Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! or Romeo & Juliet, or anything that sounds like I could make some money off of it.
Summary: What If: Mr. Simmons had never done the play in Elementary school? What if he directed it when they were all in High School instead? This is an expanded take on Helga's schemes to kiss Arnold. AxH, slight AU.
Note: As much as I love the episode "The School Play" I have several beefs with it. The fact that they made such a big deal out of the final kiss is rather silly, considering there is more than one scripted kiss in the play. But yes, they were just kids so I let that one slide. But, during the episode, they don't even place the few scenes there are in order! Always drove me crazy.
So, after my most recent viewing of this episode, I was struck with inspiration. A wonderful 'What If' Scenario. This will detail the episode with the gang in High School now (with everything else in their childhood, i.e. FTi, finding Arnold's parents, etc still having happened) with a couple exceptions: Arnold and Helga had never become a couple and Arnold's parents remained in Hillwood.
I wanted to expand on Helga's quest to become Juliet, while also building something up between Arnold and her throughout the preparations for the play.
I hope you all enjoy this 'What If' story!
Previous Chapter's Soundtrack: Skin by Zola Jesus (Main Theme)
Current Chapter's Soundtrack: Standing Still by Jewel
Chapter Seven:
"Can I go forward when my heart is here?"
Wednesday; Rehearsal.
"Everyone, please settled down for a moment," Mr. Simmons requested before continuing, "Now, I'd like to run through the balcony scene, as well as the fight scene between Tybalt and Mercutio, and then Tybalt and Romeo. Unfortunately, Lila cannot be at rehearsal today. She had something come up, and needed to take care of it. So..." the English teacher searched the crowd until his eyes found their target, "Helga, I'd like for you to fill in as Juliet today so Arnold can run through the balcony scene."
The auditorium went quiet at this announcement, and Helga shifted her eyes nervously, "M-me?"
Simmons nodded, "Of course. After all, you are Lila's understudy."
A few whispers of surprise broke out through the cast, and Arnold looked over at the blonde teen.
"I didn't know you had tried out for the role, Helga," Arnold stated a little suspiciously.
Helga did her best to appear nonchalant, "Yeah well, like I said: this shit looks good for scholarship applications. Originally, I had gunned for the lead role, because that would look even better." She snorted as she shrugged her shoulders, "Obviously, I had tried out before I found out you were playing Romeo, otherwise I wouldn't have wasted my breath."
Arnold grumbled angrily to himself as he walked off to take his place for the scene, missing Helga's small sigh of relief.
They began the scene, and Arnold managed his way through the monologue. He was getting better, as far as the memorization went, though his performance was still lacking in emotion.
"'...airy region stream so bright that...so bright,' Um...'so bright that...birds would sing and think it were not night.'" Arnold paused to notice Helga lean her face against her palm as she gazed wistfully at towards the bright stage light used for the 'moon.' He cleared his throat a little and went on with a few more pauses, though no glances at his script yet.
Finally, it was Helga's line. Arnold only had a moment to notice that she didn't even have a script in her hand, and then she was speaking gently, "'O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet.'"
Everyone, including Arnold, seemed stunned at her recitation. Arnold could only blink up at her, feeling as though he'd heard these words for the first time and actually understood what they meant.
Helga shifted her gaze down at him, and gave him a pointed look. Arnold shook his head and recalled his next line. He stage-whispered as he genuinely was able to look up at her with both awe and curiosity, "'Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?'"
Helga casually leaned back from the balcony, "'Tis but thy name that is my enemy: Thou art thyself, though not a Montague...'" She paused as she leaned against the balcony, facing the audience with a frown, "'What's Montague? It is nor hand nor foot nor arm nor face...'" Helga rested her elbow on the balcony, placed her chin upon her hand, and gave an almost suggestive smile, "'nor any other part belonging to a man.'" Even as the smile slid off her face to a frown, Arnold couldn't help the blush that rose to his cheeks. He was glad he was hiding beneath the balcony for this part, so no one could see and he once again thought she was surprisingly good.
As their scene went on, and he had to climb the ladder to continue their dialogue, Helga continued to do wonderfully. She was following the marks Mr Simmons had mapped out for the scene, while at the same time bringing a realness to the lines. Arnold's rarely showcased competitive side started showing through, as he felt engaged in the scene simply to keep up with her.
It was impossible though, as he had had to pull his script out a couple of times, but overall the scene didn't fall so flat for once.
Helga, with her back to him feigning slight embarrassment, was reciting, "'...therefore pardon me, and not impute this yielding to light love which the dark hath so discovered."
"'Lady, by yonder blessed moon I vow...,'" Arnold looked and gestured towards the 'moon', "'that tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops-"
Helga's hand cupped the side of his face to turn it towards hers, while her other hand rested against his lips to silence him, "'O swear not by the moon...,'" Helga retracted her hands as she looked up to the stage light, unaware of the effect her touch had had on Arnold, "'th'inconstant moon, that monthly changes in her circled orb,'" Helga turned to him with a challenging look and arched brow, "'Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.'"
The delivery of her last line was such a familiar tone to him, that Arnold said his next line like a retort without even realizing it, "'Then what shall I swear by?'"
"'Do not swear at all.'" Helga's gaze softened as she came over and rested her arms on the balcony and leaned slightly forward, placing their faces only mere inches apart, "'Or if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, which is the God of my idolatry...,'" Inadvertently, her eyes dropped to his lips and then back to his eyes again, "'And I'll believe thee.'"
Arnold felt a little dizzy, which was concerning since he was several feet off the ground at the moment, and his own eyes dropped to her lips as well. He had to force his eyes back to hers before they lingered too long, and after another moment of the two holding eye contact, Helga gave him another pointed look. Though, it seemed beneath that look, she was just as shaky as he.
He blinked rapidly as he tried to recall the next line, "I...um," he snuck a glance at his script and looked back up, still finding his face quite close to Helga's. Unaware of the lidded gaze he was giving her, he quietly managed out, "'If my heart's dear love-
Before Helga could cut him off with her next line, Mr. Simmons interrupted, "Perfect! There, Arnold right before your line would be a very natural place to share a kiss with Lila."
Feeling as though a bucket of water had been dumped on him, Arnold couldn't stop his shoulders from drooping. He shot a quick glance at Helga, who had got up from her place and was at the other end of the balcony with her back to him, "Oh...uh, right. I'll, um...write that down."
He felt strangely...disappointed, but he wasn't sure why.
Or maybe, he just didn't want to know why.
"Alright, let's take the scene from the top," Mr. Simmons directed, and Harold and Curly took their places on the stage as Arnold went to stand in one of the wings.
Helga snorted from behind him, "Good God, if I have to watch your painful portrayal of this scene one more time, I think I might gag."
"You know, no one is forcing you to watch me on stage Helga," Arnold snapped out irritably.
"Shows what you know, Hair Boy. I've got to keep track of all the marks and cues so I can make sure the music is edited just right."
Arnold turned to give the teen a glare, "It's your choice to be so anal about the music for this stupid play, Pataki. So quit whining about having to watch me."
With his cue coming up, Helga sneered as she crossed her arms, "Ooh, with an attitude like that you might just bring some life to this scene, Football Head."
With a growl, Arnold stormed off and did his best not to grit out his first few lines. As the scene went on, Arnold happened to catch Helga's eye. Her gaze was devious as she feigned a bored yawn, causing Arnold's jaw to tighten.
Harold held out his sword as he loudly recited in a mostly monotone voice, "'Thou wretch-ed boy, that...didst con-sort him here,' Uh- 'shalt with him hence.'"
Unconsciously tapping into that pent up irritation Helga had suggested he use, Arnold unsheathed the prop sword and hotly replied, "'This shall determine that!'"
The two went through the choreographed fight, though Harold struggled a bit to keep up with Arnold's movements. Even as the stage blow caused Harold a little unscripted pain, Mr. Simmons seemed to ignore it as he clapped in satisfaction.
"Arnold, well done! That was a very convincing display of raw anger. Keep it up!"
Arnold merely rolled his eyes and shot Helga an annoyed glare, and when she caught it she simply shrugged and turned her nose up at him.
Thursday; Rehearsal.
With Lila back, she and Arnold ran through their lines and Mr. Simmons tried to hide his disappointment that things did not go as well as they had the day before.
The two were running through the Morning After scene, and were currently embracing while Lila recited her lines and cupped Arnold's face in her hands.
Unsurprisingly for Arnold, he was ridiculously uncomfortable.
Why was this so hard?
Why should he feel so uncomfortable being this close to a pretty girl? Why had it been so different yesterday with Helga?
Not to say that hadn't been uncomfortable. Or that Helga isn't rather pretty herself. She just wasn't so...obvious about it.
But, his feeling of discomfort with Helga was different than how it was with Lila. With Lila, it was uncomfortable because of the almost negative amount of chemistry between the two of them.
With Helga, however, there was simply too much.
It was raw, and heavy and nearly tangible and so of course that was uncomfortable...and strange.
Now, as Lila wound her arms around him and pressed her body against him, he couldn't stop the visible tensing of his body. He half-heartedly wrapped his own arms around the petite redhead, and numbly rattled off his lines.
As Mr. Simmons tiredly coached the blond lead on the scene, Helga watched from out of the corner of her eyes.
Despite the fact that there was a barren wasteland of emotion between Lila and Arnold, Helga had decided that enough was enough.
It was time to knock off Little Miss Perfect.