Party Favors
"Hmm." Eleven-year-old Helga Pataki lifted her eyebrow at the cream-colored envelope Rhonda Lloyd had just handed her.
"I'm having a get-together tomorrow night. It'd be great if you came!" Rhonda smiled and batted her eyelashes.
"Yeah, great." Helga said gruffly, stuffed the paper in her bag.
Rhonda's charming smile faded and she grabbed another envelope from Nadine, who was standing behind her with a stack. She looked around the 6th grade math classroom and her eyes lit up. "Arnold! Lila!"
Helga's ears perked up. Arnold?
"Would you come to my soirée on Friday?" She pouted prettily and stuck out an envelope.
"Sure Rhonda." Arnold smiled and took the envelope. "I'll be there."
Lila stood next to him and graciously took an envelope. "I'd love to go! Thank you ever so much for inviting me Rhonda." She smiled sincerely.
Helga sighed and looked around before darting under Mrs. Bell's desk. She reached into her dress and pulled out her heart-shaped picture of Arnold.
"Oh Arnold, my love! Why do you torment me day and night as you see only Lila, that goody-goody brat, I just wanna-" Helga realized she was getting way off the subject and got back on track.
"This Friday I will show you and the world how much I care! I will be just as lovely and charming! You will see the true me! Not this painful shell! I will shed it for you my love!" She closed her eyes and held the locket to her chest.
"Um.Helga dear?" Mrs. Bell was looking at her strangely. "Are you alright?"
Helga's eyes shot open and she tucked the locket back into her dress. She crawled out from the desk and walked silently back to her seat.
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"So Lila.I was wondering." Arnold crossed his fingers behind his back. "Do you want to go to Rhonda's party with me?" He gritted his teeth for the response.
"Well, Arnold, as I've told you ever so many times," Lila stroked her braids and spoke thoughtfully. "I don't like you-like you, I just like you."
Arnold let out the breath he was holding and uncrossed his fingers, letting his hands hang limply at his sides. "So you don't want to go with me?"
"No Arnold, no." She patted his shoulder and walked away.
Arnold sighed and turned away. Helga growled. She had been watching from a nearby bush and had nearly beat Lila to a pulp for being so-so.NICE! She pushed her way out of the bush and ran after Arnold. She accidentally on purpose slammed into him and they both fell to the ground.
"Watch where you're goin' Football Head!" Helga leaned back on her elbows as Arnold got up. He reached down to help her up and she took his hand without thinking twice. She brushed off her dress with her free hand and looked up at Arnold.
He was watching her with a strange smile and her mouth dropped open slightly as she realized their fingers were still loosely entwined.
Helga shook herself and jerked her hand out of his. "Don't get so cozy, Hair Boy!"
Arnold narrowed his eyes slightly. "Okay Helga." He smirked as her pink bow slumped down by the side of her head. He reached up and straightened it. "There."
She reached a hand up and fingered the bow. "Thanks, Arnoldo." She paused. "So, you goin' to Rhonda's party?"
Arnold sighed and stared at his feet. "Maybe."
Helga rolled her eyes. "Did Lila get on you about that "like you-like you" stuff again?"
Arnold shrugged with one shoulder. "Yeah."
"Get over it, Football Head!" Helga exploded. "There are tons of other fish in the sea!"
Arnold smiled slightly. "I know. I just like her a lot, that's all."
Helga lowered her eyes and kicked a pebble along the sidewalk. "Well, Lila doesn't know what she's missin'." The words were out before she could think about what she had revealed.
Arnold's grin spread widely across his face. "Thanks Helga!"
"Not that I like you or anything!" Helga backpedaled. "She likes ARNIE, so anyone, even you geek bait would be in better taste than him!" Arnold rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say Helga." And they continued walking into town.
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The school day came and went quickly and the 6th grade girls of P.S. 118 rushed home to get ready for the big party.
"So Phoebs, can I come over before the party and get ready? It's four-oh- two on Friday, and by my calculations, Miriam's asleep on her Mac-and- Cheese and Bob's on the phone selling the whole Big Bob line with to poor sap who just wants to sell some magazine subscriptions."
Phoebe looked shocked at Helga's less-than-warm family situation. "We-well, I guess that'd be alrig-"
"Great! Hey, there's the bus!" She grabbed her small friend's hand and dragged her onto the bus.
@@@
"So, Phoebs, whaddya think?" Helga emerged from the Hyerdahl's bathroom.
"Helga! You look-where'd you get that?" Phoebe's bird-like voice squeaked higher than usual.
"I put it in my bag before school because I knew I'd be coming here. Does it look okay, or what?" She stepped out of the bathroom and into Phoebe's room.
"It looks great." Phoebe complimented warmly.
Helga gazed into Phoebe's full-length mirror and almost gasped at the transformation. Her hair (which she had cut to her earlobes the year before in a fit of preteen rebellion) was flipped out to frame her face (and of course, two tiny pink bow barrettes kept her hair out of her eyes).
Her dark pink dress made her boyish figure looked as filled out as the other girls in her class. She had even worn a little bit of make-up after Phoebe had pleaded with her for twenty minutes.
"Wow.scared myself for a minute there." Helga laughed nervously. "So.ready to go?"
Phoebe smoothed her spangled royal blue spaghetti-strapped dress and grabbed her matching bag. "Let's do it." She squeaked fiercely.
@@@
The party was "hopping". The highly expensive DJ took requests from the Top 40 to Beethoven (not that anyone requested that), and the finger sandwiches were cut to perfection.
Sid was trying to woo a pretty eighth grade brunette whose braces had recently been removed, and Harold and Patty had wandered off to the patio to aim cherries at trashcans and whine about dancing with icky girls and stupid boys.
Stinky and Gloria were "cuttin' a rug" as Stinky so eloquently put it, and Arnold and Gerald were having their punch and cookies.
The door opened and Rhonda and Nadine graciously welcomed a well- dressed Lila into her home. Arnold's eyes widened in anticipation as Lila graced the party with her immaculate presence. She walked down the few steps to the main dance floor, her emerald green dress rustling around her.
"Hi Lila." Arnold tapped her shoulder. She whirled around and smiled.
"Hello Arnold.you look ever so nice tonight." Lila sipped a small glass of punch shyly.
"Thanks, so do you." Arnold puffed up proudly. "Um.do you want to dance?"
Lila bit her lip and thought this over. "Maybe a little later, okay Arnold?"
Arnold lost his puff immediately and turned away. "Okay, Lila." He shrugged to Gerald, who grinned and pointed at the door.
Phoebe entered and smiled timidly at the sight of Gerald dressed so sharply. Arnold smirked, but his mouth fell open slightly as a girl he'd never seen before came in.she was-she was.beautiful! There was no other word for it. Rhonda seemed to be as surprised as she took the girls coat.
Arnold craned his neck as she turned and walked down the stairs. Suddenly he got a clearer view of her and gasped. "Helga?"
@@@
"Hmm." Eleven-year-old Helga Pataki lifted her eyebrow at the cream-colored envelope Rhonda Lloyd had just handed her.
"I'm having a get-together tomorrow night. It'd be great if you came!" Rhonda smiled and batted her eyelashes.
"Yeah, great." Helga said gruffly, stuffed the paper in her bag.
Rhonda's charming smile faded and she grabbed another envelope from Nadine, who was standing behind her with a stack. She looked around the 6th grade math classroom and her eyes lit up. "Arnold! Lila!"
Helga's ears perked up. Arnold?
"Would you come to my soirée on Friday?" She pouted prettily and stuck out an envelope.
"Sure Rhonda." Arnold smiled and took the envelope. "I'll be there."
Lila stood next to him and graciously took an envelope. "I'd love to go! Thank you ever so much for inviting me Rhonda." She smiled sincerely.
Helga sighed and looked around before darting under Mrs. Bell's desk. She reached into her dress and pulled out her heart-shaped picture of Arnold.
"Oh Arnold, my love! Why do you torment me day and night as you see only Lila, that goody-goody brat, I just wanna-" Helga realized she was getting way off the subject and got back on track.
"This Friday I will show you and the world how much I care! I will be just as lovely and charming! You will see the true me! Not this painful shell! I will shed it for you my love!" She closed her eyes and held the locket to her chest.
"Um.Helga dear?" Mrs. Bell was looking at her strangely. "Are you alright?"
Helga's eyes shot open and she tucked the locket back into her dress. She crawled out from the desk and walked silently back to her seat.
@@@
"So Lila.I was wondering." Arnold crossed his fingers behind his back. "Do you want to go to Rhonda's party with me?" He gritted his teeth for the response.
"Well, Arnold, as I've told you ever so many times," Lila stroked her braids and spoke thoughtfully. "I don't like you-like you, I just like you."
Arnold let out the breath he was holding and uncrossed his fingers, letting his hands hang limply at his sides. "So you don't want to go with me?"
"No Arnold, no." She patted his shoulder and walked away.
Arnold sighed and turned away. Helga growled. She had been watching from a nearby bush and had nearly beat Lila to a pulp for being so-so.NICE! She pushed her way out of the bush and ran after Arnold. She accidentally on purpose slammed into him and they both fell to the ground.
"Watch where you're goin' Football Head!" Helga leaned back on her elbows as Arnold got up. He reached down to help her up and she took his hand without thinking twice. She brushed off her dress with her free hand and looked up at Arnold.
He was watching her with a strange smile and her mouth dropped open slightly as she realized their fingers were still loosely entwined.
Helga shook herself and jerked her hand out of his. "Don't get so cozy, Hair Boy!"
Arnold narrowed his eyes slightly. "Okay Helga." He smirked as her pink bow slumped down by the side of her head. He reached up and straightened it. "There."
She reached a hand up and fingered the bow. "Thanks, Arnoldo." She paused. "So, you goin' to Rhonda's party?"
Arnold sighed and stared at his feet. "Maybe."
Helga rolled her eyes. "Did Lila get on you about that "like you-like you" stuff again?"
Arnold shrugged with one shoulder. "Yeah."
"Get over it, Football Head!" Helga exploded. "There are tons of other fish in the sea!"
Arnold smiled slightly. "I know. I just like her a lot, that's all."
Helga lowered her eyes and kicked a pebble along the sidewalk. "Well, Lila doesn't know what she's missin'." The words were out before she could think about what she had revealed.
Arnold's grin spread widely across his face. "Thanks Helga!"
"Not that I like you or anything!" Helga backpedaled. "She likes ARNIE, so anyone, even you geek bait would be in better taste than him!" Arnold rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say Helga." And they continued walking into town.
@@@
The school day came and went quickly and the 6th grade girls of P.S. 118 rushed home to get ready for the big party.
"So Phoebs, can I come over before the party and get ready? It's four-oh- two on Friday, and by my calculations, Miriam's asleep on her Mac-and- Cheese and Bob's on the phone selling the whole Big Bob line with to poor sap who just wants to sell some magazine subscriptions."
Phoebe looked shocked at Helga's less-than-warm family situation. "We-well, I guess that'd be alrig-"
"Great! Hey, there's the bus!" She grabbed her small friend's hand and dragged her onto the bus.
@@@
"So, Phoebs, whaddya think?" Helga emerged from the Hyerdahl's bathroom.
"Helga! You look-where'd you get that?" Phoebe's bird-like voice squeaked higher than usual.
"I put it in my bag before school because I knew I'd be coming here. Does it look okay, or what?" She stepped out of the bathroom and into Phoebe's room.
"It looks great." Phoebe complimented warmly.
Helga gazed into Phoebe's full-length mirror and almost gasped at the transformation. Her hair (which she had cut to her earlobes the year before in a fit of preteen rebellion) was flipped out to frame her face (and of course, two tiny pink bow barrettes kept her hair out of her eyes).
Her dark pink dress made her boyish figure looked as filled out as the other girls in her class. She had even worn a little bit of make-up after Phoebe had pleaded with her for twenty minutes.
"Wow.scared myself for a minute there." Helga laughed nervously. "So.ready to go?"
Phoebe smoothed her spangled royal blue spaghetti-strapped dress and grabbed her matching bag. "Let's do it." She squeaked fiercely.
@@@
The party was "hopping". The highly expensive DJ took requests from the Top 40 to Beethoven (not that anyone requested that), and the finger sandwiches were cut to perfection.
Sid was trying to woo a pretty eighth grade brunette whose braces had recently been removed, and Harold and Patty had wandered off to the patio to aim cherries at trashcans and whine about dancing with icky girls and stupid boys.
Stinky and Gloria were "cuttin' a rug" as Stinky so eloquently put it, and Arnold and Gerald were having their punch and cookies.
The door opened and Rhonda and Nadine graciously welcomed a well- dressed Lila into her home. Arnold's eyes widened in anticipation as Lila graced the party with her immaculate presence. She walked down the few steps to the main dance floor, her emerald green dress rustling around her.
"Hi Lila." Arnold tapped her shoulder. She whirled around and smiled.
"Hello Arnold.you look ever so nice tonight." Lila sipped a small glass of punch shyly.
"Thanks, so do you." Arnold puffed up proudly. "Um.do you want to dance?"
Lila bit her lip and thought this over. "Maybe a little later, okay Arnold?"
Arnold lost his puff immediately and turned away. "Okay, Lila." He shrugged to Gerald, who grinned and pointed at the door.
Phoebe entered and smiled timidly at the sight of Gerald dressed so sharply. Arnold smirked, but his mouth fell open slightly as a girl he'd never seen before came in.she was-she was.beautiful! There was no other word for it. Rhonda seemed to be as surprised as she took the girls coat.
Arnold craned his neck as she turned and walked down the stairs. Suddenly he got a clearer view of her and gasped. "Helga?"
@@@
