Okay, this chapter is double in length. But I've had this in my mind for a long time.
Now let me explain somethings. I've put a lot of my thoughts at the end of this chapter, so if you want a link to see Helga's dress, a link to a great piece of fanart done for this chapter, links to the songs and such, then that's where you'll find it.
Also, you'll find this symbol (*) twice in the story. Each time you see it, this is where I recommend hitting play. Depending on your reading pace, it's going to end at a different point for each person. So if you want to hear the song as you read, that's where you need to do it.
"Okay, so you really think you can pull this off?" Gerald was saying, his voice filtering in through my headset, which I had lazily moved down to sit around my neck as opposed to fitting it on my ear. "Dude, cover me!"
"Well, yeah. I thought I could. I thought I made that obvious when I told you about it," I retorted, lifting my mike to my mouth after picking off the guy that was attempting to pick off Gerald's character.
"You're an idiot. Seriously. Let's break it down! Hold on." Brief pause for Gerald to get a few more good shots that required concentration.
"Nooooo, I want to just have solid faith in my plan," I whined back.
"Your plan is stupid. See, break it down! So six, right? So you go sit down, have a little small talk after the waiter drops off your menu and comes back with drinks. So this takes what, six minutes? So then Lila won't know what she wants because she hasn't been there and the waiter will wait about what, five, ten minutes to come back? So by this point you're twenty minutes in about and have only just ordered food!"
"I get it," I grumbled, but he pressed on relentlessly.
"So! Food takes maybe ten minutes, and we're thirty minutes in by this point. Unless you can eat and drive your lady home in ten minutes, you're screwed. Not to mention you'd be screwed with Lila for cutting the date short. You can do one or the other. So why don't you just take Lila to see Helga's show, then go eat afterward?"
"No! I can't do that," I muttered.
"Why not?"
"Because….because the show is something between Helga and me, you know?" I tried to explain, shrugging helplessly. "I don't want to drag Lila to it."
"Arnold, you do realize you're treating this like you're dating both of them? Helga isn't your girlfriend. And Lila certainly won't be if you start off like this," he advised me.
I sighed heavily, dropping my controller as my character got plowed down. "I just don't want to mix Helga and Lila. I want them separate."
"You can't go on like this buddy," Gerald said with a bit more sympathy. "If you start dating one, the other will become involved."
"Start dating Lila you mean," I corrected as I stood up, stretching my arms over my head as I walked across my room.
"I stand by my statement of 'one'."
I didn't bother to reply as I shut off my system. Leave it to Gerald to ruin a good game of Mass Effect.
Thursday classes left little time for much else, our teachers cramming us with two days of work since the teachers were well aware that plenty of females would be skipping Friday for prom preparations. Usually this never effected my classes, but since I was 'of age' this go around, I had to press through the day and try not to drown in a sea of estrogen and talk of how many possible versions of dresses there were. I would actually be grateful when lunch was over so I wouldn't have to hear the extremely loud chatter Rhonda was making. I was glad she'd found the perfect pair of red kitten heels that matched her designer dress and would make her a hit, I really was. But the fifth time it came my way, I was almost ready to wish the stupid heels would grow a pair of legs and run off into the distance and she'd be forced to find something else to talk about.
"You okay over there?" Gerald asked as he forked in a mouthful of spaghetti.
"No, I think Rhonda and I have the same dress picked out for the prom and I'll never live down the shame!" I wailed in a high pitched voice, immediately feeling guilty as Rhonda shot me rather dirty look across the room. I shoved potatoes in my mouth as I looked down at the table, feeling a surge of guilt that was amplified by Gerald's robust laugh.
"Hi Arnold, Gerald. Would it be alright if we finished our lunch with you two? I'd like to talk with Gerald about tomorrow's events."
"Sure," I replied, noting that Gerald's laugh had died out as though he'd forgotten how to breathe. I caught the knowing smile on Helga's face as she plopped down in the seat to my right, Phoebe taking the one to my left and filling up the seats at the small circular table.
"Phoebe is actually going to skip tomorrow to get the works. Little Miss Perfect attendance over here!" Helga teased as she opened her Jell-O cup.
"I was absent in December with the Flu, so I figure I can't claim the title this year. Plus, there is very little work to be missed since the teachers seem to expect all the absences. Not to mention, it's an experience most girls our age seem to really enjoy, and I would like to have something to base an assumption on."
"Phoebe just wants to skip," Helga added, leaning on her fist as she poked at the leftover food on her plate.
"Helga is going to accompany me in the excursions," Phoebe added, holding her chin up high as though she were offended Helga seemed to think she genuinely wanted to stay out of school for frivolous things. "So she'll have the experience to share as well."
"Why are you going?" I asked, looking over at Helga in confusion.
"Cause it's practically an invitation for girls to miss school," she explained as through it were obvious. "The teachers expect it! Besides, I figure I can get my hair and all done by someone who legity knows how to use a brush so I look like I kind of care," she added with a nonchalant shrug before resorting to picking at her fingernails awkwardly. "I mean, it's no big deal if I'm fancy or anything, I just didn't want Phoebe to go alone, ya know?"
"I'm not judging you," I said with a laugh, holding my hands up in a gesture of surrender in case she decided to punch me in the face or something to prove a point. "Just asking."
She rolled her eyes at me, her lips twitching into a small smile. We both looked over at Gerald and Phoebe, who had succeeded in seeming to forget that there was anyone else in the room but themselves. I shook my head, looking back over at Helga. "They'll have fun tomorrow night, I'm sure."
Helga nodded. "It's all Phoebe's been talking about. She'd been waiting forever for Geraldo to ask her on a date….But don't say anything, I wasn't supposed to tell that," she added in a rush, glancing over to make sure Phoebe hadn't paid any attention to her statement.
"Secret's safe with me," I chuckled, pulling back the seal of my pudding cup. Helga's eyes widened hungrily.
"No way, they had pudding?"
"Yeah….you want some?" I asked hesitantly, holding the cup out. She didn't need any more prompting, plopping her spoon in eagerly. We spent the rest of the lunch period picking over the remnants of each other's food as our prom bound companions finalized their evening plans.
When the final bell rang after school, I was glad I wouldn't have to hear any more talk of preparations and dresses the rest of the weekend. I rarely spent time on Facebook anyway, so I'd have no problem steering clear of it and its explosion of pictures when Saturday morning rolled around.
I sighed as I dropped my bag on the floor by my bedroom door, actually debating if I even wanted to show up for school tomorrow. But of course, my conscience reminded me that I had no real excuse, and what if I ended up needing that day for a real sickness in the future? I waved my hands in the air, clearing away the imaginary thought bubble that was trying to crush my face. I'd go to school, catch up on work.
My phone buzzed loudly on the desk beside me, and I sat down in my computer chair as I picked it up. It was from Helga, of course.
"The man next to me on the bus is wearing stilettos….STILETTOS. I can't even wear stilettos!"
"What kind of bus are you riding?" I replied with a cringe, yet wanting to laugh at the same time. I hit the power button on my laptop, spinning in my chair as I waited for it to boot up.
"Obviously the wrong one…. It's like Rocky Horror Picture show up in here!"
"…What's that?"
"I'll just have to show you…it's much better that way. ;D"
"…seriously?" I opened up a browser tab.
"Future date." There was a beat before my phone buzzed again. "Not like date date, I meant like a day in the future."
"I knoooooooooow," I keyed in, shaking my head at the fact she felt the need to make sure I knew that. I pulled up a search page, looking up a few techniques that would help me to double the shelf space in the storage room. I needed money for my date, so grandpa had agreed to pay me some extra bucks if I did a few chores outside of the realm of my usual. So I'd get my normal allowance (which consisted of money for gas and school lunch, with just enough thrown in for a movie or two) plus a $5 bonus for every hour I spent on extra chores he assigned. So I had to put some new shelves in to get all the junk off the floor. I could wield a hammer like a knight could wield a sword.
"Just checking. Don't want you getting wrong ideas buster. Anyway, could we take your truck tomorrow? Bob and Miriam say we can ride with them, but I'd love an extra vehicle to escape when I want. Plus, it forces one of them to stay sober for the night."
"Sure. What time, and where is this thing again? Do I need money? I have no money."
"Well gee, then what good are you?"
"I always have my charm, oozing from every pore on my body."
"…ew. Just pick me up seven, okay? The place is about an hour away, and we'll just follow them. Dress nice. I'm at the studio, so ttyl. I'll reserve your ticket today too! You're so lucky. Don't worry with a reply, I won't be able to read it."
I groaned as I read her message, remembering Gerald's earlier warning. I was going to have to cut one short… Grandpa's face seemed to loom over me, his earlier advice about not getting myself into a situation where I would have to choose like this…..I was going to end up hurting someone! Then Helga's harsh words pushed their way to the front, reminding me my actions of not saying 'no' to people caused issues like this. I would hurt people by trying to please everyone. Jesus, why was all that advice suddenly relevant now that I had a date with Lila!? Why couldn't it wait to be relevant when I was seventy-five and having to choose between the oatmeal or prune juice? I slammed my head onto the desk, groaning. I needed to go find my hammer and hit something. I drug myself away from the desk, wondering if I could break my leg or something if I just happened to trip down the stairs. Then I could be free from both obligations and have time to re-plan my…well, my plan of action here.
"Oh Arnold, why the long face?"
I looked up, surprised to find Oskar slinking down the hall with a bulky paper sack in his hands.
"Just a lot of stuff going on, no big deal," I shrugged, eying the bag curiously. "What's in the bag?"
"Oh, nothing. It's, uh, it's just some things for Suzie." I shook my head and he jiggled the door open, disappearing inside.
"Grandpa, Oskar's acting weird," I advised, sliding into the kitchen. Grandpa looked up from his paper, frowning.
"Darn Oskar. What you up to today, Shortman?" he asked as I pulled my small carpenter's belt from under the sink. I'd seen grandma with it a few days before, though for what I had no clue.
"I'm going to work on the shelves today since I'll be gone tomorrow night with Helga. I figure Saturday I'll do the outside list and work from there," I explained, fastening it around my waist and poking around to make sure all the nails and such were still in place.
"So, did you work it out between her and your other lady?" he asked casually, though I was used to the grin he was giving me.
"No," I admitted. "I have gotten myself into a dilemma, and I think I'll do the mature thing and go distract myself with manly activities."
I shook my head, hearing his laughter trailing after me as I ran down the hall.
"So what'd you work out to do?" Gerald asked as I turned the phone on speaker, placing it on my desk.
"Well, as I was pounding away at inanimate objects to alleviate my frustrations, I came to this conclusion." I paused.
"And what's that?"
"I am extremely indecisive."
"Arnold!" Gerald scolded loudly, and I flinched. Oww. "Let me give you some facts on this situation here, okay? And don't be offended."
"Are you going to try to offend me?"
"Shut up. Look. You've spent the last two months trying to get this date with Lila. If you decide pushing the date back due to Helga, then maybe Lila's not the one you should be pursuing…"
"Gerald, I don't-!" I began to protest hotly, only to be cut off just as quick.
"I know, I know! So if it's Lila you're really interested in, then that's what you need to focus on. If you want to have a relationship with her, it can't be three's company or something. It can't be based around your 'Helga time.'" I frowned. "So you're going to have to pick one or the other, and here's my last thing on the subject. Lila agreed to a date. You know at least that she has feelings for you, and that you have them for her. You don't know how you feel about Helga." I started to protest once more, but he plowed over my attempts to speak like a steamroller. "And as far as you know, she only sees you as a friend. What about that David guy you mentioned? Do you want to give up what you know could be a relationship for just a friendship? And especially a friendship that may put you being the third wheel…. Okay, you can speak now."
"Gerald, this…is really hard. I don't have feeling for Helga like…well, like that. But I want to be at her show…and I want this date with Lila. How do I decide?"
"Flip a coin," he suggested, and I could almost hear the shrug in his voice.
"Why flip a coin? What if I don't like what it picks?" I asked lamely.
"That's the point. When you flip that coin, you'll know what side you want it to land on. And no matter what side the coin lands on, you'll still know what you wanted it to be. Hey, I gotta go. Mom's calling me for supper. Let me know, okay?" I heard his line click off, and I sighed.
I took a coin from the handful of change I had deposited in the change jar on my desk. I twirled it for a moment, staring at the two sides. When it was in the air, I'd know which one I'd want. I'd know where I wanted to go. I'd know who I wanted. And that was a very scary question, so I stowed the coin away in my pocket for when I finally had the courage to flip it.
I did go to school on Friday, and it was an upperclassman sausage fest, for lack of a better term. There was not a single female to be found (almost) and our teachers pretty much gave us free reign to work on what we needed to catch up on. Overall, my school day was rather boring. I worked on a few of my writing prompts, still clueless as to what to write for the fairy tale prompt I had agreed to do with Helga. Later date.
When I got home, I immediately set to work on washing my black pants and ironing my dress shirt. I'd fished my tie from the depths of my closet, but I wasn't sure if I could wash a tie (can you? How? It just looks delicate) –so I drenched it in febreeze and tossed it into the dryer. No one washed stuff until later in the day, so I had the laundry room mostly to myself. It took a bit of time to wash and move my clothes around, and I figured I might as well do the rest of my laundry while I was at it. I lounged around the room, putting my headphones in and pretending like I knew how to dance as the clothes rolled around.
I heard a ding, popping one of my earbuds out and collecting my clothes. I made sure to remove all the lint rather than suffer the curse of having it shoved it my face later. I figured I didn't really care if my pants were pressed, so I just dropped them on the top of the pile and headed upstairs. The clock in my room read 4:30 by this point, so I had just enough time to get in a shower before most of the boarders started to get in from work. Thankfully, as a male, a quick shower is a very easy thing. I relish my body hair (which I have very little of, darn it) and I don't have to go about the make-up and such as females do. So I was out before five and sort of wondering around my room as I tried to figure out what to do with these few hours before I had to get ready. I practically pounced on my phone when it rang, grateful for this distraction.
"Sup hair boy, how's it going?"
"Fine, fine. And you?" I said in an exaggerated manner, hearing her laugh through the phone.
"I'm fine. So listen, don't forget to be on time. This thing could last a while, and there will be food, but mostly finger stuff. So if you want to smuggle in a hamburger or something, I'm not complaining. Anyway, see you in a few hours. Don't forget. Seven!"
"See you at Seven," I replied with a grin, clicking off.
And see her at seven I did, though it was certainly not any Helga I had ever expected to see. I had knocked, Bob opening the door and giving me a brisk greeting before telling me to wait in the landing. I saw Miriam, looking thankfully sober, as she darted across the living room with her shoes in hand.
"Come on Miriam, we need to get in the car!"
"I'm coming Bob! I just need to get my purse!"
I rolled my eyes, my focus suddenly zoned in as Helga made her descent down the staircase. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it hadn't been this. She was wearing a simple eggplant colored dress, with a ruffled neckline and sleeves, a compliment to her skin. The top was fitted to her chest and showed off her slender waist before becoming a more flowing, soft skirt. It went to just below her knees, swishing gently as she made her way down. And although the dress was astounding on her in all its modestly, her face was the focus, gorgeous through the simple make up. I figured that was something she had done with Phoebe, along with her hair, which was a mass of loose curls piled atop her head. A few curls fell loose around her shoulders, bouncing gently with each step.
"Arnold?"
"What, what?" I babbled, shaking my head to clear my mind. Did I miss something?
"I said let's go," she said, looking at me curiously. I just nodded, holding the door open for her as she headed down the steps.
"Now you kids follow straight behind us. Helga knows where we're going, so if you get off track, plug it into the gps. I know she has one on her phone," Miriam was instructing as she slid into the car in front of us. Helga called an affirmative before jumping up in the cab beside me. I shook my head, just unable to get over this version of Helga.
"So basically we're going to this gigantic hotel," she was explaining as I pulled out in the road, following the car. "There's always a ginormous amount of people, about 1/3 investors, 1/3 makers, and the last 1/3 being the business owners. So basically, it's just a big fancy business party. We've gone to this thing for years, so I don't see why this year would be much different."
"Sounds fun," I replied with mock enthusiasm, and I was prepared for the punch that came to my arm.
"Shut up. Um, you look nice, by the way," she said in a somewhat embarrassed tone. I looked down at my simple outfit, consisting of black pants, white long sleeved dress shirt and black tie. Nothing fancy.
"Well I'll just fade into the wall next to you," I complimented sincerely. "You look beautiful."
"Aww, I'm nothing special. You should have seen Phoebe, she looked absolutely stunning. She sent me a picture," she said with a shrug. "I know she's going to knock Geraldo dead."
I laughed. "No doubt. I'm sure I'll hear all about it as the night goes on."
She nodded, smiling. "Oh yeah. We both will."
As we continued to ride, we finally slipped into our familiar and comfortable banter. We arrived at the building, a large hotel that looked like I'd have to work an entire year to pay to even get a room in it. I parked the truck, running around to help Helga out. As we walked toward the large building, following Miriam and Bob, Helga shook her head.
"Just smile and nod, but don't worry about talking. Everyone knows we aren't here to buy anything, so they'll leave us alone. Oh look, snack table! Yes!" She grabbed my hand, pulling me along behind her as she weaved through the stagnant crowd.
"Some party," I commented, noting the rather bored look on the DJ's face as classical music drifted through the air. Helga frowned.
"Aww, I was actually excited about a DJ this year. I thought that meant we'd actually get dance music." She crammed a finger sandwich in her mouth, holding one out to me. I popped in my own mouth, staring at the very empty dance floor. This was going to take a long time.
Helga and I spent the next hour or so milling around the food table, filling tiny paper plates and bringing them back to our table. There were lots of small round tables on the outskirts of the room, and people were flocking to them like flies.
"I wish somebody would start dancing. I don't want to be the first one to go out," she admitted, bouncing her legs as she sat. "But he'd have to play something good first. I can't stand this for another two hours. At least last year, they had a chocolate fountain. And trust me, a chocolate fountain is very entertaining."
"Do you want me to go dance?" I offered nervously, smiling. I was horrendous dancer, in my own personal opinion. But if it would make her happy, I'd suck it up. I didn't know anyone here, and there was a slim chance it'd get back to anyone I knew.
She raised her eyebrows. "Oh totally. Let's go get our groove on to Beethoven," she said with a forced laugh.
"Be right back," I said, pushing back my chair.
"Where you going?" she asked curiously.
"Bathroom," I said with a shrug. Considering how nervous this was making me feel, there was no guarantee that would be a lie. I weaved through the thick crowd, murmuring excuse me's as I made my way to the DJ.
"Hey," I said just loudly enough to get his attention.
"Sup?" he said, looking over at me with a bored expression.
"You take requests?" I said, giving a nervous grin.
(*)
A moment later I was slowly making my way to the dance floor with a borrowed black fedora as the music from my phone (plugged into an auxiliary cable) started to flood the room. A soft murmur went up, and I swear to God I almost fainted. I dared a glance back at the DJ, who gave me an excited smile and thumbs up.
I do not dance, have I said that? So there was only one thing I knew that I could do to make this work. This place was just going to have to become my laundry room. I took a deep breath, taking a place in the center of the floor. I wasn't going to dare to locate Helga just yet, afraid her face would just reduce me to a puddle of embarrassment.
First tactic was a bit of heel tapping to get into the rhythm, which was easy enough. A tap here, tap here. Shoulder jerks followed next with a bit of swaying, and then the chorus started. I did my best Michael Jackson hat trick (including a spin here) in time with the music, which I thankfully pulled off. A small smattering of applause helped to cool my nerves.
I finally felt like I could locate Helga, and she was looking at me with an expression I was not willing to interpret. I gestured for her to come out with me, figuring might as well be a fool with her. She needed no more prompting, spinning out onto the floor with all the grace of the ballet dancer she was. I laughed, taking her hand as she got close enough, picking her up at the waist and spinning her. We laughed through the rest of the chorus as we flailed rather awkwardly, stepping in to meet as the second verse started. I immediately began a tango like step to the music, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise for just a moment before narrowing her eyes mischievously. I didn't know whether to be scared of to give the look right back. As the chorus repeated, she plucked the borrowed hat from my head, proceeding to show everyone just how good of a dancer she was with the aid of her hat. I applauded along with everyone else, still laughing when she pranced back by to take me by the tie and lead me behind her. I shrugged and followed, trying to keep in time with whatever steps seemed to suit her. She would switch on a whim, and I would spend an awkward moment or so flailing to try and pick up the steps.
By this point, a lot of the other people seemed to decide they wanted to join the dance as well, and we soon found ourselves crunched in on the dance floor. I laughed, pulling Helga through the crowd toward the DJ.
"Awesome moves!" he complimented, holding his hand up for a high five. I grinned, obliging.
"Thanks for the hat," I said, taking it from Helga's head and handing it back. "Feel free to keep my phone for a while. I'll get it from you later tonight."
He nodded, and Helga and I squeezed through the sudden surge of dancers. A set of glass doors leading to a balcony were to our left, and we slipped out, closing the door behind us. The sound of the music dulled immediately, and we continued to laugh as we tried to catch our breath.
"I can't believe you did that!" she cried, holding her sides as she caught her breath.
"You wanted to dance," I explained, pushing my hair back from my face. "So I got you to dance."
She turned to smile at me, and I found myself having to look away.
"Hey, so that's where the piano went," Helga mused, pointing to a small upright piano that had pushed out onto the balcony. "I was wondering what they had done with it."
She walked over, exposing the keys and hesitantly pressing one. "Hey, come play for me," she said, looking over her shoulder at me.
"How'd you know I played piano?" I asked, curious. She immediately pursed her lips as she looked away, shrugging, blushing slightly.
"Ya know, I just heard rumors. No biggie. Come on, wow me with your skills!"
"Hahha no. I will not-hey!" I yelped as she jerked me over to bench and pushed me down. I rarely played piano for anyone but my grandma, not wanting to boast about it. I'd learned on the grand piano grandma had had for a short period of time, and I'd gotten a keyboard a Christmas later. Of course my Keyboard was stored away under my bed at this moment, do to things like this.
I grumbled a bit nervously as I adjusted, rolling my sleeves up to my elbows as I prepared. I dared a glance into the room nearby, watching as people started to pick up their dancing in the room beside us. I figured if the music had been dulled by the door, so would the piano.
"What am I supposed to play?" I asked, looking over at her as she took a seat beside me.
"Whatever you want," she said with a shrug, brushing one of the loose curls back behind her ear. There was a full moon out, and it was doing nothing to hurt how beautiful she already looked. I snapped my attention back to the piano instantly.
"I'll play for you, if you dance for me," I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. For some reason, I wanted her to stop being so close to me.
"Well, okay," she said skeptically. "But you better not be expecting some sexy dance…"
"No!" I blurted, almost choking in my laughter. "No, no, no. Just to my music."
"Okay," she agreed again, pulling off the strappy silver heels she had worn. She went and stood to the side of the piano, waiting. "But, you have to sing too."
"I don't want to sing!" I squeaked, suddenly feeling embarrassed again. This was going to be like the ninth grade talent show all over again.
"For me?" she teased gently, and I sighed in defeat, placing my fingers over the keys.
(*)
My fingers found their way along the keys naturally, the song I had played last coming to life again. I took a nervous breath, singing the words quietly as I glanced over to watch her dance.
It was amazing how she could just become someone and something completely different as she moved to the music, her eyes closed as she allowed her body to mold and bend at will. I felt like this was something very intimate, watching her dance this way. She'd pause every few moments to gauge the music before getting caught in the swell of the piano.
I found I didn't mind singing for Helga. I'd sing for her anytime she wanted me to, and I'd play piano if she wanted me to. I'd dance whenever she wanted me to, and I'd do anything she asked me to. There was nothing sexual to this feeling, just emotional. I felt something I had never felt surge in me, and I had to do something to break this thought pattern.
Instead of continuing the piano with a bridge, I stumbled up from the bench, continuing to sing as I took her by the waist, inserting myself into the dance. Her eyes shot open, but she laughed, obliging my silly need to dance along with her. She closed her eyes once more as I spun her out, and as she came back in I dipped her dramatically.
And that was it. That was it, all it took. Somehow in this moment of dancing, I had managed to flip some invisible coin.
It was her.
And I had never been so scared about anything else in my life.
Helga's dress can be found my googling: 2013 Allure Bridesmaid - Eggplant Chiffon Cap Sleeve Short Bridesmaid Dress
Fanart link by Aaerowyn on deviantart at : art/Waltz-375647763
Song for the first (*) is Love Somebody by Maroon five at watch?v=SmZCbSrSpl8
Arnold's piano song at the second (*) is Heart of Stone by Hunter Parrish: watch?v=PqKxHtCFWD8
For those wanting an image to base David on, I did a super sketchy on on my art/David-375811954