Author's Drabble:
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This chapter was kind of just thrown-together. But we catch a glimpse of Stinky and Lila's first date. Daw.
"Helga, those shoes are atrocious! I mean…look at them! The heels are falling off!"
"Well, we can't all afford a new pair every week, Princess." Helga stated, picking up the bat where Eugene had tripped over it and bracing it on her shoulder.
This wasn't the first time Rhonda whined about her sorry state of dress, nor would it be the last since Helga wasn't planning on changing her ways anytime soon. But this time she could agree with her about her shoes being one sorry state. What had once been white sneakers perfect for playing baseball or whatever the guys threw at her on their sparse sports days, were now gray death traps. Just last week she had gathered three rocks in her shoes just from the half-attached soles kicking them up while she walked. The next thing she knew, she soaked her socks while walking home in the rain after missing the bus. But at least she could still find use in them. It wasn't the money that was a problem. Big Bob's Beepers & Electronics was still doing well, there were no real financial problems to speak of, but Helga was attached to the ones on her feet. She had bought them while she tried to date Arnold four years ago and to this day she hesitated whenever she thought about throwing them away. Sentimental value won-out every single time whenever their disposal was mentioned.
Rhonda rolled her eyes at Helga's remark, backing away from the home plate where she had just completed her return. She might have been wealthy enough to have a personal trainer to take care of all her fitness needs, but Lloyd was insistent that she could get her exercise playing ball with them and didn't need to waste the time calling up potential fitness experts. Helga thought it was all a bunch of horse puckey and she just wanted to hang out with the old gang like old times just as much as everyone else. It was Rhonda's weird way of showing she cared.
"Helga's up," Sid paled, fingering the ball while rotating the bill of his hat back so he could see. Since he had hit puberty, the shorter of the males thought it looked cooler to have his hat facing the right way but sometimes he hat to revert back to the childish position for occasions such as this. He was nervous because Helga's attitude only emerged on the field these days and he was a lousy pitcher by her standards. If he failed, he would suffer a lashing from her sharp tongue just like in the old days.
"Heads up, Sid." Helga called over with a smirk, swinging the bat around into position and bending her knees slightly.
Harold leaned over slightly, peering past Helga at Sid, nodding his head to show he was ready. Until the teams had to switch, he was stuck being the catcher until Helga could resume her position. Stinky called over some form of hick encouragement while Helga focused on the ball in the teen's hand; training her eyes to focus on it. Grinding the toe of her shoe into the dirt, she waited for the pitch, frowning when he seemed to be taking his sweet time. They should have sent Stinky up there since he threw the best of today's clumsily formed opposing team. Then again, Stinky had been a little too happy these days since he finally asked Lila to try going out with him. Too perky for her taste.
Winding up his arm, Sid grimaced and then let it fly and Helga smacked the ball away with a casual swing that cracked so much louder than the collision seemed to earn. She took off for first base, soles slapping against the bottoms of her feet and the ground in a clumsy chorus until she leapt onto first base just as the ball was pelted at Eugene, who cringed and threw up his glove only to be conked on the head. Helga turned around, hands on her hips to stare down at him, her eyes noticing the ball rolling further away from him and Iggy scrambling to pick it up. Figuring that she wouldn't make it to second base, she leaned over Eugene with her brow arched slightly.
"I'm okay," he said, waving a hand before sitting upright. She reached down and grasped his wrist, pulling him to his feet again. "Gee, thanks, Helga."
"Don't get mushy on me, Eugene. Just try to keep conscious for one game." Helga muttered, turning around again to face the pitcher's mound; bracing her hands on her hips. "Come on, we haven't got all day here, Sid!"
"Knock it off, Helga, I'm getting to it!" Sid shouted back, trying to regain some of that spine he had grown on the day he bought a magazine from her at her job. Seems he was losing it again now that there was no counter between them.
"Get to it faster!" Helga snapped, plucking the runaway ball from the ground where Iggy had kicked it accidentally with his foot and chucked it at him. "Crimeny…"
"Arnold, your mom and I think its best that you try to go back to Hillwood for a little while." Miles said; handing over the stack of bills he had been holding in his hands when he first sat down with Arnold. "It's…pretty obvious that you miss the city. I know how it is from personal experience. I grew up there and even though I love it out here, I miss it too."
"Dad," Arnold's eyes had widened when the money had been set into his stunned hands. The bills were damp with sweat, revealing Miles had been holding onto them for a while before finally approaching him. The money was probably a big part of the supply funds and he immediately wanted to hand it back. Looking back up to his father, Arnold's eyes turned reluctant and he handed them back over. "This is for supplies and the school, I can't take it. I have enough saved for the flights…but it will take a while before I can come back."
"That's why we're offering to help you, Arnold." Stella coaxed, standing beside her husband and resting a hand over his shoulder. "So that you can come back to us when you feel you need to. Your father and I won't be going anywhere."
"That's right, we're staying here until we are sure the green-eyes no longer need our help. Once the school is properly financed by the government, we should even be able to move back to the city. But until then, right now, you should go back and see your friends and grandparents." Miles gently pushed the money back towards his son, smiling at the teenager's reluctance to accept their offer. Like Stella, Miles was proud of his son in every way, though he didn't know as much about the whole Helga situation like his wife did. But she did manage to fill him in on a few tid-bits over the years.
"Are you sure?"
"If we were anymore sure, we would be chasing you out of here by now." Stella laughed. Her face turned more thoughtful soon after as she crouched before Arnold, taking his hand between hers. "Arnold, we'll be fine. Go on, take a break."
"It'd be nice to get away from this humidity anyway." Miles grinned, fanning at his sweaty neck as if to prove his point.
"This is what happens when you bring a city boy into the jungle." Stella joked, nodding back at her husband and earning a smile from Arnold.
His parents were insistent and he was homesick, true enough. Could they blame him for wanting to make sure they really wanted him to visit Hillwood again? Arnold spent seven years with his parents back in San Lorenzo, hoping he could eventually bring them back to the city and they could live together with his grandparents again. Over the years that hope died with his childhood and he accepted that they would stay in the jungle. But he did find hope in his father's mentioning of returning one day. But they were right, and the letters were urging him to listen to them in some sort of silent, conscience invading way. It wasn't just Helga he wanted to go back to and see if he could help her and himself, but his friends and relatives as well.
"Okay, I'll send Grandpa a letter in the morning." He finally stated, lifting his eyes to his parents. "But while I'm back in the city, can I try something?"
"Try what?" Miles and Stella asked in sync.
"Can I try to get my driver's license?"
"I'm ever so glad you invited me out here, Stinky." Lila said, looking around the rows of various plants and vegetables growing within the confinement of the high school green house. Stinky was the head of the Agricultural club and therefore had access to the greenhouses. It was the boldest move he had ever made in inviting Lila out that night onto the school grounds. She had been there to help build the greenhouse and set it up but with her part time job hours increasing, she had to quit the club and never got a chance to see the plants grow or come to fruitation. Hence, Stinky felt it was the best idea for the new couple's first date. A trip down memory lane even though it was barely over a month ago.
"I'm glad you like it, Miss Lila."
"Stinky, you don't have to call me 'Miss' Lila anymore…in view of the circumstances…" Lila smiled, her cheeks turning pink. "You can just call me, Lila."
"Gawsh, I didn't think of it that way." He turned a little red as well, though his cheeks were a deeper hue than Lila's had been. "Okie dokie then, Lila."
The gangly teenager could have sworn the greenhouse hadn't felt this warm before as he lightly pulled at the collar of his t-shirt. The late October evening had been a lot cooler than the humid greenhouse and he thought it would have been a welcomed change in climate until he realized his own embarrassment and nerves. Being alone with Lila was a new experience for him after all. It had taken him months to finally work up the courage to ask her to at least date him and she accepted. Now everyone suspected they were an official couple even though their first date didn't happen until tonight.
Bringing around the basket Lila had promised to take with her to meet him with, the red head smiled up at her date, earning a bashful returned grin before she set it down upon the soil and opened the lid. Stinky removed his jacket, laying it on the ground. "You can sit on this so that your pants don't get dirty." He offered, plopping onto the dirt and folding his long legs up Indian style while Lila sat upon the coat, returning to the basket. She pulled out a couple of Yahoo sodas and then a few sandwiches on a paper plate that she rest on the lid of the basket. It may not have been the most elegant dinner most couples would have wanted to have on their first date, but they weren't a couple. Even if they were, their tastes were rather simple and required nothing really fancy in order to enjoy themselves.
"Stinky," Lila handed him a soda.
"Yeah?" he took it, eyeing her cautiously.
"This was ever so sweet of you." She smiled, pulling her long ponytail over her shoulder and picking up a sandwich. Smiling over at him, she took a bite, Stinky found himself smiling as well, opening his soda but nearly missing his mouth when he moved to take the first swig. Giggling, Lila leaned over and lightly kissed the teenager's cheek. Stinky stared ahead, his lips quivering as his smile turned dream-like and he raised the soda again for a drink; only to pour the contents over his shoulder and into the dirt.
And there you go.
No more until I get reviews!
