A/N:
Please enjoy the conclusion to my final multi-chapter story that needed an ending. Thank you all for reading and reviewing.
April 2nd
Chapter 11:
The Last Dance, Part 1
The remaining days until the fourth grade dance passed with a strange amount of ease…and a strange lack of teasing from the fourth grade students of P.S. 118 to Arnold and Helga. Arnold reacted to the change with a quiet curiosity while Helga's scowling glances clearly suggested some suspicion on her part. Of course, Gerald and Phoebe found themselves tasked with keeping their best friends' distracted enough not to start questioning the new social atmosphere. But thankfully, Gerald and Phoebe found a brief rest from this responsibility at lunchtime each day when they would sit down at their usual table and take some time to focus on their own relationship.
Meanwhile, since Arnold and Helga wouldn't sit at the same table together or with anyone who had teased them, they had each settled on sitting with their future dates for the dance.
Helga scowled at Brainy as she usually did during their lunches. She interlaced her fingers and rested her clamped fists on the table while Brainy just sat beside her drinking milk through a straw. "So…" Helga started slowly, "…you're still sticking to the story that nothing funny is going on with this dance, huh? That Lila really just wanted Football Head and I to go to make Gerald and Phoebe happy…"
Brainy finished a sip of milk. "Uh huh…" he replied levelly.
"And there's no chance there's something you know that I don't?"
Brainy wheezed a couple of times, still smiling vacantly. "Uh huh…"
Helga leaned in close, glaring. "And there's no chance you're lying to me, right?"
"Uh…" he shrugged, "no."
Helga glared into his eyes for a moment longer but then finally pulled back and sighed deeply with her arms crossed over her chest. "Fine. Yikes, Brainy, either you really are telling the truth or you have a weirdly effective poker face."
"Uh…thanks."
"Shut up." Helga glanced down at her tray and played with her peas with a dry look.
Brainy sipped his milk again.
Helga swallowed and spoke once more, her voice gentler. "Hey, Brainy? I just…well…on the off chance you're really not messing with me—and remember, if I find out you are, I'll pound you—I just wanted to say, well…" she gritted her teeth a little, "thanks. I mean, you're one of the only people who didn't tease Football Head and me. And it's actually kind of cool of you to go with me to the dance so that I can be there and let Gerald and Phoebe have a good night." She sighed deeply. "And, you know, you're not the most annoying person to spend time with, so there's that."
Brainy smiled more and blushed. "Uh…thanks."
Helga blinked at the sight and then blushed slightly too. "H-Hey, just don't get any funny ideas! We're going to this dance as friends. Just because I dumped the Football Head doesn't mean I'm back on the market." She rolled her eyes as she added, "Next thing you'll tell me is that all those times you stalked me out of nowhere were just your way of letting me know you 'like like' me." She paused for a beat then went wide-eyed and hesitantly glanced back at Brainy.
Brainy was just smiling and wheezing and blushing a little more.
Helga's jaw fell for a moment and then she brought a hand to her temple and closed her eyes. "Aw, crimeny, Brainy. You should have said something! I would have tried to lay off punching you! I mean, some of the time it was a reflex to you popping up behind me out of nowhere, but the other times I might have at least hesitated." She opened her eyes with a clearly distressed look. "You really fell…about me…seriously?"
He just shrugged.
"Mmm…" Helga slumped in her chair. "Brainy, if you feel…like that…about me…" she rolled her eyes, "then maybe this dance thing isn't a good idea. I appreciate your help, but I don't want to get your hopes up or something." Her gaze drifted over to Arnold quickly, but as she saw his head turn to look in her direction she quickly turned back to Brainy. "Like I said, you're…actually pretty okay, but I don't…we just don't…oh crimeny, now I know how I must have made football head feel when I first confessed to him."
"It's okay…" Brainy wheezed back. "I just…want you to be happy."
Helga blinked and looked at him with her head tilted. "But what about you?"
He shrugged again. "I'm happy…if you're happy." He held out a hand for her to shake. "Friends?"
She eyed the hand with part of her brow raised but then nodded, reached out, and lightly shook hands with him. "Friends…Okay, yeah. I guess that could work." She released him. "And this isn't weird for you?"
He just wheezed. "No." He smiled. "Meet at the dance at 7?"
"Sure, sounds good." Helga finished another bite of food then paused and scowled suspiciously again. "Hmm, that's funny—Lila invited me to her place to get ready for the dance together and then told me she wanted us to head there together, which means I'd have to meet you there anyway. Funny how you brought up doing just that without me mentioning it, huh? Almost like you guys are in cahoots…"
Brainy's look remained placid as ever. "Uh…we're not."
Helga sighed again. "Okay, fine, maybe that was a little paranoid even for me. Lots of people our age just meet up at these things. Saves the embarrassing exchange of greetings with the parents, I guess." She went back to her food. "And hey, Brainy, along with the dance…thanks for sitting with me at lunch. It's nice to have someone to talk to who I can trust." She smiled at him a little before turning back to her tray.
Brainy wheezed and let a flicker of uncertainty pass over his features while she was looking away. "Uh…sure…" He looked down and sipped his milk in thought.
Meanwhile, across the cafeteria, Arnold and Lila were having their own casual but awkward exchange.
"…So then I said 'billy goat'? I thought you said Ice cream float!" Lila smiled brightly as she finished her joke.
Arnold laughed. "That's funny, Lila." But then as usual for the last few days after one of her lunchtime stories or jokes, he cleared his throat and glanced down awkwardly, playing with his food instead of eating it.
Lila had let the behavior slide so far, but since the dance was tomorrow she figured now was a perfect time to gently probe. Besides, she had a funny feeling she already knew what the problem was anyway. "Arnold, is something wrong? I'm ever so certain you've seemed a little preoccupied lately and somewhat uncomfortable during our lunches."
"What?" Arnold blinked and faked a smile. "No, no, of course not, Lila. You're my friend—you have my undivided attention."
Lila's eyes hazed slightly. Sometimes Arnold and Helga were so similar—like how they were both horrible at denying the truth when caught in an awkward moment. She decided handling them the same way made the most sense. "Oh. Because if you were feeling awkward about having lunch alone with a girl when you still have feelings for Helga and would rather be having lunch with her, well, I could understand that. And I'd think it was ever so sweet that you cared so much."
Arnold blinked and then sighed deeply, losing his overly cheery smile. "I'm sorry, Lila. It's nice sitting with you and having a friend to talk to, really. And it's nice of you to keep me company so I can let Gerald and Phoebe have time together. It's just…us talking and laughing and knowing we're going to the dance together almost feels like I'm—betraying Helga or moving on, and I don't want to do that." He blushed a lot. "I know I'm overthinking things. I just…I miss her."
"Oh Arnold…" Lila's smile softened. "It's okay. I'm ever so sure I understand. And I'm sorry you feel so uncomfortable."
Arnold glanced up at her with a frown. "Thanks, Lila. But…I also feel bad for you. You're taking me to the dance to help me, but you should be able to go on your own and have fun, and it's like I'm keeping you from doing that."
"You're not, Arnold. I promise." She smiled. "Believe me, helping you is the most fun I could have. And besides…I'm oh too sure I've liked spending the last few days improving our friendship. I feel ever so closer to you now that neither of us like-likes the other. You're a very kind boy, Arnold. No wonder Helga likes you so much."
He blushed but added, his eyes down, "You mean she used to like me."
"Arnold, you and I both know that's not true." Lila's eyes hazed. "Whatever her reasons for breaking up with you, no longer liking you certainly isn't one of them."
"I…well…maybe." Arnold bit his lip and quickly glanced in the direction of Helga's table as he'd developed a habit of doing over the last few days. Then he frowned a little and turned back to his food but still didn't eat.
Lila held back a giggle. "Arnold, are you jealous that Brainy's taking Helga to the dance and that she's been eating lunch with him lately?"
"What? No!" Arnold cleared his throat and glanced away. "Of course not! I'm glad she has a friend to talk to and go to the dance with. Really…even if it's another guy."
"Arnold, for what it's worth, I can tell you I'm ever so certain Helga does not have special feelings for Brainy."
Arnold swallowed and hesitantly looked back to Lila. "Did she tell you that, or…"
"Girls can just tell these things about each other, Arnold." Lila's smile grew. "For example, I knew Helga like-liked you very much before she even said a word to me about it. There's just something about the way she is around you. You make her ever so passionate, Arnold."
A small smile crept to Arnold's lips. "Thanks, Lila…" He blushed and added, "You're a good friend."
"You're ever so welcome, Arnold."
Arnold smiled more. "Lila? I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate how nice you've been to Helga and I. You didn't tease us and you helped set up things so we could go to the dance. You've been great."
"Thank you, Arnold." Lila nodded. "I'm ever so glad to be of help. It made me oh too sad to see you and Helga so upset with each other and our friends."
"Yeah…" Arnold raised an eyebrow and scratched the back of his neck. "Speaking of our friends, um…they've been better over the last few days. Not like they were before Helga and I got close, but they haven't teased us at all. It's like they're watching or waiting for something..." He glanced at Lila with concern. "You don't think they're planning to do anything at the dance involving Helga and me, do you? It just feels like something's coming…" He furrowed his brow in thought.
Lila kept her cool. "Oh Arnold, I'm ever so sure our friends are just still a little stunned by your outburst on the bus the other day. I think your words made them have to reflect on their actions, and that they're all probably trying to figure out how to be better friends in the future. Please don't worry."
"Oh, yeah. My outburst." He blushed a little again and sighed. "So you really think Helga and I will be able to have a nice, normal, quiet dance then? I think she's been pretty overwhelmed since FTi, and a night not being the center of attention might help her. And it would probably help me too."
Lila swallowed but maintained her composure as she nodded. "I'm sure the dance will turn out ever so wonderfully for both of you."
Arnold let out a breath as a relaxed smile came over his features. "Thanks, Lila." He actually looked to his food and ate a few bites.
As he did so, Lila bit her lip, a momentary doubt flashing over her eyes. But she quickly resumed smiling cheerfully and headed their conversation in another (safer) direction. "Speaking of FTi, Arnold, why don't you tell me again about exactly how Helga helped you save the neighborhood? I'm ever so sure I never get tired of hearing how brave she was or how heroically you two worked together."
As usual at this topic, a warm, dreamy look came over Arnold's features to Lila's relief. "Sure, Lila. Well, like I said we didn't get a chance to work together until the night before the bulldozers were supposed to roll, but she'd actually been helping Gerald and I for days behind the scenes. It was kind of amazing…"
As Arnold continued on, Lila nodded and listened intently, and all the while hoped in her heart that the events of the dance would ultimately work out well for her friends.
As the bell for lunch rang, the kids of the fourth grade stood up and headed out the doors into the hallway. Somehow—either because they were lost in their own thoughts or still adhering to the isolation they felt from the rest of their class—Arnold and Helga were two of the last kids to exit. They noticed and glanced at each other from across the room, eyes meeting for just a moment. But then Helga blinked and scowled and headed away, and Arnold sighed and looked down, waited for her to pass by, then exited too.
"Hey, uh, Phoebe? This is Gerald. Uh…over."
Gerald released the button on the walkie-talkie in his hand and tugged at his tie. He examined its straightness in the glow of the streetlights overhead as he walked.
"Gerald—hello! This is Phoebe. Are you on your way? Over." Phoebe's voice crackled out of the walkie-talkie.
Gerald smiled at the sound. "Yeah, almost there. Sorry for running a few minutes late—I had to gussy up Arnold and then head over to Brainy's house and make sure he got decently put together. Then I had to finally get myself ready and avoid Jamie-O's comments all at the same time. It's been quite a night so far and the dance hasn't even started yet. Over."
"Hmm…" Phoebe laughed as he turned a corner. "Yes, I had to meet with Lila and then leave quickly before Helga came over for Lila to help her get ready. I was worried Helga wouldn't show up without someone as enthusiastic as Lila to motivate her. Over."
"And then we had to spend all of yesterday afternoon going over everything with everyone else at our 'baseball practice'." Gerald rolled his eyes as he finally came up to Phoebe's front stoop. "You and I need a vacation. Over."
"Well then I suppose it's a good thing summer vacation is coming up. Over." She laughed.
Gerald laughed too. "Yeah. By the way, I'm at your door. Should I ring the bell or knock or something? Uh…over." He swallowed, trying to muster up all his suaveness just in case he had to meet Phoebe's parents.
"Oh, no, that's all right!" Phoebe quickly squeaked before she cleared her throat and resumed her normal calm tone. "I mean, I'm right here actually. Over."
Her voice faded with a bit of static and then the door opened.
None of Gerald's summoned suaveness prepared him for the sight of Phoebe in a lovely long powder blue dress and white cardigan with silver earrings and blue shoes with heels. "Konbanwa, Gerald." She smiled and stepped outside and let the door close behind her.
Gerald looked at her with wide eyes and a light blush at first then cleared his throat. "Uh, nice to see you too, babe. Heh…Over." As a reflex he'd spoken into the walkie-talkie, but now he shook his head and pocketed it. "Uh, sorry." He smiled and a waved. "Hey."
Phoebe's smile warmed. "Thank you for taking my advice about the walkie-talkies. Helga and I have always found them very convenient for schemes."
"Oh, yeah, sure." He grinned. Then some of his coolness came back to him as he added, "You look really nice."
"Thank you." Phoebe blushed. "And you look very handsome, Gerald."
His grin grew. "Thanks, babe. Shall we?" He held out his arm to her then added with an awkward shrug, "We probably have to make this 'big date' for us look really authentic to fool Arnold and Helga."
Phoebe's smile grew a little. "I agree." She hooked her arm with his and they started to walk to the school.
After a couple of blocks of silence that was gradually getting more awkward, Gerald sighed with a guilty frown. "Sorry for being so quiet, Phoebe. Every time I try to think about something to say, it's about Arnold and Helga."
"It's all right, Gerald." Phoebe shrugged. "They are our best friends after all, and they'll probably be a significant focus of our night."
"Yeah, I know." He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "But everything shouldn't have to be about them. I mean, it's our dance too. Also, I feel like we've never had a chance to really just talk about each other."
"I'd like that one day soon, Gerald," Phoebe replied softly. Then she lightly cleared her throat and added, "Besides, I suspect Arnold and Helga would assume we'd be doing something like that on a date. What would you like to know?"
Gerald considered then smiled a little. "Favorite food?"
"Hmm," Phoebe glanced up in thought, "It's a tie between my mother's homemade strawberry pie and my father's tamagoyaki." She looked to Gerald. "What about you?"
He shrugged. "My mom's not the best cook unfortunately, so for me it'd be Souvlaki from Gino's Souvlaki stand. That stuff is good."
They shared a small laugh. "Favorite color?" Phoebe prompted.
"Red. You?"
"Blue."
"Favorite way to spend a Saturday?" Gerald smiled more.
"Up until recently it was practicing my fencing but…playing videogames at the arcade with you certainly has merit."
Gerald blushed at her soft smile. "Yeah, I…I think that might be my new favorite way to spend a Saturday too."
As they kept walking, Gerald moved a little closer to her. "You know, once summer comes and all of this 'Arnold and Helga' stuff is settled maybe you and I really could, um…I mean…you know…"
"I'd like to go out on dates with you as well, Gerald," Phoebe replied softly.
Then Gerald's stomach went into butterflies as she lightly clasped his hand with hers. "One more question," he managed, eyes hazed, "do you think Lila was trying to set us up when she decided to use us going on a 'big date' tonight as an excuse to get Arnold and Helga to go to the dance?"
"Absolutely," Phoebe replied with a bright smile. "And I really must remember to thank her for it."
They turned a corner and shared a small laugh as Gerald squeezed Phoebe's hand and she squeezed his back. The lights of the school now could be seen just ahead of them.
And then they slammed into a very solid taller kid.
"Hey, watch where you're going, you little puny fourth graders!"
Gerald blinked and shook his head then scowled at the sight before him. "Wolfgang? Edmond? What are you two doing here? This is a fourth grade dance."
Standing in suits, Edmond shrugged and Wolfgang grinned cockily. "Yeah, and we're student volunteers for the night. We're gonna help Mr. Simmons and Principal Wartz."
"Yeah, 'help.'" Edmond chuckled and made air-quotes, which caused Wolfgang to quickly scowl and punch him in the shoulder.
"Hey, shut up!"
"Sorry…"
Gerald scowled more. "Look, I don't know what you two are up to with this whole 'student volunteer thing' and I don't care. Just know that if I see either one of you doing anything suspicious I'm going right to Simmons and Wartz. And they're already on high alert anyway because of that pool prank at our April Fools dance."
Wolfgang smirked. "Yeah, on high alert about you fourth graders causing some kind of problem. And aww…" he grinned down at Gerald, "what, is the baby fourth grader gonna need some big adult to help him instead of taking me on himself? That's not gonna impress your little date very much…"
Gerald just rolled his eyes. "What'll impress my date is me giving her all of the attention she deserves tonight instead of getting caught up in some stupid macho game with you. So yeah, you better believe I'll get the teachers involved, no matter what!" He turned back to Phoebe with a suave smile. "Let's go, babe."
Phoebe grinned and nodded. "Of course, Gerald."
And then the two of them glided right past Wolfgang and Edmond to the glowing doors of P.S. 118.
Gerald let out a deep breath and mumbled to Phoebe. "Now all I have to do is hoping they're not following us to pound me."
She smiled. "I can't imagine they would. That would certainly get them thrown out of the dance. And besides, your words were very commanding. You left them rather speechless."
"Yeah, well…" he blushed and shrugged, "just trying to be a good date."
Phoebe's eyes twinkled. "You're off to an excellent start, Gerald."
They shared a smile but then stopped at the gym doors at the sight of Principal Wartz and Mr. Simmons flanking them.
Mr. Simmons, of course, had a smile on his face. "Gerald, Phoebe—I'm so glad you could make it to this special year end dance."
"But no funny business," Wartz grumbled. "I'm still not sure who pulled that prank at the April Fools dance, but if anything like that happens again I'll be the one having to answer for it to the school board. So as you children can see, I've asked some of the older, more mature students to assist us in chaperoning this evening. Enjoy your dance—I'll be watching to make sure of it." Wartz pushed open the school doors for them with a wary look.
Mr. Simmons cleared his throat and kept smiling as he waved and added, "And have a special night!"
Gerald and Phoebe sighed and headed inside the gym.
"Wow, Wartz must be steamed if he's giving every kid that speech on the way in here. I hope shenanigans with Arnold and Helga don't get too extreme." Gerald bit his lip uneasily.
Phoebe sighed but smiled. "Don't worry, Gerald. Everything will work out. Let's just enjoy ourselves like Mr. Simmons said. And do our best for Arnold and Helga."
"You got it, babe. Let's do this."
Phoebe winked. "Operation Reconciliation is a go."
They headed into the decorated space full of their friends, ready (and grateful) to play their role in tonight's plan of 'acting' like a happy new couple on a lovely date.
Despite Arnold's doubts and Helga's suspicions, tonight's dance had been incredibly normal so far. There was the average amount of chatter and laughter, an average amount of roughhousing amongst the boys and gossiping amongst the girls, average music good for dancing, average food in the form of chips and punch and cookies, and the average amount of encouraging announcements and stern jokes from Mr. Simmons and Principal Wartz respectively. No one had batted an eye when Arnold had entered then Brainy earlier followed a few minutes later by Helga and Lila. And as a show of good faith, Lila had quickly led Helga to Brainy and then left to join Arnold on the opposite side of the room.
Helga, wearing her pink bow, a short sleeve pink dress and white shoes with her hair in low pigtails, had prepared herself for an evening of leaning against a wall while Brainy breathed next to her while she took comfort from seeing Gerald and Phoebe enjoy themselves. And however much she still suspected that her classmates might try to lure her into some big confrontation with Arnold, she was determined to resist.
Yet, something was at least making her break her resolve to remain scowling for the next two hours: Brainy…was actually not a bad date.
Helga's expectations for the ten-year-old guys in her class (Arnold excluded) had never been high. At their age, she figured awkward stuttering or oblivious obnoxiousness were all she would get. But Brainy was surprisingly different. He didn't talk much, of course, over the last twenty minutes he'd gotten them punch, told her she looked nice, and (most importantly) had given her space and hadn't prompted her to talk about anything she didn't want to talk about.
He actually cared about giving her a good night. And the guilt was too much for Helga to stay silent about it any longer. She turned to him. "Listen, Brainy…I appreciate that you're here for me and that you're keeping me company and keeping the awkwardness to a minimum, but you don't have to look after me all night. I'll be okay. You should have some fun—go laugh with the guys or eat some cookies or dance with someone. I want you to enjoy your night."
"…I am…" He smiled and stepped closer to her.
Helga rolled her eyes but couldn't help blushing. "Aw come on, Brainy. Look, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm gonna feel horrible if you just spend your whole night coddling me. You've gotta have some fun."
"Uh…okay…"
Helga smiled.
"…Uh…wanna dance?" He held out his hand.
Helga's smile went away, and she looked at the hand with wide eyes. "Uh…"
"As friends…" he added with a wheeze.
Her eyes came back up to his. "And this is the only way you'll do something fun for yourself tonight?"
Brainy just wheezed and shrugged.
Helga rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh, okay," She stepped past him and his hand, scowling a little. "One song, no touching me, and we stay on the edge of the dance floor to decrease the chance of these chuckleheads noticing us and getting a second wind for giving me heck about my romantic life. Got it?"
"Uh…okay…" He gave a final gasping wheeze as Helga grabbed him by the collar and dragged him along.
Standing with Lila on the other side of the dance floor, Arnold dropped his cup of punch, his eyes wide, and stopped talking in mid-sentence.
"Arnold?" Lila raised an eyebrow and took a step toward him in her long-sleeve green dress. "Is everything all right?"
No, everything was not all right: he was watching Helga listlessly dance with Brainy across the room. But Arnold wasn't about to admit that fact of course. "Uh…yeah…sorry." He blinked a couple of times and bent down with a napkin to wipe up the spilled punch. "I think I'm just tired."
As he straightened up, Lila looked out to the dance floor with an intrigued smile. "Helga and Brainy are dancing. That's ever so nice."
Arnold sighed. "Yeah. It's great…"
"Would you like to dance as well, Arnold?" Lila held out a hand with a bright smile.
"I don't know, Lila." Arnold instantly frowned. "All of this just feels so…weird."
"Well then perhaps when Brainy and Helga are done with their dance, you should ask Helga to dance." She shrugged.
Arnold's gaze dulled. "No. If she doesn't want to talk to me, I'm not going to keep throwing myself at her."
Lila's eyes hazed. "Even if she danced with another boy again…"
"Lila…" Arnold turned his dry look on her.
She laughed softly. "I'm ever so sorry, Arnold. I couldn't help myself."
He sighed, his slight frown gone. "It's okay."
"I just wish you didn't seem so down, Arnold. Isn't there anything you want to do to enjoy your night?"
Arnold considered, but as he looked around the room nothing came to mind. Dancing with Lila would just remind him of dancing with Helga; he still didn't feel comfortable enough to try and talk to the guys; he didn't want to interrupt Gerald and Phoebe's date. What he really wanted, he realized, was to go home and talk to his Grandpa about everything. Or at least to talk to someone…
He hesitated, biting his lip, then glanced to Lila. "Lila? There is one thing. But are you sure there's nothing you'd like to be doing? You could go talk with the other girls or…"
"I already told you, Arnold, I'm happy just spending the night with you and becoming better friends," she replied with a smile.
Arnold nodded then blushed a little. "Okay. Well then, um…would you mind if we talked about Helga? I mean, really talked about her. I could really use some advice…and advice from another girl might really help me."
"As long as you think you'll be comfortable trying to talk to me about Helga now, then yes of course, Arnold. Let's go sit down." She led the way to some chairs with a bright smile.
Arnold smiled gratefully as he followed after her. "Thanks, Lila." Yet for just a moment the smile faded again as he glanced in the direction of Helga and Brainy before heading over to join his date.
Near the punch table, Gerald and Phoebe paused in the middle of talking and watched as Brainy positioned Helga near one side of the dance floor while Lila got Arnold over to the other side.
"Isn't Lila supposed to have Arnold out on the dance floor too?" Gerald asked with an eyebrow raised. "They're just sitting down."
"He may have turned down her offer to dance," Phoebe replied. "But either way, he's close enough to the correct position. Helga can easily see one half of the room and Arnold can easily see the other. It's time for the plan to begin." She glanced at Gerald, her eyes bright.
Gerald nodded at her and turned away. His gaze fell on Eugene who had done an excellent job staying safely behind the punch table so far tonight (thus saving up his klutziness until now). Gerald cleared his throat loudly and gave his classmate a wave and a meaningful gaze.
Eugene's eyes lit up with eagerness and he nodded then dashed off. Once he started his thing, the other guys around the room would know to start theirs, one after the other.
Gerald turned back to Phoebe. She glanced over to the other side of the room and gently tugged at her earring until the shiny surface caught the light.
Rhonda, of course, noticed the glint and smiled and winked at Phoebe. Then, albeit with a reluctant sigh, she headed near the dance floor to begin her own part of the plan, which would in turn signal the other girls to follow one after the other.
"Well," Gerald sighed and smiled to his date, "I guess now it's time for us to do our part—make sure Arnold and Helga have a good view of us enjoying ourselves so that even if they start to want to leave the dance, they'll feel too guilty to try." He bowed low and held out his hand. "May I have this dance, babe?"
Phoebe giggled softly and nodded. "Absolutely, Gerald." She took his hand and walked out to the dance floor with him as a new song started up and the fun began.
"…So…I'm doing the right thing giving Helga her space for now?"
"Yes, Arnold, I think you are."
"Then why does it feel so bad?" Arnold let out a deep sigh, his arms crossed over his chest.
Lila smiled gently. "Because sometimes the right thing to do isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do. I'm ever so sure you know that better anyone, Arnold."
Arnold had to nod at that reply.
"But eventually I do think you should talk to her again," Lila added softly. "Sometimes when people are ever so mad or scared or frustrated, they don't make the best decisions. And trying to fix those decisions later can seem ever so daunting, so they avoid trying. And I'm oh too certain we all know how stubborn Helga can be."
Arnold pouted a little. "But I told you, I don't want to keep throwing myself at her. She's not the only one who deserves to have a little pride in all of this."
"Arnold, I'm not saying to throw yourself at her—you know that. Just let her know what you want. I'm ever so certain girls appreciate honesty, Arnold, even if it's difficult to hear sometimes."
Arnold leaned back a little in his chair and nodded. "Okay…" He glanced at her with a small smile. "Thanks, Lila."
Lila's smile warmed. "Of course."
And then Arnold heard a familiar school-function sound… "I'm okay." One of Eugene's usual assurances after a minor accident: nothing to worry about. But then there was a loud bump. "I'm still okay…" All right, not a big deal—Eugene could handle a lot, after all. Nothing to… "Whoa! Oh—Oh!" A crash! "I'm…okay…I think, heh?"
Arnold finally blinked and turned to see Eugene crashed into the punch table nearby with the glass bowl on his head and no one there to help him up. Arnold stood. "Lila, I'll be right back."
"Okay, Arnold." Lila's smile brightened as Arnold dashed off to help Eugene.
Soon enough the football headed kid was helping Eugene stand as Eugene pulled the empty punch bowl off of his hair. "Oh, thank you, Arnold. " Eugene smiled. "Gee, I guess I can't even get through our last dance of the year without some kind of trouble. I don't know what I'd do without you, Arnold."
Arnold smiled. "It's nothing. I'm just glad you're really still okay." As he finished up with Eugene, he glanced out at the dance floor and for a moment and caught sight of Gerald and Phoebe smiling and dancing and talking. Arnold smiled too, his gaze warm at the sight of his happy friends.
Meanwhile, across the room, Helga and Brainy had finished dancing as a new song began. "All right," Helga crossed her arms, "you got your thrill for the night. Now let's get back to sulking with me and glaring at the crowd if you're really sure babysitting me is still at the top of your list for tonight."
"Uh…" Brainy kept his smile but glanced around quickly.
Helga's eyes narrowed. "Brainy…what—"
"Ugh, Curly, GET AWAY FROM ME! All I did was say hello!"
"Yeah, but you were heading in the direction of 'Will you dance with me, Curly, and mambo all my cares away!'"
Helga turned at the sound of the familiar voices just as Rhonda dashed past her, Curly on her heels, grinning maniacally. Helga scowled and was about to go back to questioning Brainy when she noticed that Rhonda's direction of flight was heading toward Gerald and Phoebe, who were enjoying a dance right now, laughing and smiling. "Oh Crimeny." Helga rolled her eyes but got out in front of Rhonda to cut off her and Curly. "Curly!" Helga snapped. "I can respect the craziness in times of crisis but this is just a school dance. If you've got to let it out, take it outside." She looked at Rhonda. "And Rhonda, keep it together and learn how to tell him off in a simple way that sticks instead of running around screaming and whining. Sheesh." Helga stared them down.
Curly shrugged and glanced at Rhonda with a saucy eyebrow wiggle. "Want to take this outside?"
Rhonda gave him a dark look. "Keep at least five feet away from me for the rest of the night or I'll shave my head so you can never smell my hair again. And believe me, I'm that sick of you—I'll do it."
A disappointed Curly finally sighed and walked away as Rhonda held her head high and dispersed too.
Helga just rolled her eyes and glanced behind her—a smile returned for a moment at the sight of Gerald and Phoebe still undisturbed.
Arnold was about to turn and head back over to Lila when the sound of another disturbance (this one coming a little farther out onto the dance floor) met his ears.
"No, Stinky, we're not putting Sydney in a toilet again as a prank—it was too risky!"
"Yeah, I reckon you're right…"
"This time we'll put him in the punch bowl! He'll be safe and still freak out people!"
"Garsh, that's genius, Sid!"
Arnold's eyes widened and he sighed deeply and dashed over to his Sid and Stinky. "Uh, guys, I really don't think you should put Sid's frog anywhere. Our class already got in enough trouble from the last dance, and Principal Wartz is keeping an eye out. So why doesn't Sydney just stay under your hat, Sid, and you guys can take him out to play once the dance is over? That way he won't bother anyone." Arnold grinned with some desperation.
Sid and Stinky glanced at each other and shrugged.
"I reckon you're right, Arnold."
"Yeah, I guess better safe than sorry."
Arnold let out a grateful sigh, especially when Side and Stinky moved off to the side and he could see Gerald and Phoebe still dancing and smiling.
Meanwhile, across the room, with Rhonda and Curly successfully subdued, Helga was about to head back to her dark corner of the dance when the sound of Harold's voice yelling out over the music farther out onto the dance floor made her stop and cringe.
"Hey, guys, I just ate a whole three feet of the hero sandwich they put out for us! Who dares me to eat another three feet while I'm dancing and not throw up?"
The guys in the room cheered.
Helga groaned and then turned and raced over to Harold just as he was about to start chomping down on a fresh segment of hero while a crowd gathered to loudly cheer him on. She shoved the hero out of his hand and scowled at him. "Hey, pink boy, simmer down—it's a school dance not a frat party. If we don't keep this place clean, Wartz'll shut us down. And I already cleared my night for this stupid dance, so if I have to head home early because of you, I'll give you a knuckle sandwich for the first day of summer break. Besides, other people here are hungry too." She picked up the sandwich segment and took a bite. "Mmm…pastrami." Then she scowled again at Harold. "And also other people are trying to enjoy the dance!" A quick glance past Harold showed her that Gerald and Phoebe still hadn't been disturbed thankfully.
Harold sighed and rolled his eyes, scowling and pouting. "Okay, okay. Madame fortress mommy…" He walked off, and the other kids went back to dancing and talking.
Helga finished her sandwich.
After getting Stinky and Sid to agree that Sydney was definitely better off under Sid's hat where he could enjoy the dance in comfort, Arnold was ready to find Lila again—that was, until suddenly…
"Hey, I got lucky on my way here and collected some excellent cockroach specimens. They usually don't come out in these numbers until almost two weeks into the summer. Does anyone want to see them?"
Arnold turned to see Nadine with a small black case she was clearly about to open and that obvious had live bugs in it. "Oh boy…" He cleared his throat and approached her, smiling supportively. "Uh, Nadine…"
As Helga was about to swing by the punch table for a quick drink to wash down her sandwich before rejoining Brainy, she caught the sound of Nadine's bug announcement from just on the other side of the center of the dance floor. And then from closer to her side, she heard Sheena reply. "Oh yes, I'd love to see them, Nadine! Let's make a space on the middle of the dance floor under the light where we can look at them!"
Helga gritted her teeth, turned with a scowl and marched right over to Sheena. "Hey, hey, hey! No—no bugs at this dance. We all know it'll turn into some fiasco once they all inevitably get loose, and I'm not dealing with it!"
Sheena turned to Helga and shrugged and smiled. "I guess you're right, Helga."
Nadine turned to Arnold and did the same. "Sorry Arnold, good point." Then the two girls quickly left the center of the dance floor.
Arnold and Helga's eyes met as they suddenly found themselves less than ten feet apart in the middle of the room.
And then Brainy and Lila approached and came to stand near the middle of them.
"It's ever so interesting that you both found each other tonight without even trying. Isn't Brainy?"
"Uh…yeah…"
"Lila…" Arnold frowned, "what's going on?"
Helga blinked a few times, blushing, and glared at Lila. "Somehow this was a set up, wasn't it? You know how prone to disaster and shenanigans our class is, and you banked on Arnold's do-gooder ways and my total lack of patience to make us both help out." Her eyes narrowed even more as they turned on Brainy. "Don't tell me you knew about this stupid idea too…"
"Uh…" Brainy wheezed, "maybe."
Lila smiled serenely. "It wasn't just us, Helga—our whole class wanted to help you two: we just…asked them to play to their strengths. And I think they did an ever so good job of it."
Helga scoffed and blushed a little. "So this entire room of people was behind this? All to shove football head and me together for their amusement. Oh that's just great!"
"Lila…" Arnold frowned more, "I told you I didn't want anything like this to happen. I trusted you…"
Lila finally frowned a little as she clasped her hands together. "I'm ever so sorry, Arnold. This was the only thing we could think of to do. You see, everyone—"
"Everyone needs to start minding their own business!" Helga shouted, and the other kids all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her and Arnold in the center of the dance floor. Helga noticed and almost flinched in some fear but then resumed her scowl, her blush persisting. "But since apparently they can't, I guess our only real friends are Gerald and Phoebe…" Helga glanced over at the couple, who had stopped dancing by now and approached.
Gerald grinned a little sheepishly and hesitated as he opened his mouth.
Phoebe sighed and spoke to Helga directly. "I'm afraid we knew about our class's plan for this evening as well, Helga. And executing it was the only way everyone could think of to show both of you how they feel."
Helga's gaze narrowed and she turned away. "That's it, I'm out of here."
But as she stepped away, Arnold moved in front of her. "Wait, Helga, maybe we should at least listen to—"
"I am NOT talking with you about this right now in the middle of a school dance, Football Head!" she shot back. "Stop being such a sap and playing into everything they're doing!"
Arnold scowled. "I'm just trying to take a moment and think about a situation before making a decision that affects the both of us. And you're not talking, you're yelling!"
"That's because screaming at you is the only way for me to get stuff through to that football head of yours sometimes!" She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
"No, it just used to be your best way to make me ignore some things you did to me that I never understand before! But now it doesn't work anymore." He blushed a little, his voice still raised. "We don't have to fight or ignore each other, no matter how anyone acts about us. You know that."
"Er, Arnold, Helga…" Rhonda took a step towards them with a hesitant smile. "Maybe we should all just have a nice long talk…"
"Rhonda, not now!" Both Arnold and Helga said at once, not looking away from each other.
"Well, congratulations on putting on a show for everyone, Football Head, all because you can't quit trying to fix things and just let go!" Helga scoffed.
"Of course I'm not going to just let this go, Helga! Our relationship is important to me!"
With the other kids, a rapt Stinky leaned over to Sid and whispered, "I reckon this is getting good." Sid nodded, his eyes never leaving Arnold and Helga.
Helga blushed. "Sh-Shut up, Football Head!"
Arnold pouted. "And stop not calling me Arnold! Ever since the last time we talked, you haven't said my name!
Helga blinked. "I…" She shook her head and resumed her scowl, "That's just a coincidence."
"No, it's not. Nothing's ever just a coincidence with you, Helga!" He almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the whole notion. "You're not saying my name because you're upset!"
"Oh gee, really, I'm upset? WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CLUE!?"
Arnold and Helga were pitched toward each other as the class around them watched with rapt attention, except for Gerald and Phoebe who shared a concerned look then turned back to their friends and made a motion to move between them.
But they were too late.
"All right, All right, Ms. Pataki, Mr. Shortman, break it up." Principal Wartz suddenly entered, towering over the two kids with a firm look. "This fight has gone far enough."
Helga blinked and looked up at him. "Uh…what? We were just talking, heh…" She gave Arnold a firm jab in the gut with her elbow.
He winced but nodded. "Uh, yeah. We're sorry if we got a little loud though."
Principal Wartz narrowed his eyes. "Nice try. I don't know what dramatics you two were pulling, but I saw you at the center of the April Fools fiasco and I won't risk having the same thing happen to this dance too. Come on, let's go review some aspects of appropriate school behavior in my office." He led the kids to the doors.
"Wait, Principal Wartz!" Mr. Simmons rushed after them. "Arnold and Helga are just two special young students who have disagreements a lot. I don't think you need to remove them from the dance."
Principal Wartz just sighed as Arnold and Helga shuffled out of the doors. "Simmons, problems like these need to be nipped in the bud. If you want to gather some good pointers on strict discipline, follow me." And with that, he went out into the hall, a distressed Mr. Simmons following behind.
The other kids were silent for a moment as the doors closed.
Finally a frowning Lila let out a breath. "Oh my."
Brainy wheezed and frowned too. "Yeah…"
Rhonda sighed dryly and crossed her arms. "Well, that went well. We probably just got Arnold and Helga suspended or sent to summer school or held back a year. Great job making them happy and getting them to be our friends again, everyone."
"Yeah, I reckon that could have gone a little better." Stinky rubbed the back of his neck.
"Aw, does that mean we have to wait and try something like this again at our next dance? That won't be until at least the fall! And this was hard." Harold pouted.
"Maybe we can still make something good work out?" Nadine suggested hopefully.
"No, I'm pretty sure this is hopeless…" Sid added with a dry look. "We are really bad at pulling off plans without the two of them helping us."
"Yeah…we're really not okay at it. Oh!" Eugene slipped on some punch on the floor.
"Hey, why don't we go out into the hall and explain to Principal Wartz that we caused Arnold and Helga to fight?" Sheena piped up with a smile. "Then maybe they won't get in trouble."
"No one is going and asking Wartz anything…"
The fourth grade turned at the sound of that familiar voice and gasped to see Wolfgang and Edmond enter the room, smirking.
Gerald rolled his eyes and stepped forward. "Wolfgang, not now. We're in the middle of trying to help our friends. Don't you have anything better to do on a Friday night than bother a bunch of kids at the school gym?"
Wolfgang just chuckled. "Oh, I can always find time to bother you fourth grade wimps."
Gerald scowled. "Yeah, well, even without Arnold and Helga, last I counted it's two against at least twelve."
"Count again." Wolfgang snapped his fingers.
Suddenly there were fifth graders coming out from behind the bleachers and from the storage room and from under the food tables.
Wolfgang grinned. "Edmond and I have been sneaking the other guys in the back door all night while Wartz was too busy keeping a close eye on you guys to notice. We figured we'd get him and Simmons to leave the room by causing some kind of distraction, but your football head kid friend and that loudmouth girl took care of that for us."
Though some unease passed over Gerald's features at the sight of the many fifth graders he held firm as he scowled up at Wolfgang. "And what do you guys think you're going to do? Principal Wartz and Mr. Simmons will be gone for ten minutes at most."
"And that's plenty of time to trash your dance and bail," Wolfgang explained smugly. "I know Wartz practically has you guys on probation for what happened at the April Fools dance. When he sees this place a mess, he'll have you guys on lockdown for entire year when summer's over. Your class won't get to do anything cool. And you'll remember it was because of us—the fifth graders!"
"Soon to be the sixth graders!" Edmond piped in with a grin.
Wolfgang scowled and nudged him. "Shut up…"
The fourth graders all glanced at each other, sharing quick murmurs of concern. But then Gerald turned back to Wolfgang and the fifth graders. "You can try, but I'm not gonna let you get away with it without a fight."
"Neither will I," Phoebe added as she took his hand.
They shared a smile.
"And I'm ever so sure I won't either." Lila came forward.
"Uh, yeah…" Brainy wheezed, "me too."
The other kids nodded and came forward, scowling and standing up tall.
Wolfgang blinked twice and took a step back but then scowled again. "All right then, fine—do your worst, fellas! And whoever lets a baby fourth grader stop them is a real loser!"
The fifth graders began to wreak havoc.
Out in the hall, Arnold and Helga were in the middle of listening to a lecture from Principal Wartz about appropriate school function behavior while Mr. Simmons tried to interject how he was sure there was a reasonable explanation for why Arnold and Helga had been in such a heated argument back in the gym.
"Well then," Principal Wartz finally announced, giving the kids a dry look, "if there's a good explanation, then let's hear it. Everything. Come on, we haven't got all night."
Helga and Arnold each opened their mouths, about to speak, but froze and blushed a little. They glanced at each other and then away, Arnold shuffled his feet as Helga cleared her throat.
"Ms. Pataki, Mr. Shortman," Principal Wartz began, "if I don't hear someone explain something immediately about the scene you two were making in there, I'll have to call your families and have them come pick you up early for the night. And we can discuss more about proper behavior during Saturday morning detention tomorrow."
Arnold sighed and Helga squirmed.
And then there was a rumbling along the floor and some sounds from outside.
Principal Wartz and Mr. Simmons glanced at each other then moved away from Arnold and Helga to push open the front doors of the school. Their jaws dropped.
There was Curly on the front lawn of the school, riding a cow being and surrounded by chickens and geese.
He grinned. "I decided to take my crazy outside for the night! It led to my brethren. Free the animals!" And then he clung to the cow's neck as it started to race around the front lawn, the other animals in hot pursuit.
Principal Wartz and Mr. Simmons snapped out of their shock and instantly dashed out of the school.
"Curly, please, get down from there, it's very dangerous!"
"Mr. Gamelthorpe, you are in a world of trouble. Disembark that cow now! Where did you even find these creatures?"
Meanwhile, a few blocks's over at the Peterson farmhouse…
A light went on in one of the rooms.
"What was that sound? Land sakes, half the livestock is gone!"
Back at the school…
The front doors closed behind Wartz and Simmons as they dashed off after Curly.
After a moment of shocked silence, Helga sighed deeply, closed her eyes, and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I must have been more insane than Curly to agree to show up at this dance tonight. I knew it would be a fiasco somehow."
"Actually, I think it's been kind of fun…"
Helga glared at Arnold.
He smiled and shrugged. "What? We got to hear some nice music and help our best friends and now we got to see some animals. I…think I would have been disappointed with anything less actually."
Helga continued to scowl. "You need help. And I'm getting out of here. If our best friends cared so much about having a nice date together they wouldn't have backstabbed us by working with the rest of our stupid class to drag us here and embarrass us."
"Helga, you know they'd never do that." Arnold frowned but considered. "Maybe we should go back and talk to everyone—if Gerald and Phoebe and Lila and Brainy were part of whatever's going on, there has to be some logical reason for it."
"Yeah, great, go cling desperately to hope—that's what you do best. Like I said, I'm out of here."
"So that's it?"
Helga paused and glanced over her shoulder, her scowl dark. "Excuse me?"
Arnold crossed his arms and gave her a dry look. "You're just going to keep running from me? Keep avoiding everything that happened between us? Keep acting angry and storming off? For how long? The whole summer? The rest of elementary school? The rest of our lives?"
"I am NOT running." She turned back to him, hands on her hips. "A-And I'll act however I want for however long I want! And stop trying to egg me into talking to you!"
"Talk to me, and I won't have to keep trying to talk to you!" he countered. "I already know you're not really mean and nasty and insensitive, Helga. I know you have to be feeling something about everything that's happened! So just tell me—why? Even if you don't want to be together, why can't we at least just be friends? Or at least just be like we used to be? Anything's better than how things are now! Why won't you talk to me?"
"Because I love you!" Helga suddenly yelled back, her scowl breaking as her voice filled with passion.
Arnold blinked.
Helga went on, getting closer to him. "I love you, and I finally told you, and you actually liked it, and we actually tried to be together, and we liked that too! But our relationship can't be good for you if it's causing you anger from being mocked and ridiculed by our classmates and from me being too scared to own up to my secret to everyone. So we can't be together like that anymore for your sake. But I can't just be friends with you now, Arnold, or even like we were before. Being near you at all after everything we had is maddening—all I can remember are our moments alone and your sweet kisses and how much I still long to be in your arms! It broke my heart enough having to break us up—don't ask me to break it again day after day still trying to be close in a different way. I'm not strong enough, okay, Arnold?! Okay…" By now she was panting, her eyes shining and bright.
Arnold just stared back at her with his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open and a blush on his features.
Helga looked at him for a few more seconds then let out a final deep breath. "Forget it… Just… I want to go home, Arnold. I want to be alone." She turned…but she stopped at the feeling of Arnold's hand clasping hers and turned.
He stood close to her, still looking at her with wide eyes. Helga didn't try to pull away. Whatever last desperate plea he had in his system, she just wanted him to let it out so they could be done with this.
He took another step closer, though when he spoke it wasn't a plea—it was a question. "Why do you think I've been fighting you about this break up thing? Do you really not realize it's because I feel awful being apart and pretending nothing happened?"
"Awful…?" Her eyes widened.
"I like you, Helga—a lot." He blushed but kept going. "And it hurt a little when our friends teased us and when I yelled at them, but they were just being kids and I was just standing up for us. But it hurts so much more breaking up instead of facing our problems together. I'm happy with you, Helga G. Pataki. And if you're happy with me too, then…then…" His blush deepened. "Then…" And suddenly his arms came around her in a tight hug.
Helga gasped, her eyes wide.
Suddenly though from behind the door to the gym came several loud, unsettling sounds.
Arnold and Helga separated with wide eyes.
"What, uh…" Helga ignored her racing heart, "what do you think that was?"
"I, uh…" Arnold swallowed, "Curly? Maybe?"
Helga shook her head. "No—he couldn't fit that cow through the back door of the gym."
There were some more loud sounds and harsh laughter and the familiar voices of some of their friends shouting, 'Hey!' and 'Stop it!'
Helga's eyes narrowed a little. "Something's up…" She walked forward, and Arnold followed her.
As they stood just outside the gym doors, the sounds grew more distinct and they could make out their friends' yells and the sound of objects crashing and falling.
Arnold looked at Helga. "Do you think we should try to find Principal Wartz and Mr. Simmons?"
Helga rolled her eyes. "Only if we want to really cement our new reputation as partners in crime troublemakers and get detention straight through the last two weeks of school til summer break. Wartz will get here, see us, see trouble, and lose it." She eyed the door. "We go in on the count of three and figure out what the heck's going on."
Arnold nodded. "Okay." He blushed a little as he quickly added, "And afterwards can we talk about…whatever it was we were maybe starting to talk about?"
Helga blushed darkly. "Maybe," she whispered. Then before he could respond she put her hands on the door and counted. "One, two…three." Helga pushed open the doors.
Her and Arnold's eyes went wide.
The dance was in shambles—streamers torn down, snack bowls scattered, the music stopped, and all across the room fifth graders were running around trashing the place while the fourth graders tried desperately to stop them and also to not get bullied in return for their efforts.
From amid the chaos, Wolfgang paused, holding Gerald up by the collar, and looked over at the doors. "Hey, it's the football headed kid! And that loudmouth girl who's always around him." (At the doors, Helga blushed and scowled).
Gerald glanced over at his friends. "Arnold, run! Go to fuzzy slippers, tell him we've got a situation! Then get Torvald, Big Patty—any older kids you can find who likes us!"
"Shut up!" Wolfgang gave Gerald a little toss back to the floor.
"Gerald! Are you all right?" Phoebe helped him sit up on the floor.
Gerald rubbed his head but smiled. "Better now, babe." He touched her hand.
Phoebe blinked then smiled too and gave his hand a squeeze.
At the door, Arnold smiled a little at the sight.
"Football Head, duck!"
And then Arnold found himself with the wind knocked out of him as Helga shoved him away just in time to miss being snatched up by Wolfgang.
"Hey!" Wolfgang called, scowling at them. "Quit running, wimpy fourth graders!" He turned like he was going to approach again.
Gerald dashed over to Arnold and Helga, Phoebe following. "Arnold, Helga," he kept his voice low, "Wolfgang said the fifth going to bail as soon as they hear Principal Wartz and Mr. Simmons coming so that our whole class will get blamed for wrecking the dance. I'll distract him for now, but you two need think of a way we can get out of this."
"Us?" Helga raised part of her brow. "Why? Is this another cheap ploy to get Football Head and me all cozy together again?"
Gerald rolled his eyes. "No, and for the record what happened tonight wasn't a cheap ploy. Everyone felt horrible for how they treated you two, they got us involved, and everyone else just acted like their normal flawed selves so you two could do what you do best and help them. They wanted you to know that they're sorry and they appreciate you and they need you, and this was the best way they could think to do it. So you two have to come up with something because that's what you do best!"
Phoebe stepped forward. "Gerald, please give me your walkie-talkie."
He raised an eyebrow but nodded and handed it to her. Phoebe pulled hers from her cardigan and then shoved one each into Arnold and Helga's hands. "We know you two can help." She smiled.
Gerald smiled at them and nodded too then turned back to Phoebe. "Babe, go around and tell the others to keep the fifth graders distracted. I'll take care of Wolfgang."
"Gerald…" She frowned a little in worry.
"Hey," Gerald shrugged with a grin, "I've got an older brother—I'm used to some big guy pushing me around. I can handle him, trust me."
"What was that?" came Wolfgang's dark voice from right behind him.
Gerald blinked and turned to see Wolfgang towering over him. He swallowed at first but than glared at the fifth grader. "You heard me. I said I can handle you. I am Gerald Martin Johannsen—keeper of the tales, teller of urban legends. And you are never gonna bring us down, Wolfgang—you always lose in the end!"
"Why you-!" Wolfgang came forward, but Gerald did a smooth slide to the side, keeping one leg out, which caused the older kid to trip and fall hard to the floor. There was some laughter from the fourth and even some fifth graders at this development. Wolfgang gritted his teeth and growled. "That's it!" Just as Gerald bolted across the room, Wolfgang stood and chased after him.
Phoebe turned to Arnold and Helga. "I'll inform the other kids that we need them to buy us some time. Arnold, Helga, please do your best. And I'm sorry if we upset you tonight with our plans. Everyone really did want to make up for their poor treatment of you." She gave her best friend a concerned look then dashed off to the other kids.
There was a moment of silence, then Arnold smiled. "We have some good great friends, Helga."
Helga let out a deep sigh. "I guess…"
"And I think they're right—both of us do a lot for them in our own ways," he added, giving her an expectant look.
Helga glanced at him, her scowl a little faded but still present. "We're the only reason these chuckleheads have survived this long: I get it. And everyone meant well tonight in their own stupid way: I get that too. Which is why we're going to help them, Arnold—together."
Arnold smiled and opened his mouth.
Helga cut him off, still scowling. "But this is not a 'make up mission'. This is just…two people seeing if they can still work together even though everything's changed in their lives. And then seeing where they can go from there. Okay?" She held out her hand.
Arnold observed her for a moment but then nodded and took her hand to shake. "Deal."
They released and Helga sighed. "All right, now I'll tell you my plan so far. And if you've got some other ideas or some way to improve it, let me know." Helga leaned in and whispered a few things into his ear.
Arnold beamed when she pulled back. "Actually I think it's really good. But maybe we could also…" He whispered a few things to her then pulled back.
Helga blinked then let a smile pick up at one corner of her mouth. "Actually that could be really funny. Okay then," Helga's scowl softened, "let's go."
They shared a nod. Arnold's smile wavered. "Just be careful."
Helga blinked but then blushed a little and added, "You too."
With a final look, Helga ran off to the center of the dance floor and Arnold snuck out of the gym.
A/N:
Enjoy what happens next!
~Azure129
