The first thing Helga did when she got home from school was take her pink book from her bag and attempt at writing a hate poem. Arnold had always inspired her before, but those had been love poems. Helga always wrote what she felt inside, but right now her feelings were rotten and sour, and so became her words.
"Ugh... NO!" Helga ripped the page out of her book, crumpled it up, and flung it at the small trash bin in the corner of her room. It bounced off the side and landed amongst the other crumpled pages thrown to the floor. She pulled on her pig tails in frustration, groaned as loud as possible, clicked her purple pen about a million times, then started scratching down words again.
Arnold, once my love, but now my hate
Burning down the dreams you onced create
My shattered heart of gold and glass
Now you're just a pain in the
She glared at the page and growled. She scratched out the words with her pen until she nearly ripped a hole through the page, and began writing again. "I... hate... you... Arnold. I... hate... Arnold... I hate... ARNOLD! I... HATE... ARNOLD!!!" She pulled out another page and threw it across the room. She was about to make one last attempt, but noticed she was on the last page. Instead, she picked up the book by one end and the bag it came from.
Stomping out her room and downstairs, she walked over to a box that had been cleverly labeled "Helga's Old Junk-Put in Attic" so that no one would bother to open it. (Not surprisingly enough, no one asked questions and its contents were kept secret.)
She opened up the flaps to reveal all of her volumes of poetry, parts of her shrine (since it wouldn't fit as a whole), the shoe she wore when she pretended to be Cecile, and everything else related to her former love. Helga threw the book to the floor and reached in her bag for her now broken locket. While pulling it out, the inscription inside caught her eye. Arnold my soul, you will always be in my heart. Love, Helga G. Pataki. "Yeah, right." Helga threw it in the box and picked up her book again. "And you, wretched thing of evil. The product of my beating heart and soul in vain. May you be the last." With that, she threw it in with her past and she stormed back into her room where Jake waited for her on the windowsill. Helga didn't bother looking at him, instead she just flopped on her bed and buried her face in a pillow.
"What's wrong?" Jake jumped onto the floor. His boots made thudding noises as he walked to the bed and sat next to Helga.
She only groaned in reply.
"Helga, I realize that I've only known you for a few weeks, but you aren't the type of person who looks that depressed for just any reason." He put a hand on Helga's shoulder and she flinched, but didn't pull away.
"Leave me alone." She grabbed the blanket and pulled it over her head. Helga felt as Jake moved off the bed and instantly regretted telling him to go, fearing that he was actually obeying. She peeked from under the blanket and saw the goth boy walk to her bedroom door and lock it. "When the heck-"
"I put it in while you were at school. I thought you might want it. I'm locking your door in case your dad or sister hears me, but now we're avoiding the subject. I'm not leaving until I'm sure that you feel better. Now please, tell me what's going on." He walked back to Helga's bed and sprawled next to her.
She poked her head from under the blanket and looked at Jake. He gave a worried, but assuring smile which she returned before burying her face back into the pillow. "It doesn't matter, I'm fine."
Jake let out a small laugh and put his arm around Helga. "Oh, come here, you big liar. Do you really think I'd believe that?" He kissed the top of her head and she looked back at him with tired, brown eyes.
"There was this boy at my school... he... I..." She shook her head. "Just forget about it."
Jake looked over her with sad eyes. "He hurt you, didn't he?" Helga groaned again and tried to push him away, but he only held tighter. "He's lucky, you know."
Helga stopped and looked him in the eyes. "Why would you say that?"
"Because," Jake smiled again, "he must've meant a lot to you. Whatever he did to be able to hold your heart in his hand... but he didn't deserve it."
She sighed deeply. "No, Arnold's not like that, he-"
"Helga, I don't know what he did to you, but he was close to you and instead of cherishing it, he used it to hurt you."
"You don't understand, he... I loved him for a long time, but he loves Lila and my locket broke... he picked it up and saw his picture in it and freaked out. He dumped me." She closed her eyes. "Twice."
"Twice?"
Helga nodded, then sat up and pointed a finger in Jake's face, suddenly scowling. "This conversation never happened, Bucko. Why should you care so much, anyways?!"
Jake blinked a few times at the sudden mood swing, then blushed slightly and looked at the ceiling, pretending to be bashful. "...Maybe I'm just a little jealous... you've known this Arnold kid for a long time and you care about him so much, I just met you and I probably don't mean much to you..."
"But why would you want to be close to someone like me?" Helga desperately tried to make herself seem angry, but her voice had wavered. She was feeling sick again, from malnourishment or heartache, she didn't know which.
Jake started rubbing the back of his neck. "Because... maybe I like you a lot... maybe more than a friend should..."
Helga's face softened and she wondered if she could actually trust him. "Really? I mean, how do I know you aren't lying?"
He looked back at her and smiled. "Would Arnold do this?" Jake leaned over and pressed his lips firmly against Helga's.
Her eyes went wide and she blushed until her cheeks matched the color of her dress as the shock of Jake kissing her hit like Cupid's arrow to the heart. Helga whimpered as she closed her eyes and began to kiss him back. While a tiny voice inside her mind critiqued that it wasn't the familiar spark she felt from kissing Arnold, she threw back that at least this time, she wasn't only kissing but also being kissed and she threw her arms around Jake's neck. He put his own arms around her waist and pulled her tight, giving the lip-lock one last moment before pulling away with a smile on his face.
"Feeling better?" He grinned.
"Oh, maybe a little." Helga teased and rested her head on his chest. She listened to his heart gradually go from racing to softly beating. Her breath became slow and shallow as all of her recent troubles, her stress, her pain seemed to melt away, and for the first time since Miriam's death she felt at peace. This was what she needed, what she wanted all her life: to be loved. And now, she had it.
SUNSET ARMS
"Okay! Everybody, just please, sit down at the table and... be normal. Lila's going to be here any minute now..." Arnold nervously scratched his head, repeatedly telling himself that he had nothing to worry about. 'Please don't embarrass me, pleeaase don't embarrass me...'
"Now, tell me again why we have to be all polite and charming?" Ernie pulled out a chair and hoisted himself up in it.
"Because Arnold's little girlfriend is coming over for dinner, that's why!" Grandpa rolled his eyes.
"Well, I hope she doesn't eat too much food. I am a growing man and I work hard, I need to eat a lot, eh heh heh."
"Oh, Oscar!" Suzie shot her husband a scolding look.
"What? Little girls should not be eating so much or they will get fat, like Mr. Hyunh."
"Oscar, you are lazy! If any one is fat, it is you! You are paper boy, you do not do real work like every one else and you sit in house all day, living off of your wife! I can not believe it!"
"Everyone, just please, be nice to each other for once." Arnold tried to stop the argument before it started. Tingles edged through his ears at the sound of the doorbell.
"Well, that must be your girlfriend, Short Man, you better go answer the door."
He nodded and ran out of the dining room. He took a deep breath, smoothed out his sweater, and opened the door. "Oh, hi Lila, what a surprise!" Arnold mentally slapped himself.
Lila blinked a few times before answering. "But... you invited me..."
"Oh, right, stupid me. Um, the dining room is over this way, come on in." Arnold grabbed her hand and pulled her to where everyone was now sitting at. He gave Lila a nervous smile as he pulled out a chair for her, then sat down himself. "These are the boarders. Mr. Potts, Mr. Hyunh, Mr. Kokashka, and Mrs. Kokashka. That's my grandpa and my grandma is-"
"Howdy, partners! Steak, beans, peas, mashed potatoes and gravy comin' your way!"
Lila raised her eyebrows as the old woman came in wearing a ten-gallon hat and cowboy boots, complete with spurs. She wasn't sure what was shocking her more, the fact that Arnold's grandma thought she was a genuine cow-girl or that no one else seemed to noticed or care. "Arnold, is she... all right?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, she's always like this. After a while, you just get used to it." He smiled, hoping she didn't think his house was weird.
"So, Lila," The short, balding man -Mr. Potts- leaned on the table and started talking to her. "What kind of things are you interested in?"
"Opera, plays, dancing, those sort of things. What I really love is ballet."
"Really? I don't know if Arnold has told you this, but I'm in the demolition business and sometimes I think of it as one big ballet. I pull the lever, and that big, beautiful, wrecking ball sways to one side, then sways to the other, and BAM!" Lila jumped. "Bricks go dancing everywhere."
"Well, th-that's one way a thinking of it." She didn't really see any connection, but the man was passionate and she could at least relate to that.
"Some beans for the lil' lady?" Before Lila could say no, Arnold's grandma took a large scoop from the pot she was holding and slopped it on her plate. "How about you, Tex?"
"Sure. Thanks, Grandma."
"That's 'Thank you, Ma'am' to you, Sunny. Once a cowboy, always a cowboy." Grandma grumbled and moved around to Mr. Kokashka.
"Ernie," Grandpa groaned, "Arnold's trying to impress his little girlfriend tonight, now how do you expect him to do that with you boring her to death with your demolition stories?"
Arnold blushed and looked at Lila.
"Oh, no, that's okay, Mr... Mr... Arnold's Grandfather."
"Grandfather? Well, that's just terrible! You're Arnold's girlfriend, aren't ya? Call me Arnold's Grandpa."
"Yes, yes! I would like to hear more about Lila and ballet. Do you dance or just go to the shows?"
Lila felt a little relieved talking to Mr. Hyunh. Somehow, he seemed more normal than the the rest. "Both. I love dancing ever so much! It really hurts your feet, but ballet is so beautiful, and in the end, I think it's worth it."
"Oh, good for you! I can never do ballet. It is too girly. I used to go to ballet shows and plays when I was a young man and first came to America. I starred in a few plays too. I-"
Oscar interrupted, "Okay, enough about you, back to ballet. You dance ballet? That must mean you should not eat so much food so you can stay light. So why don't you give me some of your food to help you stay slim? Eh he." He rubbed his hands greedily.
"Oh, Oscar, stop begging. Can't you behave for just one night? We have a guest over, for Pete's sake." Suzie elbowed her husband.
Arnold grumbled and looked back at Lila. "I'm sorry. They're good people, really, they're just a little... eccentric, is all. They mean well, honest."
"Oh, that's okay, Arnold." She picked at her food and began eating the mashed potatoes.
Arnold pretended to start eating his food too, but still watched Lila. She had seemed distant lately, and he wondered if something might be wrong. He hoped she wasn't having second thoughts about him.
"Kokashka, you are a lazy bum, you hear me? A bum!"
"I am not a bum. I am a hard working man and I have Suzie."
"Guys..." Arnold tried to calm everyone down.
"Oscar, you're a bum and a cheat and everyone knows it!" Grandpa pounded his fist on the table.
"Hey, Grandpa, do not hit the table at me!"
"I'm not your grandpa, so stop calling me that!"
"Okay, but stop yelling! Look, I can pound the table too!"
"Guys..." Arnold repeated, but no one listened and before he could do anything Oscar accidentally hit his fork and potatoes flew into Mr. Hyunh's face.
"Oh, did you see that?! Oscar, I get you for that!" Mr. Hyunh took a spoon full of beans and, meaning to hit Oscar, missed and hit Suzie. "Oh dear! Mrs. Kokaska, I am so sorry!"
At first, she looked angry, but then a smile spread over her face as she scraped the beans off her face. Ernie was next to get hit, and both Arnold and Lila watched in horror as the food war was introduced by Grandma standing on the table and yelling, "Get your pies for the great pie fight!"
"GUYS!" Arnold shouted and was answered with a ball of mashed potatoes to the head.
"Sorry, Short Man, I was aiming for your girlfriend."
Lila squealed as a piece of steak flew by her head. She backed out of her chair so quickly that it and she fell over.
"Lila, wait!" Arnold backed out his own chair and ran to her. They both received some peas to the shoulder and head, and Lila pushed Arnold away. She ran out of the dining room and out the door, Arnold following behind her. "Lila!"
She stopped and turned around, but didn't look at him. "Arnold, I-"
"I'm so, so sorry. If I knew this would happen I would never have brought you over. I'm really sorry, I just... I... please, don't leave me. I love you, if we could just pretend this night never happened..."
"Arnold," she sighed. "Forget about it. Forget it ever happened. I'll see you later."
"I love you, Lila." The young boy blurted as he usually did when the two had tension between them, and he really wished he would stop. Whenever he did, it always seemed to make her more uncomfortable instead of relieved.
Lila hesitated, then turned back. "You too, Arnold." she mumbled before walking for home, while wiping various foods off of her casual green dress.
Arnold sighed and walked back in the house to find everyone with their eyes on him.
"We're awfully sorry, Arnold-" Ernie started to apologize, but Arnold interrupted him.
"I thought you could be normal for one evening. Just one evening. At least, for me. But I guess I was wrong."
"Oh, Arnold..." Suzie began, but was silenced by the angry boy's glare.
He groaned and walked upstairs. When he reached his room, the first thing he did was close the door behind him and turn off all the lights. The evening was young and the sun was still up, so it didn't really make that much of a difference. Arnold groaned as he brushed the peas out of his hair. 'Might as well be Helga's spitballs.' He thought to himself and froze instantly. 'Helga.' I love you. The memory of her scared and shocked stare crashed into his mind. I just like you. His own voice haunted him and Lila's own voice mirrored it. As I've told your over and over, I don't like you-like you, I just like you. Arnold walked over to his bed and flopped down on it. I love you. Helga's voice repeated in his mind. I can't do this. Why couldn't he have said something better? I love you, Lila. Arnold shut his eyes tight. You too, Arnold. Her voice had sounded so bleak...
Arnold took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind of the haunting comparisons. Lila had just been upset. They both had been upset, everyone had just been upset and that was all there was to it. Lila was Arnold's girlfriend and they loved each other. That was all that mattered. Arnold forced himself to smile.
They loved each other. That was all that mattered.
JAKE'S HOUSE
"Wooh! Score! In your face, Grass Hair Boy!" Helga put the Nintendo64 controller on the floor and pointed a finger at Jake..
"Oh, yeah? You just watch out for round two, Pig Tails." He threatened with a grin on his face.
"More like round 372. Which, I will so beat you at." She rubbed her finger nails on her dress as if she were bathing in glory.
"Whatever, you've only beaten me twelve out of... something-or-other amount of times."
"Something-or-other amount of times? Yeah, you're a great score keeper."
"Whatever! I'm kicking your ass." He rolled his eyes.
"No, you aren't. Besides, I'm getting tired of this game." Helga turned the system off and stretched out her legs. After cuddling at her house and nearly falling asleep a few times, the couple -yes, couple- decided to walk to Jake's. There, they had just played video games for three hours straight and were now very sore from sitting on the floor.
"Soooo, do you have any plans on revenge?" Jake said, standing up and having a stretch too.
"Revenge?" Helga raised her eyebrow.
"Yeah, you know, on that Arnold kid."
"Oh, yeah. I hadn't even thought of him since you came over." She smiled, even though a part of her was feeling depressed all over again. She had managed keep Arnold out of her mind completely until now, and she really wished Jake hadn't brought him up.
"Good, but I still say we should teach him a lesson for hurting you so much."
Helga looked over at him with a mischievous grin. "What kind of revenge do you have in mind?"
LILA'S HOUSE
"Yes, is Gloria there?" Lila was sitting on her floor with the phone pressed against her ear. "Oh, she's not." Her voice was sad and stressful. "Please tell her I called. Thank you. Bye." She hung up and spread out on the carpet. Her hair was still wet from her shower and she was dressed in her favorite fuzzy, blue robe. 'How much longer can I do this? Maybe I should just tell Gloria the truth. Tell Arnold the truth and get this whole thing over with. I don't know how much longer I can keep up with this charade.' Lila picked the phone up again and dialed Arnold's phone number. I love you, Lila.
The phone rang several times before Arnold's voice answered. "Hello?"
Lila slammed the receiver down. 'Poor Arnold. Why must he love me ever so much? What have I done?' She pictured the look on Arnold's face when she left his house. Please don't leave me. 'Maybe I can still tell Gloria how I feel, but I can't hurt Arnold, not when he cares this much. Maybe if I just act disinterested enough, he'll dump me.' Lila eyes widened and she smiled at this new idea. 'I've got to get Arnold to dump me. That way no one is hurt!'
Lila stood up and walked to the radio sitting on her oak-wood dresser. She turned it on and classical music instantly filled the room. Sighing deeply, she closed her eyes and imagined herself waltzing with Gloria. In her imagination, they were dancing on a marble floor. Lila wore a sea-green gown and diamonds; Gloria, a salmon-pink one and pearls. Moonlight came in through large windows and they danced together looking like princesses. They held a kind of love only they shared, only they knew. It was their secret, their connection, their passion. Lila and Gloria.
She opened her eyes to the clock reading 9:37. She deeply sighed and turned off her lamp, then climbed into bed. All she had to do was become as uninteresting to Arnold as possible and she would be free. She smiled at the seemingly flawless plan, not taking into mind that Arnold never gave up on people and always tried to fix problems.
Always.
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Author's Note: First thing I'd like to say before I forget, is that I'm proud of Grandma's line "Get your pies for the great pie fight!" I don't know how many of you have seen Blazing Saddles, but the line is from there and it's a great movie. Even if you hate Western's as much as I do, (seriously, I can't go through one with out groaning ridiculously loud at least three or four times) the movie is very funny. I'd tell you what it's about, but I started to and the paragraph was getting ridiculously long. So, pm me or just look it up if you want to know what it's about.
I already have the next chapter about a third written, so I'll be working on that and you should have it in maybe a week or a week and a half, but don't angsty if it ends up being later!
Last but not least, an apoligy for taking so long. Do I really have to say sorry? I'm not sure, but I feel obliged.
This chapter feels a little short to me, but whatever.
-T.S.