Author's Note: First of all, I'M SUCH A MORON! I can't seem to get these
HTML tags or whatever they are to work. So, until I do, you'll have to put
up with THIS for emphasis on things and unbolded stuff and. yeah. Aren't I
WONDERFUL with words?
Second of all: I'm so glad you guys are enjoying my fanfiction! I was afraid you'd skip over it like it was cowdung or something. Anyway, before I get myself in more trouble.
"To Dream the Dangerous Dream"
Chapter 2: Strange Dreams, Walks, and Psycho References
Helga sat alone on a bench in the playground, watching the other kids enjoy the free time they had before school. Sid and Stinky were playing on the monkey bars, Arnold, Gerald, Harold and Sheena were playing foursquare, and Rhonda and Nadine were contemplating Nadine's shorts (another fashion emergency, Helga guessed).
Eugene came up from the street riding another new bike he'd received from his parents the day before. He rode it in a circle three times, and then crashed into the fence, falling into a heap.
Suddenly, the school nurse sat beside her, babbling about something to do with consciousness.
Helga opened her eyes and was greeted by the blinding fluorescent lights of the health office. The nurse was leaned in over her.
"She's coming to," the nurse muttered to no one that was in Helga's line of sight.
"What happened?" Helga asked, sitting up and holding her still throbbing head. The nurse tried to lay her back down but Helga shooed her hands away.
"You passed out, dear," the nurse said. "Now why don't you just-"
"Passed out?" Helga asked. "Where? And how did I get here?"
"I brought you," said a voice from the corner. Arnold stepped out into the light. "And you passed out in the lunchroom, remember?"
"I guess," Helga said, sliding down from the office bed despite the nurse's protests. "Man, I feel like I got hit by a truck."
"Yes, you hit your head pretty hard when you fell out of your chair," the nurse said. "Would you like some aspirin for your headache?"
"Nah," Helga said, waving the question away. "Headaches are like New Year's Resolutions. You forget about them once they stop hurting."
"Okay," The nurse said slowly, puzzled by the rather strange comment. She watched the two kids leave and sat down at her desk.
"So how long was I out?" Helga asked before getting cut off by the bell that meant the end of school. Helga winced slightly at the sound.
"A couple of hours," Arnold answered, confirming what the bell had told her. There was an awkward silence. "Maybe I ought to walk you home," He said cautiously. "Just to make sure you're okay."
"Eh," Helga said. "I'm over it, I don't need your help."
Her knee's buckled. Arnold caught her in his arms.
"I think you do," Arnold said, smiling slightly and standing her upright.
"Fine," Helga said, stomping ahead. "Just don't get in my way."
"Hey Arnold!" Gerald called from his locker. "Where are you going?"
"I've gotta walk Helga home, Gerald," Arnold said. Gerald raised an eyebrow in silent surprise. "I'll call you later."
"All right, man," Gerald said, turning back to his locker to finish putting his books away.
"Come on, Arnoldo," Helga said tauntingly. "You're holding me up."
"Sorry Helga," Arnold said, running to catch up with her as she walked out the door.
"Yeah well you should be," Helga said sarcastically.
"Helga, if you weren't feeling well this morning to begin with, why didn't you just stay home?" Arnold asked.
Helga didn't answer for a moment. She couldn't tell Arnold it was because she wanted to be with HIM. But what else could she say?
iCome on, Helga, think of something!/i
"Because we. had. to start that new project today," Helga replied, lying through her teeth. Arnold chuckled.
"Looks like you missed out on that," He said.
"Yeah, guess so," Helga said, laughing nervously. iPhew!/i
They reached the front steps to her house. She climbed them and turned back to look at Arnold before she opened the door.
"Well. thanks, Arnold," Helga said.
"No problem," Arnold replied. He smiled slightly and waved goodbye as he walked off.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said.
"Yeah, tomorrow," Helga said, too softly for him to hear. She opened her door and slipped inside. She leaned back on the door after she was inside her home.
"He smiled at me," She said dreamily. "And he said that he'd see me tomorrow." Helga swooned as she staggered up the stairs.
As soon as she entered her room, she went over to her bed and collapsed upon it, falling asleep immediately.
Arnold opened the door to the boardinghouse and stepped instinctively to the side, letting the wall of animals shove their way out the front door. After the last animal had left, Arnold walked into the boardinghouse. The normal sights, sounds and smells of the boardinghouse greeted him as he did. Grandma was cooking another one of her strange raspberry concoctions in the kitchen as Grandpa and Oscar argued about their game of checkers. Mr. Hyunn was saying something to Ernie about "creepy people," at the top of the stairs.
Arnold went up the stairs and managed to sneak past Ernie and Mr. Hyunn. The sudden ringing of the phone surprised all three of them. Mr. Hyunn went to answer it, but Arnold stopped him with an, "I'll get it." He picked up the receiver and put it up to his ear. "Hello?"
"Arnold?" The voice on the other end replied.
"Hey Gerald. What's going on?"
"I just saw Eugene," Gerald said. "He got ANOTHER bike from his parents."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Gerald said. "How many bikes are they gonna buy that kid?"
* * *
Helga was in the halls of P.S. 118, getting things out of her locker. Phoebe stood next to her, telling Helga everything she'd missed the day before. Stinky was getting a drink of water at the drinking fountain, and Sid was standing next to him. Rhonda was speaking to Nadine about Gerald's hair as she tried to open her locker. It was jammed, and she pounded on it, annoyed.
Arnold and Gerald entered the building, talking about the baseball game that they would be playing later on in the week. Gerald and Arnold were nearing Rhonda, who, after a few knocks, had just managed to open the stubborn locker. She didn't notice Gerald walking up, and the locker door slammed itself into his face. Helga couldn't keep herself from laughing.
"Helga! WAKE UP!!" Miriam yelled from downstairs. Helga's eyes snapped open.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm up!" Helga shouted back. She rubbed her head, which felt significantly better than the day before. "Yeesh. What a stupid dream."
Helga threw her covers back and paid a visit to her Arnold shrine she kept hidden in her closet, along with her volumes of Arnold-inspired poetry. She sat down before the small shrine and stared longingly at it.
Before a word could be uttered, Miriam suddenly opened her closet door and peered down at her daughter. Helga managed to hide the shrine behind her.
"What is it, Miriam?" She snapped.
"Helga, I just wanted to say-" Miriam's face went blank. She knitted her brow. "Well, gee, I just forgot what I was going to tell you. Never mind."
Helga raised her eyebrow as Miriam exited her closet and walked dumbly out of her room. Helga shook her head in disgust and threw on her clothes.
As she straightened her bow and pigtails, she hurriedly grabbed her knapsack, threw it over her shoulder and left her room. She ran down the stairs and into the kitchen and saw Miriam talking to none other than Arnold!
Second of all: I'm so glad you guys are enjoying my fanfiction! I was afraid you'd skip over it like it was cowdung or something. Anyway, before I get myself in more trouble.
"To Dream the Dangerous Dream"
Chapter 2: Strange Dreams, Walks, and Psycho References
Helga sat alone on a bench in the playground, watching the other kids enjoy the free time they had before school. Sid and Stinky were playing on the monkey bars, Arnold, Gerald, Harold and Sheena were playing foursquare, and Rhonda and Nadine were contemplating Nadine's shorts (another fashion emergency, Helga guessed).
Eugene came up from the street riding another new bike he'd received from his parents the day before. He rode it in a circle three times, and then crashed into the fence, falling into a heap.
Suddenly, the school nurse sat beside her, babbling about something to do with consciousness.
Helga opened her eyes and was greeted by the blinding fluorescent lights of the health office. The nurse was leaned in over her.
"She's coming to," the nurse muttered to no one that was in Helga's line of sight.
"What happened?" Helga asked, sitting up and holding her still throbbing head. The nurse tried to lay her back down but Helga shooed her hands away.
"You passed out, dear," the nurse said. "Now why don't you just-"
"Passed out?" Helga asked. "Where? And how did I get here?"
"I brought you," said a voice from the corner. Arnold stepped out into the light. "And you passed out in the lunchroom, remember?"
"I guess," Helga said, sliding down from the office bed despite the nurse's protests. "Man, I feel like I got hit by a truck."
"Yes, you hit your head pretty hard when you fell out of your chair," the nurse said. "Would you like some aspirin for your headache?"
"Nah," Helga said, waving the question away. "Headaches are like New Year's Resolutions. You forget about them once they stop hurting."
"Okay," The nurse said slowly, puzzled by the rather strange comment. She watched the two kids leave and sat down at her desk.
"So how long was I out?" Helga asked before getting cut off by the bell that meant the end of school. Helga winced slightly at the sound.
"A couple of hours," Arnold answered, confirming what the bell had told her. There was an awkward silence. "Maybe I ought to walk you home," He said cautiously. "Just to make sure you're okay."
"Eh," Helga said. "I'm over it, I don't need your help."
Her knee's buckled. Arnold caught her in his arms.
"I think you do," Arnold said, smiling slightly and standing her upright.
"Fine," Helga said, stomping ahead. "Just don't get in my way."
"Hey Arnold!" Gerald called from his locker. "Where are you going?"
"I've gotta walk Helga home, Gerald," Arnold said. Gerald raised an eyebrow in silent surprise. "I'll call you later."
"All right, man," Gerald said, turning back to his locker to finish putting his books away.
"Come on, Arnoldo," Helga said tauntingly. "You're holding me up."
"Sorry Helga," Arnold said, running to catch up with her as she walked out the door.
"Yeah well you should be," Helga said sarcastically.
"Helga, if you weren't feeling well this morning to begin with, why didn't you just stay home?" Arnold asked.
Helga didn't answer for a moment. She couldn't tell Arnold it was because she wanted to be with HIM. But what else could she say?
iCome on, Helga, think of something!/i
"Because we. had. to start that new project today," Helga replied, lying through her teeth. Arnold chuckled.
"Looks like you missed out on that," He said.
"Yeah, guess so," Helga said, laughing nervously. iPhew!/i
They reached the front steps to her house. She climbed them and turned back to look at Arnold before she opened the door.
"Well. thanks, Arnold," Helga said.
"No problem," Arnold replied. He smiled slightly and waved goodbye as he walked off.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said.
"Yeah, tomorrow," Helga said, too softly for him to hear. She opened her door and slipped inside. She leaned back on the door after she was inside her home.
"He smiled at me," She said dreamily. "And he said that he'd see me tomorrow." Helga swooned as she staggered up the stairs.
As soon as she entered her room, she went over to her bed and collapsed upon it, falling asleep immediately.
Arnold opened the door to the boardinghouse and stepped instinctively to the side, letting the wall of animals shove their way out the front door. After the last animal had left, Arnold walked into the boardinghouse. The normal sights, sounds and smells of the boardinghouse greeted him as he did. Grandma was cooking another one of her strange raspberry concoctions in the kitchen as Grandpa and Oscar argued about their game of checkers. Mr. Hyunn was saying something to Ernie about "creepy people," at the top of the stairs.
Arnold went up the stairs and managed to sneak past Ernie and Mr. Hyunn. The sudden ringing of the phone surprised all three of them. Mr. Hyunn went to answer it, but Arnold stopped him with an, "I'll get it." He picked up the receiver and put it up to his ear. "Hello?"
"Arnold?" The voice on the other end replied.
"Hey Gerald. What's going on?"
"I just saw Eugene," Gerald said. "He got ANOTHER bike from his parents."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Gerald said. "How many bikes are they gonna buy that kid?"
* * *
Helga was in the halls of P.S. 118, getting things out of her locker. Phoebe stood next to her, telling Helga everything she'd missed the day before. Stinky was getting a drink of water at the drinking fountain, and Sid was standing next to him. Rhonda was speaking to Nadine about Gerald's hair as she tried to open her locker. It was jammed, and she pounded on it, annoyed.
Arnold and Gerald entered the building, talking about the baseball game that they would be playing later on in the week. Gerald and Arnold were nearing Rhonda, who, after a few knocks, had just managed to open the stubborn locker. She didn't notice Gerald walking up, and the locker door slammed itself into his face. Helga couldn't keep herself from laughing.
"Helga! WAKE UP!!" Miriam yelled from downstairs. Helga's eyes snapped open.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm up!" Helga shouted back. She rubbed her head, which felt significantly better than the day before. "Yeesh. What a stupid dream."
Helga threw her covers back and paid a visit to her Arnold shrine she kept hidden in her closet, along with her volumes of Arnold-inspired poetry. She sat down before the small shrine and stared longingly at it.
Before a word could be uttered, Miriam suddenly opened her closet door and peered down at her daughter. Helga managed to hide the shrine behind her.
"What is it, Miriam?" She snapped.
"Helga, I just wanted to say-" Miriam's face went blank. She knitted her brow. "Well, gee, I just forgot what I was going to tell you. Never mind."
Helga raised her eyebrow as Miriam exited her closet and walked dumbly out of her room. Helga shook her head in disgust and threw on her clothes.
As she straightened her bow and pigtails, she hurriedly grabbed her knapsack, threw it over her shoulder and left her room. She ran down the stairs and into the kitchen and saw Miriam talking to none other than Arnold!