Don't own them. Craig does.
Oh, just a warning, sap factor number 9...
Helga pulled in front of the boarding house a little after seven. She was stuck at work a
little later than normal. Not that she had minded. She was nervous about coming over
here after so long.
Her love for him had never gone away; shehd just buried it deep inside her, turning instead
to the passions of the theater and her new group of friends. Now, he was everywhere she
looked and she cold feel old familiar feelings creeping up inside her.
She braced herself, getting out of her car and walking up to the boarding house. Only a
couple more months and she'd never have to worry about this again.
The door opened and an older woman she recognized as Arnold's grandmother peeked
out at her. "Voila(?)" the older woman cried out, opening the door further, letting Helga
in. "You've returned to us. Pip is up in his room."
Helga smiled. "Thank you Mrs. Faversham." she said, walking up the stairs. She stopped
at Arnold's door, gathering her courage before she knocked.
"Who is it?" he asked from the other side.
"It's Helga." she said.
Noises came from the other side, then Arnold opened his door.
"Hey. I didn't think you were coming over."
"I was caught at work." she said, walking into his room, looking around nervously.
She'd only been in here a couple of times, usually without his knowledge. Her eyes
settled on his bed and it hit her. She was in Arnold's bedroom...just the two of
them...alone.
He watched her fall onto the couch, clutching her bookbag, looking like she was going to
bolt any second. He grabbed his desk chair, and straddled it, looking at her.
"So, these other two books you insisted were better than Mrs. Station's examples..."
"Oh, I've copied some of the more poignant interactions for you to read."
she said, pulling some papers out of her bookbag. He noticed her hands shaking.
"You want something to drink?" he asked. She glanced at him.
"We're going to be at this for a while. I figure we need snacks."
She smiled, looking a little relaxed.
"Sure, soda is fine."
"Okay. Be back in a minute."
As he closed the door, Helga relaxed. She had to pull herself together, she was shaking so
bad she swore he could see it. She stood up and slipped out of her army jacket. She
walked around the room, looking at things, brushing her fingers over his desk, his bed.
Hanging on the headboard was the blue hat he wore the entire fourth and fifth grade. she
touched it lightly. She remembered when she had it in her possession briefly before
returning it to him. She smiled, remembering his excitement when he got it back.
Back then, before harmones, her love for him was fierce, and passionate, but it was
innocent. she wasn't sure what she would've done if he had actually liked her liked her
back then. She could still hear his voice...how it sounded back then.
"Helga?"
Arnold walked back in carrying two sodas and some snacks. He looked towards
the couch. She wasn't there. Her army jacket and bookbag were, which meant she hadn't
left. He set the sodas and snacks down, looking around the room.
She was standing around his bed, looking at his hat. He was able to really look at her;
She was wearing flared jeans and her ever present sandals and a green tank top. Her
blond hair was pulled up in a ponytail. She was beautiful.
"Helga?"
She blinked, turning around slowly.
"You wore this hat everyday in fourth grade." she said, her voice sounding far away.
"My parents gave it to me before they left for the last time."
She smiled, then realized why they were here in the first place.
"Oh, here." she said, walking past him towards her bag. As she passed him, he caught the
scent of raspberries again.
'Never eat raspberries.' his grandfather's voice echoed through his mind.
'A taste won't kill me.' his mind answered. Had he really just thought that? What did
this mean?
"So what's so special about these two books?" he asked, trying to forget this new
realization.
"Well, unlike Romeo and Juliet's entire ' I can't live without you' scenario, both women
in these books are strong with a sense of purpose. Although, the men they love are cruel and
dense, but in a good way..."
Arnold sat back on the couch, listening to Helga give him the condensed version of both
books. He had to admit, they did sound better than Romeo and Juliet. At least there were
workable obstacles. And no one died at the end.
"So, how do we do this so it's passionate and moving and poignant enough to bring Mrs.
Station to tears?"' he asked after she finished talking. She flopped on the floor, looking
over at him and shrugged.
"No idea. I just did my poem. I didn't know how you wanted to do this."
"Is there something in these books we can use?" he asked. She shrugged again.
"Could be. I brought other books, just in case."
Arnold tossed down another book, frustrated. Six books and he still hadn't found
any ideas. They'd been at this for hours now. He glanced at his clock. It was past twelve
thirty. He rubbed his face, thankful that they were entering a three day weekend.
They would need it if they couldn't find an idea.
He looked over at Helga who was laying on his floor, writing down snippets of the books
she had down in her notebook. singing softly to the song on his CD player. She'd gotten
out her CD's earlier and he'd begged her to play them so he wouldn't fall asleep.
Every once in a while, she'd put down her pen and shake out her hands. Sighing, he
flopped back down on his couch and dug in her bookbag. There had to be another book
in there.
He pulled out a small notebook. The same one he watched her write in everyday.
Curiosity got the better of him and he opened it to see what it was. The entire book was
nothing but poems. He glanced up quickly at Helga. She was still engrossed in writing
and singing. He flipped the pages randomly and picked one to read.
My golden haired boy
Has he returned to torture my soul anew?
A fair idol in mortal clothing-
Oblivious to keening wails of love and
Breaking hearts.
He walks through great halls
Not knowing-
Not seeing.
Arnold frowned. Helga had a crush on someone? One of the guys she hung out with
now? He shook off the twinge of jealousy and turned a couple more pages.
Do you know?
That I have loved you forever?
Of course you don't ... you never knew.
Is it possible for someone to know love
At a young age?
You were my reason for everything
And you never knew.
Instead, you saw the supposed hate,
The harsh words, the names...
I was cold... your words warmed me.
I was empty...your words filled me.
I was dead... your touch made me
Come alive.
And you never knew.
I loved you- and you never knew.
How could you?
You never had a hint.
I never let you know.
Arnold shut the book, realization dawning on him. Her poems. These were Helga's
poems and they were all about him. He opened the book again and skimmed through the
rest of the pages. All the poems in there were mostly about him. He shut the book again,
and sat up looking over at Helga. She was still writing, her now bare feet tapping in time
with the music. She'd put her hair up in a loose bun and parts were falling out, brushing
across her face.
How did he feel about her? That was almost an absurd question. He hadn't
stopped thinking about her since he'd seen her in the hallway. The raspberry scent she
wore had already gotten into his blood, driving him crazy. Now he knew why his
grandfather always told him not to eat raspberries. They were addicting, but you paid for
giving into the temptation. Right now, he was willing to pay.
"I've got it." he said.
Helga's head snapped up. "What?"
He smiled secretively. "Unrequited love."
She sat up, her heart pounding. "What?" she repeated, not quite sure she had heard him
right.
He smiled again. "Unrequited love." he repeated softly. His voice sent shivers down her
spine. She glanced over at the clock . It was almost one in the morning. She was
beginning to tread into dangerous territory. She stood up, gathering her books, trying not
to let her nervousness show.
"Great. We have an idea. How about if we meet tomorrow to polish it off?"
He shook his head slowly. "You don't want to hear it now? We've worked so long to
get here."
Her heart jumped again. "Uh...okay."
He stood up, pulling the books from her nerveless arms and put them on the desk. Then he turned back to her.
"A scene of unrequited love discovered." he said, advancing towards her. She backed up,
her sapphire eyes wide.
"A guy or girl," he gestured towards her. "In love with someone for years. And this
person never knows. Our guy, or girl, lives with this secret eating them up inside, their
only wish to see their love happy, even if it isn't with them."
He continued to walk towards her, she kept backing up.
"Years go by, the love finds out the feelings of our character."
Her back hit the wall. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. He couldn't know. He
couldn't and he was tearing her heart out. She knew she shouldn't have come here. It
was a bad idea. She slid down to the floor, her eyes tearing up, his voice still flowing over
her.
"Our character doesn't tell him, no. She wouldn't do that. He finds out completely by
accident. He confronts her, and here's the catch," he said softly. "He's been thinking
about her because he'd been in love with her for a while."
Helga's head shot up, her red-rimmed eyes staring at him in disbelief.
"Stop." she begged softly, putting her hands over her ears to shut out his voice. "Please
stop."
Arnold knelt down before her, gently pulling her hands away.
"Why?" he asked her softly. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
She shook her head, shutting her eyes briefly. "What are you talking about" she lied.
Raising an eyebrow, he held up her notebook. Her eyes widened again realizing the secret
she'd kept so long was out. He knew.
"Why?" he repeated.
"Would you have believed me?" she asked. "Me. The girl who made your life a living hell
in grade school. If I had told you that I loved you would you have believed me?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. I never thought of it that way. True, you harassed the hell
out of me most of the time, but I always saw beyond that." he smiled softly. "Of course,
now it makes sense why you hated Lila and Ruth so much."
She didn't say anything, merely sat there, her blue eyes looking up at him. Sighing, he
pulled her to her feet, not letting go of her hands.
"How long?" he prodded.
Tears sprang to her eyes again, but she didn't look away. She couldn't.
"Since pre-school." she whispered.
He looked at her astonished. "Was I that dense?" he asked. She smiled
One of his hands left hers to brush back a stray lock of hair that fell in her face.
"Fourteen years is too long." he said. "In grade school, I thought about you, I even liked
you. But now," he sighed softly. "I haven't stopped thinking about you since I saw you
in the hallway. God knows I've tried. But I can't get you out of my mind. Your face,
your voice," he swallowed hard. "That scent. I know I'm about fourteen years too late,
but I think I've fallen in love with you."
A sob escaped Helga's lips.
"Don't tease me, Arnold, please."
"I wouldn't tease you. Not about this."
He reached over, brushing his lips against hers. She even tasted like raspberries. Helga
stood perfectly still for a moment, then another sob escaped her as she pressed her lips
against his. She felt him open his mouth against her, deepening the kiss; felt his arms pull
her closer to him, almost crushing her.
Every daydream, every thought, every girlhood fantasy she had ever had about him was
nothing compared to this. She would have waited forever for this, had waited forever.
Pulling back, he studied her. Her eyes were half closed, her lips wearing a small smile.
Her eyes suddenly shot open and she looked at him accusingly.
'Hey. What are you doing going through my personal stuff?' she snapped, pushing him.
"Who said you could touch my things?"
He was taken aback. This wasn't what he was expecting. "I was looking for an idea for
this stupid project." he snapped back, bristling. "If you hadn't argued with Mrs. Station,
we wouldn't have to do this. We could have done an easy project, but no. You just had to do
something difficult."
"Hey, nobody said you had to be my partner."
"Oh yeah, like I had a choice."
"You could've switched with Brainy and been with Lila." she sneered.
He opened his mouth to argue back, but stopped. This is what she had done all their lives.
All the smart remarks, the insults, the harassment; this was the way she protected herself
from getting too close to someone.
He grabbed her shoulders, looking her in the eyes.
"Stop it, Helga."
She stopped talking, looking at him in shock.
"I know what you're doing. Stop it. I'm not going anywhere."
She smirked. "Of course you aren't. It's your house."
"That isn't what I meant and you know it." He squeezed her shoulders, listening to her
breath catch in her throat. "I told you I love you and I'm not taking it back and I'm not
going anywhere."
She slumped her shoulders, defeated. "So now what?"
Shrugging, he pulled her into his arms. "We'll do the project tomorrow. Right now, I
think we need to talk."
Oh, just a warning, sap factor number 9...
Helga pulled in front of the boarding house a little after seven. She was stuck at work a
little later than normal. Not that she had minded. She was nervous about coming over
here after so long.
Her love for him had never gone away; shehd just buried it deep inside her, turning instead
to the passions of the theater and her new group of friends. Now, he was everywhere she
looked and she cold feel old familiar feelings creeping up inside her.
She braced herself, getting out of her car and walking up to the boarding house. Only a
couple more months and she'd never have to worry about this again.
The door opened and an older woman she recognized as Arnold's grandmother peeked
out at her. "Voila(?)" the older woman cried out, opening the door further, letting Helga
in. "You've returned to us. Pip is up in his room."
Helga smiled. "Thank you Mrs. Faversham." she said, walking up the stairs. She stopped
at Arnold's door, gathering her courage before she knocked.
"Who is it?" he asked from the other side.
"It's Helga." she said.
Noises came from the other side, then Arnold opened his door.
"Hey. I didn't think you were coming over."
"I was caught at work." she said, walking into his room, looking around nervously.
She'd only been in here a couple of times, usually without his knowledge. Her eyes
settled on his bed and it hit her. She was in Arnold's bedroom...just the two of
them...alone.
He watched her fall onto the couch, clutching her bookbag, looking like she was going to
bolt any second. He grabbed his desk chair, and straddled it, looking at her.
"So, these other two books you insisted were better than Mrs. Station's examples..."
"Oh, I've copied some of the more poignant interactions for you to read."
she said, pulling some papers out of her bookbag. He noticed her hands shaking.
"You want something to drink?" he asked. She glanced at him.
"We're going to be at this for a while. I figure we need snacks."
She smiled, looking a little relaxed.
"Sure, soda is fine."
"Okay. Be back in a minute."
As he closed the door, Helga relaxed. She had to pull herself together, she was shaking so
bad she swore he could see it. She stood up and slipped out of her army jacket. She
walked around the room, looking at things, brushing her fingers over his desk, his bed.
Hanging on the headboard was the blue hat he wore the entire fourth and fifth grade. she
touched it lightly. She remembered when she had it in her possession briefly before
returning it to him. She smiled, remembering his excitement when he got it back.
Back then, before harmones, her love for him was fierce, and passionate, but it was
innocent. she wasn't sure what she would've done if he had actually liked her liked her
back then. She could still hear his voice...how it sounded back then.
"Helga?"
Arnold walked back in carrying two sodas and some snacks. He looked towards
the couch. She wasn't there. Her army jacket and bookbag were, which meant she hadn't
left. He set the sodas and snacks down, looking around the room.
She was standing around his bed, looking at his hat. He was able to really look at her;
She was wearing flared jeans and her ever present sandals and a green tank top. Her
blond hair was pulled up in a ponytail. She was beautiful.
"Helga?"
She blinked, turning around slowly.
"You wore this hat everyday in fourth grade." she said, her voice sounding far away.
"My parents gave it to me before they left for the last time."
She smiled, then realized why they were here in the first place.
"Oh, here." she said, walking past him towards her bag. As she passed him, he caught the
scent of raspberries again.
'Never eat raspberries.' his grandfather's voice echoed through his mind.
'A taste won't kill me.' his mind answered. Had he really just thought that? What did
this mean?
"So what's so special about these two books?" he asked, trying to forget this new
realization.
"Well, unlike Romeo and Juliet's entire ' I can't live without you' scenario, both women
in these books are strong with a sense of purpose. Although, the men they love are cruel and
dense, but in a good way..."
Arnold sat back on the couch, listening to Helga give him the condensed version of both
books. He had to admit, they did sound better than Romeo and Juliet. At least there were
workable obstacles. And no one died at the end.
"So, how do we do this so it's passionate and moving and poignant enough to bring Mrs.
Station to tears?"' he asked after she finished talking. She flopped on the floor, looking
over at him and shrugged.
"No idea. I just did my poem. I didn't know how you wanted to do this."
"Is there something in these books we can use?" he asked. She shrugged again.
"Could be. I brought other books, just in case."
Arnold tossed down another book, frustrated. Six books and he still hadn't found
any ideas. They'd been at this for hours now. He glanced at his clock. It was past twelve
thirty. He rubbed his face, thankful that they were entering a three day weekend.
They would need it if they couldn't find an idea.
He looked over at Helga who was laying on his floor, writing down snippets of the books
she had down in her notebook. singing softly to the song on his CD player. She'd gotten
out her CD's earlier and he'd begged her to play them so he wouldn't fall asleep.
Every once in a while, she'd put down her pen and shake out her hands. Sighing, he
flopped back down on his couch and dug in her bookbag. There had to be another book
in there.
He pulled out a small notebook. The same one he watched her write in everyday.
Curiosity got the better of him and he opened it to see what it was. The entire book was
nothing but poems. He glanced up quickly at Helga. She was still engrossed in writing
and singing. He flipped the pages randomly and picked one to read.
My golden haired boy
Has he returned to torture my soul anew?
A fair idol in mortal clothing-
Oblivious to keening wails of love and
Breaking hearts.
He walks through great halls
Not knowing-
Not seeing.
Arnold frowned. Helga had a crush on someone? One of the guys she hung out with
now? He shook off the twinge of jealousy and turned a couple more pages.
Do you know?
That I have loved you forever?
Of course you don't ... you never knew.
Is it possible for someone to know love
At a young age?
You were my reason for everything
And you never knew.
Instead, you saw the supposed hate,
The harsh words, the names...
I was cold... your words warmed me.
I was empty...your words filled me.
I was dead... your touch made me
Come alive.
And you never knew.
I loved you- and you never knew.
How could you?
You never had a hint.
I never let you know.
Arnold shut the book, realization dawning on him. Her poems. These were Helga's
poems and they were all about him. He opened the book again and skimmed through the
rest of the pages. All the poems in there were mostly about him. He shut the book again,
and sat up looking over at Helga. She was still writing, her now bare feet tapping in time
with the music. She'd put her hair up in a loose bun and parts were falling out, brushing
across her face.
How did he feel about her? That was almost an absurd question. He hadn't
stopped thinking about her since he'd seen her in the hallway. The raspberry scent she
wore had already gotten into his blood, driving him crazy. Now he knew why his
grandfather always told him not to eat raspberries. They were addicting, but you paid for
giving into the temptation. Right now, he was willing to pay.
"I've got it." he said.
Helga's head snapped up. "What?"
He smiled secretively. "Unrequited love."
She sat up, her heart pounding. "What?" she repeated, not quite sure she had heard him
right.
He smiled again. "Unrequited love." he repeated softly. His voice sent shivers down her
spine. She glanced over at the clock . It was almost one in the morning. She was
beginning to tread into dangerous territory. She stood up, gathering her books, trying not
to let her nervousness show.
"Great. We have an idea. How about if we meet tomorrow to polish it off?"
He shook his head slowly. "You don't want to hear it now? We've worked so long to
get here."
Her heart jumped again. "Uh...okay."
He stood up, pulling the books from her nerveless arms and put them on the desk. Then he turned back to her.
"A scene of unrequited love discovered." he said, advancing towards her. She backed up,
her sapphire eyes wide.
"A guy or girl," he gestured towards her. "In love with someone for years. And this
person never knows. Our guy, or girl, lives with this secret eating them up inside, their
only wish to see their love happy, even if it isn't with them."
He continued to walk towards her, she kept backing up.
"Years go by, the love finds out the feelings of our character."
Her back hit the wall. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. He couldn't know. He
couldn't and he was tearing her heart out. She knew she shouldn't have come here. It
was a bad idea. She slid down to the floor, her eyes tearing up, his voice still flowing over
her.
"Our character doesn't tell him, no. She wouldn't do that. He finds out completely by
accident. He confronts her, and here's the catch," he said softly. "He's been thinking
about her because he'd been in love with her for a while."
Helga's head shot up, her red-rimmed eyes staring at him in disbelief.
"Stop." she begged softly, putting her hands over her ears to shut out his voice. "Please
stop."
Arnold knelt down before her, gently pulling her hands away.
"Why?" he asked her softly. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
She shook her head, shutting her eyes briefly. "What are you talking about" she lied.
Raising an eyebrow, he held up her notebook. Her eyes widened again realizing the secret
she'd kept so long was out. He knew.
"Why?" he repeated.
"Would you have believed me?" she asked. "Me. The girl who made your life a living hell
in grade school. If I had told you that I loved you would you have believed me?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. I never thought of it that way. True, you harassed the hell
out of me most of the time, but I always saw beyond that." he smiled softly. "Of course,
now it makes sense why you hated Lila and Ruth so much."
She didn't say anything, merely sat there, her blue eyes looking up at him. Sighing, he
pulled her to her feet, not letting go of her hands.
"How long?" he prodded.
Tears sprang to her eyes again, but she didn't look away. She couldn't.
"Since pre-school." she whispered.
He looked at her astonished. "Was I that dense?" he asked. She smiled
One of his hands left hers to brush back a stray lock of hair that fell in her face.
"Fourteen years is too long." he said. "In grade school, I thought about you, I even liked
you. But now," he sighed softly. "I haven't stopped thinking about you since I saw you
in the hallway. God knows I've tried. But I can't get you out of my mind. Your face,
your voice," he swallowed hard. "That scent. I know I'm about fourteen years too late,
but I think I've fallen in love with you."
A sob escaped Helga's lips.
"Don't tease me, Arnold, please."
"I wouldn't tease you. Not about this."
He reached over, brushing his lips against hers. She even tasted like raspberries. Helga
stood perfectly still for a moment, then another sob escaped her as she pressed her lips
against his. She felt him open his mouth against her, deepening the kiss; felt his arms pull
her closer to him, almost crushing her.
Every daydream, every thought, every girlhood fantasy she had ever had about him was
nothing compared to this. She would have waited forever for this, had waited forever.
Pulling back, he studied her. Her eyes were half closed, her lips wearing a small smile.
Her eyes suddenly shot open and she looked at him accusingly.
'Hey. What are you doing going through my personal stuff?' she snapped, pushing him.
"Who said you could touch my things?"
He was taken aback. This wasn't what he was expecting. "I was looking for an idea for
this stupid project." he snapped back, bristling. "If you hadn't argued with Mrs. Station,
we wouldn't have to do this. We could have done an easy project, but no. You just had to do
something difficult."
"Hey, nobody said you had to be my partner."
"Oh yeah, like I had a choice."
"You could've switched with Brainy and been with Lila." she sneered.
He opened his mouth to argue back, but stopped. This is what she had done all their lives.
All the smart remarks, the insults, the harassment; this was the way she protected herself
from getting too close to someone.
He grabbed her shoulders, looking her in the eyes.
"Stop it, Helga."
She stopped talking, looking at him in shock.
"I know what you're doing. Stop it. I'm not going anywhere."
She smirked. "Of course you aren't. It's your house."
"That isn't what I meant and you know it." He squeezed her shoulders, listening to her
breath catch in her throat. "I told you I love you and I'm not taking it back and I'm not
going anywhere."
She slumped her shoulders, defeated. "So now what?"
Shrugging, he pulled her into his arms. "We'll do the project tomorrow. Right now, I
think we need to talk."