Arnold held Helga's hand as they walked through the halls to the cafeteria.

"Can you believe Peapod tattled on me?" Helga shook her head in bewilderment. "Isn't he ashamed that he got punched by a girl?"

Arnold shrugged his left shoulder. "I mean, technically...any girl can punch a guy."

"Well, yeah, but that's besides the point. I'm surprised none of the guys mocked him."

Helga waited at a table while Arnold stood in the lunch line. The school lunch was a hot dog with a side of green peas, but Arnold didn't take any peas.

Helga glared at the ones on Phoebe's tray. "Ew, Phoebe! Why did you take peas?"

Phoebe giggled. "I must admit that I'm curious about the origin of your grudge."

Helga sighed. "I punched Peapod Kid 'cause I thought he was Brainy, and then he made Arnold feel bad for being poor."

Now Phoebe just looked confused. "I believe you excluded necessary details."

"Why did you think he was Brainy?" Gerald asked.

"He followed me home like some kind of stalker. Brainy always does that, and I always punch him."

"Do you know why Peapod was stalking you?" Phoebe asked.

"He wanted to buy a cell phone," Helga said. "So much for that."

Arnold put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Helga. One less customer won't make much of a difference."

"It will if he causes a boycott." Helga took a bite of her sandwich.

"Perhaps a poignant apology, even one that's insincere, will help salvage your reputation," Phoebe said.

Helga scoffed. "He won't accept my apology unless I pay for his stupid sunglasses!" She stole a handful of Phoebe's peas and crushed them in her fist.

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked.

"His sunglasses broke when I punched him," Helga said. "They're two hundred bucks, and you know I can't afford that."

Gerald swallowed a bite of his hot dog. "Maybe you should tell people not to buy from Big Bob. Reverse psychology, you know?"

Helga used Arnold's napkin to wipe her hand. "If it weren't for the fact that we're technically homeless, I would be telling people to boycott Bob."

Arnold sighed. "I'll get a new napkin."

There was no one in line for lunch at that point, so it didn't take long for Arnold to grab a napkin. He returned to the table as Helga was speaking.

"I wish," Helga said. "Sometimes he acts like I'm invisible."

"Who does?" Arnold asked.

"Big Bob."

Arnold sat down. "That must be hard. You know you don't deserve that, right?"

Helga looked at Gerald. "Of course I don't deserve it. Can we talk about something else?"

The vexation in her tone made Arnold's stomach twist. "Of course. What should we talk about?"

Helga grinned. "Our date this weekend. We're going to a movie, right?"

"Uh...maybe? But I read reviews of a couple PG movies, and critics are saying they're both really bad."

"PG movies?" Helga made a face. "What about PG-13 movies?"

"Harold said they ask for proof of age."

Helga chuckled. "Not if you sneak in."

Phoebe spoke up. "I should advise you that sneaking into a movie can be considered trespassing."

Helga rolled her eyes. "I know that, Pheebs, you told me this a thousand times."

"I don't think trespassing is worth the risk," Arnold said.

"Oh, come on!" Helga said. "I never got caught sneaking into Dinoland! I distract security by bringing Curly!"

"I wouldn't bring Curly to Kiska," Gerald said. "That kid could burn the whole theater down."

"That's true," Helga admitted. "Maybe we can watch something at Arnold's house. You got any DVDs?"

Arnold shook his head. "Grandpa has a VCR, but no movies. We mostly taped cartoons and stuff."

Helga looked disappointed. "Does this mean we're walking Abner again?"