Chapter Nine
Swing, Baby, Swing
The sun burned brilliantly down on the necks of the masses of teens at Phoebe Hiyerdahl's soiree. It seemed everyone was there. Even the 'lesser' mortals, as people that weren't as congenial as Phoebe would refer to them as. However, Phoebe was a gracious hostess and welcomed everyone that decided to show, which was basically the whole planet.
Helga and Brainy were continuing to search for Phoebe, though she seemed to be nowhere in sight. She couldn't even spot Gerald, and his dark complexion and smooth style of dress were easy to spot in a crowd.
(They're probably necking somewhere...)
Helga was becoming more and more aware of the eyes that bored into her and Brainy as they walked along. They were still clasping hands but just barely. Many recognized Helga. She was quite the infamous one, but not many realized that the good-looking, fair-haired boy walking close to her was Brainy. Only a handful had known who Brainy was to begin with, and even they wouldn't have believed it. At times, Helga still wasn't sure if she believed it.
"She sure is making me suffer," Helga commented suddenly, stopping near the water, the waved lapping up onto her toes which were painted bright red. Helga grabbed out of her bag her towel and layed it out just far enough away from the water. She took off her shorts and her top, but suddenly felt self-conscious at the dozens of eyes that seemed to swirve towards her figure.
Brainy took notice and smiled wryly. "Don't mind them, my dear. They can look, but they can't touch. I'll make sure of that." Just to make his point clear to any guys whos eyes might have been wandering, Brainy wrapped his arms around Helga's waist giving her a quick squeeze. "Now...I think I'll go get us some drinks. Cool?"
Helga nodded, and waved him off, smiling. She sat down on the towel, trying to get a bit of sun even though she hated it. Helga's complexion was very pale, and she was beginning to feel slightly out of place around all the tanned people. Just as she was about to lie down, a frisbee went zooming past her left ear, landing in the sand not too far away. Helga sat upright, glaring back at whoever had thrown the terrible spinning device.
"Nice aim, bucko," she growled, but immediately recognized the culprit as Sid. Her stone-cold glare softened just slightly as he smiled guiltily and walked over to her, kneeling down.
"Eh...Sorry, Helga," he apologized. He wasn't wearing his hat today and his raven hair hung messily around his eyes and eyes. "Didn't mean it, I swear." Sid tried grinning again, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. Helga saw his familiar cronies in the backround, obviously getting a kick out of this display.
Helga raised a dubious eyebrow. "Just like you didn't mean the water fountain incident?" she asked, smiling wanly. She didn't much care for Sid's antics at the moment.
Sid looked a bit distressed. More so than she thought he would. "Helga. Seriously. Sorry about that. I didn't mean the water fountain either...well, I did...but I didn't mean it for you...I didn't know it was you...and--" Sid looked at a loss for words, but he sighed, standing up. The sun caught his black hair, making it gleamed radiantly.
Did Helga's heart just skip a beat? She shook her head, suddenly remembering whom she'd thought about the night before. "Apologies, Sid. I didn't mean to sound like a heinous bitch." She tried to grin and stood up as well, causing Sid to whistle low.
"Damn!" he exclaimed, giving her the once over. This wasn't awkward to Helga, like it was when the other guys did it. Secretly, she felt flattered, though she only showed her annoyance.
"Quit staring, you perv!" she snapped, smacking him over the head.
"Sorry! Sorry!" he said, jumping back to evade any more of her future blows. "It's just...you look good, Helga. And I mean that in the best way possible!" he added hastily upon seeing Helga's death glare. "I was also wondering..." Sid began, looking down at the sand as though a particular grain was more interesting than the rest. "....if you wanted to go out sometime?" Sid looked up, a bit hopeful, his bright green eyes shining with obvious trepidation. He looked so sure that she would say no.
Helga looked bewildered, but pleased all the same. She was about to reply with a "Yeah...whatever, Sid.", though she suddenly remembered that Brainy would be returning soon with their drinks. "Um...I'll think about it, Sid. Can you meet me near the dock around 6:00?" she asked, looking around nervously. Even though her and Sid weren't doing it hardcore on the sand or anything, she still didn't want Brainy to see them together.
Sid shrugged, looking a bit crestfallen, but still a little intrigued at her planned rendezvous. "Sure, Helga. Anything you say." He stooped down to pick up the frisbee and was off again, rejoining his clique, the guys slapping fives and patting him on the back, obviously going on about how he 'scored'.
Helga shook her head and rolled her eyes, as Brainy suddenly reappeared. He looked distracted. He handed Helga her drink, but nearly spilled it on her. His mind evidently was elsewhere.
"Hey, Brainiac! What's the deal?" Helga spat, catching he drink before it could topple over. Brainy turned to face her.
His eyes were downcast as he spoke. "I just ran into Phoebe. She wants to see you now. She told me to tell you to meet her over by the docks." Helga's eyes immediately cast over in that direction, but it was a lengthy walk and there were already lots of people over there as well. Helga wouldn't be able to make out the small Asian girl.
Helga sighed and nodded, downing her drink in an instant. This was the moment. She couldn't stall any longer.
"OK..." she replied, a bit shakily as Brainy pulled her into another embrace. She liked his hugs. They were so reassuring. She felt so safe. Helga pulled away from it quickly, not wanting to get too drawn in. "Guess I'll go now...see you soon, Brainy...unless Pheebs chops off my head or something," she tried to joke, but it was dry and didn't make either of them laugh. Brainy kissed the top of her head and let her go, as Helga reluctantly turned and began walking towards the dock.
The lake water was smoothly rolling over the sands, spattering her feet slightly only to flow just as smoothly back to where it came from. Straight ahead was the setting sun, a big orange orb, sitting on the horizon. Night threatened to come quickly but that wasn't stopping the party that happened to be in full swing. Music was blaring from speakers that were set up and many were out dancing on the sand.
Helga's mood was unlike those out dancing, swinging to the beat. She was a bit somber and moody. Was that anything new for Helga? No one could blame her though. She was about to face a friend she hadn't talked to in ages. A friend that she wasn't even sure she knew anymore. A friend who wasn't really her friend at all...not anymore.
The dock came closer and Helga could already make out the shapes of a dozen other kids at least. Most were just making-out or something of that nature. Helga grumbled obscene things, pushing her way past them until she finally spotted the small lithe frame of Phoebe Hiyerdahl. The girl was leaning against one of the wooden pillars supporting the dock and looking in the opposite direction.
A lot had changed about her. She was still short and skinny, though instead of wearing her old outfit, which normally consisted of big blue sweaters and baggy black pants, she was now wearing a black bikini top and low-rise capris. Her glasses were gone, replaced by bright green contacts from what Helga had seen of her lately, which wasn't much. Phoebe was barefoot.
Quietly, Helga slipped of her flip-flops and walked up beside her old friend who was looking intently into the dying sun. "Hey Pheebs..." Helga muttered suddenly. Phoebe slowly turned around, her slanted green eyes looking at Helga just as intently. Helga had always known Phoebe to be a serious person, but was she always this stone-faced? Maybe Helga didn't know this girl as well as she'd thought.
Silence. And not the kind her and Brainy shared. This silence was unnerving. It wasn't even true silence. There was the noise of the other kids just 20 feet away from them. The music in the background. The waves crashing against the dock. But it was still silence. Between them there was nothing, and Helga was becoming awfully nervous. Phoebe still seemed impassive; she was stone-faced as ever.
"I...uh...Brainy said you wanted to talk to me--" It seemed before she could finish her sentence, Phoebe had thrown herself on Helga and was hugging her tightly. Then she was sobbing. Then she was muttering.
Most of the words were incoherent, but Helga managed to pick up just one:
"Pregnant."
And her whole world suddenly fell apart.
DUN DUN DUN!!!! *falls over*
The sun burned brilliantly down on the necks of the masses of teens at Phoebe Hiyerdahl's soiree. It seemed everyone was there. Even the 'lesser' mortals, as people that weren't as congenial as Phoebe would refer to them as. However, Phoebe was a gracious hostess and welcomed everyone that decided to show, which was basically the whole planet.
Helga and Brainy were continuing to search for Phoebe, though she seemed to be nowhere in sight. She couldn't even spot Gerald, and his dark complexion and smooth style of dress were easy to spot in a crowd.
(They're probably necking somewhere...)
Helga was becoming more and more aware of the eyes that bored into her and Brainy as they walked along. They were still clasping hands but just barely. Many recognized Helga. She was quite the infamous one, but not many realized that the good-looking, fair-haired boy walking close to her was Brainy. Only a handful had known who Brainy was to begin with, and even they wouldn't have believed it. At times, Helga still wasn't sure if she believed it.
"She sure is making me suffer," Helga commented suddenly, stopping near the water, the waved lapping up onto her toes which were painted bright red. Helga grabbed out of her bag her towel and layed it out just far enough away from the water. She took off her shorts and her top, but suddenly felt self-conscious at the dozens of eyes that seemed to swirve towards her figure.
Brainy took notice and smiled wryly. "Don't mind them, my dear. They can look, but they can't touch. I'll make sure of that." Just to make his point clear to any guys whos eyes might have been wandering, Brainy wrapped his arms around Helga's waist giving her a quick squeeze. "Now...I think I'll go get us some drinks. Cool?"
Helga nodded, and waved him off, smiling. She sat down on the towel, trying to get a bit of sun even though she hated it. Helga's complexion was very pale, and she was beginning to feel slightly out of place around all the tanned people. Just as she was about to lie down, a frisbee went zooming past her left ear, landing in the sand not too far away. Helga sat upright, glaring back at whoever had thrown the terrible spinning device.
"Nice aim, bucko," she growled, but immediately recognized the culprit as Sid. Her stone-cold glare softened just slightly as he smiled guiltily and walked over to her, kneeling down.
"Eh...Sorry, Helga," he apologized. He wasn't wearing his hat today and his raven hair hung messily around his eyes and eyes. "Didn't mean it, I swear." Sid tried grinning again, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. Helga saw his familiar cronies in the backround, obviously getting a kick out of this display.
Helga raised a dubious eyebrow. "Just like you didn't mean the water fountain incident?" she asked, smiling wanly. She didn't much care for Sid's antics at the moment.
Sid looked a bit distressed. More so than she thought he would. "Helga. Seriously. Sorry about that. I didn't mean the water fountain either...well, I did...but I didn't mean it for you...I didn't know it was you...and--" Sid looked at a loss for words, but he sighed, standing up. The sun caught his black hair, making it gleamed radiantly.
Did Helga's heart just skip a beat? She shook her head, suddenly remembering whom she'd thought about the night before. "Apologies, Sid. I didn't mean to sound like a heinous bitch." She tried to grin and stood up as well, causing Sid to whistle low.
"Damn!" he exclaimed, giving her the once over. This wasn't awkward to Helga, like it was when the other guys did it. Secretly, she felt flattered, though she only showed her annoyance.
"Quit staring, you perv!" she snapped, smacking him over the head.
"Sorry! Sorry!" he said, jumping back to evade any more of her future blows. "It's just...you look good, Helga. And I mean that in the best way possible!" he added hastily upon seeing Helga's death glare. "I was also wondering..." Sid began, looking down at the sand as though a particular grain was more interesting than the rest. "....if you wanted to go out sometime?" Sid looked up, a bit hopeful, his bright green eyes shining with obvious trepidation. He looked so sure that she would say no.
Helga looked bewildered, but pleased all the same. She was about to reply with a "Yeah...whatever, Sid.", though she suddenly remembered that Brainy would be returning soon with their drinks. "Um...I'll think about it, Sid. Can you meet me near the dock around 6:00?" she asked, looking around nervously. Even though her and Sid weren't doing it hardcore on the sand or anything, she still didn't want Brainy to see them together.
Sid shrugged, looking a bit crestfallen, but still a little intrigued at her planned rendezvous. "Sure, Helga. Anything you say." He stooped down to pick up the frisbee and was off again, rejoining his clique, the guys slapping fives and patting him on the back, obviously going on about how he 'scored'.
Helga shook her head and rolled her eyes, as Brainy suddenly reappeared. He looked distracted. He handed Helga her drink, but nearly spilled it on her. His mind evidently was elsewhere.
"Hey, Brainiac! What's the deal?" Helga spat, catching he drink before it could topple over. Brainy turned to face her.
His eyes were downcast as he spoke. "I just ran into Phoebe. She wants to see you now. She told me to tell you to meet her over by the docks." Helga's eyes immediately cast over in that direction, but it was a lengthy walk and there were already lots of people over there as well. Helga wouldn't be able to make out the small Asian girl.
Helga sighed and nodded, downing her drink in an instant. This was the moment. She couldn't stall any longer.
"OK..." she replied, a bit shakily as Brainy pulled her into another embrace. She liked his hugs. They were so reassuring. She felt so safe. Helga pulled away from it quickly, not wanting to get too drawn in. "Guess I'll go now...see you soon, Brainy...unless Pheebs chops off my head or something," she tried to joke, but it was dry and didn't make either of them laugh. Brainy kissed the top of her head and let her go, as Helga reluctantly turned and began walking towards the dock.
The lake water was smoothly rolling over the sands, spattering her feet slightly only to flow just as smoothly back to where it came from. Straight ahead was the setting sun, a big orange orb, sitting on the horizon. Night threatened to come quickly but that wasn't stopping the party that happened to be in full swing. Music was blaring from speakers that were set up and many were out dancing on the sand.
Helga's mood was unlike those out dancing, swinging to the beat. She was a bit somber and moody. Was that anything new for Helga? No one could blame her though. She was about to face a friend she hadn't talked to in ages. A friend that she wasn't even sure she knew anymore. A friend who wasn't really her friend at all...not anymore.
The dock came closer and Helga could already make out the shapes of a dozen other kids at least. Most were just making-out or something of that nature. Helga grumbled obscene things, pushing her way past them until she finally spotted the small lithe frame of Phoebe Hiyerdahl. The girl was leaning against one of the wooden pillars supporting the dock and looking in the opposite direction.
A lot had changed about her. She was still short and skinny, though instead of wearing her old outfit, which normally consisted of big blue sweaters and baggy black pants, she was now wearing a black bikini top and low-rise capris. Her glasses were gone, replaced by bright green contacts from what Helga had seen of her lately, which wasn't much. Phoebe was barefoot.
Quietly, Helga slipped of her flip-flops and walked up beside her old friend who was looking intently into the dying sun. "Hey Pheebs..." Helga muttered suddenly. Phoebe slowly turned around, her slanted green eyes looking at Helga just as intently. Helga had always known Phoebe to be a serious person, but was she always this stone-faced? Maybe Helga didn't know this girl as well as she'd thought.
Silence. And not the kind her and Brainy shared. This silence was unnerving. It wasn't even true silence. There was the noise of the other kids just 20 feet away from them. The music in the background. The waves crashing against the dock. But it was still silence. Between them there was nothing, and Helga was becoming awfully nervous. Phoebe still seemed impassive; she was stone-faced as ever.
"I...uh...Brainy said you wanted to talk to me--" It seemed before she could finish her sentence, Phoebe had thrown herself on Helga and was hugging her tightly. Then she was sobbing. Then she was muttering.
Most of the words were incoherent, but Helga managed to pick up just one:
"Pregnant."
And her whole world suddenly fell apart.
DUN DUN DUN!!!! *falls over*