A/N:
Hey guys! Sorry this is a little late, but my life's been CRAZY lately and also I had to do a ton of work on that epilogue to "A Perfect Ten" and then… Okay, so, like I've mentioned, this story was supposed to cover the whole weekend after Arnold and Helga's first date but then jump a few weeks ahead to another incident, but then I got this great idea to insert a chapter or two in between those two things that's just kind of like a montage of mini stories about their courtship, and I've been writing those like crazy for the past two weeks and they've been so much fun, and I'm so happy I decided to do them! Lol, okay, but, anyway, those won't be coming for a little while so, for now, I hope you'll enjoy this next installment of LTBH! And, as always, please R&R because it truly makes all the writing and editing and brainstorming until 4 am all worth it!
Disclaimer:
I think I forgot to put one of these but, guys, come on—if I owned HA! I'd be sending out DVD's of this story fully animated to all of you, not submitting fanfic chapters online ;) Sadly, Nick and Viacom own the rights…but it's okay because it gets balanced out by the fact that the wonderful and talented genius that is Craig Bartlett also owns this show! Yay, CB!
Yes, yes, as usual, enough of my rambling… :)
LEARNING TO BE HELGA
Chapter 6:
Busted!
(aka Arnold and Helga's Anniversary: Part 2!)
At first, Arnold walked past Helga's front stoop and around to her backyard again, about to climb up the familiar dumpster that would allow him to get over her fence so that he could climb her tree to reach her window once more that evening. He paused, though, in mid-reach for the dumpster lid and reconsidered this course of action for a moment. 'There was barely enough light for me to get over and make it across her yard and then climb the tree two hours ago when I first got here… It'd be almost impossible to do it now without hurting myself…' Arnold continued to hesitate, really wanting to go through with the idea that had suddenly sprung into his head as a way to let Helga know that he truly understood why she had done all of that stuff just now in response to him trying to treat her like a 'girl', and that he had learned something from it, but…it would be a little pointless if he ended up with a broken leg in the process. And yet, it seemed just so anticlimactic to be unable to do it, all for the lack of a bit of daylight…
But then, suddenly, Arnold recalled some other moments of his evening so far with Helga G. Pataki—specifically, her comment just after his arrival about how sweet his idea had been to do the 'gift' delivery through her window even though there was another option he could have tried first… And then Arnold's eyes suddenly lit up and he quickly raced back around to the front of Helga's house.
Arriving at her stoop, he walked up the few concrete steps to her door and lifted up the mat…and, sure enough, there was a small silver key there. He smiled to himself and instantly picked up the object and used it to unlock the door to the large brownstone and let himself in. For a moment, upon entering Helga's dim foyer and closing her front door behind him, he felt a ghost of the guilt he had experienced earlier that evening at the idea of sneaking into her house…but it quickly melted away entirely as he then suddenly recalled the image her sitting on her bed and twirling that rope with that familiar mischievous smile on her face all in an attempt to prove to him once and for all that if there was ever one person who could never be taken advantage of, it was Helga G. Pataki. He smiled.
And Arnold's smile only grew as, upon resuming his journey back to Helga, he suddenly passed by the trophy room where, two weeks ago, she had defended him to her father and where he'd found out that Gerald knew Helga's secret too. And then he shook his head in amusement and almost chuckled as he next passed by the living room where he had admitted his feelings to Helga last weekend and given his first real kiss to her…and received one back in return…and then given her another one. He finally had to actually laugh out loud at that particular memory and everything it had led to over the last seven days as he reached the end of the entrance hall and proceeded to make his way upstairs…where, somehow, he had the feeling, a few more unforgettable memories might be waiting for him tonight... 'I cannot believe I actually like Helga so much that I'm actually going to do this…' He just sighed to himself and shook his head. 'Oh well…how bad could it turn out, all things considered?'
Reaching the top of the landing, Arnold glanced around the dim hallway until his eyes finally rested on Helga's door, around the edge of which the lamplight from her room glowed a rosy orange in the grays and purples of the darkness around it. He paused for a second and took a breath, and then, summing up his courage, approached her door. 'Maybe she's right—maybe I am getting better at coming up with responses to stuff she does that might actually top what she comes up with in the first place…'
Finally finding himself in front of Helga's bedroom door, Arnold had to fight back another chuckle at this thought as he reached up and rapped lightly (so that it wouldn't open entirely, of course—being Arnold, regardless of whose bedroom door he was knocking upon, he still had a baseline of politeness to maintain) at Helga's actually slightly ajar door. "Helga?"
As Arnold had been rushing to Helga's stoop and then reminiscing as he walked through her downstairs and proceeded to make his way to her bedroom door, this is what Helga had been doing…
"Oh, Arnold! Oh, my darling, wonderful Arnold!" Helga squealed, throwing herself onto her bed once more and squeezing one of her pink pillows in her arms, a huge smile on her face and her eyes shut tight with joy. "You came up with an Anniversary for us and you accepted the existence of the closet shrine and you talked to me about your feelings and you think I look nice and we kissed TWO times! TWO! And one of them was mutual instead of me just leaning out of that window, but you liked that one so much you actually said 'Yes mam!' when I asked if you'd learned anything!" She stood up now, suddenly twirling around her room. "Oh Arnold—this is the most wonderful, the most incredible the most fantastic feeling I've ever…" She couldn't contain herself. "I mean, I even went a little nutty on you there for a second after you vented to me about all that stuff with the kissing but you still want me! You still love me! ME!" Her adoring eyes fluttering open and suddenly falling upon Arnold's smiling face in her Arnold locket that was still upon her nightstand, Helga quickly picked it up and held it out before her, dancing across her room once more though this time with said object lovingly in hand.
"Ow!" This action, however, eventually resulted in Helga accidentally slamming into her full-length mirror near her door. She stood up, leaving the mirror half fallen on the floor, and rubbed her head in pain for a second. Opening her eyes, though, her gaze quickly fell once again on her Arnold locket now on the floor, and the dreamy grin instantly returned to her face. "Oh Arnold…" she cooed gently, bending down and delicately picking up her prized dedication to her beloved, "Happy Anniversary…" She brought her lips to the glass and began to kiss it…
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Helga?"
Helga's eyes flew open at the sound of the knocking and at the slight movement inward of her slightly ajar door. What made her heart actually stop, though, was the sound of Arnold saying her name.
Over the course of about five seconds, Helga looked with wide eyes from the door to herself kissing the Arnold locket back to her bed upon which were several pink books that she'd been looking over and reveling in since Arnold had left and one she'd actually been writing in, to the yahoo soda bottle dolls of her and Arnold on her nightstand that she'd taken down from the attic space the second he'd gone and had been admiring because he'd admired them, to her bed which was a complete mess from her rolling around on it in glee, and back to her lips still pressed against the glass of her locket…
She instantly let the locket drop to the floor and bolted for the door, slamming it fully shut.
"Helga?" She heard Arnold's concerned voice from the other side, and felt the door handle move as he obviously tried to use it to open the door once more. "Are you okay?"
Helga took a few deep breaths, still pressed against her door, and tried to get her thoughts together. 'What the heck is he doing back here?' And then her next thought. 'How the heck am I gonna keep him in the hallway long enough to get this stuff cleaned up so he doesn't think I'm a completely pathetically desperate lunatic? I mean, even more than he probably already does even though so far he's been okay with it all?'
"Helga?" His voice sounded a touch more concerned at this point. After all, she hadn't yet responded to him.
"Uh…just a sec, Football Head!" Helga managed to call back, trying to use as firm and calm of a voice as possible, though she knew a touch of nervousness must be evident even to someone as dense as her beloved. "I'm, uh…" she glanced around her room, trying to come up with a decent excuse for keeping him out there for a few minutes while she cleaned things up a bit…and then her eyes happily fell on her dresser with the nightgown still hanging out of it. 'Perfect—I told him I was going to get ready for bed anyway!' "I'm getting dressed for bed, so just hold your horses!"
"Oh…" Helga figured, as she proceeded to scramble to throw her pink books and her mini shrine dolls back into her closet, that Arnold must have been blushing pretty hard for the silence that followed that 'oh' of his to actually sound like he was blushing. 'Good—maybe that little modesty streak of his will actually make my life easier for once and keep him out in the hall longer!'
Helga heard Arnold clear his throat as she continued trying to get her room straightened up. He spoke up shyly, still from just behind her door. "I'm sorry to bother you again, Helga, but I just wanted to officially say sorry about being so stubborn about the whole 'gentleman' thing and trying to treat you like things between us should be any different when we're here just because you're a girl. I guess I was just…letting wanting to be nice to you stop me from considering that how you want me to treat you is more important. And I wanted to…" He hesitated, which Helga couldn't help but pick up on, "To…show you that I understand…"
And, indeed, Helga couldn't help but feel like he'd chosen these last words carefully. However, at the moment she was too busy making her room look like it didn't belong to a half-crazed, Football Head obsessed ten year old to really think about it. "Oh…uh…okay, Football Head. Just give me two more seconds…" She slammed the closet door shut, officially leaving her room free of Arnold memorabilia. 'Perfect, now I just have to do the bed!' She commenced straightening her pink sheets and blankets.
After another second of silence, she heard Arnold add to his initial statements almost as an afterthought. "Oh, and I wanted to let you know that I read the poem—the one you wrote tonight. It was really beautiful, Helga. Thanks. I think it really helped me understand things a little better." He laughed a little. "And I liked the last few lines that you threw in because my name's an even number of letters. It was really good."
Helga couldn't help a smile coming to her face at the unexpected compliment. "Thanks, Football Head. I…I'm glad you liked it." She laughed a bit herself and rolled her eyes as she adjusted some of her pillows. "Yeah, way to go having a name that's six letters instead of five—I think that if there's any sign that we should leave the majority of the poetry in this relationship to me, it's that."
She heard Arnold laugh once again from the other side of her door. "Yeah…and, you know, reading it made me think that it might actually be fun for me to try writing a poem about you one day, but in your normal style. I think it could be really interesting…"
That comment made Helga, who had just finished remaking the bed (finally) and who had collapsed on it to rest for a brief second as she let out a deep sigh of exhaustion, sit up, her heart fluttering slightly. "Really?"
"Really, Helga." Arnold chuckled again behind the door. "I don't know when it'll happen though, of course…I mean if it might have taken you days to find the right inspiration to write the more realistic one you just did about me, I wouldn't be surprised if finding the right inspiration for writing a more…well… 'creative' one about you took me weeks or even months…" Another amused laugh escaped him as he finished with, "Like you said, Helga, the poetry in this relationship would probably be better off left to you."
Helga, who was full on grinning at this point thanks to Arnold's words, finally let out a relaxing breath and got up from her bed, walking across her room toward her door. "Well, I'm sure after all that 'tutoring' with me that it'll happen soon than you think, Arnoldo…" she replied playfully, and was about to grab the door handle and open it when she caught sight of her reflection in her still crooked mirror and saw that she was still fully dressed. 'Crimeny, how sloppy am I getting around him!' She quickly adjusted the mirror and then jumped over to her dresser and slipped out of her jumper and into her long purple nightshirt.
"Maybe…" she heard Arnold reply playfully back to her in response to yet another tutoring joke between them.
Helga, meanwhile, now in her pajamas and with her room looking more or less as it had when Arnold had left via her window not too long ago, took a deep breath to center herself and then positioned herself casually in front of the doorway. "Okay, Football Head, you can come in."
"Oh…Okay…" Suddenly, Helga's doorknob moved again and the door slowly opened, revealing Arnold and his half lidded gaze, a half smile on his face.
He was met with Helga G. Pataki in her usual pigtails but also a long purple nightgown, her hands crossed over her chest. She half smiled at him and asked sarcastically, "Not that I don't appreciate the encore of you finally coming to my room for once, Arnoldo, but shouldn't you have just gone back to the boarding house and called me or something? I mean, the last thing I need is your Grandpa grounding you from our date next Friday for breaking curfew."
"Oh…don't worry about that, Helga..." Arnold couldn't help but smile a bit more, taking a step further into the room. "I didn't tell him about the Anniversary thing but I think he knew I was coming to see you, anyway, and that I'd probably be later than I said I'd be… Besides, I really did want to thank you for the poem…and also, like I said, to apologize for how I acted…" Helga couldn't help but feel her heart suddenly skip a beat as he then proceeded to take another step farther into her room…which meant another step closer to her…and it didn't help that he was still smiling strangely to himself...and blushing just slightly... "And I guess, like I said…" he continued, lowering his voice just slightly, "I also wanted to really show you that you really got through to me… That it stuck, that whole thing you did, I mean..."
Helga swallowed hard as the memory of all that flirting she'd done mere minutes ago suddenly flashed through her mind. "Oh…uh, yeah..." She looked at Arnold a bit sheepishly. "Sorry if I went a little overboard with all that, by the way, Football head. I mean…the swinging the rope thing while I twirled my hair and said 'come get it' was probably a bit much… Once again, more reasons why I prefer a good monster movie to all those romantic comedies Olga shoved down my throat last weekend after you left, Football Head—the last thing I need is someone putting even more ideas in my slightly off head about how to snag a guy…Heh, heh…" She tried to laugh a bit to calm herself down a little. Arnold WAS getting awfully close, after all…and she was starting to recognize something in that strange look in his eye...and, once again, as she had been having to admit to herself all week, despite how interesting and fun he could be, Helga really could only handle Arnold's (very unexpected) slightly more aggressive side in small doses… She felt herself swallow hard.
Arnold, meanwhile, couldn't help but blush just a bit more as that image of Helga flirting with him at the window before and how it had made him feel entered his mind once again, but then couldn't help laughing just a bit at the memory along with her (although his laughter was much more relaxed than Helga's obviously nervous chuckle…a fact which wasn't at all lost on Arnold). 'Hmm…I should probably remember the next time she uses how I feel about her to corner me that I'm not the only one in love here…' "Actually," he continued, putting his hands behind his back and proceeding to look at the obviously uneasy girl before him very consciously with his half lidded gaze, "I think you did perfect. I wanted a 'girl' friend and I got one—and I think it was just what I needed to remember that I prefer you instead."
At this statement, Helga instantly lost the nervous, blushing look that had been dominating her features, and scowled, putting her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?" she asked in a very demanding tone.
Arnold blinked and the smile instantly fell from his face as he realized how what he had just said could easily be taken the wrong way. He did his best to explain. "I mean…I mean not that you aren't a girl and really pretty and nice and feminine but…I mean…" he searched for the right way to express what he had to say. "You're…you don't just fall into this stereotypical category of how a 'girl's' supposed to act." His smile started to return a bit. "When you want to dress up and write poetry and act sweet and romantic you do, but when you want to yell and play baseball and throw rocks at dumpsters and go on adventures you do that too. And I shouldn't try to box you into being one of those people just because you're my girlfriend now instead of my friend." He took another step toward her, looking at her now intently listening and also slightly blushing face. "And you were smart enough to find a way to remind me of that while at the same time reminding me that no matter how you're acting, you're a perfectly intelligent and reasonable person, and it shouldn't matter where we are when we kiss because you're just as capable of making a choice about as I am, no matter what."
Helga blinked a few times as his words set in, and as he finished she felt her already pretty strong blush increase just slightly in her cheeks. It didn't help that Arnold was within a foot of her at this point. "Oh….well, thanks, Arnold…I—I mean, I'm glad it all got through to you, Football Head."
Arnold laughed to himself once more. "Oh yeah…it definitely got through to me…" He leaned in just a bit closer to the blushing girl before him, and cleared his throat, glancing to the side for a moment as he asked with a smile and his eyes still half lidded, "So…you, um…you said your parents would probably still be out for a little while, right? I mean…" he glanced back up at her, "Like you said earlier, it probably wouldn't be good for me to walk downstairs and see them about to open the door…Don't want you to get grounded from our date on Friday either." He winked at her.
"Uh…" Helga felt her breaths coming more and more shallowly at his proximity and smile…and not to mention at the suggestive direction in which this conversation was turning. "They, uh...they said they'd be back around 9 or 10 so we…I mean, uh, you probably still have some time…" Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. 'Okay, I know I basically spent the last half hour putting him through the same thing he's doing to me right now, but after a full two hours together I'm not exactly 'fresh' at the moment to be dealing with another Arnold situation and I could just kill him for doing this to me right now…even if he is looking at me with those gorgeous green eyes and speaking to me out of those gorgeous, soft lips and standing so close to me that I can actually feel the warmth coming off of his gorgeous, perfect body. Oh, Arnold, I—'
She was (luckily for her) cut off in mid internal monologue by the sound of Arnold replying simply to her affirmation that they indeed had at least a little while longer of being alone here guaranteed to them, "Oh. Good…" And then, much to Helga's slight relief…he stopped leaning in so closely toward her and lost the half lidded gaze, smiling just a bit more normally. Arnold then also removed his arms from behind his back and crossed them over his chest, and let out a breath, and continued speaking, though now in a much more casual tone. "So, you see, Helga…I'm alone with you in your room right now at night and I'm perfectly fine with it…as long as you're okay with it…" For just a moment his half lidded gaze returned.
"I'm…I'm good." Helga managed to get out, finally feeling her heart rate go down a bit as the distance between her and her beloved had decreased just slightly. 'Oh boy… Okay, Helga, old girl, that beautiful gaze of his is back but at least he's backing off a bit…Probably just trying to get you back a little for all that stuff you put him through before, just like you've been suspecting ever since he walked in here just now with that suggestive look and voice of his…Just take a few deep breaths and say goodnight and do a little more poetry writing and you'll be fine by morning…'
As Helga finished trying to soothe herself with these thoughts, Arnold just took another breath and smiled happily at her reply, and then glanced back at the door by which he'd entered her room. "Well…I guess I should get going then." He didn't move though…And Helga didn't fail to notice this fact. "But…" All of a sudden, he gently placed the rope still hanging over his shoulder and her pink book still clasped in one of his hands upon the floor, and then turned back to still slightly wide eyed and blushing girl in question, and leaned in toward her once more, glancing away with a shy smile on his face. "Me just coming up here…I mean, it's basically the same thing I did when I first got here so I guess it doesn't really prove to you just how much you got through to me…" he glanced back up at her, "About everything tonight..." His smile grew just a bit, and suddenly he was right back in that position of his beautiful face being within inches of Helga's more than obviously confused and nervous one.
"Arnold," Helga, however, rather than going into another internal monologue, suddenly took a deep breath and closed her eyes and then let out a sigh, and finally asked in as level a voice as she could, feeling about a hundred percent certain at this point about where her beloved was going with all of this flirting, "Are you going to kiss me?" She rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger in a bit of impatience: not that another kiss from her beloved wouldn't be a great thing (as it always was) but it was getting a little late and she had already been tired for a while now and her parents were due home very soon, and also, honestly, she just wasn't in the mood right now for some big, drawn out, dramatic build up to whatever Arnold had on his mind after having already gone through a good two hours of drama with him this evening. Dropping her hand to her side, she kept her eyes closed and her voice sounding as patient as possible, and continued. "Because if you are, Football Head, then can you please just gently take my hand and lean in and do it already like the last two times you actually got the courage to do it despite the moral dilemma you were having, because, seriously, if my parents do get home and catch us here, there's a good chance we won't live to see our one month Anniv—"
Helga was cut off (and incredibly surprised, as her eyes instantly flying open in shock attested to) by the feeling of Arnold suddenly grabbing her around the waist and pulling her close to him, looking right into her wide eyes with his half lidded ones, their noses almost touching. She swallowed hard, feeling her heart return to pounding like a jackhammer in her chest, though even strong than before thanks to the new addition of physical contact between her and her beloved. 'Uh oh…'
"Hey," Arnold began in a low, playful voice, "If I WAS going to kiss you, who says I'd do it like that again…? I mean…" Helga felt her breath catch in her throat as his hand not around her body came up to twirl a piece of hair at the end of one of her pigtails, "I might be thinking of trying something more your style, you know? After all, you tried to write more like me with that poem before, so maybe I should try to kiss more like you right now..." He chuckled just a bit to himself and Helga felt him grip her a bit more firmly around her back as he added, "I did it last weekend on the couch, after all..."
Helga, who was doing everything she could at this point to avoid going into serious meltdown, did her best to scoff at Arnold, though with how wildly her heart was beating right now and how almost unbearably nervous she was feeling at being so close to him and as she recalled how unpredictable she knew the more aggressive side of him could be, she was sure the attempt sounded weak if not laughable to say the least. "Y-yeah, b-but, um…that really was the heat of the moment, Football He—A-Arnold…" She involuntarily felt herself switch to his real name as his arm wrapped at bit more firmly around her waist at the sound of her familiar, defensive nickname for him.
Helga just swallowed hard and did her best to continue and to ignore the sudden jolt of electricity that had instantly been sent through her body at this movement of his. "And I…I know I said that you have a dark side, Arnold, but…" She fished for some more logic to back up her argument, because at this point what Arnold was doing had her feeling so crazy inside that she was fairly certain that if he didn't just let her go and leave and quit all of this playful revenge flirting already that she was going to go into a monologing state the likes of which neither of them had ever seen. 'Aw man, he's seen me bad before but not like how I could get if he doesn't get out of here so I can let out the big stuff in my pink books and to my locket and even in front of the shrine if all else fails…' "But it's a dark side that definitely doesn't come out unless he's provoked…" she finally managed to come up with. "Uh, you know..." Helga did her best (and failed) to sound casual as she continued, "Just like you keep having to provoke me to go all 'ga ga out of my mind' on you…" She did her best to start taking some even breaths, though the continued feeling of him casually playing with that end of her pigtail wasn't helping. At all. "So, um…anyway, I really don't think there's any way you could do something like that when you've had a chance to think about it first, heh, heh…" Helga finally managed to finish with yet another nervous laugh.
And, honestly, Helga actually was kind of clinging to this logic that Arnold didn't have it in him to give her a planned out passionate kiss… 'A sweet gentle kiss or maybe a little making out, but not something like I gave him at the window before or on FTi …' He was just too shy and too modest and too much of a goodie two shoes when you got right down to it… And besides, there was one more problem with him actually doing to her what he was maybe suggesting doing to her: that one, spontaneous, passionate kiss he'd given her on the couch last weekend had, of course, been a surprise, and because of that she'd been too shocked to really take it and its full implications in until later when there had finally been time to express how it had made her feel via her usual, safe outlets (poetry books, private monologuing, etc.)… But this situation right here and now with him announcing it and building up to it was giving her too much time to think it over, too much time to let the anticipation grow and consume her, and, honestly…she wasn't sure how she would react if he actually…if he really did…
Helga instantly had to shut down her thoughts on the subject, the idea of it was so incredible and unprecedented that she couldn't even bear thinking about it without feeling herself practically melt.
"True…" She was also brought out of her wild thoughts by this simple reply from her beloved to her accusation that he couldn't possibly be spontaneous enough to go through with kissing her like she'd just kissed him. She blinked once and then her vision came back into focus and she just watched as he continued staring deeply into her eyes, his dreamy gaze still shining down upon her from his perfect face.
Helga managed a weak smile at him. 'Okay, well, at least he agrees with me…that's step one in the right direction…Now I just have to convince him to let me go before I propose or pass out or something.' And, indeed, Helga was about to open her mouth to speak so she could finally try and reason herself out of this unprecedented romantic situation…
"…Unless all that stuff at the window before took care of most of the provoking." At least, until this sentence left her beloved's mouth.
Helga's smile instantly dropped away again, leaving only that terrified looking face she'd had before. 'Oh boy…This…could be bad for me, couldn't it? Oh well, at least it's a good kind of bad…No, wait—what am I saying? I've…I've got to get back on the defensive, take control of the room again! I—I…' And yet, at this point in the evening she couldn't even find it in her to break from her beloved's intoxicating gaze…and those two green jelly beans like perfect pools she could have bathed in. 'I'm about to completely lose all credibility as the dominant one in this relationship, aren't I? Darn it…'
Arnold, meanwhile, couldn't help but almost laugh at the flustered look that instantly descended upon the girl in his arms once more in response to his simple words. 'I really think I'm starting to understand what she meant before when she said that doing all of that stuff to me earlier was hysterical along with being part of teaching me a lesson…I'd forgotten how much fun getting to Helga through her feelings could be…just like at the April Fools dance. Hmm…that should make the next five minutes kind of interesting, actually…' "You know," he suddenly continued, still gazing into her wide unsure eyes and feeling the rise and fall of her chest coming more and more slowly as her breaths became shallower, "I was thinking for a few minutes when I was outside, and I think that of all the things you were right about tonight, the kissing was probably the biggest and most important one… Because, like you said, it all really does build up if you try and avoid it..." He suddenly moved his hand that had been gently playing with her hair to behind her head, right between her neck and hairline, and he felt a slight shiver pass through her at the shift of his touch. He continued to stare into those wide, adoring blue eyes of hers as he finished, "And I know that technically it's only been a week since the last time I really let myself kiss you like on your couch but…you know…the more I think about it the more I think I've been trying to avoid the fact that you like me…and that I've maybe always liked you too just a little… for seven years…Which is about a year longer than you'd gone through when you kissed me on the FTi building, so…"
"Arnold, I swear…" Helga suddenly began, feeling heat flooding her face and a tingling, almost searing sensation in those places on her back and neck against which his arms were currently pressed. 'Okay, you know what? He can kiss me and I don't even care what it does to me at this point, but so help me I just want it to happen already!' She did her best to scowl defensively despite the whole 'Arnold's eyes keeping her eyes locked in a wide-eyed stare' thing, and then continued in a firm a voice as she could muster. "I SWEAR, if this turns into another one of those anticlimactic things from before or if you're just trying to mess with me to get back at me for all of the flirting…true love or not, I'm going to kill yo—" A very on edge Helga Pataki managed to only get out this much of her sentence before she felt Arnold use his excellent grip on her to pull her just a bit closer, and then she knew that if she spoke, even that much of a movement would cause their lips to touch…
With a very slight chuckle to himself at how this simple movement closer had suddenly completely silenced the most talkative and opinionated person he knew, Arnold then proceeded to lean his head over to the side just a bit (just as Helga had done to him at the window before they'd parted before) and then to whisper into her ear, "You know…I know I said I thought you looked nice with your hair down but…you're also really pretty when you're nervous…and surprised…and even angry." He pulled back and resumed looking into her eyes, and frowned just slightly as he added, "You're probably going to smile at me and throw me down on the floor again or something after I do this, though…." He smiled again. "But, I guess it's worth it… Besides, your smiles are really pretty too."
And with these words, Arnold finally closed his eyes and pulled himself and the stunned girl in his arms the remaining distance closer to one another kissed her as hard as he could—as hard as she had kissed him at the window before, or on the coffee table last weekend or on the roof of the FTi building…holding her as close as possible and using his hand behind her head to pull her mouth even more into contact with his and to feel her soft hair under his fingers once again. And as this chaotic contact between them continued, he did his best to put everything he'd been trying to avoid regarding her ever since their first date and since the tutoring and since her confession and since he'd first met her into it, along with his own new feelings about Helga G. Pataki that had been developing exponentially over the last week.
And, after a few seconds, Arnold heard that familiar sigh and moan of Helga's…and after a few more seconds he also felt how she seemed to just collapse in his arms, melting against him…and in the end he couldn't help but find no guilt or fear or worry inside of himself at all while kissing Helga in her room this time—just pure happiness at being with the person he loved. 'Okay, I also understand now why she keeps wanting to kiss me like this…doing it slowly and gently is great and everything, but this is…wow…No wonder she kept trying to do it again and again after that first time on the FTi roof! I just wish we'd had more time and that I hadn't been so scared and that Gerald hadn't been waiting…it could have been an interesting morning!'
And then, eventually, just like Helga had said to him before when he'd explained his fear about nothing being there to stop the kissing, Arnold suddenly felt more like talking to Helga and seeing her reaction to what he'd just done rather than continuing to kiss her (for now, at least), and, so, with one final push forward to end the kiss on as strong a note as possible, he then separated their mouths, took a few deep breaths, and finally released their bodies and took a step back, smiling at her, his hands now crossed over his chest.
Arnold just watched in interested amusement as Helga now just stood there before him, a very content smile on her face (just as Arnold had predicted to himself), and breathing quite heavily herself. "Uh…wow…you…wow…"
Arnold almost had to chuckle, and couldn't help but let out a happy sigh as he responded mentally to her exclamation, 'Exactly what I was thinking, Helga…'
He then continued to watch as Helga then took a deep breath, still smiling, and finally managed to speak a full sentence. "Are, uh…are you the same Football Head who keeps telling me he's afraid he's a lousy kisser because, I've gotta tell you…" she had to let out a small giggle, she was brimming with so many emotions and feelings inside right now, "Getting back to the tutoring puns: The uh…the student just surpassed the teacher, Arnoldo. In spades." She blinked a few times and had to take a step back and put a hand to her head. "I mean, really… I don't just need to 'lie down'…I need to collapse into a freaking puddle right now!" And then, something in the way of coherent thoughts managed to start to take shape in her head. 'Arnold just…Arnold just…he didn't even just kiss me, he…he held me close and pulled me in and had his arms around me and leaned me back and I think he even moaned a little and he kissed me kissed me…! Oh, please just let him ask me to marry him right here and right now so that we can start our fabulous, destined-to-be life together as soon as possible!' She gave a girlish internal sigh, and then blinked as she realized, her smile growing even more at the thought, 'Oh, and I'm even still alive and all in one piece after all of that! I mean, I didn't actually faint and go into a semi-conscious state of lovesickness for the rest of my life. Uh…great!'
Helga's final tutoring joke for the evening (coupled with the ironic reference to her confession), meanwhile, finally caused an audible warm laugh to escape from Arnold's mouth (the sound of which brought Helga's attention out of her dreamy thoughts and back to her beloved before her). She watched, still in a state of total bliss, as Arnold glanced down, resuming a bit of his former shyness, though a very happy grin and a very distinct blush still remained on his face. "So, anyway, Helga, I guess the point I was trying to make was that I'm not worried about kissing in your room anymore…and that I'm taking your advice about doing it a little more often and letting it be a part of me like it wants to be." He chuckled slightly to himself once more, taking a step back toward her and putting his hands shyly behind his back once again. "And, also, I think you might be a little right about me having a dark side…" Suddenly, he lifted up one of his hands and, to Helga's total shock, grazed the side of her face with its backside, causing her eyes to go wide again and her to blush hotly. "But it makes your sweet side come out so I guess it's not such a bad thing…" He winked.
He gently pulled his hand away, smiling, and Helga felt herself sigh girlishly once more and reach up to the place on her face that Arnold had just touched. "Uh…well….I could have told you that, Football Head…" she managed to breathe out, the dreamy smile still upon her face.
Arnold just sighed in amusement at the familiar bit of sarcasm trying to shine through her dazed sounding voice, and then glanced at the clock on her nightstand once again that evening. 9:30: exactly between the hours of 9 and 10. He looked back to Helga. "Well, it's starting to really get late so I guess I really should get home now, Helga. I'll see you at school on Monday…and then I'll really see you at my house on Friday." He winked and then took one of her hands in his and gave it a quick but gentle kiss, and slowly lowered it to her side before turning to head for her bedroom door to make his final exit…
Turning to head for her bedroom door to make his final exit, that was, until the sound of someone (or two people, which was much more likely considering the time and situation), opening and entering the door downstairs made him stop and his heart drop to his stomach. He turned around, wide-eyed, to Helga, who looked back at him with an equal amount of shock and fear suddenly on her face.
"Ol—"
"Bob!" came Miriam's slightly scolding voice. "Remember what Olga said…"
"Huh…oh, right, right. Uh, Helga, we're home!" Bob's voice boomed from downstairs.
"B, be quiet! She might be asleep!" came Miriam's normal speaking voice faintly.
"What are you talking about?" Bob's loud voice sounded out again, "I can see the light from her room shining in the hall up there."
And then there was the sound of the steps creaking as they were walked upon…
Helga and Arnold only had to stare at each other for a second more before they instantly approached each other and whispered quickly…
"You get to the window…"
"…And you stall them!"
They nodded to each other and then quickly ran in their separate directions. Across her room in a flash, Helga opened her door as slightly as possible and slipped out into the hall, closing it firmly behind her. "Uh, hey, Mom, hey, Dad! Olga's flight leave on time? Heh, heh…" she asked as innocently as possible.
Arnold, meanwhile, snatched Helga's pink book and the rope from her floor and raced over to her bed, crawling across its surface as fast as he could as he did his best to secure the rope around his body once more and to tie part of it to the nearest tree limb so that he could attempt getting down again. It might have been pitch black outside at this hour, but he was pretty certain that repelling down twenty feet to Helga's yard only by the light of her window was much MUCH safer than heading out into her hall, wishing Mr. and Mrs. Pataki a quick goodnight, and walking out through her front door… 'Uh oh...this could be really bad, couldn't it? I know I said it might be worth it to get in a little trouble for her but…' Arnold had to swallow hard as he instantly recalled a very VERY angry Big Bob Pataki from two weeks ago who had seemed ready to pummel him just because he and Helga had seemed to be getting a little close while working on some homework…but if he was caught in this situation… Arnold had to gulp once more: after all, it had only taken Gerald a couple of minutes before to figure out some of what he and Helga had been doing this evening…but he knew somehow that if Helga's parents opened that door they would know in an instant…and Arnold wasn't so sure that Helga would be able to save him this time.
"Eh, half an hour delay—stupid airlines!" Arnold's scary thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly heard Bob grumble this statement from the hall in response to his younger daughter's inquiry. "Half a mind to write them a letter…"
"Did you have a nice night at home, dear?" Miriam's voice, addressing Helga. "Did any of your friends come by?"
"OH, uh…" Arnold heard the touch of panic in Helga's voice…and then her attempt to cover it up as she quickly finished with, "No, no…just a quiet evening at home. Heh, heh…"
"But…then, why was the front door unlocked, Helga?" proceeded to ask her mother with a touch of confusion evident in her voice.
Arnold could just imagine the look of terror on Helga's face and the sudden loss of color in her cheeks and the sudden pounding of her heart, as it was all happening to him right now at this very excellent question. He froze for a second, half over the window ledge, awaiting Helga's response. 'Come on, Helga—you're the best at this! I mean, you got me to believe that you kissed me for a minute straight during the school play just because you were 'acting' '. Arnold would have laughed at the memory but terror was by far the most prominent emotion going through him at the moment.
"Oh, well, uh…" Arnold heard her swallow hard, but then manage (luckily, for both of them) to impressively come up with, "I didn't have anyone over but I…I got hungry and the Jollie Ollie man was passing by for his last run just after you guys left so I popped out and got a Mr. Fudgie." He heard her laugh slightly (though a little less nervously, thankfully) as she finished with, "Sorry I forgot to lock it again—maybe Olga was right about leaving a ten year old to watch a house by herself…heh, heh…"
There was a second of silence.
And then, to Arnold's TREMENDOUS relief, he heard Bob yawn and finally say, "Well, I'm gonna hit the hay. It's been a long day and I'm gonna need all the sleep I can get if I don't have one of Olga's breakfasts to wake me up tomorrow morning…"
"I'm…just going to use the bathroom first, B…" Miriam replied slowly. "You go on ahead."
Arnold, now fully over the window ledge and just trying to get his footing on the limb he'd stood on before when Helga had kissed him earlier that night, heard Bob yawn once more, though it sounded farther away this time. "Alright. Goodnight Miriam…Goodnight Ol—uh, Helga."
"Uh, goodnight, Dad!" Arnold heard Helga pause, and then add, "I'm…just going to head to bed myself. See you in the morning, Mom!"
Letting out a relieved sigh, Arnold, now standing stably on the tree limb that had been his goal, stood on tiptoe and did his best to peek in over the edge of Helga's windowsill, his hands gripping it in anticipation (his left, as best it could since it still held Helga's pink book) as he awaited Helga's return to confirm once and for all that keeping her parents from suspecting anything had indeed been a success.
A second passed and then he saw, with a smile, Helga's door quickly open and close as she slipped back into the room. He watched with relief as she took a deep breath and slid down to the floor in an obvious amount of relief herself, putting a hand to her heart. Opening her eyes and not seeing Arnold in her room (and assuming he'd gone already), Helga couldn't help mumble to herself in disbelief at how close of a call that had just been, "Worse than the time I woke up in his shower…Absolutely worse…"
"Helga?" Arnold suddenly popped his head over the windowsill fully, an eyebrow raised and grinning a little. 'Waking up in my shower?'
Helga's eyes instantly flew open and she stood up, turned around and locked her door, and then ran over to her bed and climbed over it, kneeling out of the window. She whispered down in panic and surprise to her beloved, "Football Head, what are you still doing here? Get back to your house, already!"
"So…" he leaned an elbow on the edge of the windowsill and rested his head upon his hand, "when did you wake up in my shower, exactly?" Trying to stifle a laugh, he couldn't help asking this question which, despite the current circumstances, he felt was a pretty legitimate one.
Helga blinked and blushed at the question, and then couldn't help but roll her eyes at the fact that he was actually more interested in another one of her wacky stories than getting the heck out of there already! 'His priorities always were a little loopy…' She finally just sighed and whispered back with a half smile, "Let's just say your fire escape wasn't nearly the only place I sleepwalked to that one time. By the way, ask your Grandma who Eleanor is sometime, and tell her that, along with her fried chicken from two weeks ago, she makes great eggs!" She winked, then shrugged. "I mean, I was asleep for eating half of them, but the ones I remember eating after I woke up were great!"
Arnold felt himself about to burst into laughter, though he really tried to fight it considering the fact that the window of Helga's parent's bedroom where both Bob and Miriam had said they were headed was less than ten feet away.
Helga just rolled her eyes again at his obvious struggle of his not to have another fit of chuckles that evening. "Laugh about it when both of our necks aren't on the line, okay, Football Head?"
Arnold did his best to get himself under control. "O-okay, Helga. Goodnight!" he whispered and began to try and maneuver himself down the tree as quickly and quietly as possible.
And, indeed, Arnold was just about to take the first step to a lower limb…when he suddenly heard Helga whisper his name once more. "Hey…Arnold?"
He stopped and smiled up at her. "Yes, Helga?"
"Um…" He noticed her swallow hard and glance to the side, trying to seem casual though it was obvious that what she was about to say or ask was important to her…and he couldn't help but smile a bit more at the idea of her still managing to find ways to feel shy around him even after all of the stuff they'd been through lately...and during their whole lives together. She continued. "I…I know I'm not really into a lot of stereotypically girly stuff like this, like I've been saying all evening, so this might seem a little random but, um…Do you…" she cleared her throat, still not making eye contact with him, though a small smile seemed to be coming to her face and Arnold could just make out that she was blushing a bit in the lamplight surrounding her. She began to play with one of her pigtails, and finally asked her question. "Do you…really think that I…that I'm…you know…uh…beautiful or whatever?" Helga said the last part as quickly as possible, and felt heat rush to her face as she did. 'I know it's stupid but…still…'
Arnold had to blink at the question. And then he couldn't help the smile that came to his face. Suddenly, to Helga's surprise, he reached up and took her idle hand in his free one, causing her eyes to widen and to look down into his own…and then, finally, he gave her just a bit of a look as he let out a sigh and replied, "No, Helga—I was faking being about to pass out when you winked at me with your hair down and your legs crossed and that smile on your face and asked me what flavor I'd like to taste the next time we kissed."
It took Helga a second to process the fact that, perhaps for the first time in his life, Arnold had said something sarcastic ('I really am rubbing off on him, aren't I?'). When she finally did, though, she couldn't help breaking into a full smile and pulling her hand out of his to give him a hard flick on the ear. "Jerk! Good job at your first genuine attempt at sarcasm, though—I'll give you that."
Despite the small, sharp pain from her flick, Arnold just rubbed his ear and continued to smile at her, chuckling slightly. "Thanks Helga… Guess I couldn't resist again…"
Helga was about to roll her eyes and say something witty in response to her beloved followed by a quick goodnight, when suddenly he cut her off by resting his hands against her windowsill and leaning up a bit, looking at her lovingly once more. "But really, though, Helga…I think…" he swallowed hard and Helga observed a bit more of a blush creep up into his face, "I think you're…I think I…I mean…" She watched as Arnold stopped and closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath as though to clear his head. He then opened his eyes again and looked to her once more, just a bit more of a smile coming to his face. "I think that I think you're so pretty sometimes that I can barely keep myself from stuttering or saying something stupid like I'm trying as hard as I can to do right now…if that makes any sense, Helga…"
Helga just felt herself break into even more of a warm smile at this adorable reply. With a touch more a blush coming to her face and resting her head in one of her hands, she then asked in as casual a voice as she could, though it couldn't help but be accompanied by a slightly nervous swallow (in her defense though…well, she was curious…and as long as they were already on the subject…), "Even prettier than Ruth or Lila or Summer?"
Arnold's eyes went wide in a bit of surprise for a moment at the question, and he looked at her unsurely. Though Helga had made the occasional side comment about some of his former crushes over the past few weeks…she'd never actually asked for a flat out comparison… And Arnold couldn't help but sense, despite the fact that she was trying to seem casual and playful about it, that how he responded would probably be really important to her. After all, she had gotten awfully upset and emotional during those final hours and arguments in his room that Sunday during the tutoring when he'd tried to defend the fact that he'd developed feelings for so many people over the course of the past year…and then later during their final big fight when she'd seemed to think that him liking being around her was going to be just another case of him having a mild interest in a girl that would quickly pass the second someone else came along.
"Hey, Football Head…" suddenly came Helga's voice (with a slightly annoyed tone underlying it) to break him out of these thoughts, "You know, 'hesitation' really isn't the best way to start out answering this question…" A bit of indignation was obvious in her tone as well as she finished, "I mean, you think I'm pretty or whatever but…and I know it's not really supposed to matter to me since I'm not into all that girly stuff like I keep saying, but…prettier than Ruth or Lila or Summer, or what? Just give me a straight answer, Football Head! Sheesh!" 'I knew I shouldn't have asked that. I mean…okay, maybe I could pull off being prettier than Lila if he prefers blondes to redheads…but Ruth was tall and always had those expensive barrettes in her hair and had those warm eyes even if they were that ruddy brown color…And Summer—I mean, really, now that just wasn't fair! How old was she, anyway? Sheesh, yeah right, what was I thinking—like I could compete with the body and hair and the eyes and the voice and…' She had to let out a sigh and almost shook her head at her foolishness. 'Arnold really could do so much better than me, couldn't he?'
Arnold, meanwhile, had just blinked in a bit of surprise at the sound of Helga's voice suddenly interrupting his thought…but then he couldn't help his smile instantly returning at the idea that she would even think the answer would be anything other than 'yes', especially considering everything that had passed between them that evening. 'I guess she really does need to just hear it from me, though, doesn't she…? After all, she's been in love with me for seven years—me suddenly liking her back is still probably a bit of a shock to her.' And so, fully aware of how important his answer was probably going to be to the still impatiently waiting girl before him despite how much she was trying to deny it, Arnold considered what the best way would be to phrase his affirmative response for just a second longer…
And then a satisfied grin suddenly came to Arnold's face and with a sigh he moved his head forward and gently and sweetly kissed the back of Helga's hand that he was still clasping in one of his own…before finally looking up into her eyes and saying in a bit of a dazed voice, "Let's see…prettier than Lila or Ruth or Summer…" He almost laughed as he then finished with, "I'm sorry, Helga, but…who?" And, to be honest, when thoughts of his previous crushes had come to Arnold's mind lately only to stand next to how he now felt around Helga…that one word question seemed more than accurate to describe his feelings.
Helga, who's eyes had gone a bit wide at Arnold's sudden gesture of kissing her hand yet again that evening, just stood there continuing to blush for a second or two at how he'd just responded to her doubts about her appearance in comparison with the other girls he'd had feelings for in his life… But then Arnold watched with a smile as her own smile returned and then grew just a bit more…and then a giggle or two escaped her…and finally she even started laughing to herself…very warmly, like she was genuinely happy about something.
"Helga?" Arnold asked with curiosity at this response to his reply. "What's so funny?"
KNOCK KNOCK
"Helga, what are you doing in there? Are you alright?"
The sound of Miriam's voice coming from just outside the bedroom door made Helga's eyes go wide and caused her to get her laughter quickly under control. "Uh…" she suddenly called out over her shoulder, "Just a sec, Miriam!" With a nervous swallow and feeling UNBELIEVABLY thankful that she had thought to lock the door behind her before coming over to Arnold just now, Helga quickly leaned down and whispered to her beloved, "Sorry, didn't mean to laugh, Football Head, but…Well, first of all, me saying those three names and you responding with something along the lines of 'Who?' has been a personal fantasy of mine for quite a long time, so, thanks for that. Very excellent boyfriend response." She giggled and then rested both of her arms against the windowsill, resting her head down on top of them. "And, second, as for that whole thing you mentioned first about you getting all tongue-tied around me now—well, welcome to my world! Crimeny, you think it was easy spending seven years learning how to not sound like a lovesick fool every time I ran into you, my handsome little Football Head?" Helga giggled slightly once more, both from the elation about Arnold having just admitted outright that he did indeed think she was beautiful (and more beautiful than those other three romantic freeloaders who'd almost stolen his heart, thank you very much) as well as at the sight of him turning a bit scarlet at her comment. She sighed and rolled her eyes, still smiling. "Oh, come on, Arnold, we already went over the fact that I pretty much think you're the most adorable and gorgeous guy on the planet a long time ago—no need to start blushing about it again now…especially when there's plenty of other things you did tonight that you could be blushing about…" She winked. 'Yeah, I think he deserves that for the near heart attack he just gave me with all of that build up before that kiss…'
KNOCK KNOCK
"Helga, sweetie?" Miriam again.
"Crimeny, Miriam, just a minute!" Helga couldn't help but yell with a scowl toward the door before turning back to Arnold with a sweet smile once again as she awaited whatever response he'd give to her good natured little ribbing about his sudden new romantic tendencies.
Arnold, meanwhile, initially felt a touch of that awkwardness and discomfort like he'd been experiencing earlier that evening come upon him at her small joke…but then it quickly ebbed as he recalled how silly he'd come to realize all of that guilt and worry had been. His former lovesick grin returned….and then grew into a full smile…and then that smile resulted in a warm chuckle. Though Helga was still smiling at him, she had to at least raise part of her brow at this strange reaction. Before she could question him about it, though, Arnold suddenly cooled his laughter a bit (both so he could address her confusion and to keep Miriam Pataki from hearing anything else) and looked back up at her again lovingly… and then said simply, "You know…I'm really happy that I love you, Helga"
"Oh…" Helga's eyes went wide again that evening for just a second at these unexpected words, but then her dreamy smile quickly returned. "Yeah, well…" she glanced to the side, her grin only growing, "I'd tell you that I'm pretty psyched about that myself, but I'd rather show you…" She blushed and then looked at him again, realizing how what she'd said could be interpreted in multiple ways...(though, to be honest, she hadn't really been thinking too clearly when she'd spoken just now and had probably kind of meant it just the way it sounded…) "Uh, you know, I mean…" she did her best to move on from the awkward moment, "like with another book of poems for Friday…that I'm going to go write right now considering the amount of inspiration I've gotten from this night and from the last ten minutes alone!" Suddenly, the sound of someone actually trying to open Helga's door interrupted the moment, and her and Arnold's breaths caught in their throats and their eyes went wide simultaneously. Helga, realizing she had to get to taking care of Miriam already before things got too suspicious, shook her head to clear it and instantly reached up to close her window, quickly whispering down to her beloved, "Uh, see you, Football Head. And thanks again for being such a sport about the shrines thing before. You are such a weirdo for being okay with that, by the way, you know that?" She couldn't help but smirk.
Arnold just rolled his eyes at the comment and smiled. And he probably could have just wished her goodbye as well right then and been done with their evening, but…
Instead, Arnold swallowed and, summing up a bit more of his courage and reminding himself that, after all, Helga had gotten the chance to ask something she was kind of curious about, so didn't he deserve the same opportunity, he asked in a loud whisper, before she could pull down the pane of glass that would separate them once more that evening, "Hey…Helga?"
"Mmm hmm?" though a bit of panic was still obviously about her face at the fact that Miriam seemed to have suddenly decided that she needed to pay her younger daughter a visit before turning in for the night, Helga couldn't help but resume her dreamy gaze as she paused in the middle of beginning to pull the window closed and looked to her beloved once more that evening. 'After how wonderful he's made me feel lately, especially tonight, he more than deserves an extra minute to talk regardless of the risks with Bob and Miriam…'
"Um…Well…" Arnold swallowed just a bit nervously and glanced down—two facts that weren't lost on Helga who suddenly had to raise part of her brow slightly in curiosity. 'I know it's stupid to ask, but…' He let out a breath and continued, glancing back up at her. "Well, as long as we're asking questions we should already know the answers to…" he had to smile just a bit as he qualified, "Because, honestly, I really don't see how you could think I wouldn't think you were the best of any other girl I've ever met in every way…" The comment made Helga blush and giggle slightly once more, which helped to relax Arnold just a little…though he still felt the need to take a deep breath to calm himself as he finally asked, "But, just to be sure…Do you really think that I…" he couldn't help but glance away just a bit shyly again, "…That I give terrific kisses?" He felt heat flood his face as the words left his mouth, and he continued nervously. "Because I—I'm really not sure what I'm doing half the time…all the time, actually… But you seem like…well, like you were born to do it or something..." He managed to glance back up at her, looking very unsure to day the least. 'She really is amazing at it and I'm just…just kind of going along with her and whatever feels right…But she did say before that she thinks mine are terrific so…'
His doubtful thoughts were interrupted by the sound and sight of Helga suddenly chuckling slightly and shaking her head with a small smile on her face. 'Oh brother…sheesh, I really must be good at the whole kissing thing to make him that self-conscious…' "Yes, Arnold…" she began in an understanding tone, "you give terrific, fantastic, unbelievable, incredible, unimaginable, 'amazing' kisses." She laughed just a bit more before continuing. "And as for thinking you don't know what you're doing—just keep going with tossing me down on couches and showing up at my door with suggestive smiles and suddenly dipping me back when I'm least expecting it and any other wonderful thing your instincts come up with, and I think we'll be fine!" she finished with a wink.
Arnold just blushed and laughed to himself at her response to his doubt, and then gazed up at her happily. "Thanks, Helga." 'Maybe she's right…maybe I should just keep going with my instincts… After all, if I keep making her moan and shudder and sigh like that, I have to be doing something right, right?'
Helga just let out a sigh and rolled her eyes at him. "You're welcome, Romeo," she responded playfully.
Arnold smiled a bit more and opened his mouth like he was about to say something (probably some kind of amusing reference to that first kiss of theirs as Romeo and Juliet and the fact that he was basically coming up to her 'balcony' right now)…
Suddenly, though, there was another knock or two at the door…and they were much more firm sounding this time. "Helga? You're starting to worry me a little…is everything okay in there, honey?" came Miriam's voice from the other side, this time with more than a bit of urgency behind her tone.
Helga instantly swallowed hard, coming out of her lovesick state and realizing that she really needed to deal with her mother right now, regardless of these last little tender moments her and Arnold were managing to squeeze in, before his secret visit to her room became not so secret anymore. "Sorry, Arnold—gotta go take care of Miriam and Bob before they realize something's up! Goodnight and…thanks for coming back and doing what you did…" She smiled and then her eyes went wide and she couldn't help but blush a bit once more that evening at the implications of yet another statement she'd allowed to slip out without thinking about it first. "I mean, for telling me all that stuff about how you listened to me before and how you understand that I don't want some kind of double standard…" She swallowed hard and glanced down, a bit of a dreamy smile coming back to her face as she had to add, truthfully, "But, I mean…for that kiss too, of course…" She couldn't help but sighed dreamily to herself as she then turned her eyes to Arnold's once more and added, "Crimeny, Football Head, talk about ending the Anniversary 'festivities' with a bang! You got me back for all that stuff on the bed before and then some…Very impressive, Arnoldo. Not many people can throw Helga G. Pataki for a loop!" She brought her arms down from the window and had to just cross them over her chest and shake her head at her beloved with an impressed smile for a moment.
As she finished on this lighter note, Arnold couldn't help but just chuckle at her statement and her stuttering and at the memories of everything they'd done tonight in general. "Whatever you say, Helga. And thanks for helping me with the kissing thing in the first place…" He winked.
"Helga, honey? Are you sick?" Miriam again, much to Helga's terror…and sounding more and more concerned…and trying to get the door open again.
Though she could feel her heart starting to race a bit with the anxiety of Miriam being just outside of her door and seemingly determined to enter it, Helga still managed to roll her eyes and grin down at her beloved as she quickly replied in a loud whisper, "Oh, just shut up and go break into someone else's house, Arnoldo."
Arnold just laughed once more and then prepared to resume his climb down Helga's tree once again that evening, accepting, despite how much it seemed like the two of them could just talk to each other forever and never get bored, that Helga really did probably need to go and deal with her mom before they both got caught and he was banned from the Pataki house for life. "Goodnight again, Helga." He paused for just a second in his descent…and then looked back up at her and added shyly. "I…I love you." He had to laugh to himself mentally at those words. 'It's funny but…when I first found out that she loved me and people kept trying to say that I liked her back too…Well, I thought that maybe there was a chance that I like-liked her a little, but…I couldn't even think of the word love without almost panicking. But, now…that really is the only way to describe what it is, I think. I love her…a lot…' He had to smile just a bit more as his thought finished progressing. 'And she loves me…and it's gone from being the scariest thing in the world to something I don't think I could live without even if I tried…'
Helga, meanwhile, at the sound of this last little addition to Arnold's goodnight, paused one final time in the middle of being about to shut the window. She blushed and smiled, and looked down at him lovingly just once more. "Goodnight Arnold…" she whispered back, "I love you too."
Another knock. "Helga, you're really starting to worry me—I'm going to get your father."
Helga's eyes went very VERY wide and she instantly slammed the window shut and ran back into her room and out of Arnold's sight. 'Miriam I can work…Bob I can work…but not the two of them together…and NOT about THIS!'
A little while later, Arnold found himself entering the Boarding House. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he stepped into the dim foyer and closed the familiar door behind him. 'Maybe Grandpa went to bed early…I guess I should wake him up and let him know that I'm home, and apologize for getting back so long after I said I was going to…But…' he glanced down, 'Then again…I did kind of go through a lot tonight so…maybe just this once I could just get up to my room and hope he doesn't notice how late I am…' Arnold knew it might be a little wrong to do this but, in his defense, he really had been through a lot this evening…
And, so, our Football Headed hero began to walk slowly and quietly in the direction of the stairs when, suddenly, the basement door opened, flooding the hallway with light, and out stepped Phil in his pajamas, holding a newspaper. "Whew! Nothing like a half hour in the comfort of my own private, secret bathroom!" He stretched up and yawned, and then turned in the direction of the stairs, only to meet with a very wide-eyed Arnold.
"Uh…" Arnold smiled sheepishly up at the old man, "Hi, Grandpa…I was just, uh…just getting…a drink of water…"
Phil raised an eyebrow at the ten-year-old boy before him. "Mmm hmm…" He smiled slyly, crossing his arms over his chest. "And you're just coming from bed to do this, I'm assuming… Where you should have been an hour ago."
"Uh…" Arnold put his arms behind his back and glanced to the side nervously. 'Where's Helga when I need her?' "Well, I…"
"Which would explain…" Phil continued, now putting a hand on his hip, "Why you're still in your clothes and have a rope over your shoulder and some kind of little book behind your back and a bunch of leaves and twigs and stuff in your hair…"
Arnold suddenly recalled his appearance and the items he was carrying with him and blushed, his eyes going even wider.
Grandpa tried not to laugh. "I'm waiting, Shortman…"
Finally, Arnold just sighed and removed his free arm from behind his back (unable to help the compulsion to still keep Helga's pink book out of sight), dragging a hand down his face. "I'm sorry I'm late, Grandpa…" he began apologetically, "I thought I was only going to be a half an hour but, well…I went to see Helga and I was going to try and surprise her with something but it kind of didn't work out…but then it kind of did…and it just…took a little while to sort out…" Despite his situation, Arnold couldn't help but feel a small smile pull at the corners of his mouth at just how well things at Helga's had worked out indeed…
Phil crossed his arms over his chest again…obviously fighting back a serious smile. "And the rope?"
"Oh…um…" Arnold blinked, coming out of his happy memories, and then glanced at the rope still coiled around his shoulder. 'I'm going to try and explain this right now and no matter how I put it, it's going to be very embarrassing, isn't it?' He sighed mentally. 'Oh well—at least none of the other boarders or Grandma are here to see this…' Arnold then took a deep breath and looked back up at his grandfather sheepishly. "Well…you see, Helga usually sneaks in through my window whenever she wants to surprise me so…" His eyes instantly went wide and he felt heat flood his face, and he tried his best to backpedal a little. "I mean, not that she does that, all that much…" Still, Arnold wanted to at least try being truthful, especially considering how much trouble he was sure he was already in. "I mean, she used to do it a lot before we…uh…" 'Oh boy…' "I mean, she still does it but…but not at night like I just did at her house…" he tried to state firmly, and then realized what he had just suggested about himself, and felt his blush return in full force. "I mean, not that I meant to do it at night, heh, heh…." He laughed nervously. "I actually didn't think she'd be home, but I only stayed when I found out she was home because it took a while to sort some things out between us, like I said…" He swallowed hard, realizing he was only digging himself deeper, and finally just did his best to wrap things up. "A-anyway, like I said, she comes in through my window sometimes so…I kind of used the rope to sneak in through her window tonight."
The old man in front of him was obviously holding back laughter. "A-and the branches and l-leaves?" he managed to get out without breaking.
"I…" Arnold tried to brush some of the debris from his hair on instinct, though he stopped himself, instantly accepting that any attempts he might make in that area were already far too late to help his situation. "Well…" he continued, glancing down, "Helga usually uses the fire escape to get to my room, but part of sneaking into—I mean, uh, 'visiting' her room tonight might have been…climbing a tree in her backyard..." He glanced back up at his grandfather nervously.
Phil's grin, meanwhile, was only growing. "And the book…?" he asked finally.
Arnold blushed and cleared his throat, and did his best to hide Helga's pink book behind his back a bit more. "Oh, uh…well…that's kind of private, Grandpa. Sorry." 'I couldn't begin to give a non-embarrassing explanation about Helga's poetry even if I tried…'
Phil, meanwhile, just let out a sigh at this reply, still grinning down at his grandson and obviously doing his best to still fight back a laugh out of politeness. "And all this was for what, again, exactly, Shortman?"
Arnold took a deep breath, unbelieving that he was even about to say these words...but, in all fairness, he had been rather late and his grandfather did deserve to know the reason why…and also, Phil had been decent enough to let the pink book thing go without explanation. "It was for our, um…our one week Anniversary." Arnold glanced unsurely at his grandfather, almost cringing at whatever reaction the old man would give to this last admission.
Phil just looked at the boy for a second longer…and then finally burst into uncontrollable laughter, holding his sides and doubling over in amusement…
Ten minutes later…
Arnold, still being a very understanding ten-year-old boy and knowing very well his grandfather's sense of humor, had been trying to be very patient with the second basically ceaseless fit of laughter that he had been forced to endure this evening at his expense. Finally, though, he had to just cross his arms over his chest, scowl just slightly at the older man before him, and roll his eyes as he seriously considered walking right back out the boarding house door and returning to Helga's because, to be frank, dealing with Big Bob Pataki was starting to seem like a better option than continuing to entertain his grandfather with the slightly awkward evening he'd just had. "Grandpa…can I just get my punishment and maybe go to bed now? Please!" Arnold finally asked in a level voice.
Phil, after a few more seconds of belly-busting chuckles, wiped a few more tears from his eyes and finally managed to straighten up a bit and address his grandson. "Oh boy…" he had to take several deep breaths before he could really continue to speak coherently to the obviously slightly annoyed boy before him. "Yeah, we can get to that if you really want to…But, you know, Shortman…" Phil had to shake his head in amusement, "First, I've just gotta say that I just lost a bet with your Grandma because she was sure you wouldn't be back for at least another hour…but it was completely worth it for that story! Heh, heh, heh!" He had to give in to some chuckles once again.
Arnold, at hearing this information, instantly lost his slightly annoyed look. Indeed, his eyes went wide in shock and embarrassment. "Grandpa!" He felt heat flood his face. "You guys bet on me not getting home from Helga's house until 11 o' clock at night!"
Phil laughed a bit more to himself and then looked down at Arnold once again. "Actually, I bet you wouldn't be back until midnight, but the winner was whoever got the closest, so I'm gonna have to give this one to Pookie when she wakes up in the morning!" He continued laughing to himself at bit.
Arnold just swallowed hard and glanced down, stammering in disbelief, "Oh, come on, Grandpa…you—you didn't really think I'd be over there for five hours…"
Phil took another deep breath to curb his laughter, and then wiped a tear of hilarity from his eye as he replied to the obviously flustered boy before him, "Well, you just figured out that you love the girl, Arnold, and she loves you, and you're growing up a bit and it's a Saturday night…" He crossed his arms over his chest and gave Arnold a look. "We just figured that you might actually be trying a date that isn't just you talking her ear off in your room after school and then buying her an ice cream cone! Heh, heh…"
"Grandpa!" Arnold instantly blushed even more strongly, looking up at the older man with desperation in his eyes. "She's just…I mean, yeah, we…but we're only…and I was just…" He sighed in distress. "Grandpa!"
"Oh relax, Shortman!" Phil waved him off. "I'm just teasing you!" He put a hand on Arnold's shoulder. "Don't get so worked up about it, though—you know I started going with your Grandma when I was about your age…"
Arnold blinked at this unexpected information, and managed to ask, despite how quickly he could feel his heart pumping in humiliation courtesy of his grandfather's good natured ribbing, "Wait…you've known Grandma since you were ten?"
Phil began to lead Arnold toward the stairs. "Oh, I've known your Grandma since we were practically babies…" He removed his hand from his grandson's shoulder and put it to his chin in thought. "Now, I KNOW I told you some kind of story about how she was always driving me nuts ever since before I could remember…What was it again…? Something about when we were both in school…"
Phil continued up another step or two, racking his brain…
…Arnold, meanwhile, just remained frozen on the first step of the boarding house staircase, his jaw completely dropped and his eyes wide, and the pink book and rope having suddenly dropped to the floor on either side of him with soft plops.
"Shortman?" Phil blinked and turned around, realizing from the sound of the two items falling to the wooden floor some distance behind him that his Grandson who was no longer following at his side. He raised an eyebrow at the strange look on Arnold's face. "Something the matter?"
Arnold just blinked, a memory and then a sudden torrent of realization washing over him. "Grandma…was Gertie…" he began in a level and yet obviously stunned tone, "The girl who was always picking on you and playing pranks on you and making your life miserable… Grandma was Gertie?"
Grandpa just smiled and rolled his eyes at him. "Well, of course, Shortman! She was always doing stuff like that, and then one day I caught her actually doing something to help me this one time the boarding house almost got torn down, and I asked her what the deal was and the crazy bird admitted it was all 'cause she was in love with me and then she kissed me! Heh, heh…" He had to laugh to himself at the memory. "And I thought about that for a little while and didn't believe it at first and kept trying to get her to talk about it but, let me tell you Arnold, your Grandma's about the most stubborn girl in the world…" He shook his head in a bit of exasperation. "Anyway, I kept spending so much time trying to get her to talk about it that I actually started to kind of get to know her a little, and then when I actually thought about it I realized I was all confused about how I felt about her. So then one day, out of the blue, I'm talking to my best friend Jimmy Kafka about it and he says over a couple of sarsaparillas, 'Well, maybe your not smitten with her, Phil, but you sure don't just like her anymore… so maybe that means you're just starting to fall for her, Phil.' And then boom, it hit me like a ton of bricks—I was actually getting feelings for Gertie!" He smiled and crossed his arms over his chest as he concluded, "So, I just got her on a date and told her how I felt and kissed her and, well…here we are over seventy years later!" Phil had to laugh to himself once more at the whole story.
Arnold, meanwhile, despite this amusing (and very ironic) anecdote, just continued standing there, unblinking and unbreathing with his mouth slightly agape. "So…" he managed after a few seconds, blinking a few more times, "Grandma…was…Gertie?"
Phil just had to scratch his head at his grandson's strange tone and his repetition of this seemingly already answered question. "Shortman, are you sure you didn't fall out of that tree or something and hit your head? Yes—your Grandma's the girl who was always driving me nuts when I was a kid, just like Helga's always driving you nuts now." He smiled smugly, and put a hand to one of his hips. "Just plain uncanny, isn't it?"
Arnold blinked and finally took a real breath. "Grandpa…" his eyes darted back and forth in a mixture of disbelief and realization, until they fell to the old man again, "Why didn't you TELL me that the first time you told me that story? I mean…" he looked like his mind was being blown, and his voice attested to this fact as well, "If you had, I probably wouldn't started liking Helga back right away or anything…but I probably wouldn't have had to wait until FTi to figure out that she really does like me!" He looked up at the old man in just a bit of desperation. 'But if…if Grandpa ended up marrying Grandma and she was the girl who was always bothering him because she secretly liked him, then…I mean, if things keep being so similar between what happened to him and what's been happening with me and Helga, does that mean…I mean, could that mean that…'
His confused thoughts were interrupted by Phil rolling his eyes again and replying simply to his grandson's desperate statements and questions, "Well, I figured it wouldn't make a difference, Shortman. Besides, even without me mentioning that Gertie was your Grandma I TRIED to tell you about a million times that day and every day since then that that Helga girl was nuts about you, but you didn't want to hear it." He geared up for an Arnold impression. "Oh no, Grandpa: there's no way she likes me—she follows me around and picks on me and tries everything in the book to get my attention and spends all her time watching me and crashing through my ceiling but it's impossible that she actually—"
Arnold, despite his total shock and all of the chaotic and heretofore unconsidered thoughts currently racing through his mind, suddenly blinked and turned to his grandfather, an eyebrow raised. "Wait, wait, wait—what do you mean 'crashing through my ceiling'…?"
Phil blinked at the question and then looked back down to Arnold. "Oh, well, I figured for the poor girl's sake I shouldn't mention it to you, but you both finally figured things out so…" He smiled a bit to himself and began the story. "A few months ago after you went to school one day your Grandma and I were just sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast and all of a sudden we heard some noises and some creaking, and then that girlfriend of yours just crashed through the ceiling and landed smack dab in the middle of the table. We were gonna ask her what was up but she seemed pretty determined about getting somewhere so we figured we should just leave it alone for now…you know?" He grinned down at Arnold.
And Arnold, meanwhile, once again despite the shock he'd just received with finding out the truth behind the whole Gertie thing, couldn't help but put a hand to his mouth where a serious grin was now forming both at the idea of what 'Helga story' could possibly be behind this particular random incident as well as at the memory suddenly resurfacing in his mind of his own crash through a ceiling with Helga back at PS 118 two weeks ago. 'Well, that clears up a lot of the things about how she knew how to get us through the air vents so well…'
Realizing, though, that now probably wasn't the ideal time to get lost in humorous memories about Helga G. Pataki, Arnold did his best to clear his throat and avoid the laugh dying to get out of him…at least, until he was finished talking with his grandfather. "Oh…" he merely replied with a small smile on his face as he picked up the pink book and rope once more, "I see…Thanks for, um…for telling me, Grandpa."
Phil just continued smiling down at his grandson. "Anyway, as for the Gertie thing, Shortman—well, like I said, you didn't seem to want to hear it so I figured I shouldn't push it any further than that. Better to let things take their course, you know?" He winked all-knowingly.
Arnold just sighed at the gesture, and glanced down and shook his head, a very amused smile on his face by this point.
Grandpa walked back down to the step Arnold was still currently on, smiling slyly. He put a hand on his grandson's shoulder once more. "And, hey, be happy your getting fair warning now, Shortman—much more time to get used to the idea, decide when to propose, pick out the names of the kids…"
"Grandpa!" Arnold instantly lost his small smile and blushed furiously, completely looking away from him once more.
"Heh, heh, heh!" Phil laughed to himself at the reaction. "Oh I know that blush, Shortman—I invented that blush when I was your age and my father used to catch me coming in late from 'playdates' with Gertie…" He shook his head in amusement at the memories. "Good times, good times…"
Arnold, meanwhile, just sighed again and put a hand to his head, actually trying not to laugh a bit at the comment himself despite how embarrassing it was. "Grandpa, I…I think Helga and I should just try and make it to our one month anniversary first before we think about anything else…" he responded simply, and then proceeded to resume heading up the boarding house stairs.
Phil just rolled his eyes, his all-knowing grin still more than present, and followed after his grandson. "Sure, Shortman…but from one 'picked on in particular' guy to another, fiery girls like that usually aren't inclined to ever let you go—at least not without a fight…and they have a way of making you feel the same way about them too." He winked again.
Arnold rolled his eyes and just did his best to not blush too much more at this very accurate description of Helga Pataki. "Whatever you say, Grandpa…"
Suddenly, the sound of his grandfather yawning caught Arnold's ears. "But to speed things up a bit with you and Helga, Shortman…" Arnold had to glance at the old man with an eyebrow raised, his tone suddenly sounding a bit wryer than usual… "How about we extend your curfew to, oh, let's say…ten o' clock?"
Arnold instantly blinked at his grandfather in surprise. "Really?"
Phil smiled back at him. "Really! Well, except for next weekend—it's eight since you came in quite a bit past when you were supposed to tonight…But after that, sure, why not?" He shrugged.
A wide smile suddenly came to Arnold's face. "Thanks, Grandpa!"
"And…" Phil continued, a sly look still about him as the two finally reached the second floor landing, "so that you can actually afford dates at places besides an ice cream parlor, why don't we increase your allowance by, oh, let's say…two dollars a week? After you do a few extra chores around here this week, of course, as the other part of making up for the lateness tonight." Phil just continued to smile down at his grandson.
"Really?" Arnold couldn't help but respond again in surprise. "You mean it?" 'I can't believe this… This is…great!'
Phil gave an affirming nod. "Yup—you're not getting any younger, Shortman, and the girl's bound to want a real dinner out at some point instead of just picking at leftover's here and getting a sundae afterwards. Heh, heh…!"
Arnold had to laugh a bit to himself as well at this statement (and at the flash of memories that briefly played through his mind about his few attempts at dinners out with Helga so far in their lives) just as Phil just yawned once more, this time stretching up a bit. "Well, goodnight, Shortman…I'll see you in the morning." He began to head for his bedroom door, but then turned to Arnold as he put his hand on the doorknob. "And don't stay up too late thinking about Helga or anything…" He smiled. "Tomorrow's Sunday and we're both getting up bright and early to replace all the storm windows with screens in all the rooms." He put a hand to his chin in thought. "Supposed to have done it right around the time of that whole Sheck thing but with all the sneaking around and celebrating I never got the chance. We're a month and a half overdue!"
Arnold couldn't help but smile just a bit more and glance down in thought, finding something ironic in that last phrase the old man had used. "Okay Grandpa. Goodnight…" he looked back up at him, "And thanks again…" he finished sincerely, "for everything." He began to head down the hall toward the entrance to his room.
Phil just laughed and winked. "Sure thing, Shortman." He opened the door to his room…but then turned back to Arnold once more. "Oh, but Arnold…?"
Phil let out a bit of an exasperated sigh, and the sound caught Arnold's ears and caused him to raise an eyebrow as he stopped in his walk down the hall and turned back around once more. "Yes, Grandpa?" the young boy asked curiously.
Phil took a breath, a small bit of his smile returning. "I…don't think your Grandma and I were the only ones taking bets on tonight…So, just…try and ignore them as you're heading up to your room, okay? And I'll do my best to keep them at bay tomorrow…But, for now, though, they should probably be out here in three…two…one…"
Arnold just looked at his grandfather in confusion for a second longer…but then the sound of the first door down the hall opening caught his ears…and he instantly more than understood, with a sick lurch in his stomach, what the old man must be referring to…
"Hey, the kid's finally back!" announced Ernie Potts, suddenly entering the hall in a nightshirt. "Hey, Huynh, Kokoschka—get out here. We have some financial matters to settle!"
Arnold just stood there, his jaw dropping in shock yet again that night at the sound of the voices entering the hallway in front of him. 'They're not serious…they didn't really…they wouldn't have actually…' He turned around slowly…and was met with his worst fears at the sight of the boarders indeed opening their doors and entering the hallway, obviously to collect on bets they had made about his 'visit to Helga's house' that evening… 'I really do need to have Helga teach me how to be just a bit sneakier, don't I?'
"Ah, yes, Arnold is home! Let's found out who won the pools!" Mr. Huynh announced, suddenly entering the hall as well and likewise in pajamas.
"Did someone say Arnold's back?" Mr. Kokoschka announced, throwing his door open and jumping out. "Hooray, I get to win the pool!"
"Oskar!" Suzie suddenly stepped out of their room in a nightgown, rubbing her eyes and scowling at her husband. "I told you not to do this—leave those poor kids alone! That goes for all three of you!" She put her hands on her hips. However, none of the three men seemed to pay her much attention as they eagerly approached Arnold.
"Mmm…" Arnold couldn't help but growl to himself slightly as he just dragged a hand down his face. He turned back to Phil. "Grandpa…" he looked desperately to the old man.
Phil just shook his head and let out a sigh. "Don't look at me, Shortman—they figured out you were going out on a little date the second you left here acting all secretive and with a smile on your face." He yawned again. "Like I said, I'll help you with them in the morning but right now I'm a little tired from all that private time in my bathroom, and it is getting pretty late, so just ignore them and head up to your room and I'm sure we can all work things out over breakfast tomorrow… Besides…" Phil looked to Arnold with a bit of a gleam in his eye once more, "your Grandma's asleep but we still have a couple more private bets to settle, so we can all just wait to hear the whole story about tonight from you when we're all awake tomorrow morning! Goodnight, Shortman!" And with that and a wink he entered the bedroom and closed it behind him, leaving Arnold alone to fend for himself in the hallway.
'Well…' Arnold finally just sighed and shook his head in disbelief, 'might as well get this over with and just try and ignore them for now…' And so with this uneasy thought he hesitantly turned back to the three eager borders before him.
"Okay, Arnold," began Ernie, "You can take care of Grandma and the old man's wagers over breakfast if you want, but you'd be doing us a favor if you could just settle some stuff right now before you hit the hay."
"Yes!" Mr. Huynh affirmed with a smile.
"Hooray! If I get money now, I can still join some of the guys downtown for that poker game! OW!" Oskar had to finish with a yell as Suzie elbowed him, scowling at his immaturity.
Mr. Potts, ignoring the enthusiasm of his two friends, took another step toward Arnold with a smile and began to explain. "Okay, so, here's all the basic bets the three of us have got going—and a lot of money's riding on this, so be straight with us kid! See, to start, me and Huynh got ten bucks each against Kokoschka that says that you—"
Arnold, however, with a deep sigh, instantly cut off Mr. Potts, holding up his hand. "You guys…I appreciate your, um…'enthusiasm' about me and Helga's new…um… 'relationship'…" he had to blush a bit at the word, "But…I'm a little tired so do you think this really could maybe wait until the morning?"
A collective "Aw!" instantly came from all three boarders, whose faces now bore more than a look of disappointment.
"Yes, you three!" Suzie suddenly chimed in, tapping her foot impatiently and glaring at the three grown men in the hall. "At least let Arnold get to bed and have a good night's rest BEFORE he has to decide a bunch of immature bets!"
"Oh, okay…" Mr. Potts finally conceded in frustration…though he couldn't help but yawning himself at the reminder both from Phil before and Suzie now at just how late it indeed had become, "I guess it is getting pretty late..."
"Yes…" Mr. Huynh nodded his head. "Agreed. Breakfast tomorrow morning might be better, just like the old man and Arnold say..."
"Oh, but, I want to collect my money now and—OW!" Oskar suddenly yelled yet again as Suzie, this time, grabbed him by the ear, shaking her head in disbelief.
Arnold smiled over at her gratefully. "Thanks, Mrs. Kokoschka." And with that he proceeded to secure his grip on the rope and pink book and head down the hall.
As Arnold reached the attic entrance to his room and pulled down the steps, though, he did pause for a moment, consider, and then with a small smile on his face turn back around to the still full hallway. He cleared his throat, getting their attentions. "Um…I think I do kind of want to say at least one thing, though, before I go to bed..." He glanced down and to the side. "Actually, I've been meaning to mention it for a week now but Helga reminded me of it tonight so I should probably say it before I forget again..." He mentally sighed. 'Why not? This night's been so full of embarrassing things anyway—at least this one might actually help in some way.'
The three men and even Suzie paused in the middle of heading back into their rooms, and each turned to Arnold with eyebrows raised and slightly eager faces.
Arnold took a deep breath, did his best to keep his blushing under control, and then finally announced very quickly, "Helga told me when she called me a lousy kisser two weeks ago that she just said that because she was angry… Actually, she let me know a couple of times tonight that I give terrific kisses…even better than hers sometimes…Which is actually saying something because hers are always pretty…well…amazing …" Arnold did his very best not to actually laugh out loud at both the memories of Helga complimenting his kissing and the shocked looks on the faces of Mr. Potts, Mr. Kokoschka and Mr. Huynh around him (and Suzie's happy smile). He then just took one more deep breath, waved and said "Goodnight, everyone!" to the hallway of boarders, and finally headed up his attic steps, smiling contentedly.
The last sounds from the hallway that met Arnold's ears (causing him to just shake his head in amusement) included Oskar announcing proudly, "Hey, they kissed at least once. That means I win the pool! Yay!"
Followed by…
"No, you bum—we've gotta find out how many times exactly before we start exchanging money! Remember, you bet five bucks against me and Huynh that they'd get as far as kissing, but me and Huynh got ten against you that says if they did, they managed it three times or more!" Ernie.
"Yes!" chimed in Mr. Huynh firmly, "We have to wait to find out all of the details. That is the only fair way!"
"You boys! Stop it, already, and get to bed!" Suzie.
Arnold just laughed warmly to himself at his extended family as he finished climbing the attic steps.
Now inside of his room, ready for bed and finally alone with himself to just calmly and quietly think, Arnold couldn't help but shake his head and recall, as he placed his twig covered clothes into his hamper, all of the insane and yet undeniably wonderful events of the evening he'd just had…especially that last part where he'd gotten home only to find out that his grandfather's own school bully had ended up becoming his wife of seventy years (and, of course, his proud revelation to the rest of his extended family that, in Helga's opinion at least (and did any other opinion really matter?), he was far from being a 'lousy kisser'...)
Moving on to placing the rope in his closet now that his clothes were taken care of, Arnold's thoughts focused on the Gertie story once more and he just had to smile at the irony considering the similar romantic turns of his own young life…and at all of it's potential implications…. 'Me and Helga…married…' He couldn't help but briefly recall his dream about that particular situation not too long ago… and then how he had told Helga about it during their date yesterday when she'd curiously asked what he had meant by that line in his poem about dreaming about her, and how she had scowled a bit at first when he'd explained it to her…but then blushed as he'd gotten to the end where things had turned out pretty okay… And then he recalled, as well, the brief story she'd told him in return just before letting him see the math book shrine about a similar though radically different dream she'd had about them being married, also courtesy of Rhonda's origami marriage predictor… And how he'd laughed warmly when she had finished and she'd just scowled at him for this reaction…until he had managed to stop laughing for a moment and had merely looked at her and said 'You win.' And then she'd blinked, and quickly broken into a smile and started laughing warmly herself and he'd resumed laughing warmly right along with her…and they'd both had just remained happily like that for what had felt like forever…
Arnold sighed to himself again as, now done putting the rope away and closing his closet door, he next walked across his room and then crawled across his covers to place Helga's latest pink book atop a pile of a few of the other ones he still had of hers…the group of which he had taken to keeping on a shelf near the head of his bed. It wasn't exactly a shrine but, still…Arnold couldn't deny a small similarity in that, over the past week, he had at least come to like looking at the poems and then just the small stack of familiar pink before drifting off to sleep at night. It was nice and it…somehow it just made him smile and feel really happy and comfortable and safe inside every evening before his eyes closed for the final time until morning…
Arnold shook his head to clear his thoughts on the matter, a small smile upon his face, and then pulled back his covers and got into bed. Just laying there now, in the peaceful silence of his room, he suddenly couldn't help but find himself recalling in an instant all of the memories of all of the craziness Helga G. Pataki had managed to bring into his life not just that evening or over the course of the last week or two, but ever since they had met…and how, even though it was lot to handle and sometimes very confusing and sometimes even a little scary (he could still distinctly remember the sound of Big Bob coming up those stairs before, and how he had been certain it had made all of the color drain from his face despite the amount of blushing he'd been doing just seconds before the Pataki parents had arrived home, all things considered), it was also wonderful and fun and exciting and somehow perfect and right in all of its insanity. 'Well,' Arnold smiled to himself with his eyes closed, trying not to laugh as his conversation with his grandfather came to his mind once more, 'At least we'd have plenty of stories for our grandkids…'
Arnold then yawned and turned on his side, opening his eyes once more to let them fall on Helga's pink books. And he couldn't help but chuckle to himself as the thought suddenly entered into his head, underneath the moon and stars so visible in the clear evening sky, 'And I have to remember to ask Grandma about Eleanor tomorrow…'
While Arnold had been doing his best (though in vain) to sneak back into the boarding house, only to find himself having a very interesting and enlightening talk with his grandfather…and a very amusing confrontation with the boarders…Helga G. Pataki had had her own situation to contend with before finally getting the chance to go to sleep…
Upon shutting the window and letting Arnold go once and for all that night, Helga had instantly rushed back over to her door to deal with Miriam. 'Please don't let Miriam get Bob before I open the door! PLEASE don't let Miriam get BOB before I open the door!' Helga reached for the doorknob, undid the lock, and flung open the door just in time to see her mother in mid step down the hall in the direction of her parent's bedroom. 'Yes—perfect timing!'
"MOM!" Helga instantly yelled with just a touch of unintentional panic, effectively causing Miriam to pause in her journey…but also to eye her daughter just a little suspiciously. "I mean…" Helga swallowed and tried her best to get on the offensive, scowling a bit as she added in a more annoyed and casual sounding tone, "Miriam, what is it? Crimeny, some of us are trying to sleep, here!"
Miriam proceeded to walk the few steps back in the direction of her younger daughter's room and now stood in the doorway, her arms crossed in front of her, and smiling at Helga…in a way, Helga noted with a touch of unease, that couldn't help but make her feel like Miriam was here to do more than just say goodnight again…
"Helga…why didn't you answer the door the first time I knocked?" Miriam suddenly asked, looking at her daughter like she already knew the answer…which made Helga swallow. Hard.
Helga glanced from side to side. "Uh…well…" 'Okay, okay…just focus… After all the only two people more dense in the world than Arnold are Bob and Miriam...' She glanced up hesitantly at her mother, doing her best to maintain some form of scowl. "Well…like I said, Miriam, I was just trying to get some sleep…so it took me a few minutes to really wake up when you called…"
Miriam raised an eyebrow, the smile still on her face. "You were sleeping…with your lights still on?"
Helga blinked and turned back in the direction of her lamp on her nightstand which, she realized, had been on the whole time and obviously giving off light into the hallway through the cracks around the edge of her door.
She turned back to her mother, her scowl faltering just slightly. "Well…I…was…just, uh…I was…" She cleared her throat and then, an idea occurring to her, decided to make one small sacrifice of her pride for the sake of maintaining another much larger point of personal importance for her. "I'm afraid of the dark so I was…sleeping with the light on." She looked up at Miriam, knowing full well the nervousness that must be apparent in her eyes but hoping, once again, that her mother was too dense or too out of it or some combination of the two to really notice. "Heh, heh…" 'Crimeny—what the heck is with all of these questions?'
Miriam just sighed in response at first...that strange smile still on her face, though. "Mmm hmm…" She then (and much against Helga's wishes) walked into her younger daughter's room, paused for a second looking down and to her left (and it sounded like she laughed slightly, which didn't do anything to make Helga feel less like she was about to die from the anxiety of this entire situation). And then, much to Helga's continued surprise, her mother resumed walking across her room, only to finally turn at the end of her journey and sit on the edge of Helga's bed. She then looked to her daughter and addressed her very sincerely. "Helga?"
"Uh…Yeah?" Helga felt her heart pounding at seeing Miriam all of a sudden so close to where Arnold had been just seconds ago ('Oh PLEASE do not let him come back here for Arnold and Helga's Anniversary: Part 3! PLEASE!)
"You know…" Miriam began, still smiling, and taking Helga out of her panicked thoughts and back to the reality of the situation. Miriam continued, the sincerity of her gaze suddenly matching her tone, "It's okay if you had a 'friend' over here tonight, Helga, honey…"
At the strange way her mother said the word 'friend' Helga had suddenly realized a very big error in judgment she had made earlier that evening: she'd let Olga and Miriam ride in a car together and wait in an airport for hours with nothing to stop them from talking about one of Olga's favorite topics…her baby sister. 'This…is…a....nightmare…' Helga could almost feel the color draining from her face. 'She wouldn't really…Olga wouldn't…If she did, though…if she actually did…this really is just a freaking nightmare…'
Helga took a few steps forward, trying to resume her usual scowl, though, honestly, it was all she could do to keep herself standing and speaking at this point. "Miriam, I—I told you…I just went out to the Jollie Ollie man to get a Mr. Fudgie and that's why the door was unlocked. No one came over…" Helga did her best to end firmly. 'At least not through the door…at least not the first time…' she couldn't help but add to herself mentally, though.
Miriam just let out a sigh, that all-knowing smile still on her face. "Well, I don't know how that happened, Helga, since half the neighborhood including me saw the Jollie Ollie man get pulled over by his boss last night while you were out with Olga and get suspended for a week for selling ice cream at half price to kids…" Miriam eyed her daughter, awaiting a response.
Helga felt her heart drop into her stomach. She lost any amount of scowl she'd been managing to keep up completely. She didn't move. 'Why do all of my crazy schemes ultimately back fire? Why?'
Miriam then suddenly stood up and walked back over to Helga, putting a hand on her shoulder and looking down at her with a knowing gaze…and effectively causing Helga's heart to feel like it had gone from the lowest pit of her stomach to just stopping dead entirely. "You know, Helga…I was talking to Olga when we were waiting together in the airport…and she mentioned you've been getting a lot closer with your little friend…Arthur, Artie…uh…"
"Arno—" Helga actually felt her mouth open in an automatic reaction to correcting her mother. She instantly closed her lips and shut up, though, her eyes going wide as she realized what she had been about to do. 'Oh, please don't let her have heard that! Please!'
Yet, the damage had been done…
Miriam smiled and chuckled to herself, removing her hand from Helga's shoulder and putting it to her mouth. "Yes, that's it—Arnold. The nice little boy who was here two weeks ago when there was that misunderstanding between you and Olga…and I think Olga said something about inviting him over so you two could watch a movie together before your slumber party last weekend…" Her smile became just a bit smugger. "And I heard he might have given you a little kiss on the cheek before he said goodnight…and that you might have asked him out on a second… 'date'?" She awaited a response from her daughter once again.
"Miriam…" Helga began in as level a voice as she could muster, and trying to make the expression on her face look just a little less full of total mayday terror than she actually felt. 'Okay, just stay calm and deny, deny, DENY! Then kill Olga.' She took a deep breath. "I don't know what you're driving at and I don't know what randomness Olga was spouting but, as I explicitly stated two weeks ago during that little trophy room interrogation you and Bob put me through, there is nothinggoing on between me and Arnold. And he definitely wasn't here tonight, if that's what you're thinking. Case closed." She crossed her arms over her chest, her full scowl reset firmly again on her face. 'I actually am going to kill Olga for this…. And if Miriam doesn't buy what I'm saying right now, then I really will kill little miss Mary Sunshine, bring her back from the dead and then kill her again…' Helga recalled that particular threat she'd made against her sister and co-conspirators as part of her initial response to all of their interference with setting up that date for her and Arnold last weekend. 'I don't even care if that night IS half the reason we're together now… She's going down!'
"Hmm…" As Helga had been having these rather angry thoughts, Miriam, still smiling, just walked past her in the direction of the door…and for a brief second Helga suddenly felt a bit of relief wash over her. 'Okay, she's leaving—dodged a SERIOUS bullet there. Oh man—and, okay, maybe I won't actually KILL my big sister but Olga is still at least getting such a phone call from me the second Miriam goes to sleep. Seriously, I know that Arnold knows and that he loves me too but that doesn't suddenly make my love life part of public record or something!' Still, though, for now, Helga was just happy that Miriam seemed to be buying her story… Even if Olga had given their mother some considerable hints about Arnold, at least she'd managed to fix things before they'd gotten out of hand…
The only problem with Helga's sudden ebbing of anxiety and panic at the sight of her mother seemingly leaving her room was that Miriam, in fact, paused several feet before her daughter's bedroom door…and then bent over…and picked up a small, familiar object from the floor that she had noticed (with a slight chuckle to herself) upon entering the room in the first place.
And then, instantly, any relief Helga had been experiencing was completely quashed by the sound of her mother suddenly turning back around and asking, with an obvious bit of laughter underlying her voice, "Well, then…what's this, Helga?"
Helga, coming out of her thankful thoughts about having avoided her mother actually finding out about her love for Arnold, blinked at the sound of Miriam asking this strange question…And, then, as her eyes suddenly focused on her mother…and more specifically on what her mother now had in one of her hands…Helga knew that, if she hadn't been vaguely aware at the back of her head that doing so would wake up her father and bring him into this chaos, she would have given one of her classic blood curdling screams at the heretofore unimaginable sight before her…
Miriam was standing there with a smile on her face…and holding up Helga's Arnold locket by its chain…the locket Helga had tossed upon the floor when trying to get her room ready for Arnold not long ago and had forgotten to pick up in all of the chaos and kissing that had ensued.
That was the last image to enter Helga's mind before she felt things go dark and passed out upon her floor…
A/N:
I know, I know—another cruel cliffie! Sorry, I think that's now going to be a standard thing with this story, except for maybe where it breaks between the end of this weekend and then the stuff that happens later on. But, hey—in chapter 7 (which I should have up in a week or two) you get a conversation that ranges from really tender to really awkward between Helga and her parents…and don't think Arnold's out of the picture for this night just yet ;) And some other characters may make an appearance too…
Anyway, I really hope you all liked this and please review to keep me chugging along with all of my HA! fanaticism!
Happy Reading guys!
~Azure129 aka Jenna
AXH FOREVER!