feelings for him. Because I was too much into trying to tell him how I felt about him without freaking out myself, I mistook his escape as a form of rejection. Obviously, I was very upset and in a fit of rage, I threw a locket that I had of him into the river. Brainy saw this and leaped out into the river to retrieve it. After the boat attacked us and Lasombra took us to his hideout, while we were kept prisoner, Brainy showed me the locket that I threw out. He even managed to reattach the picture I had of Arnold that I tore up. Grateful, I kissed him on the lips for it. My locket not only reminded me why I love the guy, but it proved to be crucial in helping the Green-eyed people from the sleeping sickness. Arnold's parents were also infected with it. My locket was able to unlock the cure, which woke up all the adults that were sleeping, including Arnold's parents."
"After we arrived back to Hillwood, I told Arnold what Brainy had done. Naturally he was grateful as well and gave him a big hug. He didn't do it for Arnold though. I knew that he jumped into that river for me, to make me happy. Nevertheless, I ended up having a heart-to-heart talk with Brainy. I told him that he couldn't continue stalking me because I was now with Arnold and it wasn't fair for him. I knew that he liked me and I told him that I was sorry that I couldn't return it. He was hurt but understanding and the stalking stopped. But since then, we started getting a bit closer. Arnold and I used to spend some time talking to him and actually getting to know him, which if you do, he's an alright guy. It became hard to do that after he moved to the other side of the city and attended a different high school but I still keep in touch with him every now and then."
"Wow, what a sweet guy." Rodrigo said.
"Yeah, he is. I know what it's like to be an outcast and not be the most popular person, so I understand him a bit." she said.
"Wait a minute. Gerald told me that you confessed to Arnold your feelings about him when you were saving the neighbourhood. This was at the end of the fourth grade. The whole San Lorenzo fiasco happened one year after that. You mean to tell me that you had to confess your feelings for him a second time? One year after already doing it?" Rodrigo asked.
"Yeah, I did." she said while rolling her eyes, frustrating at having to confess twice. "After we saved the neighourhood and things calmed down, Arnold and I made an agreement to go back to how things were before my confession, in order for him to have the space and time to think about what I had said. I was actually happy about it, because it showed that there was a chance for us to be together. You have to understand that I confessed at the wrong time. I did it at the most crucial moment when Arnold and Gerald were trying to get the evidence to prevent Scheck from tearing down our neighbourhood. Arnold was being chased by his guards throughout the entire FTI building. So not only did he have that to deal with, but he at that moment, discovered that the person that was feeding him crucial information was his former tormentor and bully; moi. When he pressed me to tell him why I did it, I let it slip and told him about my undying love for him, how I would always think about him, write poetries about him, etc. So not only was he still reeling that I was helping him, but now he had to comprehend that I never hated him. No, I loved him. It was a lot to handle and it was a shock. He needed time to think about it. I just didn't think it would take a whole freaking year and another attempt in getting him to like me for him to finally realize his feelings for me!" she exclaimed in the end.
"Wow, I would say he must be a pretty dense guy, but I don't blame him for wanting some time to think about it." Rodrigo said.
"You don't?" she asked.
"No. Gerald told me some of things that you did to him since pre-school. Whatever you did, it's in the past now and I'm not going to criticize, nor judge you for it. But after what you put him through, it is not surprising that he needed the time and space to have to completely re-think his entire perspective of you. Although to be fair, it shouldn't not have taken a whole year for him to answer you." he explained.
"Thanks" she said.
Finally, they reached Helga's house. After both teens said their goodbyes, Rodrigo went home.
Later that evening...
Guess who we ran into today football head? Brainy! We bumped into him at the new Hillwood Complex Mall that recently opened up. It was great seeing an old friend. Gerald is going to send you his home address in case if you want to send him a letter, which I'm sure you will. He hasn't changed much. He still wears glasses, a bit tall and skinny, although his hair is longer now and his face, well, he's gotten cuter. Must have been all the punches that I give him over the years hahahaha. No, you can relax Arnoldo, I didn't punch him when I saw him. I just gave him a big hug instead.
We all had a chance to see him, Rodrigo included. They got off pretty well. I told the Latino boy why Brainy holds a 'special place in our hearts', as Gerald puts it. You know the whole locket thing.
Speaking of which, Rodrigo doesn't think that you are dense! Isn't that a surprise?! Although I tend to disagree with him, he did have a point about how, after what I put you through, it was no wonder that you needed some time and space to think about how you saw and felt about me after my first confession. BUT, Rodrigo did say that it should not have taken you a whole year to finally realize your feelings for me, football head! Way to leave a girl hanging!
Talking about Rodrigo, I could tell that something was bothering him today. He looked like he has seen a ghost, but he wouldn't tell me what was wrong. I'm sure he'll tell me about it eventually. Maybe if he tells you in one of his letters to you, you can perhaps let me in on what happened? I'm not a gossiper like Rhondaloid, I just want to make sure he is OK.
How was your Christmas dinner in San Lorenzo? I hope it wasn't too much for you. From what Rodrigo tells me, Latinos tend to get pretty wild at parties, especially during the holidays. Do they have boxing day as a holiday there? I suspect they do not, considering the poverty over there. You and your parents did manage to just relax for one day and not catch anymore dangerous specimens, right?
Your grump elf,
Helga G. Pataki
Once she was finished, Helga then gently put her letter into her usual binder, then picked it up to put inside her closet. As was always the case, she could never muster the courage to send it. Here another Christmas came and went without her saying 'Merry Christmas' to her beloved football head. After making a sad sigh, she put on her pajamas then crawled into bed and called it a night.
"Merry Christmas Arnold" she quietly said, as she slowly went to sleep.
I just wanted to make a few comments to some reviews:
Ezza: Thanks! It wouldn't be complete if I didn't include Phill and Gertie in my story. As for how things will turn out between Rodrigo, Arnold and Helga, you will just have to wait and see.
Call Me Nettie: You're right, Big Bob is too much of a good businessman to not adapt to the market in order to survive. He himself said it in the first movie, where he tells Helga that progress is necessary and in so doing, there will be casualites. Bob, at least in my story, is determined to come out and win and he did succeed!
Call Me Nettie: Thanks! As much as people hold Bob with contempt, he is not a typical bad guy. He is just a seriously flawed person. While a good businessman, unfortunately he is a lousy father. Yet at the same time, he does care for his family, albeit in a very egotistical and patronizing way. He just sucks in expressing himself and is very stubborn. Yet he is a good provider for his family; that we cannot deny, whether it in this story or in the show. Just like any human, you can't be good at everything and it is unfortunate that he is not able to be as good of a father to both Olga and Helga as he needs to be.
Guest: Thanks