Hey everyone! Time for Chapter 2, I hope you guys have been enjoying the story so far. I can't believe how quickly I got this one done, I guess I was pretty excited to write about the party. Not sure if y'all caught the comment I left, but I didn't realize the stories were being published without breaks. The chapters have been edited to include these, so if you were really confused before I recommend rereading the chapters now that changes have been made. More minor character development and even some conflict in this one, wooo! I don't really know what else to say, so let's just dive right in! All cast and characters of Hey Arnold! belong to creator Craig Bartlett.
Chapter 2: Blood and lust
Helga was standing in her room, gazing at herself in her full length mirror. She had freshly showered and blow-dried her hair but was now struggling to decide if she wanted to change her outfit for the party or go as-is. She had already somewhat dressed up earlier in the day for her outing with Phoebe, but knew it would be considered pretty casual by Rhonda's standards. She flipped through the garments hanging in her closet, and selected a dress that was housed in a plastic sleeve.
The dress was a gift from her sister Olga for her sweet sixteen. She hadn't even tried it on yet, and decided now was as good of a time as any. She threw her black denim jacket to the floor and removed her floral dress. She unzipped the plastic shell and felt the material within with her fingers. The dress was dusty rose in color and a luxurious satin. She slid it over her body, fumbling with the zipper in the back and peered into the mirror, assessing the look on her. The dress was extremely form fitting and hugged her curves well. The hem was floor-length with a large slit on the left side that went all the way up to the top of her thigh. It had a sweetheart neckline, tastefully accenting her breasts, and the sleeves rested just below the shoulder. As she was eyeing the dress in the mirror, she heard the doorbell chime.
She walked down the stairs, carefully so as not to step on the bottom of her dress. She opened the front door to see her friend Phoebe Heyerdahl and greeted her with a smile.
"Sup Pheebs," she said and Phoebe gasped at the sight of her. Helga responded with an eye roll. "Christ is it really that bad?"
"No, not at all Helga. In fact it's quite a lovely dress. Where did you acquire such a fine garment?"
"Eh, it was a gift from Olga for my sixteenth birthday. You sure it looks okay? I don't want Rhonda to make me play dress up as soon as we get there," she closed the front door after Phoebe entered and they made their way towards the staircase. There were several times in sixth grade that Rhonda had deemed an outfit of Helga's subpar. Rhonda would take her to the mall to try on a seemingly endless amount of clothes until she finally found something she considered decent. It always annoyed Helga to no end, but Rhonda had pretty good taste and she knew it was a weird expression of kindness from her friend.
"I think Rhonda will be perfectly happy with your selection Helga. I brought my dress with me, I'll get changed now," she motioned to the velvet fabric hanging over her arm, "Where is your bedroom?"
Helga led her friend upstairs, ushering her inside her room. She went to the closet to find some shoes, and settled on a pair of lace-up platform high heels, nude in color. Helga wasn't a huge fan of heels and it wouldn't bother her if she never had to wear them again. She could live and die happily in her chunky combat boots. She turned and saw Phoebe changed into her dress.
Midnight blue velvet clung to her slender frame, the dress was long sleeved and had some ruching in the midsection. The hemline was fairly short, reaching about half the length of her thighs. She paired the dress with a pair of matte black pumps. Helga wolf whistled at her friend and chuckled when redness spread across her face.
"I'm gonna have to use a bat to keep Geraldo's hands off you in that thing," Helga stated with a laugh. Phoebe giggled softly in response.
"Would you like me to do your hair?"
Helga nodded and sat in front of her mirror. Phoebe tightly pinned down the hair on one side, and let her blonde hair cascade over her right shoulder. Phoebe always had a knack for these kinds of things, and Helga was impressed as her friend used the iron to effortlessly forge large loose curls in her long hair. Phoebe took a section of hair and braided the locks starting from the bottom left side of Helga's scalp, pinning it into place above her neck and allowing the ends to intermingle with the loose curls over her right shoulder. She shielded Helga's eyes before misting her with hairspray.
"Done," she said with a satisfied smile and turned to her own hair.
"Criminy Pheebs that only took you like ten minutes," she responded in awe as she observed herself in the mirror. Phoebe just shrugged in response as she deeply parted her hair to one side and affixed curls into her black locks. She sectioned off some hair in the front and quickly assembled a waterfall braid that circled around her head like a delicate crown.
"Can I do your makeup as well, Helga?" She asked. Helga crossed her arms and shot Phoebe a look. "Oh please Helga! I won't go overboard I promise," she smiled up at her friend, her eyes pleading. Helga sighed and sat in front of her.
"Fine but keep it simple. I don't wanna show up looking like a circus clown."
Phoebe lightly applied Helga's foundation using a damp sponge. She brushed a light peach blush on her cheeks before instructing Helga to close her eyes. The eyeshadows she used were different nude hues, using a darker color on Helga's creases and her lower lash line. She directed Helga to open her eyes and look towards the ceiling, curling her lashes and applying a thin layer of black mascara. She used a small spoolie brush and brushed out the dark hairs of Helga's thick eyebrows. Phoebe grabbed a tube of dark pink lipstick and painted her friends lips with precision. She dabbed her finger in an iridescent pink powder and applied it to Helga's cheekbones.
"Alright, my work here is done," she said with a satisfied smirk. Helga looked in the mirror and her eyes widened a bit. Geez I guess I clean up pretty good. Her look was soft, the makeup only highlighted her best features. The color of her azure eyes popped from the shades of brown and beige on her lids and her skin appeared dewy and supple. Phoebe was using various shades of dark blue around her hooded brown orbs, creating something of a smokey eye. She used a tube of black liquid eyeliner on her top lip, creating a cat eye with precision and applied an almost raisin colored stain to her lips. Her glasses were missing from her face, instead using this occasion to wear contacts which was something she did very rarely. Phoebe heard her phone buzz, and alerted Helga that Gerald was almost there.
Helga hands fumbled around her closet, and after a few minutes pulled out a taupe clutch, stashing her phone and the tube of lipstick inside. She took one last look in the mirror, adjusting the nude straps laced around her ankles. They heard the beep of a car horn outside, signalling Gerald's arrival. Phoebe grabbed her own small black leather purse and the two friends descended the stairs. Bob was planted in a large ottoman in front of the TV, exhausted from cleaning and repainting his latest business acquisition. Miriam was seated uncharacteristically upright on the couch next to him, bringing a small glass of amber liquid to her mouth. Helga and Phoebe called out their goodbyes before exiting the house and seating themselves in Gerald's green outback.
"What an honor it is, I must say, to escort two foxy ladies such as yourselves this evening," Gerald said smoothly, running his hand through his wooly curls, eliciting a giggle from Phoebe and an eye roll from Helga. Gerald planted a small kiss on Phoebe's cheek, eyeing her short dress and curled hair. Gerald himself was sporting a black dress shirt, black slacks and shoes, with a shiny dark blue tie around his neck matching him to Phoebe.
"Why don't we actually get the party before you start undressing my friend with your eyes, Geraldo," she mumbled. He took the car out of park before cutting the wheel and directing the car down the darkened street towards the Wellington-Lloyd estate.
Helga was nervous as a valet greeted them, opening the doors for the ladies and then parking the car. She used her hands to smooth out the front of her dress, using her arm to pin her clutch against her side. The sidewalk was illuminated with small lights, and she inhaled the floral aroma of the estate gardens. She felt like an awkward baby giraffe walking with her friends to the front door. Her nerves intermingled with the discomfort of her high heeled shoes and certainly wasn't doing her any favors.
A stone-faced man was standing on the granite steps, asking their names and checking a list before widely swinging the door into the grand entryway. An older woman was standing off to the side and offered them a glass of champagne before ushering them down a hallway to the left. Helga took a swig of champagne before entering an extremely large room where loud pop music was playing and her classmates were dancing. Helga smiled as she meandered through the sea of people, the sight of everyone drinking too much and dancing hard was in stark contrast to the stuffiness of their initial arrival. Helga felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned in surprise.
"Well Helga Pataki, as I live and breathe," the girl said before pulling her into a hug. She had black hair that was cut in a short asymmetric bob. Her lips were a bright shade of red, complimenting the ankle-length ruby colored silk train of her dress. The dress was strapless and the bust was made up of intricate black lace. She wore dangling red gemstones from her earlobes, matching the dripping jewels around her neck. Helga smiled at her friend and reciprocated the hug.
"Hey there princess, long time no see!" She said and pulled back.
"Too long! What an exquisite dress, I must say. I'm pleasantly surprised, I didn't expect to have you gracing the floor of my party," Rhona replied with a smirk.
"Yeah it was so nice of you to invite me," Helga's voice was thick with sarcasm, widening Rhonda's smile.
"Well the threat of violence didn't exactly encourage me extending an invitation," she crossed her arms and Helga playfully shoved her shoulder.
"Ah lighten up, you know I wouldn't lay a hand on ya. So listen where is everyone? There's so many people here I don't recognize," at that, Rhonda linked her arm with Helga's. Helga finished the contents of her glass and gave a little wave to Phoebe and Gerald as she was escorted around the party.
Eugene was sitting off to the side, his casted foot propped up on a chair and crutches leaning against the wall next to him. Sheena and Nadine were standing close by, all three were grown up versions of their sixth grade selves. They all exclaimed their hellos and offered their excitement as Helga explained the circumstances of her return.
"We're so excited to have you back, Helga! If you're interested in joining the drama department we'd love to have you" Sheena said recalling Helga's fourth grade performance as Juliet, Eugene eagerly nodded in agreement.
"Yeah we'll see about that. I need to get my bearings first before committing myself to some froo-froo play," she replied, waving Sheena away with a smile.
Harold and Patty were hand-in-hand by the punch bowl chatting with Stinky, Rhonda explained as they walked towards them that the couple finally made things official in eighth grade. Patty shoved Helga in disbelief before lifting her off the ground in a bone crushing hug.
"Criminy Patty, you're squeezing the life outta me," she choked and Patty set her down, beaming wildly. Harold and Helga joked around for a bit, and she promised to text Stinky soon to meet up and skate together. Rhonda led her back to Phoebe and Gerald and unlinked her arms from Helga's.
"I know we have a lot of catching up to do, but it will simply have to wait until later. I have some guests I haven't greeted yet so I should continue making the rounds. By the way, the punch is watermelon so drink freely. Ciao, Pataki," she gave Helga another brief hug before disappearing into the crowd. Phoebe handed Helga a cup of the spiked punch, she smiled down at her friend as she took her drink.
"Thanks for snagging me an invite, Pheebs. I gotta admit, this isn't as bad as I thought it'd be," Phoebe smiled at her before Gerald leaned down and whispered something into his girlfriend's ear. She gave him a look before grabbing Helga's wrist and pulling her fiercely into the crowd.
"Come on Helga, let's go dance!"
Helga grabbed at Phoebe, removing her arm from her grasp and gawking at her. "What the hell Phoebe, where's the fire? You're gonna make me break an ankle."
"Ice cream is here," she said seriously and Helga's eyes transformed into saucers. Fuck, she thought as her eyes searched the crowd in fear. She should have planned for this, a part of her knew that Arnold would show up causing her to panic, but there was another part of her that ignored her instincts and implored her to have a good time.
"What do we do!?" She hissed and Phoebe simply shrugged. Helga grabbed her arm and dragged her next to the refreshments table, they both crouched down hoping to hide themselves as they formulated a plan in case of a confrontation. Their meeting was cut short when a shadow appeared over them, the person who it belonged to had his arms crossed and a mischievous grin on his face.
"Hey girls," he said as they jumped in surprise.
Helga pushed Sid as he laughed raucously at the sight of the panicked girls and their obvious scheming.
"Pipe down, will ya? What the hell do you want anyway?" Helga shushed him with narrowed eyes. Sid simply laughed and casually leaned against the wall.
"What, can't I come say hi to my dear childhood friends? By the way Helga, that dress looks fucking amazing on you," he leered at her and she could instantly smell the alcohol wafting from his breath. She pinned him against the wall and cocked a fist.
"Are you seriously hitting on me right now you fucking cretin?" Helga felt Phoebe grab her arm and she growled before disarming her fist. Her other arm stayed outstretched keeping him against the wall.
"Helga, it's Sid. He doesn't mean anything by it," Phoebe quipped nervously as she felt several pairs of eyes on them, curiously watching the interaction. Sid smiled apologetically and held his hands up in surrender. With a glare Helga let her arm fall back to her side, releasing the boy. He chuckled.
"Glad to see you haven't lost your spunk, Pataki," he slung an arm over her shoulder. "Sorry about the little misunderstanding, I'll let you girls get back to...whatever that was. But listen if you ever wanna meet to skate sometime, hit me up," he leaned his mouth towards her ear before whispering, "Or, ya know, if you ever want me to show ya a good time." Helga shoved him off of her. She crossed her arms and feigned a smile, leaning her face towards his.
"Not if you were the last person on this planet," she said in a low voice. He simply laughed and playfully punched her shoulder.
"Alright fine, can't blame me for trying, see ya around Pataki!" He said with a wave as he jogged towards the bowl of pink alcohol. Helga rolled her eyes and turned to Phoebe.
"Jesus what a freak. Let's get some more punch Phoebe, I can tell I'm gonna need a good buzz tonight," she said. She turned to walk towards the bowl and felt herself make hard, unexpected contact with another body. She gasped as she hit the floor, thankful she managed not to twist an ankle in the confusion. Furious, her eyes found the source of the collision and her mouth went agape.
"Arnold?!" She hissed in surprise and he looked around with a dazed scowl. Dread washed over him when his gaze met her face and their eyes locked. His eyes never left hers as he stood up nervously, stumbling a bit as he did. He was dressed in a white button up dress shirt and navy blue slacks. Around his neck was a bright red tie and he wore brown leather loafers on his feet. Helga couldn't believe how tall he had gotten, she recalled how she used to tower over him as children. He was fit but she wouldn't describe him as muscular, and his wide head much less football shaped than she remembered. He had combed his hair back for the party, but it was just slightly disheveled in a way that Helga found very attractive.
A hand grabbed Phoebe and she was met by Gerald's concerned face.
"Look Phoebe, we gotta find Pataki. Arnold's drunk and -"
"Too late," she said motioning to Arnold awkwardly offering Helga his hand. Gerald slapped his forehead, seeing the fear and intrigue swirling on his friend's face. Helga stared at his hand for a moment, before taking it and letting him pull her up. They faced each other without uttering a word. Helga felt so many emotions running through her she thought her brain might explode. She tried to regulate her pounding heartbeat before taking a few deep breaths and opening her mouth to speak.
"F-for crying out loud Football Head don't you ever watch where you're going?" Her harsh voice softened as Arnold stepped closer to her. He examined her so carefully that his expression was almost trancelike. Helga wasn't even sure if he had heard her. She was having difficulty reading his face which she wasn't used to, and it was raising her level of discomfort. She raised a fist and knocked on his skull.
"Hellooo, Earth to Football Head?" She said in sing-song and gasped as he suddenly took hold of her wrist. His face never breaking it's stoic gaze as he did so. She tried gently wiggling her arm free but he refused to let go.
"Arnold, what the fuck are you doing? Let go of me," she pleaded and his eyes widened before releasing her. She stared at him in wonder and confusion. What the fuck was that?! she thought before scowling harshly. "Christ take a picture, Shortman. You gonna just stand there staring or are you gonna say something?"
Her words made him a jump a little and he dropped his gaze to the floor, "S-sorry…" he mumbled and rubbed the back of his head. Helga could see a pink blush permeating from his cheeks.
"Geez first Sid hits on me and now this, what a fucking night," she muttered as she stepped around Arnold to pour herself a drink. Her words weren't lost on him however and he met her at the punch bowl.
"Sid was hitting on you?"
"Well, yeah kinda I guess. What's it to you?" She asked coldly and whipped her head to glare at him. He felt fury wash over him and if he had some more alcohol in his system he might be tempted to bloody Sid's face. He took a deep breath and simply shook his head. She turned back and ladled more of the pink concoction into her solo cup. She held her drink near her face, letting her elbow rest on the top of her left hand. Her left arm cradled around herself under her chest.
Arnold would have had to be blind or stupid not to notice the goddess in front of him. Her weight was shifted onto her right foot, the slit in her dress exposing the bare skin of her relaxed left leg. He could tell she was wearing some makeup, but it only accentuated her doe-like eyes and full lips. Her hair was so long and hung like silk ribbons, he had to resist the urge to reach out and grab it. Her body was another story all together. She was extremely toned and her lightly tanned skin only accentuated that. Her very flat abdomen along with the arch in her back made her pronounced bottom stand out all the more. Her breasts were abundant to say the least, and the way she was holding her arms was pushing them up, exaggerating her cleavage. The feeling of want in his groin was hard to ignore and his heart pounded excitedly at the sight of her. Just my luck, she's a fucking knockout, he thought and felt his face getting warm.
He let his eyes stare at her chest for a bit and when he looked up her eyes were locked on him, an eyebrow raised. He gulped and looked away shyly, she choked on her drink as she laughed at his reaction.
"Criminy Football Head, get it together," she continued laughing and elbowed him playfully, making him stagger. "And quit undressing me with your eyes." He slapped his forehead in a mix of frustration and embarrassment and groaned.
"I-I'm not!"
"HA! Like hell you're not, you little creep. What's going on with you anyway, you drunk or something?" She turned and shot him a look, skeptical of his sloppy movements along with his glazed eyes and less-than-subtle facial expressions. He frowned a little at that and refused her eye contact.
"Of course not," he lied.
Suddenly he felt the heat of her face closing the gap between them. Her eyes were half-lidded and he could feel his heart pounding wildly against his chest. "Open your mouth, Arnold," she gently commanded in an almost sultry voice and he did so obediently, trying to slow his breathing. She was millimeters from his face before placing an index finger on his chest, gently pushing him away.
"Whiskey," she said in a low voice and straightened herself back up. He almost had to slap himself back to reality. He could still smell the intoxicating sweetness of watermelon from her breath.
"Since when do you drink, anyway?" She asked with a smirk. "Not such a goodie-two-shoes anymore, I guess. Pity."
"What do you mean by that?"
She shrugged before taking a drink out of her cup, "I dunno. I guess it was kinda charming how dense and gallant you used to be. Now you're just like Sid, drunk and hanging on random girls at a party." He frowned at that.
"I'm not like Sid, Helga. I have a lot more respect for women than he does," he crossed his arms indignantly and a smirk overcame Helga's face.
"Oh yeah?" She challenged. She knew that she would probably regret her bold words tomorrow when she was sober, but there was something so satisfying about teasing him right now. "Is that why you grabbed me like a psycho earlier?"
Arnold knew what she was doing. But he didn't have any words to explain away his strange reaction from when he first saw her. Suddenly he thought about the elusive pink blur from his dreams and shook his head to make it go away. He let his bad instincts fueled by alcohol take him over. He grabbed her by the top of her left arm and quickly pressed himself into her, trapping her between his body and the table. She could feel his warm breath in her ear and her heart kicked at the sudden close proximity.
"You know, something tells me you liked it."
She shuddered as his words met her ear. She was frozen in place, her body tingling from the contact. She was trying to open her mouth to talk, but no words came out and was grateful when Phoebe approached them suspiciously. Arnold let go of her and slowly pulled away. He had a mischievous crooked grin plastered on his face, and winked at her as he turned on his heel to walk away. She gawked at his sudden and frankly overbearing confidence. Where did that come from? she thought, her mouth still hanging open in confusion. She realized Phoebe was talking to her and forced herself to refocus.
"Wh-what? What were you saying Pheebs?"
Phoebe groaned in frustration, "I said what were you guys doing just now?"
"I honestly have no idea. We were just joking back and forth for a minute. I was...kind of making fun of him for being so weird when he first bumped into me. Then he just slammed me against the table. It was so random," she was breathless in her answer and recalled the heat from his body against hers, the tingling returned to her and her pulse quickened.
"Helga, it may be advisable to avoid Arnold for a while. And maybe Sid for that matter. Their actions tonight have been boorish to say the least, and their liberal consumption of alcohol isn't helping," Helga caught sight of Arnold in the crowd of people, he flashed her a smile and her heart jumped. She quickly looked down at the concerned face of her friend and sighed, knowing Phoebe's lecture was justified.
"You're probably right, Pheebs. We haven't even really talked yet and this probably isn't the place to do it. Whaddya say we find Rhonda and dance like idiots, for old times sake?" Phoebe smiled at Helga's words as they topped off their drinks and disappeared into the crowd. They quickly found Rhonda, laughing and dancing together without a care in the world.
Arnold found Helga almost immediately, observing her as she danced from afar. His gaze was almost predatory while watching her moving provocatively with her friends. He felt something very primal stirring within him, seeing her move her hips so seductively. Suddenly a dark hand waved in front of his face breaking his concentration. He turned to see Gerald, with something of an accusing look on his face.
"What?" Arnold asked simply. Gerald exhaled in frustration and laughed softly in disbelief.
"Man what the fuck are you doing? Are you some kind of masochist or something?" Arnold frowned at Gerald's suggestion.
"What are you talking about?"
"Arnold, everybody saw you two over by the punch bowl. You looked like you were ready to throw her over your shoulder and take her to bed with you." Arnold rolled his eyes.
"Gerald you're exaggerating. We only talked for like five minutes."
"The hell I am! Boy, you better be careful with that one. I like Pataki, don't get me wrong, but she fucked you up bad before and I'm not so sure she wouldn't be willing to do it again." Arnold furrowed his brows and looked to the ground, he knew his friend was right but the words still stung.
Gerald softened his voice as he spoke again, clapping a hand on Arnold's shoulder, "Look I'm not saying you shouldn't give it another shot, or...whatever it is you're thinking about doing. But I think you guys need to have a long talk about some things." Gerald was giving him an encouraging smile, Arnold smiled back and nodded.
"You're right, you're totally right. I guess I got a little ahead of myself," Arnold suddenly cocked an eyebrow as him and Gerald watched Phoebe and Helga dance. "But I mean, one dance wouldn't hurt right?"
Gerald laughed and leaned towards him, "Dude I wouldn't blame you if you did. That dress is insane." Arnold chuckled in agreement and Gerald gave him an encouraging pat on the back.
"Just remember what I said. At some point you and Pataki need to talk," Gerald said before giving him a gentle push. Arnold nodded in understanding and made his way through the crowd towards Helga. Gerald noticed Phoebe had disappeared from her place next to her friends, and jumped when she appeared next to him, her hands on her hips.
"Gerald, what were you and Arnold just talking about?" She asked with a suspicious frown on her face.
"Baby, I promise nothing bad. I just told him he needs to seriously consider having a chat with her before they get too...handsy. Or whatever that was they just did," he answered.
"Gerald I hope you also advised Arnold to maybe avoid Helga until they were both alone. And sober," she replied with an obvious air of annoyance.
"Alright, Phoebe listen. I told my boy he needed to have a long and serious chat with Pataki. And I made damn sure to remind him of what happened before, and I think he really gets it, okay? Now just let them dance for the night. We'll keep an eye on 'em," he smiled reassuringly at her and she forced her eyes shut before sighing in defeat.
"Fine. I suppose a little dancing won't hurt," she muttered.
"That's my girl. Now let me grab you some punch," he replied before kissing her on top of the head. Phoebe just grumbled in response and her eyes fell back onto her blonde friends. She smiled while watching Arnold awkwardly offer his hand to Helga. Don't fuck this up, you two, she thought. Suddenly Gerald's arm was wrapped around her, and he offered her the fruity drink before taking her hand in his, moving them towards the dance floor.
Rhonda and Helga were spinning goofily to the music. A quick smirk cracked Rhonda's porcelain face, and she leaned her face to Helga.
"I think I hear Nadine calling me, I'll catch up with you later," she walked away and Helga just shrugged and kept dancing. She soon felt a presence behind her and turned to see a pair of green eyes locked on her. Arnold stepped forward and held out his hand to her.
"Could I have this dance, m'lady?" He asked with a cheesy grin.
"Oh brother," she quipped as she grabbed his hand and allowed Arnold to twirl her around before turning her to face him. Suddenly, the music changed to something very slow and heartfelt. Helga looked up at the music booth in confusion, instantly making eye contact with Rhonda. Helga scowled at her and Rhonda blew a kiss in retaliation and she simply sighed in defeat.
"I-it's been a while Arnold. I don't really dance like this," she muttered awkwardly.
"It's alright, I'll lead," he said before spinning her once so that their arms were crossed in front of her as he held her hands, exaggerating her cleavage. Oh dear god, he thought, feeling her backside pressed into his pelvis. He fought hard against his hormones, but couldn't help letting his eyes trace the length of her slender neck, across her collarbone and down to her voluptuous bosom. Her back was leaning a bit to the right against him, exposing her left leg near to her hip. He tried to keep himself together as her bottom brushed against his groin.
Helga wasn't completely oblivious to Arnold's wandering eyes and decided to have a little fun with him. She abruptly spun herself to face him, pressing her breasts against him and wrapping her arms around his neck, making him gasp audibly. He dropped his hands to her hips but turned his head quickly to the side, afraid of what he might do in that moment if he saw her alluring blue eyes looking into his. His mind was swirling with intoxication, both from the alcohol and the blonde clinging to him.
A very faint chuckle met his ears, and he quickly realized what Helga was doing. It was as annoying as it was arousing that she was toying with him, but he figured even if he lost her little game he was still winning in a sense. He pressed himself into her, wrapping his left arm around her waist tightly and gently running the fingers of his right up her spine and her neck. She shuddered with lust and his hand cupped the back of her head guiding it to his shoulder.
She found herself plotting other ways with which she might tease him and slyly smirked to herself as she played with the back of his hair. She took a lock of his blonde hair, gently twirling it around her index finger and he melted into her. He had to suppress a moan at her sudden contact, and felt an immediate craving rising from between his legs. He heard a wolf whistle from the crowd and his eyes found Sid sneering at them, he reciprocated with a motion of his middle finger.
The gentlemanly part of him was saying this was probably bordering on lewd as people around them gave disgruntled stares. But there was another part of him that wanted to throw Helga against the wall, tear the dress from her and explore her body with his own. He gave into himself a little as he slowly glided his right hand from the back of her head, down her back and towards her hip. He allowed the tips of his fingers to gently graze her backside as he did so, and he felt her twitch in his arms. His hand continued gravitating downward, his fingers finding their way through the slit in her dress and firmly grasped the side of her exposed thigh. Her skin was on fire where his hand had touched her, even the parts through her dress, and she was trying very hard to suppress her ragged breaths.
Helga at this point sensed that Arnold had caught onto her little game but wouldn't allow herself to be defeated so easily. As soon as his hand made contact with her naked flesh she quickly lifted her left knee, pressing it into the back of his waist, forcing him to grind against her. She rolled her hips into his and his fingers squeezed her thigh hungrily in response. Christ Helga how far are you gonna take this? he thought as he felt himself hardening between his legs. She rolled her hips into his once more and he dug his nails into her thigh, unable to contain a soft moan.
She chuckled and lifted her head slightly from his shoulder, bringing her mouth to his ear and questioning him in a sensual whisper, "Better than the tango?"
Arnold was relieved he didn't have to answer that question when the song suddenly changed. She unwrapped herself from him and smoothed the front of her dress casually. She sauntered away from him towards the refreshments and like a moth to a flame he followed closely behind her.
Helga saw several disapproving eyes fall on her following their dance and laughed to herself. What a bunch of prudes, she thought and grabbed a solo cup, filling it with the spiked drink. She smiled as Arnold approached her, both of their cheeks still flushed from their suggestive dancing. He followed her lead and poured himself a drink, and the tenseness in the air shifted a bit as they stood silently for several minutes.
He could still feel Helga wrapped around him and his body pleaded with him to replicate the contact. His mind was absolutely clouded with indecency, and his eyes lingered on her body. Helga could see him staring at her out of her peripheral, she turned her head to look at him and he quickly averted his eyes. She gave her head a small shake before facing her head forward to watch the crowd. As she took a sip of her drink she could feel him boring holes into her once again.
She whipped her head towards him and Arnold rubbed the back of his head bashfully when she caught his green eyes on her a second time, "What? Why do you keep staring at me like that?"
Arnold quickly gulped the contents of his cup and instantly refilled it, his hands shaking noticeably. He was all of a sudden extremely nervous being in Helga's presence and knew that he wanted to say something but didn't know what or how it would even be received. She appeared so calm to him after their dance and meanwhile his confidence was waning. He took another swig of his liquid courage.
"It's just, you know. You look...really beautiful tonight, Helga," his nervousness was leeching itself onto her and she averted her eyes at his words.
"I-I do? I mean, uh thanks Arnold," her voice was low and shaky but she smiled at his complement. A hand clapped Arnold's shoulder and Helga groaned as Sid interrupted them. He breathed the aroma of whiskey on them and slurred his words he spoke.
"Man you guys. That. That was some dance. Helga. Helga don't get mad but you got hot dude. Arnold, fuck her good for me tonight, alright buddy?" Helga felt fury ripping through her, but before she could even blink she saw Arnold's fist make contact with Sid's nose, blood spewing everywhere. Someone near them screamed and people swarmed to interrupt the commotion.
Gerald was holding Arnold back, his green eyes filled with blind rage that Helga had never seen before. Sid was writhing in pain on the ground, Harold and Stinky trying to console him. Rhonda frantically grabbed a stack of napkins from the drink table and ran to press them to Sid's bloody face. Her head whipped furiously at Arnold.
"Arnold it's time for you to leave," she commanded. Arnold turned on his heel and walked out, Sid shouting expletive laden words at him as he did. All of a sudden, someone was holding Helga's shoulders, shaking her gently.
"Pataki, what the fuck just happened?" Gerald demanded. Helga snapped back to reality, and tried to verbally recount the heated incident.
"I-I don't know. We came over to get some punch and we were just talking. That fucking lush came stumbling over and was being a creep so Arnold laid one into his face," Gerald growled in frustration.
"What did he say, Pataki?" Helga felt shame building up inside her. She couldn't help but feel like somehow this whole thing was her fault. Tears were brimming her blue eyes and her words were shaky when they left her.
"He...he told Arnold to fuck me good for him," disgust painted her face and she felt the anger building inside of her again. Gerald's mouth was hanging in shock at the words she just said and he didn't have time to react to Helga angrily marching over to Sid. Sid's eyes widened in fear as Helga whipped her hand back and her palm made audible contact with his cheek.
Everyone was stunned as she grabbed her purse, took her shoes off and ran out the door.