A/N: Yes, I know I said that it was on semi-hiatus, but I wanted to update this fic...no fair letting you guys dangle like I let the readers of my Harry Potter "That 80s Fic" ::plug plug::.
The sequel to Seattle Sophmores (working story arc title) is "Cruel, Cruel Summer." Changes, tragedy, and (if anyone wants me to) I may upload a planned scene that I'll remove for the majority of my readers. (It's a pretty explicit scene between two characters, but I'm not telling you who yet).
But! I am getting ahead of myself yet again. First, I need to finish this fic, catch up to "Still Human" with "Intolerance, Acceptance," and finish my Murder by Numbers story! So, on with the chapter already!
*****
"Thinking with the Heart"
Part Two
He stumbled into the boys bathroom, a hand clutched to his bleeding nose. One would think that after years of trailing Helga Pataki, Brainy would have either finally talked to her or at least gotten a better inhaler to help his severe asthma. Gerald was walking toward the door, wiping his hands on a paper towel, as Brainy came in. The dreadlocked boy gave Brainy a look that clearly wondered what the heck had happened, and then Gerald shrugged and walked out.
Brainy pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned over the sink, letting the blood drain out. Then he pressed a dampened paper towel to his nose and upper lip and went to sit in miserable dejection on one of the toilet seats.
He glanced under the dividers of the bathroom stall. Once he determined that there was no one in the bathroom with him, he pulled the locket he always wore out from under his shirt. Flicking it open with an easy gesture, he gazed with something approaching reverance at the photo within.
"Oh, Helga. I wish I could speak to you, just once...just to tell you how I feel, just to show you that I love you as much as you want Arnold to love you...and more than that. My beautiful blonde goddess..."
****
Lila leaned against her locker and smiled apologetically at her boyfriend Arnold. "I'm really sorry, Arnold, but the band has a gig at a birthday party that night."
"So, cancel it. Just this once, Lila, please." Arnold pleaded, stroking Lila's long red hair tenderly. "It's the last big social event before winter vacation, and you'd look so beautiful under the theme."
Lila looked faintly horrified. She put one hand to her mouth and exclaimed, "Cancel? Oh, Arnold, I couldn't do that. As much as I want to go to Winter Formal with you, I simply can't." The lunch passing bell rang. Lila stood on her toes and kissed him on the lips briefly. "I'm sorry, Arnold, I'll see you later."
"'Bye," Arnold replied dejectedly. He passed a poster for the Winter Formal on his way to math class; it read: 'Black-and-White winter formal. One person wears black, the other white. See you there!' Arnold made a sound of irritated disgust in his throat, adjusted the strap of his backpack, and hurried on to class.
****
Arnold sulked all through the teacher's lecture on logarithms. Helga leaned forward in her seat, which was directly behind him, and poked him in the back with her pencil.
"*What,* Helga?" Arnold snapped impatiently, looking over his shoulder. Helga passed him a few sheets of paper with the notes on them. She said simply,
"Ms. Parker said that this was on the test. You weren't taking the notes, so I did it for you."
Surprised, Arnold took the papers, shuffling through the neatly written sheets to skim the formulas and definitions. "Wow," he whispered, "that's really nice of you, Helga."
"Yeah, well," Helga crossed her arms and slouched in her seat, a scowl starting on her face. "Don't expect it all the time, Football Head."
Arnold blinked. For the first time, he realized that there was a note of affection in Helga's voice when she called him by that nickname. He reasoned that it was because they had known each other so long; after all, coming from anyone else, Grandpa Phil's habit of calling him 'Short-Man' would be insulting.
"Arnold, please face the front," Ms. Parker said sharply, "We're starting the classwork."
"Sorry," he apologized, and turned. Because he did, he missed Helga's soft, self-satisfied smile.
****
After class, Arnold follwed Helga a ways down the hall to her class, calling, "Hey, Helga!" The tall blonde turned, looking supremely irritated until she saw that it was Arnold yelling at her. Then her expression changed to shock, a little happy excitement flickering in her green eyes, and then vague irriation again.
"Yeah, what?"
"I was just wondering if you'd like to go to Winter Formal with me, Helga."
Helga shrugged, remaining outwardly nonchalant. "Sure, I guess. Call me, and we'll hammer out the details; I gotta get to class." Arnold nodded, flashing her a small smile of gratitude. Once he was out of sight, Helga dashed to her next class, Science.
"Eugene!" she sang out, sighting the tall red-headed boy. "The most wonderful thing in the world just happened!"
****
Next Chapter: Brainy finds out about Arnold and Helga, and he has a bad feeling about it. But she ignores his warning.
The sequel to Seattle Sophmores (working story arc title) is "Cruel, Cruel Summer." Changes, tragedy, and (if anyone wants me to) I may upload a planned scene that I'll remove for the majority of my readers. (It's a pretty explicit scene between two characters, but I'm not telling you who yet).
But! I am getting ahead of myself yet again. First, I need to finish this fic, catch up to "Still Human" with "Intolerance, Acceptance," and finish my Murder by Numbers story! So, on with the chapter already!
*****
"Thinking with the Heart"
Part Two
He stumbled into the boys bathroom, a hand clutched to his bleeding nose. One would think that after years of trailing Helga Pataki, Brainy would have either finally talked to her or at least gotten a better inhaler to help his severe asthma. Gerald was walking toward the door, wiping his hands on a paper towel, as Brainy came in. The dreadlocked boy gave Brainy a look that clearly wondered what the heck had happened, and then Gerald shrugged and walked out.
Brainy pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned over the sink, letting the blood drain out. Then he pressed a dampened paper towel to his nose and upper lip and went to sit in miserable dejection on one of the toilet seats.
He glanced under the dividers of the bathroom stall. Once he determined that there was no one in the bathroom with him, he pulled the locket he always wore out from under his shirt. Flicking it open with an easy gesture, he gazed with something approaching reverance at the photo within.
"Oh, Helga. I wish I could speak to you, just once...just to tell you how I feel, just to show you that I love you as much as you want Arnold to love you...and more than that. My beautiful blonde goddess..."
****
Lila leaned against her locker and smiled apologetically at her boyfriend Arnold. "I'm really sorry, Arnold, but the band has a gig at a birthday party that night."
"So, cancel it. Just this once, Lila, please." Arnold pleaded, stroking Lila's long red hair tenderly. "It's the last big social event before winter vacation, and you'd look so beautiful under the theme."
Lila looked faintly horrified. She put one hand to her mouth and exclaimed, "Cancel? Oh, Arnold, I couldn't do that. As much as I want to go to Winter Formal with you, I simply can't." The lunch passing bell rang. Lila stood on her toes and kissed him on the lips briefly. "I'm sorry, Arnold, I'll see you later."
"'Bye," Arnold replied dejectedly. He passed a poster for the Winter Formal on his way to math class; it read: 'Black-and-White winter formal. One person wears black, the other white. See you there!' Arnold made a sound of irritated disgust in his throat, adjusted the strap of his backpack, and hurried on to class.
****
Arnold sulked all through the teacher's lecture on logarithms. Helga leaned forward in her seat, which was directly behind him, and poked him in the back with her pencil.
"*What,* Helga?" Arnold snapped impatiently, looking over his shoulder. Helga passed him a few sheets of paper with the notes on them. She said simply,
"Ms. Parker said that this was on the test. You weren't taking the notes, so I did it for you."
Surprised, Arnold took the papers, shuffling through the neatly written sheets to skim the formulas and definitions. "Wow," he whispered, "that's really nice of you, Helga."
"Yeah, well," Helga crossed her arms and slouched in her seat, a scowl starting on her face. "Don't expect it all the time, Football Head."
Arnold blinked. For the first time, he realized that there was a note of affection in Helga's voice when she called him by that nickname. He reasoned that it was because they had known each other so long; after all, coming from anyone else, Grandpa Phil's habit of calling him 'Short-Man' would be insulting.
"Arnold, please face the front," Ms. Parker said sharply, "We're starting the classwork."
"Sorry," he apologized, and turned. Because he did, he missed Helga's soft, self-satisfied smile.
****
After class, Arnold follwed Helga a ways down the hall to her class, calling, "Hey, Helga!" The tall blonde turned, looking supremely irritated until she saw that it was Arnold yelling at her. Then her expression changed to shock, a little happy excitement flickering in her green eyes, and then vague irriation again.
"Yeah, what?"
"I was just wondering if you'd like to go to Winter Formal with me, Helga."
Helga shrugged, remaining outwardly nonchalant. "Sure, I guess. Call me, and we'll hammer out the details; I gotta get to class." Arnold nodded, flashing her a small smile of gratitude. Once he was out of sight, Helga dashed to her next class, Science.
"Eugene!" she sang out, sighting the tall red-headed boy. "The most wonderful thing in the world just happened!"
****
Next Chapter: Brainy finds out about Arnold and Helga, and he has a bad feeling about it. But she ignores his warning.