Chapter Five
Mallrats?
Helga repeated the question again when they were seated at the back of the bus. "What for?" She placed her backpack down around her
feet but took out her compact as she began to fix her makeup. It didn't help much considering she was still in her Gym clothes. One of Helga's
black chuck taylor's tapped on the bus of the floor impatiently as she waited for an answer.
Brainy appeared to be enjoying this torture. He whistled slowly, looking out the window as though he was taking his time to decide on an
answer. The sun was still shining and it peaked through the tinted windows of the bus, catching his hair just right and making it glow like pure
honey. Helga bit her lip to keep herself from smiling. Finally, Brainy put his hands up as if in defeat. "All right. You really want to know? I'm
taking you to the mall to find a swimsuit for Phoebe Hiyerdahl's party tomorrow." A wry grin danced on Brainy's full lips. Why was Helga noticing
his full lips?!
(He has nice lips....) Helga bit down on her own lip even harder. Matallic taste of blood. (Snap out of it! He's BRAINY, remember?)
She then looked somewhat surprised. Very surprised in fact. "Phoebe's party? How do you know about Phoebe's party?" Helga couldn't hide
her look of confusion as her hazel eyes surveyed Brainy with new interest. He HAD been with Helga and the gang in grade school, but he had
only been back with them in high school for one day. Helga was aware that the party was open to anyone, but Helga was sure that Phoebe
meant people that she actually knew. Brainy didn't know Phoebe...did he? And how did he know that she needed a new swimsuit anyway?
"All right, Brainy...spill it. How the hell do you know so much?" Helga placed her compact back in the front pocket of her green Janesport
backpack and narrowed her eyes at Brainy.
"Sheesh. Stop being so uptight, Helga. All with be revealed...all in due time..." Brainy smiled mysteriously, his light hair hanging over his eyes.
It was rather atrractive. Sexy even.
(Where did his glasses go...?)
"Unless due time means NOW, I think you have a meeting with Old Betsy..." Helga said, holding up her fist in a mock-threatening manner. Why
was he playing with her like this? Nobody messed with Helga like he was doing now. NOBODY.
Brainy just shook his head, and rolled his dark eyes ever so slightly. "Fine, I'll tell you. Unless the prospect hasn't already occurred to you, I'll
let you in on a little secret: I know Phoebe. In fact, I'm very good friends with her. She was one of the first people I called when I finally got back
from Spain. I've been writing emails to her all through middle school you know. Anyway, when I called her she was very excited. You see, we
were good friends back in sixth grade because we were both in the chess club. After that, we more or less maintained the same good relationship.
Phoebe immediately told me about her party and insisted that I go. I'm a bit surprised that Phoebe is so popular all of a sudden..." Brainy looked
thoughtful for a moment, but shrugged as he continued on. "Well, we pretty much talked the whole night. She let me in on all that's been
happening. Her and Gerald's relationship which really isn't working out at the moment. I think she just does it for the image. How Rhonda and
her are now more or less major rivals. How Lila has turned all dark and depressive because of...because of Arnold's death."
Helga actually remained quiet as she listened to his story. It all seemed to fall into place. So he was Phoebe's pen-pal from Spain...
Helga never thought to put two and two together. She didn't bother reacting to his mention of Arnold's death. Tugging on a piece of hair, she
managed to ask, "So why didn't you or Pheebs ever tell me that you knew one another?" Helga looked a bit confused. She didn't think it was
such a big deal or anything...unless they had been dating....
Helga's mouth nearly fell open.
"You....? And--and--Phoebe?" Helga's eyes bulged wide as for the first time, she saw Brainy blush a deep crimson. For a fleeting moment,
Helga thought she saw a bit of the old Brainy again. The one that had always looked so embarrassed around her all the time. The cogs were
beginning to turn in Pataki's mind. "Brainy...I know this will sound a bit strange, but didn't you have the BIGGEST crush on me back in the day?"
Helga sounded a bit forward, but that was always what she'd figured. Brainy was just some strange kid who was in love with her so he'd always
insisted upon following her around.
Brainy shrugged again. "I thought I did, too. When I joined the chess club and Phoebe and I became better friends, I confessed to her how I felt
about you and how horrible it was that you never seemed to like me back..." Brainy coughed slightly as Helga looked down at the bus floor
a bit awkwardly. "So the more I talked to Phoebe, the more I began to like her until one day I asked her to be my girlfriend. I didn't want her to
go telling everyone, especially you. I'm sure even you can figure out, Helga, that I was quite the shy one back then." Brainy's grin returned.
"We maintained the long distance relationship, sending emails and talking on the phone whenever we could, but Phoebe was becoming more
and more obsessed with hanging out with friends and with...Gerald." Brainy looked a bit sullen, but tried to cover it up quickly. "She broke it off
with me in eighth grade and so her psuedo-manogomous relationship with Gerald began. On and off it was up until...well...now. Pheebs would
still write me all the time, telling me the troubles of having to keep up her fucking image and how things with Gerald always seemed to go from
good to bad every other day. I don't normally put up with people's crap, Helga, but Phoebe was--is--my friend. My really good friend. I know she's
struggling right now. She's struggling terribly to figure out who she is..."
Helga's mind suddenly flashed back to the conversation she'd had with Gerald in Chemistry. She nodded in understanding. "I think Gerald
has figured that out too..." she remarked quietly. Maybe Phoebe needed Helga more than Helga initially figured.
So they were silent for a moment, but there were still a few things to clear up...
"So...how did you know about me wanting to get a swimsuit?" Helga asked curiously, for the sake of making conversation and she also really
wanted to know. Her hazel eyes had lightened as she tried to do with the mood between them which had turned somewhat somber over the
course of the busride. They were in the middle of downtown now. Hell, they probably could've walked to the mall faster than this; with all the
frequent stops and traffic, but Helga just couldn't stand that sun...
Brainy grinned yet again. Helga was beginning to love that smile. It would slowly creep onto his face. It wasn't one of those annoying cheesy
grins that Helga tired of easily. It was real, and the moment it hit his face it would liven his features, like the sun coming up at dawn.
(Damn that sun!)
"Oh that..." he began. "I guess I never mentioned that I sorta knew Lila, too." Helga's mouth dropped yet again. This boy sure was full of surprises.
"Yeah...I ran into her in the halls after school by accident. I didn't even realize it was her until I saw her face. I remember her as the cute little
girl with pigtails and a green dress. Hmm...now she's the cute little girl with black clothes and a severed doll head handcuffed to her wrist."
Brainy chuckled at the memory. "She had no clue it was me either. We talked for awhile. I asked if she had seen you around and she said that you
were in her last period, but that you had to run off to me 'a guy' after school." Brainy shot her a knowing look, at which point it was Helga's
turn to blush red. "I laughed at that, saying that it was I she was meeting after school. Lila looked surprised, but she smiled at that and suggested
that I take you to the mall to shop for Phoebe's party, since we're both going. Lila's so sweet isn't she?" Brainy beamed at the thought, but
Helga feigned sickness.
"Yeah...sweet all right. Hey...we're almost there." The mall loomed ahead. Helga wasn't one to go to the mall. For one, there was people there.
And people always inevitably lead to NOISE. Oh how Helga loathed noise. "Must we go to...the mall?" she choked out, acting as though she
were going to a morgue instead. Though Helga would've preferred going to a morgue.
(No noisy people there...just dead ones...)
"Of course we have to go to the mall, silly! They've got the hottest swimsuits there and I want to see just what Helga Pataki is made of." Brainy
raised a suggestive eyebrow, but laughed. "In your dreams, geek-boy."
Helga laughed too, and shoved Brainy playfully as the bus stopped at the mall to let them off. Helga hoisted her backpack on her shoulders and
went in front of Brainy to get off. Her feet hit the pavement, and she once again shielded her eyes from the sun. Helga noted that the sky
was now painted by a few rogue clouds, floating hazily above.
(Maybe overcast by the time we get out of this hell-hole.)
They walked silently into the front entrance of the mall, but of course the golden silence never lasts. Noises were all around them. People chatting
in the food court, beebs and such coming from the archade, girls squealing over what they'd just bought.
"I think I might just hurl right here," Helga announced quite loudly, causing a gaggle of preppy girls to skitter away quickly.
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Brainy agreed, shoving his hands into his pockets again. "Just make
sure you aim for that Abercrombie bag." This comment caused the girls to shy away even more.
Helga and Brainy laughed as they continued their leisurely pace through the mall. Helga wasn't really looking
around for a place with swimsuits. On the contrary, she just really enjoyed talking with him. Helga felt guilty knowing that she could've known
a great person like this since grade school, but all she had done was torture him...
"Well...first off, what's up with the new look?" Helga asked curiously as they passed by a GAP and the food court. Brainy shrugged.
"I dunno. I just wanted to go for something different. It was a gradual change I guess you could say..."
"The hair?"
"Grew it out. I never felt like cutting it anymore."
"The glasses?"
"Contacts."
"The...breathing?"
Brainy laughed and ran a hand through his sandy hair. "Yeah, my breathing was really annoying wasn't it? I got a new inhaler, one that works
better, so I don't have that raspy voice anymore. I'm sure you miss it though, huh Helga? It turned you on didn't it?" Brainy raised an eyebrow
and winked while Helga looked mock-disgusted.
"Yeah...whatever," she replied rolling her eyes, but the grin still remained. Helga noticed that she grinned more and scowled less when she was
around Brainy. And they had just been reunited that morning! Helga felt like that particular morning was ages ago. Certainly not a few hours...
They walked along, both in deep thought it seemed until Brainy suddenly grabbed Helga by the shoulder, startling her. Helga's head snapped up
and she nearly fell over as she looked over at him.
"Hey! What's the big idea?"
"There!" said Brainy, pointing. Ahead was a place called Ye Olde Surfe Shoppe. "If we're going to find any swimsuits, it's going to be in there."
Helga rolled her eyes again. She wasn't up for going into a surf shop. Much less one that couldn't spell right. "They probably only have all those
tiny two-pieces," she whined.
"What's wrong with that?" Brainy asked, the sly grin on his face as Helga shoved into him. She sighed and walked into the shop, looking around.
The scowl was on her face--again. Helga was never much for wearing swimsuits and if she did, they were almost always one peices. Again, Helga
was very self-conscious about how she looked, especially when most of her flesh was bared. Brainy looked awfully excited however.
"How about this one? Or maybe this one?" He asked, grabbing them off the racks and holding them up to himself, rather than Helga. This brought
the smile back to Helga's face in an instant. She giggled as her hazel eyes danced with amusement.
(So geek-boy has a sense of humor as well...)
Helga began looking through the racks, though reluctantly. She was right. They all looked like they'd just barely cover the places that needed
covering, and even that didn't seem to be a guarantee. Helga looked through all the swimsuits in her size but couldn't find one that she liked.
Sighing, she looked over at Brainy helplessly.
"I can't wear any of these!" she told him, exasperated. He just grinned with his hands behind his back. Wait...his hands behind his back?
"What are you hiding?" Helga asked suspiciously.
"Oh...only this," he replied and held up what looked like the most perfect swimsuit. It was...pink. Well that was new. Helga didn't normally
wear pink anymore. It was pink with subtle sparkles and was just conservative enough for Helga's liking, but still very sexy-looking. "Go ahead
and try it on," Brainy promted, gesturing towards the changing room.
Helga bit her lower lip, but agreed. She grabbed the swimsuit and went into the changing room, securing the lock. Quickly, Helga changed into
the pink swimsuit which was actually more revealing than she imagined. Once she'd managed to get it on, Helga slowly turned around to admire
herself in the mirror. She thought she'd be disappointed. Helga was not. She breathed in sharply.
"What? What?!" Brainy called impatiently from outside the door. "Hurry, Helga! I wanna see!" Grinning ear to ear, Helga slowly--(agonizingly slow
Brainy thought)--opened the door. Brainy's mouth dropped to the floor.
Helga showed worry for a second. "What? You don't like it? If you don't like it I'm going to kill you..." she put her hands on her hips.
Brainy shook his head, but was still gaping wordlessly. He looked almost like a fish out of water.
"No...no..." he finally managed to utter. "You look....good. REALLY good." He then smiled broadly. "I figured you had a little more on top."
"Shut up!" Helga exclaimed, punching him playfully in the shoulder. "Maybe I won't buy it then..."
"Doesn't matter anyway. It's already taken care of," Brainy insisted, smiling mysteriously and already ushering her into the dressing room. Helga
looked confused.
"Whaddaya mean?" Helga called, but he'd alread closed the door on her. Had Brainy actually paid for the swimsuit himself? It had to have
been pretty expensive.
(Stupid prick...)
Helga quickly changed back into her Gym clothes and stepped out of the dressing room. In a flash, Brainy had grabbed the swimsuit from her
hands, placed it in a white box with tissue paper, wrapped it back up, and handed it back to her.
(Jeez...I don't even think I blinked.)
"Early Christmas present," he explained. He looked slightly embarrassed and had his hands deep in his pockets again.
"Yeah nice Christmas present for the month of MAY," Helga retorted, snorting. It was obvious that she was considerably happy however. A guy
had never bothered to spend that much money on her. And how did Brainy know that the swimsuit would look so utterly perfect on her?
As they walked out of the Ye Olde Surfe Shoppe, Helga kept stealing glances at Brainy. His walk wasn't slow or fast. It matched her own stride
almost perfectly. Maybe he knew how to walk like Helga after the many years of following her around. His honey-colored hair bobbed in front
of his eyes with each step he took, and his eyes...His dark eyes were always glancing about; taking everything in.
Helga was beginning to look at Brainy in a whole new light.
Weehoo! OK...this is lots o' fun. I'm not quite sure where this is going, but at least I have something to go on with Phoebe's party and all. Don't
think I put Sid in there for no reason! He'll pop up again...*giggles then runs away*
Mallrats?
Helga repeated the question again when they were seated at the back of the bus. "What for?" She placed her backpack down around her
feet but took out her compact as she began to fix her makeup. It didn't help much considering she was still in her Gym clothes. One of Helga's
black chuck taylor's tapped on the bus of the floor impatiently as she waited for an answer.
Brainy appeared to be enjoying this torture. He whistled slowly, looking out the window as though he was taking his time to decide on an
answer. The sun was still shining and it peaked through the tinted windows of the bus, catching his hair just right and making it glow like pure
honey. Helga bit her lip to keep herself from smiling. Finally, Brainy put his hands up as if in defeat. "All right. You really want to know? I'm
taking you to the mall to find a swimsuit for Phoebe Hiyerdahl's party tomorrow." A wry grin danced on Brainy's full lips. Why was Helga noticing
his full lips?!
(He has nice lips....) Helga bit down on her own lip even harder. Matallic taste of blood. (Snap out of it! He's BRAINY, remember?)
She then looked somewhat surprised. Very surprised in fact. "Phoebe's party? How do you know about Phoebe's party?" Helga couldn't hide
her look of confusion as her hazel eyes surveyed Brainy with new interest. He HAD been with Helga and the gang in grade school, but he had
only been back with them in high school for one day. Helga was aware that the party was open to anyone, but Helga was sure that Phoebe
meant people that she actually knew. Brainy didn't know Phoebe...did he? And how did he know that she needed a new swimsuit anyway?
"All right, Brainy...spill it. How the hell do you know so much?" Helga placed her compact back in the front pocket of her green Janesport
backpack and narrowed her eyes at Brainy.
"Sheesh. Stop being so uptight, Helga. All with be revealed...all in due time..." Brainy smiled mysteriously, his light hair hanging over his eyes.
It was rather atrractive. Sexy even.
(Where did his glasses go...?)
"Unless due time means NOW, I think you have a meeting with Old Betsy..." Helga said, holding up her fist in a mock-threatening manner. Why
was he playing with her like this? Nobody messed with Helga like he was doing now. NOBODY.
Brainy just shook his head, and rolled his dark eyes ever so slightly. "Fine, I'll tell you. Unless the prospect hasn't already occurred to you, I'll
let you in on a little secret: I know Phoebe. In fact, I'm very good friends with her. She was one of the first people I called when I finally got back
from Spain. I've been writing emails to her all through middle school you know. Anyway, when I called her she was very excited. You see, we
were good friends back in sixth grade because we were both in the chess club. After that, we more or less maintained the same good relationship.
Phoebe immediately told me about her party and insisted that I go. I'm a bit surprised that Phoebe is so popular all of a sudden..." Brainy looked
thoughtful for a moment, but shrugged as he continued on. "Well, we pretty much talked the whole night. She let me in on all that's been
happening. Her and Gerald's relationship which really isn't working out at the moment. I think she just does it for the image. How Rhonda and
her are now more or less major rivals. How Lila has turned all dark and depressive because of...because of Arnold's death."
Helga actually remained quiet as she listened to his story. It all seemed to fall into place. So he was Phoebe's pen-pal from Spain...
Helga never thought to put two and two together. She didn't bother reacting to his mention of Arnold's death. Tugging on a piece of hair, she
managed to ask, "So why didn't you or Pheebs ever tell me that you knew one another?" Helga looked a bit confused. She didn't think it was
such a big deal or anything...unless they had been dating....
Helga's mouth nearly fell open.
"You....? And--and--Phoebe?" Helga's eyes bulged wide as for the first time, she saw Brainy blush a deep crimson. For a fleeting moment,
Helga thought she saw a bit of the old Brainy again. The one that had always looked so embarrassed around her all the time. The cogs were
beginning to turn in Pataki's mind. "Brainy...I know this will sound a bit strange, but didn't you have the BIGGEST crush on me back in the day?"
Helga sounded a bit forward, but that was always what she'd figured. Brainy was just some strange kid who was in love with her so he'd always
insisted upon following her around.
Brainy shrugged again. "I thought I did, too. When I joined the chess club and Phoebe and I became better friends, I confessed to her how I felt
about you and how horrible it was that you never seemed to like me back..." Brainy coughed slightly as Helga looked down at the bus floor
a bit awkwardly. "So the more I talked to Phoebe, the more I began to like her until one day I asked her to be my girlfriend. I didn't want her to
go telling everyone, especially you. I'm sure even you can figure out, Helga, that I was quite the shy one back then." Brainy's grin returned.
"We maintained the long distance relationship, sending emails and talking on the phone whenever we could, but Phoebe was becoming more
and more obsessed with hanging out with friends and with...Gerald." Brainy looked a bit sullen, but tried to cover it up quickly. "She broke it off
with me in eighth grade and so her psuedo-manogomous relationship with Gerald began. On and off it was up until...well...now. Pheebs would
still write me all the time, telling me the troubles of having to keep up her fucking image and how things with Gerald always seemed to go from
good to bad every other day. I don't normally put up with people's crap, Helga, but Phoebe was--is--my friend. My really good friend. I know she's
struggling right now. She's struggling terribly to figure out who she is..."
Helga's mind suddenly flashed back to the conversation she'd had with Gerald in Chemistry. She nodded in understanding. "I think Gerald
has figured that out too..." she remarked quietly. Maybe Phoebe needed Helga more than Helga initially figured.
So they were silent for a moment, but there were still a few things to clear up...
"So...how did you know about me wanting to get a swimsuit?" Helga asked curiously, for the sake of making conversation and she also really
wanted to know. Her hazel eyes had lightened as she tried to do with the mood between them which had turned somewhat somber over the
course of the busride. They were in the middle of downtown now. Hell, they probably could've walked to the mall faster than this; with all the
frequent stops and traffic, but Helga just couldn't stand that sun...
Brainy grinned yet again. Helga was beginning to love that smile. It would slowly creep onto his face. It wasn't one of those annoying cheesy
grins that Helga tired of easily. It was real, and the moment it hit his face it would liven his features, like the sun coming up at dawn.
(Damn that sun!)
"Oh that..." he began. "I guess I never mentioned that I sorta knew Lila, too." Helga's mouth dropped yet again. This boy sure was full of surprises.
"Yeah...I ran into her in the halls after school by accident. I didn't even realize it was her until I saw her face. I remember her as the cute little
girl with pigtails and a green dress. Hmm...now she's the cute little girl with black clothes and a severed doll head handcuffed to her wrist."
Brainy chuckled at the memory. "She had no clue it was me either. We talked for awhile. I asked if she had seen you around and she said that you
were in her last period, but that you had to run off to me 'a guy' after school." Brainy shot her a knowing look, at which point it was Helga's
turn to blush red. "I laughed at that, saying that it was I she was meeting after school. Lila looked surprised, but she smiled at that and suggested
that I take you to the mall to shop for Phoebe's party, since we're both going. Lila's so sweet isn't she?" Brainy beamed at the thought, but
Helga feigned sickness.
"Yeah...sweet all right. Hey...we're almost there." The mall loomed ahead. Helga wasn't one to go to the mall. For one, there was people there.
And people always inevitably lead to NOISE. Oh how Helga loathed noise. "Must we go to...the mall?" she choked out, acting as though she
were going to a morgue instead. Though Helga would've preferred going to a morgue.
(No noisy people there...just dead ones...)
"Of course we have to go to the mall, silly! They've got the hottest swimsuits there and I want to see just what Helga Pataki is made of." Brainy
raised a suggestive eyebrow, but laughed. "In your dreams, geek-boy."
Helga laughed too, and shoved Brainy playfully as the bus stopped at the mall to let them off. Helga hoisted her backpack on her shoulders and
went in front of Brainy to get off. Her feet hit the pavement, and she once again shielded her eyes from the sun. Helga noted that the sky
was now painted by a few rogue clouds, floating hazily above.
(Maybe overcast by the time we get out of this hell-hole.)
They walked silently into the front entrance of the mall, but of course the golden silence never lasts. Noises were all around them. People chatting
in the food court, beebs and such coming from the archade, girls squealing over what they'd just bought.
"I think I might just hurl right here," Helga announced quite loudly, causing a gaggle of preppy girls to skitter away quickly.
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Brainy agreed, shoving his hands into his pockets again. "Just make
sure you aim for that Abercrombie bag." This comment caused the girls to shy away even more.
Helga and Brainy laughed as they continued their leisurely pace through the mall. Helga wasn't really looking
around for a place with swimsuits. On the contrary, she just really enjoyed talking with him. Helga felt guilty knowing that she could've known
a great person like this since grade school, but all she had done was torture him...
"Well...first off, what's up with the new look?" Helga asked curiously as they passed by a GAP and the food court. Brainy shrugged.
"I dunno. I just wanted to go for something different. It was a gradual change I guess you could say..."
"The hair?"
"Grew it out. I never felt like cutting it anymore."
"The glasses?"
"Contacts."
"The...breathing?"
Brainy laughed and ran a hand through his sandy hair. "Yeah, my breathing was really annoying wasn't it? I got a new inhaler, one that works
better, so I don't have that raspy voice anymore. I'm sure you miss it though, huh Helga? It turned you on didn't it?" Brainy raised an eyebrow
and winked while Helga looked mock-disgusted.
"Yeah...whatever," she replied rolling her eyes, but the grin still remained. Helga noticed that she grinned more and scowled less when she was
around Brainy. And they had just been reunited that morning! Helga felt like that particular morning was ages ago. Certainly not a few hours...
They walked along, both in deep thought it seemed until Brainy suddenly grabbed Helga by the shoulder, startling her. Helga's head snapped up
and she nearly fell over as she looked over at him.
"Hey! What's the big idea?"
"There!" said Brainy, pointing. Ahead was a place called Ye Olde Surfe Shoppe. "If we're going to find any swimsuits, it's going to be in there."
Helga rolled her eyes again. She wasn't up for going into a surf shop. Much less one that couldn't spell right. "They probably only have all those
tiny two-pieces," she whined.
"What's wrong with that?" Brainy asked, the sly grin on his face as Helga shoved into him. She sighed and walked into the shop, looking around.
The scowl was on her face--again. Helga was never much for wearing swimsuits and if she did, they were almost always one peices. Again, Helga
was very self-conscious about how she looked, especially when most of her flesh was bared. Brainy looked awfully excited however.
"How about this one? Or maybe this one?" He asked, grabbing them off the racks and holding them up to himself, rather than Helga. This brought
the smile back to Helga's face in an instant. She giggled as her hazel eyes danced with amusement.
(So geek-boy has a sense of humor as well...)
Helga began looking through the racks, though reluctantly. She was right. They all looked like they'd just barely cover the places that needed
covering, and even that didn't seem to be a guarantee. Helga looked through all the swimsuits in her size but couldn't find one that she liked.
Sighing, she looked over at Brainy helplessly.
"I can't wear any of these!" she told him, exasperated. He just grinned with his hands behind his back. Wait...his hands behind his back?
"What are you hiding?" Helga asked suspiciously.
"Oh...only this," he replied and held up what looked like the most perfect swimsuit. It was...pink. Well that was new. Helga didn't normally
wear pink anymore. It was pink with subtle sparkles and was just conservative enough for Helga's liking, but still very sexy-looking. "Go ahead
and try it on," Brainy promted, gesturing towards the changing room.
Helga bit her lower lip, but agreed. She grabbed the swimsuit and went into the changing room, securing the lock. Quickly, Helga changed into
the pink swimsuit which was actually more revealing than she imagined. Once she'd managed to get it on, Helga slowly turned around to admire
herself in the mirror. She thought she'd be disappointed. Helga was not. She breathed in sharply.
"What? What?!" Brainy called impatiently from outside the door. "Hurry, Helga! I wanna see!" Grinning ear to ear, Helga slowly--(agonizingly slow
Brainy thought)--opened the door. Brainy's mouth dropped to the floor.
Helga showed worry for a second. "What? You don't like it? If you don't like it I'm going to kill you..." she put her hands on her hips.
Brainy shook his head, but was still gaping wordlessly. He looked almost like a fish out of water.
"No...no..." he finally managed to utter. "You look....good. REALLY good." He then smiled broadly. "I figured you had a little more on top."
"Shut up!" Helga exclaimed, punching him playfully in the shoulder. "Maybe I won't buy it then..."
"Doesn't matter anyway. It's already taken care of," Brainy insisted, smiling mysteriously and already ushering her into the dressing room. Helga
looked confused.
"Whaddaya mean?" Helga called, but he'd alread closed the door on her. Had Brainy actually paid for the swimsuit himself? It had to have
been pretty expensive.
(Stupid prick...)
Helga quickly changed back into her Gym clothes and stepped out of the dressing room. In a flash, Brainy had grabbed the swimsuit from her
hands, placed it in a white box with tissue paper, wrapped it back up, and handed it back to her.
(Jeez...I don't even think I blinked.)
"Early Christmas present," he explained. He looked slightly embarrassed and had his hands deep in his pockets again.
"Yeah nice Christmas present for the month of MAY," Helga retorted, snorting. It was obvious that she was considerably happy however. A guy
had never bothered to spend that much money on her. And how did Brainy know that the swimsuit would look so utterly perfect on her?
As they walked out of the Ye Olde Surfe Shoppe, Helga kept stealing glances at Brainy. His walk wasn't slow or fast. It matched her own stride
almost perfectly. Maybe he knew how to walk like Helga after the many years of following her around. His honey-colored hair bobbed in front
of his eyes with each step he took, and his eyes...His dark eyes were always glancing about; taking everything in.
Helga was beginning to look at Brainy in a whole new light.
Weehoo! OK...this is lots o' fun. I'm not quite sure where this is going, but at least I have something to go on with Phoebe's party and all. Don't
think I put Sid in there for no reason! He'll pop up again...*giggles then runs away*