Ack… Family!

By: ChickenGoddess

He's Back

Before they were ready, the school day had ended.  Arnold was dreading Arnie's visit… but this time couldn't be as bad as the last.  Hopefully, Arnie would rediscover is love for Lila and they would be on their merry way.  They deserved each other.  They both had the personality of cardboard.

He didn't know when he realized it… sometime after he, Gerald and Helga had saved the neighborhood.  He didn't think about her, didn't stare at her, and didn't talk about her.  Gerald noticed and asked what it was about.  Arnold hadn't noticed the change until then.  He had decided to approach Lila and talk to her about it.

"Hey Lila." He said.

"Arnold, as I've told you oh so many times, I don't like you, like you.  I just like you." She replied.

He screwed is face at her response, as if something she had said didn't register in his football headed brain.  "Do you ever just talk… normal?"

"Whatever do you mean, Arnold?"

"Don't you just say: I don't like you… go away?"

"I'm oh so certain that I have no idea about what you're talking about." She replied.

"Lila… don't you ever laugh at people?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Like when Harold gets hit and screams 'MAMMIE'?" He tried.

"I'm oh so certain that that would be just ever so mean."

"You don't ever just laugh at someone's expense… just for the moment?" He tried.

"I'm ever so sure that I don't."

"… Thanks Lila."

"I'm ever so glad I could help.  But I still don't understand what you mean."

"Never mind.  I just realized that I don't 'like you, like you' anymore."

"I'm ever so thankful for that."

"Me too, Lila.  Me too."

What had spurred his sudden change in attitude towards her was beyond him… maybe it was as simple as he woke up one morning and changed.  Something inside him argued that it was something else.  Not something, but someone.  He stopped himself before he began to think about what had plagued him for seemingly endless weeks afterwards.  He had finally learned to do that.  It was a good thing, too, because he didn't know how he would ever be able to face her again.

"Arnold!  Arnold!" He heard Grandpa's voice beckoning.

He came out of his thoughts and raced down the street and saw his Grandpa sitting outside on the boarding house stairs.

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened!  The little weirdo came early!"

"Arnie's here already!"

"Been here since noon!"

"I'm so sorry Grandpa!" He said, running inside and up the stairs.  He ran up the stairs and into his room where he saw Arnie, sitting on his couch, reading the ingredients on the back of a pack of airplane peanuts.  One would think the kid would have them memorized after reading so many of those stupid packets.

"Hey Arnie…"

"Hello Arnold." He replied with his trademark snort.

"…How was your flight?"

"It was ok.  I read the ingredients on these peanuts 756 times."

"…That's… um… great!" Arnold replied, feigning interest.

"I found this lint under your bed." He said, revealing a quarter-sized ball of fuzzy gray dust from his pocket.  "Can I keep it?"

Arnold fought every urge to cringe.  "Sure."

"Thanks." He snorted.

"Arnie… I didn't know you'd be here so early."

"Is it a problem?" His monotone asked.

Arnold scratched behind his neck as he customarily did when he was nervous.  "No… it's just that we have a game at 4."

"I don't play baseball."

"I know.  Would you like to come and watch?  Lila will be there." He tried.

"Who's Lila?"

"The girl you went out with the last time you were here… Lila Nates?" Arnold tried.

"Oh."

Arnold was wondering if his cousin had a brain.  Of course he did… whether he used it or not was yet to be confirmed.  "We should get down to the field.  Helga usually gets mad when anyone's late."

"Helga?" Arnie asked.

"Yeah… never mind.  Let's just go."