**DISCLAIMER THINGY** I just have to say it again: I don't own any of the
wonderful Hey Arnold! characters, unless my name were Craig Bartlett, which
it's not....damn.
Chapter Six Home Sweet Home...What?
The bus ride home was normal enough. Brainy and Helga continued with their conversation, asking questions; catching up. It was rather nice. Helga found out more about Brainy in that one evening than she'd ever thought to ask during their whole 'relationship' (if you could call it that) during grade school. He rode dirt bikes. He wrote sonnets. He liked monster truck ralleys! For the love of crimmeny, this guy was perfect! Why hadn't she seen it before? Was it perhaps because she was too shallow to look past his dorky disposition? Helga didn't want to think that was the reason.
(I was head-over-heels in love with the football head back then anyway...) She reasoned with herself, while gazing out the bus's windows. The bus headed out of downtown, to the mass sprawl of city suberbs that lay in its wake.
"It sucks that you can't see the stars..." Helga remembered Brainy saying. It was very memorable for some reason. There were too many lights in the city to see even the brightest stars. Helga had always noted this and she nodded in agreement.
Was he sitting closer to her than on the busride to the mall? Helga could almost feel the heat emanating from his body.
(His nice body...)
The bus finally stopped near Helga's street and she grabbed her bag, preparing to go. Surprisingly, Brainy stood up and began to walk off the bus with her. Helga felt his arms snake around her waist as he moved her aside and went in front of her. It sent chills up her spine.
"What are you doing, you weirdo?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, and trying to remain calm from their previous encounter. "I think I remember the way home, Brainiac..."
He gave her that irresistable smile that nearly made her go weak in the knees. How strange...Arnold's smile was the only one that could ever induce such happenings...
"I am fully aware, Miss Helga Pataki," he told her, but was still ushering her off the bus, while she continued to whimper protests, "though you must understand that I am a gentleman," he added this with a new air of dignity in his voice. Helga snorted. "I'm serious! And my position comes with the certain responsibilities which include walking ladies to their doors." That grin. Why o why did he have that grin?
Helga just rolled her eyes. "A gentleman eh?"
"Yes. Undoubtably so," he agreed in a terrible British accent, making Helga crack up with laughter.
"All right, Brainiac. You lead the way to the door then."
Brainy did so, and more. Helga had come to expect more from him in that one night. Her backpack over her shoulder and her shopping bag in her hand, she followed him to the steps that lead to her house. He didn't stop there, however. Oh no...not Brainy. He had the audacity to go before her, and bending down over each step, he'd lightly dust it with his hand.
"Only the cleanest steps for the lady!" He proclaimed as she giggled, walking up the four steps to her door. They were finally there.
The door.
Was this a date? Helga wasn't quite sure, but she was very aware that dates were supposed to kiss at the doorstep.
The doorstep.
Helga tried not to look nervous. She wouldn't have minded kissing him, but she wasn't sure if such a moment was supposed to arise or not. She finally looked up at Brainy who was standing very close to her and looking at her intently.
"Helga..." he breathed and for a split second Helga thought to close her eyes and lean in. However, he spoked again before she could do so. "...I'm...I'm really glad I came back. I've thought about you while I was in Spain..."
(What the hell...what the hell...)
Helga's mind was ablaze with thoughts. "Erm...me too." She wasn't exactly lying, but Helga could tell that when Brainy said he'd thought about her, he'd thought about her--as in a lot. Helga had wondered about Brainy a few times, but that was about it.
While her brain was being stupid, Brainy had leaned in and before she knew it--POW! He had kissed her. It wasn't anything spectacular. Just short and sweet, but Helga liked it none the less, and she was tempted to keep him there longer. However, he pulled away quickly and began to half-dance, half- jump down the stairs.
"I'll be here to pick you up for the party at three o'clock sharp and not a moment later, my lady!" he called, while Helga smiled at him. She waved slightly, but she was in a daze. He'd kissed her. What did that mean? A lot...? Or perhaps it was just some friendly kind of kiss?
Helga didn't think so.
She sighed as he was finally out of view. Helga realized that he would have to wait for at least twenty minutes until the next bus came.
(Brainy...he's so stupid...and hot...)
Helga slowly turned the brass knob to her front door and walked inside. Noise hit her suddenly, like a blast of cold air.
(Ugh...evil.)
The t.v. was blasting from down the hall. No doubt, Big Bob sitting in the trophy room, a brusky in his hand watching the old pigskin get thrown around. Helga rolled her eyes. She'd never liked the game much. She turned quickly and strolled into the kitchen where she was immediately greeted by the oh-so-wonderful sound of the blender going. Miriam stood at the kitchen island, her eyes glazed over as she stared blankly at the purplish liquid spinning around in the blender. Olga was over at the stove, just taking out a loaf of bread she'd no doubt baked herself. The stupid plastic smile was plastered onto her flawless face and she was humming merrily to herself, though it wasn't very audible over the grating sounds of the blender.
"Oh baby sister!" Olga called in that annoying sing-song voice, just as Miriam switched the blender off.
"It's Helga," she growled back, setting her backpack down in the middle of the floor and walking over to Miriam to sample the smoothie. Olga insisted on calling Helga by the childish nickname, though Helga had threatened to pound the daylights out of her if she did. Helga didn't play around with Olga anymore.
(There's gotta be something alchoholic in this...) Helga thought as she tasted the smoothie.
Miriam seemed to have just noticed her daughter's presence and her head turned up slowly to acknowledge her. "Oh...hello dear..." she mumbled. "I was just...making something to eat--drink..." she trailed off and walked out of the kitchen, holding the blender pitcher in her hand.
"Crimmeny," Helga muttered as Olga flounced over to her.
"Oh Helga sweetie! Would you like to try some of my bread? It's banana-nut. Your favorite." Olga smiled even wider if such a thing were still possible and Helga smiled back--though hers was rather sinister.
"Why sure, Olga," Helga replied. She reached into the bread pan with her fingers and pulled out a chunk of banana bread. Popping it into her mouth, Helga smiled at Olga again, while her older sister looked abashed.
(Goddamn, this is burning my mouth...)
"You...you...ruined my bread," Olga stammered getting misty-eyed all of a sudden. "I can't...believe it..." Olga began crying in that overly-dramatic way and ran upstairs, the bread pan still in her hands.
Helga chuckled through the mouthful of bread. Olga was being so clingy lately. She had decided to not go to college after announcing that she was to marry some low-life....typical Olga. However, the plans fell through, or rather he got cold feet at the last moment.
Going into one of her many bouts of depression, Olga still hadn't 'recovered' and was living at home again, feeling the need to get any sort of appraisal from her parents, whether it meant doing good on the laundry on making a delicious meal. Pathetic was what came to Helga's mind.
After swallowing the banana-nut bread with difficulty, Helga went to the fridge and pulled out a carton of two-percent milk. She swigged it down straight from the carton, whiping her mouth with the back of her sleeve afterwards. So lady-like. Passing through the trophy room on the way upstairs, Big Bob stopped her with that scrutinizing glare of his.
"Hey little lady...and just where have you been all day?" he asked, though his voice didn't resemble anything that would pass for caring.
"Out shopping, Bob," Helga retorted, rolling her eyes ever-so-slightly. Her relationship with her father had improved slightly over the years, especially since her new reign over Olga's former greatness. Helga was the Pataki now and her parents were beginning to notice her achievements more and more. Be that as it may, her and Bob still held some sort of resentment for eachother. It was contained, like an animal in a cage...a rabid animal that is.
Choosing the game over his daughter's attitude, Bob just waved his hand impatiently to see her on her way. Helga grumbled under her breath and walked up the stairs to her room without glancing back. Her room had changed a lot over the years. She'd decided to go all artsy one summer, so with the help of Lila and Sheena she had first painted the walls black, and then spattered them with red. The project resulted in much paint on the cieling and floor as well, but it suited Helga just fine. Instead of stuffed animals littering the floor, there were clothes and various art supplies. Helga had taken up painting and had reserved a corner of her room devoted to doing it in her free time. She had always been a very creative person, though she figured it was only showed in her writing. Apparently, Helga excelled in quite a few things that she never thought possible. Fencing...Tae Kwan Do....even Kick Boxing to name a few. Instead of pictures of unicorns and carebears on the walls, they were now filled with posters and various paintings Helga had done herself. Most of them were very grotesque. It didn't bother Helga any.
Helga closed the door behind her and threw her green backpack on the bed. In a flash she was out of her clothes, and back in her pink sparkly swimsuit. Helga walked into her large closet and admired herself from every angle in her full length mirror. A smile crept onto her lips as she remembered vividly Brainy's reaction to her. The pink swimsuit did look rather stunning on her, even Helga would admit that, and she didn't admit to a lot of things.
After a good thirty minutes in her closet, Helga sighed and reluctantly changed into a pair of short cotton black shorts and a pink tanktop to sleep in. Before walking out of the closet, Helga shot a furtive glance towards the back of her closet where her 'shrine' to Arnold had once been. She'd cleaned it out in eighth grade, before his death in fact. She'd decided that it was just a silly girlish fantasy and she'd needed to grow up. Growing up was harder than Helga initially figured.
As she climbed into her bed a thought suddenly occured to her: Brainy was picking her up tomorrow for the party.
Helga was dumbstruck as she sat stupidly on her bed for a moment, her mouth hanging open.
(Wait a minute...)
He had told her that he was going to pick her up. Helga remembered it clearly. But...why? Helga figured she'd get a ride with Lila or just take the bus like she always did. Brainy was picking her up?
Confused, and a little peeved that Brainy was so good at confusing her, Helga settled into her bed, hitting the play button her stereo. Soft music emanated from the machine as she closed her eyes and smiled in content. Brainy was going to pick her up and they were going to have fun at Phoebe's party. Helga would try and talk to Phoebe and smooth things out between them. Everything would be OK. Hopefully.
(This is the only noise I can stand.)
As if on a horrible cue, Helga heard arguing from downstairs.
"Olga, you can't loaf around this house forever, little missy! I want you out of here at the end of the month!"
"Daddy! I...I can't do that! I still need to find a job! You don't know how hard it is for me."
"Now...now...let's just calm down...everyone...."
Helga turned up her music and tried her hardest to drift off to sleep.
(That's the noise I can't stand...)
Helga finally began to drift off as the yelling died down. Olga wasn't exactly the favorite child anymore it seemed. Helga wanted to smile at the thought, but stopped herself. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her older sister, even if she was being a bit of a leech.
The weirdest thing happened to Helga as sleep poisoned her eyes. Just as she was about to drift off, one person came to mind:
Sid...
Aww...it's so sad. Weird that she's thinking about Sid eh? Damn those hormonal teenagers!! *shakes fist with FURY* Wait...I'm one of 'em. *giggles*
Chapter Six Home Sweet Home...What?
The bus ride home was normal enough. Brainy and Helga continued with their conversation, asking questions; catching up. It was rather nice. Helga found out more about Brainy in that one evening than she'd ever thought to ask during their whole 'relationship' (if you could call it that) during grade school. He rode dirt bikes. He wrote sonnets. He liked monster truck ralleys! For the love of crimmeny, this guy was perfect! Why hadn't she seen it before? Was it perhaps because she was too shallow to look past his dorky disposition? Helga didn't want to think that was the reason.
(I was head-over-heels in love with the football head back then anyway...) She reasoned with herself, while gazing out the bus's windows. The bus headed out of downtown, to the mass sprawl of city suberbs that lay in its wake.
"It sucks that you can't see the stars..." Helga remembered Brainy saying. It was very memorable for some reason. There were too many lights in the city to see even the brightest stars. Helga had always noted this and she nodded in agreement.
Was he sitting closer to her than on the busride to the mall? Helga could almost feel the heat emanating from his body.
(His nice body...)
The bus finally stopped near Helga's street and she grabbed her bag, preparing to go. Surprisingly, Brainy stood up and began to walk off the bus with her. Helga felt his arms snake around her waist as he moved her aside and went in front of her. It sent chills up her spine.
"What are you doing, you weirdo?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, and trying to remain calm from their previous encounter. "I think I remember the way home, Brainiac..."
He gave her that irresistable smile that nearly made her go weak in the knees. How strange...Arnold's smile was the only one that could ever induce such happenings...
"I am fully aware, Miss Helga Pataki," he told her, but was still ushering her off the bus, while she continued to whimper protests, "though you must understand that I am a gentleman," he added this with a new air of dignity in his voice. Helga snorted. "I'm serious! And my position comes with the certain responsibilities which include walking ladies to their doors." That grin. Why o why did he have that grin?
Helga just rolled her eyes. "A gentleman eh?"
"Yes. Undoubtably so," he agreed in a terrible British accent, making Helga crack up with laughter.
"All right, Brainiac. You lead the way to the door then."
Brainy did so, and more. Helga had come to expect more from him in that one night. Her backpack over her shoulder and her shopping bag in her hand, she followed him to the steps that lead to her house. He didn't stop there, however. Oh no...not Brainy. He had the audacity to go before her, and bending down over each step, he'd lightly dust it with his hand.
"Only the cleanest steps for the lady!" He proclaimed as she giggled, walking up the four steps to her door. They were finally there.
The door.
Was this a date? Helga wasn't quite sure, but she was very aware that dates were supposed to kiss at the doorstep.
The doorstep.
Helga tried not to look nervous. She wouldn't have minded kissing him, but she wasn't sure if such a moment was supposed to arise or not. She finally looked up at Brainy who was standing very close to her and looking at her intently.
"Helga..." he breathed and for a split second Helga thought to close her eyes and lean in. However, he spoked again before she could do so. "...I'm...I'm really glad I came back. I've thought about you while I was in Spain..."
(What the hell...what the hell...)
Helga's mind was ablaze with thoughts. "Erm...me too." She wasn't exactly lying, but Helga could tell that when Brainy said he'd thought about her, he'd thought about her--as in a lot. Helga had wondered about Brainy a few times, but that was about it.
While her brain was being stupid, Brainy had leaned in and before she knew it--POW! He had kissed her. It wasn't anything spectacular. Just short and sweet, but Helga liked it none the less, and she was tempted to keep him there longer. However, he pulled away quickly and began to half-dance, half- jump down the stairs.
"I'll be here to pick you up for the party at three o'clock sharp and not a moment later, my lady!" he called, while Helga smiled at him. She waved slightly, but she was in a daze. He'd kissed her. What did that mean? A lot...? Or perhaps it was just some friendly kind of kiss?
Helga didn't think so.
She sighed as he was finally out of view. Helga realized that he would have to wait for at least twenty minutes until the next bus came.
(Brainy...he's so stupid...and hot...)
Helga slowly turned the brass knob to her front door and walked inside. Noise hit her suddenly, like a blast of cold air.
(Ugh...evil.)
The t.v. was blasting from down the hall. No doubt, Big Bob sitting in the trophy room, a brusky in his hand watching the old pigskin get thrown around. Helga rolled her eyes. She'd never liked the game much. She turned quickly and strolled into the kitchen where she was immediately greeted by the oh-so-wonderful sound of the blender going. Miriam stood at the kitchen island, her eyes glazed over as she stared blankly at the purplish liquid spinning around in the blender. Olga was over at the stove, just taking out a loaf of bread she'd no doubt baked herself. The stupid plastic smile was plastered onto her flawless face and she was humming merrily to herself, though it wasn't very audible over the grating sounds of the blender.
"Oh baby sister!" Olga called in that annoying sing-song voice, just as Miriam switched the blender off.
"It's Helga," she growled back, setting her backpack down in the middle of the floor and walking over to Miriam to sample the smoothie. Olga insisted on calling Helga by the childish nickname, though Helga had threatened to pound the daylights out of her if she did. Helga didn't play around with Olga anymore.
(There's gotta be something alchoholic in this...) Helga thought as she tasted the smoothie.
Miriam seemed to have just noticed her daughter's presence and her head turned up slowly to acknowledge her. "Oh...hello dear..." she mumbled. "I was just...making something to eat--drink..." she trailed off and walked out of the kitchen, holding the blender pitcher in her hand.
"Crimmeny," Helga muttered as Olga flounced over to her.
"Oh Helga sweetie! Would you like to try some of my bread? It's banana-nut. Your favorite." Olga smiled even wider if such a thing were still possible and Helga smiled back--though hers was rather sinister.
"Why sure, Olga," Helga replied. She reached into the bread pan with her fingers and pulled out a chunk of banana bread. Popping it into her mouth, Helga smiled at Olga again, while her older sister looked abashed.
(Goddamn, this is burning my mouth...)
"You...you...ruined my bread," Olga stammered getting misty-eyed all of a sudden. "I can't...believe it..." Olga began crying in that overly-dramatic way and ran upstairs, the bread pan still in her hands.
Helga chuckled through the mouthful of bread. Olga was being so clingy lately. She had decided to not go to college after announcing that she was to marry some low-life....typical Olga. However, the plans fell through, or rather he got cold feet at the last moment.
Going into one of her many bouts of depression, Olga still hadn't 'recovered' and was living at home again, feeling the need to get any sort of appraisal from her parents, whether it meant doing good on the laundry on making a delicious meal. Pathetic was what came to Helga's mind.
After swallowing the banana-nut bread with difficulty, Helga went to the fridge and pulled out a carton of two-percent milk. She swigged it down straight from the carton, whiping her mouth with the back of her sleeve afterwards. So lady-like. Passing through the trophy room on the way upstairs, Big Bob stopped her with that scrutinizing glare of his.
"Hey little lady...and just where have you been all day?" he asked, though his voice didn't resemble anything that would pass for caring.
"Out shopping, Bob," Helga retorted, rolling her eyes ever-so-slightly. Her relationship with her father had improved slightly over the years, especially since her new reign over Olga's former greatness. Helga was the Pataki now and her parents were beginning to notice her achievements more and more. Be that as it may, her and Bob still held some sort of resentment for eachother. It was contained, like an animal in a cage...a rabid animal that is.
Choosing the game over his daughter's attitude, Bob just waved his hand impatiently to see her on her way. Helga grumbled under her breath and walked up the stairs to her room without glancing back. Her room had changed a lot over the years. She'd decided to go all artsy one summer, so with the help of Lila and Sheena she had first painted the walls black, and then spattered them with red. The project resulted in much paint on the cieling and floor as well, but it suited Helga just fine. Instead of stuffed animals littering the floor, there were clothes and various art supplies. Helga had taken up painting and had reserved a corner of her room devoted to doing it in her free time. She had always been a very creative person, though she figured it was only showed in her writing. Apparently, Helga excelled in quite a few things that she never thought possible. Fencing...Tae Kwan Do....even Kick Boxing to name a few. Instead of pictures of unicorns and carebears on the walls, they were now filled with posters and various paintings Helga had done herself. Most of them were very grotesque. It didn't bother Helga any.
Helga closed the door behind her and threw her green backpack on the bed. In a flash she was out of her clothes, and back in her pink sparkly swimsuit. Helga walked into her large closet and admired herself from every angle in her full length mirror. A smile crept onto her lips as she remembered vividly Brainy's reaction to her. The pink swimsuit did look rather stunning on her, even Helga would admit that, and she didn't admit to a lot of things.
After a good thirty minutes in her closet, Helga sighed and reluctantly changed into a pair of short cotton black shorts and a pink tanktop to sleep in. Before walking out of the closet, Helga shot a furtive glance towards the back of her closet where her 'shrine' to Arnold had once been. She'd cleaned it out in eighth grade, before his death in fact. She'd decided that it was just a silly girlish fantasy and she'd needed to grow up. Growing up was harder than Helga initially figured.
As she climbed into her bed a thought suddenly occured to her: Brainy was picking her up tomorrow for the party.
Helga was dumbstruck as she sat stupidly on her bed for a moment, her mouth hanging open.
(Wait a minute...)
He had told her that he was going to pick her up. Helga remembered it clearly. But...why? Helga figured she'd get a ride with Lila or just take the bus like she always did. Brainy was picking her up?
Confused, and a little peeved that Brainy was so good at confusing her, Helga settled into her bed, hitting the play button her stereo. Soft music emanated from the machine as she closed her eyes and smiled in content. Brainy was going to pick her up and they were going to have fun at Phoebe's party. Helga would try and talk to Phoebe and smooth things out between them. Everything would be OK. Hopefully.
(This is the only noise I can stand.)
As if on a horrible cue, Helga heard arguing from downstairs.
"Olga, you can't loaf around this house forever, little missy! I want you out of here at the end of the month!"
"Daddy! I...I can't do that! I still need to find a job! You don't know how hard it is for me."
"Now...now...let's just calm down...everyone...."
Helga turned up her music and tried her hardest to drift off to sleep.
(That's the noise I can't stand...)
Helga finally began to drift off as the yelling died down. Olga wasn't exactly the favorite child anymore it seemed. Helga wanted to smile at the thought, but stopped herself. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her older sister, even if she was being a bit of a leech.
The weirdest thing happened to Helga as sleep poisoned her eyes. Just as she was about to drift off, one person came to mind:
Sid...
Aww...it's so sad. Weird that she's thinking about Sid eh? Damn those hormonal teenagers!! *shakes fist with FURY* Wait...I'm one of 'em. *giggles*