The Cruise: Chapter Four
Arnie and Hilda continued to kiss passionately, and Helga broke out of her dazed expression.
"Boo!" she yelled, throwing some popcorn at the screen. Arnold raised an eyebrow at her, and she cleared her throat.
He turned back to the movie, eyes half open with a smirk.
Upside down,
Bouncin' off the ceiling,
Inside out,
Stranger to this feeling…
Got not clue,
What I should do,
I go crazy if I can't get next to you.
Music started in the background, and eventually singing came, as the credits began to roll with 'Bouncin' Off The Ceiling, (Upside Down)' by A-Teens, playing in the background. They showed some bloopers of the movie.
They showed the scene where Hilda was confessing. "I love you! I loved you ever since…uh…when?" she looked at the camera, confused.
They then showed the scene where she was spitting a spit ball at Arnie. It hit him in the back of his head. He turned around with a devilish grin, spitting a spit ball at Hilda. They both chorused in laughter.
They showed the scene where Arnie and Hilda were moving in to kiss. They were about 3 millimetres away from each other, when they both started laughing. The credits continued rolling, now without the bloopers.
Gerald, Phoebe, Arnold and Helga all rose from their seats and began walking towards the exit.
"Some movie, huh?" Arnold asked no one in particular.
"You're tellin' me! Criminey! It was practically our life biographies!" Helga snapped.
"Yeah, the only difference was you and Arnold don't like each other, and you don't keep a locket of him!" Gerald laughed. "That would be so funny if you did!" he added, as Phoebe weakly smiled.
"Me? Like football-head?" Helga started. "Ha! That's a laugh!" she crossed her arms over her chest, stubbornly.
"Oh my beloved, ohhh," Gerald mimicked Hilda in the movie. They all laughed. Helga laughed nervously.
"Ha! My favourite part was the bloopers at the end!" Gerald laughed.
"I'd have to disagree. I quite enjoyed the confession scene," Phoebe said.
"Yeah, me too," Arnold admitted.
"Arnold, Arnold, Arnold," Gerald shook his head, putting an arm around his best friend sympathetically. "You're a true romantic, man."
Arnold shyly smiled. "Yeah, I guess I am..."
"What about you, Helga? What was your favourite part?" Phoebe asked innocently. They all turned to Helga.
"My favourite part?" Helga echoed nervously. "T-the end because it was finally over! Sheesh. What a snoozefest!"
"…Oh," Phoebe backed off.
The four kids walked into the elevator.
"So, we'll see you two at dinner," Gerald said. "The Coffee Garden – 6:30, okay?"
"Yeah," Arnold nodded, as the elevator dinged, reminding Gerald and Phoebe to get off.
"Bye!" Phoebe called to them both.
"Cya, Pheebs," Helga waved.
"Bye guys!" Arnold called after them, as the elevator doors closed.
Arnold and Helga soon reached their room.
Helga ran in, and flopped down on her bed. Arnold closed the door behind her, as he went to go sit on his bed.
"Helga," Arnold started uncomfortably.
"Yeah, Arnold?" Helga sat up quickly, to listen to what he had to say.
"I-I've been thinking…about…the movie, a-and that time you confessed to me on top of the Future Tech Industries building, and – "
"Arnold, what's your point?" Helga asked impatiently.
"Well…" Arnold started slowly. "I know that inside of your bully exterior, you're really a nice person, and I think that I – "
"Yes, Arnold?" Helga asked softly, waiting for what he was going to say. Was this it? Was he actually going to confess? Helga melted. Could Arnold, the good guy, fall in love with Helga, the school bully?
"Well, I – "
Ding-dong
The doorbell echoed through the room.
Arnold sighed in frustration. "I'll get it," he said monotonously. Helga groaned. 'Stupid doorbell,' she cursed. 'He was about to tell me something important! Argh!'
"Hey man," Gerald said, at the door, letting himself in.
"Uh…hey Gerald…" Arnold blinked, closing the door behind him. "What brings you here?"
"Yeah, what do you want now, Geraldo? It's not like you don't see football head enough…sheesh! Why don't you just live in this room, with us?" Helga babbled on, sarcastically.
"For your information," Gerald frowned at Helga and then turned to Arnold. "I need to talk to you man…" he noticed Helga's icy glare, "alone," he quickly added, lowering his voice.
"Okay," Arnold agreed. "Helga-" he turned to Helga who let out a long exaggerated sigh. "Yeah, yeah, I'm goin' head boy, I'm goin'!"
Arnold smiled lightly as she left the room. "So," he walked over to his bed. "What's so important?" Gerald took a seat beside him.
"I-it's Phoebe," he said shortly.
"Phoebe?" Arnold repeated, "is something wrong with her, or something?" he guessed.
Gerald shook his hands in front of himself. "No, no…" he said quickly, he lowered his hands again, and started to fiddle with them.
"I was just thinking…a-after the movie…and, during this whole trip…I've been feeling…well…" he started uncomfortably, "weird. Like sometimes I blush for no reason," he explained, eyeing the carpet.
Arnold let out a soft chuckle. "Well Gerald," he put an arm around his best friend, and patted him on the back. "It looks like you like her, like her!" he smirked.
Gerald's eye widened. "I…you…" he sputtered. "I got a thing for Phoebe?" he asked in disbelief.
"Well," Arnold looked up at the ceiling longingly. "You said you blush for no reason…" he observed, and Gerald nodded. "Do you ever feel like it's your destiny to impress her?"
Gerald nodded slowly. "Yeah…" he admitted, nodding more quickly. "Yeah!" he repeated more quickly, with a smile, looking at Arnold.
"Do you ever feel like a feather, floating around on a cloud?"
"Yeah!" Gerald chuckled. "Thanks man…I guess I do like her, like her!"
Arnold smiled warmly. "I guess so," he said, going to get the door. He opened the door, and to his surprise, Helga fell on the ground.
Arnold and Gerald exchanged weird glances, and Arnold extended a hand. She got up.
"Heh…heh…hi boys…" she said sheepishly, looking down at the plastic cup, and then quickly putting it behind her back.
"Wait a second…" Arnold started to realize. "Have you been here…listening this whole time…with the cup to the door?" he asked slowly, with his hands on his hips. Gerald went wide-eyed.
"Well…" Helga looked at the ground. "Yeah!" she admitted with an evil grin, looking up. "And it seems like Geraldo has a crush on Pheebs!" she laughed. "Poor Pheebs…" she mumbled under her breath, shaking her head sympathetically.
"Helga…you can't tell- " Arnold started.
Ring, Ring, Ring!
"I'll get it," Helga ran to the phone, and picked it up.
"Hello…. Pheebs? Yeah…your place…now?…Okay…criminey!" Helga hung up the phone, and yanked the door open.
"I'll be at Pheebs'," she said, obviously irritated, slamming the door in Gerald and Arnold's faces.
"Helga…she…wouldn't tell Phoebe, would she?" Gerald looked doubtfully at his best friend. Arnold put a hand on Gerald's back.
There was a short pause. "Maybe Phoebe will like you back! Who knows?" Arnold asked, patting Gerald on the back. Gerald groaned; knowing Helga would blab his secret to her.
Knock, Knock!
Helga knocked on Phoebe's door impatiently. "Who is it?" a small voice came from inside.
"It's me," Helga said simply, and Phoebe opened the door. "Thanks for coming Helga," she shoved her in the room, and closed the door behind her.
"Whoa…Pheebs…what's wrong? You're acting…" Helga couldn't find the word. "What's wrong?" she repeated.
"It's…Gerald," she started, uncomfortably.
"Okay, that was nice. Buh-bye now!" Helga walked to the door.
"Helga!" Phoebe pleaded desperately. "Please…stay."
Helga sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, shoot," she sat down on Phoebe's bed.
"Okay," she said, calming down. "It's Gerald. He…he makes me feel so happy all the time! Sometimes I can't fall asleep at night, because I'm thinking about him! He's all I think about! Sometimes I blush for no reason, and I just feel so…carefree!"
By this time, Helga was lying down on the bed, biting one of her nails. "Carefree? Mm hmm…" she said dully, not paying any attention.
"So, what do you think I'm feeling?" Phoebe asked, taking a seat on the bed across from Helga (Gerald's).
Helga looked up. "Listen, Pheebs, you're obviously in love with tall hair boy. I thought even a genius like you could figure that out! You got all the symptoms, and I think you should just confess," she said biting her nail off, and standing up to leave.
"I love him?" Phoebe coloured.
Helga rolled her eyes. "Did I stutter?" she hissed, walking to the door.
"Thanks Helga…I think I'll confess at dinner. But what if he doesn't feel the same way?" she said, opening the door, as Helga exited.
"All I can say Pheebs, is you'll be surprised at his reaction," she winked, walking down the hall. Phoebe watched her leave, and put her hands on her burning cheeks.
"I'll confess…and everything will be perfect," she said confidently, closing the door to her room, and walking inside to think.
Helga walked back to her room, with a smirk on her face. 'Ah, young love,' she thought to herself blissfully. Her thoughts then trailed off to Arnold, as she opened the door to find him lying down on his bed and looking up at the ceiling.
"Hey Arnold," Helga said, closing the door and walking to her bed to lay down.
"Hey Helga. What did Phoebe want?" Arnold asked, not taking his eyes off the ceiling.
"Same thing tall hair boy, wanted," she smiled, looking at the ceiling.
Arnold looked over at Helga. "Phoebe likes him, too?"
"Yep, and she's going to confess tonight at dinner," Helga kept her smile on her face, as she looked up at the ceiling.
"Hmm," Arnold said simply.
"Love's a funny thing, football-head," Helga started.
"Ha," Arnold chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so."
Helga looked over at him and smiled to herself. She sat up.
"Anyway, dinner's in half and hour, and we better get ready," she said, standing up now. Arnold looked at her, and then stood up.
"Okay," he said, watching her walk to the bathroom to change.
"Hey Helga?" he caught her attention, and moved closer to her.
"Yeah?" she turned to face him. They were inches away from each other.
"Have you ever loved anyone?" he asked, curiously.
"Who, me?" Helga pointed to herself nervously, and tugged at her collar for air. "No way!" she forced a laugh.
"Then how come you said you loved me, on top of the Future Tech Industries building?" Arnold asked bravely, taking a step closer.
Helga winced, and squirmed under his glance, as she felt the doorknob to the bathroom behind her. She turned it ever so slightly. If it weren't such a nervous time for her, she would've been dying from the closeness.
"Heat of the moment, remember?" Helga said nervously, forcing a bit of a laugh, before turning the doorknob fully and running in the bathroom.
"Anyway, we better get ready for dinner or we'll be late! We can't disappoint Phoebe and Geraldo tonight!" she said, slamming the door in his face.
Arnold snapped his fingers in defeat, and Helga slid down the other side of the bathroom door, in relief. Arnold wanted to uncover some of Helga's secrets. He wanted to get to know her better. He wanted to find out how she felt about him.
'Wait a minute…since when do I care what Helga G. Pataki thinks about me?' he thought to himself, quizzically. 'I can't be falling for her…can I? Helga the school bully…and me? Tha-that's crazy! But then before the whole Gerald and Phoebe thing...what was I going to say to her? Was I going to...' Arnold's eyes widened.
He shook his head clear from thought, and walked up to the second floor bathroom.
**
See? I toldja this chapter would be up by the twentieth! And it is! Sorry about the cliffhanger, but a story isn't a story without a cliffhanger. I know…I hate 'em too, but I had to do it. So until next time…
Keep readin'
Reviewin'
And enjoyin'!
~ Satokasu Suki
P.S. I'm going to need at least 10 more reviews until the next chapter is uploaded onto the site. So keep reviewing, please! And thanks to everyone who has been so supportive along this roller coaster ride. Thanks for all the fantastic reviews guys – much appreciated! I love you all! *hugs everyone* ^_^
