Author's Note: Never thought I'd need one of these ^.^ Thanks to all who
reviewed this fic and who (I hope) will review this fic in the future.
You're a great inspiration! Thanks again-as for the fic-two updates in a
week! It's amazing! XD I'm making up for not being able to update over the
weekend as I'm going to be in St. Louise so please keep up the reviews it
helps me keep this story goin'. Love y'all!
~*Crystaltear*~
~~~~~~~
When Helga came into the cold white room her eyes quickly scanned the place. There was a heart monitor beeping quickly and IVs attached to the young Japanese girl who sat looking out the window with half-closed eyes. Her hair had been pulled back into a small ponytail and she was washed up. Her eye was black and swollen, her lip broken open-but she looked much better than she had in the alley. She wore a hospital gown and held her blanket tightly to her chest, as if to protect her pounding heart from being heard. The sight of her best friend made Helga's eyes fill with tears. "Phoebs?" She turned to look at Helga and a small smile broke across her lips.
"Hey, Helga." She replied, her voice hoarse and cracked. "Thanks-for finding me."
"Your mother called me and informed me that you'd not arrived home-I was worried about ya, buddy. I was naturally gonna look for ya." The girl in the bed gave a soft whimper as she closed her eyes and looked away. "Who was the creep, Phoebs? I can't just let the jerk get away with hurting you- "
"He hurt me more than you'll know, Helga." She sighed. "I don't know who he was, he wore a mask. He wouldn't let me go. Helga, I even begged for him to release me. He just laughed and h-he h-h-hit me. When he was. finished. He hit me in my head and I woke up here. They told me you found me. Who's here, Helga? I know my mother and father are but-"
"Arnold and Gerald are here too, Phoebs." Phoebe inhaled sharply.
"I don't want him here."
"He's worried. He has every right to be worried about you."
"He hurt me worse than the creep who raped me did." Helga sat on Phoebe's bed at her side, taking her friend's hand in hers. "Helga, when I saw them together-I wanted to die. I didn't want to see them. I didn't want him to run a dagger through my heart until I lost control. I rarely lose control and I was fighting to keep it. I don't blame Nadine for what's happened, Gerald is a very handsome guy and I know I'm not the only one with eyes for him. It just hurts when he accepts someone over you when you don't just long for his body, but you-love him. Love him with all your heart, soul, and being. And when he refuses you. Well, you of all people know what I'm talking about."
"I do know what you're talkin' about, and I know what you're sayin'. But sometimes ya just gotta let go. Ya have to be able to say goodbye or no one will be happy, least of all you."
"You never said goodbye to Arnold." Helga's eyes shot up instantly to Phoebe who was looking at Helga with calm eyes. "How do you know how to say goodbye when you feel the emotions to the same degree I do and he still refuses to see the obvious-that you love him? How will you ever say goodbye to him and open your heart for another when your heart beats only for him? Helga, I can't lose Gerald." A tear rolled down her cheek from her uninjured eye. "After all this he's the only one I think about, and yet I refuse to see him. I'm terrified if he sees me he'll find even more reason to stay away-to be with Nadine. I'm filthy. Dirty. I'm used-damaged goods. Why would he want to even look at me?"
"Because, Phoebs. Because Gerald loves you. He always has and he always will. He didn't know what to do about Nadine. Here, I'll send him in and-"
"NO! No, I cannot face him. He will laugh at me. I can't." A nurse stepped into the room looking at the distraught Phoebe.
"Honey, your pulse is going you too high, you'll need to relax. Miss- You'll need to come with me. She's getting worked up and that's not good for her in this state. You can visit tomorrow when she's well rested." Helga nodded to Phoebe as she headed out the door. She paused in the doorway.
"I'll be back tomorrow. Take care of yourself, k?" Phoebe nodded, yawning. Helga smiled faintly and left the room to go back to the waiting room with Phoebe's friends and family.
"How is she?" Gerald demanded standing swiftly, approaching Helga. "Is she alright? Helga! C'mon already!"
"Well, she's just great for being raped, Geraldo." She hissed turning back to Arnold and the Heyerdahls. "Phoebe's gotten worked up-she needs to rest and she's ashamed to be seen by any of you. She feels dirty and not like herself. I'm sure she'll see you soon, though. I'm gonna see her tomorrow after school-bring her her homework. Nothing cheers Phoebs up more than homework, y'know. I suggest y'all go on home and wait 'till tomorrow to get word from Phoebs, no one's allowed in anyways in case she gets worked up again." Mr. and Mrs. Heyerdahl left first, then Gerald's parents came by. Arnold stayed behind, waiting for Helga to get her coat.
"Want me to walk you home, Helga?"
"Whatever floats your boat, Football-Head." He smiled faintly and opened the door for her. Inside Helga was sighing dreamily. "What didja want to walk with me for?"
"What made Phoebe so worked up, Helga?" Helga openly sighed.
"Listen, Arnold, I'll only tell if you DON'T tell." Arnold blinked in confusion. She had just used his real name.
"I won't tell, I promise."
"I wanted Gerald to talk to her." Arnold blinked at her then raised his brow. "Phoebe still has it bad for Geraldo, ya see? She's scared to see him-she thinks he'll see her as damaged goods and will cling more to Nadine. She's terrified of him."
"Oh. I get it."
"Arnold, how would you like to help me play matchmaker when Phoebe's better?" Arnold smiled slightly at the thought and "Hmmmed".
"Well, maybe. Gerald's really not all that interested in Nadine. He just went out with her because he didn't have a girlfriend and she was looking for a boyfriend. He was. convenient."
"Geez, when I talk to you it's like I'm talking with Phoebe." She rolled her eyes. "Listen, Arnoldo, if we do this we'll have to work together. You can't chew me out for being myself in the meantime. not even at school. Got it?"
"Well, if it helps Phoebs and Gerald."
~*Crystaltear*~
~~~~~~~
When Helga came into the cold white room her eyes quickly scanned the place. There was a heart monitor beeping quickly and IVs attached to the young Japanese girl who sat looking out the window with half-closed eyes. Her hair had been pulled back into a small ponytail and she was washed up. Her eye was black and swollen, her lip broken open-but she looked much better than she had in the alley. She wore a hospital gown and held her blanket tightly to her chest, as if to protect her pounding heart from being heard. The sight of her best friend made Helga's eyes fill with tears. "Phoebs?" She turned to look at Helga and a small smile broke across her lips.
"Hey, Helga." She replied, her voice hoarse and cracked. "Thanks-for finding me."
"Your mother called me and informed me that you'd not arrived home-I was worried about ya, buddy. I was naturally gonna look for ya." The girl in the bed gave a soft whimper as she closed her eyes and looked away. "Who was the creep, Phoebs? I can't just let the jerk get away with hurting you- "
"He hurt me more than you'll know, Helga." She sighed. "I don't know who he was, he wore a mask. He wouldn't let me go. Helga, I even begged for him to release me. He just laughed and h-he h-h-hit me. When he was. finished. He hit me in my head and I woke up here. They told me you found me. Who's here, Helga? I know my mother and father are but-"
"Arnold and Gerald are here too, Phoebs." Phoebe inhaled sharply.
"I don't want him here."
"He's worried. He has every right to be worried about you."
"He hurt me worse than the creep who raped me did." Helga sat on Phoebe's bed at her side, taking her friend's hand in hers. "Helga, when I saw them together-I wanted to die. I didn't want to see them. I didn't want him to run a dagger through my heart until I lost control. I rarely lose control and I was fighting to keep it. I don't blame Nadine for what's happened, Gerald is a very handsome guy and I know I'm not the only one with eyes for him. It just hurts when he accepts someone over you when you don't just long for his body, but you-love him. Love him with all your heart, soul, and being. And when he refuses you. Well, you of all people know what I'm talking about."
"I do know what you're talkin' about, and I know what you're sayin'. But sometimes ya just gotta let go. Ya have to be able to say goodbye or no one will be happy, least of all you."
"You never said goodbye to Arnold." Helga's eyes shot up instantly to Phoebe who was looking at Helga with calm eyes. "How do you know how to say goodbye when you feel the emotions to the same degree I do and he still refuses to see the obvious-that you love him? How will you ever say goodbye to him and open your heart for another when your heart beats only for him? Helga, I can't lose Gerald." A tear rolled down her cheek from her uninjured eye. "After all this he's the only one I think about, and yet I refuse to see him. I'm terrified if he sees me he'll find even more reason to stay away-to be with Nadine. I'm filthy. Dirty. I'm used-damaged goods. Why would he want to even look at me?"
"Because, Phoebs. Because Gerald loves you. He always has and he always will. He didn't know what to do about Nadine. Here, I'll send him in and-"
"NO! No, I cannot face him. He will laugh at me. I can't." A nurse stepped into the room looking at the distraught Phoebe.
"Honey, your pulse is going you too high, you'll need to relax. Miss- You'll need to come with me. She's getting worked up and that's not good for her in this state. You can visit tomorrow when she's well rested." Helga nodded to Phoebe as she headed out the door. She paused in the doorway.
"I'll be back tomorrow. Take care of yourself, k?" Phoebe nodded, yawning. Helga smiled faintly and left the room to go back to the waiting room with Phoebe's friends and family.
"How is she?" Gerald demanded standing swiftly, approaching Helga. "Is she alright? Helga! C'mon already!"
"Well, she's just great for being raped, Geraldo." She hissed turning back to Arnold and the Heyerdahls. "Phoebe's gotten worked up-she needs to rest and she's ashamed to be seen by any of you. She feels dirty and not like herself. I'm sure she'll see you soon, though. I'm gonna see her tomorrow after school-bring her her homework. Nothing cheers Phoebs up more than homework, y'know. I suggest y'all go on home and wait 'till tomorrow to get word from Phoebs, no one's allowed in anyways in case she gets worked up again." Mr. and Mrs. Heyerdahl left first, then Gerald's parents came by. Arnold stayed behind, waiting for Helga to get her coat.
"Want me to walk you home, Helga?"
"Whatever floats your boat, Football-Head." He smiled faintly and opened the door for her. Inside Helga was sighing dreamily. "What didja want to walk with me for?"
"What made Phoebe so worked up, Helga?" Helga openly sighed.
"Listen, Arnold, I'll only tell if you DON'T tell." Arnold blinked in confusion. She had just used his real name.
"I won't tell, I promise."
"I wanted Gerald to talk to her." Arnold blinked at her then raised his brow. "Phoebe still has it bad for Geraldo, ya see? She's scared to see him-she thinks he'll see her as damaged goods and will cling more to Nadine. She's terrified of him."
"Oh. I get it."
"Arnold, how would you like to help me play matchmaker when Phoebe's better?" Arnold smiled slightly at the thought and "Hmmmed".
"Well, maybe. Gerald's really not all that interested in Nadine. He just went out with her because he didn't have a girlfriend and she was looking for a boyfriend. He was. convenient."
"Geez, when I talk to you it's like I'm talking with Phoebe." She rolled her eyes. "Listen, Arnoldo, if we do this we'll have to work together. You can't chew me out for being myself in the meantime. not even at school. Got it?"
"Well, if it helps Phoebs and Gerald."