DISCLAIMER: All characters and anything else related to Hey Arnold! was
created by Craig Bartlett...not moi.
Chapter Three Fast Pace
Brainy's old Buick sputtered into the parking lot of the upscale apartments Iggy took up residence in. From rumours Helga had heard, Iggy used to live with his mom but had mysteriously made a whole bunch of cash, and had been emancipated. He was now living by himself, and living quite the luxurious life from what Helga saw as Brainy parked the car.
"Criminy...is that a swimming pool on the roof?" Helga asked, disgusted that someone as vile as Iggy could live so comfortably.
"We're not here to discuss Iggy's living situation, Helga," Brainy reprimanded her, stepping out of the car while Helga followed suit. He then turned to her, looking a little weary. "But what exactly are we here for, Helga? I told you: I'm not going to hurt Iggy...no matter how much I want to." His face darkened, glowering at the prospect.
Helga ran a hand through her messy blonde hair, rolling her hazel eyes as she thought. Truth be told, the only "message" Helga could think to deliver to Iggy was a punch to the face. "I'm not sure...but we have to do something. You know, Brainy...scare him a little, so he doesn't think to come after Phoebe." Helga shuddered involuntarily in the darkness, wondering exactly what Iggy was capable of.
"Well, first off," Brainy began, placing his hands in the pockets of his worn baggy jeans, "we have to figure out which apartment he lives in. I mean, look at this place..." Brainy craned his head up.
The building was very narrow, scaling at least twenty stories. All in all, it had to be large enough to accomodate a few hundred tenements. Helga glanced over at the big wooden sign that was staked right in front of the main office of the apartment complex. Into it, the name of the apartments was carved.
"Equestrian Pointe?" Helga snorted, raising one eyebrow at the sign. "What in the hell kind of name is that for an apartment?"
Suddenly, and out of nowhere, Brainy began to laugh. And it wasn't just his usual light chuckle, it was raucous laughter that echoed all around. Helga looked surprised at Brainy's sudden outburst. She'd never heard him laugh like that. But one other thing about Brainy's laughter was it was highly infectious. Before Helga knew it, she had cracked a grin, and suddenly she was holding her sides, doubled over with laughter herself.
The two laughed for a good five minutes, leaning against the car and eachother for any support they could get. With the laughing as their only means of conveyance, a new bond had formed between Brainy and Helga. The ice that had been between them was melting, and it was as though a second chance had developed. They were friends again--friends only for now--but still, it was a start.
"Right...so..." Brainy said, trying to catch his breath. He straightened up, still grinning, his dark eyes looking over at Helga. Helga stopped laughing too, returning the gaze. His equally dark hair hung in his eyes slightly and for a moment Helga was reminded of his sheer good looks and stunning intensity.
No wonder I fell for him...
Awkward silence fell upon the two as they silently agreed to just walk up to the apartments. The parking lot was rather big, and it seemed they figured an idea would materialize before they reached Equestrian Pointe.
However, thinking of an idea no longer became neccessary as out of the main doors of the complex came a familiar face. He was walking really fast, and though he was still somewhat far away, Helga was almost certain she heard him muttering to himself. The black hair and the bowl-cut gave him away immediately.
"Curley?" Helga called, her expression incredulous as she quickened her pace to meet the little dweeb who had taken it upon himself to bother her all year. A new revelation was dawning on Helga with severity: she hadn't seen Curley all week until this night.
Brainy followed closely behind as Helga called out Curley's name again. Curley didn't even look up although Helga was only a few steps away, but he had stopped and was now merely staring down at the sidewalk path. He was definitely muttering to himself, and dressed in only boxer shorts and a black Star Wars T-shirt. Curiously, his glasses were also gone. He was also shaking violently.
Helga stopped short right in front of Curley, placing a tentative hand upon his shoulder. He jumped and looked around, though it was apparently hard for him to see anything without his thick glasses settled in their usual spot on his nose.
"Curley..." Helga started, unsure of what to say, "...what are you doing here? Do you live here?" It didn't seem likely. The way Curley normally dressed suggested that he wouldn't be found living in a few-thousand-a- month apartment complex.
Curley looked up and suddenly smiled, but something about it was highly unnerving--not the usual nerdy grin that Curley always sported. "Helga! Great to see you. It's such a nice night out, isn't it? Who's your friend? I don't think I've ever seen him around, but he looks kinda familiar. Have we met?" The words poured nonstop out of Curley's mouth, a nonsensical stream that under any other circumstances would have seemed entirely natural considering Curley was oftentimes a rather eccentric individual. But Helga had a bad feeling about this.
Curley was still shaking--bad. He was grinding his teeth audibly enough for both Helga and Brainy to hear. He kept looking around as though he was paranoid.
"Is he OK?" Brainy asked. They were standing under a lampost that lighted the walkway. Brainy was biting his bottom lip nervously. Like Helga, he knew something was up.
"Fine fine..." Curley muttered, and Helga could see him blinking rapidly-- as though REM had set in but Curley wasn't asleep. His upper lip was twitching. "Just great...just great. Fine!"
Something in Helga clicked about Curley behavior. She took a step back from him, her eyes hovering over him cautiously. Finally,
"Curley, what the hell are you on?"
Acting surprised (Curley wasn't the best actor), he looked from Helga to Brainy and then back to Helga, squinting all the while from the strain of not wearing his glasses. "On? What do you mean, Helga? I'm not on anything. Can't a guy walk around without being asked all these questions? Jeez..." Curley tapped his foot. Curley scratched his head. Curley continued to grind his teeth. All in rapid succession. "Look, I gotta get out of here. It was great seeing you guys. Helga, I'll catch you later at school, huh? Save you a seat at lunch, huh? Look, I'll even buy you lunch on Mon--"
Helga's fist was abruptly wrapped around Curley's shirt collar while her other hand gripped hiw black hair. Curley cried out in surprise and even Brainy jumped to alert, wondering whether he should stop Helga or not. Instead, Brainy merely stepped closer, crossing his arms over his chest and surveying the display before him.
"Listen up, Curley old pal," Helga said, her voice dropping to a low and menacing tenor. The years in gradeschool and her reputation as bully all came flooding back for an instant. Helga's eyes were narrowed and her jaw was clenched so hard she could have bit through steel. Curley looked thoroughly frightened, his lip twitching horribly and his face turning an unflattering shade of puce. "I'll deal with your moronic drug addiction later. For now, I want you to tell me one thing: where did you buy your stuff from?" Her grip tightened on his collar, stretching it up so the twerp was practically on his tiptoes.
Curley clutched uselessly at Helga's fist, trying to undo the firm grasp, but then he was flooded with memories of being beaten up by Helga countless times back at PS 118, and knew it was futile. His dilated pupils looked around wildly. "OK, Helga. Shit, don't kill me or anything. Iggy. I got my stuff from Iggy, OK?"
Helga sighed, loosening her grip a fraction of an inch.
Brainy nodded. "Figures," he said. He now addressed Curley. "So where's Iggy's apartment located, Curley?"
"What, are you guys going to buy from him, too? If that isn't hypocrisy then--" Helga gripped tighter, nearly strangling Curley who promptly shut up.
"No, we're not that idiotic, my friend," Helga told Curley. "Now I want you to tell me Iggy's apartment number or you will discover an exact and thorough definition of pain."
At this point, Curley actually looked about ready to burst into tears. He was still shaking uncontrollably, the drug (Helga mentally guessed it was speed) was probably wearing off right now and Curley would be coming down from it. Helga shook her head. Who would have thought?
"1...147B," Curley sputtered out, closing and reopening his eyes quickly. "Helga, I just want to go home. Let go of me, OK?"
Helga complied, letting go of Curley's shirt collar, which was now stretched out around his neck. Curley stumbled back, running both hands through hair.
"I never would have expected you to dabble in something that low, Thadius," Helga said, her voice filled with pity. "You can expect a talk from me later. Now get your ass home."
"Yeah, gotta get home..." Curley mumbled, hugging himself and rubbing his arms with his hands. He now looked a thorough mess, and Brainy was about to suggest giving him a ride home when Curley took off running, sprinting across the parking lot and down the street.
"Jesus Christ..." Helga muttered, placing her head in her palm. "So Iggy makes his money buy selling illegal substances."
"Makes sense," Brainy said, placing a comforting arm around her. "Where else would he get all his money--posing for magazines?" He cracked a grin at her and Helga returned a dim smile.
"He's not that good-looking," she replied, and they both laughed again. "147B..." Helga looked up at the apartments again and they both began walking for the main doors. "Time to pay that creep a well deserved visit."
As they walked through the main doors of Equestrian Pointe, Brainy's arm was still around her.
First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone that has reviewed my stories. If you check back recently, you'll see I've deleted some that I felt weren't going anywhere. But hey, I'm still sticking with Punch Love and though this is the first I've updated in a long ass time, I'm sure not going to let this story die. Hope I still have some fans out there. OO You can expect more updates now, and I promise to finish this story relatively soon. It should be interesting. And just for reference, from now on the "" indicate Helga's thoughts. R&R!
Chapter Three Fast Pace
Brainy's old Buick sputtered into the parking lot of the upscale apartments Iggy took up residence in. From rumours Helga had heard, Iggy used to live with his mom but had mysteriously made a whole bunch of cash, and had been emancipated. He was now living by himself, and living quite the luxurious life from what Helga saw as Brainy parked the car.
"Criminy...is that a swimming pool on the roof?" Helga asked, disgusted that someone as vile as Iggy could live so comfortably.
"We're not here to discuss Iggy's living situation, Helga," Brainy reprimanded her, stepping out of the car while Helga followed suit. He then turned to her, looking a little weary. "But what exactly are we here for, Helga? I told you: I'm not going to hurt Iggy...no matter how much I want to." His face darkened, glowering at the prospect.
Helga ran a hand through her messy blonde hair, rolling her hazel eyes as she thought. Truth be told, the only "message" Helga could think to deliver to Iggy was a punch to the face. "I'm not sure...but we have to do something. You know, Brainy...scare him a little, so he doesn't think to come after Phoebe." Helga shuddered involuntarily in the darkness, wondering exactly what Iggy was capable of.
"Well, first off," Brainy began, placing his hands in the pockets of his worn baggy jeans, "we have to figure out which apartment he lives in. I mean, look at this place..." Brainy craned his head up.
The building was very narrow, scaling at least twenty stories. All in all, it had to be large enough to accomodate a few hundred tenements. Helga glanced over at the big wooden sign that was staked right in front of the main office of the apartment complex. Into it, the name of the apartments was carved.
"Equestrian Pointe?" Helga snorted, raising one eyebrow at the sign. "What in the hell kind of name is that for an apartment?"
Suddenly, and out of nowhere, Brainy began to laugh. And it wasn't just his usual light chuckle, it was raucous laughter that echoed all around. Helga looked surprised at Brainy's sudden outburst. She'd never heard him laugh like that. But one other thing about Brainy's laughter was it was highly infectious. Before Helga knew it, she had cracked a grin, and suddenly she was holding her sides, doubled over with laughter herself.
The two laughed for a good five minutes, leaning against the car and eachother for any support they could get. With the laughing as their only means of conveyance, a new bond had formed between Brainy and Helga. The ice that had been between them was melting, and it was as though a second chance had developed. They were friends again--friends only for now--but still, it was a start.
"Right...so..." Brainy said, trying to catch his breath. He straightened up, still grinning, his dark eyes looking over at Helga. Helga stopped laughing too, returning the gaze. His equally dark hair hung in his eyes slightly and for a moment Helga was reminded of his sheer good looks and stunning intensity.
No wonder I fell for him...
Awkward silence fell upon the two as they silently agreed to just walk up to the apartments. The parking lot was rather big, and it seemed they figured an idea would materialize before they reached Equestrian Pointe.
However, thinking of an idea no longer became neccessary as out of the main doors of the complex came a familiar face. He was walking really fast, and though he was still somewhat far away, Helga was almost certain she heard him muttering to himself. The black hair and the bowl-cut gave him away immediately.
"Curley?" Helga called, her expression incredulous as she quickened her pace to meet the little dweeb who had taken it upon himself to bother her all year. A new revelation was dawning on Helga with severity: she hadn't seen Curley all week until this night.
Brainy followed closely behind as Helga called out Curley's name again. Curley didn't even look up although Helga was only a few steps away, but he had stopped and was now merely staring down at the sidewalk path. He was definitely muttering to himself, and dressed in only boxer shorts and a black Star Wars T-shirt. Curiously, his glasses were also gone. He was also shaking violently.
Helga stopped short right in front of Curley, placing a tentative hand upon his shoulder. He jumped and looked around, though it was apparently hard for him to see anything without his thick glasses settled in their usual spot on his nose.
"Curley..." Helga started, unsure of what to say, "...what are you doing here? Do you live here?" It didn't seem likely. The way Curley normally dressed suggested that he wouldn't be found living in a few-thousand-a- month apartment complex.
Curley looked up and suddenly smiled, but something about it was highly unnerving--not the usual nerdy grin that Curley always sported. "Helga! Great to see you. It's such a nice night out, isn't it? Who's your friend? I don't think I've ever seen him around, but he looks kinda familiar. Have we met?" The words poured nonstop out of Curley's mouth, a nonsensical stream that under any other circumstances would have seemed entirely natural considering Curley was oftentimes a rather eccentric individual. But Helga had a bad feeling about this.
Curley was still shaking--bad. He was grinding his teeth audibly enough for both Helga and Brainy to hear. He kept looking around as though he was paranoid.
"Is he OK?" Brainy asked. They were standing under a lampost that lighted the walkway. Brainy was biting his bottom lip nervously. Like Helga, he knew something was up.
"Fine fine..." Curley muttered, and Helga could see him blinking rapidly-- as though REM had set in but Curley wasn't asleep. His upper lip was twitching. "Just great...just great. Fine!"
Something in Helga clicked about Curley behavior. She took a step back from him, her eyes hovering over him cautiously. Finally,
"Curley, what the hell are you on?"
Acting surprised (Curley wasn't the best actor), he looked from Helga to Brainy and then back to Helga, squinting all the while from the strain of not wearing his glasses. "On? What do you mean, Helga? I'm not on anything. Can't a guy walk around without being asked all these questions? Jeez..." Curley tapped his foot. Curley scratched his head. Curley continued to grind his teeth. All in rapid succession. "Look, I gotta get out of here. It was great seeing you guys. Helga, I'll catch you later at school, huh? Save you a seat at lunch, huh? Look, I'll even buy you lunch on Mon--"
Helga's fist was abruptly wrapped around Curley's shirt collar while her other hand gripped hiw black hair. Curley cried out in surprise and even Brainy jumped to alert, wondering whether he should stop Helga or not. Instead, Brainy merely stepped closer, crossing his arms over his chest and surveying the display before him.
"Listen up, Curley old pal," Helga said, her voice dropping to a low and menacing tenor. The years in gradeschool and her reputation as bully all came flooding back for an instant. Helga's eyes were narrowed and her jaw was clenched so hard she could have bit through steel. Curley looked thoroughly frightened, his lip twitching horribly and his face turning an unflattering shade of puce. "I'll deal with your moronic drug addiction later. For now, I want you to tell me one thing: where did you buy your stuff from?" Her grip tightened on his collar, stretching it up so the twerp was practically on his tiptoes.
Curley clutched uselessly at Helga's fist, trying to undo the firm grasp, but then he was flooded with memories of being beaten up by Helga countless times back at PS 118, and knew it was futile. His dilated pupils looked around wildly. "OK, Helga. Shit, don't kill me or anything. Iggy. I got my stuff from Iggy, OK?"
Helga sighed, loosening her grip a fraction of an inch.
Brainy nodded. "Figures," he said. He now addressed Curley. "So where's Iggy's apartment located, Curley?"
"What, are you guys going to buy from him, too? If that isn't hypocrisy then--" Helga gripped tighter, nearly strangling Curley who promptly shut up.
"No, we're not that idiotic, my friend," Helga told Curley. "Now I want you to tell me Iggy's apartment number or you will discover an exact and thorough definition of pain."
At this point, Curley actually looked about ready to burst into tears. He was still shaking uncontrollably, the drug (Helga mentally guessed it was speed) was probably wearing off right now and Curley would be coming down from it. Helga shook her head. Who would have thought?
"1...147B," Curley sputtered out, closing and reopening his eyes quickly. "Helga, I just want to go home. Let go of me, OK?"
Helga complied, letting go of Curley's shirt collar, which was now stretched out around his neck. Curley stumbled back, running both hands through hair.
"I never would have expected you to dabble in something that low, Thadius," Helga said, her voice filled with pity. "You can expect a talk from me later. Now get your ass home."
"Yeah, gotta get home..." Curley mumbled, hugging himself and rubbing his arms with his hands. He now looked a thorough mess, and Brainy was about to suggest giving him a ride home when Curley took off running, sprinting across the parking lot and down the street.
"Jesus Christ..." Helga muttered, placing her head in her palm. "So Iggy makes his money buy selling illegal substances."
"Makes sense," Brainy said, placing a comforting arm around her. "Where else would he get all his money--posing for magazines?" He cracked a grin at her and Helga returned a dim smile.
"He's not that good-looking," she replied, and they both laughed again. "147B..." Helga looked up at the apartments again and they both began walking for the main doors. "Time to pay that creep a well deserved visit."
As they walked through the main doors of Equestrian Pointe, Brainy's arm was still around her.
First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone that has reviewed my stories. If you check back recently, you'll see I've deleted some that I felt weren't going anywhere. But hey, I'm still sticking with Punch Love and though this is the first I've updated in a long ass time, I'm sure not going to let this story die. Hope I still have some fans out there. OO You can expect more updates now, and I promise to finish this story relatively soon. It should be interesting. And just for reference, from now on the "" indicate Helga's thoughts. R&R!