They sat together in the park
As the evening sky grew dark
She looked at him, and he felt a spark
Tingle to his bones
It was then he felt alone
And wished that he'd gone straight,
And watched out for
A simple twist of fate
Simple Twist of Fate, by Bob Dylan
He hadn't expected to find her.
Helga stood on the bridge in the park, overlooking the water, holding something small and golden in her hand. A medallion? Looked like it. Arnold walked up slowly, telling himself to calm. To get into character. Play it Bogart.
She saw him coming and scowled after putting the locket away, her eyebrow narrowing, her face contorting into a mask of anger. Arnold was about to speak when she said, "What'd you want, foot-ball head?"
He paused and tried to remember Lonnie's words how they were said. After what seemed like a century of uncomfortable silence--during which time Arnold caught his breath--he said, "Helga, I wanted to tell you something...it's kinda important."
Her expression changed. Was that...hopefulness? Her hands began to shake and she said, "Yeah, like what?" Still trying to sound angry but her voice was high pitched.
"I just wanted to say...that...that if you have something bottled up inside you, that you shouldn't, uh...you shouldn't leave it there because eventually it might be too late to let it out." Helga raised and eyebrow.
"What are you talking about, Arnoldo?" He groaned, trying to think of another way to put it.
"Helga, I know that deep down you probably aren't that mean or abrasive. I know that deep down you're probably one of the smartest, nicest, most sensitive girls in the whole school...and I know you're probably scared to let it out because it's been in there so long that you think nobody will accept it. Someone told me a story today and he said that you shouldn't keep things like that bottled up, because eventually you'll run out of time to truly let it out and for the rest of your life you'll have to look back at what could have been. That...that's all."
Helga's mouth was open wide and she looked on the verge of a fit. Arnold turned and shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away, feeling the breeze on his face.
Helga watched him go and then turned to the water, looking at her reflection. After a moment she took out the locket and stared at it.
Then she turned in the direction Arnold had gone and began to run.
Author's Note: I hope this wasn't too sappy...I've been trying very hard not to fall into the conventions of a traditional romance and I really do hope it worked. Two or three more chapters to go and maybe an epilogue, so stay tuned, and please remember to read and review.
And I'm not sure what album this song it off of...Blood on the Tracks, maybe.