1999
DISCOVERY
Part Three: Reactions
(This fic is written entirely from Arnold's point of view. I really tried to get into his head, even as HE tries to understand Helga.)
Arnold looked at Helga in surprise. She gasped and clapped both hands over her mouth as she realized what she'd said. For a few seconds they just stared at each other.
Arnold was astonished--of all the things she could have said to him, that was the last thing he would have expected! Could she really care about him that much?
Then why had she always treated him so badly?
Above her hands, her eyes were filled with a mixture of such fear and despair that he softened. Look at her. She looks scared to death. Arnold felt a surge of sympathy--and friendship--for her. He gave Helga his slow, sweet smile with half-shut eyes.
Helga let her hands fall away from her mouth and smiled, in a much nicer way than her usual nasty sneer, and clasped her hands together in front of her. "Oh, Arnold, I--"
"Hey Arnold!" Gerald called from below. "You comin' down, man?"
"I guess he didn't see what happened." Arnold said, glancing down. He couldn't see much of the ground with all the leaves in the way. "Be right there, Gerald!" he shouted down.
"Well, I guess we'd better go." said Arnold. Helga looked at him for few seconds, curiously expressionless, and then said in an unusually subdued tone, "Yeah. Guess you're right."
She was between him and the tree trunk, where the easiest branches for climbing down were, so she went first. The climb down made him realize he hurt all over, from scrapes and bruises and strained muscles. Arnold could hear Helga muttering "Ow!" and other assorted sounds to indicate her discomfort. By the time they reached the ground she had that familiar scowl on her face.
"What were you doing up there?" Gerald asked impatiently.
"Helga saved my life!" Arnold replied enthusiastically. "A branch broke while I was climbing down. I thought my goose was cooked. Then Helga came up and pulled me to safety. You should've seen it, Gerald! She's a hero!"
Arnold grinned at her, expecting to see her smiling back. To his dismay, she crossed her arms and said, scowling, "Yeah, well, don't make such a big deal out of it, Football Head. Don't make me regret saving your sorry hide."
Arnold just stared at her, hurt and bewildered.
"Now come on, Phoebe, I gotta go put some antiseptic on these cuts ... I don't wanna catch something from Falling Boy over there." Helga gave her usual mean laugh and walked away with Phoebe.
"Man, Arnold, what a break." Gerald said sympathetically. "To owe your life to HELGA, the meanest girl in fourth grade! Not to mention your own personal tormentor. What a deal."
Arnold didn't answer. He stood watching Helga walk away, talking with Phoebe. He had that solemn, thinking, looking-deeper-than-the-surface look he sometimes got on his face.
"Hey, Arnold," Gerald's voice pulled him out of his reverie, "We better go put something on those scrapes."
"Oh, yeah, right, Gerald."
As they started walking, Gerald asked, "So what happened?"
Arnold gave him a longer version of the rescue, but for some reason he left out the parts where Helga showed she cared about him. He had a feeling she would want him to keep it private.
Arnold remembered the time he'd said to her, "...You think you're so bad. But deep down, I don't think you are. In fact, I have a feeling you're probably a nice, normal, sensitive person, and maybe one day, you won't be so afraid to show it."
So he'd been right. Her toughness WAS all an act. She felt she had to protect her reputation, like Iggy.
Why couldn't people just be themselves? He didn't understand--if you liked someone, why not show it? Helga as a friend would be so much better than Helga as an enemy...
* * *
"What's the deal, Arnold?" Stinky asked at recess the next day.
"Huh?" Arnold turned his head and immediately regretted it. He was very stiff and sore after yesterday.
"Gerald told us Helga saved your life yesterday." Sid explained. "But she won't talk about it."
Harold added, "I tried to ask her what happened, but all she said was 'Get outta my way, Pink Boy, and if you ever mention that to me again, you're wormchow!'"
Curly and Eugene walked up to the group.
"Hey, Arnold, I just heard about your miraculous rescue. It sure was lucky Helga was there!" Eugene said with his usual cheerfulness.
"I thought Helga hated you. Why would she save your life?" demanded Curly.
They all looked at Arnold, curious to hear his answer.
Arnold shrugged and said, "I guess she had her reasons."
The kids all stared at him for a long moment, and then Curly turned to the others. "If you ask me, I'd say it was a case of temporary insanity."
* * *
At lunchtime Helga and Phoebe walked up to where Arnold and Gerald were eating.
"Okay, listen up, Arnoldo." Helga sounded as sarcastic and bossy as ever. "Seeing as how I saved your life yesterday, I've decided how you can pay me back. You're gonna be my personal slave for the next two weeks. While we're in school, you can carry my books, wait in line for me at lunch, turn the handle on the water fountain for me, et cetera, et cetera, and after school you're gonna come over to my house and do all my chores. For two weeks. Got that?"
She turned and walked away. Arnold looked after her, perplexed. He couldn't believe she was still acting this way toward him after what had happened between them. He'd thought Helga would begin treating him a little nicer from now on.
"She sure didn't waste any time, did she?" Gerald said sympathetically. "Well, at least it's only for two weeks. You're probably lucky she didn't make it a month."
