Nadine told no one of the note she found. She didn't think anyone
would believe her anyway. She went to school the next day rather solemnly.
Rhonda went on all day talking about the new "in" styles. Nadine didn't
listen to Rhonda, however, she was so preoccupied with the note. Finally,
she swallowed her pride and approached Phoebe who was sitting in a chair
waiting for lunch to end. Gerald had just gone to dump his tray and Arnold
and Helga were studying together at a nearby table. Nadine sat in Gerald's
chair. She cleared her throat nervously. "Uhm, Phoebe, can I talk with
you.? I know we've not been close ever, but we got farther after Gerald-
Uhm, yeah. I had a problem, and I know you can help me. I don't know what
else to do, Phoebe."
"What is it, Nadine?" Phoebe asked in her calm, reassuring voice. Nadine sighed softly and pulled the note out of her pocket and put it in Phoebe's hand. Phoebe scanned the note briefly before her frown deepened. "What's been going on? Where did you get this?"
"Things have been going missing for two weeks." She sighed heavily. "And yesterday I changed into one of the only dresses that haven't gone missing and I rolled my head on my shoulders. I heard a crinkling noise so I reached behind my neck. It was hidden inside the tag." Phoebe's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You things have been missing? From your house?" She nodded. "Nadine, you're gonna have to take this with me to the police. They have to see that he's going to attack again."
"You think this is Arnie?"
"Ask Arnold for a sample of his handwriting. I'll bet it's identical." Nadine looked nervous.
"Do you think he'll-"
"No, he won't do the same thing twice. I don't know what he'll do. You can stay the night with me, Nadine. I want to make sure you're safe. What are friends for?" Nadine looked at Phoebe with startled eyes.
"You still think of me as your friend-after I got with Gerald?"
"What can I say? You've got a good taste in men." She smiled faintly at the mixed girl and offered her her hand. "Friends?"
"Friends."
"I'll help protect you. We'll need to tell Helga, Gerald, and Arnold. They were there for me, and they'll help you as well. I just know it. If you'll trust us."
"What do I have to lose?"
"Hey, ladies." Both girls turned their eyes on Gerald who looked from the worried Phoebe to the nervous Nadine. "What's going on?" Phoebe stood up and motioned Gerald to sit down. Blinking, he did and Phoebe sat on his lap so no one would have to stand.
"Nadine, may I?" Nadine nodded, looking away from the couple. Phoebe passed the note to Gerald who read it then blinked and read it again.
"Oh, no you're not! If that ass hole touches you, Nadine I'll kill him!" Nadine blushed faintly and she felt herself smile in gratitude at Gerald's protectiveness. "We'll get him. We'll have to." The bell rang and Gerald sighed as Phoebe stood and gathered her things. "I'll tell Arnold and Helga, you watch out for Nadine."
"Affirmative." Phoebe replied as she nodded to Nadine as they headed off to class. They had the next hour together. They walked off together to get to class.
Rhonda saw Phoebe and Nadine enter the class together talking in hushed tones. Rhonda's eyes narrowed in puzzlement and shock as Phoebe took the chair behind Nadine and whispered to her. Rhonda cleared her throat elaborately, to catch Nadine's attention. Nadine smiled apologetically as she and Phoebe worked together.
~*~*~*~*~
Gerald showed Arnold and Helga the note in their art class they shared. Arnold and Helga exchanged glances and shared unspoken words. Gerald noticed the exchange with a soft smile on his lips. He fought back a chuckle at the look on Arnold's face as Helga looked away. Was it possible that his best friend could ACTUALLY be falling for Helga G. Pataki? That was something he thought he'd never see. Helga blinked at Gerald. "Yo, Geraldo! I'm talking to you here!"
"Er. Sorry. I was lost in thought."
"You were grinning." Helga commented dryly. "This is no time for grinning. It's a time for thinking. C'mon! Arnie's gonna hurt Nadine unless we figure out a way to protect her. We still don't know why he's attacking people." Gerald frowned slightly.
"Well, Nadine's staying with Phoebe tonight, so she'll be okay. It will buy us some time. Arnold, can Helga and I come to your place tonight? We can discuss it then. We'll figure out what to do and why he's doing it then."
"Yeah, it's fine. We better start working. The teacher's looking at us." They took out the paints and began working.
~*~*~*~*~
Nadine called her mother as soon as school was out to ask her to bring a change of clothes over to Phoebe's house. She explained that she was staying with Phoebe that night to finish a project. Her mother came with Nadine's clothes and she asked why Nadine's clothes were missing. "Uhm." She said, looking at Phoebe nervously, "Rhonda borrowed them." Her mother seemed satisfied with that answer and she nodded, leaving. Phoebe set up a sleeping blanket and pillow on the floor so Nadine could have the bed. They were soon asleep.
Phoebe awoke with a start, a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. It was storming outside, thunder and lightning booming outside. She sat up and looked at the bed. Nadine was sitting up as well, her knees drawn up to her chest. Phoebe's eyes shifted to the alarm clock. 3:04. A crash of thunder made Phoebe jump to her feet and rush to Nadine's side. They were both shivering. Suddenly, Phoebe's eyes were drawn to the window. What she saw made her clutch the blankets in her fists. A familiar football- shaped head was leering at her with large, vacant blue eyes. A grin slowly spread on his face as he made to open the window. Nadine screamed in fright and as Phoebe grabbed the phone and dialed 9-1-1.
"What is it, Nadine?" Phoebe asked in her calm, reassuring voice. Nadine sighed softly and pulled the note out of her pocket and put it in Phoebe's hand. Phoebe scanned the note briefly before her frown deepened. "What's been going on? Where did you get this?"
"Things have been going missing for two weeks." She sighed heavily. "And yesterday I changed into one of the only dresses that haven't gone missing and I rolled my head on my shoulders. I heard a crinkling noise so I reached behind my neck. It was hidden inside the tag." Phoebe's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You things have been missing? From your house?" She nodded. "Nadine, you're gonna have to take this with me to the police. They have to see that he's going to attack again."
"You think this is Arnie?"
"Ask Arnold for a sample of his handwriting. I'll bet it's identical." Nadine looked nervous.
"Do you think he'll-"
"No, he won't do the same thing twice. I don't know what he'll do. You can stay the night with me, Nadine. I want to make sure you're safe. What are friends for?" Nadine looked at Phoebe with startled eyes.
"You still think of me as your friend-after I got with Gerald?"
"What can I say? You've got a good taste in men." She smiled faintly at the mixed girl and offered her her hand. "Friends?"
"Friends."
"I'll help protect you. We'll need to tell Helga, Gerald, and Arnold. They were there for me, and they'll help you as well. I just know it. If you'll trust us."
"What do I have to lose?"
"Hey, ladies." Both girls turned their eyes on Gerald who looked from the worried Phoebe to the nervous Nadine. "What's going on?" Phoebe stood up and motioned Gerald to sit down. Blinking, he did and Phoebe sat on his lap so no one would have to stand.
"Nadine, may I?" Nadine nodded, looking away from the couple. Phoebe passed the note to Gerald who read it then blinked and read it again.
"Oh, no you're not! If that ass hole touches you, Nadine I'll kill him!" Nadine blushed faintly and she felt herself smile in gratitude at Gerald's protectiveness. "We'll get him. We'll have to." The bell rang and Gerald sighed as Phoebe stood and gathered her things. "I'll tell Arnold and Helga, you watch out for Nadine."
"Affirmative." Phoebe replied as she nodded to Nadine as they headed off to class. They had the next hour together. They walked off together to get to class.
Rhonda saw Phoebe and Nadine enter the class together talking in hushed tones. Rhonda's eyes narrowed in puzzlement and shock as Phoebe took the chair behind Nadine and whispered to her. Rhonda cleared her throat elaborately, to catch Nadine's attention. Nadine smiled apologetically as she and Phoebe worked together.
~*~*~*~*~
Gerald showed Arnold and Helga the note in their art class they shared. Arnold and Helga exchanged glances and shared unspoken words. Gerald noticed the exchange with a soft smile on his lips. He fought back a chuckle at the look on Arnold's face as Helga looked away. Was it possible that his best friend could ACTUALLY be falling for Helga G. Pataki? That was something he thought he'd never see. Helga blinked at Gerald. "Yo, Geraldo! I'm talking to you here!"
"Er. Sorry. I was lost in thought."
"You were grinning." Helga commented dryly. "This is no time for grinning. It's a time for thinking. C'mon! Arnie's gonna hurt Nadine unless we figure out a way to protect her. We still don't know why he's attacking people." Gerald frowned slightly.
"Well, Nadine's staying with Phoebe tonight, so she'll be okay. It will buy us some time. Arnold, can Helga and I come to your place tonight? We can discuss it then. We'll figure out what to do and why he's doing it then."
"Yeah, it's fine. We better start working. The teacher's looking at us." They took out the paints and began working.
~*~*~*~*~
Nadine called her mother as soon as school was out to ask her to bring a change of clothes over to Phoebe's house. She explained that she was staying with Phoebe that night to finish a project. Her mother came with Nadine's clothes and she asked why Nadine's clothes were missing. "Uhm." She said, looking at Phoebe nervously, "Rhonda borrowed them." Her mother seemed satisfied with that answer and she nodded, leaving. Phoebe set up a sleeping blanket and pillow on the floor so Nadine could have the bed. They were soon asleep.
Phoebe awoke with a start, a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. It was storming outside, thunder and lightning booming outside. She sat up and looked at the bed. Nadine was sitting up as well, her knees drawn up to her chest. Phoebe's eyes shifted to the alarm clock. 3:04. A crash of thunder made Phoebe jump to her feet and rush to Nadine's side. They were both shivering. Suddenly, Phoebe's eyes were drawn to the window. What she saw made her clutch the blankets in her fists. A familiar football- shaped head was leering at her with large, vacant blue eyes. A grin slowly spread on his face as he made to open the window. Nadine screamed in fright and as Phoebe grabbed the phone and dialed 9-1-1.