CHAPTER 5
ARNOLD'S POV
I walked into Mr. Simmons classroom. I walked tward my seat. BAP! I bumped into someone. Helga.
"Hey, watch where you are going, Arnold," she said politely. "And by the way, your seat is over there." She pointed to my seat, a row away. I must have gotten lost in my thoughts for going in the wrong row.
"Oh, yeah. I knew that. I wanted. . .uh. . . more excersise! Yeah that is it!" I lied.
"Sure, uh-huh. Whatever. If you don't want to tell me what you were thinking about, that's okay," Helga rolled her eyes.
I walked over and sat down in my seat. Mr. Oglethorp, the "docter" started his presentation. Helga chimed in to tell me, Gerald, and Phoebe, who were all sitting next to her, jokes about wackos every five min or so. Everytime we laughed. By the fith time, Mr. Simmons spoke up.
"Helga, what do you find so funny about this subject? If anything, I would have thought it was sad."
"Funny? You thought I, Helga, was laughing?" Helga put an innosent face on. "We wern't laughting, we were crying. It is so sad, it makes me weep. But, to think that my beloved, my favroite teacher, Mr. Simmons, thought that I was laughing at something so sad. It," she let out a fake tear," it destroyes me," she sniffed. "Is that the way you think about me, Mr. Simmons?"
"Well, no Helga," he said, obviously looking apologetic. "I'm sorry I misjudged you."
The presentation carried on, as well as Helga's wisecracks. Soon, it was time for lunch. But, the schedule was mixed up. so we had lunch recess first, lunch second.
I went walking up to the basket ball courts outside, when I noticed Helga talking to someone, but I couldn't quite make out the figure. But, I could hear their conversation.
"So let me get this straight. You want to go with me to the dance?" Helga said. "Hmm, this is going to take some thought."
"Or, we could just go to a movie or something, you know. Together," asked the other guy, hopefuly.
"Hey! Look over there!" Helga exclaimed. "It's Rhonda holding Eugene's hand! Oh, wait no. I was mistaken. Because, only when that happens would I ever go on a date, or even go to the dance with you."
She walked away. I rushed to the dumpster, so Helga wouldn't see me as she walked past.
Was it possible? Who was asking Helga out?
I played some basket ball until it was time for lunch.
"Hey, what's up?" Gerald asked me as we sat down at a table.
"Nada."
"That's cool," he said. Then, he saw Phoebe and Helga at their table, right next to ours. "Hey, you want to come and sit with us? It's boring in our lives, no one to talk to."
I saw Helga shrug at Phoebe, then pick up their lunch trays and sit down next to us. We talked for a while. Then, I couldn't hold it anymore.
"Hey, Helga. Who was the guy that was talking to you at the begining at lunch. You know, the guy asking you out?" I blurted. Phoebe and Gerald looked at Helga with faces of disbelif.
"Oh, him," Helga said, like it was no big deal. She chewed another piece of her sandwich. "That's Charlie."
"Charlie?" I looked at Helga, confused.
"Yeah, I don't think you would know him. He's a 7th grader," she said.
"A seventh grader? But, Helga, we are only in 6th grade!" Phoebe looked like she was going to burst. I felt the same way. Which was the understatement of all time.
"Yeah, that doesn't make it a crime or anything, does it? Now, it doesn't matter, because I said no. Look, can we just drop it? You guy's are over reacting."
"But this is diffrent!"
"How is it diffrent from when Gerald and Arnold went with those two sixth grade girls to the dance when we were in fourth grade? In fact, this is not as bad as that!"
We didn't have anything to say about that. We just looked at each other blankly.
"Thought so."
"So, how's life been treating you?" Helga asked Gerald.
"Oh, pretty good, and you?"
"Wow, so polite. Well, aside from Bob sucking all he can from me while mom is away, and constently getting me confused with Olga, everythings okay."
"So, everything is normal?"
"Yep."
We ate in silence for a while until we heard a voice calling something.
"Helga, come over here!" I think it was Charlie, but I couldn't be sure.
"If you want to talk to me, you can come here," she told him.
Charlie walked over to our table. "Helga? I need to talk to you."
"So? Talk."
Charlie hesitated for a second, then gained udder confidence, again. "Helga, I think I can came off wrong. Would you give me the pleasure of talking you to the dance?"
"So you speak English?" Helga asked. "How many different times do I have to say 'no?'"
He stalked off, calling Helga a name she's been called before. "Hey," I said. "That guy's perseptive!"
"Do you want to live long enough to go to the dance with little Ms. I'm-ever-so-perfect-look-at-ME girl?" She asked.
"I don't know if I will be going to the dance with her," I managed to mumble.
"Oh, really? Are you sure? You would break her oh-so-breakable little heart," she joked.
"Well, your not so perfect, either! It's your. . . your. . ."
"Hmmm? Let it out, Arnold," she asked me challengingly. She plucked out her unibrow in fith grade, and put her hair in a ponytail, now. She also wore a much diffrent aray of clothing. Basicly she now looked. . . well, pretty. There wasn't much to critisize. But, she had gone through a groth spurt.
"Your tallness," I said. "Your wayyyy to tall."
Somehow, this didn't make her burst into tears. In fact, she rolled her eyes and whisperd in Gerald's ear, "short people."
BRIIIIIIIIIIIING! BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
The bell rang, and we gathered our books for lunch. Only then did I relize I needed to get the gray binder.
"I'll be right back," I told Gerald. I hustled over to get the binder, then ran full-out and barley got to Mr. Simmons class on time. See, Mr. Simmons fixed it so he was our teacher for EVERY class. I don't know how he knows this much science, social studies, math. . . well, you get the jist.
"Arnold," it was Lila. "I need to talk to you after class. Meet me outside of the oppertunity room."
"Okay," I answered. She bustled back to her seat.
"Hello again, class!" Mr. Simmons started. I felt a tap, tap, tap on my sholder as Helga was passing me a note.
Arnold,
So, you're going to meet your little honey away from everyone else? How romantic. I told you she's got the hots for you.
-Helga
I started to turn red. Even my ears. Helga started to laugh, and then just couldn't hold it. She laughing so hard it looked like she was going to heave. I got redder by the second. Mr. Simmons must have tried something funny at the same time, because he said:
"Oh, Helga. Are you okay? I didn't know my jokes were that funny."
"Oh, yes I'm fine. Your jokes are hystarical, Mr. Simmons." Helga lied between breaths.
Mr. Simmons hustled over to her. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I think I'm all right. Thank you, Mr. Simmons. I like you as a teacher. Your my favorite one," she patted him on the back. Obviously, Mr. Simmons was too happy to notice that he was her only teacher. Or, that in the process of patting his back, she had put a sign that said, "Call me, 'funny guy', and then Kick Me."
Helga said some more sarcastic stuff that Mr. Simmons didn't get. He named Helga student of the day. She let out fake tears and spent the rest of class naming off the, "little people," who helped her get on her way to "greatness."
I gathered my stuff together, and then headed to the "oppertunity" room. It was really a place for detentions, but they felt it should have a better name. Lila arrived seconds later.
"Arnold, I need to ask you something. I would have asked you this morning, but Helga walked in on our conversation."
"What is it, Lila?"
"Well, it's like this. I ever so much like you, Arnold. And it would break my heart ever so much if you decided not to go with me to the dance."
What? I almost feinted. Lila? Asking me to the dance? This was byond my wildest dreams!
And yet. . . Something was eating at the back of my head. The note. The note told me about Lila. Told me what she had done. I had read it on the way over. It had warned me. But, still. It was jelously. That was all. Nothing more then jelously.
Then a new thought. A new thought that I never knew about was in my head. A new thought totaly changed all other thoughts I had previously had. Whiped away the chalkboard of pros and cons. It was there. A big one-oh win. No, that wasn't right. One doesn't sound like a big win. It was a big one, more like one-hundred to zero, in favor of. . .
"Arnold?" Lila looked troubled. But I wasn't. I gave her my answer.
"Lila, I-"
To be continued. . .
ARNOLD'S POV
I walked into Mr. Simmons classroom. I walked tward my seat. BAP! I bumped into someone. Helga.
"Hey, watch where you are going, Arnold," she said politely. "And by the way, your seat is over there." She pointed to my seat, a row away. I must have gotten lost in my thoughts for going in the wrong row.
"Oh, yeah. I knew that. I wanted. . .uh. . . more excersise! Yeah that is it!" I lied.
"Sure, uh-huh. Whatever. If you don't want to tell me what you were thinking about, that's okay," Helga rolled her eyes.
I walked over and sat down in my seat. Mr. Oglethorp, the "docter" started his presentation. Helga chimed in to tell me, Gerald, and Phoebe, who were all sitting next to her, jokes about wackos every five min or so. Everytime we laughed. By the fith time, Mr. Simmons spoke up.
"Helga, what do you find so funny about this subject? If anything, I would have thought it was sad."
"Funny? You thought I, Helga, was laughing?" Helga put an innosent face on. "We wern't laughting, we were crying. It is so sad, it makes me weep. But, to think that my beloved, my favroite teacher, Mr. Simmons, thought that I was laughing at something so sad. It," she let out a fake tear," it destroyes me," she sniffed. "Is that the way you think about me, Mr. Simmons?"
"Well, no Helga," he said, obviously looking apologetic. "I'm sorry I misjudged you."
The presentation carried on, as well as Helga's wisecracks. Soon, it was time for lunch. But, the schedule was mixed up. so we had lunch recess first, lunch second.
I went walking up to the basket ball courts outside, when I noticed Helga talking to someone, but I couldn't quite make out the figure. But, I could hear their conversation.
"So let me get this straight. You want to go with me to the dance?" Helga said. "Hmm, this is going to take some thought."
"Or, we could just go to a movie or something, you know. Together," asked the other guy, hopefuly.
"Hey! Look over there!" Helga exclaimed. "It's Rhonda holding Eugene's hand! Oh, wait no. I was mistaken. Because, only when that happens would I ever go on a date, or even go to the dance with you."
She walked away. I rushed to the dumpster, so Helga wouldn't see me as she walked past.
Was it possible? Who was asking Helga out?
I played some basket ball until it was time for lunch.
"Hey, what's up?" Gerald asked me as we sat down at a table.
"Nada."
"That's cool," he said. Then, he saw Phoebe and Helga at their table, right next to ours. "Hey, you want to come and sit with us? It's boring in our lives, no one to talk to."
I saw Helga shrug at Phoebe, then pick up their lunch trays and sit down next to us. We talked for a while. Then, I couldn't hold it anymore.
"Hey, Helga. Who was the guy that was talking to you at the begining at lunch. You know, the guy asking you out?" I blurted. Phoebe and Gerald looked at Helga with faces of disbelif.
"Oh, him," Helga said, like it was no big deal. She chewed another piece of her sandwich. "That's Charlie."
"Charlie?" I looked at Helga, confused.
"Yeah, I don't think you would know him. He's a 7th grader," she said.
"A seventh grader? But, Helga, we are only in 6th grade!" Phoebe looked like she was going to burst. I felt the same way. Which was the understatement of all time.
"Yeah, that doesn't make it a crime or anything, does it? Now, it doesn't matter, because I said no. Look, can we just drop it? You guy's are over reacting."
"But this is diffrent!"
"How is it diffrent from when Gerald and Arnold went with those two sixth grade girls to the dance when we were in fourth grade? In fact, this is not as bad as that!"
We didn't have anything to say about that. We just looked at each other blankly.
"Thought so."
"So, how's life been treating you?" Helga asked Gerald.
"Oh, pretty good, and you?"
"Wow, so polite. Well, aside from Bob sucking all he can from me while mom is away, and constently getting me confused with Olga, everythings okay."
"So, everything is normal?"
"Yep."
We ate in silence for a while until we heard a voice calling something.
"Helga, come over here!" I think it was Charlie, but I couldn't be sure.
"If you want to talk to me, you can come here," she told him.
Charlie walked over to our table. "Helga? I need to talk to you."
"So? Talk."
Charlie hesitated for a second, then gained udder confidence, again. "Helga, I think I can came off wrong. Would you give me the pleasure of talking you to the dance?"
"So you speak English?" Helga asked. "How many different times do I have to say 'no?'"
He stalked off, calling Helga a name she's been called before. "Hey," I said. "That guy's perseptive!"
"Do you want to live long enough to go to the dance with little Ms. I'm-ever-so-perfect-look-at-ME girl?" She asked.
"I don't know if I will be going to the dance with her," I managed to mumble.
"Oh, really? Are you sure? You would break her oh-so-breakable little heart," she joked.
"Well, your not so perfect, either! It's your. . . your. . ."
"Hmmm? Let it out, Arnold," she asked me challengingly. She plucked out her unibrow in fith grade, and put her hair in a ponytail, now. She also wore a much diffrent aray of clothing. Basicly she now looked. . . well, pretty. There wasn't much to critisize. But, she had gone through a groth spurt.
"Your tallness," I said. "Your wayyyy to tall."
Somehow, this didn't make her burst into tears. In fact, she rolled her eyes and whisperd in Gerald's ear, "short people."
BRIIIIIIIIIIIING! BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
The bell rang, and we gathered our books for lunch. Only then did I relize I needed to get the gray binder.
"I'll be right back," I told Gerald. I hustled over to get the binder, then ran full-out and barley got to Mr. Simmons class on time. See, Mr. Simmons fixed it so he was our teacher for EVERY class. I don't know how he knows this much science, social studies, math. . . well, you get the jist.
"Arnold," it was Lila. "I need to talk to you after class. Meet me outside of the oppertunity room."
"Okay," I answered. She bustled back to her seat.
"Hello again, class!" Mr. Simmons started. I felt a tap, tap, tap on my sholder as Helga was passing me a note.
Arnold,
So, you're going to meet your little honey away from everyone else? How romantic. I told you she's got the hots for you.
-Helga
I started to turn red. Even my ears. Helga started to laugh, and then just couldn't hold it. She laughing so hard it looked like she was going to heave. I got redder by the second. Mr. Simmons must have tried something funny at the same time, because he said:
"Oh, Helga. Are you okay? I didn't know my jokes were that funny."
"Oh, yes I'm fine. Your jokes are hystarical, Mr. Simmons." Helga lied between breaths.
Mr. Simmons hustled over to her. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I think I'm all right. Thank you, Mr. Simmons. I like you as a teacher. Your my favorite one," she patted him on the back. Obviously, Mr. Simmons was too happy to notice that he was her only teacher. Or, that in the process of patting his back, she had put a sign that said, "Call me, 'funny guy', and then Kick Me."
Helga said some more sarcastic stuff that Mr. Simmons didn't get. He named Helga student of the day. She let out fake tears and spent the rest of class naming off the, "little people," who helped her get on her way to "greatness."
I gathered my stuff together, and then headed to the "oppertunity" room. It was really a place for detentions, but they felt it should have a better name. Lila arrived seconds later.
"Arnold, I need to ask you something. I would have asked you this morning, but Helga walked in on our conversation."
"What is it, Lila?"
"Well, it's like this. I ever so much like you, Arnold. And it would break my heart ever so much if you decided not to go with me to the dance."
What? I almost feinted. Lila? Asking me to the dance? This was byond my wildest dreams!
And yet. . . Something was eating at the back of my head. The note. The note told me about Lila. Told me what she had done. I had read it on the way over. It had warned me. But, still. It was jelously. That was all. Nothing more then jelously.
Then a new thought. A new thought that I never knew about was in my head. A new thought totaly changed all other thoughts I had previously had. Whiped away the chalkboard of pros and cons. It was there. A big one-oh win. No, that wasn't right. One doesn't sound like a big win. It was a big one, more like one-hundred to zero, in favor of. . .
"Arnold?" Lila looked troubled. But I wasn't. I gave her my answer.
"Lila, I-"
To be continued. . .