"So, blue or lavender?" I looked up from the assorted prom magazines in front of us.
Helga was staring out the window, lost in thought, her hand playing with the locket
around her neck. The locket Arnold had given her for her sixteenth birthday.
"Helga?" I tried again.
She turned her attention to me, her hand dropping from her locket. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Blue or lavender?"
"I was thinking pink."
I frowned. "I am not wearing pink."
She smiled at me. "Not you, me. I think blue for you." Leaning over, she pointed to a
blue strapless dress I'd circled. "That one would look great on you."
I agreed. That was the one I had planned on trying on the next day. I turned my
attention back to Helga who was flipping through the pages.
"You're wearing pink? Why not another color?"
Helga looked at me, her eyes shining. "Arnold asked me to."
"Helga, I've been meaning to ask you this earlier but, are you okay?" I continued through
her confused look. "I mean, you've been quiet for the last couple of days. Is there
something going on between the two of you?"
She stared at me for a moment, then glanced around the restaurant and leaned foreword.
"What are you and Gerald doing Prom Night?" she asked, her voice barely above a
whisper.
I shrugged. "We'd talked about renting a room. I think most of the kids are doing it."
"Where?"
"The local Holiday Inn, I believe. There was talk of an after prom party there."
"Switch. Can you talk Gerald into going to another hotel?"
I frowned, not sure where she was going with this. "Probably. Which hotel is it?"
"The Alphian."
I could feel the shock in my face. The Alphian was one of the more classier hotels in the
city. Way more expensive than the Holiday Inn.
"Helga...what?"
"Please try. I'll help you pay for it if that's the problem."
I shook my head. "No. I have the money saved for this, but...why?"
She glanced around again, and I could tell she was getting embarrassed. "That's where
we're going and...I'm nervous." The last words were so low I almost didn't catch them.
"You're nervous?" Now I was confused. "But, you two...what about..." I leaned further
foreword.
"You guys have had sex, haven't you?"
For the first time since her sixteenth birthday, Helga answered one of my questions.
"Yes. Several times. But it was always at his house or mine when Bob and Miriam
weren't home. We'd be together for a couple of hours then one of us went home. This is
all night. All night Phoebs. and...I'm scared."
I sat back. This was the most I had ever gotten out of Helga since she and Arnold had
started dating. And I wasn't even sure why she was sharing now.
"Why? Nothing is going to change." I grinned. "Except you don't have to go home."
Helga shook her head. Now she was getting frustrated. She looked back up at me, and
her eyes were clear. They were so open, more open than I had ever seen.
"Phoebe," she stated patiently. "I know the running joke at school is whether or not
Arnold and I are dating. And it is funny at times. But there's a reason we don't do all
those dating things at school or in public."
I waited for the reason as she composed herself.
"Well?" I prompted.
"I think we've interrupted girl time again."
I sat back, trying not to scream. Again Gerald interrupts during an important time.
Glancing back over at Helga, her eyes were back to normal as she greeted Gerald and
Arnold. Arnold frowned, looking at both of us.
"We didn't interrupt anything, did we?"
I wanted to scream * Yes! Yes, you did. You ruined up my chance to find out what it is
that make you two tick again! *. But I didn't. Helga shook her head, a small smile
playing on her face.
"I was just telling Phoebe about our sex life." she teased.
Gerald looked at his friend. "You guys have one of those?"
Arnold smirked at Gerald as he sat down next to Helga, gently nudging her over.
"Hey, you're ruining our record. Remember, we're the are they or aren't they couple."
She laughed lightly, and I knew I wasn't getting anything else out of her that day.
Helga was staring out the window, lost in thought, her hand playing with the locket
around her neck. The locket Arnold had given her for her sixteenth birthday.
"Helga?" I tried again.
She turned her attention to me, her hand dropping from her locket. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Blue or lavender?"
"I was thinking pink."
I frowned. "I am not wearing pink."
She smiled at me. "Not you, me. I think blue for you." Leaning over, she pointed to a
blue strapless dress I'd circled. "That one would look great on you."
I agreed. That was the one I had planned on trying on the next day. I turned my
attention back to Helga who was flipping through the pages.
"You're wearing pink? Why not another color?"
Helga looked at me, her eyes shining. "Arnold asked me to."
"Helga, I've been meaning to ask you this earlier but, are you okay?" I continued through
her confused look. "I mean, you've been quiet for the last couple of days. Is there
something going on between the two of you?"
She stared at me for a moment, then glanced around the restaurant and leaned foreword.
"What are you and Gerald doing Prom Night?" she asked, her voice barely above a
whisper.
I shrugged. "We'd talked about renting a room. I think most of the kids are doing it."
"Where?"
"The local Holiday Inn, I believe. There was talk of an after prom party there."
"Switch. Can you talk Gerald into going to another hotel?"
I frowned, not sure where she was going with this. "Probably. Which hotel is it?"
"The Alphian."
I could feel the shock in my face. The Alphian was one of the more classier hotels in the
city. Way more expensive than the Holiday Inn.
"Helga...what?"
"Please try. I'll help you pay for it if that's the problem."
I shook my head. "No. I have the money saved for this, but...why?"
She glanced around again, and I could tell she was getting embarrassed. "That's where
we're going and...I'm nervous." The last words were so low I almost didn't catch them.
"You're nervous?" Now I was confused. "But, you two...what about..." I leaned further
foreword.
"You guys have had sex, haven't you?"
For the first time since her sixteenth birthday, Helga answered one of my questions.
"Yes. Several times. But it was always at his house or mine when Bob and Miriam
weren't home. We'd be together for a couple of hours then one of us went home. This is
all night. All night Phoebs. and...I'm scared."
I sat back. This was the most I had ever gotten out of Helga since she and Arnold had
started dating. And I wasn't even sure why she was sharing now.
"Why? Nothing is going to change." I grinned. "Except you don't have to go home."
Helga shook her head. Now she was getting frustrated. She looked back up at me, and
her eyes were clear. They were so open, more open than I had ever seen.
"Phoebe," she stated patiently. "I know the running joke at school is whether or not
Arnold and I are dating. And it is funny at times. But there's a reason we don't do all
those dating things at school or in public."
I waited for the reason as she composed herself.
"Well?" I prompted.
"I think we've interrupted girl time again."
I sat back, trying not to scream. Again Gerald interrupts during an important time.
Glancing back over at Helga, her eyes were back to normal as she greeted Gerald and
Arnold. Arnold frowned, looking at both of us.
"We didn't interrupt anything, did we?"
I wanted to scream * Yes! Yes, you did. You ruined up my chance to find out what it is
that make you two tick again! *. But I didn't. Helga shook her head, a small smile
playing on her face.
"I was just telling Phoebe about our sex life." she teased.
Gerald looked at his friend. "You guys have one of those?"
Arnold smirked at Gerald as he sat down next to Helga, gently nudging her over.
"Hey, you're ruining our record. Remember, we're the are they or aren't they couple."
She laughed lightly, and I knew I wasn't getting anything else out of her that day.