Chapter two. This one is a lot less violent than the last. It's also very mushy. Enjoy.
-Helga had already been sitting in the small room staring intently at the fibers of the gray carpet. Her cheek was turning purple from Wolfgang's punch. She held an ice pack she obtained from the nurse's office against her face. She shivered.
She was told to wait in the school office waiting room until her father could take her home. There would need to be a parent/teacher conference where her father would be informed of her punishment. She had already been given her sentence; it was a week long suspension from Lincoln high.
She doubted that her parents would take much notice. She would get a "good talking to" from Bob who would swear a weeks worth of house arrest and hard labor as Helga's punishment. She knew that he'd forget all this after that night's reality TV marathon and her week of punishment would turn into a week of vacation.
She was under the supervision of the school office's receptionist. Helga ignored her as she sunk deeper into her thoughts. As she counted the carpet's fibers, Helga was full of mixed emotions concerning the fight between Arnold and Wolfgang.
He has to still have feelings for me, Helga concluded. No boy would start a fight with Wolfgang unless he had a death wish. What amazes me more is that he won. What happened to the kind and meek Arnold who wouldn't harm even his own enemies? Who was that out there throwing punches at the school's toughest student to defend me? I thought he hated me.
Helga's feelings towards Arnold were just as passionate as they had always been. She had a crush on him in preschool which would later turn into an obsession throughout grade school. By the fifth grade her feelings were known to him. He accepted them and loved her back. She was amazingly devoted to the sweet blond boy. Despite their bad breakup three months prior, she continued to write poetry expressing her feelings of love and admiration for him. Each and every day she would dream of someday returning things to normal. She wanted to hold him in her arms, walk hand-in-hand down the hallways, and share sweet kisses in the park.
Her attention was given back to reality as the dean's door opened up. A very disheveled blond boy walked out holding an icepack to his eye. Blood was drying up around his swelling lip and a dark circle could be seen forming around his eye. His blue t-shirt was torn in its sleeve and blood that was not his own was stained upon it. He blushed and sat a seat away from Helga.
All she could do was stare at him in confusion, her mouth was slightly open and her eyebrow was raised.
Realizing her attention Arnold blushed and peeked at Helga through the corner of his uninjured eye.
She continued to stare inquisitively.
The receptionist left her desk with a large stack of papers. She entered a door that was labeled as the copy room. She left the door open so she could continue her observation of the two delinquents but it was obvious her attention was not on them.
Once alone, Arnold suddenly broke the silence by dropping his icepack, sitting in the unoccupied chair between he and Helga, and planting a deep passionate kiss on her lips.
At first she was startled, but she quickly closed her eyes, wrapped him in her arms, and kissed him back with three months worth a passion and longing. Despite the pain in Helga's cheek, and the damage done to Arnold's lip, this kiss was one of the most passionate the pair have ever shared.
As their lips parted they quickly blushed and turned away in unison.
Helga quickly regained composure, "well football head, you've officially lost all your marbles. I knew you'd lose it someday. A person can only be happy and optimistic so long until something finally snaps in their brain causing them to go postal on some random stranger." She looked him in the eyes with a puzzled look on her face, "so what was the straw that broke the camel's back, Arnoldo?"
Arnold looked down at his hands and asked with a bashful smile, "Do you still write poems about me?"
Helga almost choked. Why would he change the subject? Should I tell him the truth? We agreed three months ago that it we should go our own ways. Of course I still write poems about his kind and beautiful nature. Why would he want to know that I still write volumes about how I admire his beauty, his charm, his wit, his personality, his kindness….
"Do you?" Arnold interrupted her thoughts.
She was turning a deep shade of red. "Yes," she almost whispered, "I always have."
The two feel silent for a few moments. "Were you defending me in the cafeteria today, Arnold?" Helga asked.
An almost inaudible "yes" escaped his lips. "I'm sorry I lost control like that. It was really out of my character and I should have just approached Wolfgang instead of beating him with my fists. I don't know what came over me. It was like all of my better judgment and morals were thrown out the window once I saw him hurt you like that. I was filled with so much anger and rage. I'm sure that if it were any other student I would have tried to talk things out but when I saw you take that punch," he paused. "Anyways, I'm glad the fight was broken up. I'm not sure I could have stopped throwing punches."
They now were both studying the carpet's fibers, deep in thought. Helga was thrown out of her trance as Arnold's hand slid over hers and gripped it tightly. There was a large scratch on his forearm.
Helga turned her eyes toward Arnold who now had his face very close to hers. She felt his breath on her wounded cheek. She leaned closer to him and they were almost touching.
"Hahaha!" an older man had entered through the office doors, "I didn't think you had it in you, shortman." Arnold and Helga jumped and turned away from each other. The man pretended not to notice.
Arnold's grandfather, Phil, removed his hat and coat while walking near the pair. He stood studying Arnold's injuries. "Finally got yourself in a fight now, did you Arnold? From the looks of it you did a lot of damage," he said surveying the blood on his shirt.
Upon hearing the old man, the receptionist left her copy machine and invited the old man and his grandson into the dean's office.
After what seemed like an eternity for Helga, Arnold and his grandfather left the room.
Phil put on his hat and coat while Arnold collected his backpack and books. Phil was already out the door when Arnold asked, "if it's okay with you, can I say something to Helga before we leave?"
Phil smiled, "Sure thing, shortman. I'll be in the Packard."
Arnold approached Helga's seat and scratched the back of his neck with his left arm.
"It seems that I've been given a week's expulsion. From what I can tell my grandpa is actually quite proud of what happened today in the cafeteria and I don't think I'm going to be grounded or anything." Arnold shyly looked down at his shoes, "maybe if your punishment isn't too severe, we can go see a movie or something this week since I'm told you've been suspended too."
In a flash, Helga smiled but quickly hid it with a scowl. "Only if you're paying, bucko. You also can take me out to dinner. Nowhere cheap, understand?"
"Whatever you say, Helga," Arnold said with a grin.
"That's right, whatever I say," Helga smiled.