Chapter 21
Trapped
"Eureka! They're gone!" Helga cried, as she pushed the button twice on the remote so that it lifted her back into his room.
"Hello?" Arnold said into the phone.
"Hey, football head, it's me, Helga."
"Helga?!" Arnold cried, thinking for a second about his dream.
"No, Mary Queen of Scots. Listen, don't get the idea that I'm calling to talk to you or anything. I just…um…left my math book at school, and I need the problems for the homework Mr. Simmons assigned us," she said, as she quickly picked up the letter and stood up.
"But…he didn't assign us any homework."
"Well…I didn't finish my class work, so I need the last, uh, three problems of it."
"Okay. Gerald, could you run upstairs and get my math book? It should be on my desk."
"Your math book? Whatever, man," he said, as he walked towards Arnold's room.
"What?!" Helga exclaimed, as soon as she heard what was happening. She got so scared that she dropped the letter. "Criminy! He's coming! I don't have time to make it to the fire escape. I've got to hide again!"
Then she heard Gerald's footsteps on the stairs. She quickly picked up a page of the letter, shoved it in her pocket, and jumped back on the couch. She pressed the button so fast that the couch slammed into the wall, and the remote flew out of her hand.
"Oh…my…" she whispered, realizing the worst. She was trapped behind Arnold's couch! Of all the horrible things, why'd it have to be this?
Helga heard Gerald come into the room and get the math book, then head back downstairs.
"Okay, Helga?" Arnold said, "Here are the problems. Three point five divided by-"
"Criminy! How the heck am I gonna get out of here?"
"Huh?"
"Uh…nothing. Uh…you have the wrong number!" she cried, as she hit the 'end call' button.
"Hello? Hello?"
"Who was it, man?" Gerald asked.
"It was either Helga or a prank phone caller."
"Knowing her, it was both. Come on, let's go finish reading that letter."