Chapter 6: Accept My Offer
The next morning, Arnold was sitting at his desk in class waiting to give Helga back her calculator. He wasn't sure how things would go. She had barely felt capable of making eye contact with him the past few days. Should they even go to dinner at this point?
As Arnold was staring at the calculator, he heard "One side mor…"
The sentence was then cut off when the bearer of the voice made eye contact with him.
"I mean, excuse me." she said, while mumbling something unpleasant under her breath.
As Helga walked passed Arnold to her desk, Arnold immediately whipped around to hand Helga her calculator.
"Here you go, Helga. I tried giving it back to you last night." Arnold informed her.
The only memory Helga had of the previous night was waking up to find herself on Arnold's shoulder and hearing him saying 'you were sleepwalking again.'
She quickly snatched the calculator from him and replied "Uhh thanks."
After seeing she still wasn't comfortable looking at him, Arnold was about to ask her a question when Mr. Simmons walked in.
"Okay class. I have your tests from yesterday graded. Umm some did better than others. I want you to know though, you are all still special in your own way." Mr. Simmons replied while Helga rolled her eyes. Oh brother, what an idiot!
Once class ended, Helga walked passed Arnold to head for the cafeteria. As Arnold watched her walk past him without glancing at him once, he noticed something slip out of her backpack…
Sensitive Gestures
Polite manners
No insulting nicknames
Take an interest in what he has to say
Offer to get him something if he needs it
Accept help if he offers
Show appreciation for him
When Helga was about to make it to the cafeteria, she felt someone tugging on her hand. As she cocked her brow in confusion, she turned to see Arnold.
"Arnold? I mean what do you...I mean, what is it?" she asked, trying to be sensitive.
"I want to talk about last night." he replied, not letting go of her hand.
"What makes you think I would want to talk about that?" she smirked.
"Maybe you don't want to. I'm trying to help you with your problem though." he began before being interrupted…
"What makes you think I need your help?" she scoffed.
"According to this list, you're supposed to accept my help whether you think you need it or not." he smiled, showing her the sheet which had fallen from her backpack.
Helga's heart began to pound. Her free hand shook as it reached for the sheet. "Where...where did you get this?" she asked.
"It fell out of your backpack. Now will you please just talk to me? You can't avoid me forever. Especially not if we're going out tomorrow." he pointed out, while feeling her shake harder.
"Fine. I was just trying to act more sensitive. You happy! Sheesh!" she scowled.
"What made you feel the need to do that?" he asked.
"Oh don't give me that crap! I heard you and Geraldo on the field Monday. Talking about how someone like me wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell of liking a sophisticated restaurant." she scowled, taking her hand back.
"Helga, it doesn't matter what other people think. I know you have a sensitive side. Strange as it sounds, I love your aggressive side as much as I do your sensitive side." he blushed, rubbing his neck.
Helga cocked her brow as she uncrossed her arms. "You do? Pttss...now who's not getting enough sleep?!"
"It was really weird seeing you try to force yourself to be nice all week during school. I could tell you weren't happy. I don't want you to be miserable. Act however you want." he insisted, rubbing her hand, looking into her puzzled eyes.
"Really?" she asked, as he moved closer to kiss her.
For a moment, the two of them forgot they were on school grounds. Helga pulled Arnold close towards her face, pressing their lips tightly together. Arnold wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's waist, almost as tightly as his tongue was around hers. While the two of them began shifting the position of their faces, pressing their noses tighter and tighter together, they suddenly heard….
"Mm, mm, mmm!"
Arnold and Helga let go of each other, doing their best not to pant, as they saw their two best friends standing and staring at them.
"Well, looks like she's awake buddy." Gerald said wittingly, while Helga began to clench her fists.
"Uhh yeah, we'll meet you back in the cafeteria Gerald." Arnold said.
"Whatever you say Arnold."
Arnold then turned to look at Helga's blushing face. Placing a hand on it, he said softly "I'm sorry you felt stressed. Tomorrow's going to be a fun night. Don't worry about what anyone thinks!"
Helga swooned, not having cared who heard. Arnold kissed her once more before the two walked hand in hand to the cafeteria. There was just one thing remaining on the list of suggestions. Would Helga be able to show it at dinner?