The Cruise: Chapter Three
Arnold and Helga looked at each other, before Helga ran to the first floor bathroom, and slammed the door in Arnold's face. Arnold groaned, and ran to the second floor to the other bathroom.
**
"It's already 6:10…they should be here already," Phoebe said with a worried expression. Gerald put an arm around her. "It's okay, I'm sure they'll be here soon," he said reassuringly.
"Hello sir, madam," a waiter approached the two.
"Uh, hi. We're just waiting for two friends to arrive," Gerald explained.
"Why don't you wait at a table? Can I get your names?"
"Uh, I'm Gerald," Gerald said, and then pointed to Phoebe, "and this is Phoebe."
"Okay. Let me show you to your table," the waiter offered, leading the way. Gerald and Phoebe looked at each other, before following.
Suddenly Helga and Arnold came racing into the restaurant.
"Hey guys, sorry we're late," Arnold apologized, taking his seat across from Gerald.
Gerald and Phoebe looked a little anxious. "That's okay, man. Why were you late, though?" Gerald asked.
Helga plopped down beside Arnold. "Haven't you ever heard of being fashionably late? Sheesh!"
It was just like Arnold's dream. Everyone was dressed up fancily; Gerald in a tuxedo and tie, Phoebe in a sparkling light blue dress, Helga in a pink dress with her hair put up, and Arnold in a tuxedo and tie.
"Waiter!" Helga carelessly through her arms up in the air, and waved. It got the waiters attention.
"Hello everyone. How may I serve you, this evening?" the waiter approached them.
"Hey, could we have – " Helga began.
"Just so you all know," the waiter began, "We're holding a buffet tonight. It's all you can eat!" he gestured towards two long tables full of delicious food.
Phoebe clasped her hands. "Oh this is delightful!" Phoebe exclaimed happily.
Arnold smiled. "Thanks," he told the waiter, before standing up and walking to the first buffet table. Helga followed close behind, grabbing a plate.
**
After the meal, Gerald, Phoebe, Arnold and Helga all walked to the elevators.
"Well I must say that was a delightful meal," Phoebe said, rubbing her stomach in satisfaction.
"Yeah!" Gerald nodded. "I haven't had that much of great food, in years!"
The elevator dinged and they all walked in.
"Yeah, it was pretty good," Helga admitted. The elevator dinged, and Phoebe and Gerald got out.
"Well man, see you in the morning," Gerald said, as Arnold and himself did their usual secret hand shake thing. (More like thumb-twisting thing).
"Bye Helga, Arnold! See you in the morning, for breakfast, at the Coffee Garden again. 10am! Don't be late," Phoebe announced, walking with Gerald off to their room.
"Okay," Arnold called after them.
The elevator door slowly closed. Helga and Arnold stood uncomfortably in silence. Arnold glanced at Helga.
"What are you starin' at, paste-for-brains?" Helga scowled.
Arnold frowned. "Why do you always have to be so mean, Helga?" he asked. He caught her off-guard. She opened her mouth to talk, when the elevator yanked to a halt.
"Huh?" Arnold asked, looking up at the numbers of the floors. They were all flashing, and the lights in the elevator turned off.
"Criminey! What the heck is going on?" Helga asked angrily. Arnold calmly picked up the emergency phone. "Hello?" No answer. "Hello!?" Nothing.
"Oh great, I'm stuck in a broken elevator, with a football head!" Helga yelled, throwing her arms up to exaggerate her speech. She slumped down against the wall.
"Well the phone isn't working," Arnold said calmly, stating the obvious. "I guess we'll be stuck here until help comes."
"Perfect," Helga said sarcastically. "Just perfect," she grumbled.
Arnold frowned at her nasty attitude. "Listen, Helga. If we're going to be stuck here in this elevator, we might as well be somewhat nice to each other. I'm willing to call a truce, if you are," he extended a hand in the dark.
"Well…" Helga was out of words. 'This is your chance to be nice to him!' her mind persuaded her. "Fine," she said angrily, not bothering to shake his hand, even though she could just barely see it through the thick darkness.
Arnold sat down beside her, and sighed deeply. "We might be stuck here for a while," he stated the obvious.
"Yeah," Helga agreed.
"So," Arnold began, trying to make conversation. "What made you pick Gerald and I to come with you on the cruise?" he asked bravely.
Helga's eyes widened. "Well…" she began. 'Quick Helga ol' girl! You can cover it up!' she thought. "Uh…be-because," she stuttered. "Because you guys just kept bugging me about it, I just gave in!" she lied.
Arnold frowned and saw through her cover up. "Helga. Tell me the truth!"
"We-well…I…I…" Helga began uncomfortably.
Ding!
Helga sighed in relief.
The elevator stopped on floor 3, where their room was. The lights snapped back on, and the elevator shuffled a bit, before opening its doors. Helga and Arnold walked out.
They walked to their room. "I'm going to go talk to Gerald, okay?" Arnold told Helga, closing the door behind him.
Helga sighed in relief, and fell back on her bed. "That was too close!" she scolded herself.
Knock Knock Knock
Arnold knocked on Gerald and Phoebe's room door. Nothing. He knocked again. Nothing. 'They must be doing something…' Arnold thought to himself. Arnold went to the gift shop to check if they were there, and there they were.
"Hey guys!" Arnold smiled, walking up to them.
"Hey man, where's Helga?" Gerald asked.
"She's in the room. When we were in the elevator, things got weird…and I just decided to come see you," Arnold said quickly.
"Yeah…she's one kid I'll never understand," Gerald nodded.
"Oh hello Arnold," Phoebe walked around the corner of an isle of the gift shop. "What brings you here?"
"Just visiting," Arnold answered.
"Actually it's good we ran into you. Gerald and I were thinking of going to the theatre to see "The Young and the Romantic,"" Phoebe said, blushing and batting her eyelashes.
"This cruise ship has a theatre?!" Arnold inquired in shock.
"Yes!" Phoebe said with a smile, straightening her glasses. "We were thinking of attending the showing of The Young and the Romantic, at 3 this afternoon."
"3?" Arnold asked, looking at his watch. "It's 2:45!"
"Okay well go tell Helga, and we'll meet you on floor 4. You can't miss the theatre! The tickets have been pre-ordered, so you can walk right in. See you then!" Phoebe smiled.
Arnold ran to the elevators, and raced to his room. He opened the door without hesitation. "Helga," he said, walking into the room.
Helga continued to watch television, lazily.
"Helga," Arnold repeated. Helga's eyes remained fixed on the television.
"Helga!" Arnold repeated loudly, turning the television off, and walking in front of it.
"Huh? What did you do that for?" Helga asked angrily.
"We're going to the movies," Arnold said, grabbing her wrist.
"Wha?" Before she knew it, they were out in the hall, running to the elevator.
"Movies? I didn't know this cruise had a theatre!" she said.
"Neither did I," Arnold said, almost out of breath.
The Odeon was right in front of them. They walked in, and took a seat beside Phoebe and Gerald.
"What are we watching?" Helga asked in a whisper, to Arnold.
"The Young and the Romantic," he answered.
Helga groaned. "Great. Just great. 2 hours of kissing," she said sarcastically, adding heavy disgust into the word 'kissing.'
"Shh!" Phoebe shushed them. "It's starting," she whispered. "Here," she handed them a bag of popcorn.
"Thanks," Arnold smiled, turning his attention to the movie.
The movie began with a young girl, around 9 or 10, stomping down the school hall. She had brown hair, tied into two pigtails. She wore a blue dress and a big blue bow. She also had a unibrow. "Get outta my way geekbait!" she shoved some kids out of the way. "What are you lookin' at?" she asked carelessly, pushing a kid with glasses down.
Helga's eyes widened. This girl acted strangely familiar.
The girl stomped into her classroom, and took a seat, behind a kid with a head that was shaped like a banana. She spit a spitball at his head. "What, banana-brain?" she asked, putting on an innocent act. She then looked at the kid with the banana shaped head almost lovingly, before taking out a heart shaped locket when no one was looking, with his picture in it.
Arnold, Phoebe and Gerald laughed at the girl. Helga choked on her popcorn, with wide eyes. The girl was exactly like her, and the banana shaped head kid, was like Arnold! It was all too similar.
"You okay?" Arnold asked concerned, putting a hand on the choking Helga's shoulder.
"Yeah banana- I mean football-head! I'm fine! Now get your hand off of me!" she snapped; stopping her choking fit.
Arnold rolled his eyes, and turned back to the movie.
The teacher in the movie, walked to the head of the class. He wore a nametag that read 'Mr. Simon.'
"Hello class!" he said excitedly. "Today we are going to do something special. It's a special assignment, for everyone to get to know each other in a special way." The kids groaned. "I have already made the partners. Gerard and Fifi. Harry and Rhoda. Hilda and Arnie…" he continued, but the camera zoomed in on a swooning Hilda.
"I'm paired up with my beloved, again! Is it fait? It must be!" she swooned happily, kissing her locket, and then stuffing it back down her dress, secretively.
By now, all four kids were wide-eyed. The movie was exactly like their lives! Gerard was Gerald, Fifi was Phoebe, Hilda was Helga and Arnie was Arnold! Mr. Simon was their teacher, Mr. Simmons! Harry and Rhoda were Harold and Rhonda, their classmates!
"Hey banana-brain!" Hilda called, in the movie.
"What, Hilda?" Arnie asked impatiently.
"Looks like we're partnered up again!" she replied, sarcastically, adding heavy sarcasm in 'again.'
"Yeah," Arnie said with a big sigh, turning to Gerard who sat beside him.
"Wow man, you really drew the short straw this time. You're stuck with Hilda! The school bully! Ha!"
"I know, I know, but she's not as bad as she seems. I know she's really a kind, giving person."
"Whatever you say man, whatever you say."
"Class," Mr. Simon addressed the kids. "Please get into your pairs. It's a work period!"
Arnie sighed as he walked over to Hilda.
"So, Hilda," he began. Hilda raised half of her unibrow, and looked up at him from her desk.
"Let's start with the basics," he finished, grabbing a chair and putting it by her desk. He took a seat.
"What's your favourite colour?"
"Why should I answer these?"
"Because you have to."
She sighed in defeat. "Blue."
"Favourite saying?"
"Bana- uh…" she caught herself. ""Get outta my way geekbait!"" she lied.
Arnie cringed. "O…kay…"
"Why don't I ask you some questions, now?" Hilda snapped.
"Alright. Shoot," Arnie said calmly.
"Favourite colour?"
"Blue."
"Favourite saying?"
More questions were asked. While the movie proceeded, Helga glanced at Arnold. They all seemed to be enjoying the movie, despite the fact it was like their life biography. She smiled lovingly at him, and he felt her eyes on him. He turned to look at her, and she turned away innocently, watching the movie. Arnold sceptically looked at her, shaking his head and then turned back to the movie.
Later in the movie, at Hilda's house…
"Hey Hilda," Arnie said casually, at her front step.
Hilda's heart skipped a beat. "Hey banana-brain," Hilda said teasingly.
Arnie smiled at the name she had referred to him as. He was, for some reason, in an exceedingly good mood.
Hilda noticed he had been standing outside, and was beginning to shiver. "Oh…uh…come in," she said.
Arnie smiled, as she closed the door behind him.
"While I'm here, let's call a temporary truce, okay?"
Hilda looked a little surprised, but shook his hand in agreement. "Alright," she said with a small smile.
He smiled back at her, and she felt all warm and fuzzy. His smile was full of, what was it? Was it love?
Helga's cheeks grew warm, as she uncomfortably slouched far down into the theatre seat.
"So," Arnie said on the screen, slowly.
"So," Hilda echoed uncomfortably. "Arnie…" Hilda began, taking a deep breath and then exhaling. "I have to tell you something."
"Oh?"
"I…I don't actually hate you. In-infact I love you. I've loved you ever since the first day I laid eyes on your stupid banana shaped head!" she yelled. "The love poems, the shrines, the teasing…I love you Arnie, and I've dreamed forever of the day I could hold you, and kiss you – and…" Hilda moved closer to Arnie. "Oh come here ya big lug," she said, catching him off-guard, full force on the lips. Arnie's eyes widened uncannily.
Helga's eyes widened – it was just like when she had confessed to Arnold on the top of the FTI building! Her eyes soon softened as she looked over to Arnold who had a shy smile on his face, his eyes half open. She smiled at him secretly, and her mind swooned with different lovesick thoughts. He felt her stare on him again, and looked towards her. But she was now facing the screen, with a dazed, dreamy expression. He smiled to himself. Although she had her whole tough-girl act, she wasn't all that bad. This confession scene was a lot like the time she had confessed to him on top of the FTI building…and kissed him… Arnold felt his cheeks grow warm, as he relived the moment. He had never been kissed like that before.
Helga noticed Arnold was watching her. He had a dreamy look on his face, and Helga was enjoying it. She looked over at him.
"What are you lookin' at, Arnoldo?" she snapped.
"Oh," Arnold said, snapping back to attention. "N-nothing," he shook his head, looking back at the theatre screen.
Helga smiled to herself, and turned back to the screen.
"Even though I haven't realized it until now…after your confession, Hilda," Arnie started. "I…I love you too!" Hilda and Arnie kissed passionately.
Gerald and Phoebe shyly glanced at each other, and smiled, their hands found each other's, and they held hands in pure bliss, watching the rest of the movie.
**
Chapter four might take a while, sorry guys! I have writers block big time! x.X ...suggestions are more than welcome!! Please R+R!
Lotsa Luv and Arnold and Helga forever,
~ Satokasu Suki
