Love's Follies

Looking on the Bright Side

It was one of those weeks for Arnold. The kind where just when you don't want things to go by quickly they fly by at the speed of light. Friday came all too soon and the bell rang dismissing the students and announcing that it was just a matter of hours before the dance would begin.

Sighing Arnold trudged along behind Gerald to Geraldfield where they would start up their usual baseball game with some of their friends. Helga would be there of course, and Arnold dreaded that. Surprisingly she hadn't said too much to him all day. She'd actually been rather distant. He couldn't recall getting hit with even one spitball.

His heart sank as he realized that she was probably saving up all her brutality for the dance. Gerald could tell that something was definitely wrong with his friend. Arnold was always so hopeful and free spirited, now he was moping and looked like he'd lost his favorite catcher's mitt.

"Hey Arnold man, you okay?"

Arnold moaned and pried his eyes off the sidewalk. "I dunno Gerald. I mean, I was supposed to take Lila to the dance but she ditches me for Arnie. Then Sid convinces everyone that I want to take Helga to the dance. She HATES me Gerald! This has got to be the worst week of my life."

"Aw c'mon man," Gerald wasn't as good at optimism as his friend but felt compelled to try, "you're the one who's always tellin' everyone to look on the bright side. Well, now it's your turn. Things won't be that bad. Have a little faith."

Arnold smiled in spite of himself, "You're a bold kid Gerald."

"Why do you say that?"

"I dunno," Arnold shrugged, "you were using all my lines, just thought I'd try out one of yours."

"So everything's cool now?" Gerald asked, they'd almost reached the vacant lot.

"Yeah Gerald, everything's cool." Arnold and Gerald put their knuckles together and wiggled their thumbs. A traditional handshake for them.

As they approached Geraldfield Helga's voice rang out, "C'mon Lard Boy we haven't got all day!"

"But I'm hungry Helga! Let me finish my sandwich first!" Harold complained, "And don't call me Lard Boy! My mom says I'm just big boned!"

Helga rolled her eyes but gasped when she saw Arnold step onto the lot. He stared straight at her and made the butterflies in her stomach flutter. But her blood started to boil when she glanced at her watch. "Hey Arnoldo! What the heck took you two so long?! We don't have all night you know!!"

"Sorry Helga," Arnold muttered, "me and Gerald had to help Mr. Simmons collect the tests after class."

"That's understandable, right Helga?" Phoebe nudged Helga and gave her a wink.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Helga relented, "But you'd better not let it happen again!"

"Whatever you say Helga." Arnold took his place on top of the pitcher's mound.

Pulling down her catcher's mask Helga started taunting the batter, poor Eugene.

"Aw no, it's the jinx!" Harold called, "Hey Eugene, whose window are ya gonna break today?"

"Oh Harold I'm sure that I won't be breaking any windows today." Eugene replied cheerfully.

"Yeah," Helga grunted, "he'd have to actually HIT the ball to do that."

After two strikes Eugene finally hit the ball, a foul that went right through the windshield of a car. As the alarm sounded Gerald yelled, "RUN!" and it was every kid for themselves.

******

Helga dug through her closet for something nice to wear for the dance. Unfortunately she wasn't exactly the trendiest girl in school. That was Rhonda Lloyd's job. Groaning she fell back onto her bed. "Criminey! How am I supposed to make a good impression on Arnold if I have to go wearing this stupid pink dress?"

She got up and searched through her closet one last time before finally coming across something that looked halfway decent. It was a present that Olga (Miss Perfect) had sent her. A pale blue dress with a pink sash that matched her pink bow, Ahh, the bow that Arnold adores so.

She'd swore she'd never wear it. It would give that brat Olga too much satisfaction to know that her baby sister had worn something that she'd picked out for her. Oh well, desperate times called for desperate measures. And besides, what Olga didn't know wouldn't hurt Helga's pride.

In a few minutes Helga had slipped into the dress and was staring at her reflection in the mirror. Maybe if she wore her hair down? But then she couldn't wear her bow…

"I've got it!" she shouted happily.

Taking down her pigtails and pulling back her hair she tied her bow in place. "Perfect." she examined herself in the mirror. "Hmph, you'd better appreciate this Football Head."

******

Arnold wore his usual red plaid shirt but had changed into a pair of black dress pants. Just because he was going with Helga (who had agreed to go with him solely out of 'pity') didn't mean that he should let himself go looking too casual. Besides, Lila might change her mind and dance with him. At least then the night wouldn't be a total loss.

There was a knock on his door, "Come in."

"Hi ya short man." Arnold's grandpa came in and looked him over, "I take it you've got yourself a date to that school dance tonight eh?"

"Kind of." Arnold sighed.

"Well what's the matter? Ya got a case of the gitters?"

"No." Arnold strode over to his grandpa and they both sat on his bed, "It's just, the girl I'm going with isn't the girl that I wanted to go with. See, there was a mix up at school and now she's agreed to go with me. But we don't exactly get along."

"Oh," Grandpa nodded, "is this that grumpy girl with the one eyebrow?"

"Yeah, that's her."

His grandpa chuckled to himself for a moment before flashing back to his schooldays, "Why I remember the first time I got stuck taking someone else to a dance when I didn't want to, she went with me outta pity too."

"Uh Grandpa," Arnold glanced at his alarm clock, "is this story gonna take long? I've got to go pick Helga up in a few minutes."

"Oh just hold your horses," his grandpa scolded, "can't ya see I'm tryin' to reminisce?"

Arnold sighed as the flashback began.

"It was way back when school dances were held in barns with the cows and the chickens and-"

"Oink Oink!"

"Abner!" Arnold said as his grandma came in with their pet pig.

"Anyways, as I was saying…" his grandpa went on. "Pookie here used to be the most annoying girl in my class. Why she was always pickin' on me, gettin' me in trouble, and shooting spitballs at my head."

"Really?" Arnold gasped, "What did you do?"

"Nothin'." Grandpa exclaimed, "What could I do? I couldn't reason with her or anything."

Arnold's grandma cackled a bit, recalling all the horrible things she'd done to her husband all those years ago. "Grandma," Arnold grinned, "that's not funny."

"Oh sure it is Arnold," she smiled, "and you haven't even heard the best part yet."

"That's right," Grandpa continued, "one day a rumor went around that I was taking Pookie here to the dance that we were gonna have that Friday. I was furious, no way was I gonna have any fun with someone who tormented me day and night!"

"What happened?" Arnold urged.

"Well, for some reason or another-"

"Pity," Grandma stated.

"-Pookie decided to go with me. And I gotta tell ya Arnold. I thought that I was gonna have a TERRIBLE time. But it turned out to be pretty fun. I forgot all about the torment that Pookie put me through and we danced the night away. Why I'll bet we had the best time of anyone else there."

"Wow, that sounds great grandpa." Arnold smiled. Maybe his date with Helga wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Well what are you waiting for Tex?" Arnold's grandma sat up and started pushing him out his door. "That little lady's waiting for you."

"Okay grandma." Arnold headed down the stairs as his grandma called out waving a toilet cleaner (when did she pick that up), "And don't forget---the magic ends at the stroke of twelve!"

******

Arnold arrived at Helga's house around seven. "Okay," he assured himself, "just remember, look on the bright side."

Knocking on her door he could hear Helga's father shout, "Olga! Get the door would ya? I'm tryin' to watch my new beeper commercial here!"

"It's HELGA dad!" Helga called, coming down the stairs she adjusted her dress and opened the door. A frown plastered on her face. "Well? What took you so long Hair Boy?"

"Uh," Arnold stared at Helga for a moment. She was wearing a beautiful sky blue dress, and that pink ribbon that he'd once complimented her on. But something was different about her hair. Instead of pigtails she had pulled it back into a low ponytail. "Wow Helga, you look---nice."

Helga seemed caught off guard for a second. "Thanks." An awkward silence followed.

"I guess we should get going." Arnold broke the tension.

"Yeah, let's get this over with." Helga acted like she was reluctantly putting her arm around Arnold's. She was actually jumping up and down with joy inside.

They decided to take the bus. Not the most romantic way to travel but hey, they were only nine.

Arnold offered Helga the window seat, "Thanks." Helga slid in and caught Arnold smiling at her out of the corner of her eye. "What?"

"Nothing," he replied, "it's just. You seem so nice tonight. I like getting to know the nicer side of you."

"Oh, well don't get used to it bucko." Helga hoped he didn't see her blushing, "I'm still the boss of the class and I won't think twice before pounding you once this is over if you dare tell a soul that I'm some kind of rosy little schoolgirl."

"Alright Helga." Arnold agreed. He had no idea why she was so uptight about letting down her walls but he was determined to have a good time tonight.

Helga sighed inwardly and stared out the window. That's it! she told herself, I'm going to be nice to Arnold tonight, even if it KILLS me!

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*You're all such great reviewers! Blushes Thank you so much for reading. I'll try to move things along, but I don't wanna rush them. G*