Silent Night
For Disclaimer please view Authors Note!
Olga
The tryouts took the rest of the school day to finish. The only person that I didn't want in this play was Rhonda. She was a snotty little rich girl who thought she was the queen of the world. She complained about how hard it would be to walk across the stage in her new Go-go platform shoes.
Arnold and I left a little early instead of listening to Principle Wartz finish telling everyone all of the people in the play.
"Helga? Do you mind if I walk with you?" Arnold asked as I was turning down an alleyway.
"Sure, Arnoldo. Just don't try anything." I said jokingly. He followed me for a second straying only a foot or two behind me. He caught up after he realized I was only joking. He was suddenly quite interested in a small crack that was running along the ground.
"So, how've you been?" He asked trying to make conversation. I laughed. "What's so funny?"
"Come on, Arnold! You can do better than that!" I replied, lightly pushing his shoulder.
"Let me see you come up with something better!"
"Would you like to come in?" I asked making up something better and being serious because I saw my house only a few steps away.
"Okay, you are better at making conversation than me." He said looking up at me. Then I saw a car that didn't come around to much. "Olga's here?"
"Yes. I forgot all about that! Why does she have to come?" I asked myself sitting down on the stoop.
"Helga. Why do you hate her so much? She tried her hardest to get to know you but you just keep pushing away." Arnold said looking at the door behind me. I felt a gush of wind roll past me and my hair flew into my face. Arnold brushed it behind my ear and I smiled.
"She doesn't get it! I try my hardest to try to let her get to know me then my family just. . ." I confided in Arnold. He took hold of my hand and pulled me up.
"Walk with me?" He asked. I knew he wanted me to tell him everything. But I had never told anyone anything like this besides my journal. I could never find anyone who wanted to listen to my troubles besides Phoebe who had enough troubles herself.
"Okay. They even call me Olga. They don't care what I do, think, or say. It's like I don't exist to them. They just want me to be another Olga. I hate it. They ignore me all of the time. . ."
"I see. . . It looks like you need to talk to them."
"Like I haven't tried! I went on a road trip with Miriam, I spent a weekend with Bob, and I talked to both of them. I had the time of my life with them. It looked like they did, too. But when we got back it went back to how it normally was." I told him completely forgetting that I'd never told anyone.
"This is a hard one. I think that it's no use what I say. You have to do this one on your own." He thought.
"No, Arnold! This has everything to do with you! You the only thing that can take my mind away from the world." I stopped grabbing my mouth as if I had let a nasty word slip out.
"Helga. It's okay." He said putting rubbing his warm hand on my freezing face. I closed my eyes. If there was such a place as dreamland I was there.
Suddenly it started to snow. I opened my eyes and looked up. It was as if the heavens were opening up and every angel was watching over us. It was the most romantic thing ever. For the first time in my life I knew nothing bad was going to happen and if it did Arnold was there with me.
"May I have this dance?" I heard Arnold say, pulling me from my thoughts. It was all right, though. I didn't have to think about this one.
"I don't hear music." I answered giggling.
"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day. When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May. I guess you'd say, what can make me feel this way? My girl talking about my girl. My girl." He didn't have to sing. The second he stopped bells were ringing. It was like a miracle. I looked up once more. Arnold grabbed my hand and put his other arm around my waist. We danced in the snow. "Helga? I've got to tell you something."
"What is it?" I asked lovingly. I looked into his eyes and felt my heart melt in to a red puddle. It was hard to breath.
"I think I. . ." He stuttered. I knew what he was going to say. I didn't believe it. I thought he was just caught in the moment.
"Arnold. Don't say anything you'll regret tomorrow."
"I'll only regret it if I don't say it. Helga, I think I love you." He said.
"Two things, Arnold. You said you think you do and you love a lot of people!" I said pulling away from him.
"Yeah, your right. I do love a lot of people. But you're the only person. . . that I'm in love with. You believe me, don't you? Please say you do!"
"We're getting married, now?" I laughed. Arnold looked at me and smiled.
"Something like that." He knelt down with a twinkle in his eye. I laughed and looked around like I was embarrassed. I wasn't, though. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He took my hand again and looked me in the eye. "Helga? Will you go out with me? I know we're not ready. But I've never had a real girlfriend and I want you to be my first. And if it's possible, my last."
"Arnold! Listen to what your saying here!" I said, but he was a few seconds away from standing up. "As long as you're not going to shout 'Holiday Fool!' I would love to!" He slipped a ring on my finger and kissed my hand.
Arnold looked around and said, "Beautiful!"
"Yeah, it is. And it's snowing! Just makes it that much more perfect." I replied.
"Yeah. But I was talking about you." He said.
"Arnold. Can I show you something?" I asked. He nodded. I drew a deep breath and pulled out my locket. I showed him the picture inside it. He smiled widely when he saw it. His smile was so perfect it was almost unbelievable. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Arnold said leaning in to kiss me. This time I didn't stop him.
"Well, well, well. . . I thought for sure you'd end up with me Arnold! Don't see how you'd go as low as Helga!"
Olga
The tryouts took the rest of the school day to finish. The only person that I didn't want in this play was Rhonda. She was a snotty little rich girl who thought she was the queen of the world. She complained about how hard it would be to walk across the stage in her new Go-go platform shoes.
Arnold and I left a little early instead of listening to Principle Wartz finish telling everyone all of the people in the play.
"Helga? Do you mind if I walk with you?" Arnold asked as I was turning down an alleyway.
"Sure, Arnoldo. Just don't try anything." I said jokingly. He followed me for a second straying only a foot or two behind me. He caught up after he realized I was only joking. He was suddenly quite interested in a small crack that was running along the ground.
"So, how've you been?" He asked trying to make conversation. I laughed. "What's so funny?"
"Come on, Arnold! You can do better than that!" I replied, lightly pushing his shoulder.
"Let me see you come up with something better!"
"Would you like to come in?" I asked making up something better and being serious because I saw my house only a few steps away.
"Okay, you are better at making conversation than me." He said looking up at me. Then I saw a car that didn't come around to much. "Olga's here?"
"Yes. I forgot all about that! Why does she have to come?" I asked myself sitting down on the stoop.
"Helga. Why do you hate her so much? She tried her hardest to get to know you but you just keep pushing away." Arnold said looking at the door behind me. I felt a gush of wind roll past me and my hair flew into my face. Arnold brushed it behind my ear and I smiled.
"She doesn't get it! I try my hardest to try to let her get to know me then my family just. . ." I confided in Arnold. He took hold of my hand and pulled me up.
"Walk with me?" He asked. I knew he wanted me to tell him everything. But I had never told anyone anything like this besides my journal. I could never find anyone who wanted to listen to my troubles besides Phoebe who had enough troubles herself.
"Okay. They even call me Olga. They don't care what I do, think, or say. It's like I don't exist to them. They just want me to be another Olga. I hate it. They ignore me all of the time. . ."
"I see. . . It looks like you need to talk to them."
"Like I haven't tried! I went on a road trip with Miriam, I spent a weekend with Bob, and I talked to both of them. I had the time of my life with them. It looked like they did, too. But when we got back it went back to how it normally was." I told him completely forgetting that I'd never told anyone.
"This is a hard one. I think that it's no use what I say. You have to do this one on your own." He thought.
"No, Arnold! This has everything to do with you! You the only thing that can take my mind away from the world." I stopped grabbing my mouth as if I had let a nasty word slip out.
"Helga. It's okay." He said putting rubbing his warm hand on my freezing face. I closed my eyes. If there was such a place as dreamland I was there.
Suddenly it started to snow. I opened my eyes and looked up. It was as if the heavens were opening up and every angel was watching over us. It was the most romantic thing ever. For the first time in my life I knew nothing bad was going to happen and if it did Arnold was there with me.
"May I have this dance?" I heard Arnold say, pulling me from my thoughts. It was all right, though. I didn't have to think about this one.
"I don't hear music." I answered giggling.
"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day. When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May. I guess you'd say, what can make me feel this way? My girl talking about my girl. My girl." He didn't have to sing. The second he stopped bells were ringing. It was like a miracle. I looked up once more. Arnold grabbed my hand and put his other arm around my waist. We danced in the snow. "Helga? I've got to tell you something."
"What is it?" I asked lovingly. I looked into his eyes and felt my heart melt in to a red puddle. It was hard to breath.
"I think I. . ." He stuttered. I knew what he was going to say. I didn't believe it. I thought he was just caught in the moment.
"Arnold. Don't say anything you'll regret tomorrow."
"I'll only regret it if I don't say it. Helga, I think I love you." He said.
"Two things, Arnold. You said you think you do and you love a lot of people!" I said pulling away from him.
"Yeah, your right. I do love a lot of people. But you're the only person. . . that I'm in love with. You believe me, don't you? Please say you do!"
"We're getting married, now?" I laughed. Arnold looked at me and smiled.
"Something like that." He knelt down with a twinkle in his eye. I laughed and looked around like I was embarrassed. I wasn't, though. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He took my hand again and looked me in the eye. "Helga? Will you go out with me? I know we're not ready. But I've never had a real girlfriend and I want you to be my first. And if it's possible, my last."
"Arnold! Listen to what your saying here!" I said, but he was a few seconds away from standing up. "As long as you're not going to shout 'Holiday Fool!' I would love to!" He slipped a ring on my finger and kissed my hand.
Arnold looked around and said, "Beautiful!"
"Yeah, it is. And it's snowing! Just makes it that much more perfect." I replied.
"Yeah. But I was talking about you." He said.
"Arnold. Can I show you something?" I asked. He nodded. I drew a deep breath and pulled out my locket. I showed him the picture inside it. He smiled widely when he saw it. His smile was so perfect it was almost unbelievable. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Arnold said leaning in to kiss me. This time I didn't stop him.
"Well, well, well. . . I thought for sure you'd end up with me Arnold! Don't see how you'd go as low as Helga!"