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~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~

Match Maker

Chapter 4

Aurora sat herself into the seat beside Arnold, her eyes focusing all around on the faces of her helpers, all now wandering around the cafeteria looking for seats. They'd been much more understanding than she thought they'd be. But then again, this was Arnold and Helga. Anyone who knew the pairing well enough would have to be pretty selfish and full of themself if they had said, "No. I'm gonna do what I want, and I'm gonna get Arnold and Helga together with or without you. HMPH!" Yeah right. Like she'd ever associate herself with such people.

She cleared her mind of these thoughts, though, looking over to Arnold who was blinking at her with a strange expression. She blinked back. "What?"

He blinked back at her again, his fingers drumming over his sandwich. "Well, I was just wondering where all your friends went."

Aurora blinked again, before a hesitant smile spread across her lips. "Well, they looked like they were making you guys a little uncomfortable, so I asked them if they could go try and make friends with some other chara-people." She sighed slightly.

Arnold shook his head then, a friendly smile on his lips. "No. They weren't making us uncomfortable at all." Amidst Arnold saying this, Gerald was in the backround shaking his head and waving his arms around in silent disagreement. Aurora smiled a little in amusement, before rolling her eyes slightly to herself. "Sure, Arnold, but they're already gone, so there's really no point in getting them to come back." She looked over across the crowd, seeing some of her helpers getting pretty cozy with some of the other characters. She smiled.

Arnold's smile dropped, but he shrugged, going back to his sandwich as Gerald let out a relieved breath.

Aurora smiled, looking down at the small packed lunch she'd crafted herself from stuff in the hotel mini fridge. She opened it up, taking herself out a ham and cheese sandwich wrapped all up in plastic. She slowly began unwrapping it, her eyes sliding over to Helga sitting at the table across from them alone, and her blue eyes staring daggers into her own. She stuck her tongue out at her, crossing her eyes, and Helga's expression turned much harder. Aurora chuckled at the sight.

Arnold heard her chuckle, and looked over at her. "What's so funny?"

She looked over at him, still with an amused expression. "Nothing. That Helga chick is just one piece of work is all."

Arnold blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Helga?"

She nodded, pointing her thumb over towards said girl. "Uh-huh. I think she's jealous I'm sitting with you."

Arnold nearly choked on his sandwich, and Gerald, having overheard, instantly began laughing insanely. Aurora had to hold down a few chuckles of her own as well at the predictable responses, but luckily she could act, so she made her face into a confused expression.

Arnold shook his head, finally getting his breathing under control. "Oh no, no. You've got it all wrong. Helga hates me."

Aurora looked over to Helga, and then back at him with a blank expression. "Really? Because it looks like she has some sort of thing for you." She sipped her milk nonchalantly. "The way she was glaring at me, and then the way she was staring at you all through class, and then there's how she's staring at you right now."

Arnold blinked, his green eyes flicking up to meet two blue ones from across the cafeteria. Helga blanched in panic, before a scowl instinctively spread across her face and she looked away quick. Arnold paled. "N-No..." He muttered, fidgeting in his seat.

Aurora smirked inwardly at his expression, letting it flash across her face long enough for him to see before going back to her innocent expression. "No, really, I think she might loooo-"

Arnold stood abruptly, grabbing Aurora's arm in the process, and then tugging her away. She smirked, as they were now outside of the cafeteria door. Arnold fidgeted, letting go of her arm. "Um..." He began unsurely.

Aurora smiled at him. "So I'm guessing you KNOW she loves you?"

Arnold avoided her gaze, before offering a slow nod.

She smiled. "How long?"

"For... a while." He shrugged none-commitedly.

Aurora nodded slowly. "Indeed..."

Arnold sighed, finally looking her in the eye. "But promise you won't go running around telling people that Helga likes me. I don't think Helga wants anyone to know."

Aurora held back a snort. 'Ain't that the truth...' She shrugged with a smile. "Sure. I won't make a peep."

Arnold let out a relieved sigh, smiling gratefully at her.

Aurora leaned against the wall behind her, her arms crossed over her chest. "So... what's your deal with her, huh? How do you know all this?"

Arnold eyed her over, sizing her up it seemed. Aurora smiled genuinely, innocently. His posture straightened slightly. "Well, I-I don't know. I mean, she ended up confessing, but it was sort of an accident, so I let her take it back. B-But... I don't know what my deal is with her." He stared down at his hands.

Aurora blinked, absorbing this information. After a few moments of silence, Aurora smiled. "So you don't know how you feel about her?"

He just shook his head, still looking at his hands and a slight blush on his cheeks. Aurora grinned for a moment, inwardly doing a happy dance. 'Totally KNEW it!' But her giddiness only lasted a second, before her features settled back into their usual neutral positions. "Right." She looked away.

Arnold looked back up at her then, biting his lip. "I-I like her. I just don't know if I like-her like-her." He put his hands behind his back.

Aurora nodded, looking back at him now. "Can you find any reason as to why you WOULDN'T like-her like-her?" She inwardly rolled her eyes at the phrase. Not to say she hadn't used it quite a bit in her old elementary days, but now at fourteen she felt she was passed such childish phrases... Well, actually, it was just a mouth full and she hated having to say that over and over. But same diff.

Arnold blinked at that, before frowning. "Well, it is Helga Pataki."

Aurora raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, that's your reasoning?"

Arnold opened his mouth, finger in the air, before he lowered it and closed his mouth, simply nodding his head and looking at her intently.

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Well, that's stupid. How about you just try FORGETTING that it's Helga Pataki for a second and just focusing on her character, all the things you like about her?"

Arnold blinked, before nodding and closing his eyes. Aurora stared at his face intently, as a strange look came to his face after a few moments, almost looking... lovesick. Suddenly, his eyes bugged out and he shook his head quick, already beginning to open up the doors of the cafeteria again to enter. "I don't know!" He concluded hastily, rushing back into the cafeteria.

Aurora stood there, her face blank. "Gosh dang it." She muttered under her breath, before walking back in and sitting in a seat beside some of her helpers, deciding to keep some distance between herself and Arnold for a little while. He clearly needed some space. He was still too deep in denial.

Rats.

Aurora looked over beside herself at Alan. Her hazel eyes lit up instantly, an idea slowly forming in her head.

She nudged Alan, and he looked over at her, blinking. She grinned, whispering in his ear. "I think I know what your job can be..."

~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~ Match Maker ~

Alan stood just a few feet away from the pigtailed girl, his feet feeling nailed to the spot.

Curse Aurora! Curse!

He sighed, feeling a bit tired all of a sudden. He knew this wasn't going to be easy.

If Arnold couldn't befriend her, what made Aurora think that HE could? He didn't know.

But whatever the reason, his current mission was to get close to her, infiltrate her, and once she was comfortable enough with him...

Flirt like there was no tomorrow.

It was all part of the plan, but he was suddenly regretting deciding to be a boy. This was not going to be easy.

But Aurora was right. It would definitely be pushing Arnold in the right direction, and if he could play his cards right, Helga would never know. Then he could use his new found friendship with her to push HER in the right direction.

Genius.

But it was still going to be HARD.

He sighed, taking his first few steps forward, closer to the girl who was currently busy writing in a little pink book. He smiled, knowing exactly what she was doing. Before long, he was standing over her, his eyes running over the page filled with words of poetry, and all in purple ink. He smiled innocently. "What's that you're writing?"

"GAH!" Helga jumped, closing her book on impulse and a scowl automatically setting on her face. "Hey, what are you doing here, Geek-Bait?"

Alan gave her a blank expression, sitting down in the swing next to her. "Just looking around."

Helga scowled a bit firmer, hoping he'd go away. "Yeah, well, how about you go look around somewhere else?" She held up her fist threateningly.

Alan rolled his eyes, forcing her fist down with his hand. "No thanks." He smirked slightly.

Helga's eyes widened slightly at this boy's audacity, a deep frown digging it's way into her face. "Go away." She seethed through clenched teeth.

Alan shook his head. "Sorry, but no. You know you could have just told me you didn't want to tell me what you're writing instead of freaking out on me."

Helga huffed slightly, looking away.

He smirked at her, holding out his hand. "I'm Alan."

Helga looked over at him, before grabbing his hand as hard as she could and stiffly shaking it up and down. "Helga G. Pataki." She released his hand now, crossing her arms over her chest.

He nodded with a slight smile, shaking his hand off. "Well, that's one good grip you've got there, Helga."

Helga blanched slightly, eyeing him over for a second. "Uh... thanks."

He smiled genuinely. "You're welcome."

Across the playground, Arnold blinked at the two talking with each other, Helga seemingly opening up more and more.

His mouth twitched slightly, before he took a deep breath, and walked stiffly over to where Aurora was.

He spotted her sitting on the concrete, talking with a few of her friends. Face expressionless, he made his way over to her.

As he walked closer, he could begin picking up some of the words of the conversation.

"Yeah, I was just standing there, and he walked past me, and I heard him... fart. My teacher walked right past me, and decided to fart RIGHT as he was passing me. What kind of sicko does that? I mean, he could have held it up until AFTER he passed me, but does he? No. And now I'm scarred for life."

"Aurora,"

She turned around then, looking up at Arnold standing there, and her face expressed surprise. "Uh, yes, Arnold?"

"Could I talk to you in private?"

Aurora blinked, looking over at Nintendo, Omega, Jade, and Angie with a fleeting look, before shrugging and standing up from the ground.

"Sure."