Chapter 8
The school day ended and Helga was at her locker on the lookout for Phoebe. Everyone had cleared the halls, and Helga had been waiting for her for fifteen minutes now. But where was Phoebe? If she didn't get her keester here soon, they were going to be late! Most likely she was off somewhere trying to smooch with Gerald, but she needed to find her to ask her about driver's ed. Where was Phoebe? If she was supposed to take driver's ed with her wouldn't she text her or something? She should be waiting out here so they can go together. She's probably too busy with Geraldo anyway to remember.
As she grabbed her books from her locker, a hand touched her lower back, then slid down to her back pocket, making her jump and drop her books on the floor. Helga turned around to see none other than Wolfgang.
SMACK The back of her hand wasn't very forgiving.
"WOLFGANG!" He stepped back from the force of Helga's hit. "What do you think you're doing?" she snapped.
Wolfgang touched his face where the red hand mark was. He grabbed the collar of her jacket with two hands. "What am I doing? What are you doing?! You are the only girl I know who doesn't what to go out with me. WHY?"
She crossed her arms as she looked up at him. "I think we've been over this, Wolfgang."
"Alright then. You have five seconds. Go out with me or not." He threatened, pulling on her jacket collar even more.
Helga scowled, and spat in Wolfgang's face. "I said no."
Wolfgang was fed up with this. He threw her skinny body into her locker and then slammed it shut.
"WOLFGANG!"
"Adios, Helga." Helga heard his footsteps walk away.
She banged on the locker
"HELP!"
She banged the locker until her hand was tired and beginning to bleed. But no one came. She was stuck, and no one was going to help her.
Curly had three hours of nothing to do before rehearsal was supposed to begin. He was planning on plotting revenge on Eugene, but he lacked the right incident to pull revenge on. He needed to do something that would seem like an accident, but something that could almost take him out completely from the play. But what?
Eugene walked out of the school talking with Rhonda about their parts for the musical. Curly hid behind a trash can. They seemed ecstatic.
"Eugene, this will be so fun! I'm so excited. I can't believe it! Well, I mean I can, because who wouldn't choose me as the lead role? I mean, come on. I'm Rhonda Lloyd." Rhonda boasted.
"You'll do awesome!" Eugene said with enthusiasm. "I'm glad that we'll get to work together."
"Oh yes, we get to share a kiss, now don't we? At least I get to kiss you and not some freak…like Curly for example." She tossed her hair long dark hair over her shoulder, which made her look dazzling, and made Curly burn even more with envy.
"But he'll be a great Phantom, won't he?" Eugene said.
"Of course, but only because he's suck a freak."
I'm a freak now, huh? We'll just see about that Rhonda when you have to kiss me when Eugene is…taken care of…
"I'll see you later Rhonda, I've got to get to driver's ed."
What's that I hear? Driver's education class? How convenient…
Eugene walked down the street toward his old elementary school, and Curly ran back inside.
Helga wasn't sure how much time had passed until she heard a voice in the hallways.
"The Phantom of the Opera is here…inside your mind…" It quietly hummed.
"Hello?" Helga's voice cracked.
"WHO'S THERE?" The voice panicked, then whispered, "Don't tell me you're the angel of music! That's my job! Well, I mean, it's the damn job that Simmons gave me. I wanted Raoul! But if you are my angel of music, let me know. Maybe you can help me take revenge on Raoul!"
"No. It's Helga you twit. There is no angel of music."
"Helga? Where?"
"Over here. I'm in a locker. Locker 1028. Now get me out of here you moron!"
She heard footsteps walk over to her side of the hall.
"What's your combo?"
"36-12-6." The lock spun, then the handle was lifted and Helga was greeted by bright light and Curly Gammelthorpe.
"Curly? What are you doing here?"
"Nothing." He replied quickly and began to rub his hands.
"Ok well thanks for getting me out of there…"
"You're not the angel of music?" he asked.
"What the hell is the angel of music?"
"Nothing! Now now, do you know where the circuit breaker box is?"
"Um…yea, it's under the auditorium…" Helga said slowly.
Curly looked up and down the hallway. "I said nothing!" Then he ran down the hallway and turned the corner.
She shook her head. "Poor twisted little freak." And made her way outside to get to driver's Ed before she was later than she already was.
Arnold sat in the back of the class for driver's ed while examining his teacher, Ms. Johnson. She was a short plump woman. Well, plump isn't exactly the right description. More like very plump. She dyed her aging hair red-orange, and her very large glasses sat on the edge of her nose, making her eyes look like two creepy marbles. She wore some weird scarf thing around her neck. It seemed too small for her, making her body look even larger.
Arnold made it to class early because he took the bus. He didn't really know what to do other that stare at Ms. Johnson's large body, or just sit mindlessly.
A few other kids filed in, it looked like there was some kid who had failed this at least three times, because he looked like a college thug. There was a petite short girl who walked in. She looked more anorexic than petite, but Arnold didn't want to make any judgments. Another girl walked in wearing yoga pants and too much makeup. Her yoga pants were so tight that you could see her bright green thong right through them, and the "Love Pink" on the collar was completely bedazzled. Arnold wondered how fake rhinestones on your pants make them comfortable. Then another guy walked in with rainbow suspenders and a bow tie. Arnold couldn't keep himself from assuming he was gay. Then Eugene Horowitz came into class, and Arnold breathed a sigh of relief from knowing someone in his class. Grandpa told him that he and his mom signed him up with a friend, but this morning, Grandpa refused to tell him who it was. He wondered why he didn't tell him that it was Eugene.
"Arnold! I'm so glad I have a friend in this class! I saw you around the halls today and heard you came back from San Lorenzo last night! How exciting!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah, it's nice to see you man." Arnold said. Eugene sat down next to him. "Didn't you make the musical?"
"Oh yes, I'm very excited working my role. I'm surprised that Mr. Simmons chose all sophomores for the leading roles, especially for a show like Phantom of the Opera, but you know that's beyond me." Eugene shivered a bit and continued to talk, "I'm glad I made it here when I did, it was sprinkling for the last few blocks on my way, and now it's starting to pick up."
Sure enough, they heard thunder from outside and the rain that dropped on the roof fell loud and rapidly.
Ms. Johnson stood up from her desk and sat in the small desk at the front of the class. "Class, class," she began, trying to quiet the chatting kids, but the door swung open and a girl with a scowl on her face stood in the frame dripping wet. Ms. Johnson's head turned like an owl's toward the door. "Excuse me Ms.? You're late for class." Ms. Johnson said. Her voice sounded like someone had plugged her nose. Helga gave her the death stare and simply growled, "Sorry, Ms."
"I'll let you off the hook this time, but this will never happen again, understood?" She said.
"Whatever." Helga snapped.
"Please take a seat."
The only seat available was the one in front of Eugene, so Helga moped over there.
Her cap and hair was soggy, and her shoes sounded and look like sponges when she walked. Every step she took resulted in a squeaky and wet puddle. The varsity jacket she wore was extremely wet too. Arnold read the back which said, "Varsity Softball," while she tripped over her long wet jeans.
"Hi Helga." Eugene said.
"Hi," She snarled and sat down, one leg crossed under her butt, the other one still on the floor. Her elbows supported her tensing shoulders on the desk, making her look extremely edgy in her seat.
"Hi Helga," Arnold said. But Helga didn't say anything. Her brow was crossed and she simply stared at the ceiling. The last thing she wanted was more of Arnold's pity. She must look so weak to him. She felt vulnerable, and she hated that.
Arnold hardly paid any attention to Ms. Johnson's lesson. He chose to eye Helga instead.
After a while, Arnold looked out the window to see if the rain stopped. The rain had slowed, but Arnold swore he saw black hair on the top someone's head in the window sill. Maybe it was nothing. He turned back to listen into some of Ms. Johnson's lesson. She sat in a desk while she taught, and from Arnold's point of view, she looked much like a chicken sitting down. He mentally laughed and drew a picture of her as a chicken in his driver's training booklet. He drew a speech bubble that said "cluck cluck…" and put on big glasses around her face. There were feathers around her for emphasis.
Ms. Johnson must have caught on that Arnold wasn't paying attention, because she called him out, "Young man? In the blue?"
Arnold blinked, "Huh? Me? I'm Arnold."
"I'll make sure to remember that." She frowned, "Pay attention, please." Her nasally voice sounded even more annoying right now, but Arnold smiled sweetly, twiddled his pen and said, "Yes Ms. Johnson."
Once she took her eyes off of him, Arnold rolled his eyes. He saw Helga turned toward him, "Nice going football head." She whispered, and turned around.
Whatever you say Helga…He thought. Arnold rested his awkward head on his hand, and after a while of sitting mindlessly, Arnold found himself drawing Helga in his driver's Ed booklet. He drew her with her pigtails down, and a bow in place of her dark cap. She wore a plaid shirt that Arnold pictured as pink, and a small bracelet with a heart. Arnold shaded in her cheeks to look flushed, and a pleasant smile on her face. He held the picture for a while before crossing it out.
No way will Helga EVER try to look that nice.
He drew another picture to look like her normal self. Her hair was in two pigtails in this one, with her cap holding them down. She sat into her hip and crossed her arms over her old pink shirt dress. Arnold put a speech bubble too, "Go away Football head,"
He slumped more in his seat, and wrote above the pictures "Imaginary Helga," and "The actual Helga."
Arnold bit his lip and looked over at Helga again. Then back at the clock. Only five minutes left of class. He decided it would be useful to tune in to Ms. Johnson's lecture again. She had basically spent the whole two hours talking about classroom conduct and her policies in class, but now she was talking about something interesting.
"At the end of class today, I want you to choose two driving partners for the rest of this segment. You will write your names down together on this clipboard and then when we begin driving, I will pair you up with them. You have the rest of the time to yourselves." She hobbled out of her chair and put the clipboard on her teaching desk. Then she waddled over to her computer desk, opened up a diet Mountain Dew, and sat down.
Eugene turned toward Arnold and said, "Driving partner?"
"Yeah sure." Arnold said.
Eugene tapped Helga on the shoulder. Apparently she had been sleeping in an upright position during class, because she jumped in her seat and said, "Eugene! Crimeny, how long was I out?" She wiped the drool off of her face hastily.
Arnold chuckled, "Way to sleep in class, Helga…" At first she was startled by the fact that Arnold was talking to her, and looked quite perplexed. But her expression was quickly replaced by a scowl and a cross answer. "It's not funny, Arnaldo, now why did you wake me up?" she glared at Eugene.
"Want to be our driving partner?" Eugene asked.
She looked around the room. Everyone else had been paired up. She sighed and said, "So, I have to drive with the walking jinx and the football head?"
Eugene seemed abashed, "Well, yeah I guess."
"Fine." She said and looked directly into Arnold with a look so penetrating; it felt like she was staring into his soul. "But this doesn't mean we're friends or anything."
Arnold rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever you say Helga."
"That's right. Whatever I say."
She walked past the entrance of playground, and looked inside to see if anyone was there. It was still raining, but she wanted to stay outside. She needed some fresh air. But mostly, she knew that Arnold was most likely going to try to walk her home. Like some kind of pity walk. She didn't want that. She needed to look strong in front of him. Helga rolled her bike over to the bike rack, and sat on the bench against the wall. From this angle, less rain would hit her.
She sighed and hunched over.
"You're gone, gone, gone away, I watched you disappear. All that's left is a ghost of you."
"Now we're torn, torn, torn apart, there's nothing we can do. Just let me go, we'll meet again soon."
She quietly sang to herself.
For a second, she thought she saw something moving coming from the corner of her eye.
"Who's there?" She shouted at the play sets. When she heard no reply, Helga groaned and relaxed a little. "I'm a basket case…" She mumbled.
Sure enough, she heard someone laugh manically behind her.
Helga immediately screamed and pulled her legs up to her chest for protection.
When Curly Gammelthorpe emerged from the shadows, she sighed a breath of relief, and then proceeded to yell at him. "CURLY! WHAT THE HELL?"
"Helga! Darling! I wanted to talk to you about something!" He said innocently, and clasped his hands together, like he was frolicking through a meadow or something.
She stood up and crossed her arms, "Look Curly, I know you're a freak, but this is just weird. Don't you have rehearsal Curly? How is it that you're standing here? And how did you know I was at the playground? Were you waiting for me or something? What's your deal?"
"I WANT TO SAY SOMETHING FIRST. THE PHANTOM DOESN'T TAKE QUESTIONS."
"WHAT? What could you POSSIBLY have to say?"
He put his hands behind his back and began walking slowly back and forth. "I, Thaddeus Curly Gammelthorpe, have an offer to present to you..."
"Oh great. Do tell." Helga snapped.
"It all starts with jealousy you see..." he put his fingers together and began to drum them against each other. "Your dear Arnold..."
"ARNOLD?" She choked.
Curly began to walk around Helga, "Yes sweet Helga, Arnold, your lover boy..."
"My 'lover boy?'" she asked defensively.
"He has returned, yes?"
"What's it to you?"
"Everything, Helga, everything. You and Arnold were once more than friends, yes?"
"We broke up a long time ago." She furrowed her brow and turned to avoid his creepy gaze, "I don't want to talk about it."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you still have feelings."
"I DON'T, and I don't want to talk about it, Curly." She growled.
"Well this is good! This is great! This is just dandy! You see Helga, I know how to make Arnold fall in love with you again..." he offered, "I know how to make him furious..." He said deviously and crept around her turned back and held both her shoulders while he whispered quietly into her ear. "You just have to do one thing..."
Arms crossed and a scowling face, Helga stood, not allowing Curly to break to her interior. But she allowed him to continue, because she was definitely interested in what he was selling.
"You just have to go out with Wolfgang." he said simply.
"WHAT?" she turned around and yelled in his face, making him lean back, and Helga seem to tower over him. "How do you know about Wolfgang, and why would I EVER do that?" she asked.
Curly smiled, knowing that his plan so far was starting to come into play, "Oh, a little birdy told me. Besides, how could I not? The whole school knows about it now, after my swe-" he stopped and shook his head, "my co-star came ranting into rehearsal one day. I've never seen her perfect face so angry."
"Do you mean Rhonda?" she shivered.
"Yes, my Rhonda...my Christine... she seemed very upset about it. 'How is Wolfgang in love with Helga Pataki when he hardly talks to me? Am I a turn off or something?'" he took a deep breath, "WHY WOULD YOU EVER WANT HIS ATTENTION WHEN YOU HAVE ME? ALWAYS STANDING IN THE SHADOWS, ALMOST INVISIBLE TO YOU." he screamed to himself. "That's why you, Helga, need to go out with him." He grabbed her arms again and pulled her close to him.
She turned her head to avoid eye contact. "What's in it for me?"
"Jealousy, remember? Arnold will see you with Wolfgang, and he will become envious like this." He snapped his fingers. "By going out with Wolfgang, you make yourself more valuable to Arnold."
Helga stood silent, trying to pull herself away. She thought back to what her mother said about Big Bob. "No. I won't go out with him. Ever."
"You WILL Helga Pataki. You WILL go out with Wolfgang. And then, Rhonda will grow exceedingly jealous. And then, she will try to make Wolfgang jealous by going out with none other than..." his voice had risen to a shout, but he ended his sentence really softly, "...Me." He took another deep breath and gripped Helga tighter. "You will go out with him or else."
"Or else what?" she retorted. She really wanted to spit in that crazy kids face right now, but his response would be unimaginable. She could already feel bruises starting to form on her arms from his tight grasp.
"Maybe perhaps...a little Shortman will disappear...MWAHAHAHAHA."
"CURLY. FINE. I'LL DO IT IF IT WILL SHUT YOU UP." She used all of her strength to pull herself out of Curly's grasp and made her way to the bike rack. "You better not lay a finger on Arnold, you freak!"
" As long as you hold on to your end of the deal. I'll be watching my sweet. You know I have contacts..."
"Yeah, yeah Curly, whatever." She threw one leg over the bike and positioned her feet. "Bye."
"Goodbye now!" He said with too much cheer.
When Helga was out of his range, she began to cry slowly.
Would he actually hurt Arnold?
That day after school, Rhonda Wellington Lloyd found the note on her car, scribbled in messy handwriting. It read, "I've got one eye on the road and one on you."
Now she sat in her luxurious bedroom rereading the note.
Could it be a note from a secret admirer of some sort? Not that she wasn't used to it of course.
But still, the note was strange, and she didn't really know what to think of it. She folded it up and put it in her Coach purse so tomorrow she could show it to Nadine. Maybe she'll know what it means…
A/N: Now I want your opinion, to make Arnold jealous, or not to make Arnold jealous? Also, I hoped you liked my description of Ms. Johnson...she's real people. Oh yeah, and Curly. I was feeling quite devious tonight... Anywho, Thanks for reading as always!