Silent Night
For the Disclaimer please view the Authors Note.
Trouble
"Lila! Come on! You knew I wasn't going to end up with you! And don't talk about Helga like that! I love her." He said looking over at Lila who had been taking a walk through the park.
"Yeah right! You know you love me! You always have. Helga! Take that ring off! He meant to give it to me!" Lila screamed.
"Lila. I don't want to start anything but if you don't stop I'm going to take action!" Arnold said loudly. I couldn't believe he was sticking up for me. And he was sticking up for me to Lila! He looked furious.
"Come on Arnold. Let's just go." Arnold nodded, grabbed my hand, and led me out of the park. I could tell he was really mad because he was pulling me along. "Ouch! Arnold! You're hurting me!"
"Oh. I'm so sorry, Helga. I didn't mean to. I'm really sorry that Lila showed up. I think I finally know what it feels like to hate someone. I can't believe she said that! I mean she's Lila! You wouldn't think she'd say that."
"I would. You've never wondered why I hate her so much?" I asked. I could have cried at that moment if I had the guts to cry in front of Arnold.
"You mean she's done things like this to you?" He asked me with a hurt look on his face.
"Oh, yeah, plenty of times. Last week, I had my locket out and she saw it. She told me that I might as well give it to her because she was going to end up with you, not me. I would have pounded her face in but I thought she was right." I went on. Arnold just stared at me in disbelief.
"I can't believe she'd do such a thing. She just doesn't get that she turned me down!" He shouted.
"Is that why you asked me? To make her jealous?" I asked tears forming in my eyes. I looked down at my hands that were fumbling in the cold. I felt a tear drip from my eye onto my hands.
"Helga! My goodness! I thought you, of all people, would have known," He said.
"So it's true? Okay. I'm going inside and don't expect to speak to me ever again!" I yelled running up the stoop. I was on the last step when I heard the familiar saying that you hear in every movie.
"Wait! That's not what I meant! I love you!" I opened the door, walked in, slammed it shut, and slid down to a sitting position on the back of the door.
"Oh, baby sister! Is that you?" I heard Olga call from the kitchen. "What's the matter? What happened?"
"You wouldn't understand!" I said though it was muffled slightly.
"Try me! Come on, Helga!" Olga said sisterly. I got up and followed her up stairs. She walked into her room and closed the door when I stepped in. "Now, what happened?"
"I fell in love. He lied. What more do you want to know?"
"Are you sure he lied?" She asked. For once I really appreciated Olga.
"I think. He said, 'I thought you'd know.' After I asked him if he asked me out to make Lila jealous. Then the traditional 'Wait! I didn't mean it! I love you!' Look and see if he's still out there." I said pointing to the window.
"You mean its Arnold? If it is, yes he's still out there and knocking on the door." She informed me. I walked over to her window and sure enough he was out there. "Go into your room and look all pretty. He'll be so upset he'll start to cry!"
I smiled and ran into my room. About one minute later Arnold was knocking on my door. "Who is it?" I called.
"It's me. Helga, please let me talk to you. Let me explain!" He said to the door.
"There isn't much explaining to do, Arnold. You asked me out to make Lila jealous. What more do you want to tell me?" I asked smiling.
"Helga! I didn't mean that! Please let me come in!"
"Sure, you can come in. I have to give you this ring back." I said. He opened the door and walked in.
"Wow. A lot of pink." He remarked. I rolled my eyes and took the ring off of my finger. I tried to hand it to him. "No! Helga! I didn't mean that! It came out wrong! Please let me explain!" He said.
"You can try."
"Thank you so much. That didn't come out right. I meant that I thought you'd be the one person to believe me! I thought you'd know that I wouldn't do that to someone. Particularly, you. I don't like Lila! But even more I don't like it when you're not happy. Helga, if what I said hurt you, I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you! And I'm going to try my best not to hurt you ever again!" He told me. Olga was right. He did start to cry. I was looking out of my window staring at nothing. I felt my bed lean down a little and his hand move my hair away from my neck. "Do you believe me?"
"I don't know. But I'm willing to if you promise me one thing." I said.
"Anything, Beautiful." He said putting his hand on mine.
"If you promise that you love me."
"Of course I do! Who wouldn't?" He smiled.
"Be honest. I've been in love with you since pre kindergarten. If you'd like me to prove it, here." I threw my book into his lap. He was opening it to the front page. "No! Arnold, please, not here. When you go home. I'd be way to embarrassed. That's everything I've written since the beginning of fourth grade. I have one or two for every year, if you want those, too?" He shook his head no and closed the book. I got off of the bed. "Arnold. It's funny. You didn't want to really get to know me until I told you how I really felt about you."
"That's not quite true. Look at this."
Trouble
"Lila! Come on! You knew I wasn't going to end up with you! And don't talk about Helga like that! I love her." He said looking over at Lila who had been taking a walk through the park.
"Yeah right! You know you love me! You always have. Helga! Take that ring off! He meant to give it to me!" Lila screamed.
"Lila. I don't want to start anything but if you don't stop I'm going to take action!" Arnold said loudly. I couldn't believe he was sticking up for me. And he was sticking up for me to Lila! He looked furious.
"Come on Arnold. Let's just go." Arnold nodded, grabbed my hand, and led me out of the park. I could tell he was really mad because he was pulling me along. "Ouch! Arnold! You're hurting me!"
"Oh. I'm so sorry, Helga. I didn't mean to. I'm really sorry that Lila showed up. I think I finally know what it feels like to hate someone. I can't believe she said that! I mean she's Lila! You wouldn't think she'd say that."
"I would. You've never wondered why I hate her so much?" I asked. I could have cried at that moment if I had the guts to cry in front of Arnold.
"You mean she's done things like this to you?" He asked me with a hurt look on his face.
"Oh, yeah, plenty of times. Last week, I had my locket out and she saw it. She told me that I might as well give it to her because she was going to end up with you, not me. I would have pounded her face in but I thought she was right." I went on. Arnold just stared at me in disbelief.
"I can't believe she'd do such a thing. She just doesn't get that she turned me down!" He shouted.
"Is that why you asked me? To make her jealous?" I asked tears forming in my eyes. I looked down at my hands that were fumbling in the cold. I felt a tear drip from my eye onto my hands.
"Helga! My goodness! I thought you, of all people, would have known," He said.
"So it's true? Okay. I'm going inside and don't expect to speak to me ever again!" I yelled running up the stoop. I was on the last step when I heard the familiar saying that you hear in every movie.
"Wait! That's not what I meant! I love you!" I opened the door, walked in, slammed it shut, and slid down to a sitting position on the back of the door.
"Oh, baby sister! Is that you?" I heard Olga call from the kitchen. "What's the matter? What happened?"
"You wouldn't understand!" I said though it was muffled slightly.
"Try me! Come on, Helga!" Olga said sisterly. I got up and followed her up stairs. She walked into her room and closed the door when I stepped in. "Now, what happened?"
"I fell in love. He lied. What more do you want to know?"
"Are you sure he lied?" She asked. For once I really appreciated Olga.
"I think. He said, 'I thought you'd know.' After I asked him if he asked me out to make Lila jealous. Then the traditional 'Wait! I didn't mean it! I love you!' Look and see if he's still out there." I said pointing to the window.
"You mean its Arnold? If it is, yes he's still out there and knocking on the door." She informed me. I walked over to her window and sure enough he was out there. "Go into your room and look all pretty. He'll be so upset he'll start to cry!"
I smiled and ran into my room. About one minute later Arnold was knocking on my door. "Who is it?" I called.
"It's me. Helga, please let me talk to you. Let me explain!" He said to the door.
"There isn't much explaining to do, Arnold. You asked me out to make Lila jealous. What more do you want to tell me?" I asked smiling.
"Helga! I didn't mean that! Please let me come in!"
"Sure, you can come in. I have to give you this ring back." I said. He opened the door and walked in.
"Wow. A lot of pink." He remarked. I rolled my eyes and took the ring off of my finger. I tried to hand it to him. "No! Helga! I didn't mean that! It came out wrong! Please let me explain!" He said.
"You can try."
"Thank you so much. That didn't come out right. I meant that I thought you'd be the one person to believe me! I thought you'd know that I wouldn't do that to someone. Particularly, you. I don't like Lila! But even more I don't like it when you're not happy. Helga, if what I said hurt you, I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you! And I'm going to try my best not to hurt you ever again!" He told me. Olga was right. He did start to cry. I was looking out of my window staring at nothing. I felt my bed lean down a little and his hand move my hair away from my neck. "Do you believe me?"
"I don't know. But I'm willing to if you promise me one thing." I said.
"Anything, Beautiful." He said putting his hand on mine.
"If you promise that you love me."
"Of course I do! Who wouldn't?" He smiled.
"Be honest. I've been in love with you since pre kindergarten. If you'd like me to prove it, here." I threw my book into his lap. He was opening it to the front page. "No! Arnold, please, not here. When you go home. I'd be way to embarrassed. That's everything I've written since the beginning of fourth grade. I have one or two for every year, if you want those, too?" He shook his head no and closed the book. I got off of the bed. "Arnold. It's funny. You didn't want to really get to know me until I told you how I really felt about you."
"That's not quite true. Look at this."