…Handle With Care
Author: T.A. Medley
Genre: Romance/Drama
Rating: PG
A/N: Although I did not receive as many reviews as I hoped for, still, I would like to thank all of you who did review. Again, Thank you. Please read and review 'cause if I don't get at least fifteen more reviews, I'm giving up on this whole writing thing.
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…Handle With Care
By now, the rain was coming down in thick sheets as lighting lit up the dark, cloudy sky. Helga sat in the love seat near the window in an uncomfortable silence with herself. Arnold had not returned her calls, since four days ago. Four days ago when he found out his parents were dead.
It was not that Helga was upset that Arnold had not called her. It was more like hurt. A deep hurt. Not a broken heart kind of hurt, more like a shattered one. She wanted to be there with him in his time of need. Like a girlfriend was there for her boyfriend when he was hurting. Although, Helga and Arnold were not in a relationship, technically, she still felt as though it was her duty and right to be by his side when he needed her the most.
Why was he distancing himself from her? Was it because she never had to experience the loss of a someone close a dear to her heart? Or perhaps it wasn't a why, but a whom.
*~*
3 Days Ago
Arnold lay in his bed with his eyes closed, as his grandfather left out of his bedroom. Phil had come in there for the fifth time that day, making sure Arnold was "okay". However, how can you be okay when your hopes are shattered like flimsy glass? He turned his head to his desk where his answering machine sat. The red light kept blinking, as if it were mocking him.
He knew who had called. It was Helga. He knew she wanted to help, but how could she? She had no idea what it feels like to lose you parents. The people who gave you life.
Slowly, Arnold rose from his bed and sauntered to the flashing answering machine. As he debated on whether he should call her or not, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
"Not again," he thought aloud, referring to his grandfather trying to convince him that they were in a better place. "I'm fine," he yelled.
Just then, the door swung open and who would be standing there but…
"Lila," Arnold whispered.
"Denial," she stated sweetly as she closed the door and sat on Arnold's bed.
"What?"
"Denial. I had it when my mother died and now you have it too."
"I'm not in denial Lila," he said turning the other direction as he ran his hands through his already messy blonde hair.
"You see, you're denying that you're in denial, which is a sure sign your in denial."
"Is that so? Is this all you came here to tell me," he asked curtly.
"No. I came here to help," she said getting up and walking toward him.
"Well, you're not doing a very good job," he responded.
Suddenly, Arnold felt a warm hand caress the back of his neck that made his hair stand on end.
"There is no reason to be rude or informal. We are familiar with each other. You must not forget that we had and still have chemistry Arnold."
Arnold sat there as she played with his soft, blonde strands of hair.
"How can I forget?" he said softly.
"Now then, come sit on the bed with me," she said grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the bed.
"Lila…"
"Shhh, just relax, okay," she said, placing her index finger on his lips.
Hesitantly, Arnold sat on the bed as she kneeled on the bed behind him and began to massage his shoulders.
"Arnold, when my mother died, it was really hard for me. I didn't want to live, to eat, or to talk to anyone. I shut people out. But that didn't help. I know that it's hard right now, and I know it seems like the sun won't ever shine again, but I promise things will get better. The hurt, and the pain, and the heartache will go away."
"When?" Arnold asked relaxed, reacting to her touch.
"Whenever you decide. When this nightmare ends is up to you. It all just depends on when you're ready to wake up."
"But what if I can't, what if it hurts to much," he asked tears welling in his eyes.
"Pain is a part of life. Some deal with it better than others. And I know for a fact, that you are one of the ones who can deal with it. You are strong Arnold. Don't let this tragedy kill all your dreams. Because if you give up now, everything you've ever worked for might as well went down in the plane crash with your parents. I know that they would want better for you. They wouldn't want your life your life to be wasted."
"How do you know what they want? You didn't even know them. I didn't even know then," Arnold said frustrated, getting up from the bed.
"You do know them. You might not remember everything little thing about them. You might not remember the exact curves of their faces, or what they sounded like when they sang you a lullaby, but look deep inside of you and you'll remember them here," Lila said, placing a hand on his heart. "My Father used to tell me that when I feel lost and alone, that I'm not, because my mother is an angel smiling down on me from heaven. Whenever you hear the wind blow at night, that's them seeing you a special lullaby and whenever the sun emerges from the clouds after the rain, that's them smiling down on you. You're never alone. Because they'll always be by your side."
"I know. But it still hurts. It's a pain more than I can handle," he said, his face drooping down slowly.
"Then we'll handle it together," Lila said, interlocking her hand in his.
~*~
Present
"Hello, Arnold, if you get this message call me, okay? Um, this is Helga, bye," said the voice on the answering machine.
Arnold looked at the light on the answering machine, still blinking like an opening and closing eye. He walked over to the phone and picked it up. As he dialed her number, doubts filled his mind. What would he say to her? He hadn't returned any of her calls in a week. Slowly he put the phone down. He wasn't feeling up to giving her an explanation or answering her 'How are you?' questions. Of course, he would say he was fine and she would be satisfied with that, however in reality he was not. He decided he'd deal with the repercussions of being insensitive some other day. Today he was going out for the first time since it happened. He was going to the beach with Lila.
~*~
Helga lay in her bed watching as the sun cast shadows along the sidewalk, while small children ran freely down it, enjoying the liberation of summer. She turned to her side looking at her bedroom wall, thinking of a once football head shaped boy who stole her heart and then threw it away and did not miss a beat. She wished that she didn't think of Arnold that way, but she did and unfortunately she couldn't help a deep dislike that was building up inside of her, ready to erupt like a sleeping volcano. She closed her eyes and buried her face in her pillow trying to block his image from her head, however she could not escape his smile, his eyes, his entire presence that she felt whenever she was around him. Out of the silence that depression formed she heard an almost silent ring of the phone downstairs.
"Miriam!" she called, in hopes that her mother was sober enough to answer the phone. When the phone rang a second then a third time, she ruled out the possibility that her mother was even awake. Almost falling out of bed, she ran down the stairs and picked up the phone on its fifth ring.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Helga, " said the some what high pitched voice of a female on the other end of the phone.
"Oh, hey Phoebes," she said, melancholy apparent in her voice.
"I hear you were hoping it was…"
"Yeah. What's going on?" Helga asked sitting on the couch, twisting the phone cord around her fingers.
"We were all heading to the beach, wanna go?"
"Not really, Phoebe. I really… just feel like staying home."
"Staying home and moping around the house isn't going to help. When Arnold is ready to talk, I'm sure you'll be the first person he calls."
"I don't know. I just have a weird feeling. Ever have a sense of foreboding, Phoebes?" Helga asked inquisitively.
"Yes."
"Well, I just a bad feeling, you know. Like this is the calm before the storm. Like something bad is bound to happen. I can't shake the feeling."
"What do you mean exactly?"
"Like--I-- don't know," Helga stammered, "like even though things are weird between him and I, that things are bound to get worse."
"His parents died, what could be worse? For him anyway?" Phoebe asked.
"I don't know. Maybe you're right. I shouldn't be here alone feeling sorry for myself. I'm just being selfish. I'll meet you and the gang at the beach."
"This was a good idea, Lila. I guess I really did need to get out of the house," Arnold said, smiling.
"That is the first time you smiled. It's ever so nice to see that "Kool-Aid" smile again."
"It feels good to smile again," Arnold replied.
"Arnold?"
"Yes?" he asked, as the cool ocean breeze blew through his hair, and he laid down the quilt Lila brought.
"Would be wrong if I asked you a personal question?"
"Uh, no," he replied, turning to her.
"Well, what is it exactly that you feel for Helga?"
At the inquisition, Arnold sat up abruptly. He looked from Lila, then to the ocean and the rippling waves that inhabited it. He fidgeted with his hair as he kept his eyes on the water. Finally after minutes of an uncomfortable silence that lasted eons, he replied…
"I'm not sure what it is that I exactly feel for Helga," he replied, looking as though he was in a daze.
" We used to be like that you know."
"I know."
Helga walked slowly down the peer, a blanket under one arm, a towel in the, and sunglasses on her face. She spotted the usual gang of friends: Sid, Stinky, Curly, Patti, Rhonda, Sheena, Nadine, Gerald, and Phoebe. Not until getting closer to the group did she spot Arnold. With Lila.
Her eyes narrowed into an unattractive scowl that she was known for during her years of grade school. Phoebe walked over to her as Helga stood their frozen in some abyss of lucidity, thoughts of hatred and some type of revenge filling her head.
"Helga? Helga, what's the matter? You haven't looked like that since fifth grade," Phoebe asked worriedly.
"Why is he here with that spoiled, stupid cow!?" she cried out in exasperation.
"They were her when we got here. I don't know if Arnold saw us. But if he did he made it appear like he didn't," Phoebe replied.
At that moment, Arnold came out of his daze and turned to face Helga, glaring at him with such anger in her face. Or was that hurt? He couldn't tell from the distance.
Seconds after he faced her, Helga turned away, dropped her things and hastily laid her blanket down and sat on it in Indian style, looking down at the blanket, as though she was fascinated with the color yellow. Everyone in the group looked at her with looks of bewilderment written plainly across their faces. She did not return their glances.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Arnold looking down at her. Lila beside him. She looked from him to her, and stared at the ocean, determined not to make an outburst that contained words she would most certainly not use in front of an adult.
When Helga did not respond to him, he sat down beside her and stared at the ocean, in a complete silence, with Lila still standing there, watching them like some kind of ravenous vulture.
"Can we talk?" he asked after sitting for a long increment of time.
"Why? There's nothing to talk about," she said curtly, getting up and walking away.
"Yes there is." he said walking toward her. "We need to talk about why I haven't been returning you calls."
"'Well it's apparent why you haven't been returning my calls," she said looking directly at Lila and saluting her. "Yeah, you were spending time with Lila, being her white knight again I suppose. The same way you were her savior at that cheese festival, where every bad thing happened, but you seemed to make the best of it."
"How do you know what happened at the cheese festival. I didn't see you," Arnold asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" she said coolly, changing the subject. She most certainly could not let him know that she was indeed there, sabotaging their date.
"No. It's not what you think, Helga," he said, referring to Lila.
Helga simply snorted, but said nothing.
"Lila and I are friends, and she was… helping me…"
"I'm sure she was," she rebutted. After a long pause she asked, "Arnold why did you kiss me?"
"What do you mean, why?" he asked facing her. Although she did not face him in return.
"Why? I mean you never liked me before," she said smoothly.
"I didn't not like you before. I just didn't like like you then."
"So, you like like me now?" she asked turning toward him.
"Yes," he said, then he paused. "No," he said as her face fell. "Yes."
"Well which is it!?" she exclaimed.
"I don't know, and that's the truth. Part of me likes you, a lot, Helga, but a part of me doesn't really know you that well. I mean I know how you were but this new you is different."
"I'm not different Arnold, I'm the same person except I can handle my issues now," she replied. " But for that moment of insanity, that moment before you kissed me, what were you thinking?"
"The truth?" he asked.
"Please."
"How pretty you were," he replied in a tone that was barely audible.
"So, you only kissed me and paid attention to me because you thought I was pretty," she said, with exasperation apparent in her voice. " Oh boy, here I am thinking you liked me because of who I am, but I come to find that you don't know me. However, regardless of knowing that you don't know me, you kiss me anyway! What kind of crap is that? I thought you were something special, but oh boy there goes a bad taste in judgement again. You only liked me based on my looks. So, Arnoldo, if I came back as ugly as I was before you wouldn't have given me the time of day would you?
Arnold opened his mouth, but no words escaped his lips.
"I can't believe this," she sighed," you are just like every other guy. Is that why you liked Lila? Because she's pretty Arnold," she asked, although she did not give him time to answer. "Well, there goes the neighborhood. I knew coming back here was a bad idea. I thought things would change, but they never do. So much for wishful thinking, huh?"
"Helga…"
"No. You know, back then when I was mean and ugly, I might not have been as popular as I am now, but at least I had respect. Especially from guys. And you know if I want respect from the opposite sex. Than I better damn well respect myself. Which means not being with some superficial jerk like you!"
Helga turned on her heel and stormed away, as she left Arnold in silence, watching her run away, as the waves lapped against his feet.
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Well, what do you think? Please review. And depending on how many reviews I get, I'll try and get the sixth chapter much faster than this one. Thanks for reading. By the way the next chapter will be titled nothing other than, "Superficial".
