Helga worked at a clothing store which is a very large thrift store that sold lots of retro pieces and also different forms of fabric.
The store manager is a woman Connie in her mid-thirties but dresses similar teens or early twenty-somethings, she and Helga have become very close over the time she's worked there. Helga often confines in her when she has personal dilemmas since she doesn't have her mother or her sister to turn to; which was nothing new but still it was nice to have an older female to turn to about certain issues.
Connie walked onto the main floor doing a salsa dance. Seeing the downcast Helga she drummed her fingers on the counter to get her attention. "Hey, Ms. Firecracker what's bugging you?"
Helga slumps over tallying the money left in the register. "I spiked a talking boob in the face with a volleyball and got detention. Then the school's biggest male whore and equally obnoxious jerk once again offer me his dirty—"
"Helga!" She glances over her shoulder. "Not in front of the customers."
"Sorry Con…" Helga mumbled and turns on her light to indicate that her lane is open.
"And all on your first day. Tsk tsk, you have my sympathies blondie."
Helga snorts with a devious grin. "I don't need sympathies I have a mean left hook."
Later on towards the end of her shift, during her down time, Helga was sketching a little and Connie walked by and noticing the outline of a dress. A dreamy smile fell onto features. "Is Cinderella going to the ball?"
Helga had a look of disdain. "No." She flipped through her sketchbook. "These are just all my ideas, not for me, this is all practice stuff... remember I told you that I plan on trying something with fashion as an additional source of income along with my writing career." Meh, I lied. I did make one sketch of a potential prom dress.
She smirked at her. "Oh right." Out of nowhere she got into a boxers pose and started bopping around. "Anyway, would you like me to come down to your school and open up a can of whoop-ass on that little heifer on the playground!"
Helga bursts into a laughing fit. "I don't know which is funnier what you said or the fact that you got your dukes up while wearing that polka dot dress." She put her fists down to laugh with Helga.
"I think you forget that I'm seventeen and a senior in high school. We don't have playgrounds... thanks for the offer but I think I can handle things... I'm more upset that I let them get the best of me today."
"M'Kay only trying to look out for my favorite employee... and the most beautiful young lady that I know." She said that knowing how compliments tended to make Helga nervous and she usually didn't know how to respond to them so Connie continued talking. "So you ended in detention, eh?"
Helga nodded. "Yep, I did ... but it wouldn't have been so bad except that I ended up in the same room as Arnold."
Connie looked surprised. "You mean the Arnold?" Helga nodded again. "I thought you always said he was a know-it-all/goody two shoes. Why was he in detention?"
Helga shrugged. "He is, in addition to being a dense person who sometimes has a hard time seeing the negative in people. So I was just as surprised as you are. But apparently, he got into a fight over a girl... most likely Lila. But I don't really know what happened for certain because I try not to pry into his social life."
She could see that her teen Amiga still had strong feelings for the guy she had convinced Helga to confess about; due to finding a page of her poetry she left in the storage room of the store. "Have you told young Casanova how you feel?"
Helga giggled at the term she used. "I did a long time ago - even if I did take it back.."
"Do you still like him?"
Helga took a moment to ponder if she wanted to admit this but then she didn't see the point in hiding it. "Sometimes I can't stand him... and yet- I love him but I've grown to accept that I can't force someone to love me back." She looked over at her sad smile. "You know?"
"I know. Continue to be confident in yourself... hold your chin up." She decided to hold in what she wanted to say because she learned how much Helga hated when things got too mushy between them.
"Thanks. I will." She lifted her head with more of a confident smile. Once she had walked away Helga exhaled loudly while staring longingly out the store window. But in came Curly rushing into the store and sliding across the floor towards Helga.
He was a regular at the store. "Hey, Curly."
"Hey, glad you got out of trouble. I was one second away from making a 'free Helga Pataki' t-shirt and holding myself up in the principal's office and demand for your freedom!" Helga raised her eyebrows and held her hand over her mouth while laughing.
She watched him shamelessly yet playfully flirt with some of the female coworkers and customers with amusement. Seeing one of them lightly hitting him with her purse and chasing him around the store - her spirits were instantly lifted. "I love you Curly." She said to him as he jogged past her still being chased.
Once her shift was over she along with Curly went to their favorite 17 and up a club; which was their regular hang to meet up their group of friends.
XOXOXO
At school the next day, Helga was enjoying her lunch period outside in the part of the quad where all the 'weird kids' hung out. Arnold happens to have the same period and he was walking by when he saw Helga. With a look of determination, he took a deep breath and went out there. Immediately, as soon as his feet hit the outdoor pavement, he received several strange looks as if he weren't welcomed. Instead of allowing that to make him turn away he continued to walk and sat down next to her.
She could have melted in his presence but covered it up with nonchalance. "What are you doing over here football head?" She pointed ahead. "Your people are over there by those trees."
He made a face. "My people? Helga, I'm not caught up in all of that division stuff."
She kept her eyes on her book. "Then why is this the first time you've talked to me in I don't know how long? And why is this the first time you've come over to this area since we started high school?"
At first, his face dropped but he managed to pick it back up quickly. "I did try to talk to you yesterday—"
"That doesn't count we were stuck in that room together and besides...your Mr. polite you speak to everyone so you don't get a gold star for that.
"Hey I'm not always polite and I don't always speak to everyone, I only speak to people I like." She rolled her eyes. "I mean that I've always liked you. I wanted to be your friend back in—"
Interrupting him because she didn't want to hear about how much he wanted to just be her friend. "I've known for years that you're not always polite. Your petty fight reminds me of that." Arnold frowned because he didn't consider defending her petty - he realized she was listening to hearsay. Thinking about his friend comment she hissed. "And anyway, I have enough friends Arnoldo." She stood up seemingly to move away from him.
He grabs her arm to stop her from leaving. Shit... I'd hate to see her reaction if I told her the type of relationship I truly want with her. "I didn't mean to get you upset." He felt a throbbing pain in his chest. "God...can you tell me what I've ever done to make you hate me so much?"
She felt weakened by his touch. "You know that I don't hate you."
His brows raised. "Do I?" He shrugged and let go of her arm. "Maybe you don't. But you sure do act like it sometimes."
She sits down and silence fell over them for a few moments. I didn't have to be rude... it's decent that he is trying to be friendly. "I'm sorry."
That caught his attention despite how small her voice was. It touched him. "Wait did you just say you were sorry?"
She held her hand briefly up to cover the side of her face. "You heard me correctly..."
"Hmm, it's not every day that Helga Pataki says sorry."
Helga rolls her eyes. "You don't come around Helga Pataki enough to know that." She spoke with bitterness.
He sighs with some irritation and remorse but with the thought, he became more optimistic. "Hey well how about we change that?"
She let her sketchbook fall into her lap giving Arnold the chance to get a peek at what she was working on. "What are you talking about?" She questions.
When her eyes connected with his, he smiled at receiving her full attention. "You know to make up for the past mistakes... well a start at least." He scratched his head and fingered his hair out of nervousness. "L-Like um-mm how about you come with me to a party on Friday night?"
She took that into consideration, but the idea of going to a party most likely having to see him surrounded by girls wasn't exactly an appealing way to spend a Friday night. "I-I don't know. It'll probably be more of your crowd anyway."
"My crowd?" He looks down at his shoes and wraps his arms around his knees. "I don't think I've seen you at many parties since we started high school."
Her expression became smug and her tone full of wit. "I've partied with the best of them. I just haven't gone to any of those 'beautiful people's' parties you attend."
He rolls his eyes but in good humor but he took the moment that she was facing him to take in her features. Speaking of beauty... hers is unmatched. He stared at her big expressive eyes - he could get lost in, her cute nose, those full pouty lips he wanted so badly to feel against his again. As she turned away shyly from him he couldn't resist admiring her figure now that she had taken her light jacket off. He couldn't see much because her clothes weren't tight but what he could see he liked a great deal. He had longed to let his hands roam all over her ever since he had gotten glimpses of her figure freshmen year. Right now he found himself picturing her thin yet shapely frame. He recalls the sight of her perky breast, flat stomach, curvy waist and tight round bottom in those rather form fitting uniform she wore for the girl's softball team as she would play with such intense dedication out on the field.
He tugs on his shirt collar feeling himself getting a little heated from the images of her in his mind and closeness to her, his half-lidded gaze went off her and onto the people around him; some of which were giving him some strange looks. He ignores them and focused back on their conversation and his face filled with amusement. He moved his body at an angle to directly face her and reached over and took hold of her hand; which forced her to turn to him. "Well madame, you are cordially invited by one of the beautiful people to attend this soiree. Because I've blessed you with my presence and invitation, now you are officially one of us." He was joking and imitating bourgeois types by speaking in a snobbish tone of voice.
Helga bursts into giggles. "I'll think about it."
Arnold liked the fact that he made her genuinely giggle; he saw it as an accomplishment. He let go of her hand and peeked down at her book, impressed with what he saw. "You're really good at that." He went on to indicated specifically what he was referring to. "Your sketching."
She lowers it so he could see it better. "Thanks. I guess I've gotten a lot of practice over the years and I spend a lot of spare time working on them."
"Don't you know how to make your own clothes?"
She looks confused and a bit suspicious. "Uh, how do you know that?" She continued to eyeball him. "Have you linked up with Brainy and started stalking me or something?"
Arnold chuckles and his brows knit together. "No Helga I haven't been..." He stops, bewildered. "Wait Brainy stalks you?"
She bursts out into hysterical laughter. "He doesn't anymore but he use to. That's why I use to always hit him in the face."
Arnold is dumbfounded. "That's not funny Helga. Well about him following you around that is.."
Helga's mouth opens. Did he forget about that tidbit in my confession about stalking him? "Arnold - Brainy is harmless. If he wanted to trap me in his basement he would have done it years ago." She giggled because of how ridiculous the idea of that sounded to her.
Arnold's totally unamused. I remember when she told me she stalked me at some point ...back in the fourth grade. That was unnerving when I found out but over time I realized that she did that partly to watch out for me and partly because she just wanted to be near me ... because Helga was never like most people; who would just come out and ask if I was alright or if I needed anything... and was too afraid to admit that she wanted to be around me... it was totally innocent and pretty sweet... Maybe Brainy was the same?... But he has always been the oddest of the oddballs at PS 118 so I don't know. "It's still not funny."
She couldn't hold in a huge grin but got rid of that quickly. "Okay." She slams down her notebook and stands up. Arnold was staring at her all wide eyed. "Give me your phone so I can call the authorities right now! That Brainy is just so insane! The last time he stalked me was at least five years ago and he never once laid a finger on me, but he's still a threat to my personal safety he has got to be stopped before he hurts someone." She covered her mouth and her wide eyes shifted around dramatically. "Oh God... what if he's watching me right now?" She leaped into his arms. Luckily she's light and he's athletic "Arnold please save me from this deranged misfit!" I'm in his arms... practically in his lap - the things I could do to him... She couldn't hold in a high pitch giggle... Helga girl stop it!
He blushes. This feels familiar..I wish didn't have to let go. But once got up he crossed his arms with a deadpanned expression - trying to hold in a laugh. "Are you done making fun of me Pataki?"
She sits down and nudges him in his sides a few times. "Nope. Never. You should know that by now Shortman."
He bursts into laughter and bashfully smiled, he enjoyed the playful physical contact from her. "I do know that Helga." He started to look at his phone and around them as if he were unsure of something suddenly.
She squints. "Are you okay?"
With a frown, he looked at her and put his phone away. "Yeah, but I forgot I'm supposed to meet my coach in a few minutes. And his office is on the other side of the building." He sighed with disappointment. "He's trying to get me out of trouble... because of that fight. So I have to go... It was nice getting a chance to talk to you. I hope we can do this again. Like tomorrow? And that you'll come to the party with me Friday?"
She peers at him. I don't know what brought on this sudden urge to be around me... knowing him - it's probably because it's our last year and he doesn't want to graduate regretting not being everyone's best friend. She rolled her eyes yet smiled and spoke in a much softer tone."Y-Yeah sure thing, I would like that... I-I mean I'll be out here anyway. As far as a party, I can't promise anything but I'll consider it."
At least she didn't say no but ah she sounded so sexy just now. "That's all I can ask of you - is to think about it - since we've been kind of distant over the years but I do hope you say yes." He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled with warmth. "See you tomorrow."
Once he was out of sight she briefly touched her shoulder where his hand just was. She sighed blissfully. She honestly could have just fainted right there. He still has it.
TY 4 Reading!