Second chapter, and I still don't own Hey Arnold! But I wish I did, because then I could choose what happens to them... *smirks evilly* Oh, anyway, thanks for the reviews (and the guesses to who Alana is)!
Helga and Phoebe had gotten into class a little late, but Mr. Pakenham had heard their story and didn't give them detention. Helga watched the back of Arnold's head in a trance (if already couldn't guess, she's sitting directly behind him), smiling her normal love-sick smile. Phoebe noticed, and jabbed her best friend with her elbow. "Helga, if you carry on peering at him with that lovesick grin on your face people might get suspicious." she said, making Helga jump out of her daydream.
"Oops," Helga muttered, opening her math book and burying her face in it. Phoebe figured that Helga was most likely blushing and trying to hide it.
After a while, it was time to go home, and all the kids were clearing out. Helga and Phoebe were walking down the halls, talking to each other. They turned a corner and ran into someone. Helga sighed, and rolled her eyes. 'I always run into h-' just before she could finish her thoughts, she caught a glimpse of the person she ran into. "Alana?" she asked, raising half of her unibrow. Alana was sitting in front of her, laughing. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing really, I just thought that the look on your face was kinda funny. When you saw it was me you had a really... shocked and yet very funny look. And don't worry, I'm not trying to make fun of you. I'd never do that." she said, and right away stopped laughing. She stood up, and brushed herself off, as Helga did the exact same thing.
"So were you heading home?" Helga asked, and Alana nodded her head, giving Helga a questioning.
"Yeah, why?"
"Oh, nothing. Just wondering, 'cause as you know, this is now officially summer, so I would think you'd have some people to visit, or... something."
"Oh, yes! In fact, my parents and I are going to visit my grandparents who live here. Well, they think they still live here, but they're pretty sure they do."
"Ah. Where do they live? Maybe I know 'em."
"I don't really know." they walked on for a little bit, before Alana piped up again. "Hey, Helga, Phoebe?"
"Yes?" Phoebe replied at the same time Helga replied, "Yeah?"
"None of the fourth graders in my class liked me very well. Told me I needed to stay out of their business, and junk like that. All I was doing was trying to be friendly and help, and make a new friend, but anyway! Well, I was wondering if you two would be friends with me. 'Cause you two already helped me without complaint, and we already know each other's names and such."
"Sure Alana, we'd love to be your friends, wouldn't we, Helga?" Phoebe asked her best friend, who just shrugged.
"Hmm, okay, I'm feeling generous today. But I warn ya', Alana, don't ask too many questions and such, or I could turn on ya'." Helga said, and Alana held her hands up, while she rolled her eyes, half smiling.
"Fine, fine, I will! Finally, I have friends that I don't just know for a short period of time!" she exclaimed, then embraced Helga and Phoebe. Helga looked to Phoebe, slightly frowning.
"Phoebe, she's a goody-two-shoes, why did we make friends with her?" she whispered to her best friend, who hit her on the top of the head, this time not jokingly. Helga grabbed her head, and scowled even more. "What did you do that for?"
"That was impolite, Helga! Very impolite!" Phoebe whispered in a chiding manner, crossing her arms.
Alana pulled away, and turned around to the door leading out of the school. "We might want to leave before we get locked in here for the whole summer." she said, and the 3 girls walked out the school's double doors.
*****
The next day, Helga and Alana were saying goodbye to Phoebe, because she was about to leave to go to her family reunion. "I'll see you next week, Helga, Alana." Phoebe said, hugging Helga, then Alana.
"Yeah, and then we'll have that sleep-over I wanted to have, m'kay?" Helga said, and Phoebe nodded her head, smiling.
"Yes, and now it will be even more amusing for all of us because you'll be there, correct Alana?" Phoebe asked, and Alana nodded her head, smiling.
"Yep-a-roo, I plan on being there."
"Phoebe dear, we're leaving now." Phoebe's father said, sitting down in the driver's seat of their car. Phoebe smiled, and waved at her friends, with them both waving back.
"Adieu, Helga, Alana! See you in seven days!" she yelled out the window as the car drove down the road, out of sight.
"Bye!" Helga and Alana called in unison, waving as well. As soon as Phoebe's car was out of sight, the 2 girls turned to each other.
"So, Alana, what did you say about you and parents' plans?" Helga asked, as she and Alana began walking down the sidewalk, not really going anywhere in-particular.
"Oh, yeah, my parents' plans to go visit my grandparents that I have only heard a tiny bit about! Well, I said... what I just said! Do you and your parents have any plans for the summer?" Alana asked, looking at Helga, who sighed and looked down.
"Nope. They never plan any special summer vacation things. Unless my perfect older sister, Ol-ga, is coming to visit. Which, she probably is. I just can't stand her! Trust me, don't even ask what she's like, Lani, all you'll get is answers that have to do with something 'perfect.' As you can probably tell, I strongly dislike her." Helga spat, looking back up, and crossing her arms.
"Hmm, I guess there's something else we don't have in common. I don't have any brothers or sisters, and I wish I did. I think those relationships are special." Alana said, smiling. Helga looked at her, wide eyed, and with half of her unibrow raised. 'Now, that is just strange. There's something else that she has in common with Arnold. 1, she every once and a while says a big word, and 2, thinks brother and sister relationships are special. Hmm... she also thinks she heard the name Arnold mentioned before. Besides her mom's dad's name. But, she has parents, and Arnold's parents are dead, so...' Helga thought, looking forward.
"Crimany, you seem to have a lot of things in common with football head, did you know that? First, you every once and a while say words like 'imperceptible', and Second, you are an only child and think sibling relationships are special." Helga said with a slight snicker. Alana gave a small 'hmm,' as they continued walking. All of a sudden, Helga thought of something. "Hey, do you like baseball?"
"Yes, but I have hardly even played it."
"You want to go play it, on my team?"
"You sure your friends would allow me to?"
"Pff, if they don't like it, I could always just introduce them to Old Betsy." (Helga had told Alana about Old Betsy the day before, because her, Phoebe, and Alana all helped Phoebe pack)
"Hee, hee, hee. Ok then, but don't get too mad if I don't play very well. I never had any real playing on it, because where I used live wasn't exactly the best place to play baseball." Alana said, holding up her right index finger, to make sure Helga got her point.
"Yeah, yeah, I don't get mad at my friends that often. Well, I get mad at the boys or the snobbish or goody-two-shoes girls. Like this girl named Rhonda, or this girl named Lila." Helga said, saying 'Lila' through gritted teeth. Alana took notice of Helga's sudden change of attitude at the mention of the name Lila.
"You must not like that girl you mentioned; Lila." Alana pointed out, and Helga scoffed as they continued walking down the sidewalk to Gerald Field.
"I wouldn't use not like. I would use hate." Helga said, making Alana look at her angrily.
"No one should ever hate someone else! I mean, there are some people that make you want to hate them, but you shouldn't ever, and I repeat, EVER, hate them!" Alana said, scowling at Helga.
"Ok, ok, strongly dislike. Like my sister Olga."
"Well, it's a LITTLE better, but oh well, it's good enough. Anyway, where're we going?"
"My friend's and my baseball field, that we call Gerald Field."
"Why did you call it that?"
"Arnold's best friend, Gerald, wanted to name it that. And so did Arnold. So, since Arnold and Gerald were the ones that found it anyway, they got to name it, and it's now officially Gerald Field."
"Oh."
They walked on for a little ways longer, until they came to Gerald Field, where almost everyone was at. They all turned and looked at Helga and Alana. "Hey, Helga! Who's your little friend? A fourth grader? Phoebe wasn't here so you had to threaten a little fourth grader to be your best friend until Phoebe comes back?" Harold yelled, then broke out in laughter. Both Helga's and Alana's eyes filled with anger.
"No, Pink Boy, and if you continue to think so, or call Alana a little fourth grader, you'll be introduced to Old Betsy AND the Five Avengers!! For one thing, we used to be fourth graders last year, so you can't make fun of her about that!!!" Helga yelled, taking several steps closer to him, scaring him half to death.
"I take it that you're the obnoxious, whiny, 14-year-old bully that Helga was warning me about?" Alana shouted, and Harold crossed his arms, frowning. Helga looked at Alana in shock. 'Well, there's something that she definitely doesn't have in common with Arnold.' she thought, blinking, and looking back at Harold, who looked like he was about to go into a temper tantrum.
"Ok, now that that's settled, guys, this is Alana. She just moved her with her parents, and if any of you have any comments on her being a year younger than us, you'll have a chance to meet Old Betsy!" Helga said, holding out her fist. "She wants to play baseball with us, on my team. Anyone going to protest?" everyone shook their heads. "Good."
So, they all took their positions, and Alana took a seat on the bench, waiting for her turn to bat. She watched some of Helga's friends doing a bunch different things, but since she only knew a little bit, and that was because she'd watched it on tv in her house, she didn't know hardly anything of what the things were called. Then she heard Helga call her, taking her out of her daydream, "HEY ALANA, YOU'RE UP! AND DON'T WORRY IF YOU DON'T DO WELL, I STILL WON'T BE MAD!" Alana shook her head, and smiled nervously, walking up to her position. She'd seen the person batting on tv, and took his position.
The pitcher, who just so happened to be Arnold, threw one towards her, and once she saw it coming at her, she swung hard, almost falling down. She surprisingly hit it, and it was flying overhead. She saw it, smiled, and began running. Sid stuck his glove up in the air, all ready to catch the ball, but it had different plans. Sid's eyes widened, just as the ball came down, hitting his head. "OW!!" Sid cried, falling backwards onto the ground, holding his head. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and ran over to Sid to see if he was ok.
"Are you alright? If that was my fault or something, I'm sorry!" Alana said, shaking her head. Helga examined Sid's head, and stood up.
"He's fine, it's just a small bump, not a concussion." she said, and Sid stood up, staring at her with wide eyes.
"Not a concussion!? How can you say that?! It feels like my head got smashed with a sledgehammer!!!" Sid cried, overreacting, as usual, his arms failing around in the air. "And another thing, how can YOU tell it isn't a concussion?!"
"Sid, calm down!" Arnold, of course, said, putting his hands on Sid's arms, so he would calm down.
"Calm down!? Calm down!? I got hit in the head with a baseball, and you say calm down!?"
"Uh, well, since I started all of this, I'll just be leaving now..." Alana said, and began to back out of the baseball field. Then she felt a couple hands on her shoulders, stopping her from leaving. She spun around to see Helga standing there.
"You did not start that, it happens all the time. Plus, Sid just likes to overreact." she said, and Alana began to walk around her. "Where are you going?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. Alana turned towards her, and pointed to her watch.
"I'm suppose to get back home by 5:00 p.m., and it is 5:00. Hey, you wanna get away from this fight and go with me to my house? Or maybe even spend the night and then tomorrow go to my grandparents' house to meet them with me and my parents? I mean, if you want to, since you don't have any plans for the summer and all." Alana offered, and Helga shrugged.
"Nah, I don't want to intrude on your family reunion or anything. I mean, I have plenty of time to spend the night and such later this summer. It's only the first day." Helga said, and Alana sighed.
"Ok, see you on Wednesday, okay?"
"Okay, later."
"Bye."