The Angel144
Chapter 2- Starting on the project
The bell rung at 3:00 that day. Helga stepped out onto the concrete steps. The heat of the sun, the cool breeze against her face, and the site of no one for miles, except the city itself, mixed itself into itÕs own peacefulness. Then, she heard a rumble behind her. Screams, shouts, laughter. The rocks beneth her rumbled. She turned around to see all of PS 118 run towards her. A scream escaped her, only to be drowned out by the noise. When the cloud of chaos disappeared, Helga stood up. Surprisingly, she was not touched. hey all merely went around her, of jumped. She got up, dust off her white sleeve and felt pretty proud. Until; *SMACK!* A force smaller then her slammed right into her. Tossing her down the steps, and flat faced into the dirty concrete below.
"Oh-oh, man. YouÕve done it now."Said a familiar voice behind her. She got up, turned around, and saw Arnold and Gerald looking down at her from the top of the steps. She could tell merely by the look on ArnoldÕs face that he was the guilty one.
"Hey!" She yelled up at them, "Why dont you watch where your going you doo goody little yellow haired shrimp!? I oughta pound your stupid football head into this concrete! You hear me!? Or do I gotta come up there myself, and let OlÕ Betsy explain it to ya!?" Arnold was stunned. If he stayed, she might deck him. If he moved, she might kill him. So either way, he was a dead man walking. Or, lack there of.
Helga saw Arnold just stand there, not moving. She figured she petrified him. Good enough for her. She stomped away, not looking back.
"Phew, Arnold! I thought she was going to murder you!"
"Yeah, same here."
"You got lucky man!"
"Not lucky enough."
"What do ya mean?" Gerald asked his best friend as they headed home.
"I got paired up with her for our literature project, remember?"
"Oh yeah. Thats right!"
Arnold ran his fingers through his thick blonde hair. "I dont know what IÕm gonna do, Gerald! Maybe sheÕll surprise me."
"Arnold, the only way Helga is gonna ever surprise me, is if she suddenly vaporizes right before my eyes."
Arnold laughed "I suppose your right, Gerald."They both got to ArnoldÕs house. They did their secret handshake, and said their good-byes. Gerald walked toward his house, and Arnold in his.
Meanwhile, Helga was trailing them the whole time. Listening.
"Vaporize, tall hair boy? Please. Your so juvinile." Helga mumbled as she came out of the dark allyway. "So you boys think youÕve got me ALL figured out, huh? What morons. If they only knew my love," She pulls out a locket with ArnoldÕs picture in it, "For Arnold. His sweet understanding. Paitence. If he only saw me in a whole new way. A more kinder, gentler me. *sigh* I love you Arnold! I love you! LOVE YOU!" Suddenly, she hears the usual wheezing behind her. She punches Brainy, the source. She puts her locket away, and runs home.
The next day was Saturday. Helga woke up to Mariam calling up to her at 5:00 in the morning, thinking it was a school day. Arnold woke up to the sweet smell of coffee, and pancakes. He got dressed in his usual clothes, and put on his little blue hat. Helga put on her pink dress, and tied on her pink bow. Arnold went downstairs, and greeted his family, and the boarders. Helga walked downstairs, and listened to Bob belly ache about the TV, and Mariam half drunk. "For CrimineyÕs sake!" She whispered, "ItÕs not even 9:00! and shes already at it." Arnold called a few of his friends. But they were doing something this weekend. He picked up the phone, and called the only number not on speed dial. HelgaÕs.
Helga walked passed the phone, and when she did screamed at her. She picked it up, and, "Hello?"
"Hey Helga."
"Arnold!? I-I, mean, what do you want football head?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to work on the project."
Helga was stunned. Already so early in the morning, and he wants to be with her! Could it be he has feelings for her? There was only one way to find out.
"Ok, whats the catch, Arnoldo?"
"Catch?"
"Yeah! Why do you want to work on the project so early in the morning?CouldnÕt youÕve waited until 12, or 5?"
"If your busy I could...."
Oh crap, Helga! Look what youÕve done! She thought.
"No, itÕs alright. I guess itÕs better then sitting around here all day."
"Meet you at the tree house?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever."
"Bye, Helga."
"Later Arnoldo."
They hung up the phone. Arnold sighed and looked glumly at the floor. Helga fainted.
In about 10 minutes, they met in the treehouse. The air was mild. Arnold brought his books, and some pencils. Helga brought nothing. She sat on the couch, and waited for her beloved. Finally Arnold climbed the wooden latter. The wooden treehouse was dappled in soft glows of light of the early morning sun. Helga could see outside the window, that overlooked part of the city. The sky was golden red, with smears of purple.
"Hey, can you give me a hand, Helga?"Arnold asked trying to get in the wooden shelter.
"No."
"Helga, please will yo-"
"Alright! Alright! Criminey!"She pulled her beloved into the empty box. They were alone. This would be a perfect chance to confess! Confess her love to the boy of whom she adores! Oh, snap out of it!
"Ok, Helga. First we need to make a plot. What are we going to write about?"
"How about something with alot of blood and guts!?"
"I was thinking of an action story, or a love story."
"Love? Yuck! What a buch of crock!"
"Come on Helga. Havent you ever at least liked anyone?"
Helga paused, she could tell him. But then again.....
"ME!? Helga G. Pataki!? LOVE?! HAHA! Dont-make-me-laugh." Helga said wickedly. She gave him a cold look that usually puts chills down anyones back. But not Arnolds.
"I think you might have."
"WHAT?! Arnold! I think your Grandmothers craziness is genetic. YouÕve gone way out of the ball park."
"Whatever you say Helga."
Helga wanted to say more, but she stopped herself. She didnt want to give too much away.
"Anyway, who are our characters?"
"Huh?"Helga was caught off guard. She was deep in thought.
"Whos our characters, and whats our plot?"
"I guess we can do a romance story. As long as theres blood and guts!"
"Alright. Thats agreeable."
"Your sounding like Phoebe."
"Sorry."
"You should be."
"Um, we need a hero...."
"How about Artemis?" Helga said after a long pause. She couldnt think straight when he was around.
"Thats a good name. And we need a girl hero, and ArtemisÕ lover...."
Helga spoke up after another pause, "How about Helen?"
Arnold looked at her a moment. Something seemed familiar about these names, but he couldnÕt quite place it. "Thats a good name too, Helga. Now we need a vilian."
This one didnt take Helga too long, "Lilth!"
"Lilth?"
"Whats the matter with that Arnoldo?"
"Nothing. ItÕs usually the villian is usually a guy."
"Thats sterotyping. I like Lilith!"
"Alright, Lilith it is. Now our plot."
"We can make it so that Artemis saves the day, along side with Helen, the beautiful female hero! And Lilith is trying to steal Artemis away, when all of a sudden, Helen KILLS Lilith and Artemis marrys Helen and-"
Arnold smiled at Helga. He never knew that she was such a literary genius! Where does she get this material?
"But Lilith isnt really dead, and then-ooops!" Helga dropped her pencil
"IÕll get it," They both said as they went down to pick up the dropped pencil. Their hands touched. They paused. Helga looked up into Arnolds deep green eyes. Full of compasion. Full of hope.
"Hey! I said I would get it, football head!" Arnold snatched his hands away. A little afraid of this desert cobra.
"Well, I think we got the basics down." Arnold said. "I better go home and write the story. IÕll let you read it tommorow. You can profread it, and make some changes."
Helga sat up and looked at him impaitently.
"yeah, right, Arnoldo. You go and do whatever. IÕll see you Sunday, at chruch." They left the tree house an hour after they first arrived.
That night, Arnold was typing up the story line. He looked at his footnotes. Something seemed so familiar about the names, and plot. Artemis, Helen, Lilith? He looked at his computer picture of Lila. "Lilith.." he whispered. "Helen...Helga...Lilith..Lila...Artemis....." He looked at his footnotes:
Lilith trying to steal Artemis away
Helen KILLS Lilith and Artemis marrys Helen
"Artemis marries Helen?" He whispered. Arnold recalled a conversation they had earlier that day;
"I think you might have."
"WHAT?! Arnold! I think your Grandmothers craziness is genetic. YouÕve gone way out of the ball park."
"Whatever you say Helga."
"Whatever you say." He whispered, and to himself, he smiled.
Continued....
