Literature.
The only class she had with Arnold.
It was almost fitting. She sighed softly, half listening to the teacher, watching him through half lidded eyes. He had grown up rather well. His small frame had been replaced
with a tall and well defined body. He wasn't football player size big, but he was proportioned
enough to make most of the girls take notice. His hair was a little shorter than it was
when he was younger, and it no longer stuck out in all directions. He'd also outgrown his
blue cap.
In short, he was just a wonder to watch, and she was enjoying watching him. Not that shewould ever let him know, of course.
Her girlhood crush had first turned into adolescent fantasies, then finally to what she could almost define as actual love. To watch him made her smile; to hear him talk made her
knees go weak, and when he spoke to her...it was almost sinful what her mind
thought up.
Vaguely, she could hear the teacher discussing the works of Emily Dickinson and smiled.
What a perfect theme for today.
Softly, she began to hum happy birthday to herself.
Arnold was barely listening to the teacher drone on about poetry, instead writing himself notes on what he needed to buy and get ready for that night.
He'd found out from Gerald last week that today was Helga's sixteenth birthday. Of
course, Gerald told him most of the things he'd found out about Helga since he'd starting
dating Phoebe. Only Gerald knew his secret. That somewhere in sixth grade, he had
fallen for Helga Pataki. He didn't know when, he didn't know how. Just one day he
started thinking about her differently.
Gerald, in his usual fashion, had asked him if he had truly gone insane, but after he started
dating Phoebe, he gradually came to see what Arnold had already known...that she wasn't
as horrible as they'd once thought.
Of course it didn't hurt that she was stunning. She was once the tallest girl in the class and had finally grown into that. Her long legs were only accented by the curves that puberty
had given to her. She was slim, but not skinny slim. She had filled out perfectly in all the
right places. Her face carried a delicate feature not many people saw, her eyebrows were
perfectly shaped and her golden blond hair had reached mid waist. How could he not fall
for her.
He was just nervous about telling her. She used to torment the hell out of him when they
were younger, and now, she was nice to him, but she tried not to be around him very
often. Only when they did the chaperoning dates with Phoebe and Gerald.
He knew for a fact that she didn't have a boyfriend. That was one thing she had told him,
she didn't feel the need to cave into peer pressure and pretend to be happy in a fake
relationship. She was waiting for the right man.
He really wanted to be the right man.
Glancing back at her, he was surprised to see her looking his way. Her eyes
carried a far-away look and there was a hint of a smile on her face. He took that opportunity to
look at her. Her little pink spring dress was short sleeved, came just above the
knee and was low enough to show only the barest hint of cleavage. Her hair was braided
and hung down her back. She was wearing pink strappy sandals and her fingernails and
toenails were painted pink. One thing that would never change about her.
She would always love pink.
Gerald had informed him a while back that she had an obsession with old Molly Ringwaldmovies, especially 'Pretty in Pink',' Sixteen Candles', and 'The Breakfast Club'. He'd gone outand rented' Sixteen Candles' when he'd found out about her birthday.
He thought it was an incredibly stupid movie, but he did get a great idea from the last
scene.
Sighing, he turned back around going back to his list. He needed to get all these things
ready, but none of this was going to matter if he didn't bother to talk to her to set this plan
into motion.
Luckily for him, Phoebe and Gerald had already made a contingency plan just in case.
Helga eyed the two warily.
"Dinner?"
"Yep."
"The three of us?"
"Four."
"Four?"
Gerald nodded. "Arnold is going with us also. Just four friends going to dinner."
"What's the catch?"
"No catch." He told her. "Phoebe and I were just talking."
"Everyone should at least have one good birthday." Phoebe explained, bailing out a
drowning Gerald. "And the sixteenth birthday is supposed to be the right of passage for
women. You shouldn't have to go home to your parents and spend your sixteenth
birthday alone, Helga."
Helga smiled, her eyes bright. She hugged the smaller girl.
"To tell you the truth, I really wasn't looking foreword to going home tonight anyway."
"Then it's settled. You come home with me and hang out at my house, then the four of us
will go out to dinner."
"Deal." she glared at Gerald. "No ideas about doing the stupid singing waiters or you'll
live to regret it."
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "I know, I know. Phoebe already threatened me."
"And Arnold doesn't find out." she added. "It's bad enough you know."
"Know what?" Arnold asked walking up to the trio. He and Gerald did their handshake.
"That we're going to dinner tonight." Gerald stated, looking pointedly at his best friend.
Arnold gave him a look of thanks, then smiled at the two girls.
"Who?"
"The four of us." Helga stated. He looked at her slightly confused.
"Did we have a chaperoning date tonight I forgot about?"
Phoebe smiled slightly. "No. It's just the four of us for dinner."
"As friends." Gerald added.
"Someplace nice." Phoebe concluded.
Arnold looked at Helga, who was leaning against her locker watching the two amusingly.
She glanced over at him, then shrugged.
"Don't look at me. They came up with this on their own. I warned you about leaving
them alone for too long."
He laughed. "What time do you want to meet?"
"Does six sound good?" Gerald asked.
Helga scowled suddenly. "I forgot. I do have to go home for a bit. I promised Bob I'd
deliver some papers after school."
"Okay. How about if I pick you up at six-thirty, and we'll meet them there?" Arnold
suggested.
"I can meet you guys there."
He shook his head. "It's stupid to take three cars. It's on our way to the restaurant. No
big deal."
She nodded. "Okay. Six-thirty, then."
The only class she had with Arnold.
It was almost fitting. She sighed softly, half listening to the teacher, watching him through half lidded eyes. He had grown up rather well. His small frame had been replaced
with a tall and well defined body. He wasn't football player size big, but he was proportioned
enough to make most of the girls take notice. His hair was a little shorter than it was
when he was younger, and it no longer stuck out in all directions. He'd also outgrown his
blue cap.
In short, he was just a wonder to watch, and she was enjoying watching him. Not that shewould ever let him know, of course.
Her girlhood crush had first turned into adolescent fantasies, then finally to what she could almost define as actual love. To watch him made her smile; to hear him talk made her
knees go weak, and when he spoke to her...it was almost sinful what her mind
thought up.
Vaguely, she could hear the teacher discussing the works of Emily Dickinson and smiled.
What a perfect theme for today.
Softly, she began to hum happy birthday to herself.
Arnold was barely listening to the teacher drone on about poetry, instead writing himself notes on what he needed to buy and get ready for that night.
He'd found out from Gerald last week that today was Helga's sixteenth birthday. Of
course, Gerald told him most of the things he'd found out about Helga since he'd starting
dating Phoebe. Only Gerald knew his secret. That somewhere in sixth grade, he had
fallen for Helga Pataki. He didn't know when, he didn't know how. Just one day he
started thinking about her differently.
Gerald, in his usual fashion, had asked him if he had truly gone insane, but after he started
dating Phoebe, he gradually came to see what Arnold had already known...that she wasn't
as horrible as they'd once thought.
Of course it didn't hurt that she was stunning. She was once the tallest girl in the class and had finally grown into that. Her long legs were only accented by the curves that puberty
had given to her. She was slim, but not skinny slim. She had filled out perfectly in all the
right places. Her face carried a delicate feature not many people saw, her eyebrows were
perfectly shaped and her golden blond hair had reached mid waist. How could he not fall
for her.
He was just nervous about telling her. She used to torment the hell out of him when they
were younger, and now, she was nice to him, but she tried not to be around him very
often. Only when they did the chaperoning dates with Phoebe and Gerald.
He knew for a fact that she didn't have a boyfriend. That was one thing she had told him,
she didn't feel the need to cave into peer pressure and pretend to be happy in a fake
relationship. She was waiting for the right man.
He really wanted to be the right man.
Glancing back at her, he was surprised to see her looking his way. Her eyes
carried a far-away look and there was a hint of a smile on her face. He took that opportunity to
look at her. Her little pink spring dress was short sleeved, came just above the
knee and was low enough to show only the barest hint of cleavage. Her hair was braided
and hung down her back. She was wearing pink strappy sandals and her fingernails and
toenails were painted pink. One thing that would never change about her.
She would always love pink.
Gerald had informed him a while back that she had an obsession with old Molly Ringwaldmovies, especially 'Pretty in Pink',' Sixteen Candles', and 'The Breakfast Club'. He'd gone outand rented' Sixteen Candles' when he'd found out about her birthday.
He thought it was an incredibly stupid movie, but he did get a great idea from the last
scene.
Sighing, he turned back around going back to his list. He needed to get all these things
ready, but none of this was going to matter if he didn't bother to talk to her to set this plan
into motion.
Luckily for him, Phoebe and Gerald had already made a contingency plan just in case.
Helga eyed the two warily.
"Dinner?"
"Yep."
"The three of us?"
"Four."
"Four?"
Gerald nodded. "Arnold is going with us also. Just four friends going to dinner."
"What's the catch?"
"No catch." He told her. "Phoebe and I were just talking."
"Everyone should at least have one good birthday." Phoebe explained, bailing out a
drowning Gerald. "And the sixteenth birthday is supposed to be the right of passage for
women. You shouldn't have to go home to your parents and spend your sixteenth
birthday alone, Helga."
Helga smiled, her eyes bright. She hugged the smaller girl.
"To tell you the truth, I really wasn't looking foreword to going home tonight anyway."
"Then it's settled. You come home with me and hang out at my house, then the four of us
will go out to dinner."
"Deal." she glared at Gerald. "No ideas about doing the stupid singing waiters or you'll
live to regret it."
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "I know, I know. Phoebe already threatened me."
"And Arnold doesn't find out." she added. "It's bad enough you know."
"Know what?" Arnold asked walking up to the trio. He and Gerald did their handshake.
"That we're going to dinner tonight." Gerald stated, looking pointedly at his best friend.
Arnold gave him a look of thanks, then smiled at the two girls.
"Who?"
"The four of us." Helga stated. He looked at her slightly confused.
"Did we have a chaperoning date tonight I forgot about?"
Phoebe smiled slightly. "No. It's just the four of us for dinner."
"As friends." Gerald added.
"Someplace nice." Phoebe concluded.
Arnold looked at Helga, who was leaning against her locker watching the two amusingly.
She glanced over at him, then shrugged.
"Don't look at me. They came up with this on their own. I warned you about leaving
them alone for too long."
He laughed. "What time do you want to meet?"
"Does six sound good?" Gerald asked.
Helga scowled suddenly. "I forgot. I do have to go home for a bit. I promised Bob I'd
deliver some papers after school."
"Okay. How about if I pick you up at six-thirty, and we'll meet them there?" Arnold
suggested.
"I can meet you guys there."
He shook his head. "It's stupid to take three cars. It's on our way to the restaurant. No
big deal."
She nodded. "Okay. Six-thirty, then."