A/N:
Hey all :) Wow, I believe this actually got a decent turn around time from me so YAY 8D Alright, yes, the conclusion of Arnold and Helga's courtship before we get to the end of this story (on a side note, if I ever did a post TJM courtship, I feel like it would be very different from this, just in tone at least—idk why, just because, lol). Anywho, alright, I'm going to try and make this the last epic chapter I do of anything (ugh, this one's 70,000 words, lol!), which should work out well since future chapters of this are a lot shorter, lol. Also, I'm really going to try and update other stuff of mine before I post the next chapter of this (I have been ITCHING to post the next chapter of "April 2nd" for example XD). But, I hope you enjoy this for now ;)
*A SMALL NOTE*
In the previous chapter, after reading it through to take some notes, I added a very small little gag to the "Helga Behind the Couch/Arnold in the Shrine" mini story, if anyone wants to check it out ^w^ It's brief and set right when Helga comes back up into the shrine in her pajamas to let Arnold know about what time it is and how they're going to sneak him out of her house ;) I hope you guys like it if you look at it!
Alright, anyway, the line-up for this chapter…
FIGHT!
A JURY OF YOUR PEERS
(I would advise tissues and chocolate on standby for certain parts of this chapter XD It'll be okay though—I promise ;) )
FIGHT!
"Good morning, Arnold."
"Good morning, Helga."
As this rather tense morning greeting concluded, the football headed boy who had delivered the latter salutation swiftly passed by the blond haired blue eyed girl who had (rather sharply) addressed him first, not even glancing at her as he walked by her locker. And the girl, in due accordance, did not even turn to look at him as she felt his presence and heard his voice come and go from where she was, opting instead to just loudly and violently toss her books into her locker following their rather icy exchange.
"Helga…" Phoebe, carefully putting away her own books in her own locker right next to that of her best friend, suddenly piped up timidly and with more than a touch of concern after Arnold had left them completely and gone on his way to his locker across the hall, "Are you sure you two are…okay?" And indeed Phoebe was well within her rights to make this inquiry: this was the second school day in a row that Arnold and Helga had greeted each other like this.
At the question Helga just let out a sigh and rubbed her temples, leaning back against a shut locker next to her open one. "I told you, don't worry about it, Phoebe. It's just a fight…I'll wear him down in a couple of days as soon as he quits being such a spoiled sport!" She shot an acidic look over in the direction of her beloved, who was currently by his own locker now and talking to Gerald, a miffed look still on his face. Suddenly though she couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat and her eyes go wide as he shifted his eyes in her direction…paused with a curious puzzled expression, his little jaw even kind of dropping (and she knew why and couldn't help the slightest smug smile coming to her lips) but then he quickly blinked and rolled his eyes and turned back to his best friend.
Helga just growled and rolled her own eyes in frustration at her first little dig against him for the day not working out nearly as intensely as she had hoped it would. "Crimeny!" She glanced down at her unusual outfit: a pair of soft purple pants and a purple sweater, severely different from her usual pink look. Not to mention that she had her hair pulled back in a ponytail instead of her usual pigtails. 'Oh well…maybe it'll at least bug him subconsciously…' She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced to her best friend again, coming back to the topic at hand about her and Arnold's most recent relationship situation. "Ugh, Pheebs, it's just…I mean, I know I finally have a real relationship with the little twerp but who knew that meant that him caving into every single one of my demands on a regular basis with a good natured 'Whatever you say, Helga' would go out the window!" She scowled darkly to herself.
Phoebe, the concern still present on her face and only growing as a matter of fact, glanced from her best friend back in the direction of the boys (who seemed to be talking together once more), and then back to Helga. "Helga…" she began slowly and cautiously, carefully considering her words, "I still don't understand the nature of your conflict but it couldn't have been serious enough for the two of you to practically have been not talking to each other for the past three days… If you don't mind my asking…what happened?" she finally asked in a whisper (as more kids started to enter and walk through the hall now that it was getting closer to the start of class). Though Phoebe had of course been concerned for her best friend upon finding out at the end of the weekend that Helga and Arnold had had a fight, being the reserved girl she was she hadn't wanted to ask Helga too many questions—she knew her best friend and she knew that Helga would confide in her when she really wanted to, but that until then it was best not to push her too much. At this point though Phoebe figured that at least a little nudge to Helga might be called for…
In response to her question, Helga just sighed again. "Don't…Don't worry about it, Phoebe…" she whispered back even more quietly, likewise now noticing several of their classmates starting to pass by. The young blonde scowled a little in Arnold's direction again…though at the same time felt a pang of frustration…and maybe even just a little guilt. "I'll…" she went on, "I'll tell you later…okay?" And then she almost laughed as she added quickly, "I-It's stupid, really…" This attempt at a chuckle though quickly faded back into her former dull look and she finally just turned her eyes forward and announced, "Let's just head in to Simmons for now…"
Helga was about to move forward to head down the hall when she was suddenly stopped at the feeling of Phoebe putting her hand on one of her shoulders. Helga turned back and looked down at her again. Phoebe looked up at her…and this time it was with genuine and unmistakable worry. "Helga…really…" her tone was more serious now, "…Are you…certain you're all right? You've been, um…acting a little…peculiar ever since this conflict began and…I'm…concerned."
Helga tried to look firm and nonchalant and even to shrug but…she couldn't hide it…after so many weeks of being so very open with so many people she just…didn't have it in her: there was hurt there in her eyes and voice and every twitch and movement. And Helga knew it too and knew how obvious it was and had been over the last three days…and she knew what Phoebe meant by saying she had been acting 'peculiar' (which was an understatement of an adjective, in her opinion). She'd had mood swings, moments of total denial like her and Arnold's fight was just a tiff that would blow over in a minute, moments where she would rant on and on about how stupid Arnold was with a scowl just like in the old days…and heck, last night she and Phoebe had had a sleepover and Phoebe had caught an insomniac Helga coming down from her closet shrine at 3AM (without Arnold in her life she wasn't exactly finding herself 'exhausted' at the end of each day and so she had been putting her energies into anything she could think of just to get a wink of sleep…even if it was more Arnold based stuff…and maybe the fact that she missed him so deeply that she almost couldn't stand it had something to do with the reinstating of the nightly 3AM vigils as well)…Then there was also the fact (and Helga knew Phoebe saw it from the looks she had been giving her) that Helga wouldn't eat anything at all arguably football shaped…And then there was how her Doctor Bliss appointment yesterday had been a double session, cutting into a study date with Phoebe…And then of course to top the whole thing off there was her outfit today. "I-I'm…" Helga cleared her throat and started shakily, coming out of these thoughts and letting Phoebe's hand slip from her shoulder. "I-I'm fine, Pheebs…I mean, I'll…be okay. I promise." She got the words out and even managed to make full eye contact with Phoebe again and to give her a smile. "I-I'm just a little surprised this has gone on for three whole days…n-not even a month in and…three whole days…" Helga gave a tiny gulp and cringe…On top of everything else that she had been both desperately distracted with and simultaneously desperately trying not to think about, there was one big thing that had been exceptionally heavy in her heart…The idea of this fight continuing for another three days…right through her and Arnold's one month anniversary…If that happened and they still hadn't made up…didn't celebrate…What if it meant…that…that…
Helga didn't let the thought continue and instead called upon the thin thread of slightly denial ridden cheery optimism that, being Olga Pataki's sister, was indeed a part of her genetic code, however small and often dismissed a part it was. "Phoebe, I'm definitely fine…Or at least, I've been worse—believe me." She actually chuckled a little, raising her hands up a giving a little shrug. "I just…" she rolled her eyes, still doing her best to grin, and then waved her friend off like it really wasn't a big deal. "Eh, like I said, I'll explain it all to you later. Hey, maybe at lunch or something, okay? That way I can fill in Brainy too—sheesh, poor little guy's seemed almost more broken up about all of this than I am, you know? We got ice cream yesterday and I've never seen him look so worried when he asked if I'd be free to visit a bookstore with him afterwards or if I had a plans with Arnold and I told him dates with the Football Head were on permanent temporary hold." She chuckled a little bit again, laying on the casualness so very obviously thickly.
Phoebe half smiled to seem supportive but she could completely tell that her friend wasn't exactly being straightforward with her right now. Still though, she really did know better than to press Helga too much—the most important thing was to just let her know you were there for her and wait for her to come to you. And so she just nodded and replied, "Very well, Helga. You'll tell us both at lunch. But, um…" Phoebe smiled a tiny bit more, "May I ask just one question before then?"
Helga swallowed and shrugged, still wearing a smile (though inside she was just hoping it wouldn't be anything to send her running off somewhere in a sudden burst of tears…which was another thing she had been finding happening ever since Sunday night when she and Arnold had departed from one another in a rage: love song coming on the radio, random bursting into tears...reading a part in a book where a couple broke up or even where they ended up together, random bursting into tears…making her bed and Arnold's shirt falling out from under her pillow case, DEFINITE random bursting into tears). And so… "Uh, sure, Pheebs—shoot…" she responded, still trying to seem casual but secretly crossing her fingers at the same time.
Phoebe sighed and grinned a little, looked her friend up and down once and then asked simply, a touch of amusement coming to her features and voice, "Why purple, Helga? And why a ponytail? What about that will specifically bother him?"
Helga genuinely smiled now and even laughed a little. "Oh…Oh…eh, it's a long, complicated thing I came up with, Phoebe. I'll tell you more at lunch along with all the details about our fight but the point is Arnold loves me in pink…and this is not pink….And then there's reasoning for specifically picking purple." She smirked proudly and then shrugged. "And then of course me with a ponytail is nothing he's ever had a chance to like the way he does my pigtails or my hair when it's down, so…just some icing on the 'silently bug Arnold' cake." She winked.
Phoebe chuckled a tiny bit, happy to see her friend in genuinely good spirits for a moment.
Helga was about to suggest the get going to Simmons' class again, looking like her usually sassy and bright self…when the sound of a locker door slamming very distinctly from just across and a little down the hall caught her ears (and also it might have specifically caught HER ears because she could just tell through familiarity over the last eight months of fourth grade, even with her back to him, the exact tone that Arnold's locker made when shutting at its certain distance and angle from her own). She turned with surprise, almost on instinct, and with blinking eyes to see…Arnold… with his sweater off and glancing at her slightly before turning his sights forward up the hall. She cocked her head to the side a little. 'What the heck's he up t—' It was then that she watched him roll up his sleeves, pull at his collar a little, even slick back his hair a tiny bit and then go forward gracefully right up to a group of four or five sixth grade girls, upon which he bent down, picked up something from the floor, offered it to one of them with a charming smile, they all giggled, he went and BLUSHED a little (oh Helga was SEETHING with jealousy at this point!), and then he just trotted back to Gerald, making sure of course to shoot a glance back at Helga with a smug little look at which she blushed even more and did her best to scowl though she was in such utter shock and fury at the moment that it was hard to get ANY of her facial muscles under her control, and then he said a word or two to Gerald and the two boys just started heading up the hall to Mr. Simmons room as casually as could be.
"Oh…OH!" Helga practically screamed to herself in frustration and instantly slammed her locker door shut and turned all sights away from Arnold, her face bright red. "That little…who does he think he is doing that right in front of…Hmph well at least that means the purple's getting to him if he had to go and pull a low cheap trick like that!" She crossed her arms over her chest, looking down in frustration.
Phoebe (who was silently very very proud of her friend for not making a spectacle of things by openly confronting Arnold in the hall, and instead having enough self control to fume only in private) went and put a consoling hand on Helga's shoulder once more this morning. "Helga, it's alright…I'm certain he just did that out of anger and frustration…a means of 'silently bugging you', in other words. After all, you know that ever since you confessed he's gotten a bit more…aggressive with his responses to your bouts of negative behavior toward him." Phoebe brought her hand away with a hesitant and hopeful smile, knowing from experience that when Helga got jealous…schemes tended to happen…and also knowing that anything further subversive or secretive going on between her best friend and Arnold would probably only bring the two of them further away from being able to reconcile their differences.
To Phoebe's immense relief, rather than making plans to prank and humiliate those sixth grade girls Arnold had been talking to (or to prank and humiliate Arnold himself) Helga just closed her eyes, took in a deep breath…and then let it out very very slowly and replied in a forced though indeed steady voice, "I…know. I-I know…He doesn't mean it just like I don't mean it—he's just trying to bug me too. Thanks, Phoebe." And then her eyes fluttered open and she shook her head to clear it some more, and then she managed a somewhat smile at her best friend again today. "You know what, forget Arnold and his stupid passive aggressiveness and the two of us at each other's throats…" she then started (in an obvious effort to change the subject a bit), "That's old news. How's stuff going with you and Geraldo? You popped the L word yet?" She crossed her arms over her chest and gave Phoebe a tiny nudge with her elbow, her grin getting just a bit wry.
Phoebe instantly blushed and her eyes went wide, not having expected this sudden new topic at all! And then she looked down and shook her head quickly. "Uh…um…well…I…u-um…Helga, please, I…" Phoebe would have been willing to humor any topic of interest to Helga that would get her mind off of Arnold…except for this one. "I'd rather not, um…I just mean…Gerald and I prefer to be, um…private about what we do and say together…" She clasped her hands in front of herself shyly, squeezing them together in her slight fluster.
Helga chuckled a tiny bit, but it was very good-naturedly, and then she even reached out and gave her friend a pat on the shoulder. "Alright, alright, sorry, didn't mean to push you, Pheebs. I just get curious. You two just make a very cute couple and, well, if Football Head and I are on the rocks it's nice to know that there's still true love going strong out there somewhere, right?" She laughed a little more…though Phoebe (now just barely glancing up at her again) could see just a tiny bit of that former hurt and worry come to her eyes…and now the quiet, glasses-wearing girl understood why Helga had gone for this particular topic of conversation: it might very well indeed be a comfort to her…hearing about how at least one young fourth grade couple was still actually managing to fare strong.
And so with a light blush Phoebe smiled, lowered her voice to a quiet whisper, and said shyly back to her best friend, "Um…thank you, Helga…And…Gerald and I…we're…getting closer…as a couple. It's a little hard to describe sometimes but…the more time we spend together, the more we learn about one another…We're much more connected than I ever thought we would be, Helga. And I believe we could…really last together for quite a while if we continued to try." She gulped, her nervousness getting the better of her again. "But, um…as for…love…I-I think we still both need more time before we could, um…I-I mean, to be sure about…A-And we're not even certain that we know or fully appreciate and understand what love is anyway...S-So to say anything about love yet between us…I mean, we haven't even made out yet, Helga!" That last little thing had popped out of her mouth before she had even had time to consider it (and it hadn't helped that, well…the concept had possibly been on her mind a little more and more frequently lately…). Phoebe instantly gave a sharp gasp at her slip up and brought her hand to her mouth and looked up at Helga with wide eyes.
Helga, who had been listening with a small happy and appreciative smile, just blinked at first at Phoebe's sudden finishing outburst…and then looked at her curiously…and then grinned widely. "Alright, Phoebe!" she whispered brightly.
Phoebe instantly shook her head vigorously, blushing brightly. "No, no, no!" she whispered quickly, glancing around to make sure no one in the halls was noticing them too much (and glancing at Gerald to make sure about the same thing…though right now he was just kind of staring blankly at Arnold as Arnold seemed to be telling him something…) Phoebe shook her head again and her eyes went back to Helga. "No, I said we HADN'T…you knowed…yet…" She gulped shyly.
Helga just grinned fully and held up a finger. "Ah, but first of all you used the term 'make out' which you've never done before and second of all you then added the keyword 'yet', and finally third of all it slipped out of your mouth with almost no provocation…all of which proves that you've at least been thinking about…you knowing…Phoebe." She giggled, thinking it was sweet how Phoebe was shy about even saying words like 'kissing' and 'make out' (and also…trying not to let this fact remind her too much of how Arnold had been likewise skittish about those words and terms at the beginning of their relationship…so modest and shy and worried…) Helga instantly shook her head a little, bringing herself back to the present moment, and asked (her grin still managing to be intact), "You dreaming about 'you knowing' with Geraldo yet?"
Phoebe's eyes dilated at such a…a personal question! And then a serious little pout/frown look came to her face and she said quietly, her hands stoutly at her sides as she obviously tried to maintain some degree of pride, "Helga, I…would rather not discuss this topic…please…"
Helga let the smugness drop from her grin at her usually compliable friend's determined and shy request, but still smiled nonetheless, and said in a warm and understanding tone, "Hey, Phoebe…It's okay." She dropped her arms and reached up and rubbed one with the other's hand. "I don't mean to tease you…I'm just…happy you two sound like you're starting to go with the flow of things a little. It seems nice. And just so you know…if you two ever did decide to bring anything to a new level…I definitely think you could handle it, Phoebe. And I think it would only make you guys stronger." A soft look came into her eyes, a soft blush to her cheeks. "When you kiss somebody like that…not just the peck on the lips stuff but deeper and longer…it's…special…and for a second even…or a lot of seconds…if you let it…it makes you feel like you're so close that…you're the same."
Helga was quiet for a moment, like she wasn't here for just a little bit…but in someplace inside of herself that was nicer.
Phoebe blinked once or twice…then smiled…and let her be in that nice place for as long as she needed to, recalling once again her friend's own troubles (and Phoebe also didn't fail to notice out of the corner of her eye that up the hall now, just outside of the classroom door, Arnold was glancing over his shoulder in Helga's direction…and he was smiling dreamily and blushing…and he seemed to be mumbling goofily to himself…though the next second Gerald said something to him and Arnold blinked and seemed to snap out of it and turned back around, stopping at the classroom door to talk with his best friend for a moment before finally entering the room with a blush on his features.)
In a few seconds Helga looked up (Phoebe had already turned back to her at this point…her smile all the warmer at the secret little sight she had just seen), still smiling warmly, softly, and blinked a few times. "I-I'm sorry, Phoebe," she said nicely, "What were we talking about?" She asked it like she was genuinely curious…like she had genuinely just been someplace private and special and was now back and wondering what she had missed and also a little unable to recall what had been going on when she had left.
Phoebe just smiled more. "Just k-kissing, Helga…" Phoebe tried not to blush too much at the word, "We were talking about kissing…And…I'll be sure you're the first to know if Gerald and I do too much more of it…" She shut her locker and put a supportive hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Anyway, I believe it's almost time for class, Helga. Shall we go?"
Helga let out a little breath, for a moment just the tiniest bit of a frown came to her face, but then she nodded. "Yeah, sure. Let's go, Pheebs." She turned and began to walk up the hall to the classroom, her friend following beside her.
10 Minutes Prior.
"Good morning, Arnold."
"Good morning, Helga." Despite the slight disagreement they'd had this past Sunday, Arnold still wasn't just going to ignore someone he cared about upon passing them by in a public place…of course, that didn't mean that his greeting had to be said with too much warmth…or that he had to look at her while he said it (lest that pretty blond hair and those big blue eyes sway his judgment in still finding himself to be the one most right in all of this).
Now finished passing her by (the roughest part of his time in school with her so far with them like this since it was the only part of the day that actually really involved speaking…And on a side note Arnold would have been lying if he'd said that he hadn't felt a sad little twist inside of him as for the third day in a row now she yet again hadn't used one of her affectionate or even 'affectionately insulting' nicknames for him…just Arnold…which, as he had observed once to her long ago, was what she tended to call him only when she was really really happy with him or really really angry with him…And she was really really REALLY angry with him lately)…But, anyway, now finished passing her by, Arnold, with a sigh, proceeded to head across the hallway to his locker…and to his best friend who's locker was conveniently next to his. Reaching his destination he let out a sigh and opened his locker door. "Hey Gerald," he said kind of listlessly, unable to help the tone.
"Hey man," Gerald replied back in a light though supportive voice, closing his locker and leaning back against it. Obviously noticing Arnold's slightly 'down in the dumps' face, he had to ask with an eyebrow raised and a touch of concern, "I…take it you and Helga are still having that little disagreement, huh?"
Arnold let out a sigh, looking to his best friend. "Yeah…still." On compulsion, he glanced back over to Helga, still with that bit of an annoyed look on his face…and was very surprised to see Helga looking back at him with a very dark look of her own. He was about to scowl back at her a little (just on principle) but then his eyes went wide as he took in the sight of her and he had to blink a few times and his jaw even fell a little…Her outfit…pants…a sweater…purple? And even her hair. No pigtails, no wearing it down, no bun…just a single ponytail tied at the back of her head. 'What is she…' He noticed a touch of smugness come to her face and at that point just sighed and rolled his eyes in frustration at yet ANOTHER frustrating thing from her in his life, and then glanced away to think it over for a moment…Trying to figure out why Helga in a different outfit was suddenly sticking with him. It wasn't an outfit that was particularly flattering or extra cute or anything—she hadn't dolled herself up in some pretty pink little skirt and top or something like that, because then he would have understood it: she would have been dressing cutely to make him feel attracted to her which was supposed to bug him since fighting with each other meant, well…no kisses…no hugs…no snuggles…no sighs…no moaning…no giggles…no gently one on top of the other…no hearts that pounded together…and had he mentioned no lovely, perfect, delicious, luscious kisses that…
"OW!"
Arnold yelped at the feeling of being pinched in the arm. He turned to Gerald and gave him a frustrated look.
Gerald just smirked and rolled his eyes, and spoke in a low voice so no one else could hear (now that it appeared a few more students and familiar faces were entering the hall). "Hey man, sorry but you were starting to look a little gone there…and, uh, just between you and me you were starting to mouth the words 'I do, I do' again like you started doing on the bus yesterday morning when you were taking that nap." He tried not to laugh.
Arnold just blushed and then cleared his throat, turning completely away from the hallway toward the lockers before them so that no one would see his crimson face. "U-Uh…th-thanks…A-And sorry…I was just…Yeah…heh…" He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly, glancing to his best friend once again.
"Eh don't worry about it…" Gerald had to half smile at the little incident…and then a curious look came to his face and he had to add, almost shaking his head in a touch of amazement, "Hmm…Man, I don't know if this whole separation has been affecting Helga the way it's been affecting you, but you know, you two actually having a fight is kind of…scary, if you think about it…I mean, you've been all over each other ever since it finally clicked with you that you like her back, and now you've both gone cold turkey off of 'the love'…"
"Gerald…" Arnold cut him off with a firm voice and gave him a bit of a miffed look, crossing his arms over his chest. "What's your point?"
Gerald put up his hands defensively and spoke sincerely. "Hey man, no need to pull out the angry eyes on me." He lowered his hands and went on, losing the smile as he continued quite seriously. "Anyway, my point is it kind of feels almost…unnatural, if you think about it…Like you two are fighting fate trying to stay away from each other with whatever's going on, and it's gonna make you come crashing back together in some epically chaotic way—kind of like how you two ended up getting together in the first place last month with her crazy confession to start it out and then later that whole love poem of yours, you know?"
Arnold took in a breath and let out a breath, not feeling quite as annoyed anymore, and just shut his locker door and closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. He spoke calmly and levelly. "Gerald, we're not going to end up crawling through the school's ceiling again or trapped on the FTi roof…" He opened his eyes. "We just…need to talk…" Gerald observed as his best friend's eyes drifted back in Helga's direction…She was looking away from him as she talked with Phoebe. Helga, still in the purple…WHY was she in the purple? Arnold considered…She hadn't been in purple yesterday in school…or last night when they had tried talking things out at his house but had failed miserably and just ended up in a shouting match…voices yelling, hearts pounding, the tension building higher and higher and…And then suddenly back in the here and now Arnold blinked and (to Gerald's interest) blushed as he came out of his thoughts, and turned his head slightly away. "Later…" he quickly tacked on to his 'we need to talk' assessment and then suddenly he started trying to head off in the direction of the classroom.
He only got a step or two though before he felt a hand on his shoulder, at which feeling he blinked and turned to see his best friend looking at him with concern, to say the least. "Whoa, whoa, whoa…you need to talk…later?" Gerald lowered his voice to a whisper, once again to keep any of their friends or the other kids from noticing. "Okay, the 'need to talk' part is you, but…Arnold, when you think you need to talk to someone you jump on it right away! Now you two have been fighting for three days!Why do you not just want to talk to her right now and make up and start diving into each other's arms and reciting poetry again! What's the hold up?" Gerald gave him an 'out with it, man!' look and crossed his arms over his chest.
Arnold blinked a few times and blushed a little more…but then finally just let out a sharp sigh and quickly whispered back to Gerald, "Because every time we say more than two words to each other we start getting into a big fight, just like on Sunday!" The events of three days ago quickly flashed through his mind, and he shook his head to clear it of them. "I mean, last night, for example, we tried and we just started shouting stupid things back and forth and getting closer and closer to each other and…" A slight look of distress came into his eyes…and that blush came back (and Gerald didn't fail to notice)… "A-And…it didn't seem like it was helping much so I just stopped it and then she walked away…And also…" he swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck with one of his hands, "It was making me feel…weird…" he finally admitted in almost a mumble. "S-So…that's why…later…" he finally finished, clearing his throat.
Gerald just stared at him for a second longer with that curious and firm look of his...and then a big grin broke out onto his face. "Arnold, Arnold, Arnold…" He just shook his head…He could see it all so clearly and just tried not to laugh at the fact that even after nearly four weeks of full immersion in Helga G. Pataki, Arnold still couldn't lie or really hide anything of the truth for beans.
Arnold blinked and blushed again (obviously coming out of some thoughts once more) at Gerald saying his name like that. "What?" he asked, almost with a gulp.
Gerald did his best not to chuckle. He then glanced from side to side to make absolutely sure they weren't being heard…and then whispered back to his friend, crossing his arms over his chest, "I know that blush and that look in your face, Arnold. When you fight with her…it makes you want to kiss her…just like that first time you guys had a major blow out in her room during that poetry tutoring thing and you picked her up and planted one on her…doesn't it?" He had a very smug look on his face.
Arnold's eyes went very wide at the observation, his little heart pounding nervously in his chest.
Quickly though the young football headed boy swallowed hard and put his arms behind his back innocently. "Gerald, I…I don't know what you're talking about." He cleared his throat nervously. "I mean, I…I'd have to have a pretty intense, um…obsession with her for something like that to be happening…heh, heh…"
Gerald continued to just give him a look and then he reached out and flung open Arnold's locker, pushed aside some strategically placed books, and jerked his thumb in it's interior's direction…the back of which Arnold had taken to covering in little photographs of himself and Helga, old It Girl magazine clippings he'd come across lately, not to mention copies of some of his favorite pink book poems that he'd done out by hand before giving her the actual books back, and of course little swatches of any kind of pink fabric or paper or ribbon or anything he'd come across over the last few weeks.
Arnold instantly blushed furiously and slammed the locker shut, glancing around to make sure no one had seen. Not even HELGA knew about his little, well…locker shrine, after all… (And believe him, it had been no easy task keeping her from getting a glance at the inside of his locker but…he just needed to ease in to letting her know that he basically had a shrine to her in his locker…and also that he was just about as thankful as he could be that his girlfriend had ended up spending a month as a model which had conveniently left him with back issues and back issues of magazines of glossy, high definition pictures of her in tons of cute little outfits to gaze at and trace over and admire in all of their fierce beauty.).
"OW!" Arnold rubbed his arm where another little pinch had just occurred courtesy of Gerald.
"Sorry, man." Gerald smiled and shrugged and just shook his head in pity. "Now you were starting to get this kind of intense look and the way you were smiling was creeping me out…" He cringed a tiny bit but was still smiling more than anything: at this point in their lives he entirely found the 'Arnold/Helga' thing more sweet than disgusting. "Seriously, I know you're still in 'Helga: the Love Goddess' withdrawal, but just try and focus a little since we're still in public." He gestured with his head around to the now teeming hallway.
Arnold blinked a bunch of times and gulped at this little warning, and then just blushed and looked down shyly again. "S-Sorry…a-and thanks…again…"
Gerald just smirked once more and shook his head. "No problem again, Romeo…So…" he jerked his thumb back into the direction of Arnold's locker, "Between the land of pink you've got going on in there and these sudden daydream fugue states of yours over the last 72 hours that you've been slipping into…" he put his hands on his hips, "Are you ready to admit your official obsession with her…and that you're afraid of trying to work things out with her because if it leads to shouting it'll lead to you jumping her?"
Arnold's cheeks took on an extra deep tinge of red and he instantly brought his hands behind his back and shuffled his feet a little. "Uh…well…heh, heh, that…the locker and my daydreams…"
"…And the fact that you've been desperately trying to distract yourself from thinking about her by running around the boarding house and acting like a one man handyman, fixing things that aren't even broken, trying to redo all of the wiring, and tinkering away on the roof like a madman…" Gerald had to add just a little smugly (having, uh…witnessed some 'things' over the last few days that had genuinely made him wonder how Arnold had managed to get on without Helga by his side in the first place for that first six years).
Arnold blinked and stammered nervously, his face all red now. "Hey, I've ALWAYS daydreamed, and I've just had a lot of…free time…and energy…without her around, and… I just like the color pink is all and…." And then Arnold froze…and then blinked once more…and then his eyes flew open wide and he whipped around to look to Helga again (she had her back to him…the purple and the ponytail). And then something clicked and he scowled and growled. "THAT'S it! That's why she's wearing…But why pick…" he went through all the other colors in his head…thought about each of them carefully…and then just rolled his eyes and sighed in such utter, burning frustration.
Gerald…not really sure what he had just set off inside of his best friend…just looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Uh, Arnold? What's up?"
Arnold looked to him with the most annoyed expression ever on his face. "Gerald! She's wearing purple!" he hissed, gesturing over to Helga.
Gerald glanced at Helga (who was indeed undeniably in purple), nodded, and then looked back to Arnold, still seeming utterly perplexed. "Uh…yes…What's your point?"
"She's…ugh…" The football headed boy crossed his arms over his chest, scowling to himself. "Don't you see it?"
"Uh…that she's wearing purple? Yes I do, Arnold…Do you?" Gerald couldn't help but ask the last thing in a bit of a patronizing tone and with an eyebrow raised, starting to feel a little concerned for his friend.
"Oh, of course I do and that's just what she wants!" Arnold announced firmly and in defeat, pushing his back against some shut lockers…Something was obviously really getting under his skin and Gerald was about to ask him to explain…but then he paused as it looked like Arnold was considering something…and the tall haired boy decided to just continue to just observe.
Arnold smiled a little to himself…then shook his head and brought up his eyes and was about to say something to Gerald…but then out of the corner of his eye he happened to catch sight of, well…a group of four or five sixth grade girls talking away and as one of them closed her locker, a notebook and a couple of things fell from her hands, which she picked up (though she missed a pencil, Arnold noticed). Now, of course, Arnold was a naturally helpful (and, when it came to girls, a naturally chivalrous) sort of person so, even if he hadn't been fighting with Helga, he probably would have gone over upon seeing this, picked up the pencil and given it to the random girl and been on his way without another thought about it…In fact he could already feel a compulsion coming over him to do just this bit of a small good deed and then go right back to explaining things to Gerald about himself and Helga and the color purple…
…And yet…
…A bolder part of him couldn't help but wonder…why not milk this opportunity a little? After all, if Helga was going to go and change her whole appearance just to mess with him…could he really be blamed for messing with her a little right back?
He decided the answer to that question was no.
And so now Arnold grinned from ear to ear…and then he instantly reached around himself and took off his sweater, threw open his locker and tossed it in, then slammed the locker door shut (as loudly as he could to make sure to get a certain someone's attention…A goal which he succeeded in attaining as he saw her now glancing over at him in a touch of surprise),…and then Arnold rolled up his sleeves, smoothed back his hair a little, and then instantly smoothly slid over to the group of older girls and picked up the stray pencil from the floor, asking with a charming smile to the group of them, "Excuse me, did one of you ladies drop this?"
The girls blinked a couple of times and then actually smiled and giggled, and one of them reached out and took the pencil from him and thanked him.
Arnold let his charming smile widen a little, nodded, said, "You're welcome," and then with a little bow and a little glance at Helga (who he could see actually blushing with her jaw dropped in total indignation), he smiled just a little more smugly to himself and trotted back over to a totally confused and surprised looking Gerald (who had officially decided, by the way, that Arnold and Helga must operate on a level all their own…a really complicated and confusing and insane level all their own).
"Uh…" began the tall haired boy as his best friend now just leaned back with satisfaction against the lockers, "Okay…wanna explain that one to me, Arnold…and this whole 'purple' thing since some of us are…you know…NOT fluent in reading the many subtleties of the delicate dance that is 'Arnold & Helga'?"
Arnold just let out a satisfied breath and pulled himself away from the lockers and began to head up the hall to finally go to class, Gerald following curiously alongside him. "Oh," Arnold began almost casually, "Well…the pencil thing just now was just a little revenge for Helga doing the purple thing." He blushed a tiny bit but still went on with a proud smile. "See, she, um…thinks I look extra, well, handsome without my sweater on, and she hates how I've always gone for older women, and she really likes when I flirt with her so…I just decided to remind her of what she was missing and to make her a tiny bit jealous." Gerald was still looking at him like he was slightly nuts but Arnold just chuckled and shook it off. 'He just doesn't understand…we play games. That's how we get along.' "And anyway as for the 'purple' thing, well…Look," he began to explain, "Pink is…She knows I LOVE her in pink. On the day we met I basically told her that and that's half of why she's been wearing it ever since!"
Gerald shrugged as he continued to walk beside his best friend. Okay, that was…a reasonable assumption: that Helga wasn't wearing the color Arnold thought she looked best in today to annoy him…So maybe Arnold wasn't ENTIRELY paranoid and crazy…
But then Arnold chose to elaborate and Gerald had to seriously question that assumption…
"And then…" Arnold almost smirked to himself as he went on, arms schemingly behind his back, "And then…you know, she could have worn red, let's say—I mean, I've been in her closet. She owns some red things…"
"Uh…" Gerald just said with his mouth a little agape as he continued walking beside Arnold, almost fascinated by the weirdness his buddy was starting to spout. 'And what the heck's Arnold been doing in Helga's closet?' It was then that Gerald recalled Helga's apparent shrine to Arnold in her closet…and decided maybe it was better not to ask. "O-Okay…she owns some red things…" he merely added, waiting for further explanation.
Arnold just nodded and went on, that grin still on his face and that glint still in his eyes. "Mmm hmm, but think about it though—my shirt under my sweater's red…" he gestured with his hands to his shirt to show as an example, "And she loves my shirt and loves that I gave her one so of course she didn't wear red today because that would be like one of 'my' colors." Arnold was smiling more as little ideas and pieces fell into place and he got to explain them as they walked on. "And then, hey, what about green? Well, of course she's not going to wear that because it would be like the color of my eyes. And then she's not going to wear blue because she knows how much I love HER eyes and wouldn't want to give me the satisfaction like she was trying to impress me or remind me of her eyes for my sake. Yellow's out because she's always going on and on about my cornflower hair. And then black wouldn't work because…" he considered for a moment and then smiled more, "Because it would be like she was in mourning for our relationship and she'd never want to come out as that vulnerable!" He looked up at his best friend now and smiled widely now as they reached the classroom door and stopped just before it. "So she's wearing purple. Because it's the only color that doesn't look like she's trying to please me or is thinking of me or wants me back!" He just sighed in satisfaction and crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. Yes, it all made sense and it was all just so…HER! So completely HER! Something that complicated and subtle and yet grating and arguably insane…Yes…
"What about orange?" It was the only think an utterly…fascinated at this point Gerald could say as he stood before his friend. Besides, even though it was a little sad…it was also kind of interesting for him watching the formerly most sane kid in the world losing his marbles all thanks to an overdose of Helga G. Pataki…and he was just curious about how Arnold's officially romantically warped mind would tie up that loose end.
Arnold blinked at that question, looked up at Gerald like the answer should be the most obvious thing in the world, and when his best friend still looked back at him puzzled, Arnold just sighed waved him off and shook his head. "Gerald—she'd look terrible in orange! I mean, if she's going to torture me, she'd want to make sure to look good while doing it, just to get under my skin about how attractive she is to me. And purple catches her eyes so well and goes so nice with her pretty hair…" He actually laughed a little, a bit of that impressed grinning returning. "But don't you see, it's so very much like her—any other girl would have just gone with the attraction thing and shown up today in some extra pretty and cute outfit to let me know what I was missing out on but not her…She's…complicated…It's even the same thing with her hair too—she knows I've admired those pigtails since the day we met, wearing it down I like even better, wearing it up high would be like those times she's tried to impress me like when we all went to dinner together. So she goes and picks a ponytail…just like HILDA had, of all things—HILDA! And Hilda wanted nothing to do with me!" He was equally frustrated and proud at the same time. (And meanwhile Gerald was just wondering who the heck Hilda was?) "And the absolute most perfect part is that if I figure out what she's doing and it bugs me then she wins, but even if I don't see it it'll still bug me subconsciously like it was doing before I figured it out just now and she STILL wins…" He shook his head and let out another deep sigh, his pride at having such a clever girlfriend winning out just a little over the frustration…though he was still significantly frustrated. After all, all he had done was charm a few older girls with only his shirt on…meanwhile she had come up with a great, big complicated psychological ploy! Always just one step ahead of him…
Gerald, meanwhile, back in the land of the sane people, blinked a few times, hesitated…and then slowly reached out a hand and put it on Arnold's shoulder, briefly wondering if pulling someone out of a state of random arguable psychosis and back to reality was dangerous like waking a sleepwalker was. "Um…Arnold…" he started slowly and carefully, "Don't you think that…all of that stuff you just said…sounds a little…complicated?" '…And severely paranoid even if this is Helga we're talking about…?' his mind had to add.
Arnold just blinked at processing Gerald's words, and then he looked up at him seriously and shook his head. "Gerald…" he started in a much more level and less impassioned voice, "I know it's complicated…But don't you understand…She's…She's like a genius or something…She's got this cunning that's just…" His eyes drifted back to her form again, looking over his shoulder at her still at her locker talking with Phoebe…warmth gathering in his face as his heart started to pound a little… "She's an evil genius…A talented…brilliant…beautiful…warm…tender…playful…funny…cute…wantable…touchable…"
"Okay, that's enough adjectives for you for one morning, buddy. Let's rope it in now…" Gerald grabbed him by the shoulders and turned his head back around from facing the girls. He looked at him seriously. "Arnold, I'm serious—before you explode or crack or lose it, PLEASE talk to her and NOT later! Who cares if you end up all over her mouth again, at least all of this tension'll finally be gone!"
Arnold took a sharp breath at suddenly being pulled from a rather heart pounding bout of emotion about Helga Pataki…and then he blinked a bunch of times…and then shook his head at the suggestion and pulled away from his friend's grasp a little. "Gerald, I…" he was fully back in reality again…and fully aware of this embarrassing development in his and Helga's relationship that Gerald was referring to once more, "N-No…I…I told you, I…We end up fighting and…it makes me feel…No! Not yet." He shook his head again, blushing quite noticeably and that shy little look back in his face.
Gerald just grinned a little though and tried not to laugh. "Arnold…admit it…"
"I-I just…" Arnold went on in a quick explanation though, looking sheepish, "Anyway, the actual problem with us talking now instead of later is that, uh…that…that I just don't like the idea of us settling something by shouting…Yeah, that's it!" He tried to smile innocently. "Uh, heh…uh…" he searched for something to change the topic. "Uh, so…how's stuff with you and Phoebe going, Gerald?"
"Oh, things have been going sanely, normally, averagely just like we like…" Gerald answered casually (trying not to think about how all of that sanity and averageness and normality had…gotten sprinkled with the potential for something more intense…just a little bit, maybe...over the last few weeks) and then grinned some more, not about to let Arnold off the hook (and figuring it would be good for him to outright admit his desire to kiss Helga when they fought anyway). "And no, I don't think the reason you don't want to talk with her is because you don't like the idea of yelling to settle things…What you don't like, like I was saying, is the idea of being in a major debate with her and then suddenly grabbing her and pulling her in for a smooch, and losing the fight because you actually like when she gets you all worked up like that and because this thing you've got for her is worse than all of your other crushes COMBINED…Which is classic, by the way, Arnold…" He chuckled to himself finally, unable to help it.
A distinctly annoyed expression came to Arnold's flushed little face at this point. "Gerald…" he let out a sigh though, and then finally admitted in some degree of embarrassment, "Look…okay, maybe…MAYBE that's PART of the reason…MAYBE…That I…l-like when she yells at me…that I like being able to make her angry…that I like when we explode…when we can't control each other…and what it can lead to…" He was utterly scarlet at having to say that aloud though it was entirely the truth… Yes, in truth…something about being in a shouting match with Helga…having her yell at him with that familiar angry look and now having the courage to yell right back at her…the two of them exchanging barbs back and forth, trying to one up each other…getting right in each other's faces…his heart pounding from the sudden emotions flaring between them…but at the same time knowing that deep down she still loved him so passionately…and that he still loved her… It did make him want to just grab her and kiss her apologize and have her forgive him in surprise but then kiss him back just as fervently… Oh that way she could just fire up every emotion inside of him, just like she always had, always making his heart pound, only in the past he'd been too stupid and blind to realize that his heart had been pounding not from anger or fear but from passion and love… Yelling at him and making his heart race in frustration…and yet his heart also racing in the building tension of fiery, undeniable romance. Indeed, no one had ever made him feel that way or ever made him imagine being able to feel that way in his entire life…loving and hating at the same time…and it really was weird to say the least. Arnold quickly looked Gerald in the eye, and spoke very sincerely. "But don't say anything to Helga or Phoebe! Please! We're not going to be able to work anything out if she knows that I just want to kiss her the whole time…"
"Hey man," Gerald replied supportively, an amused but warm smile on his face. "Whatever you say…Mums the word about what gets you going. But I've gotta tell you though…" he had to smile a little more and just let him know with a sigh, "I'm sensing some chaos on the way…You two are fighting destiny after all…you and Helga being meant to be and everything…" In the past, Gerald would have been saying that last thing sarcastically (Arnold and Helga suddenly deciding they were destined to be—as if), but…now it was said with total sincerity and total support. Maybe part of it was Gerald's nature growing a little more romantic ever since winning Phoebe finally thanks to Helga, but…most of it was just seeing them together and being unable to deny any longer, despite how cringe-worthy it had used to seem to him, that there was something big between them, and if what they had—the whole messy, complicated, insane, passionate thing—wasn't love and wasn't meant to last, then what in the world was and what in the world could be?
Arnold blushed at first at Gerald's words…but then Gerald watched as he smiled gratefully and gave a little nod. "Thanks, Gerald. I feel like we're meant to be too."
"You're welcome, buddy…" Gerald let out a sigh and then led his friend along with himself into the classroom finally. "And hey, listen, I know I've asked you twice so far and both times you said you don't want to 'burden others with your problems' but will you just tell me what happened between you two already! Come on, man…let ME help YOU with a problem for once." He looked at him sincerely as he let Arnold's shoulder go and took his seat.
Arnold, pausing alongside Gerald's desk, swallowed and considered his friend's request…but then finally nodded at him. "I'll tell you at lunch…I promise." He smiled.
Gerald nodded warmly. "Okay man…and I'll do my best to help you sort it out. Hey, maybe we can even ask Lila for advice—she's been kind of in a 'tizzy' after all ever since you and Helga stopped speaking. It's like her favorite celebrity couple hit the rocks or something."
Arnold smiled more and nodded. "Okay, Lila too…I don't know, maybe it really would help to get it off of my chest…"
Gerald winked. "Exactly, man! Unload a little…because sheesh, whatever it was that bumped you two off of cloud nine for three solid days must have been a doozy!"
As Arnold now walked to the front of the room to take his usual seat there, this last observation of Gerald's couldn't help but make a touch of frustration…and also just a little guilt flutter inside of him…(especially as Helga entered the room, her nose held high again and her eyes distinctly not looking at him…and he knew that once again he wouldn't be getting a single spitball of love all day from her). Because, in point of fact…what it was that had 'bumped them off of cloud nine'… had been very minor…strangely minor, in fact…
But anyway, we should probably relate what that 'minor incident' had been that had driven apart these two destined children.
*Flashback*
"Aw, Football Head, I'm so happy we decided to try a late Sunday movie again!" Helga G. Pataki smiled warmly and brightly, holding tightly to Arnold's hand as they approached the theatre together, the streetlights just starting to come on as the twilight had now faded to late spring darkness.
Arnold smiled back at her warmly, squeezing her hand…savoring the ways in which their fingers intertwined and locked. "Yeah. I felt kind of bad that we had to miss out on our usual date on Friday because of that extra baseball practice that got scheduled…and then me and my Grandpa had that fishing trip all day yesterday…"
"Yeah," Helga added with a nod, delighting in the soft warmness of his palm pressing to hers, "…And then me and Phoebe and Brainy had that final science project to finish up this morning…"
Arnold chuckled a bit, just at all those little things lining up to make them miss out on their special quality time together. "Yeah…but it's nice that we're both finally free now, Helga…and that Sunday night's the time when the fewest amount of people we might know are in the theatre…" Taking a quick glance around to make sure that indeed no one they knew was around them on the streets, Arnold then suddenly leaned up and gave Helga a quick, soft kiss on the cheek and added in a whisper near her ear, "You know…so we can keep keeping 'our secret…'and I can keep having you all to myself for just a little while longer in our lives."
To his delight, Helga giggled giddily in response to his words and kiss, a dreamy smile coming on her face. "Yeah…" she said in a happy tone with a goofy smile, and then she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek as well. "And also," she whispered back to him in his own ear, "…since it's so private and dark and cool in there it's a nice time and place for us to…you know…get a little closer…redefining the term 'chapped lips' and all of that…" She gave him a playful nudge and then turned coyly away as they walked on together.
Arnold's breath caught in his throat and his spine straightened, and then he slumped a little forward and a great big goofy grin spread across his face. "Uh…y-yeah…sounds like f-fun…" He gulped and added in his usual sheepish shyness, "B-But m-maybe we could also talk a little too, Helga…at least during the previews? Just talk and c-cuddle a little? After all we've barely had time for one of our conversations at all this weekend and I miss them…When we talk it makes me happy." He smiled up at her.
A blushing Helga just smiled and nodded and squeezed his hand a little. "Of course, Arnold. I've missed our talks too. I always feel good when we tell each other about our days and thoughts and feelings and how we've been…and also as long as I even just get to be with you now that there're no more distractions or obligations this weekend, I'm more than happy…" She leaned her arm a little against his, nuzzling her head against his shoulder and neck.
Arnold, all fluttery inside at both her words and now this fun bit of contact, just nodded and nuzzled her a tiny bit back. "Me too, Helga…As long as you're with me I'm happy too," he said quietly.
She gave a girlish sigh…and the sound made Arnold's heart flutter…
And then the two of them really got near the entrance to the theatre…
…Where Rhonda, Nadine and Sheena were standing in line for a movie themselves.
Their gazes remained half lidded and dreamy and the two remained nuzzling together for a second longer…and then their eyes widened and they froze completely right where they were on the sidewalk just across from the movies.
Then Helga instantly grabbed Arnold's wrist and whipped him into an alleyway. "Oh for the love of…." she whispered acidly to herself. "Seriously? Grr…" She quickly glanced out of the alleyway in the direction of a clock tower. "Great and we only have five minutes until the movie starts!" She popped her head back into the alley and put a hand to her chin in thought.
"Helga," Arnold started with a helpful smile, taking a step forward and putting a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay…We can just go back to the Boarding House or back to your place and watch something there. No big deal." And besides, at one of their houses or at the movies…basically the same thing would happen: they would watch something they both liked, talk each other's ears off, and then kiss until Arnold felt so many feelings inside of himself that he couldn't decide whether the experience was actually one of pleasure or of pain…though usually at that point Helga would moan or something and he'd remember that he was definitely always dealing with pleasure when it came to her.
Helga however didn't turn to look at him at his touch or reassuring words…and still seemed to be considering something actually, a crafty look on her features. "Or…" she suddenly said in a very suspicious tone…and now she did turn around to face her beloved…with a mischievous look on her face as a matter of fact… "Or we could have a little fun…and another little adventure and scheme between us. What do you say, Football head?"
Arnold had to raise an eyebrow at the statement, giving her a somewhat clueless look. "Helga…not that I don't think that whatever you're talking about is probably fun but…I'm not sure what you mean…" he had to respond truthfully.
Helga just chuckled to herself and then took his hand off of her should and grabbed his wrist firmly. "Don't worry, Football Head. I'll show you!" And with that and a wink she was suddenly pulling him like a flash out of the alley, across the street and to a different alley near the edge of the movie theatre.
"Okay, good! No one saw us..." she whispered to herself proudly now that they were safely in this new space. She glanced from left to right. "And no one's around…" Her eyes lit up and she rubbed her hands together. "Perfect."
"Helga, what are we—" a rather dizzy from being dragged along Arnold suddenly began to ask in confusion.
"Shh!" Helga cut him off with a blink, putting a finger to her lips in a silencing gesture. "Just be quiet and follow me, my love. Trust me, it'll be fun!" And then she smiled and winked and before Arnold knew it she had suddenly firmed up her hold on his wrist again, pushed open a door on the side of the building in front of them and pulled him into darkness as the door slammed shut behind them.
He just stumbled forward as she pulled him along, still completely unsure of what was going on.
"Let's see…" he heard Helga whisper faintly to herself in the gloom. "The sign out front said we're looking for theatre three so…" She continued moving forward in the darkness, and moving him forward along with her.
"Helga!" Arnold whispered back now as he regained enough coherency to speak even though he was still barely able to see anything. "Where are we? What are you doing?"
"Just give me a sec, Football Head…" He heard the sound of her feeling against one of the walls…and then, "Ah, here we are! Okay ready Arnold…one, two, three!" And suddenly Arnold heard the sound of a door opening and felt himself pulled yet again somewhere.
Ending up wherever he was now, Arnold's eyes were closed. But then he opened them and blinked a few times at a touch of light coming from his right…which he quickly realized, upon glancing in that direction, was coming from a movie screen. And then he glanced forward and saw rows and rows of empty theatre seats in front of them…And then he glanced behind them at the door they had just come in by and saw that it had a red glowing sign above it reading EXIT…and then Arnold realized with a start where he was…where they both were.
"Oh perfect!" Helga announced excitedly, looking around. "Just in time for the previews. And hey, the princess and the others may have been out there but it looks like they were catching a different flick! And if no one else has come in to see this one yet then I think it's a safe bet to say that we finally have an empty theatre all to ourselves!" She turned back to her beloved with a happy smile …A wide-eyed Arnold opened his mouth as though about to speak but Helga quickly cut him off with a wave. "And I know what you're thinking—that since we didn't by tickets can't we not go out there and get any snacks now… Well, I'm way ahead of you, Arnold!" And then out of her jumper pocket she instantly pulled two small bags of candy. "There we are—no sense in wasting five bucks a pop on bags half this small, right?" And with that she was about to turn and find them seats, very pleased with herself at her success at sneaking past their classmates and finding the right theatre (and already imagining how impressed Arnold would be with her about this…how he would smile, his eyes narrowing, at her displaying her scheming skills for him which he loved so much, how they would both probably just plain collapse to the floor in kisses for the full two hours of the movie in excitement over the success of their thrilling feat of having pulled all of this off!)
However…
A very very very BIG however…
…Helga stopped though at the sudden feeling of Arnold grabbing her by the shoulders from behind and turning her around to face him. His eyes were wide in shock, almost in appall really. "Helga!" he suddenly whispered very loudly, the previews now playing behind them. "We just…you just…we just…snuck into the movies!"
Helga blinked at the exclamation. "Uh…yeah? And pretty decently if I do say so myself…" She smiled a bit proudly to herself, reserving a touch of that proud grin for him as well. "I mean, I have been doing it since I was six but even with that many years of practice things can still go wrong…That was a very smooth run though. And meanwhile, look at you, Mr. 'Probably Your First Timer'—who knew you had it in you, Football Head!" She winked and giggled a little. "You really are such a secret little bad boy, aren't you?"
Arnold felt a blush come to his cheeks (the source a mix of indignation at this sudden act he had been forced to participate in…and of flattery at her finding him doing this with her so appealing apparently). He found his words though, indignation weighing in over flattery just this once, and spoke, his voice almost squeaking out. "I…Helga…You just snuck us into the movies!" he could only repeat at first though in shock.
Helga raised part of her brow now. "Uh…yeah. We just went over that, Football Head. What's your point?" She shrugged a little, shoving the two candy bags back into her side jumper pocket for the moment.
Arnold, still holding her shoulders, just continued to look at her in disbelief, increased all the more by how she was responding to the fact that they had just SNUCK INTO THE MOVIES! "It…It's wrong!" he squeaked out this time, though his voice was starting to regain at least a touch of its normal depth.
Helga just watched him in surprise for a second more and then replied with a slight scoff and a little grin, feeling like she understood what might be troubling her little love now. "Oh come on, Arnold. Seriously! Mr. Morality has to come out now! Come on—we snuck into the school's ceiling once, you snuck into FTi to save the neighborhood, I've snuck into your room a million times, you've even snuck into my room quite a few times yourself…" She blushed a little, smiling just a little more.
"But this is different Helga!" Arnold just replied back with wide yes, still looking at her desperately.
Helga blinked again, then let out an impatient sigh, and finally scowled a bit now (mostly at his continued refusal to just lighten up already so they could get on with their date). "Oh come on—how, Arnoldo?"
"Helga…" A little sigh escaped him and the disbelief was still there in his gaze at first…but then a scowl started to settle into his face as he replied, now fully in his normal tone of voice, "Of course it's different! All that stuff you just mentioned was really necessary or part of an emergency or just sneaking our houses…But this…You're supposed to pay to go to the movies! And for the food here! If you don't…it's like stealing!" The total shock was back on his face. He was expecting her to understand, like she always seemed to…He was expecting that this would be one of those many moments they had shared in their lives, quite a few of them even before dating, when she would do something wrong and he would explain to her why it was wrong and she would blink and look sheepish and then he would see her conscience shining through and then she would realize her error and do the right thing.
However…
And once again a very very very BIG however…
…To Arnold's surprise Helga just removed herself from his grasp with a noticeably sharp little tug backwards and then rolled her eyes, walking away into the theatre seats. "Okay, I know what's going on here…" she started, glancing over her shoulder at him. "You're having one of your seriously little 'moral, preachy, wet blanket' moments like you do whenever we do anything too fun, and I just need to let you work through it and when you're done in a little bit then we can get down to our date." And with that she turned around and plopped herself down in a seat and just looked at him with a smirk. "So, whenever you're ready, I'll just be waiting right here, Arnold!" She winked at him.
Arnold remained staring at her from right where he was with a slight scowl for several seconds…and then he suddenly walked firmly over to her and abruptly took her by the hand, pulling her up and pulling her along with him out of the row of seats and back out into the aisle. "Helga, I'm not doing this," he said firmly and simply. "This isn't just sneaky, it's absolutely wrong and you know it! I don't care if you've done it before, I'm not doing it now!"
"Well as you already did it, it's a little late, Football Head!" he heard her suddenly shoot back with a harsher tone. Then she scoffed smugly from behind him and added, "Can't change the past, my partner in crime!"
"No…" Arnold replied firmly once more, pulling her toward the proper entrance/exit doors of the theatre, and then he glanced over his shoulder at her and added, "But I CAN go to the manager and explain things to him and apologize and actually pay for our seats!"
That response made Helga swallow and instantly dig her heels into the theatre floor, stopping Arnold in his tracks. "Hey!" she suddenly announced, pulling her hand free of his grasp and putting her hands on her hips, "You do that and they aren't just going to be 'understanding'—we'll get kicked out!"
Arnold turned back to face her, arms crossed over his chest. "Well, maybe that's what we deserve!"
"Hey, you know what, if YOU want to mess up YOUR whole night that's fine with me, but I'm staying here and watching the movie! Hmph!" She closed her eyes and turned up her nose at him. "And honestly I cannot believe you are being so ridiculous about one free movie ticket and a bag of store bought candy!"
Arnold gave her a look. "And I can't believe that you would actually drag me into something like this in the first place!" He took a step back toward her and put his hands on her shoulders once more…gently. "Come on, Helga, I know you—" he spoke a bit more calmly, looking at her more sincerely than angrily now, "Even if you're a little rough around the edges you're still a good person. You know the difference between right and wrong! I mean…" he considered for a second, "What about the time at Chez Paris when you had Nadine let loose her cockroaches so we wouldn't have to pay the dinner bill since you messed up the gift certificates, but then you went back and told the truth and apologized after I told you it would be the right thing to do?"
Helga, wide eyed at the moment, hadn't been able to help but feel a blush come to her face at him calling her a good person…at him trusting her character so thoroughly like that. But right now she was in the middle of an argument and she was not about to lose it just because her beloved had complimented her. "I…Well…" she fished for a second more but then finally replied in as confident a voice as possible, "Well, that was just because I was a sucker for ANYTHING you asked me to do back then and also for any chance to spend time with you! Otherwise, believe me, I would have been out of there scot free in a second!"
And then suddenly, feeling like putting him on the defensive, she wriggled out of his hold on her shoulders and took a step toward him with a smirk on her face, causing him to blink. "And as for you, Football Head," she gave him a little poke in the chest, "…Even though you're a good person didn't we also agree that you have a bit of an adventurous streak in you—or are you forgetting that little playing hooky story Gerald mentioned to me?" 'Ha! Got him now!' "You know, they sic truant officers on kids for doing things like that…Oh and, uh, also…Gerald might have mentioned to me that time you almost helped Frankie G. ROB a MUSIC STORE! Now that's just a plain felony, Football Head!" She grinned triumphantly, waiting to see him try and talk his way past that one. "And also, Gerald also told me that one weekend at the beginning of the year you DID sneak in here, even though you did it too late and missed the movie...Care to explain, Football Head?" she just couldn't help taking on smugly.
At her rather unexpected words and reminders of some of the less than admirable moments of his childhood, Arnold blinked a lot and blushed a lot and stammered a lot. "W-Well...that's…I…" But then he just shook his head, his scowl returning. Instantly he grabbed one of her hands once more. "Alright, first of all, Frankie G. TRICKED me, second of all me sneaking into the movies that one time was only because I was having a VERY bad weekend...really just a HORRIBLE weekend, to be honest, and so I was desperate, and I learned my lesson by missing the movie and I haven't done it ever since. And third of all, Helga, okay, we all know I'm not perfect but let's just forget what we've done in the past for a second—the point is we're not sneaking into the movies now! Now we're going to go and apologize to the manager and pay for our seats and we'll talk about this later!" And then before she could protest or stall further he had pulled her up the last little bit of the aisle, out of the theatre doors and into the lobby.
Arnold went to walk forward in search of the ticket booth or anyone who worked here now that they were out here, but suddenly he almost tripped forward as he found himself pulling now entirely dead weight. With a blink he turned back to look at Helga…who was just standing there with her eyes wide as could be and her jaw dropped. "Arnold!" she squeaked out acidly.
"What is i—WHOA!" Suddenly, to his total shock, she had pulled him under the cover of a trash bin.
"Arnold, are you insane?" Arnold suddenly heard her ask. Blinking several times his eyes then finally came into focus on her scowling face and her form crouched down in hiding along with his. "What if Rhonda or one of the others were out here getting a last minute snack? You could have completely blown our cover!" She snatched her hand from his, looking all but panicked.
Upon taking in her words and her reason for ducking them down behind here, Arnold's scowl returned once again tonight and he rolled his eyes. "Helga—is that really important right now? I mean do you really think that if Rhonda or Nadine or Sheena or anyone else from school saw us walking out of the same theatre together, they would automatically come to the conclusion that we're in love?" 'Sometimes I just…I just hate when she gets this worried about people finding out!'
For just a second, that comment made Helga's eyes go wide again…and she felt her heartbeat quicken…and even a touch of sadness came to her face…and she almost lifted up one of her arms…her face softening into a familiar look…though Arnold couldn't quite place it…though he recognized it as something good…
It was gone as soon as it came though and suddenly she quickly shook her head and resumed her former scowl. "Hey!" Helga shoved a finger in his face. "It's years of preventing people from noticing small little things like that and slowly putting together the pieces that's kept my secret under wraps so far, and I am NOT about to start slipping NOW just because you get so blinded by morals every eight seconds that you're willing to just start strolling around in public hand in hand with me as long as it means you'll be 'doing the right thing!'"
Arnold let out a very frustrated sigh and stood up. 'Great, when we're all nice and happy it's 'our' secret but the second the chips are down it's right back to being just 'hers' again. Of course…' "Helga, this is ridiculous…" he put his hands on his hips, having had enough of all of this. "Fine, if you want to then just stay here and I'llgo apologize and pay for us!"
"Oh no you don't!" She suddenly stood up as well, cornering and then pinning him against the wall by his shoulders, much to his surprise. "We are NOT done talking about this and you are NOT going to go off on some stupid goodie two shoes errand in the middle of it!"
Rather surprised at suddenly having her trap him against the wall like this and also quite a bit emotionally worked up at this point, Arnold just remained scowling right back at Helga's angry blue eyes and breathing heavily for several seconds…his heart pounding…And then he couldn't help his eyes going just a bit wide and for just a second…and for just a second he almost…went forward...
Instantly though he shifted his weight back against the wall…and Helga couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the touch of a blush creeping into his face. Suddenly he just closed his eyes and loudly whispered back. "Helga, will you just admit that what you just did was wrong so we can get back to our date? Quit being so stubborn!"
"Grr…" He heard her growl, and then his eyes flew open as she released him with just a touch of unnecessary force. "You just have the MOST one track mind in existence, don't you Football Head?" Their voices were getting just a bit louder, by the way, though they themselves weren't noticing it too much. "And do NOT call me stubborn!" She put her hands on her hips. "You know I am getting really sick of you being so free handed with me just because we are dating!"
"Oh yeah?" He blinked but then gave her a smug smile, stepping away from the wall. "That's not what you said that time after we had that fight about Brainy kissing your cheek after you rejected him…Remember—when I got you back by telling Gerald and Phoebe the TRUTH about what happened in that closet and in the vents at school between us! You said you likedit when I stand up to you!" He had never felt more proud of himself for a comeback in his life.
Helga instantly felt a bright blush come to her face at his reminder of that particular memory, though she did her best not to lose her scowl. "Well, I…I also said not to let it become a regular thing, Football Face!" 'Darn it, why did I admit that to him!'
"Mmm hmm…" He only moved his face closer to hers though, his grin picking up on one side, "…but you still like it…" He couldn't help his eyes narrowing a bit, the smile still on his face.
"Oh…Oh yeah?" she shot back weakly. "Well…well…" she glanced around unsurely, looking for any way to get him back…and she was desperate, so… "Well, you know, if you're going to be this much of a wet blanket and an ego maniac then it's no wonder you couldn't get a legitimate date out of anyone else before me! I mean, what, the closest you ever got was Lila letting you drag her to the Cheese Festival as a friend and half a Valentine's dinner with Ruth!" She looked at him defiantly.
A blank look just came to Arnold's face…and then a firm blush…and then a frustrated (and slightly hurt) scowl. "Well…you…" finally though now anger had to get the better of even Arnold and he yelled back without thinking about it, eyes shut tight! "Well…Well, if you're going to be so angry and defensive and stubborn and bossy half the time then it's no wonder that it took me seven years and you practically throwing yourself at me for me to even begin to have a romantic thought about you!"
Arnold opened his eyes, breathing heavily…only to blink as he saw Helga standing there, her face oscillating between her scowl and a look of sadness…Sadness…He had…made her sad… "So…" she spoke, the tension and fury gone for a moment…an almost dull tone in her usually musical voice, "What…? Are you just saying that our entire relationship is based on me just getting you because I was desperate and there?"
Arnold…at first felt the compulsion to go forward and take on of her hands in both of his hands assure her that she was being silly…to assure her that he would never say that, never mean it…and to beg her not to be sad anymore all because of him. But…he was, well…just as hurt as she was right now by some of the stuff they had just been saying, to be honest…and so instead he just looked at her with that hurt in his little heart and asked, just as validly, "Well…are you saying that our entire relationship is just based on me taking you because I couldn't get anyone else?"
The look in Helga's eyes was like someone had pierced her with some kind of horrible blow. And it was true in two senses: first, that everything she had said had hurt Arnold enough for him to respond to her like that, and second, that he had actually...actually brought forth such a suggestion…
Her choices right now were basically well…cry, at this point, this whole thing was making her feel so horrible…cry and assure him she would never say or mean something like that…and do everything she could to make it better…or…to be defensive…As usual, Helga chose being defensive…She felt backed into a corner and even though she knew better she just…panicked! "I can't believe you're…you're throwing this huge tantrum all because I snuck us into the stupid movies, you little shrimp!" she yelled at him all of a sudden with a full scowl (that was there more to stop her eyes from tearing up than for anything else), not caring who heard at this point! "You know, just for ONCE, it'd be nice to have a boyfriend who's got a spine and who isn't a complete baby about getting in trouble!"
Arnold just…not expecting that…at all…or how much it hurt…blinked a bunch of times, his mouth open…words seemed to want to come out but it was like they just couldn't and… and then…
Arnold went and stood up for himself again…but unfortunately did it in a really defensive and silly way, just as Helga had just done and mostly because he was backed into a corner. (And he didn't care much who heard either). A little scowl came to his features as well. "Well…maybe it'd be nice for ME to have a GIRLFRIEND who doesn't just stop caring about right and wrong whenever she feels like it and who can actually act dainty and like the 'lady' I keep telling her she is even though sometimes like right now when she's scowling and screaming at me I'm not so sure!"
Helga went to take a breath, the scowl still there…though her lower lip had started to tremble…and her heart hurt so much…He had yelled at her in a way he had never yelled at her before…Her heart hurt so much…
"Hey, you kids—is there a problem here?"
Both Arnold and Helga instantly blinked…and then slowly turned their heads to look up into the face of a very unhappy looking theatre usher.
"Uh…" Both kids said at the same time, their jaws open.
"And what theatre are you two supposed to be in, anyway? Let me see your ticket stubs!" The usher held out his hand.
Arnold and Helga looked back to each other and swallowed hard.
The theatre usher let out a deep sigh.
"…And if I ever catch you kids sneaking in here again I'll call your parents on you!" The door to the theatre was shut tight abruptly, leaving Arnold and Helga out on the dark (and now wet, thanks to the fact that it had been raining a bit on and off ever since they had entered the building) street.
"Great…just fantastic…" Helga grumbled to herself with a scowl, dusting herself off a bit. "And on that note I am going home!" And with that…and trying to save any crying until later…she started stomping down the sidewalk.
The sound of Arnold following behind her made her stop in her tracks. She turned to face him, frustration and anger evident on her face. "Oh no, I think I've had enough of you for one night, ARNOLD…"
Arnold blinked several times, feeling so unsure. "But Helga...I…don't want you to just go home alone…At least let me walk y—" He reached a hand forward and gently took hers, his chivalry overtaking any of his pettiness and rage.
"NO!" She pulled her hand away, not just ready to forgive and forget…although she really did do it kind of forcefully which actually caused Arnold to almost stagger back a bit. For just a moment her scowl dropped in concern…but then it came right back and she shook her head and turned away from him again, trying not to think of how she had almost gone and pushed him in her anger. "Just leave me alone! After all I'm so 'angry and defensive and stubborn and bossy' that I'm sure you'd much rather walk home by yourself! And if worse comes to worse I guess I could just 'throw myself at someone' along the way, and I'm sure that since I'm 'desperate and there', they'd be willing to walk me home. Although, honestly, I'm so aggressive and so unladylike that I don't think anyone would try and mess with me if I just went there alone—they'd probably just think I was a boy or something like people always do whenever I stomp down the street!" And with that she turned on her heel and indeed proceeded to stomp down the street…hot tears in her eyes and feeling a sick lurch of loneliness in the pit of her stomach.
Arnold just blinked at the sight of her leaving…and a little frown came to his face at that feeling of being actually physically pushed away from her…something he had never expected. But then a rumble of thunder instantly broke him out of his shock…and made his own hurt and pain and defensiveness come flooding back in over his care and concern for others. "Well…fine!" He scowled slightly as he yelled back. "I guess this is just another example of me being bad at dates! And don't worry—I won't find another girl to walk home with since I 'can't get anyone else'. I'll just have to suck it up and have a 'spine' even though I'm such a 'little shrimp' and walk home alone myself!" And with that he turned around and went home as well, going in the opposite direction of her and not caring that that meant he would have to take the long way of getting back to the boarding house so long as going in that direction meant that he and his pounding heart could have some time to themselves.
As Arnold and Helga separated, it started to rain in their wakes.
*End Flashback*
"Whoa, you guys had a blowout, didn't you?" Gerald asked with an eyebrow raised in response to just how heated things had gotten between his best friend and Helga G. Pataki on Sunday night. Lunch had begun twenty minutes ago upon which, as he and Arnold and Lila had sat down at their table, Arnold had commenced relating the details of his and Helga's first big fight, and Gerald hadn't even touched his food during the entire recounting, finding Arnold's story much more engaging than just some mystery meat and green gelatin with a side of a carton of milk.
"Yes, Arnold…I'm ever so certain that…was quite an argument…" Lila couldn't help but comment and agree with a frown. Seeing the tension between Arnold and Helga over the last several days, she had fallen into the role of kind of talking to one of them or the other, trying to help…And really what Gerald had said about her behaving like her favorite celebrity couple had just separated or something wasn't far from the truth—she had found their whole romance so utterly charming from day one that at this point she was basically Arnold and Helga's biggest fangirl and she was willing to do just about anything, listen to any side of any story, comfort either of them in any way that she could if it might mean they would get back together (and she too had barely touched her lunch while listening to Arnold's harrowing tale).
Arnold (still with no sweater on—He'd show Helga, Hmph!) let out a sigh, looking down at his own untouched lunch tray with regret in his eyes. "I know, I know, guys…And the same thing happened when we tried to talk about it the next day but what I just can't understand is how it all happened in the first place—one minute we were walking down the street smiling and talking and holding hands, and then the next minute we were at each other's throats like we'd been the worst enemies our whole lives." He leaned his head against one of his hands on the table and sighed in thought.
"Well…" Gerald shrugged, taking a bite of his mystery meat finally and swallowing, "Maybe that's the problem."
Arnold glanced up at him, a genuine look of confusion on his face. "What do you mean?"
Gerald let out a sigh and explained with a shrug. "I mean that for most of your lives you two kind of have been enemies…You know, the bully and the bullied. But now within the last month you've shifted from that to head over heels for each other and picking out china patterns…" The tall haired boy had to smirk just a little.
Lila couldn't help but smile a bit, looking to Gerald and then to Arnold. "I'm ever so certain that's a good point, Gerald. In their private lives they really have turned over a new leaf with each other just ever so much."
Arnold let out a small sigh rolled his eyes to the side just a little, really not in the mood right now to hear once again about how shocking it was that he had gone from basically having the perfect relationship with Helga to just a 'blowout', as Gerald had put it. "Guys…Is there a point…?" He did his best to ask the question levelly, not defensively.
Gerald looked back to his friend and smiled supportively and elaborated. "Sorry man…I'm getting to it. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is…I know she loves you and you love her too but she spent six years scowling and yelling at you and you spent six years being annoyed at her… You two have a past and no matter how you both feel about each other now, you probably can't just pretend none of it happened…Actually, honestly I'm surprised you two have managed to avoid it this long." He shook his head, then went on. "Anyway…when you found something even kind of big to really challenge each other on, it kind of makes sense that you both would go and use it as an outlet for all those old feelings…and maybe even let yourselves get carried away." He shrugged, quirking his mouth to the side a little in a grin. "Just tossing the suggestion out there, man. Call it a theory."
"I'm ever so certain that Gerald makes an interesting point, Arnold," Lila piped up with a sincere nod, looking to Arnold. "Your natural relationship used to be just oh too love and hate…with a little more hate than love. And now it's all love and no hate. It makes sense that you two might have a little steam to blow off." She shrugged as well, likewise waiting to see how Arnold might respond to this concept.
Arnold just blinked at first, a surprised look coming to his face for several seconds…He thought it over. 'Could we really…Could we really be kind of resenting each other because of how things were before?' Arnold considered—certainly he held no active grudge against Helga for her past behavior. He never had even done so before her confession, always believing that deep down she was a good person who just had trouble letting her kinder side out…and now that she had confessed and he had confessed, love and affection were certainly the paramount emotions that came to mind whenever he thought about her.
Still, though, he had to admit with a swallow…a little guilty swallow…that though he had rarely if ever felt full blown anger toward Helga over the years, she had often left him with a degree of frustration…resentment even, at least…In fact, he couldn't help but recall that such constant frustration bordering on resentment was what had led him to push her into her confession in the first place and then into admitting her confession was true later on…But even after having gotten her to admit that the confession had been true…could all of that pent up stuff still need an outlet?
"Arnold…you who? Man, are you slipping off into another one of those extra Helga-themed daydreams you've been having lately?" Gerald snapped his fingers once or twice in front of Arnold's face.
"Aw, Arnold, you've been daydreaming about her extra just because she hasn't been around? Really? I'm ever so certain that's the most charming thing I've ever heard," Lila couldn't help but observe with a giggle.
Arnold blinked at the sound of his best friend's voice as well as his several finger snaps, and also at Lila's giggling and came back to reality. He blushed a tiny bit. "Oh…uh, sorry, Gerald, Lila…I was just thinking about what you said…" Arnold let out a sigh and used his fork to play with his food. "I don't know…maybe you're both right… Maybe our past is the reason we both let ourselves get so carried away now…" Finally he let out one more sigh and then pushed his tray away, really just plain having no appetite…really not having had one for about the last three days…(and he especially had been able to stomach not a bite of anything raspberry or lemonade flavored). He turned his eyes back to his best friend and best female friend…just a bit of an accepting smile coming to his formerly totally forlorn face. "I'm going to have to try and talk to her again, aren't I?"
Gerald grinned. "Yeah…just make sure you really do talk things out BEFORE you toss her down and plant one on her!"
"Gerald!" Arnold blushed considerably and barely gestured to Lila with his head. "C-Come on, not…in…you know, mixed company…"
"Oh brother…" Gerald just snorted and rolled his eyes with a small little snort.
Lila just giggled again. "Aw, Arnold, it's okay…" she assured him brightly. "Helga lets me know about ever so many things like that between you two anyway... You don't have to be embarrassed—I think it's just ever so sweet that you two enjoy being romantic with each other like that to be just perfectly honest. Speaking of which…I've gotta remember to call Arnie…Thanks for his number again, Arnold…" She got all dreamy looking for a second.
Gerald faked a gagging motion and Arnold just let out a deep sigh, only blushing even more. "Uh…you're welcome, Lila…" he replied…and tried to let his embarrassment ebb. 'I almost forgot—Helga loves talking to Lila about me…of course that would lead to them talking about our kissing.' Then he turned to his best friend again, doing his best to take his mind off of the slightly awkward topic. "And Gerald…I'm happy you came up with a reason that makes sense for why our fight got so bad and I know you think it's funny that whenever we start yelling it makes me…want to plant one on her…" he mumbled out those six words and cleared his throat, doing his best to go on as quickly as possible. "But I really need advice. I have an idea what the problem is but…what am I going to do? I'm supposed to have a relationship with someone who makes me want to kiss her every time she yells at me…That can't be a good sign for our future fights…" His face took on a look of concern again.
"See because I think it means that you two might actually last. Like, long term!" Gerald couldn't help but observe quite sincerely and with a smile, despite his friend's apparent worry. "Because, no matter what, you'll always come back to the fact that you love each other. I think you wanting to kiss her like that is a really good sign and just means that underneath all of this silly fight stuff, you still love her like crazy." Gerald couldn't help but smile just a little sentimentally.
Lila, looking equally about as sentimental as could be beside him, nodded in agreement. "I agree, Arnold. I'm ever so sure that only someone truly in love would have getting closer on their mind even in the middle of an argument. And I'm oh too sure that even Helga probably can't help but feel a little bit of the same way whenever you fight, Arnold." She looked at him as sincerely as could be.
Arnold, now actually genuinely smiling a little, just let out a good-natured sigh…and then stood up. "I hope you're right, guys…" He reached forward and grabbed his tray from the table. "And…I'm just going to throw away my tray and then I think I'll go talk to her."
That statement caught Gerald's ears pretty quickly and made him look, wide-eyed and serious, right at Arnold. "Wait, you're going to talk to her HERE, NOW—in the middle of a full cafeteria!" And indeed the room was teeming with people from varying grades, including all of their own classmates. It was about the most public place in the school right now.
Arnold pushed his chair in and shook his head, tray in hand. "I'm just going to ask her if we can talk later somewhere…but I want to ask her now before I lose my nerve, you know?"
Gerald gave him a relieved smile and let out a sigh. "Oh good…No damage control for me and Phoebe to do…and Lila gets a break too."
"Aw, good luck, Arnold!" Lila wished cheerfully. "I'm ever so sure you're doing the right thing!" She winked.
Arnold smiled at both of them. "Thanks, Lila, Gerald... See you guys in a minute…" And with that he headed across the cafeteria to pass by Helga and Phoebe's table so that he could throw out his tray…and then turn around and walk back over to let Helga know as sincerely and warmly as he could that he wanted to try working out their current disagreement once more, maybe after school today, if she would do him the honor of her time.
"Helga…"
Helga just let out a deep, frustrated sigh, not even needing Phoebe to finish to know what she was going to say. "Yeah, I know. Bad fight. And then we tried to work it out last night too but the same thing happened so now we're just not speaking at all."
"No, it's just…Well, yes, but…" Phoebe blinked a few times, finishing taking in the situation her friend had just recounted to her. She looked to Helga again. "Helga…I knew you always spoke to Arnold so defiantly over the years in order to keep your secret…and then later to keep him from pursuing the topic of your confession…But I always assumed that any capacity you had for expressing that much anger towards him would diminish if not disappear now that he has reciprocated your feelings…"
Helga let out another sigh (this one a bit less frustrated and a bit more regretful) and leaned her head on one of her hands on the cafeteria table over her tray. "Yeah, I know…Looks like the 'good old defensive, Football Head hating' me was just taking a breather instead of gone for good…and now she's back in full swing!" She picked up her plastic fork and stabbed angrily at some peas with it (the peas, much like everything else on her tray, having almost been purchased automatically upon entering the cafeteria and not having been touched or thought of once during the entire telling of her story). Finishing up this tiny bit of venting though, that kind of forlorn look that she'd been sporting for the better part of three days returned to her features and now she glanced up at her other companion at her table. "You got any opinion on this new fine mess I've gotten myself into, Brainy?"
Brainy, sitting across from Helga at the table, just wheezed a little at first…though Helga could tell at this point in their friendship just by looking at his eyes that the blank look on his face wasn't actually a blank look but a sign of him pensively thinking everything over. Then he pulled out his inhaler, took a puff and spoke. "I think you let your temper get the better of you again, Helga. But I also think Arnold allowed himself to lose his patience a little too quickly. I know it's not your specialty, Helga, but…this may need an apology to fix…you know…on BOTH of your parts…" He smiled a little, well aware of Helga's…potential stubbornness in that particular area.
Helga just let out a deep sigh at his conclusions and crossed her arms over her chest, knowing full well her own stubbornness herself. "Fantastic. And we all know how likely it is that I'll manage to humble myself to one of those…Hmm…" she groaned a little in frustration, "Crimeny, I can smile at and coo at and hug and kiss the little Football Head at the drop of a hat, but something as simple as a nice mutual apology—of course that would escape me." She plopped her arms down on the tabletop, pushing the tray away, and then plopped her head down on right on top of them with her eyes closed.
Phoebe was silent for several more seconds, just taking a sip or two of her milk…and in point of fact she had actually been in a bit of thought ever since Helga had finished her tale. Finally though she looked again to her best friend and began slowly and sincerely. "Helga…you know…you really have been treating Arnold awfully nicely up until this point ever since he confessed…"
"Yes, Phoebe, I've been treating him nice but I can't even be nice enough to swallow my pride and apologize to him. Thank you for rubbing it in…" As Helga spoke she sat up again and picked up her fork and had started digging it mercilessly into her plate once more. Now thoroughly done destroying her peas Helga began to pummel her mashed potatoes (trying to make them as UN-football shaped as possible…even though somehow in some way they always ended up looking a little football shaped to her). "I finally have it so that I don't have to treat the little jerk like a little jerk twenty four hours a day, and I totally blow it in less than a month…" A look of sadness came to her face as she added quietly, "Maybe…Maybe I'm really not some good, decent hopeless romantic underneath the blustery exterior…Maybe the blustery exterior really is what I am deep down, and I just use the other stuff—the stuff that could have been the real me—to avoid it…" With a final sigh she let her fork drop into her tray carelessly in an action heavy with defeat.
"Helga, you know that that is absolutely not true," Brainy said without hesitation and in a tone that refused to be argued with and that actually made Helga sit up straight and blink and look at him with wide eyes. He went on, looking at her firmly yet supportively. "You are a beautiful and brilliant person who has always just insisted on shyly hiding that away from the world under a thin veneer of bullying. And I won't sit here and listen to you doubting and feeling sorry for yourself when you know just as much as any of us, including Arnold, how special you are." His hands were folded together professionally on the table and the look in his eye seemed to expect an affirmative answer to his assertion.
Helga meanwhile was just blushing a little when his slight reprimand to her was over. A touch of doubt remained on her face at first…but then it dissipated…and somewhere inside of herself she couldn't deny that…she had probably needed that just now: a supportive and caring little push out of her self pity party that she had been holding for three days. "Thank you…Brainy. And…s-sorry…" she managed to tack on in a little mumble with a grateful little smile. "Didn't mean to doubt how much of a catch I am…"
At her words and smile Brainy just gave a small chuckle, relaxing a little again. "You're welcome, Helga. And see, if you can apologize to me than you can certainly apologize to Arnold…who I'm sure has been dying to apologize to you as well…This situation isn't an insult to your character, Helga, it's just a fight between two lovers. And it will be resolved soon, I'm sure." He nodded supportively.
Helga smiled with a bit more happiness and hope than she'd been prone to smile with for quite a few days, and then let out a light sigh and shrugged. "Well, here's to hoping you're right, Brainy."
Meanwhile, while Helga and Brainy had been having this chat…Phoebe had been thinking some more…just a little more…and now she spoke up again, once more looking to her best friend. "Helga…I must say I agree with Brainy about all of this…I truly doubt your true nature being a harsh and abrasive one is the problem here…In fact, I think the problem may actually be stemming from the fact that being nice and loving is your true nature…or at least…the problem lies in the degree to which you've been applying that part of your true nature to your relationship with Arnold."
Helga blinked and looked to Phoebe with interest though also with a touch of confusion. 'How can the fact that I've been being nice to Arnold…be the problem?' she had to wonder to herself because really it seemed like that was what Phoebe was saying right now.
Phoebe, seeing the need for clarification and elaboration, went on, smiling a little more now. "Helga, I previously mentioned that you had been treating Arnold so nicely lately because…well…did it ever occur to you that perhaps by doing so you've been repressing the desire to be a bit more demanding toward him that you spent six years conditioning yourself to have?"
"Huh?" Helga just looked at her in plain puzzlement now. "Phoebe, in English, please—some of us only read Freud occasionally and not obsessively."
Phoebe let out a sigh with a small chuckle, and then reached up her hand to remove her glasses to clean them a little as she spoke on. "Helga, you trained yourself to insult, mock and berate Arnold every time you saw him ever since preschool. But now you're so happy that he cares for you as well that you've been doing everything in your power to be as sweet and doting and affectionate as possible whenever you two are together and in private, and even in public now when you 'bully' him you both know secretly that it's not in earnest. So perhaps you came off so strongly in the fight because you needed a chance to genuinely give in to some of the left over desires of your former treatment of him…you needed to reassert yourself a little." She placed her now clean glasses back on over her eyes.
Brainy, from beside her, gave Phoebe an intrigued look, taking in her words with interest.
Helga just blinked…and then considered…and finally replied slowly (as she translated Phoebe's psychological 'mumbo jumbo' into normal kidspeak). "So…you think I really am a good person and do love him more than being a bully…but that I might have been so harsh with the little guy because…it was the first chance I've really gotten to really get a little rough with him in a while…to challenge him? And because for the past few weeks we've just basically been giggling and saying I love you's to each other?" She glanced to Phoebe for a confirmation that she had gotten it right.
Phoebe smiled brightly and nodded. "Precisely."
A half grin came to Brainy's face now. "Hmm, interesting theory, Phoebe…"
Phoebe glanced at the glasses wearing boy seated beside her. "Thank you, Brainy."
Helga, meanwhile, continued to absorb the theory a little more…and then couldn't help but half smile to herself as she said absentmindedly to no one in particular, an interesting thought and observation coming to mind, "Hmm…well that explains it then…"
Phoebe raised an eyebrow, catching Helga's words, and turned her sights back to her best friend. "Explains what, Helga?"
At being so unexpectedly addressed about words she really hadn't meant to say out loud, Helga blinked, coming out of some personal thoughts…and blushed just a bit and shrugged a little uncomfortably. "Oh…uh…just…just some stuff from when Football Head and I were fighting on Sunday…and then again when we tried to talk the next day actually…No big deal…"
"Stuff like what Helga?" Phoebe asked, genuinely interested.
Brainy looked at Helga with an intrigued and helpful smile too.
Helga swallowed, glancing away from both of them. "Well…I…" She leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath, looking sheepish. "Well…when we were having that fight at the movies…and even when we tried to talk after but royally failed at that too…It's like we'll be in the middle of arguing and I'll have a really clever comeback for Arnoldo but…suddenly I kind of just become really fully aware again that even though we're angry…we're dating. Seven long years and he…he has feelings for me too. And it just keeps making me want to drop everything and not insist on screwing this up by feeling angry and just, um…run up to him and pounce on the little guy with a hug and grin like an idiot and say I'm sorry for everything, and never let him go because at least he's mine now and he wants me to be his…" She swallowed hard and started to rub the back of her neck. "It's stupid…"
Phoebe however just smiled warmly. "No, Helga…Actually it seems rather sweet."
"I agree, Helga…" Brainy couldn't help but add with his own little warm smile, "And if you ever needed any proof that you're really a loving person and that the abrasiveness is the act, I think it's that…It's rather charming, really…"
Helga blushed even more deeply at her friend's reactions and then just rolled her eyes and tugged at her collar. "Okay, okay, I'm sweet and charming…" she mumbled under her breath shyly, "We get it—can we just move on, now?"
Phoebe chuckled a tiny bit, more than used to how even now Helga could still get all flustered and embarrassed about talking about the 'in love' side of herself unless she was the one bringing it up and gushing about it solely because she couldn't help herself. "Of course, Helga, but…I'm just curious. Have you considered stopping the argument when you start getting that urge and actually just hugging Arnold and explaining how you're feeling?"
Helga blinked at the suggestion and instantly shook her head, bringing her eyes right up to her best friend's. "Phoebe…" she spoke seriously, "If I just hug him out of some deep seated love compulsion and we pretend like the fight never happened…well, that might make the in love part of me happy but it's never going to really fix anything." A determined look came to her face. "We need a full, open discussion…even if there's yelling…and especially if what you just said is going on between us with repressed feelings and junk really is going on…Heck, who knows—if I'm reverting to bully mode because I've been repressing wanting to be all bossy and ruthless with him, maybe Arnold went so off the deep end with me because he's trying to work out the whole 'being bullied' thing…" She considered and then shook her head to clear it, looking to her best friend and then her best guy friend once more as she summed things up. "Anyway, Pheebs, Brainy, the point is that this is too important to just dive into each other's arms and pretend like nothing happened…It's our first real fight and if we're going to have a real relationship we need to really work it out."
As Helga's speech finished…Brainy actually grinned with pride and approval. "Helga…I don't believe I could have said it better…myself…" The wheezing started up again. A frustrated look came to his face. "Sorry…" he managed to get out between his already thickening breaths, "…Already used the inhaler…four times…today…That's…the…limit…".
Helga actually smiled genuinely a little again and waved him off. "It's okay, Brainy…and thanks, I'm happy you agree. I know if you're behind it, it's probably a solid plan."
Brainy blushed a little and smiled. "Uh…thanks…Helga…"
Phoebe nodded and commented now too on Helga's strategy for her and Arnold's first fight, an impressed smile upon her face as well. "Helga, I have to say I agree with Brainy—your strategy is a good one and I think it's very wise of you to care so much about making your relationship that genuine and deep…Perhaps the next time you talk, instead of just diving on Arnold and apologizing simply because he's himself, you could explain your feelings on the matter to him like you just did to us…or at least let him know in the first place that you want to try having a calm, rational reasonable talk where neither of you could get carried away by your passions."
To Phoebe's interest, Helga almost chuckled. "Where neither of us could…Oh yeah, Pheebs, I can just picture Arnold in the middle of our yelling secretly pining away with passion to settle things so we can get back to being in each other's 'warm and waiting arms'…" She scoffed and rolled her eyes with a touch of a blush, resting her head on one of her hands again. "I'm pretty sure I'm the only one of us getting romantically worked up by our epic verbal battles…"
Phoebe couldn't help but chuckle and observe simply, "You never know, Helga…
Brainy wheezed. "Uh…what she said…"
Helga just smiled a little more (much to Phoebe as well as Brainy's happiness) and then reclined her chair back on its hind legs, pushing away from the table a little and gazing up in thought at the ceiling, "Yeah righ—OOF!"
"OW!"
For a second Helga wasn't sure what had happened. All she knew was that she was on her back on the floor.
Interestingly enough, Arnold right now was experiencing a similar situation…although he also had a tray of food all over his face.
Helga opened her eyes first and blinked a few times, then put a hand to her head and sat up. "Crimeny, what the heck is wrong with you—" Her eyes came into focus on the person sprawled out on the floor right before her. "Arno—" She froze and her eyes went wide as she realized whom she had leaned back into…and whom she had caused to trip, thus covering his face and hair with food.
And then suddenly the entire cafeteria burst into laughter at sight of the incident which Helga's sudden exclamation and the sound of the two kids falling had alerted them to.
At the sound of the laughter of her peers, which effectively reminded Helga that she was in public right now and needed to deal with it, the surprised blonde instantly stood up and shook her head to clear it, and then put on her usual scowl to glare at Arnold with. "I mean…I mean…" she swallowed…lately it had been getting harder and harder for her to force public humiliation on her beloved, even regardless of the fact that they were fighting…Still though, she managed to manage… "What the heck—watch where you're going, Football Head! Crimeny, why are you obsessed with crashing into me all the time?"
"Yes, Helga, I'M the one always crashing into YOU!"
A resounding chorus of "Oooo!" sounded from the rest of the cafeteria at this sudden and rather incredibly unexpected-in-a-million-years comeback from Arnold, who was now sitting up fully.
Now, in Arnold's defense, he really hadn't been expecting to suddenly find himself on the floor with food all over his face and as a result no less, of all things, of something Helga had done…and especially when he had been going over to her to specifically start in on burying the hatchet once and for all. In addition, well, he had also, thanks to his and Helga's mutual relationship, gotten out of the habit of ignoring things she said to him and into the habit of responding. Also finally, reflex in general had to be partly to blame….after all they were in a fight and she had just yelled at him.
Immediately after accidentally publically snapping at her like that though, Arnold's eyes flew open wide and his breath caught in his throat, and a slight blush came to his face. Not making eye contact with Helga, he stood up with his now half empty tray and was about to put aside his current embarrassment at this public situation, let her say whatever blustery comment she would feel the need to say to him now to keep up her reputation, and then say a quick apology back to her for bumping into her (just like he would have done in the pre-confession days) along with an additional apology in regards to his (very un-Arnold like) sudden exclamation… Was about to, that was, until the sound of a very distressed Helga caught his ears and made him make eye contact with her (just out of concern and curiosity).
"I…I…uh…"
To give this little 'I…I…uh…' some context, Arnold had never answered Helga G. Pataki back publically as he just had. Ever. And so this heretofore publically unheard of hesitation in speaking on the young girl's part was more than understandable. Indeed, she could now feel her heart pounding as she glanced around at the eager faces of the cafeteria's occupants, all just looking over at her with interest and rapt attentions and waiting for her response to this unusual challenge.
Meanwhile, Helga's eyes were so wide and her voice had such a squeak to it that Arnold couldn't help the touch of immense sadness that came over him at the sight and sound of all of that. She was getting scared and he knew it, and fight or no fight, he never liked to see her like that…And being humiliated in front of and taunted by the other kids was really the only thing in life to even come close to rivaling her fear of rats. He cleared his throat lightly and took a step toward her, deciding to initiate the winding down of the current public confrontation between them himself. "I mean…" he began calmly and plaintively, "I'm sorry, Helga…for bumping into you…" He…kind of made sure to add that last part a little firmly…still stubbornly not wanting what he was saying to be taken as an apology for their fight. "I guess I just wasn't looking where I was walking…I was a little distracted."
"Y-Yeah…well…" and slowly Helga's mouth started working again and she found herself saying in her normal defiant tone, her scowl completely returned (and a slight frustration going through her that she had Arnold to thank for it all thanks to the little jumpstart his words had given her), "…Just don't EVER let it happen again and just stay away from me from now on, you little geek, or I'll—WHOA!"
"Hel—OW!"
"Oh…"
"Oh…"
Helga's initial sudden exclamation came from the fact that, finishing up one of her standard 'Arnold threats', she had just gone to turn away from him and head over to the lunch line to grab herself another chocolate milk or something to cool off her hot temper with…only to suddenly slip on some of the uneaten food that had fallen on the floor from Arnold's tray, thus causing her to slip forward…on instinct grabbing at anything (in this case, the end of Arnold's shirt…leading to his "OW!" as he fell to the floor with her) to stop her fall, but in vain.
So Helga was now on her back on the floor and Arnold was now…on top of her. (And that was where the quiet, nervous, surprised 'Ohs' had come from…)
Helga wouldn't have even needed to open her eyes to recognize what that warm familiar pressure on her body meant (she'd grown familiar enough with it over the last few weeks…and on top of it all he was only wearing his shirt so the warmth of his body was extra close). But her eyes did open and the 'Oh' did escape her and her breath caught in her throat as that happened.
Arnold's eyes locked onto hers, equally in shock, with that same little 'Oh' and the same hitch of breath in his throat.
Slight blushes came to their faces.
From opposite sides of the cafeteria, Gerald and Phoebe managed to have the same thought at the same time.
'Uh oh…'
Lila and Brainy meanwhile were just waiting for the explosion, Lila hoping they would kiss and that it would all turn out ever so romantically and Brainy just hoping that Helga wouldn't lose it and hit anybody or anything (Arnold was, by nature, safe from her fist but who knew whom she might take out in a crowded cafeteria if and when everything went boom?)
"Oooo!" came another catcall, meanwhile, from the cafeteria as the conflict now looked to be escalating.
At that familiar taunting sound (which Helga knew could shift from being directed at Arnold for all of his bumbling right to her for being in love with him if even one person found something suspicious in their current interaction and said something), Helga swallowed and her scowl returned. "Get OFF me, you little jerk!" She reached up and pushed him off of her body (trying to make it seem hard but actually keeping her force at a minimum, not wanting to cause any harm to her beloved and still feeling guilty enough about that little push away she had given him outside of the movies on Sunday).
A still somewhat paralyzed Arnold suddenly found himself now pushed off and to the side of the girl he had just been on top of (and on a side note, after not finding himself on top of her, against her, or in any way truly near her for three days…it had felt…There weren't words, he decided, but if they didn't make up or at least set a date to do so soon he was seriously considering just going with the 'diving at her now and worrying about the consequences' later option). Feeling himself slam into the floor (and his tray) he couldn't help a scowl coming to his face, his eyes cringed shut. 'Why does she always have to overact? She could have just yelled at me again but then she has to go and make me fall on the floor just to add insult to injury!'
Helga meanwhile just sat up from the floor again today and dusted herself off. "Crimeny, the stuff I put up with!" she mumbled loudly so that the other kids could hear and she could maintain her reputation… 'All part of the show, people.' She felt so guilty and stupid thinking that…but then again she'd been feeling really guilty and stupid lately ever since this stupid fight with Arnold had started (and maybe even before then just about still keeping her secret in general) so she figured there wasn't much difference.
Arnold, meanwhile, still on the floor took a second to take a breath and sit up, and was about to try talking calmly to Helga again despite everything…when suddenly he was met with a lot of laughter form the other kids. And then the announcement, courtesy of Harold Berman, of…
"Ha! Ha! Arnold's covered in tapioca!"
"Garsh, it's all over the back of his shirt! Along with a bunch of peas and mashed potatoes and mystery meat! That's dang near hilarious!"
"Oh my gosh—talk about a fashion faux pas! And speaking of which, Arnold, darling, you've really got to put the sweater back on—you've ruined your whole color palette."
Arnold felt himself blushing more and more…and then it didn't help any when he looked over to see Helga obviously trying to fight back some genuine laughter of her own at the sight of him…(though in her defense she genuinely was trying not to openly mock him this time—it was just a little amusing to her seeing him suddenly all splattered with food…kind of cute, actually, though she fought herself about admitting it). At seeing Helga snickering at him like that though Arnold's blushing grew even stronger as he couldn't help but note in the back of his mind that he was being embarrassed not only in front of all of his friends…but in front of his girlfriend...his girlfriend who was supposed to be in the process of secretly wanting him back, NOT laughing at him like he was some kind of total geek.
"Aw, what's Arnold gonna do now?"
This taunt (another one once again courtesy of Harold Berman) made Arnold blink…What was he going to do now? He knew what he was supposed to do now: he was supposed to take a deep breath, apologize once more to Helga, stand up, and walk away…
But all of that was the last thing in the world he wanted to do, to be just perfectly honest.
Helga started to try and stand herself up now (this whole little thing had been amusing and funny but now it really was probably time to wrap it up), smirking considerably for show. "Ah, forgot old Football Head." She addressed the crowd smugly. "I just want to get another chocolate milk before the bell ri—OOF!"
Arnold had reached up on instinct and pulled a half standing Helga back to the floor with him. "Here, Helga. Have mine." And in his anger the young football headed boy was now holding his still rather full container of chocolate milk out to her…though rather than holding it before her in a gesture of sharing, he was…tipping it very obviously right over the top of her head.
Helga raised part of her brow, taking a second to process all of this…and then her eyes slowly went wide…and then she looked him right in the eye. "You…wouldn't…dare…" she hissed with a scowl…and a touch of fear.
"Ooo!" The other kids were interested again.
(And Lila was intrigued, Brainy was rolling his eyes, and Gerald and Phoebe were just wondering what sort of social clean up they would have to do when all finally got said and done).
For a moment, at Helga's words, Arnold's sanity returned and he blinked, realizing the unnecessarily bold move he was right now in the process of making! 'What am I thinking! I can't…No, I should just apologize like usual and we'll talk about this later.' He began to pull his arm back just a little, blushing like mad at almost snapping like that…his heart pounding…Oh why was it that everything, just EVERYTHING, she did, no matter what it was, always made his heart pound!
Helga, seeing his arm back off just slightly and the chocolate milk carton being untipped a little, let out a sigh of relief internally. 'Yes! Okay…Wow, I don't even know how I would have dealt with that situation if he had actually…' She gulped, so secretly grateful that her love was so very good at controlling what little temper he had…Oh it made her want to hold and hug and soothe his fevered brow all the more—he was so good to her, always managing to put her first. Instead though (of course to keep up appearances), she scoffed loudly and added, to wrap up this situation nicely and neatly to just make absolutely sure to kill any potential suspicion about herself feeling anything more than hatred for Arnold, "Oh yeah right—like Football Head would ever have it in him to actually stand up to me! No one comes out on top of Helga G. Pataki! Especially not some do gooder, overly moral, stick in the mud, little shri—AHHH!" The cold chocolaty milk flooded down Helga's hair.
Her shocked eyes shot to Arnold.
He was scowling at her, squeezing the last drop of milk out of the carton over her head (but…really…she'd just HAD to get in the last word, and she'd just HAD to finish up by (or rather nearly finish up by) calling him a little shrimp!)
But then just as quickly as it had come on, Arnold blinked at his actions and snapped back to his former self. It all processed—the whole big thing—and then his little jaw fell. 'Uh oh…'
Helga just stared at him in total shock, her mouth open, chocolate milk dripping from her hair. "I…I…"
Laughter erupted throughout the cafeteria.
And then Helga felt her scowl come back. It had to. It was the only way. She stood up and grabbed a handful of mashed potatoes from her own lunch tray on her table. Her eyes narrowed down at Arnold. "You are dead."
Okay, he hadn't backed down the first time he was 'supposed to' when he had initially crashed into Helga, and he hadn't backed down the second time he was 'supposed to' with the chocolate milk, but Arnold knew he needed to back down now. This was the wall, this was the limit, this was the stopping point.
But darn it the laughter all around him wasn't helping…and he was so sick of always looking like the weak one of the two of them!
So instead he stood up as well, his own scowl returning. "Okay…hit me then, Helga!" he announced before he could stop himself.
Helga blinked, her hand holding up the blob of mashed potatoes trembling a little. "Huh?" she squeaked, disbelieving that she had actually just heard from him what she had actually just heard from him.
Arnold smirked just a bit, liking catching her off guard like this…starting to like this whole thing a lot, actually. "I said hit me with the potatoes. I just poured milk on you…I guess the only right thing to do would be to let you hit m—." He was cut off by the feeling of the warm potatoes being smashed against his nose.
He opened his eyes as the hand mashing them there pulled back, and then he blinked several times until his sights focused on Helga again. He scowled at her again (now more in frustration though than smugly—after all she had actually called his bluff! The one thing she could have done to topple his moment of triumph!).
Meanwhile, Helga was just scowling back and breathing heavily…not sure what was going on but…maybe liking it a little bit herself. "Your move, overly moral head boy!" she countered, her little heart fluttering and so very torn with emotions right now.
(In their varying places in the cafeteria, Lila cringed a little, Brainy was seriously considering stepping in, and once again, Gerald and Phoebe had the same thought. 'Oh boy…here we go again.')
Helga's challenge made Arnold blink again and so much of his modest and moral nature flood over him once more. 'Wait no really…what am I doing? I need to stop this now! I need to apologize, I…I…' And yet…this felt…it was strange but this…although it all seemed like the wrong thing to do it certainly did not feel like the wrong thing to do…Indeed he maybe had to admit deep down that…there was something about all of this that was…even appealing, one might say…like it was satisfying something he'd been feeling over the last few days…or longer…giving vent to something that had just been burning deep inside of him.
"OOO, come on, fight, fight fight!" Now the entire cafeteria was chanting around Arnold and Helga.
"Ha!" Helga smirked at the unsure look now on Arnold's face, feeling so nervous herself though about all of this attention and peer pressure and about how high the stakes had already been raised that she was just saying things now without thinking and for the sheer sake of saying them for the safety her words could give her! "Now before you get even more in over your head don't you think you should give up! You'll never win against me, Arnoldo, no matter how hard you try! Like you have it in you to do anything but the right thing when you get right down to it! Face it, Arnold—you cannot beat me! Period!" She looked at him with all defiance.
The scowl was back on Arnold's face…though this time there was just a little smile there too. "Hey, Helga?" he asked simply and softly and nicely.
"Yeah, paste for brains?" She leaned forward right into his face with a big smug grin, expecting her modest and meek little apology from him right about now.
Instead Arnold's eyes narrowed just the tiniest bit. "You know…I may be kind of a wet blanket like you always say but…sometimes the right thing to do can be doing the wrong thing when the time is right."
She just raised part of her brow in confusion. What the heck did that mean? 'What the heck does that mean?'
"Oh and—" And now he was just doing his best not to full on laugh, "Have some Jello!" And with that he picked up a handful of the green, gelatinous stuff off of her own tray on the table and pushed it right into Helga's face!
Helga inhaled sharply at the cold, jiggly substance suddenly flooding her eyes and nose and mouth and pulled back…shocked yet at the same time thankful for the big blobs of green currently sticking to and slowly slipping off of her face which were hopefully hiding the bright blush (both of indignation and of…of just the thrill of whatever this all was with her beloved) flooding her cheeks. She scowled again and yet there was something of a suppressed smile in it. "You…You little shrimp!" She suddenly grabbed a hand full of peas and tossed them at her beloved, hitting him right in the face.
Arnold squinted his eyes shut as the peas hit is face and then bounced harmlessly to the floor. And then he opened his eyes…and that smug little 'eyes narrowed' look was still there. "Oh I don't see any shrimp here…" He smirked and picked up a cup from another table. "But how about some chocolate pudding this time!" He tossed it quickly as he could…but she was quicker and she ducked, and the pudding projectile landed with a plop on someone else just off behind her.
And that was all it took for the cafeteria full of eager, pumped up, upper level elementary-schoolers all with half eaten trays of food in hand…
"FOOD FIGHT!"
Instantly the cafeteria broke out into pandemonium.
Helga and Arnold just stood staring at each other in shock for several seconds at this new development around them, both instantly coming out of…whatever satisfying feeling it was they had just both been going with that had led to this pandemonium in the first place.
Suddenly Helga's scowl returned and she ducked a flying cup of applesauce and snatched half of her sandwich from the table and tossed it absentmindedly in the direction the applesauce had come from. She ducked down for cover using the table and let out a frustrated sigh and looked to Arnold. "This is all YOUR fault! You—"
At her address, Arnold came out of his shock and then broke into a scowl now as well and just managed to miss being hit by some mashed potatoes flying at him from the side. He almost felt himself about to pick up a stray piece of food and throw it on instinct but did his best to resist…which was a lot easier now, he couldn't help but note, as the food hadn't come from his beloved. "Oh it's all MY fault?" He looked at down her in frustration, cutting her off.
"Doi! Of course!" Helga rolled her eyes and reached up to snag her now basically empty tray to try and block some chips that suddenly came her way. "What the heck were you doing over here anyway in the first place?" she asked him, still with a fair amount of annoyance.
Arnold let out an exasperated sigh, snagging his own empty tray from the floor and likewise using it to shield himself a little. "Going to throw out my tray so I could come back and ask you if we could try talking again later! And you know there's also a chance that I've missed you a little—why do you have to be so stubbo—WHOA!" Arnold, who had been almost on instinct taking a step toward Helga as he had been speaking to her, suddenly found himself slipping forward on the food from his tray that Helga had made him spill before which led to him suddenly falling forward and crashing right into her, knocking them both completely on their sides to the floor.
Finding herself, after a blink and a moment to take it all in, half under Arnold again, Helga growled and instantly pushed him off of her once more today. "Hey, I don't care how 'accidentally on purpose' it is, you are not allowed to touch me right now! I am furious with you, Arnold! Hmph!" Still though Helga couldn't deny to herself that the two instances of full contact she'd had with her beloved over the last few minutes had been the first in a while and they had felt…well let's just say she wasn't about to complain about the sudden familiar (and sorely missed) spark that had run through her body or the familiar hitching of her breath in her throat…the familiar shiver of anticipation up her spine or the familiar pounding of her heart in her chest like a jackhammer and…
…Unbeknownst to her…Arnold's feelings on these last two instances of suddenly finding them so close to each other again after quite a few days of distance weren't very different from hers…A thousand and one feelings and sensations and emotions all brought on by the simple act of her warm, long, soft self near him… And if only Helga had thought about it a little she might have realized that things were probably even a little bit harder for Arnold…After all she'd had six or seven years to practice resisting being near him despite her desires to the contrary…whereas Arnold, well, had not.
Indeed, it definitely took Arnold an extra second along with a slight blush and a deep breath, but he finally managed to regain his voice and to reply to Helga's exclamation with a slight scowl, "Oh yes, Helga. I'm just throwing myself on top of you on purpose. It's got nothing to do with the food fight now going on because you always have to be so dramatic all the time!" He did his best to get on his hands and knees and then peeked up over the table, trying to see how bad the fray was. The half a saucer of tapioca pudding that instantly hit him in the face answered his question and immediately and caused him to duck down for cover again.
Helga got on her knees now as well meanwhile, scowling deathly at him. "Oh and what happened to always thinking me being dramatic was kind of cute, huh? OOF!" She had been making this reply in a sarcastic and singsong voice while taking a quick peek out over the table herself…until she had gotten hit in the side of the head with a half melted Mr. Fudgie bar. "Oh just great!" She ducked back down and grabbed a napkin off the floor, trying to clean off her ponytail. "Now I have to get chocolate milk AND chocolate ice cream out of my hair. Fantastic." She glared at Arnold once more. "Yet another thing that's your fault, Football Head!"
"Maybe it's the fault of the person who started the food fight…or our fight in general!" Arnold shot back angrily, holding up his tray again to block himself from more food fallout, the tapioca now gone from his face thanks to some wiping with his shirt.
"Once again, that would be YOU, Mr. Do the right thing!" Helga shot back just as angrily, glaring at him and leaning forward to get in his face. "You started everything here with your stupid need to interfere, and you started everything at the movies with your stupid need to be perfect all the time!" She tried to stand again absentmindedly, just wanting to get away from him she was so steamed and sad and in love and mixed up all at once, but some mustard flew right at her cheek and she instantly recalled all the other food flying around and she ducked down again in fear and defeat, wiping off the sauce from her face. "Crimeny!" she just exclaimed to herself in frustration!
Arnold, still on his knees on the floor, just let out a very exasperated sigh at all of her blaming of him and was about to say something else back to her when to his surprise and large bag of half opened chips suddenly landed in his lap. He blinked at them and then looked up at the sound of Sid addressing him. "Hey Arnold, pass those back here!"
"Uh…sure Sid!" Arnold quickly leaned up and tossed the bag back over to his friend, and then turned his sights back to Helga again, taking a deep breath and his scowl resuming before shifting himself fully under the table now (as did she, Sid suddenly coming into the middle of things suddenly making her very aware again of how very public this place was) so that they wouldn't be in sight of the rest of the cafeteria anymore considering the sensitive subject matter of their current conversation. "Helga," Arnold started again, levelly and firmly, "I do not need to be perfect all the time. What you did with sneaking us into the movies made me uncomfortable. I don't make you do things that make you feel uncomfortable…" He got very close to her and added in a very low voice… "Like being your boyfriend in public along with just in private, for example…like I've been not doing out of respect for your wishes for almost four weeks even though I don't exactly like lying to all of our friends except Gerald, Phoebe, Lila and Brainy, and having to get teased and bullied all the time by you in front of everyone just to make it look like nothing's changed between us." He knew it was a bit of a low blow but at this point Arnold couldn't help but really start to think that maybe Gerald was right—maybe this whole thing, this whole big conflict between them, really was the result of he and Helga resenting each other just a little from a million things from the past and maybe a few things from now…and maybe just saying everything he was feeling, getting it all out there, was the only way to make things better.
Helga just remained staring at him and breathing heavily for several seconds…and then he watched with interest as her scowl faltered for just a second…but then returned in full force. She practically hissed her response. "You KNOW VERY WELL why I asked you to keep everything a secret still, and you ALSO KNOW VERY WELL that YOU'RE the one who keeps insisting that you don't mind and that you actually kind of like the risk so DON'T try and pin that one on me. Ever! And as for your overbearing moral conscience you also KNOW, in point of fact, that I have been having to drag you through everything that has been romantically for your own good ever since this thing between us started from my confession when I had to drag you into the reality of what was going on between us, to our one week anniversary when I had to drag you into realizing that you actually liked kissing, to everything that's been going on for the past three weeks when I've had to drag you into every new stage of this relationship! And if you'd just LOOSEN UP ALREADY I could maybe take a break from all the grunt work thank you VERY much!" 'Okay that was…that was a lot. And I know I don't really mind that he's taken some time to get used to things and that I haven't really minded helping him along all that much but still…Phoebe thinks we have some issues to work out then fine—let's lay them all out on the table! Every single frustrating thing!' She just knelt there awaiting his response.
Arnold just continued looking right into her eyes, his facial expression twitching between several different emotions…until he suddenly scooched out from under the table, slowly stood with a scowl and then grabbed the nearest piece of food he could find (it happened to be an orange). For a moment it looked like he was going to hurl it across the cafeteria…but then he closed his eyes and with a deep breath through his nose threw it to the floor beside him as hard as he could, actually causing it to burst and splatter entirely, leaving just a pile of pulp and busted fruit and broken skin upon the floor.
Helga had to blink at the sight…and actually had to gulp at it too. She wasn't even certain that even SHE could have thrown a whole solid orange with enough force to the floor to cause it to fall apart like that. 'I almost forgot how strong Football Head really is—all those karate lessons and stuff with his grandma…He must of…lost control again. Yikes he MUST be upset…' She continued to watch him.
Arnold, both arms now down at his sides, took another breath and then opened his eyes and got back on the floor under the table right in front of Helga. "Helga…" he began in a voice obviously trying to sound patient…but that was obviously just dying to…to yell or to scream or to do something…something…, "I KNOW that I'm not exactly as advanced with all this relationship stuff as you. I know that it took me seven years longer than you to figure out how well we go together. I know that when you get right down to it you're a better kisser than me. I know you write better poetry than me. I know you're naturally better at the flirting. And I know that I'm more modest and shy about these things than most guys would be, okay!" He continued to just look at her with a scowl…though this time a touch of hurt was there as well. "Why…" and then the anger, the intensity, the…passion was back in full force as he whispered right to her face, "Why do you always know the one thing to insult me about? You always have! You're impossible to deal with sometimes!"
Helga, feeling guilt overwhelm her at his reply to her last comment, had basically been in Arnold's corner…until that last sentence of his, anyway. She glared at him again now, just so freaking frustrated for about the billionth time in her life that this person existed who could make her just want to tear her hair out and yet make her just hold him and squeeze him and savor him in delight! It wasn't fair! None of it was fair! "And you're a jerk sometimes, you know that!" she shot back with abandon.
"Grr…You can be so rude!" 'And…and unpredictable…and…exciting…'
"And you can be SO boring!" 'And…so caring…so righteous…'
"Bossy!" 'Beautiful…'
"Kiss up!" 'Kissable…'
"Bully!" 'Blue-eyed…'
"Easy Target!" 'Easy on the eyes…'
"Hot tempered!" 'Fiery…'
"Spoiled Sport!" 'Sultry…'
"Why won't you just stop fighting and make up with me?" 'I miss you!' A breath. 'Is it getting warmer in here?' The young boy felt his face all flushed.
"Why won't you stop getting angry instead of apologizing like I know that conscience of yours wants you to?" 'I can't live without you!' A breath. 'Do I have a fever or something—my face feels like it's on fire…' The young girl felt heat all but singing the edges of her cheeks.
They were on their hands and knees now, under the table for cover and right in each other's faces, breathing heavily and scowling darkly, having moved closer and closer with every shouted insult…and with every secret compliment…
Several seconds of tense silence passed.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" "I'm sorry, okay?" came their mutual screams of desperation at once. And then Arnold got up on his knees and flew forward to passionately kiss Helga just as Helga got up on her knees and flew forward to toss him back on the floor and wrap her arms around him and never let him go.
"OW!"
"OW!"
Needless to say these slightly contradictory movements resulted in Arnold and Helga basically slamming into each other heads first and then being thrown backwards under the table quite a bit by the force of their collision.
The couple blinked a few times, now sitting sprawled back on the floor, their breathing still heavy, looked to each other and then each got right back on their knees went for the previously attempted actions of the other.
"OW!"
"OW! Oh for the love of…"
Once again, a painful crash rather than a tender embrace or a passionate kiss.
They looked to each other once more, breathing heavily still from their positions tossed back on the floor under the table again.
"I know this is your department…" Helga finally spoke up, sitting up a little, "But why don't we compromise and hug and kiss at the same time."
Arnold processed the statement for exactly one second while he sat up a little as well. "Deal."
And then the two kids on their knees under the table moved forward like lightening to wrap their arms tightly around each other and kiss like they hadn't kissed in quite a while…which they hadn't (at least for them). They kissed with hunger for the action, as though they had been starving for three days instead of just not lip locking and were finally finding sweet sustenance. Arnold pulled Helga tight and close and pressed his lips firmly against hers, moving his head to the opposite side she was moving hers. He could feel her throat giving little, quiet, involuntary moans, feel his fingertips pressing deeply against the material of her sweater against her back (and now he truly understood why she was so keen on him taking off his sweater half the time when they kissed…it was so annoying having that little bit of extra fabric between his hands and the warmth of her body…the gentle curve of her back in his arms where it belonged.) To top it all off Arnold felt himself all but shiver in waves as their contact processed with him, the shock to his system was so great after all of those days of not being together…and it also didn't help how enthusiastic she was being. Helga meanwhile kept one arm around Arnold's body but the other one traveled up so she could run her fingers through his hair, weaving the strands around her fingers, savoring the soft feeling of his wild blond tufts, all but massaging his scalp with the tips of her fingers. And along with cradling his head and hair, she also danced inside at the feeling of his cute yet strong and firm little body with her arm wrapped around it—oh how did he fit in her grasp so perfectly, she had to wonder in delight. Along with that, she thrilled at how he was only wearing his thin plaid shirt…thrilled at the familiar sensation of the fabric under her fingertips…thrilled at the warmth from his body that he shared with hers. She felt her chest rising and falling with deep, thick breaths through her nose and felt his doing the same in rhythm with hers and it was heavenly. And all the while their hearts pounded one against the other just like they were supposed to…She all but trembled at all of it…
'Arnold…'
'…Helga'
Several seconds later when neither one of them could force themselves to bear staying conscious without a full breath anymore they pulled apart, breathing heavily as they opened their eyes and looked at each other.
"Helga," Arnold instantly began quickly, levelly, without hesitation, still holding her close and flush against him, just looking blankly at her. "I have something to confess. When you yell it at me…well, you know how I'm attracted to you? Well, it makes me really REALLY attracted to you…" He blushed. "And it makes me want to kiss you. I don't know why. I guess because I love you."
"Arnold," Helga stated in reply, still holding flush him as well, likewise just talking in a quick, simple, level voice, likewise just looking at him, "I've got something to 'confess' too. When we fight I…all I can think the whole time is about how wonderful you really are and about how all I want to do is hold you and never let you go because you're the most wonderful person I've ever met! I'm not sure why either but that whole 'I love you' thing sounds like a pretty good explanation."
"Okay…" Arnold replied, his breaths slowing a little though his eyes were still locked onto hers…arms still tightly around her. "Good to know. Thanks for telling me."
"Yeah…" Helga replied, looking just like Arnold right now…arms still tight around him as well. "Same here."
Arnold swallowed, really trying to continue to maintain his self-control as his little conscience urged him to go on with, "But…But even though I feel that way because I love you, I've kind of been trying to resist it because…because I know that we really can't get lost in things like that…because it won't really fix anything. We really have to talk out our problems and settle them responsibly."
Helga let out a sigh, her breaths likewise slowing and likewise just doing her best to stay focused…though meanwhile the warmth of Arnold in his shirt teased right under her fingertips. "Yeah, I know what you mean. We can't just collapse into being all lovey dovey with each other. We have to work it out."
"Uh huh…We have to talk…" He gave a small, affirming nod, even managing a little smile.
"Yes. We…have to talk." Helga reciprocated the gesture and let out a little breath.
Both swallowed and seemed to be getting in control of their emotions again…
…Until Helga's lower lip trembled and the most pitiable look imaginable came into Arnold's eyes and suddenly both crashed forward again in an intense embrace and kiss, pushing and pulling against each other, one nearly toppling back and then the other, both savoring everything once more about suddenly being together again.
The air running out once more, they separated yet again, though they still clung to each other like before. "Okay…" Helga began this time, panting…trying not to moan deeply in the midst of everything going on inside of her right now. "S-Slight heat of the moment slip up. We already know that happens with us when we avoid each other…Lest we forget FTi or our first date, heh, heh... We should…We should probably at least try and say something about the fight first…"
Arnold nodded, closing his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again (and resisted the almost painful urge to scream 'Oh just kiss me, Helga!' and to kiss her and never stop). "O-okay…yeah, you're right…heat…heat of the moment…" He cleared his throat and looked her in the eyes again, his face still a flushed blank. "Okay. Helga, I don't want to sneak into the movies anymore. If that's something you want to do on your own time then, even though I wish you wouldn't, I can't stop you. But I don't want to do it myself, okay?"
Helga nodded, her face likewise basically a flushed blank. "Okay, that's fair and I should respect your feelings. But Arnold, sometimes I think you can go a little overboard with doing the right thing and even though I love that you're such a good person I think you might have more fun if you let yourself live a little more 'on the edge' sometimes, so…even if we always pay to get in from now on would you object to me sneaking us in just a little candy or something?" She wasn't even trying to be cute right now—she was sincerely asking to make sure that they sincerely settled every potential matter between them.
Arnold considered her suggestion genuinely and open-mindedly then finally replied, "I…guess that's not the worst thing we could do, Helga. And you were kind of right last weekend…they are a little over priced. Could we still at least buy the popcorn there?"
"Well of course," Helga replied, still just with that wide-eyed look, "Movie theatre popcorn is the best no matter how much it costs."
Arnold considered for another second as though trying to figure out if there were any other points to settle. "What about drinks?" he finally asked.
"How about to each his or her own?" she suggested with a shrug. "You want to sneak it in that's fine, you want to buy that's fine too. And also, no more intense sneaking around from me in general if other people happen to be there that we know. You're right—just seeing us seeing the same movie won't blow our cover."
Arnold…smiled…the first real and true one he'd done in three days. "That sounds good to me."
Helga smiled…and giggled (the first real ones of those she'd done in three days). "Me too."
Then Helga's eyes went wide once again and a quick blush came to her cheeks as Arnold suddenly pulled her in tight, their noses touching…and he gazed into her eyes with that passionate spark that had found its way into his own more and more often ever since this crazy relationship with them had started. "Now…where were we…" he whispered in his sultry tone that made her shiver.
An eager Arnold, not waiting for a response, closed his eyes and leaned in the rest of the way…only to feel his lips hit…something that was skin but that definitely was not Helga's perfect mouth that he had come to know so well over the last few months of his life. He blinked and opened his eyes only to find her hand between their mouths. He pulled back with an eyebrow raised—was she still mad at him?
Helga, however, put that potential possibility to rest by lowering her hand and smiling and shaking her head and saying simply (even though she would have preferred his plan of action herself), "Uh uh uh…We have a couple of other things that we said to each other at the movies and that we just said to each other here that we need to talk about. Phoebe says she thinks we're suppressing stuff from all those years of bullying and that we have to get it all out in the open…"
Arnold's eyes couldn't help but light up and a smile came to his face. "Really? Gerald said the same thing." He chuckled a little at the irony, and then let out a sigh and brushed the back of one of his hands along her cheek. "But can't we do it later? We already fixed the fight after all…" His breath came out in a shuddery sigh…It was almost intoxicating having her again after so many days without her…He literally couldn't get over it.
Helga straightened at his touch and words and tone, and then closed her eyes and leaned into his hand…but then her eyelids managed to flutter open and she managed to say to him in a light voice, "J-Just a quick patch job at least on all those little barbs and we can talk out anything else we come up with after school or something okay?" Though she was managing to speak reasonably she at least had to let out a small giggle at his touch to her face like this. "And also, you wanting kiss more than 'talk'? Crimeny remind me to alert the media, Football Head." 'Oh Arnold…your have the touch of an angel…' She swooned on the inside.
Arnold, meanwhile, had to chuckle at the irony as well, just savoring for another moment the soft feeling of her delicate cheek under his hand…warm with her blushing. "I could say the same thing about you wanting to talk more than kiss, Helga…" he replied lightly.
Helga felt her heart flutter but did her best to stay focused for just a little while longer. "So…" she let out a breath as Arnold removed his hand from her face to her shoulder, and she felt her heartbeat go from cardiac arrest to mild adrenalin rush in accordance with the shift of his touch. She went on, speaking in a level and reasonable tone. "You think I'm stubborn, bossy, have a temper, and am impossible to deal with sometimes. I actually think those can be fair points, but I really do try and keep them in check Arnold. At least now. You know that. And if I'm going with one of those traits to an extreme in school or in a public place it's only to keep up the act and not because it's how I really feel, okay? But…I'll try and tone it down a little from now on—I promise. And also, I don't think you're at all behind when it comes to knowing how to be a boyfriend and I'm sorry I snapped and said anything even close to that in the first place. Please don't ever think that's true, my love. After all, some of the experiences you've given already have just…well…they've gone above and beyond even the wildest expectations of my girlhood fantasies, and those could get pretty wild over the years... A-And also I didn't mean what I said at the movies about you not being able to get a date before me because there was something wrong with you and you only being with me because you couldn't ever get any other girl…You're a catch, Arnold, and I was just angry and those other girls were just blind….And also you do have a spine. Just because you don't go and do stupid and reckless things like I do half the time, doesn't mean there haven't been plenty of times when you've risked your neck all for something you love like with saving the neighborhood or Mighty Pete or any one of a hundred other things that have made me both want to kill you myself and at the same time just hug you out of fear for your safety…Okay?" She smiled just a little sheepishly, her voice loving and sincere, her eyes almost pricking with tears of happiness and laughter at the idea that her stubbornness to realize and admit all of these things to her love had really been the only thing separating her from him for these three long days…so silly really when you thought about it. So simple and so silly.
At her full scale apology finishing, Arnold just let out the most content sigh in the world and smiled at her so joyfully and warmly. "Okay, Helga. Thank you…for all of that." And then he started on his own. "And as for me, you think I don't know how to have fun, that I'm a little boring and that I follow my conscience too much. Well, I'll admit to all of those things too, Helga, but like you said about yourself I do try to keep them in check and to have some fun with things. It's just that even though I want to have a good time I also want to feel like a good person while I'm doing it all, okay? But…I will keep in mind that it might not be the worst thing in the world for me to lighten up a little. And as for what I said about you being so overbearing, I was just frustrated because I know that you're actually a wonderful and understanding person with a beautiful heart. And I didn't mean what I said about keeping us a secret being a burden or anything—I know it's important to you that for now our love is a private thing and even though I couldn't think of anything better in the whole world than everyone knowing that we care about each other, I'll keep our secret forever if it's what you need to be happy, okay? And I didn't mean all that other stuff I said at the movies either…I didn't fall in love with you back because you were desperate and there—I fell in love with you back because…I love you so much…that I couldn't deny it anymore. And I didn't mean that stuff about it being your fault that it took me so long to love you. I just couldn't put two and two together but...even before I did, I always knew there was something special about you. You know that, right?" And then he smiled a little more. "And just to be clear…I like that you're only dainty some of the time and not all of the time…and no matter what stupid thing I ever say you'll always be a lady to me…the only real true lady in the whole world." Arnold, at the back of his mind, tried to recall why he had fought himself tooth and nail for all these days about just admitting all of that stuff so that he could have the love of his life back in his life again and it almost made him laugh because he genuinely could not see any good reason for his stubbornness…not a single one worth being away from the girl finally back in his arms.
"Oh…I…I know, Arnold…and thank you…thank you so much…" Helga just sighed out to him so appreciatively. She smiled…
"And…" he had to ask with interest and a half smile, one other thing she had mentioned on Sunday occurring to him now, "Have…Have people really ever thought you were a boy when you were walking down the street?"
Helga instantly blushed, remembering letting that slip the other night. "I-I…"and then she nodded almost in a bit of humiliation. "Y-Yes…"
Arnold just grinned though and reached up and behind her and twirled the back of her ponytail tightly around his fingers. "And…do you have their names so I can explain to them that they were obviously so blinded by all your feminine beauty and grace that they couldn't process how much of a perfect woman you are…? I mean, really, you're a lot for a guy to take in—I'm almost not surprised you've sent a few men into denial who just weren't strong enough to handle as much woman as you are."
Helga all but trembled…and then she smiled goofily…and then suddenly she had her hands gripping the sides of his head and she pulled him flush against her with a mischievous grin, their noses touching. "Alright, that's it Arnold…as you said before…Where were we again indeed?"
Arnold blinked and blushed for just a moment, but then just smiled and melted the rest of the way close to her. "I missed you, Helga…my wonderful sweet loving Helga…" His voice was a low whisper.
Helga rested her forehead against his. She whispered as well. "And I missed you, my muse and light of my life…my adorable and adoring little Arnold…"
They closed their eyes and gave into a tender embrace and kiss, this time completely guilt free as they had resolved their issues.
Helga, after quite a while…quite a while of tousled hair and deep breaths that went in rhythm and lips that fit and fit and fit and fit, was about to pull away to catch her breath and talk to her beloved a little bit more (and to possibly playfully remind him that even though they were still under the cover of their table while the food fight raged around them, they probably should hold off on much more of this 'making up' and what it could turn into until later when they weren't surrounded by a room full of half of P.S. 118). She managed to just separate from Arnold's lips and was about to speak but then…suddenly she strangely felt him on instinct reach up and put his hands on either side of her head and pull her back just slightly. "Wait, just…" he barely whispered out and she blinked…but then allowed him to pull her lips back to his own…and she was…very surprised at how he kissed her this time, to say the least...because it was quite new... It was like…like he was trying to get the fullest impression of her lips that he could…like he was kissing her not just to kiss her but to savor the very action of their contact…like he was pulling something from her…It was so calm but so deep…She couldn't recall ever feeling so connected to him. He practically took the breath from her lungs….
"Mm...Mmmmm…Mm…"
And then Arnold actually moaned. Deeply, sincerely, audibly, pleasurably moaned. His throat and mouth and entire being thrummed with sound and it entered her.
And though they were still kissing Helga felt her half closed eyes pop open wide in surprise, nay dilate, because in point of fact though Arnold sighed and played with her hair and often ended up holding her close and even sometimes leaned her back among many other things…he almost never did…that… That was strictly a 'Helga' thing, according to him (honestly, when they were kissing she usually barely had an idea of her actions so she was mostly just taking his word for it that apparently she moaned like crazy). The last time she could recall him even having gotten close to doing it himself though was that Monday after the weekend of their one-week anniversary when they had been happily making out in an alley near the school, and once or twice maybe toward the end of that little 'hard to get date' they'd had. But still none of those near instances had been even nearly as intense or deep or prolonged as this instance! And it felt like her insides were just plain coming all undone, melting like butter, and making her putty in his hands…the sound flowing into her was so perfect…
Finally Arnold delicately pulled away from Helga and she just blinked several times, smiling in total elation to herself. "A-Arnold…!" she managed to squeak out with a giggle. "Oh…" 'Oh where oh where to even begin…'
She found Arnold just gazing into her eyes with a dazed expression like he was completely gone—genuinely and sincerely more gone than she had ever seen him before. "I love you, Helga." She couldn't help but feel another giggle pass through her and her heart flutter. Yes, he'd said that phrase quite a few times so far during their relationship but she hadn't heard it in three days, and also the way he said it here and now…it was like he meant it more than ever or something. She sighed girlishly.
"Helga…" he then continued in his daze (to her total surprise and interest), seeming to almost savor her name as he spoke it, "Helga…What a beautiful name for the most beautiful woman in the world…The loveliest, fairest, most intoxicating, most undeniable poet and person and girl I've ever met! Oh, I…I'm never going to let you stay out of my arms again for so much time no matter what we ever fight about, ever—I promise! Going so many days without your lips touching mine was unbearable! I dreamt of it, daydreamed of it, felt it calling to me—our burning kisses of love! Trying to live my life without you, even for a few days—it was like living without food or water or air…It was impossible! You're the color in my world! My sunset, my sunshine…The ravishing love of my life! Let me carry you away! Please! Let me take you in my arms and carry you anywhere you want to go, as long as you'll be with me! Oh Helga, let's go right n—"
During these last few lines Arnold had seriously been dead in the middle of actually preparing to scoop Helga up from the floor…but then as he had gone to stand his head slammed into the table…He dropped back on his knees to the floor, snapped out of it and stopped cold. Reality flooded back…
Arnold's eyes instantly went wide and he blushed so furiously that it was surprising his little heart didn't go 'pop' right then and there, and then he glanced down as shyly as possible, moving his arms behind his back from their former positing of having been about to wrap around Helga's back and under her legs. "OH…um…I…I…."
The little thing was just paralyzed in panic…just plain paralyzed.
The first thing his burning with blushing little ears heard was Helga suddenly do something between a scoff and a giggle and on impulse he looked up to see her giving him the most surprised look imaginable with the most pleased smile imaginable. "Arnold…did you just…" she began, incredulously and yet with such delight, "Did you just...monologue, Arnold? About me?"
Arnold felt his heart race in embarrassment and silliness and confusion and exposure and heat consumed his face. He couldn't bear to look her in the eye. 'Wow…if I'm feeling this embarrassed right now I can't even imagine how she must have felt on the FTi building when she snapped out of it…At least we're dating right now so…I guess it's not SO bad but still…,' He swallowed. "W-Well, I…sort of…" his voice quietly replied, cracking a tiny bit, "I guess…"
Helga was just… 'Wow.'
"I-I…" Arnold went on totally shyly, little hands clasped in his little lap and looking all worried, "I…guess, I've, uh…been absorbing that way of speaking of yours…you know from all the monologues and the poetry, heh…Weird, huh?"
"A-And…this…absolutely charming new little habit of yours was brought on by…?" a still enchanted and entranced Helga just had to ask.
Arnold shrugged and just barely glanced his eyes up at hers. "…Um…by, um...how I, um…kissed you just now, I guess, heh?" And then he blinked and felt his heart pound all the more at the reminder of that other unusual thing he had just done.
"Yeah…" she interjected, still totally intrigued and giggling a little more, hands clasped together and held up coyly, "I…don't remember you learning that from me, Football Head…Something you came up with on your own?"
"S-sort of…" he squeaked and glanced up at her again sheepishly. "Guess I just really really missed you, Helga…and…" he let out a sigh, some of the dazedness returning…unable to help it now that he was letting himself look at her fully again…and with all these thoughts and feelings swimming around his head, "…And…just in case we ever have another fight…I guess I wanted to make sure I'd never forget just how wonderful it feels to kiss you. I wanted to make a really good memory of it…and then I guess it sort of got to me…" His smile picked up on one side. "It really is hard to control yourself when you get like that, isn't it, Helga? No wonder you couldn't help trying for more kisses on the FTi building." He blushed extra and couldn't help but glance down a little sheepishly, coming a little bit back to reality again. "Anyway…that whole 'making a memory' thing probably sounds stupid…"
She just giggled again and leaned in extra close so that he would be sure to see her, fluttering her eyes at him. "No, that…the whole thing was…and then you (referring to the moan)…and THEN you... (referring to the monologue)…Oh my darling, dearest, delightful, debonair, dashing, dreamy, desirable…" She was getting closer and closer with every word, leaning practically more and more over him, her voice getting more coo-like, sounding more and more ready…
Arnold blushed and his breath caught in his throat and his eyes went wide at first at her coming on to him like that…but then he almost chuckled and just let out a sigh, just trying not to blush TOO much more. "Helga…love…" he reached out and placed a single finger over her lips in a silencing gesture, stopping her from coming the last little bit forward to end up kissing him again. He looked into her hazed and warm blue eyes and it looked like she was practically ready to melt right into him…and not that he would have minded all that much melting right into her too right now but he had to make sure for the sake of her…for the sake of their…secret that here and now really was okay for it all. "From one accidental monologuer to another, this might not be the…best place to get…carried away together. Are you really sure you want to even though we're surrounded by people with only this table to keep our secret from getting out?" He asked it half joking half serious.
"Hey," to Arnold's surprise Helga leaned back a tiny bit and raised part of her brow just a little defiantly, a smirk on her face, for a moment some of her lovesickness getting tucked away and a laugh underlying her voice as she spoke, "First of all I might be acting a little gone right now but I'm still in control of my actions—I just happen to want to be a lovesick fool right now, my Arnold. "And then she just shrugged. "And second," she whispered just a bit lower now, glancing from side to side in interest to make sure their cover was still indeed good, "…if anything, being just under the radar of so many people makes it more fun—more danger, more risk, more excitement…I believe that's one of the reasons you like keeping this all a secret, right my stealthy little love god?" She winked…and then let out a shuddery sigh and seemed to brim over with lovesickness once more as she added, "And besides, for Pete's sake, Arnold…you are absolutely just the most gorgeous man on the planet when you smile at me like you're doing right now. So to heck with this stupid food fight and whoever's' right around us—I want that grinning, monologuing, memory making little mouth of yours on mine where it belongs right here and right now more than anything in the whole world, Football Head!"
A perfectly elated and almost giddy Arnold just chuckled warm and low. "Aw…Aw, come here!" He pulled her in kissed her passionately, heatedly, dipping her back as best he could in his arms considering they were still on their knees. He smacked his lips away from hers then, both to take a properly big breath for what was to come and also to mention something. "Oh and by the way, Helga…the purple's been driving me insane!"
Helga, all flushed and panting and ready to just collapse into him and never stop, brightened at his words. "Really?" She smirked a tiny bit then. "Did you figure out exactly WHY though?"
Arnold nodded happily and proudly, like a little kid who had finally figured out the answer to a question his teacher had asked him. "Uh huh! Because purple's the only color that looks good on you that doesn't mean something to us… I explained it all to Gerald. I think he thought I was insane. I tried to tell him that it made sense since you're a beautiful evil genius but I don't think he got it."
They laughed together.
Then Helga grinned—he was just so cute! "Oh and Arnold…" she had to add, "Just so you know…the sweater off all day in class has been KILLING me…" She pressed her hands deeply into his shirt over his back.
Arnold melted against her touch and grinned as well. "Really? I…I was hoping…Just a little revenge for the colors thing you did."
"Oh and what a brilliant and incredible and irresistible revenge it was…" she assured in a sultry voice. "But," her voice went a bit more sarcastic once more, "…if you ever flirt with a group of sixth grade girls with your sweater off again, they won't even find your body." She winked evilly.
Arnold gulped…but then his own little grin returned and he got a look in his eyes. "Fair enough…And please don't ever take the color pink away from me like you did today…It's just not a fair thing to do to a guy."
She giggled and nodded. "Whatever floats your boat, hot lips."
"You float my boat, Helga G. Pataki!" And then before she could say a word in response to that, Arnold pulled her head down to meet his own, bringing their lips happily together again! She squealed in delight and shifted her arms to wrap around her head and upper back, and the two of them resumed making up for quite a few days of lost time in their relationship.
"Yikes! Whoa! Hey…Ha! Take that! Oh bring it o—Oh…Aw man, NOT the hair!"
Gerald Johansen, making his way through the P.S. 118 cafeteria in the incredibly entertaining food fight that had started a good twenty minutes ago and still had yet to stop or be broken up, now scowled in annoyance and did his best to brush away the large blob of tapioca pudding now staining his precious hair. "Man!" He removed some of the tapioca pearls and wrinkled his nose at them. "I HATE tapioca!" He turned behind him to try and find whoever it was who had been low enough to go for the hair. "Buddy, I have half a sloppy joe right here with your name on i—"
The young boy instantly stopped in mid throw of the sandwich in question though and blinked at the sight of Phoebe Heyerdahl, stained with quite a bit of food herself, giving him a small wave from about ten feet across the room and giggling in his direction, before placing aside another dish of tapioca and looking up and away with an innocent grin.
These cute gestures on her part first made his heart skip a beat (a phenomenon which had managed to happen once or twice during all those years he'd kind of sort of liked Phoebe from afar…but which he'd been noticing had been happening more and more frequently lately ever since they had started dating). His second reaction to her 'attack' was to smirk just a little in her direction, raising one of his eyebrows. "Oh it is on, Heyerdahl…" he couldn't help but say to himself as he raced across the cafeteria toward her. "On YOU that is…" 'I'll go easy on her, give her a chance to run before I throw…'
Just as got within a few feet and was about to release the sloppy joe though, he instantly lost his visual as something cold and creamy and pearly and familiar suddenly came across his face, completely covering his eyes for a moment! "WHOA!" he skidded forward, temporarily unable to see, slipped on a banana peel (because this is a food fight and thus the only situation in which a well placed sight gag banana DOESN'T scream deus ex machina) but luckily managed to catch hold of a cafeteria chair and straighten himself up just before he would have fallen right on his butt to the floor. He wiped what he then realized was more tapioca from his eyes and then looked right to Phoebe who was now right before him.
The young dark haired girl just shrugged, still with that innocent grin, let out a small chuckle that she couldn't suppress, and then grabbed a clean napkin from the table next to her. "Sumimasen, Gerald, but I saw an opening and both my father as a martial arts and fencing instructor and Helga just as a general rule have always taught me that when you see an opening in battle, you go for it without question." She reached out and dabbed some of the tapioca from his hair. "I'm sorry about your hair though, but it seemed to me hitting it was the only sure way to get your attention." She brought down the napkin and placed it on the table next to them and blushed slightly, the smile still on her face.
Upon hearing her finish this explanation (and getting over the little sparky knot it made in his stomach that she had actually just cleaned him off a little), Gerald just cleared his throat to ease some of his stomach butterflies and then chuckled and smiled smoothly at her, waving her off nonchalantly. "Hey don't worry about it, babe." He coolly flipped part of his hair forward, double-checked that any serious tapioca was gone, and then flipped it back into place. "The hair is safe so let the food fight continue." His sloppy joe now on the floor thanks to his slip, Gerald settled for snatching a handful of potato salad from a nearby tray and giving it a quick toss at Phoebe's already quite stained sweater.
Phoebe just giggled again at the action, still smiling at him as well. She then brought one of her fingers down to her sweater, took a sampling of the potato salad and put it in her mouth, swallowing. "Hmm, not bad…the cafeteria's improved their recipe."
Gerald laughed at her cute comment. "Yeah, but…" he gestured to the frenzy of smiling kids around them tossing food all over the place. "Somehow I don't think they imagined this being the result of making their food taste a little better, you know?"
Phoebe nodded, surveying the landscape as well...and shifting slightly closer to Gerald. "I concur Gerald. The cafeteria ladies AND Principal Wartz probably aren't going to be too happy about all of this. I'm certain things will be broken up any minute."
"Yeah," Gerald had noticed her movement, and side stepped just a bit closer to her as well. Deep down he kind of wished he could hold her hand but…he knew that even in a food fight like this someone was bound to notice, and not that he really cared if everyone knew he like liked a girl as great as Phoebe or that she like liked him back but he knew she was shy and he didn't want her to get teased at all…and also the idea of everyone suddenly pointing and laughing at him while they sang 'Gerald and Phoebe sitting in a tree' didn't sound very appealing either. 'No wonder Helga's been keeping the lid on Arnold for seven years… And meanwhile it is getting creepier and creepier how much I kind of get her now. Oh well, she's not SO bad, and Arnold's happy with her, and she did help me get to be with Phoebe so…maybe it's not so weird that I can kind of feel her pain.'
"Gerald?"
It took a second after Phoebe had said his name with a slightly humorous intonation for her address to process with him, but when it did manage to pull him out of his reflections Gerald blinked and blushed and realized he had apparently been turning his head more and more to stare at her with a growing goofy smile as his thoughts had been progressing. "Oh, uh..." he turned looking forward again and did his best to fish for a way out of the awkward moment that Phoebe had caught him in (and was all but giggling about). "Uh…yeah…like you said, the food fight's probably going to get broken up pretty soon. Bummer…Heh, heh…"
Phoebe just smiled a bit more and rolled her eyes a little. 'Helga's right—boys can be very shy and very, very stubborn.' She then just looked at him again and let out a sigh, deciding to let the moment go regardless. "Yes, it is a shame. I feel bad if the janitors have to clean it up later."
Gerald scoffed and said absentmindedly with a half smile (more focused on Phoebe not pressing him for staring at her than his words), "I feel sorrier for whoever started this mess. It'll be a miracle if Wartz doesn't expel them…"
Approximately a second of silence passed.
Then Gerald and Phoebe gasped and looked to each other with wide eyes, remembering something outside of the fun of the food fight and their own amusing and innocent little flirtations with one another. "Arnold and Helga!" They gasped simultaneously.
Instantly both pairs of their eyes began to search the cafeteria for their best friends…but to no avail.
Gerald scratched his head, looking back at Phoebe now after his third onceover of the room. "You think they skipped out so they wouldn't get busted?"
Phoebe looked back at him now that her own visual searches had concluded and shook her head. "I'm not certain that they could have navigated their ways through this mess to the exits, and even if they had, they would have had to walk out into the middle of the hall covered in food in the middle of the school day, and a teacher or Principal Wartz would certainly catch them much quicker if they did that than if they just laid low here and blended in with all of the other food fight participants." Phoebe glanced off once more like she was calculating something and then instantly reached back and grabbed Gerald's wrist. "Come on—the last place I saw them was at my and Brainy and Helga's table."
Gerald felt that strange skip of his heartbeat at her touch again, but as he was pulled along he eventually just smiled and went with it. "Uh…you got it, Babe." (Phoebe smiled a little more to herself at hearing him say that…and made sure to hold his wrist just a little more snugly).
Reaching the table in question finally, Phoebe glanced around once more but could see nothing. "Gerald," she turned back to him, releasing his arm (and trying very hard to still seem casual and not to blush about kind of sort of just slightly flirting with him again and here in the middle of school of all places by having so suddenly grabbed him like that in the first place), "Think—did you seem them go off anywhere from here when this whole thing began?"
Gerald thought for a moment but then had to just shake his head. "Nope. Those two tossing the first blows at each other and then all heck breaking loose are the only things I remember."
Phoebe glanced down in just a touch of worry and said half to herself and half to Gerald, "Perhaps…Perhaps their fight escalated and something happened between them…"
A touch of worry came to Gerald's face too at that potential idea. "Maybe…" he had to kind of concur. "They have been pretty distant and angry with each other lately…Maybe they finally snapped and took it to a back alley or into the cafeteria kitchens or another janitors closet or something."' 'Or maybe Arnold ran again because he got afraid of wanting to kiss her…They did land on top of each other before after all, and I thought he was just going to lose it and go for it right then and there considering what he told me before…' Gerald had to add mentally to himself.
Phoebe just let out a sigh, meanwhile, genuinely looking very concerned now. Her thoughts wandered. 'If Helga insisted upon suppressing her desire to make up with Arnold again for fear of not working out their problems correctly, it could have indeed led to a serious altercation…I still don't know how she managed to resist when he slipped and landed upon her before…'
Both kids remained quiet and pensive for a moment longer, but then suddenly though an idea coming to mind snapped Phoebe out of her thoughts and she looked to Gerald, just a bit more confidence returning to her eyes and her normal, happy smile returning to her lips. "Well, there was a significant amount of food on the floor where they slipped before thanks to Helga making Arnold drop the contents of his tray, including mashed potatoes. Perhaps one of them left a footprint so that we can at least know what direction they might have gone!"
Gerald smiled. "Good plan, Phoebe! At least we'll have some kind of clue to go by then, right?"
Phoebe beamed a little. "Precisely. And thank you, Gerald."
"Dooitashimashite, babe!" He winked at her, summing up his courage to do so in the middle of this highly public setting (even though it didn't feel like they were being noticed too much in all of this food throwing chaos).
Phoebe felt that slight blush return to her face at him saying that (she…really really liked when he said that to her)…the slight blush that had only come on rare occasions during all the years she'd secretly kind of sort of like-liked Gerald, but that had been making its way into her face more and more frequently (and with more and more heat behind it) over the weeks during their courtship. 'I wonder if this is how Helga's always felt around Arnold…although it was probably quite a bit more intense considering her feelings…I just hope things really are okay for her and Arnold.' She looked to Gerald, her concern for her friend outweighing her liking his flirting for just a moment. "Well, um…I'll check the floor then. Just a moment." And with these words she walked around the table to the other side (the side where Arnold and Helga had been arguing) and then bent down to look under it for the desired clue.
Gerald, who was about to walk over as soon as she stood up to see what she had found, had his interest just a little peaked when, after less than a second, Phoebe shot up like a rocket from looking under the table with the most confused look on her face imaginable and a very very deep blush on her features. Then she blinked several times and hesitantly resumed looking under the table again…This time she remained like that for an extra second, and then slowly stood up once more. She then closed her eyes, reached up and rubbed them under her glasses and turned to Gerald, giving him a slight look with a half smile on her face. By now Gerald had an eyebrow about as raised as high it could go. 'What's going on?' "Phoebe, what's—" he started.
"Shh!" She shushed him with a smile, then glanced from side to side as though making sure no one was paying them too much attention, and then looked back to Gerald and beckoned him closer.
He walked around the table to stand beside her and then whispered in her ear, "What's up?
Phoebe just let out another sigh and shook her head. "Well we're dealing with Arnold and Helga in love with each other…" she whispered back. "It's so obvious what's up that I can't believe I was thinking it could be anything else even for a second…" She stepped slightly to the side to give the tall haired boy some space. "Look under the table, Gerald. But only for a second—we don't want to attract too much attention and also well…I think they deserve their privacy."
Gerald just continued to look at her in puzzlement…until he bent down and checked under the table as per her suggestion…only to be met with a sight that made Phoebe's surprise at not having seen coming what he saw down there more than understandable.
Helga (purple sweater twisted just a little around her body and pulled here and there, ponytail nearly completely out…and looking like a hand had literally just dragged through it once more twice…or many many times…) was all but sitting in the lap of Arnold, snuggling her head into Arnold's shoulder and holding close to him as she twirled a piece of his hair in one of her fingers. And Arnold (his hair flipped in multiple ways, handprints and arm-prints in the fabric of his tousled shirt, his collar in a few varying directions) was currently holding her free arm and giving it small kisses from the back of her hand to as far up as he could push her sweater sleeve (making it to just past her elbow), and smiling just a bit more as she giggled or sighed with each kiss.. And both of them currently seemed oblivious to everything going on around them, even Gerald and Phoebe, apparently, as neither one of them acknowledged their presences. And they were both in such tousled and romantically gone states that it was more than obvious that this moment was 'afterglow' after some much more intense stuff.
Helga then unwound her fingers from Arnold's hair for a moment and reached up to his face to remove a white blob of something from one of his cheeks, upon which she placed the substance delicately in her mouth. "Mmm…you taste like tapioca, Football Head…." She giggled again, speaking in a cooing voice.
Arnold paused for just a second in his kisses and then leaned up and planted once near her chin and pulled back, licking his lips for a second. "And you taste like Mr. Fudgie Bar." He chuckled, likewise talking in a lovey dovey voice.
Helga's smile grew and she suddenly snuggled into him even more as Arnold just let out a deep and happy sigh, and then turned his attentions back to her arm, turning it over and proceeding to repeat his kissing action from before but this time on this opposing side of the limb, slowly placing delicate pecks all up her soft, cool flesh.
Gerald eyed them with amazement for another second. 'Mmm, mmm, mmm…that boy is a natural, isn't he?' And then finally he straightened up to rejoin Phoebe back in the public world, and just tried his best not to laugh too much as he shook his head and said the only thing he could think to say at a time and during a situation like this. "Phoebe…Arnold and Helga are crazy, aren't they?…I mean, they're our best friends and I love them but they…really, it's not even bold anymore, it's just crazy." Despite the reprimanding words he was just smiling to himself in amusement because, really, only the two of them could manage to throw an entire cafeteria of kids into a frenzy just because of a fight about a movie.
He heard Phoebe giggle and focused on her again to see her glancing down shyly. "Oh I don't know, Gerald…" she began in a sentimental tone. "I mean, perhaps their style of a relationship is a little eccentric but it's also rather sweet, wouldn't you agree?" A touch of a blush crept into her cheeks and she looked up at him. "All those years of silly games and now…all they want to do is hold each other and kiss each other and love each other…"
Gerald, sensing this was somehow a girl thing, couldn't help but glance up and to the side, crossing his arms over his chest, though he tried to respond at least somewhat supportively. "Yeah, I guess…But that's another thing though too…" He had to raise an eyebrow to himself in utter bewilderment. "Really, what the heck is with those kisses they give each other anyway? I mean, look at them under there—Arnold looks how I always imagined over the years he'd look if Helga ever got her hands on him, but smiling a lot more and with a lot less bruising, and as for Helga I just cannot believe that how she looks right now is the result of something that Arnold actually managed to do to her! Guess he wasn't kidding all those times he said that he's got this side to him that only Helga can bring out. Weird…" He shook his head in disbelief…but with just a touch of an impressed smile on his face nonetheless…after all that was his boy down there making a girl smile and giggle and snuggle and swoon, and all on natural talent—he couldn't help but feel just a touch of pride.
"I suppose…" Phoebe just responded quietly to his observation, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. And then she swallowed…and summed up her courage and at last managed to add… "But still…it does look a little…fun…sometimes…what they do. Perhaps not all the time of course, but…sometimes…Gerald…" She cleared her throat, not having it in her to make any further comment and just drowning in blushing nervousness.
Her comment about kissing like Arnold and Helga kissed actually looking like fun sometimes…at first didn't affect Gerald…and then it made him raise an eyebrow in just a bit of confusion…and then just for a second made a look of total disbelief come to his face…which was then quickly replaced by a sheepish half smile almost like he was second guessing the thought that had made that disbelieving expression come to him…and then the eyebrow became raised again…then he blinked (all of this was very interesting to Phoebe by the way)…and then a very slight blush came to his face and he swallowed and that disbelieving look was back. "Huh?" was all he managed finally.
The single word only increased Phoebe's blush more. Okay, that was it—she couldn't pursue this anymore right now, she just didn't have the stamina and she wasn't even sure why she had brought it up in the first place anyway except that the opportunity to do so had presented itself and then Helga had been talking about making out back in the hallway… Anyway, now the shy young Asian-American girl just glanced down and instantly went back into her shell. "Just…an, um…an observation. Purely…Purely scientific…" she hurriedly managed to explain away. 'I can't believe I just said that to him about the kissing… I…I…Oh, what am I thinking—I don't have it in me to do THAT! No matter what Helga says! I… Oh I just hope he forgets I even brought it up…' She swallowed very hard and glanced at Gerald now out of the corner of her eye, her hands clasped shyly in front of herself.
Gerald, meanwhile, was standing there staring downward as she had been…and trying to process a concept he'd never even considered (well…maybe…seeing Arnold and Helga doing all that stuff together over the last few weeks…and also with all the talking Arnold did with him about certain parts of his and Helga's dates, and Helga telling him to 'just go for the deeper physical stuff with Phoebe' that one time on the phone when she had called about the Ronnie Matthews thing…it had flickered into his mind on occasion…that concept.) But…to hear it actually brought up…to hear Phoebe actually say it…actually suggest it and let him know that it had maybe crossed her mind too…. Gerald swallowed hard and his panicked thoughts raced as he consciously and seriously considered the idea for the first time actually happening in real reality. 'Me…Me and Phoebe…doing some of the stuff that Arnold and Helga do…M-M-Making out…Actually…making out…' And then to his total surprise he felt this strange…almost kind of warm shock go through his stomach…It was so deep it almost scared him. 'Whoa, what the heck was that?' But then his thoughts instantly returned to the greater situation at hand of the kissing, 'But…But what if I'm bad at it? What if I mess it up? What if she was just kidding? What if someone caught us? What if she wanted to do it before I could get any more notes from Arnold? And What if…' Quickly though he shut his eyes and changed his thoughts. 'Hey this is me, remember? Gerald, the smoothest, coolest, most happening dude in the city. Arnold even said he always expected that he'd be the one coming to me for advice about girls when we were older, not the other way around. I could…I could handle this if the situation got brought up. Yes, Arnold can handle this so I can too…' He took a deep breath through his nose, and let it out through his nose, finishing up calming himself down.
Needless to say, Gerald had been pretty distracted for the last several moments…which explained why he didn't hear the sound of Wolfgang and a bunch of other fifth graders yelling "Incoming!" from across the cafeteria…and why he didn't see them about to makeshift catapult all the pudding cups they'd been able to gather over to the fourth grade tables.
"Gerald, look out!" Phoebe suddenly called as the projectiles were fired!
"Huh?—OOF!"
The next thing Gerald was aware of was being on his back and feeling like the wind was kind of knocked out of him…and also feeling like something had landed on him…something light and soft and warm…It was a nice thing.
"What the…" Gerald opened his eyes…and his eyes remained unblinking for a very long time as the first thing they met were a pair of warm, sparkling black ones…and he realized that Phoebe was now on top of him…and holding him by the shoulders, of all things!
"Are you alright, Gerald? You almost got hit! I'm just happy I managed to get you under the table in time…" The concern in her eyes made another one of those funny warm shock things go through Gerald…as did the fact that she…was still…on top of him…. He instantly recalled comments and jokes he'd made to Arnold in the past about Helga tossing him on the floor or him tossing her on the floor…But…this was happening to him and right here and right now, and this was serious! 'Okay, stay calm, she was just saving you from getting splattered with food…' And yet…that explained why she'd thrown him down in the first place…but not why she wasn't moving to get off of him. He just tried not to freak or pass out of something!
"Gerald?"
Phoebe's now even more concerned-sounding voice meeting his ears made Gerald blink and his breathing finally jumpstart and resume. "Oh, uh…thanks, babe…." He did his best to smile (and NOT totally nervously). "That was…um…quick thinking…heh, heh…"
Phoebe continued to watch him curiously for a second more….But then his breathing returning to normal made her distinctly feel his chest rise and then fall with air underneath her. Her eyes opened wider as she suddenly recalled that she was indeed still on top of him!
A quick blush came to her cheeks and she instantly scrambled off of him and was now sitting with her arms propping her up from behind, still under the table. "Oh, um…you're welcome, Gerald…I…I mean, of course I was happy to assist." She didn't know what else to say.
An (expected) awkward silence had started, but then the sound of a giggle suddenly caught Phoebe and Gerald's' ears, and their eyes instantly went forward and they realized with a blink that Phoebe's push of Gerald to the ground had landed them no more than a table or two away from Arnold and Helga…who, under their own table, were continuing to cuddle. They could see that Helga was still clinging to Arnold and sitting in his lap. Her giggling now seemed to be the result of the fact that, apparently now done kissing her arms, Arnold had wrapped his own around her and was leaning her back and gazing deeply into her eyes.
Gerald and Phoebe could just make out the conversation. Helga started.
"Flirt." 'Sweet…'
"Hopeless romantic." 'Poetic…'
" 'Bad boy'…" 'Perfect boyfriend…knew it all along.'
" 'Good girl…' " 'The best girlfriend. Ever.'
"Lovesick…" 'Love God…'
"Love-ly…" 'My love…'
"So are you gonna kiss my lips again already or were you figuring on trying for round two with my hands and arms and cheeks, my beloved?" 'It's like little bursts of love and light every place you do it…won't you please bring that feeling back to my mouth?' A girlish swoon. 'I feel like I must be blushing all over.'
"Are you going to continue being so perfect that I can't help but kiss your lips again, my pretty little angel?" 'I only started kissing other places because after going so many days without your kisses it was too much to take in having so many of them at once!' A doting sigh. 'I wish we were alone…really alone…Someplace with a bed…I want to snuggle with her on a bed right now more than ever…I'd promise to lie down with her forever in one now if she wanted and it would make her happy, blankets and all…'
Helga giggled and Arnold chuckled.
And then Arnold leaned Helga back and leaned in and planted a tender yet heated kiss upon her mouth. Gerald and Phoebe could hear Helga let out a very deep sigh and then moan as she collapsed in his grasp and let him kiss her and then kissed back.
At this point both Gerald and Phoebe had to glance away from the obviously intimate and private moment between their best friends, both clearing their throats and blushing slightly.
With a swallow, Phoebe was the first one to speak. "We, um…We should probably leave Arnold and Helga to finish their…their conversation."
"Um…" Gerald swallowed as well. "Yeah…we should probably get back, uh…back into the fray, heh, heh…" he did his best to joke, referring to the food fight still going on.
Phoebe moved to get up…
"Phoebe…?
…When Gerald's voice made her pause. She looked to him. "Yes, Gerald?"
He was still just sitting there…and it looked like he was kind of glancing at Arnold and Helga again. "Do you, um…" he gulped quite audibly and his voice had cracked a little at first but then he finally managed to say… "Do you really think that…that…" he blushed and barely gestured with his head in the direction of their two crazily in love friends…still deep in their kiss and not looking about to stop, "…looks like…fun…sometimes…?
Phoebe remained frozen for a moment, just looking at him, feeling her heart beating quite quickly.
Not hearing her respond, Gerald glanced up at her finally…so unsurely.
Their eyes met. And Gerald felt that his heart pounding as well.
A few seconds passed…
And then Gerald and Phoebe quickly turned away from each other again, nervously clearing their throats and smiling. "Uh…sorry…forget I asked…" Gerald did his best to say casually.
"Oh, uh…Forgetting!" Phoebe announced uneasily.
They both looked to each other again, this time with nervous smiles…
Now they really were probably supposed to get up and go on like nothing had happened…
…And yet, despite their words and despite what they were 'supposed' to do, neither of them made a move to abandon their private spot under the table…
"STUDENTS, CEASE AND DISSEST THIS FOOD FIGHTING RIGHT NOW!"
Instantly the entire cafeteria froze at the sound of Principal Wartz entering and making this announcement with the sternest look imaginable on his face (made only slightly comical by the fact that a random flying blob of green jello managed to hit him right on his tie just as the fray did indeed stop).
Silence reigned except for the occasional bit of food dripping to the floor.
…And the sound of something (or rather two somethings) slamming hard into the underside of a table.
A blushing and semi-food-covered Gerald and Phoebe instantly surfaced from under said table to rejoin the rest of the kids, blushing and clearing their throats and doing their best to just blend in…
…Though no one really noticed too much at the sight of the steamed looking educational administrator, his tie covered in green, jiggly dessert, still towering over them all.
"Alright…" Wartz started firmly to the gaggle of terrified looking kids before him, "Every fourth, fifth and sixth grader is suspended for the rest of the day to go home to your parents and let them know exactly what you've done (and I'll personally be sending home notes about this incident too just to make sure they find out), and tomorrow during lunch you will all clean this room straight through lunch AND recess!" All of the kids looked utterly distraught. "Now I'm going to close my eyes and count to ten, and I want whichever of you little hooligans who started this food fight to come forward!" And with this dramatic ultimatum he shut his eyes and began to count loudly, "One! Two! Thr—"
"SCATTER! AND BAIL!" Harold Berman's voice (though between Wartz having his eyes closed and the panic heightening the pitch of Harold's and the fact that Wartz, having quite a few hundred students in six grades to reckon with as the principal of the whole elementary school, couldn't really recognize just one among the many very well), instantly yelled! And then the cafeteria flew into pandemonium yet again, though this time as the result of all of it kid occupants indeed bailing and racing out of the school and out of sight of Principal Wartz to avoid any further punishment beyond what had already been bestowed lest they be named as the culprit who had instigated the food fight!
"Three…" Wartz finished automatically before Harold's cry and the sounds around him now processed and then his eyes flew open as he realized what was happening. "Hey, wait a min—WHOA!" Wartz had been about to turn and run for the doors to barricade them and catch a few kids by their collars but instead found himself on his back on the floor in a pile of food (courtesy of Wolfgang, who, seeing his opportunity with the Principal having his eyes closed, had squirted most of a bottle of mayonnaise all around the floor around Wartz's feet before ditching the cafeteria himself). And now Wartz was just lying there trying to get up but slipping every time he tried to get to his feet, and meanwhile kids covered in food were darting around and away from him like lightening. "Oh for the love of…Could someone get a mop in—WHOA!" He'd almost gotten onto his knees and up but then had slipped and fallen to the floor hard again, actually bumping his head on a table ledge on the way down…which meant that his eyesight was below tabletop level now. "You little hooligans, I'm going to collar one of you or my name's not—" And then he stopped talking as his eyes fell upon two kids right in front of him…two kids under a table…two specifically blond kids…one of whom had a football shaped head and the other of whom was just staring back at Wartz in fright, in the football headed ones arms and clinging to him in shock….and from the looks of their clothes and faces and hair they had DEFINITELY been involved in this food fight.
The scowl came back to Wartz's face. "Alright, that's it…" he barely managed to start pulling himself up from the floor using the edge of the tabletop above them. "You two are good enough. I'll make an example out of somebody about this food fight business. Come on!" And with that he finally managed to stand and then took (a still totally shocked and nervous and almost fearful looking) Arnold and Helga each by their collars and began to pull them out of the (now empty) cafeteria. "I'll keep you two in my office for the rest of the day and either you'll tell me who started this…" he glared at Arnold a little, not having forgotten the young boy's insistence on silence during the 'mooning' caper of his friends, "…or I'll call in your teacher to stand as a witness that you two'll be taking all the blame and that this little incident will be going on your permanent records! And I don't need to remind anyone here that three major strikes on your permanent record means you're expelled." He glared at Helga now.
He pulled the two children, still in utter shock, through the swinging cafeteria doors while Arnold and Helga just looked at each other in fear and worry…and just a touch of regret that they had been so caught up in 'making up' that they hadn't really noticed or cared much about Wartz's entrance into the room, the end of the food fight, or the fact that he was out for a scapegoat…and that the two of them, by default, were now it.
(At the same time though there was a tiny bit of a blush on each of their faces as neither could deny that even if they were expelled right now from every public elementary school on the planet, it would have felt well worth it for all of those long, wonderful minutes in their own little world under that table delighting in the touches and the kisses and the giggles and the sighs and the moans that their stubbornness had denied them from for so many many days…)
"We are so getting expelled Football Head. No question. I mean, okay, you've got the most squeaky clean record imaginable so they MIGHT let you off with some fat suspension or just detention for the rest of our elementary school careers but as for me—I'm just plain fourth grade toast. You saw the way Wartz looked at me when he was talking about expulsion and permanent records. Yup, I'm a goner…" Helga, her hair and purple clothes stained with food, let out a bored sigh and reclined back with her hard wooden seat, gazing up at the ceiling of the office with a half amused smile on her face. "And just when Bob and Miriam are starting to care about what I do and how I act…Crimeny, this is lousy timing!
"Helga…" Arnold, likewise pretty much coated in food stains, began to assure with a small smile, sitting in a chair beside her likewise facing Principal Wartz's currently vacant desk (he had just left to get Mr. Simmons, who could serve as a witness about Arnold and Helga's refusal to name those who had started the food fight (which they had refused to do since, well…it was the two of them that had started things so…they'd probably get into less trouble just not saying anything than saying it was all their fault…and also neither really wanted to have to explain all of the suppressed romantic emotions and urges and frustrations that were the reason for them starting it in the first place), "I'm sure we'll be fine. Besides, we weren't the only ones throwing food…we were just the ones who started it and the ones Principal Wartz caught. But I'm sure whatever our punishments are, it won't be too bad..." His smile brightened supportively.
Helga just scoffed and rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help smiling warmly at his cute little optimism and assurances, sitting up straighter again and turning her gaze back to him from the white panel ceiling above. "Well, I hope you're right, Arnold…" She grinned a little more, "Although honestly, even if we're both run out of town or something for this, I think it was all worth it for the end result…I think letting out all of that aggression throwing food and yelling at each other was just what we needed to break us both down and make us apologize."
Arnold chuckled and nodded. "I think you're right, Helga. It just…felt right…getting all of that pent up stuff out of us and out in the open…just going with it instead of avoiding it. And then we could settle things nicely and peacefully to work everything out."
Helga nodded. "Exactly." She wanted to keep smiling and keep keeping in this positive vein…but then she had to sigh and let her smile fade just the tiniest bit because however helpful all of this food fight stuff had been and however worthwhile…now that it was over and they were facing its consequences…they really did have to be realistic. "But really, Football Head…I'm not sure how good this all looks for me now that we got busted. Heh, you know me and my free spirit…" she shrugged sheepishly, "I think the only person in this joint with more misdemeanors than me is Wolfgang…and maybe Harold." She considered and then asked with a smile and very sincerely, "Hey, Football Head? Since I'm going down like a lead balloon anyway, do you want me to maybe just take the full rap? I mean, your record must be sparkling and…I don't want to mess that up just because of my stubbornness and our stupid fight." She rolled her eyes to the side at the whole thing.
Arnold's eyes went wide and he instantly leaned toward her and yelped desperately, "NO!" Helga blinked a few times in surprise until he blinked and then leaned away from her again. "I-I mean…actually…" he put his hands behind his back shyly, "Well, I…wasn't going to say anything because I didn't want you to stop me but…I was thinking that…if it really would mean you'd get expelled…" such a sad little look came into his eyes, "Well…I was thinking that maybe I should take all the blame. I'd go through a few months…or even years of detention if it meant you wouldn't have to get kicked out of school, Helga. I wouldn't care at all." He looked at her so sincerely.
Helga blushed…and then asked quietly and softly… "Arnold…you'd really do that for me?" 'He'd really tarnish his whole perfect record and scholastic reputation just…just to keep me around?' She smiled affectionately.
Arnold nodded, quite seriously as a matter of fact. "Absolutely. You're…You're a lot more important to me than getting in trouble…"
Helga's grin instantly widened and she came forward out of her chair and wrapped her arms around him in a tight, happy hug, lifting him out of his seat and even spinning him around a little. "Oh Arnold…!" she cooed lovingly. "You're so…so kind, my darling…" She let him go and opened her eyes again and looked down at him standing before her now with a loving smile.
Arnold blinked a few times, getting his bearings, and then grinned goofily and then smiled up at her eagerly. "So…you'll let me do it…to keep you safe? Please, Helga, we just made up—I don't want you to have to go away and leave me alone at school all day…" A little pout came to his face. "What would I do without you?"
Helga bubbled over with love inside even more and just wanted to kiss and kiss and kiss him, but…she caught herself, recognizing that now and here were neither the time nor the place…And anyway, they had work to do... "Oh Arnold…" she cooed once more and then let out a breath…and shook her head with a smile. "Of course I'm not going to let you take the rap for me. Never in a million years. Absolutely not. We're in this together—we're in every thing we do together—for better or worse. So, that's very sweet but I'm afraid I just can't let you, my darling."
A sad little look came to Arnold's face. "But Helga, I really think that—"
She reached up and put a single finger to his lips. "Shh…Arnold, please, just listen to me for a moment before you start going on and on about why I should let you be all altruistic."
Arnold still looked at her sadly at first, but then let out a little sigh and nodded and then reached up and gently removed her finger from his lips. "Okay, Helga. What is it? But please tell me it's something that'll make sure you don't get expelled…" Some of the desperation was back in his eyes.
Her smile grew and she nodded, arms behind her back. "Actually, yes, it is…but, um…we might have to bend the rules a little so…we won't do it unless you're okay with it." She looked at him sincerely.
Arnold took in her words, understood their significance, and then nodded at her. "Okay, Helga. I'll listen…and I'll be honest with you about whether I'm comfortable with it or not."
She smiled again and nodded once more, and then commenced her explanations. "Okay. Now…Wartz already said that everyone from that lunch period, even though he didn't get to take names or anything so he can't specifically prove who was there, needs to spend the entire period tomorrow cleaning up the place together…which is fair since, no matter who started the thing, we all participated in it…right?"
Arnold considered her words and then nodded. Yes, that made sense. "Okay…" he said back, letting her know they were on the same page so far.
Helga smiled more and went on. "Alright, so…right now he's just looking for a scapegoat to really pin things on and we're the only ones he's got because we're the only ones he specifically caught…And I think we both know that this is just a pride thing with him…right?"
Arnold considered and then nodded again… "Okay…" he said once more.
Helga's grin picked up a little on one side and she was closing in on her point. "So, he's got us…but he never got an official confession from us and he hasn't called Simmons in as a witness yet or anything…."
Arnold nodded again, waiting curiously for her to go on…
"So…" Helga shrugged, finally getting to her promised point, "What if we were to sneak out of here before he gets back with Simmons, and just head home like everyone else since he suspended the fourth, fifth and sixth grades for the rest of the day anyway. Then we'll just help everyone clean up tomorrow like good responsible people, but you won't have to have your record tainted, I won't risk getting kicked out, and we won't have to take the bulk of the blame for something we only participated in for like three minutes anyway."
This one took Arnold a few seconds to seriously consider. And yet… doing so, he really couldn't find anything in it that felt morally wrong. Certainly it was bending things a tiny bit to say the least but…it wasn't like they were leaving someone else to take the bulk of the blame and it wasn't like they weren't going to help everyone clean up tomorrow anyway…and he really did want to keep Helga from getting into any big trouble and if she wasn't going to let him take all the blame then this really did seem like the only way… And besides, technically them leaving now would be kind of a form of punishment since they'd be going home and having to explain their suspensions for the rest of the day to their families just like everyone else was probably having to do right now.
And so Arnold looked back to Helga and said with a little shrug (not smiling approvingly at her just yet…he was saving that for just a moment). "Helga…um…I just have one question before I let you know what I think."
She looked at him seriously, obviously very concerned about whether or not he really would be comfortable with what she was suggesting. "Yes, Arnold?"
And now the approving smile came out. "What brilliant scheme do you have in mind to get us out of here without getting caught?"
Helga's eyes brightened and she grinned right back at him. "Oh Arnold…" she gave him a half lidded look. "I love when you take risks with me like this…so very bold…" She brought up the tip of her index finger and dragged it up the underside of his little chin and then giggled. "Certainly, I have a brilliant scheme as long as you're willing, my darling…And, you know, it ends with you and me getting to finish 'making up'…" She winked.
She watched her love turned bright scarlet and his smile grew. "S-Sounds good to me…Explain away, my darling…"
Helga giggled again and then did so accordingly. "Well, when he left Wartz locked the door from the outside so we couldn't sneak into the halls even if we wanted to…so…." And then she jerked her thumb upward, pointing at the ceiling above Wartz's desk…
Arnold's eyes followed the movement of her hand and he realized what she meant in a second. He looked down to meet her eyes with a grin matching her own and they said the word at the same time.
"Air vents…"
Ten minutes later…in Wartz's (now 'mysteriously empty' office)…
"Mr. Simmons, I don't know what kind of discipline you're using with these kids but I assure you insubordination from them like this will not be tolerated!" Wartz's voice (coming from the silhouette of his shadow against the outside of the frosted glass of the door) was heard to say, accompanied by the jingle of a key or two as he obviously went to unlock his office.
Another silhouette appeared against the frosted glass and replied, "Now, Principal Wartz, are you sure it's fair to blame Arnold and Helga just because they're the only two you could get from the cafeteria? I promise you they're very special and good students."
"Horsefeathers, Simmons. I've tangled with these two before. Miss Pataki has always been defiant of my authority and young Arnold has played hardball with me a few times as well. Yes sir, and I'm going to get a confession about who started that food fight from those two or my name's not—"
The Principal had just entered the office, he had walked over with a firm gaze to the two chairs where he had left Arnold and Helga…and the chairs were empty… (and also Wartz's set of blocks and his Barbie dream house and his chest of plastic animal figurines were arranged in a tall, wide tower in the center of his desk.)
"Um…Principal Wartz?" Mr. Simmons began hesitantly as he stepped completely into the office and shut the door behind him and likewise saw that the room was quite empty. "Where are Arnold and Helga?"
A rather befuddled looking Wartz just blinked a bunch of times and looked at the two empty chairs again. "They…They were right here! I locked the door and left them right here and…A-And none of those things were out on the desk." And then he blushed rather brightly as he finally fully realized that Mr. Simmons was seeing all of his toys.
Mr. Simmons just looked from the empty chairs to the…toys (and maybe blinked at an interesting something that caught his eye)…and then hesitantly back to the Principal and with a touch of concern. "Um…Principal Wartz, are you sure you didn't…hit your head when you slipped in the cafeteria before?" he asked slowly.
Wartz just blinked a few times, then opened his mouth and seemed with a scowl to be about to challenge that question…but then hesitated and blushed again at the state of his office…and then he thought some more and then he double checked the chairs again to see that they were indeed empty and looked again at the key in his hand that was a reminder that the door really had been locked, and then back to Mr. Simmons. "I…I don't, um…" finally came out of him almost woozily.
Mr. Simmons smiled one of his usually helpful smiles and then came forward and put a hand on Principal Wartz's shoulder and slowly began to lead him from the office. "It's okay, Principal Wartz. Why don't we go to the teacher's lounge and I'll make us some tea and you can clear your head, okay?"
Wartz blinked a few times and looked a little desperate though he did allow Simmons to lead him along back to his office door. "B-But, Simmons, I swear—I had both of them and they were right there and they were covered in food and none of that stuff was on my desk—u-uh not that I know how those things got there in the first place, heh…"
"I know, I know…It's okay, Principal Wartz…" Mr. Simmons assured warmly. "Why don't we get that tea and take a nice trip to the nurse's office and then all the kids'll come back tomorrow and clean the cafeteria…"
"Um…a-alright, Simmons…I guess…" Principal Wartz replied a little shakily as the two men left the office behind.
And as they did leave it behind and began to head up the hall, Mr. Simmons, unseen by Principal Wartz, smiled a little to himself and let out a sigh and shook his head…and recalled the small blue familiar hat he hadn't been able to help noticing at the top of that pile of toys on the desk.
He could have said something about it, he supposed…probably ended up figuring out how the two kids had gotten away (though considering a certain event a little over a month ago which had involved Arnold and Helga crashing into his classroom through an air vent he…had a pretty good idea of how they might have gotten away…) But…well…if the happy young couple had escaped together (and even though they had never come up to him and explicitly said 'We're a couple now, Mr. Simmons' he knew…just from the looks and the smiles and Helga's poems that they were indeed a little couple), that probably meant that they had made up from whatever fight they'd been having (and, once again, even though they hadn't come up to him and said explicitly 'We're fighting, Mr. Simmons', he could tell from the frowns and frustrated sighs and especially from how Helga had spent most of their poetry writing workshop in English yesterday mumbling something about 'what was so inspirational that people went and wrote poetry anyway?' they were indeed having a disagreement), and on top of all that he figured what with the school year only having a few days left in it that there was little point in getting the two kids in trouble, especially when at least a couple hundred other students had been part of the food fight too.
'I just hope Arnold remembers to grab his special hat back…' the special educator thought to himself with an extra grin as he now pushed open the door of the teacher's lounge to allow himself and Wartz to enter it.
A minute later back in Wartz's office (once certain people in certain places were certain that the office was indeed empty again) a young yet strong little arm, the upper half of which was covered in red plaid, reached down from a suddenly reopened air vent, groped at the top of a certain pile of stuff on the principal's desk, then grabbed the little blue cap at the top and snatched it into the vent, shutting it tight closed behind him.
In the dark semi-light of the air vents, Arnold placed his hat back on his head and then joined Helga in a serious giggle and chuckle fit about how they had actually gotten away with their escape and were so happy that they had.
"H-Helga, I…" Arnold managed between laughs, "I feel bad—I don't want Principal Wartz to think he's gone crazy just because we had to take all of that stuff out of his desk to climb up here on."
In the middle of Helga's giggles she just smiled more at his little worry and then leaned over and rested against her beloved's shoulder in the small space of the vent. "Don't worry, Arnold—like Simmons said, he'll probably just think he bumped his head when he fell in the cafeteria. Simmons'll set him up with some nice tea, he'll take a little nap in the nurse's office, then he'll feel a whole lot better and go home and have a nice dinner and be perfectly fine come tomorrow morning."
Arnold smiled more too, leaning against her a little bit as well. "Alright. I think you're right, Helga. I'm just happy he didn't see my hat."
She giggled a little more, now just plain cuddling into him. "Me too…Way to go leaving it behind, paste for brains." She chuckled and so did he at the little slip up.
"Whatever you say, Helga…" He reached his arm around her waist gave her a little hug.
For a moment they were just quiet and smiling and warm together and then they turned and looked into each other's eyes…
Helga let out a little breath. "Arnold…?"
He nodded. "Yes, my lovely evil genius?"
She giggled. "Sneaking up here was only half the plan. Let's get out of here first…then we can 'make up' some more…"
He grinned goofily but managed to nod. "Yes…get out of here first…then…lots and lots more of making up…We have three whole days to catch up on after all…" His eyes narrowed a little and it made her blush and he liked that.
A couple seconds later Helga finally managed (with a great force of will, of course) to pull herself away from Arnold a little, and then she gestured with her head to the left down a vent passage. "Alright, I think we should go this way…we could probably get to an exit leading out into the schoolyard or something quicker if we went to the right but since we're going home for the day I think we should try and stop by our locker's first and grab our backpacks. We can just drop down into the hall when it's clear, grab our stuff and then bail out the front doors or bide our time in a janitor's closet or something until the coast is clear again, okay?" She smiled at him.
Arnold smiled back. "Okay. You lead and I'll follow, my princess…" He took her hand and kissed it chivalrously, causing her to go all blushy and swoony for a moment…especially as he then started to place little kiss after little kiss upon said hand, unable to really stop himself…slowly starting to go up her arm yet again that day….
"A-Alright then…" Helga finally replied though, with a blush, as she eventually managed to remove her hand from his grasp before they could have a repeat of what happened under their cafeteria table. She turned in the direction they had to head and started to get on all fours. "Let's go, then, Football He—"
Squeak!
Helga froze, her eyes widened, she stopped moving…
Arnold noticed these actions of hers (and heard the squeak) and got on all fours as well and glanced past her up the vent shaft to see what she was seeing that was making her freeze up and that had made that little 'squeak' sound…Though thankfully it wasn't a full blown rat or two like the last time they had been in here together it was at least a small grey mouse. Arnold looked to Helga, waiting to see how she would end up responding to this smaller version of her fear. Though she didn't appear as mortally panicked as she usually did with actual rats, there was still hesitation and shallow breaths and worry all upon her features and she wasn't going forward.
And so Arnold reached up and took her by the shoulders and gently pulled her eyes away from the little mouse and then looked at her, kneeling before her kneeling before him.
She was blushing and looking shy and sheepish and silly like she didn't want to have to admit that even that tiny mouse was kind of messing with her a little.
He just smiled though and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Then he looked into her eyes and said soothingly to his cute, scared little love, "Shh, it's okay…I almost forgot that the last time we were in here there were rats. I'll make the mouse go away, and then I'll go first and you can tell me from behind where to lead us, and if there are any rats I'll take care of them and they won't come anywhere near you….just like I'll never let anything hurt you ever…I promise." He looked lovingly into her eyes.
Helga was blushing quite a bit more as his speech ended and then when it did she flew forward and gave him a tight grateful hug, and then pulled back and said with a shrug, trying to save a tiny bit of face obviously, "Uh…o-okay…wh-whatever floats your boat, Arnold…Heh…"
Arnold just smiled a little more and then crawled forward, saw the little mouse again, and then gently used his hat to push it off down a small side vent. "Alright, Helga," he called over his shoulder, popping his cap back on his head, "The mouse is gone. Let's go."
She was on all fours and behind him directly. "O-Okay, Arnold…" she replied, her voice starting to sound more confident again. He was about to go forward with a nod and a smile as she added, "And…thank you, my prince." She laughed a little and finished sincerely, "You really are my hero."
Arnold blushed and swallowed and smiled more. "You're, um…You're welcome…Just trying to be a good prince to my princess…"
She giggled, which let him know that she was now fully back to her normal, calm, at ease self, and then with that the kids moved along with Arnold leading the way and Helga directing him from behind with her keen sense of ceiling direction.
A few minutes later, the two kids had reached their first stop and both of them were now looking down through a vent in the ceiling above the hall near their lockers to see that said hall was indeed empty (probably thanks to the fact that this hall was the one that housed most of the fourth, fifth and sixth grade lockers, and they had all been suspended for the rest of the afternoon).
"Looks like we're good, Football Head…" Helga whispered to Arnold. And then she looked up at him with a little sheepish and grateful grin. "Oh and, um…thanks for taking care of those other two little mice and even that spider we saw on the way here." She smiled shyly. "You really will never let anything hurt me ever, will you?"
Arnold smiled shyly back and nodded. "Of course, Helga. As long as I'm with you you'll be safe forever."
"And as long I'm with you, you'll be safe forever too, Arnold."
Arnold blinked, not expecting but…very much liking the assurance.
He went to look at her lovingly…maybe a little flirtatiously…but Helga was already looking down into the hallway again and now she opened the vent. "Alright, hmm…" she was considering, and he decided to be silent and let that complicated mind of hers work. She then looked up with a bright smile like she had an idea. "Alright, Arnold, take off your sw—" But then she stopped and a slightly defeated look came to her eyes. "Oh…I forgot…you've just got the plaid shirt on…"
Arnold blinked, looked down at his plaid (and quite food stained) shirt and then back up at Helga curiously. "Yeah. Why?"
Helga let out a sigh. "Well, I was thinking that since we don't have any rope and it's about eight feet down, maybe I could take one end of your sweater and you could take the other end, and I'd lower you down, and then maybe I could drop down onto your shoulders or something." She blinked and added sincerely…smiling and blushing to herself quite a little extra, "Or, uh…maybe it'd make sense for you to lower me down since you've got all that extra strength…a-and then you could drop to my shoulders just because I'm, uh…taller…" She blushed extra and frowned, looking at him sincerely. "Sorry—I'm not trying to say anything about your height, Arnold. I'm just trying to do what's safest for us both."
Arnold just nodded and smiled. "Don't worry—I understand. And you're right, the second way sounds better…Plus…" he blushed a little… "I like getting to lower you down because you think I'm so strong…"
Helga giggled a little, happy he was taking that so well. "O-Oh…okay then…" She smiled a again at first but then sighed once more and glanced down a bit, looking at the drop into the hallway again. "But I guess it doesn't matter since you don't have your swe—" And then she stopped and that bright eyed look came back to her face and she looked up at him again. "Arnold—doi, why didn't I think of this before?"
Arnold blinked and smiled. "What is it, Helga?"
She shrugged with a grin. "Well, for once, I'M wearing a sweater. We'll just use mine." She chuckled. "Heh, good thing it was one of the only purple things I owned, right Arnold?"
"U-Uh…" Arnold blinked a lot of times, tried to smile, blushed… "Um…yeah. You'll take off your sweater. O-Okay…"
Seeing him react like that to this obviously lucky break for them, Helga looked at Arnold curiously at first…but then she grinned a little and leaned close to him, blushing. "Sure, I'll take off my sweater…unless YOU want to take it off for me?" she asked mischievously.
Arnold instantly turned a fiery scarlet, breathing shallowly. "I…I…I…I…" Oh why did she have to ask that question? And was it horrible of him that an image had suddenly flashed into his head of taking the hem of Helga's sweater in his hands and…He banished everything about the thought entirely and just did his best not to pass out.
Helga meanwhile just laughed a ton and rolled her eyes at all of his flustered cuteness, leaning back from him again. "Oh I'm just kidding…I'll take it off myself, just don't have a heart attack on me up here." She glanced at Arnold but he was just sitting there with his hands in his lip, his eyes unblinking and wide and his own face cherry red. Helga just let out a sigh. 'Men—I swear, they'd never get anything done without us…' "Anyway…" she went on with a clearing of her throat, and then she grabbed the hem of her food stained sweater and lifted the garment over her head (trying not to blush too much or feel too self-conscious as she did so) and then finally pulled it off, revealing her short sleeve purple nightshirt (tucked into her purple pants to look like a regular short sleeve shirt, and with a faint chocolate milk stain all over the collar from when Arnold had doused her in the cafeteria). She reached out with a smile and handed the sweater to Arnold (who was right now looking away with a light blush on his face almost like he had wanted to give her 'privacy' or something just for taking off a sweater). She chuckled a little at the idea as she let the sweater fall into his lap. "Arnold, my little gentleman, just calm down and take the sleeves and I'll take the end and you can lower me down into the hall, okay, Mr. Strong Man?"
Arnold quickly took the sweater sleeves and nodded, taking a breath and finally finding it in himself to be able to look at her again…blushing deeply, of course. "O-Okay…and s-sorry…I-I just never thought about you taking anything off…I mean…" he let out a breath, "U-Um, is it getting kind of warm up here, heh? M-Maybe I should lower you down now…" A little uncomfortable smile was on his face as he wrapped the ends of the sweater sleeves around his wrists, making sure to get the best grip possible.
Helga just chuckled a little more and gripped the end of the sweater in both of her hands. "Arnold, you're too cute about things sometimes. I'm gonna try new outfits more often if they'll be able to get you all tongue-tied like this. But anyway we've still gotta get out of here so let's go." She winked at him and then carefully dropped one leg and then the other out of the vent, held as tightly as she could to the sweater, and then her love, with a nod and his blush still strong (though he was really trying to let it subside and to focus on the task before them), slowly lowered her about half way to the ground (which was about as far as he could get her) and then Helga let go and dropped the last three or four feet, just barely managing to land on her feet. "Whew!" She glanced around to make sure that the hall was still empty and then stood up as tall as she could and positioned herself under the vent and gave Arnold a thumbs up. Arnold nodded and then tossed down the sweater (which Helga quickly put on) and then lowered his legs, and then gripped the sides of the ceiling and lowered himself as much as he could and then let go with a cringe, hoping this would work (but trusting deep down that, just like she had said back to him before, Helga would always keep him safe no matter what…Such a comforting thought, it made him warm all over.)
"OOF!"
"Whoa! Gotchya!"
Arnold blinked a few times and then looked down and found himself safely sitting astride Helga's shoulders. He almost had to smile. It had been a little risky and yet he was safe just like she had promised.
Helga, wrapping her arms a bit more firmly around his legs to help keep him balanced for the moment, smiled up at him. "Alright, Football Head—very nice job!" She winked.
Arnold blushed down at her and smiled. "Um, thanks, Helga." And then he blushed a lot more and cleared his throat, his present position fully processing. "U-Um…I'll just get down now." He felt kind of funny sitting on Helga's shoulders like this, and with her holding his legs.
Helga just giggled and nodded. "Okay."
He climbed off of her shoulders to the floor and dusted himself off.
"Okay, Football Head," Helga smiled brightly and put her hands on her hips, ready to move on to the next phase of their escape plan to wrap things up, "Now, you get to your locker and grab what you need, I'll grab my junk and then we'll book it out of here!" And with that she ran briskly over to her locker.
Arnold nodded and chuckled. "Whatever you say, Helga."
Saying that made her chuckle too and he just savored the warmth that her laugh made come over him and that he'd been missing out on for so many days as he walked over to his own locker to get his own affairs in order.
Arnold opened his locker, took out his backpack first and then started to place a book or two and his sweater inside of it…but then he couldn't deny it anymore and his gaze turned to all the pinks and pictures arranged all over the back of this little space of his…and his eyes took on a warm and dewy quality. He was gone for several seconds in the happy lovely thought that he had the person all of this stuff was about back in his life.
"Hey Arnold, Crimeny, aren't you done yet? We have to get go—"
Arnold froze completely, not moving…just standing there in front of his open locker door with his eyes wide and his face a pallet of red…and Helga's voice having stopped talking right by his ear. She could see his little dedication to her in his locker. Oh boy.
"A-Arnold…" he heard her voice say next with kind of shaky wonder.
He just looked down with total distress and finally breathed out. "Helga," he quickly began, not even knowing where to begin though! "I'm…I'm sorry! It—I didn't mean for you to see it…YET, I mean! I-I wasn't going to keep it a secret forever or anything of course. I mean, I just…I don't even know how it happened! I didn't plan it or anything! I'd just see something pink and think of you and pin it up in here and then you gave me all those pictures of us from when you were talking my new photo for your locket and then I found old copies of It Girl magazines and then I just, I just, I just…I just…"
He stopped. The locker door was slammed shut right in front of him. With wide, shy, almost terrified eyes he turned to look at the girl who had slammed it shut…
Only to be met with a very, very, very half-lidded looking Helga G. Pataki leaning on one hand against his now shut locker door…and there was something in that smoldery gaze, that expectant smile, the way she had her hip cocked to the side that made the poor ten-year-old boy gulp.
Seeing that gulp only made that smile of hers pick up on one side and then she grabbed him roughly by the collar. "Come 'ere…"she announced and then started to drag him across the hall.
"H-H-Helga?" he just stuttered out nervously. "Wh-Where are we going?"
"Janitor's closet. Now," she merely replied, still dragging him along.
Arnold felt so confused. "B-But why? I thought we were supposed to get out of here now and—"
And then suddenly he was whipped around and she had him pinned against the closet door. "Because," she simply stated, her eyes burning with something for him that even in her most intense states of lovesickness he wasn't sure if he'd ever seen before, "It turns out you're not the only one who finds shrines to yourself very very 'attractive'. On top of which, like you said…we've really got three days of self denial to catch up on…So now we're going to go into the closet and I'm going to make all that kissing and cuddling we did under that table in the cafeteria seem about as tame as that time outside of Chez Paris when you gave me that chaste little kiss upon my hand in comparison with what I'll do to you in there." She shoved her nose against his. "Prepare to be MADE to monologue and moan and purr, Arnold….you got me in that library, I get you right here and right now in this closet."
His little jaw fell completely and he couldn't even speak and didn't even have time to as she then suddenly ripped him off of the door, whipped the door open, and then pulled him and her inside and then shut the door tightly behind them, the last sound meeting the empty hallway besides the door slam being the sound of a certain football headed young man being lifted up and slammed against a wall in the closet and the beginning sound of a female moan while Helga G. Pataki proceeded to finish 'making up' with him and simultaneously thanking him for his little unintentional shrine to her right here and right now.
About two or three hours later (and no, guys, they haven't been ravaging each other in a closet for three hours straight—they're ten-years-old and really Helga just needed to get some stuff out of her system in that closet back at the school…)
On a familiar boarding house rooftop in a familiar chaise lounge chair as the sun was starting to get a little lower in the sky, a familiar young lady reclined while she awaited her beloved. She was still in her purple pants from earlier, though, considering how food stained her sweater (and even her shirt underneath it thanks to Arnold dumping that chocolate milk on her—she had to giggle a little again at the whole idea) had been, she had changed what she was wearing as a shirt…and was actually right now in one of Arnold's plaid shirts…specifically the one he had given her a few weeks ago (it had been clean and in her backpack so she'd just gone for it. It would serve her until her sweater and shirt were done going through the wash with Arnold's stuff right now). In addition, her hair was no longer in a ponytail due to the fact that after all of that food fighting stuff it had needed a good washing and so she had taken the liberty, while in Arnold's bathroom, of using some of his shampoo to clean it out in the sink, and then Gertie had been nice enough to loan her a towel, which Helga has wrapped around her head. Her pink ribbon in her hand along with a brush Gertie had loaned her were stowed under the lounge chair as she waited for her hair to be dry enough for her to put it back up…into pigtails of course since she was no longer trying to pettily annoy her love. Now that she was done using the bathroom though it was Arnold's turn, which explained why, after giving her parents a quick call to let them know why she wasn't in school (she'd left out how she and Arnold had started the food fight, and luckily her parents, hearing that every fourth, fifth and sixth grader had been sent home for the day, didn't seem all that upset with her), where she was now, and that she'd be home probably some time after dinner, Helga had been waiting up here for the last fifteen minutes while her love took some time to finish getting cleaned up and changing as well.
It was quiet up here, with only a light breeze blowing and the sun getting a richer color as it prepared to move into setting. She liked it…and especially liked it because she hadn't been up here in three days…and was so very happy to be welcomed back again…so very grateful and happy to be welcomed back again…her eyes closed in peaceful happiness…
It was then that the light sound of the skylight door opening met her ears. Her eyes fluttered a little but she didn't sit up or turn to see him…just enjoying how she could sense that it was his presence there and no others.
"Helga…" she heard him lightly whisper lovingly as he approached her slowly, "Are you asleep?"
She just took in a deep, good, content breath and then let it out, and then sat up a little more on the lounge chair and turned to face him. "No, my darling, I'm wide awake…Just resting…" she blushed, "And waiting for you, of course…" She smiled a little more and then with an extra blush scooched all the way over on the lounge chair. "Um…sit with me, love?" She tried not to look a little desperate as she asked but really after being cut off for so many days and so suddenly, she just wanted his presence, his warmth, his comforting touch near her…It reminded her of before her confession when, though she had suppressed it as much as possible, she had always secretly desperately craved just him even being near her…her heart silently fluttering away whenever she got the chance for it as she did her best to control herself from spilling her guts to him while she had reveled in the mere presence of his presence.
Helga, coming out of her reminisces, watched her love, now in one of his normal sweater and shirt outfits (though the hat was missing from his head at the moment and Helga knew why since she actually had it tucked away under the lounge chair along with her ribbon and the brush for certain reasons), blush a tiny bit at the request but then nod and climb onto the chair with her, reclining close next to her in it. "Okay, Helga…I'd like that…I could go for a little rest too…all, um…all things considered…"
She heard him gulp, and blushed and knew why. She smiled a little more, snuggling into him as he snuggled into her. "Yeah, well…on top of the stuff in the cafeteria, the stuff in the closet did take a lot out of us…" She chuckled. "I'm kind of happy we got that all out of our systems though…especially the closet stuff…so we can go back to just snuggling sometimes…Remind me to thank your lovely little locker shrine later for making me drag you in there, by the way…"
Her little beloved nodded near her. "Yeah…Not that what happened back at the school wasn't f-fun but…I like just snuggling a lot too…Oh and, um…" his voice took on a little extra note of shyness as he finished, "I'm happy you like my little locker sh-shrine…"
Helga giggled at him stuttering over the 'sh' word. "Hmm, yeah…I really do. I understand now what you were talking about with something like that appealing to your ego—it's a very flattering thing. Oh and as for my 'closet-based' reaction to that shrine, just for the record—ten points to you for how after you got out of your shock about me pulling you in there in the first place you went and pinned ME against the wall…and started just giving my lips little feverish kisses and saying things like 'beautiful', 'wonderful', 'ravishing', 'gorgeous', 'precious', 'darling', 'sweet', 'queenly', 'glowing', 'vibrant', 'warm', 'enchanting'…and all sorts of nice stuff in between them…And then went and purred so hard at me that I shook enough to knock over half the cleaning supplies." She blushed so much extra but at the same time was just trying not to laugh too much at all of it… "I know I didn't quite get a moan out of you again but that purr was MORE than enough…" A little shudder passed through her just at the memory of it.
Arnold's little heart pounded in his little chest. "O-Oh…I'm, um…happy you liked that…all of that, Helga…I guess I just…had a lot of nice things stored up in me for the last three days, you know? And the purring…I…well…I just had to…I could barely help myself…I…" he blushed extra as he finished up with, almost guiltily at the memory of having been so overwhelmed that he had actually done that, "I-I'm not sure though when I'll m-moan again though…" He cleared his throat, moving along…and unable to help himself saying, as the thought came to him now that she had started bringing up compliments like this. "O-Oh and, um…ten points to you too, Helga, for, um…when you had me pinned against that wall and you actually made me pass out for once…and thanks for catching me when I did that, by the way…" He was smiling so much…She had actually made him pass out…He had actually felt himself so overcome by her initial passionate and seemingly ceaseless romantic attack of him that all of a sudden everything had blurred and faded and folded together in a pleasurable ringing haze and he'd just…gone….Only for a minute or two (and during that first minute apparently Helga hadn't even realized it so she'd just kept kissing him) but still…he'd decided, after that, that going from wakefulness to unconsciousness in that manner was the most wonderful manner in which to do it. No question.
Helga just giggled in a little coy fluster and finally turned her head to look directly at his face again, trying to catch his eyes. "Well, thank you, Arnold…Looks like we tied then in the points department."
Arnold with a shy smile (and seeing and feeling the shift of her head) managed to shift his own and catch her eyes like she wanted…and like he wanted too. "Yeah…A tie...I like that, Helga…"
"Yeah…" she whispered back warmly, "And now we can just rest and be happy up here together—at least until the sun goes down." She chuckled.
Arnold blushed a tiny bit. "Actually…" he sat up now with a little sheepish smile on his face, "Uh…well…with the three days…and the extra time on my hands…and nothing to do…I sort of um…well…" And then he reached into his jeans pocket, pulled out his room remote control (much to Helga's curiosity as she now sat up alongside him), pressed a button and…Helga watched in amazement as instantly strings of lights, mostly soft white but also in some varying hues of blue and pink, lit up all around the edge of the roof, the pigeon coop, even the skylight.
It was beautiful.
Helga just looked around and felt so overwhelmed. And then she looked back at a still sheepish and modest (though maybe he had a tiny little proud smile on his face) Arnold and beamed and tried not to laugh. "So…this is what you did with YOUR excess kissing energy, huh? Wired the whole boarding house roof…" She grinned at him a little.
Arnold swallowed and cleared his throat and shrugged and replied bashfully, "Yeah…and, um…I also might have changed every light bulb in the boarding house, fixed any wiring problems in all of the boarder's rooms, helped my Grandma set up a disco ball in the dining room, did all of my English homework for the last week of school in advance just, um…just to prove to myself that I could do it without you (even though I know I didn't do the creative writing nearly as well without your help), and, um…I think I even actually managed to fix the water heater downstairs when it went on the fritz though I didn't even know I could do that to be honest…" He was almost chuckling a little now himself while Helga just giggled in amusement at all of this.
"Well," Helga announced finally, taking one more survey of the lovely glowing rooftop around her making her feel like she was in a little piece of heaven up here in the sky with her beloved, "It's beautiful…" Such a sincere little sigh accompanied that assessment as the true beauty of it all finished washing over her. "You really are so very creative, Arnold…" And then she chuckled a little and looked back to Arnold and shrugged and added, "And hey now we can have night dates out here, right? That'll be nice. Oh and, um…just so you know that you're not the only one who's been a busy bee trying to work off all of their pent up romantic energy…" She rolled her own eyes sheepishly to the side now, a bit of a blush coming to her own features (but really she just had to mention the irony—it was too funny to pass up), "I reorganized my entire closet by varying shades of pink, read three new romance novels, and watched two new romance movies that Olga kept recommending, paced about two hours every night before going to bed just to work off enough energy to get some sleep, did ALL of my homework for the last week of school (and even offered to do some of Phoebe's so she could spend more time with Gerald), got double ice cream sundaes with Brainy to console myself (even though I couldn't bring myself to have the debate we had planned about which one of us was a better stalker), and also I might have, um…done my best to make a shrine that required moving parts that I joked about with you once…For the head of my paper crane shrine I put together this huge paper mache football shaped head and a made a lever and set up a pulley and I was kind of going for one of those drinky-bird things but on a large scale…It, uh, bends down to touch the center of my chalk heart with it's beak…" She blushed and ton and shrugged.
They just smiled at each other for a moment and then he laughed almost uncontrollably and she laughed right along with him at all of their foolishness and stubbornness and what it had led them both to do with themselves, the two of them collapsing back to lie down beside each other once more in the lounge chair.
"O-Okay…Arnold?" Helga finally looked at him between chuckles and managed to speak again. "L-Let's promise that for the sake of the universe we'll try and keep fights from now on down to only one day instead of three so that you don't end up wiring the world and I don't end up making some cyborg shrine that's going to burst out of my closet covered in my organized pink dresses and try to enslave humanity or anything, alright?"
A laughing even more Arnold just nodded at her lovely sense of humor and agreed, eventually gaining enough breath to respond with, "D-D-Deal, Helga. We'll t-try." He winked at her.
For a moment the two of them with smiles on their faces just looked happily at each other, resting side by side, their laughter slowly calming.
And then Arnold asked, just a touch of his still natural denseness shining through as you'd think he would have pointed this out upon first initially seeing her when he had come up to the roof. "And, um…i-is that my shirt you have on or your shirt?" he had to ask shyly of her new plaid top.
Helga chuckled a little at the question and blushed. "Oh…um, it's mine. The one you gave me, I mean… Your grandma offered to wash my purple sweater and shirt and honestly after that food fight they needed it along with your stuff, so I just got this out of my backpack and put it on…because of course even if we were at war with each other I could never not walk around without it tucked away somewhere near me to hold and smell and love." She rolled her eyes, bringing her arms up under her head to rest it upon them. "I probably look a little ridiculous, don't I? Purple pants, red plaid shirt, hair up in this silly towel…"
Arnold however just smiled…and lied down on his arms beside her…taking in the sight of how utterly cute she looked right now, actually. She was wearing his shirt…It made him warm all over…His pretty Helga was wearing his shirt. "I think you look…gorgeous…Gorgeous enough to make a guy purr even…"
Helga's breath caught in her throat and she blushed and buried her face in her arms for a moment, only her eyes visible…Just something about the way he had said that and the genuinely entranced look on his face while he'd said it had done it to her. "R-Really?" she mumbled out.
Arnold nodded. "Yeah…really. I…like you in my shirt." And then he gulped, moving his eyes down from admiring the top half of her…to admiring the bottom half of her. "A-And actually, I…you know, I don't think I've ever really seen you in pants before, Helga. I…I never realized how, um…long your legs were…" He went all dreamy and goofy, and… "Hrr…" he even purred a tiny bit at this point, almost without thinking about it…
Helga blinked at that random observation (after feeling one of those pleasant little purr-induced shivers go through her of course)…and then considered…and then glanced down at her legs in the pants…and then unburied her face from her arms and looked at Arnold with a strange little smile. "Oh…I see what's going on here…"
Arnold blinked a few times but was still smiling goofily and just barely glancing down at her legs. "Huh…?" he mumbled out.
"You're a legs man, aren't you, Arnold?"
The smugly asked question left Arnold all goofy looking for about a second longer but then instantly it was his turn to blush and go wide eyed and bury all of his face but his eyes in his arms under his head. "I…I…" he squeaked out unsurely, unknowing what to say to that…that arguably rather true observation considering how many times he'd found himself going all goofy whenever she crossed her legs or rested with them stretched out or better yet those few rare times when, after kissing, she had rested her legs in his lap…and he thought about touching them…just a little…And now here today he really hadn't realized how much of her height was just those pretty, long legs but…it was. His little heart thumped in his chest.
"Arnold…" Helga coaxed, smiling rather proudly and bending her legs a little, just enjoying her new little power, "Come on…admit it…If you admit it then maybe I'll try some more 'leg flattering' outfits more often….Admit you're a legs man…For me, Arnold?"
Arnold blushed extra. He looked uncomfortable…but then he closed his eyes and said shyly, "I…I'm…a l-legs man…Helga…"
She smiled more and almost overheated inside with how delightful that information felt to have, and knowing that she was a contributing factor in it all. "Good to know…" she merely replied back quietly. "See, not so bad admitting a little part of that boyish dark side of yours, is it, Arnold?"
Arnold, calming down a little now that he had finished getting that off of his chest and had taken a deep breath, managed to sit up a bit and shrug with a deep little blush and a bashful little smile. "I-I guess not…" And then he chuckled and looked at her, and said, just…just feeling like it, "So, yeah, I admit it…I like your long legs a lot and…in a small way they make me like that I'm a little short because they seem even longer by comparison…The longest legs on a girl I've ever seen." He smiled and shrugged sheepishly again just feeling happy and good right here—here with his pretty Helga with her pretty, long legs.
Helga just giggled a ton and sat up as well, looking to the side all coyly (and bending her legs just a little more for effect), "Why, Mr. Arnold Phillip Shortman, you are certainly a man who knows what he wants, aren't you?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
Arnold smiled more and then he narrowed his eyes a little in respond to her fluttering eyelashes. "Maybe, Ms. Helga Geraldine Pataki…And maybe right now I…want to go back to holding the most beautiful woman in the world…and to give her more 'I'm sorry' kisses…Enjoying her long legs mixing with mine…Running my fingers through her golden hair…." One of his arms had already eagerly come around her waist to pull her in and the hand of the other was almost about to reach up to her hair on instinct…when his rather distracted mind was confronted with the towel wrapping up her hair and he blinked a few times, briefly came out of his rather aggressive little moment, and observed, "Oh, um…your hair, it's…why's it in a towel like that, Helga?"
"Huh…?" was all that came out of Helga's mouth in a gentle coo…as she had really been ready to melt into blushing putty in his arms and just let him have whatever fun he wanted with her (and to have some fun with him too).
Arnold blushed a tiny bit at the deep effect he'd suddenly realized he was having on her and then almost chuckled as he explained, using his arm around her waist to gently rub her back a little and ease her back to reality for a moment, "Helga…um…come back to me, please…I can't make you happy and pull my fingers through your hair after all if your hair's all locked up in a towel…"
"Huh…Oh…Oh I…" She blinked a bunch of times and then shook her head and finally seemed to come back to earth (with a little blush at how deeply under she had gone in the first place of course). "O-Oh…yeah…" She reached up and touched the towel again, having almost forgotten about it. "I…well…when I was getting cleaned up I had to wash my hair in the sink thanks to the chocolate milk bomb you dumped on top of me…" She gave him a playful nudge with her elbow and chuckled a little as she went on with, "Anyway, I've just been waiting for it to dry enough so that I can put it up with my ribbon now that my embargo on the color pink and on anything that's a reminder of you and me is over."
Arnold laughed a little at the reminder of her cute little 'embargo' and then asked sincerely, pulling her just a tiny bit closer, feeling all romantic again and feeling unable to keep it at bay for too much longer, "Why didn't you just use the blow-dryer to dry it? You could have, you know…You're welcome to anything of mine, my angel…You never have to ask at all…" He leaned up and gave her a little kiss on the cheek.
Helga blushed and giggled a ton and rolled her eyes, pulling her head away coyly after his little kiss was through. "Aw, I know, my dashing little prince…" She sighed and rolled her eyes to the side with a sheepish half grin. "But believe me, it's better if I towel dry it. Blow dryers make it all frizzy—remember that first hair do I showed up with at Chez Paris last Valentine's Day? The one that looked like I had two big cotton balls sticking out of the side of my head? Totally the result of blow-drying. Take my word for it—the towel thing is much better. Ugh, and speaking of which, I've gotta remember to get a quick wash and haircut or something at the hairdressers soon, especially to make sure to get rid of the dead ends so that my hair'll look nice before our anniversary." Helga smiled extra and her heart fluttered—that was the first time she'd been able to speak of their upcoming one month anniversary in three days without a sense of dread or foreboding or regret. It felt wonderful! Her eyes and face turned back to Arnold.
He was just smiling in such a very funny way at her, his wide head cocked just a bit to the side.
Helga raised part of her brow at this response from him, the smile still on her face. "What?"
He actually smirked a tiny bit. "I think…that what you just said…is the girliest thing I've ever heard you say in our entire lives…"
Helga's eyes went wide and she blushed distinctly. Then she glanced down, looking concerned. Then she shrugged awkwardly, really unsure of how to respond to something like that. "I-It's just…true…It gets frizzy when I blow dry it…and I need a haircut…" She gulped—had it really sounded that princessy? After all, if there was one thing she prided herself on it was not being like other girls exactly. Her blush increased a little more.
Arnold beside her just sighed and put his arms around her all of a sudden in a little side hug. "You're cute when you get shy about being a pretty, soft, precious girl…" he whispered gently into her ear. "I like it…And I like that I fell in love with a woman who's so strong and sweet at the same time…I'm grateful for it. And whatever way your hair is, it'll always be the most beautiful hair in the world to me…Some nights I even dream about touching it, you know, and I wake up with my hands buried in my pillow or my sheets from trying to hold it in my sleep…"
Helga just sat, stiff and blushing, as he said all of that to her and held her. Then she just whispered back, almost feeling a tear come to her eye, letting herself melt in his grasp, a smile upon her face, "You make me feel good and okay about being a little more girly sometimes than my reputation wants to let me be…like it's okay for that to be a part of who I am. Thank you, my love. "
"Anytime…" Arnold replied warmly near her ear.
"And…I dream of your hands in my hair too…and running my hands through yours as well…" she finished quietly with a hot blush, gently letting her cheek press to Arnold's so that he could feel its burn.
She heard his breath catch in his throat, felt him almost move away (she knew it might take him a second—it probably hurt a little bit, that sudden soft burning sensation pressing against his face), but then he let out a breath and eased his cheek more against hers. "M-More reason for us to…take the opportunity of doing it now in real life, I guess…since we're made up now and everything…"
Helga just let out a shuddery little swoon, and then she giggled and then pulled her cheek from against his to look at him, reaching up with one hand to gently turn his eyes to hers. "Well…that is an excellent point, lover boy. And actually, luckily enough, I think my hair should be dry now. And I've got my ribbon and your grandma gave me a brush to use. Besides this towel turban's giving me a headache now anyway." She smiled and Arnold smiled and then Helga reached up and unwrapped the towel from her now only slightly damp hair and shook out the long blonde strands for a moment, then picked up the brush and her ribbon from alongside the lounge chair and began to start the process of fixing herself up.
"Helga…?" asked Arnold sweetly with a little blush and smile.
"Yes, Arnold?" Helga replied back, turning to him again and finishing up her first brush stroke.
"Um…if we could put aside running our fingers through stuff and more kissing for a moment…could I just…spend some time brushing your hair out for you instead? I'd…like that…a lot…" He looked all goofy.
Helga just blinked and blushed extra…but then shyly (and on the inside almost giddily) reached out the little brush to him. "I'd…like that a lot too…Of course, Arnold…You can brush my hair." Oh she felt like she could have died happy! So much of all they'd had and all she'd missed out on because of their fight was coming back to her and she couldn't even describe how grateful she felt…So very grateful.
Arnold took the brush from Helga's hand (likewise just…bursting inside from having her here again in his life to do little things like this with), and then Helga turned herself so she was sitting completely up and with her legs off the edge of the lounge chair, and Arnold shifted himself a little and got on his knees and reached out, and then started to gently brush Helga's hair.
Helga smile was almost uncontainable as she felt stroke after stroke pull through her blond locks, and then she couldn't help but give a little giggle and speak to her love over her shoulder. "Hmm…hey, remember the first time you ever did this for me, Arnold? Back when you were playing at being my boyfriend to make Lila jealous because she was dating Arnie? And remember how steamed and ticked off you looked the whole time I had you doing it to me?" She chuckled at the memory of the silly little scheme on her part.
Arnold, from behind her, chuckled and nodded at the memory, all the while doing his best to be extra gentle with the brush so that he could be sure not to hurt her or pull her hair at all. "Yes, I remember, Helga…And…well, I know I looked kind of annoyed by it back then, but…that was because I was a little frustrated with myself because, well…no matter how hard I tried, when I was sitting there doing it to you, even though it was supposed to be part of 'winning Lila back', I just…couldn't help but think of how I was actually brushing out a girl's hair…And it kept making me feel funny inside…very funny…and extra funny since it was you I was feeling funny about in the first place. And it was almost a little scary to me so…that's why I looked like that…steamed and ticked off." He laughed a little. "And then of course there was the time you let me braid it up here, sitting on one of these chairs just like this. That was much nicer since I finally knew that I loved you back and actually enjoyed how funny being near you made me feel."
Helga gave a chuckle and nodded. "Ah, yes, how could I forget that—your fantasy time."
Arnold let out a little sigh and nodded. "Yeah. My fantasy time…" He gave another small chuckle of reflection, and then let his eyes, which had been glancing down in thought and shyness, glance back up at Helga's hair, and instantly at the sight of it his brush stroking faltered a little and his smile went extra goofy…and he had to add from behind her, unable to check the compulsion to do so, it was so strong, "Staring at your hair is like staring at sunshine…It makes me feel warm inside."
He heard Helga, who had just been chuckling a little along with him again, take in a sudden deep breath, and then he saw her shiver a little from behind the curtain of her sunshine hair. "Um…thank you, love…What with the raspberry shampoo and the lemon conditioner and the towel drying and the haircuts for the dead ends, I-I try." She spoke the words so quietly and bashfully, then shrugged a little and gave a tiny giggle.
Arnold just let out a deep, totally attracted sigh, and then managed to get his head back in the game a little, brushing regularly once more through her long locks, loving once again just being here with her like this. He'd missed her so much…so very much over those three days. It wasn't even just the pent up kissing energy or the frustration or the pettiness…It…She was…His mind suggested the term 'best friend' but that wasn't it. Gerald was his best friend. Helga was…his… It was hard to describe… 'Girlfriend' didn't do it justice…Even 'love of his life' just wasn't quite capturing part of the depth of it, and he knew that. She…She and he…they were…like a little…family. Like…they had this little life together, were there for each other, loved each other together…A little family…And their little family had been broken for the last three days without her and…he couldn't recall ever having felt so lonely about anything in his entire life…Well…except about one thing…but that was a rather large and special exception…but at least he had been used to that exception for almost his whole life…But the whole thing with Helga had been so sudden that he'd…he'd literally gone from just bursting with life and love and happiness to…empty…alone and empty. And it was so nice to have all of that life and love and happiness back again, and to feel so very alive once more.
"Penny for your thoughts, Football Head…"
Helga's voice saying these words with a touch of amusement made Arnold blink and brought him back to reality. He realized now that he had stopped in mid brush stroke at some point and had apparently just stayed that way as his thoughts had been playing out. "O-Oh…um…Don't worry about it, Helga…" he quickly replied back quietly, almost bashfully (and with a touch of nervousness). "Um…does it feel like your hair needs any more brushes or is it okay?" he asked now, wanting to move things along.
Helga let out a sigh and glanced at him over her shoulder with a smile. "No, it feels okay…plus I want to be able to look at your gorgeous face again instead of having to face forward so I guess that's enough." She chuckled, and then he saw the one cheek of hers he could see blush as she added, picking up something from her lap and offering it out to him. "Um…would you do the honor of tying my ribbon back into it? Just on the top, please, Arnold?"
Arnold blushed and gulped at first but then quickly smiled eagerly and put down the brush on the roof beside the chair. "Um…sure, Helga." He reached out and took the ribbon and then as carefully as he could, so that he wouldn't pull any of the hairs or anything, he reached up and tied it perfectly upon the top of her head. "Lovely…" he merely stated at the sight of all that pretty hair crowned with it's familiar pink bow…and then he took the liberty of reaching up with one hand and gently but firmly pulling his fingers through the whole soft length of it.
The girl before him shivered deeply and swooned at his sudden action. And then when that was over, a beaming Helga turned herself around and Arnold scooched over, and they sat up next to each other again in the lounge chair. "Thank you…" she said with a little extra joyful looking blush and smile. "You're my favorite hairdresser, Arnold. Such…good hands…" She blushed extra and giggled at her little joke.
"It's an honor to serve my princess," a likewise blushing Arnold merely replied chivalrously and with a little chuckle, even giving her a tiny bit of a bow with his head.
They both shared a laugh at all of that.
And then Helga recalled, amid all this talk of hair (which inevitably brought her to looking at Arnold's hair that she longer to hold in her fingers yet again)…the fact that Arnold's head was still missing a certain something…something that normally went right in between his two big tufts of unruly cornflower locks…
"Oh, Arnold, before I forget…" Helga leaned back and reached down and then picked up one final thing from beside her side of the lounge chair and then she brought it up and offered the familiar object to him in both of her hands with a smile. "Your hat, my darling. Gertie was going to put it in the wash with all of our other stuff and she said that whenever it needs to be cleaned that's what you usually do but…I…" she blushed a little more and went on with a little shrug, "I just wanted to make sure it would definitely be okay, so I hand washed it in the bathroom and used the blow dryer to dry it off…It's just…" she swallowed and looked at him a little sheepishly, "…I was so afraid it would stain after all of that stuff in the cafeteria and I know how much you love it—heck, I still can't forget how sad you were during that week you didn't have it at the beginning of the year—so I wanted to make sure it got taken special care of…A-And, also, um, Arnold…?" A ton of guilt was in her face as she added quickly, "Um…I feel like maybe this won't surprise you, and I've always been a little nervous about explicitly telling you about it just because you seemed so…so torn apart without it, but…that week when you didn't have your hat…it was because I had it. I found it…wanted to keep it and make it part of my shrine…" She looked sincerely into his eyes. "I'm sorry for that, by the way…I hate the idea that I hurt you at all by doing it…And then my Mom threw it and my whole shrine out and I was just so happy that I found it and that you got it back." She smiled a little more and offered the hat forward lightly. "Forgive me, Arnold?" she asked sincerely.
Arnold had just been listening to her intently, curiously, interestedly. And then when she was done, even though it took him a moment to absorb all of that, he nodded his forgiveness of course and even smiled at her concern…Her afraid that he really would be angry with her for something from a past they had mutually moved on from a while ago…and had just spent an entire afternoon already working out and moving past entirely together. "I forgive you, Helga," he said kindly. "You had it…but you saw how important it was to me and you gave it back. That was the right thing to do…and you did it because you have a good heart." He looked at her now happily smiling face and then at the little blue hat still being held out for him in her hands…and then he asked with a light blush, "Um…since I tied your ribbon in…will you…put my hat on my head, Helga…slightly to the side of course?" He had to give a small chuckle as he brought his eyes back up to Helga's.
Helga brightened entirely at this request from him and nodded eagerly, and then an extra smiling Arnold bent his head low and Helga placed the little cap on there in a manner almost sacred (indeed turning it to the side like he liked, of course).
She pulled away with a dreamy look in her eyes and her hands clasped together over her heart. "Perfect…" She let out a little girlish sigh.
At her assessment of how he looked, Arnold chuckled again…and then asked with a coy little smile…in a low little voice, "So…now that that's all done…you wanna go back to cuddling, Helga? Cuddling and hair-touching and…maybe a little kissing…?" He blushed bashfully.
She just giggled brightly. "Hmm…whatever you say, Arnold…cuddle and hair-touch and 'kiss a little bit' away…" And then she laid down on the lounge chair again and pulled him down with her and the two of them just snuggled close, enjoying each other's company and warmth, Helga playing with the tufts of Arnold's hair and Arnold holding one of Helga's hands and maybe kissing the back of it gently as they stayed there like that in love.
This special moment went on. Helga giggled here or there. Arnold even sighed once in just total happiness.
And then Helga asked, glancing to her beloved's cute little head again where she had been fortunate enough to be allowed to bestow his precious hat, "Hey, Arnold?"
"Yes…beautiful?" he asked between little kisses to her hand.
She smiled and blushed more, melting in pleasure inside at him doing this. And then she asked, "Um…well...you know why I love my bow so much…It's because it was the first thing about me that you liked…So…why do you love your hat so much, Arnold?"
The little kisses on the back of her hand stopped.
Her beloved didn't move and his head was positioned so that she couldn't see his eyes.
Helga…feeling strange about how he was reacting to that little question…waited…
There was still some silence.
Helga had stopped playing with his hair at this point and she was about to ask the question again…followed by a quick assurance that if he didn't want to tell her for some reason it was okay (although by now it had gone from a casual inquiry to something she was DYING to know thanks to this response from him) when Arnold finally replied in a small, kind of quiet voice that she had never heard him speak in before…
"I love it because my parents gave it to me."
Helga stopped breathing…and just waited some more now…because…Arnold had never…brought up his parents yet to her. And of course she had never wanted to broach the subject herself because she knew it must be a tender one…But…right here and now? She hadn't expected it at all and…she wasn't sure whether to ask some questions or just let him continue on (if he so chose)…
She decided to start by just gently moving her hand that had been in his hair down behind him where she lightly began to stroke his back tenderly.
That seemed to help. He said more…still in that quiet voice she had never heard from him before now. "It was…a first birthday present to me from them…so when I wear it…I feel like…part of me's still in that little bit of time when we were all together…and that's why I like it so much."
Suddenly he was clutching at her a tiny bit whether he knew it or not, and Helga swallowed…and then asked very quietly, with worry, with wonder… "A-Arnold…if…if it's not too sad for you to tell me…um…where are your parents, Arnold…?"
Her love sighed…And then he sat up a little and looked at her eyes…his own heavy with an emotion…and replied, "I…don't know."
Helga looked at him curiously.
And then Arnold, who had been…who had been thinking about mentioning or saying at least something about his parents to this most important and special person in his life ever since their relationship had been cemented and solidified so many weeks ago, just…gushed because he couldn't hold it in anymore. "I don't know where they are. They were explorers…I…they got married and had me in…this place called San Lorenzo…and then we came back here…and we were here for a year and we were happy…really happy…and then they went back to San Lorenzo to help some sick people in this tribe of people they were close to, and they left me with Grandma and Grandpa but they never came back and we never heard from them again so I don't know where they are!"
Helga took a deep breath in and let a deep breath out, all of that just…just trying to process and wash over her. "Arnold…" she looked deeply into his eyes, "If you…want to talk about it…I'd like to hear…but if it's too painful…I can wait…until you're ready…"
His eyes trembled a little (and she realized it was with tears) and then he came down and to her surprise kissed her fervently and almost a little sloppily upon her lips for a moment and then pulled back, took several breaths, and then laid against her, clutching all the more to her, and practically shouted in desperation, though at the same time there was something of a quiet croak in it, "I WANT to, I…I've wanted to since that day my grandparents told us about my Grandma's confession and we went up to my room and kissed and told each other about our second married dreams because I wanted to tell you that so much of the reason I liked the idea of being married to you and having a baby and a family together was because it would be like I was part of a real full family again, but I just didn't want to upset everything or make everything painful and complicated, and we've been working out so perfectly and I was scared and I…I miss them and I never felt anything fill the loneliness of not having them the way being with you does and then you were gone for three days—three whole days! And I was scared it was over and that the only person I've ever loved and needed to be with even close to how I loved and needed to be with them wasn't going to come back anymore, okay?" He held to her, burying his face against her, and even though he was obviously trying to hold it back, a shocked and wide eyed and in tears Helga could feel a little tear or two of Arnold's fall upon her shirt…
She took all of that in. So many things that had been weighing down on his little heart and that he had been afraid of…And then she had gone and made it worse by her part in prolonging their fight. She felt horrible…Certainly this fight had taken its toll on her but…Arnold…Arnold's parents…it had reminded Arnold of bad and sad feelings associated with their absence…How could she ever make up for that…for three days of that? "Oh, Arnold…" she whispered back quietly, holding him close and rubbing his back, clinging to him now too, "I'm…so sorry…"
"Why…Why are you sorry?" And suddenly he had picked up his head and was looking at her very curiously…little tears still in his little eyes… And then, "Helga! You're…crying!" His jaw fell and he seemed shocked.
Helga's lip trembled and a tear or two still fell down her cheeks. "I'm sorry because I wasn't here for you and left you in pain for three whole days. And I'm crying because I hurt you…and it hurts so much that I hurt you, Arnold…" The tears welled up more in her eyes.
He blinked a bunch of times and then came forward and started kissing her cheeks and brushing away the tears with his hand. "No, No…It…The fight was just as much my fault as it was yours. We agreed on that. So don't…don't cry…please…And…" he almost seemed to try to smile, "And on top of that, you crying makes me want to cry, and I already feel insecure enough half the time about being the boy in this relationship between the height thing and the flower arranging and needing to practice on pillows just to keep up with your kissing talents…If I start crying now too then what am I gonna do?" He even chuckled a little now, finished kissing and wiping clean her face.
Helga almost smiled a little too now that he was done. She looked up at him. "H-Hey, you think you feel silly—I'm supposed to be the tough as nails one of the two of us. I've never let anyone see me cry in my entire life before—even Bliss only ever got a sniffle or two out of me but nothing like this. It's gonna take weeks of me acting tough and making sarcastic comments to make up for you seeing me like this, Football Head."
They actually both managed to share a laugh at that, their final little tears finally spilling from their eyes down their cheeks at the action as they did so.
And then, when that was done, Arnold managed to continue, and thankfully not quite as shakily and sadly as before. He rolled off to the side of her a little as he spoke, though he still clung close. "Helga…it…the thing about missing you so much over the last three days…and it reminding me of them. It's just because I…our fight…when it started going on and on and I wasn't sure when it would stop…it made me think about the idea of us really being over…our love together…and you leaving me alone…kind of like they did…my parents, I mean…Because…everything between us has been so perfect that even now sometimes at night when I go to sleep I wonder if I'm going to wake up and have your confession and everything be a dream…and have things go back to the way they were before…and then I'll be lonelier than ever. I know that's impossible and that it won't happen…but us fighting and almost…not making up…it was just as bad. I don't want you to leave me, Helga. I love you." He let out a breath, feeling very good about having said all of that, and then looked to her eyes once more. "Promise me even if we ever did…you know…break up…that you'd still be my friend at least and let me be yours…Even if I could only have you as a…as a close sister or something instead of as my wi—m-my…my girlfriend…please…promise me that…" He asked it so sincerely.
Arnold felt all the fear and doubt in him subside about a second later when Helga was the one to roll on top of him this time, and she wiped his wide eyed brow with her soft and gentle hand, and then said with a loving and quite serious smile, looking deeply into his eyes, "Arnold…I…I…will never leave you alone. Ever. No matter what stupid things I say or how petty I can get, I will always…ALWAYS…I will always be with you. You don't need to be afraid…" She chuckled. "Even if you told me to get lost, I guarantee you, even if I had to go back to the secret stalking, I'd always be with you." She winked down at him.
Arnold…smiled…so much. "Really, Helga?" he asked, sniffling just a little, happy his few tears were going away…happy all the happiness was coming back inside of him.
Helga chuckled again and nodded affirmatively. "Of course." She gently cupped the side of his head with her hands, still gazing sincerely into his eyes. "You have my word. And a Pataki never goes back on her word…Although…I guess there is one small snag in this promise you're asking me to make…" She glanced down coyly.
Arnold blinked, looking at her in concern. "What? What is it?"
She just giggled at his little bout of worrywart-ness and then replied…turning her eyes back to his…leaning down lower, "I think you and I both know that you could never handle having me around just as a sister…You know and I know that we have to be…more…my darling…" And then she came down and started kissing, giving little kisses all over his face and lips and reaching up the fingers of her hand deeply into his hair again.
"Hmm…" Arnold let out such a happy sigh, just letting her cover him in all these little kisses of love…and he knew she was right of course. The right way for them to be together was always and forever as young lovers. He would never be able to look at her and be near her without wanting to hold her and caress her and kiss her like a lover would…No, not in a million years.
He was just about to pucker his lips and bring up his hands into her soft locks and start reciprocating all this affection when he felt her kisses slowly start to taper off. He blinked a few times slowly and then opened his eyes to see her looking down at him with a concerned yet warm smile. "And…Arnold…about your parents…" she said softly and then shifted a little to lie by his side, holding him, soothing his brow with her gentle touch.
He blinked a few more times, then processed she was talking about them again, and then replied quietly. "Y-Yes…?"
"Arnold…you said they left you just to go for a little while and just to help sick people where you were born, right?" she asked tenderly.
Arnold nodded a little, looking at her with wide, interested eyes, almost like a child waiting to learn something.
Helga just smiled more back at him and then said, from the bottom of her heart, one arm draped over him, the other just brushing gently through his hairline, "Well, Arnold…it's…it's not fair that they couldn't come back and that you don't know where they are…but…it sounds like they were just trying to do the right thing…it sounds like they were good people just like you are. Very good and selfless and loving…and like I said it's not right that something went wrong along the way to take them from you but…I know wherever they are they love you, Arnold. And you love them…and no matter what tears you apart, as long as you still love each other you're still together…just like how even though we were fighting and apart for the last few days, we still loved each other so we were still together…and just like we always will be together as long as we keep loving each other. Your parents are with you right now, Arnold, hat or no hat," she smiled a little more, "…and all because your strong and caring heart still loves them so deeply just as they must have always deeply loved you."
Arnold…had often given advice in his life but he had never been…truly comforted by someone like he was being right now. He'd been assisted, made to feel a little better, listened to but never…soothed to this degree. It felt…so wonderful…and he now understood a little better why he had always liked giving people advice if it made them feel anything close to how he was feeling right now.
Instantly he was hugging her close to him and grinning so happily. "Thank you, Helga…" he whispered to her, squeezing her even more tightly.
He felt her stiffen at first in a touch of surprise but then melt in his arms, and then hug him back. "You're welcome, Arnold."
They were together like this for a little while…and then Arnold let out a breath and pulled back and looked at her with a smile, snuggling in close alongside her again this evening. "You gave me advice…real advice…No one's ever…not even Grandpa ever gave me advice like…I love you, Helga…" He smiled more, looking like he'd just 'found home' or something.
Helga cuddled closer to him as well, looking with warmth and welcome into his eyes. "I love you too, Arnold. And anytime, Football Head. Hey, the ability to give advice was bound to rub off on me from hanging out with you sooner or later, right?" She gave a small laugh.
Arnold chuckled a little right along with her. "I guess so…" he replied back warmly, and then he reached up and brushed through some of her soft hair with his fingers. "Although personally…I think that was just your own natural ability shining through…Your own caring and giving nature. I've always told you that you were a good person, Helga…A good girl…just like I'm your bad boy…" He smirked at her a tiny bit with a blush.
She blushed a little too, smirking back at him (smiling more at his cute little playing with her hair). "Well, I guess you make a point, Football Head. My little bad boy Football Head…And just like you're bold and rough and passionate deep inside, I'm good as gold and sweet as sugar deep down…" She felt her heartbeat beginning to pick up in pace.
Arnold chuckled more, his own heart beating with its own increase of frequency in his chest. "Yeah…And you're about a million times smarter and saner about this relationship stuff than me. You're not silly enough to think we'd ever really break up and be apart…" He smiled at her, tilted his forehead forward to rest it against hers. His rock, his Helga. She hadn't had a doubt about loving him from the moment they were three, and she was so wise about love. Only he would be silly enough to doubt them like that…but not her.
Arnold was expecting a smile and an assuring little chuckle from Helga along with some kind of cute affirmative response to his observation and admiration of her constant courage and faith in their relationship…
But instead her smile stiffened…faltered…tried to stay but was obviously forced…And then she let out a little breath and spoke with a small half grin and her eyes looking a little…tired, was the only word. "Arnold…I have a confession to make…"
"Are you in love with me, Helga? Is that it?" he had to ask with a smile, just to lighten the mood, their foreheads still lightly pressed together, bodies still cuddled close, some of her hair wrapped around a few of the fingertips of one of his hands. "You do love to spring that one on me on rooftops…"
She did smile a little more at his cute joke but then just shook her head, that tired look still in her eyes. "No…Well, yes…but that's not my confession this time even though we're on a rooftop again. My confession is that…I…" her voice lowered to a light whisper… "I've been terrified of us breaking up ever since you left my house the night after our first date when you told me you were falling in love with me…Absolutely terrified of it…and especially during that first shy and unsure little week together…" She looked into his eyes.
Arnold looked back into hers in total surprise. "What?" He blinked several times.
She just half smiled and explained quietly…explained, as long as they were going to be as deeply honest with each other as Arnold talking about his parents had made them start to become… "Arnold…I did my best ever since this started…this courtship between you and I…to be confident and just enjoy our time together and to just hope that it would last so very long…forever really…but…secretly I've been terrified of it all falling apart…Arnold, you made the biggest dream in my life come true by loving me back but…how could I know if it would really work? What if you couldn't love me like I loved you? What if you resented me too much for all the years of torture to really end up wanting to stay with me…and I think we both know after this fight that that fear wasn't exactly unfounded…? Or what if I loved you and you loved me too but that just wasn't enough and we couldn't manage to have a real relationship together? Or what if we did but I didn't turn out to be any good for you—a bad girlfriend, a bad wife, if you'd have me, even a bad mother? And the thing was, Arnold, the thing that made it so much more frightening…it was that for all those years that you didn't know my feelings and didn't love me back, well…I always had the hope that if I confessed to you that you'd end up loving me too…but…with us finally together…if we ended up apart again…that small hope in my life would be gone. We would have tried and…we would have failed. And…I'd have nothing more to look forward to. I-I mean, as we ended up connecting more and more over the weeks I was less and less scared…and so very happy…but then this fight brought it all back…" She was crying a little again…just a little. "If we hadn't gotten back together before our one month anniversary to celebrate it, I…I was afraid it would mean…we were done…forever…and I wasn't sure what I was going to do with myself, Arnold…not after everything that's happened…" And suddenly she was hugging close to him and saying with her eyes shut tight, hot with little tears again. "I don't want you to leave me either, Football Head! Ever! …I'm lost inside without you…"
Arnold held her close, feeling some of his own tears returning. 'She's been…scared…all this time…of…that? R-Really…? That scared that I'd…' He hugged her even more tightly…hugged her like he wanted her to just be a part of him and melt together with him so that they could be the same and really could never risk not being together ever again…and he knew something then. Something that had hinted and teased inside of him from the moment he had found out that his grandma was the Gertie girl his grandpa told stories about teasing him... And something that he had officially perfectly come to know just moments ago when he'd almost said to her that he would like to have her as a sister even if he couldn't have her as a WIFE but had then quickly changed 'wife' to 'girlfriend' in shyness and embarrassment. Yes, there was no more denying it…and now here with what she had just shared with him, there was no more will in him to avoid it either. He knew. He knew that…all uncertainty about the future and their young ages and the fact that he had only been courting her a month aside…he was going to end up with this little woman in his arms…he was going to be with her and have a life with her…marry her one day…He knew it so completely that he would never doubt it again in his entire life. Break up with her? She'd been so scared of…that? No—if there was one thing more undesirable, more repulsive to him than the concept of her abandoning him, it was without doubt ripping himself from her ,and he knew that he never would…not just for now…but forever. "Helga…" he whispered out eventually, still holding so close as she held close to him, "Remember what I said in the school? After you saw the mouse? When I told you that I'll keep you safe and protect you forever…? Well, I really will…I'll never let you be lost…And no matter what stupid thing we fight about in the future and what stupid things we say…underneath I'll always love you just as much as I do here and now…and maybe even more since I love you more each and every day…" He pulled back and looked into her eyes…her wide, teary eyes. "You're my Helga…I'll never hurt my Helga and I'll love her forever."
Her eyes suddenly looked so happy to him…the happiest blue he'd ever seen. 'He'll never… I…I know. I know.' She managed to speak. "Thank you, Arnold…I…I don't think I'm afraid anymore…not after we got through this…and I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this sooner…" Just a touch of guilt came to her eyes.
He just shook his head, smiling and with a touch of guilt coming to his own eyes now, reminding her that they had both been keeping secrets. "It's okay. And I'm…I'm sorry I didn't talk about my parents before…And you're welcome, Helga…"
They were quiet now…and then they came together in a little kiss…nothing heated nothing passionate…just slow and right and perfect because they were together and wanted to be that way…
When they were done, they just decided to hold each other close in the little lounge chair and enjoy the sunset together. The only two people in the whole world.
"Arnold?" asked Helga eventually, quietly.
"Yes, Helga?" he replied, also quietly.
"Can I…since we're…going to be completely open with each other even about the deep stuff…can I ask…what are your parents names?"
Arnold smiled a little. "My Dad's name is Miles…and my Mom's name is Stella…And you can ask me anything you want to about them, Helga. I like talking about them once I get used to it…especially with someone I love…It makes it hurt a little less…and feel a little better."
Helga let out a relieved breath. "O-Okay…Um…so…which one is Phil and Gertie's kid?"
"My Dad…" Arnold replied.
"Oh…I'm sorry Phil and Gertie don't get to see him…" Helga added with a touch of sadness in her voice.
"Me too…" Arnold replied back, also sad…and realizing really for the first time that his grandparents didn't just no longer have Arnold's parents…they particularly didn't have their son anymore…and that that must have been a lot for them.
"So…is that hat all you really have of them?" asked Helga now curiously.
Arnold let out a breath. "Well, no…It's very important to me but I also have a picture of them to look at…and then a journal my dad left behind that I found a little while ago…It even has a map in the back of it of San Lorenzo…Part of me wants to go there and see if maybe I could…I don't know…figure out where they are…were…what happened to them…" He swallowed.
Helga nodded and let out a breath. "I hope you can go there one day, Arnold. Very soon if you can…And…if it's okay…could I see your picture of them one day? I'd like that, Arnold…"
Arnold nodded. "Of course, Helga…I keep it tucked away in my room…to look at when I feel lonely for them. I…don't really like to keep it out just in case the guys or anyone come over…Sometimes it's hard for me to answer questions about them." He smiled a little. "It's the most precious thing for me to have near me when I sleep besides your poems…And by the way, I've been missing new poems from you so very much over the last three days…" He snuggled a little closer to her.
She giggled, snuggled a little back. "I'll get you fresh poems by tomorrow—trust me. And okay…next time we're in your room, I'll get to see them…I'd like that."
They were quiet for a little bit more together.
"Um…Arnold? One more question if it's okay?"
"Of course, Helga…Anything…"
"So…Miles and Stella…which one's got the football shaped head?"
She heard Arnold actually snort, his chuckle was so sudden and sharp, and then he replied, twirling some of her hair around his fingers again, "Um…my Mom…but mines a lot wider…like, you'll probably laugh at how much wider it is."
She giggled a little, cuddling her hair against his hair, forehead to forehead. "Well then I can't wait to see that—you know how much I love getting in a good joke at the expense of your head."
They laughed a little more together.
Then, Arnold. "Hey, Helga?"
A little yawn escaped Helga. "Yes, Football Head?"
"Do you really think about us breaking up that much?"
Her reply was a little stiff…and a little ashamed sounding. "Yes…But I won't anymore as much. I trust us completely now, Arnold. I'm…not scared anymore. We're that strong."
He smiled. "Thank you, Helga. And please do trust us that much…because I do too…and if we both do then…well…who knows what'll happen…" He leaned over a little and winked at her, feeling giddy inside…since he did know what would happen…knew it completely now. In fact if they had been down in his room right now he might have…He let out a sigh… 'Don't be hasty with it…do it when it's right…'
She blinked, looked at him curiously for just a moment…but then smiled. "Okay, Arnold. We're in this together. And we'll trust each other completely."
Arnold yawned a little and nodded. "Good…Thank you, Helga."
She nodded and closed her eyes. "You're welcome, Arnold."
He closed his eyes too…
They just wanted to savor being near each other…
And in the peace of all of this, with the sun setting and the lights glowing around them, they fell into a warm and safe slumber in each other's protection.
A little while later, as twilight was finishing setting in and cooling to night, Helga Pataki's eyes fluttered open after a dream about being held by Arnold for all eternity…and any fight they might have ending in so much wonderful making up… At first she wasn't sure of where she was but then it all flooded back to her…The fight, the food fight, sneaking out of the school, sneaking here and getting cleaned up, her and Arnold's long talks…falling asleep in each other's arms up here… 'Heh, that explains my dream, I guess…' She sat up and stretched and then turned to Arnold to see if he was awake yet. "Arnold?" she whispered lightly.
He was just lying there though, sleeping so sweetly, a perfectly happy little smile on his face. As she had now slipped from his grasp though she saw a little twitch happen at his mouth and little cringe at his eye. "H-Helga…" he whispered and then gripped at the material of the lounge chair though it didn't seem to satisfy what he really wanted to be holding…
A blush was her first natural response, followed then by a frown and her almost considering lying back down with him, but then she remembered how it was nearly dark, how it was probably already quite a bit of time after dinner, how even though her parents hadn't gone and blown a gasket or anything about her one-day suspension it still probably wouldn't be good for her to randomly not come home for a few more hours…and, the conclusion was, she knew she couldn't stay…but still she could at least make sure the rest of Arnold's slumber was a peaceful one before she left.
She had an idea but she'd have to head back inside first to do it, so for now to comfort him temporarily she undid her ribbon from her hair and placed it into Arnold's hands, which eagerly gripped it, the little smile returning just a bit to his face.
"Be back in a moment, darling…" she whispered in the near darkness and then quickly slipped away from him and went back inside via his skylight.
A few minutes later she reemerged from his skylight back to his roof. She was redressed in her purple shirt and sweater (both items now clean) and she had a few of the pink books she had left behind at his house before their fight in her hands, and a blanket over one shoulder and her backpack slung over the other. She went over to Arnold, covered him with the blanket, removed her ribbon from his hands (noticing with interest that little cringe happen to him again) and quickly placed three or four pink books into his arms. The smile instantly returned and he hugged them close and even snuggled with them like a mother hen cuddling and warming her eggs or something. "My Helga…" he whispered happily. Helga did her best not to giggle too loudly (though she blushed rather proudly) at the sight and his little exclamation lest she wake him up.
Then she leaned down near him with a smile, just drinking in the sight of his sleeping angelic face for a moment longer, and then let out a little breath near his soft cheek. "Pleasant dreams, my one true little love. Though we have to depart on yet another night, I'll see you in the morning as always…and perhaps one day if our love really does last forever, I'll never have to leave you, day or night, my love…" She blushed extra and smiled a little more at the idea. "Your parents and I love you…Farewell, my Arnold." She gave him a soft kiss upon his cheek (that made his smile grow, she noticed with a burst of added happiness inside of herself) and then with that she and her backpack slowly slipped into the encroaching night, off of the roof, down the fire escape and away to her house.
And Arnold meanwhile, just continued to nap upon the boarding house roof…dreaming of Helga and him flying in a little plane to San Lorenzo, finding his parents…and both his Mom and Dad actually getting to be there for his wedding to the lovely Helga G. Pataki…soon to definitely one day be with no question in his heart anymore Helga G. Pataki-Shortman…and he'd be Arnold P. Pataki-Shortman…
Arnold smiled a LOT more in his sleep.
(And just so we're all clear, back in the cafeteria, when Wartz interrupted everything and Gerald and Phoebe flew out from under that table…they hadn't started making out for the first time…yet, at least. I'm such a wily old coot.)
A JURY OF YOUR PEERS
"How long do y'all reckon we've been waiting now?" Stinky Peterson asked with a small sigh in his usual southern drawl as he stared up at the clouds overhead from his position lying on his back on the grass in the middle of the infield at Gerald Field.
"It feels like a million hours!" groaned Harold Berman, likewise in a similar position of lying down on the grass. He had taken off his baseball glove at this point since, after 'a million hours' stuck out here on this late spring/nearly early summer day, it had started to make his hand feel a little sweaty.
A few moans and sighs from the people lying on the grass around sounded in some agreement, despite Harold's hyperbole.
Still though SOME pedantic (and overly fashion-conscious) person had to correct him from her own place on the grass, of course. "Harold, it's only been half an hour since practice should have started…But I suppose you're right, I guess, that it does feel longer. I mean, there's being fashionably late and then there's half the team ditching so that we can't even have our practice game like we're supposed to…" Rhonda Wellington Lloyd sighed in a touch of frustration…a slightly annoyed (and maybe also slightly worried) look coming to her eyes.
"Aw, Rhonda, I'm sure they all have very good reasons why they're not hear today," Sheena squeaked out optimistically as she observed a small little flower in her hand that she had just plucked from the grass with one of her usual nice smiles.
"Yeah but the better question is why half the time at least one or a bunch of them isn't here ever!" suddenly interjected Sid…with kind of a smug grin as he sat up a little on the grass, looking at the other guys. "Especially two of them…Right fellas?"
Stinky and Harold chuckled and snickered a little as they now sat up as well. Curly grinned more (and tried to use the opportunity of the distraction of the guys laughing to sit up as well and creep an arm around Rhonda who was near him on the grass…though he quickly found his head stuffed in a catcher's helmet courtesy of her). Eugene even sat up and smiled a tiny bit, though it was more sweetly than anything else.
The sounds of the obvious private joke amongst some of the boys caused the three girls on the grass to sit up a little likewise, looking at them with a touch of curiosity…Rhonda with an extra special touch of curiosity…and wariness.
"Yeah," Harold agreed with Sid, with a big grin on his face, "I'm just surprised Arnold hasn't spilled the beans yet!"
"I still think you guys are way off!" announced Curly with a shake of his head as he finally removed the catchers' helmet Rhonda had lodged on there…only to then take big sniffs of the outside where Rhonda had touched before glancing around and then casually placing the object behind him like it was a souvenir or something that he was planning to take home.
"I don't know, Curly…." Stinky shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck, looking like he really had put some 'serious' thought into all of this. "I reckon it actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it…and it would explain why in the heck the two of them and sometimes even the three of them have been missin' practice so darn much…"
"He's got a point, Curly," Eugene interjected with a smile. "Remember the other day when Helga and Brainy were over at Brainy's house and Arnold asked us about it and then got upset?"
"Exactly!" agreed Sid with a grin. "It all makes sense…I just can't wait until they actually get busted again! Hey, maybe it'll even be as fun as last month with that whole poem thing!"
Harold, Sid and Stinky laughed at the memory, Eugene chuckled but still remained only smiling sweetly, and Curly just shook his head and rolled his eyes…and then glanced out of the corner of his eye at a certain special someone and tried to fake a yawn to get his arm around her…though he was met with such a dark scowl from the fashionable girl in question that his arm froze and then quickly dropped away and he actually scooched an inch or two away from her with a sheepish (and, as always, slightly crazed) grin.
And now meanwhile the three girls were just looking a tiny bit uneasily at each other…(well, actually, Sheena and Nadine were looking a little bit uneasily at each other and at Rhonda…but Rhonda herself was just looking uneasily, suspiciously and almost defensively at the boys)…
"Um…you guys?" spoke of Nadine finally, scooching herself a little more toward the guys. "Why, um…Why don't we just all go to the arcade or the pier or something as long as we don't have enough players for a practice game today, okay? Or maybe check out a movie or something. Right, Sheena?" She looked meaningfully at the flower shirt-wearing girl.
Sheena looked back at her and nodded, then addressed the boys with one of her usual optimistic smiles. "Yes! I think that sounds like fun! Or Eugene, don't you have a clog-dancing recital coming up? You could rehearse for us and show us what you've learned."
Eugene's eyes all but danced at the opportunity and he was already standing and preparing to run over to his backpack in the dugout and grab his carved wooden shoes when…
"No, I think we should just keep sitting here and…talk some more…" came Rhonda Wellington Lloyd's voice…and she had the most intrigued and curious smile anyone had ever seen her with upon her face.
The boys as well as the girls blinked at her sudden request…but then Harold, Sid and Stinky just grinned and chuckled to each other again, and Sid looked at Rhonda and shrugged and said, "Oh come on, Rhonda—you're the one who's the queen of gossip. We're talking about Arnold and Helga—"
"Sid!" Nadine cut in sharply, giving him a look.
"—and Brainy," finished Sid before her exclamation could process, but then when it did he stopped and blinked and almost gulped and looked at Nadine. "What?" he asked with a shrug.
Nadine just rolled her eyes, picked up a beetle she had been observing crawling on the grass, and then blew it right in the direction of Sid's face, which it eagerly flew into, causing Sid to let out a high pitched squeal and start rolling around on the grass. "Get it off of me! Get it off of me!" He eventually managed to yank off his hat, revealing his pet frog Sidney who quickly ate up the beetle. "Whew, thanks Sidney…" he gave the frog a little kiss and then let it hop back under his hat again.
"Oh hey, don't forget that Miss Lila's jumbled into that too, Sid!" Stinky chimed in, finished chuckling along with Harold for the moment at Sid's flailing.
"You guys, I don't really think it's right to be gossiping about our friends like this behind their backs…" Sheena piped up with an uneasy look.
"Right," agreed Nadine with a nod, trying to look a little firm so that they all really could just move on. "And anyway I'm sure Arnold and Gerald are just doing something together and that Phoebe and Helga are just doing something together and as for Lila and Brainy, well, you know Lila doesn't like playing when it's too warm out and it's kind of hot today, and Brainy's only come to one practice so far and he's scorekeeper anyway so he probably didn't think he had to show up until our actual last game against the fifth graders on Friday." Concluding her argument, Nadine looked to the boys hopefully
…But unfortunately (and maybe predictably) was just met with half lidded 'are you serious?' looks all around. "Um…" Sid started, "Okay, first…can we just all agree that Gerald and Phoebe are obviously off together right now on a date?"
Nadine and Sheena froze at first, and Rhonda just blinked…but then all three looked to each other…and then let out sighs and then turned back to the boys and nodded. "Yeah, okay…" Nadine had to admit, "Gerald and Phoebe are together."
"Yeah, but come on—them making goo goo eyes at each other is old news! We've been teasing Gerald behind his and Arnold's backs about that for years!" Harold announced with a laugh.
"Aw but guys, I think Gerald and Phoebe are kind of sweet together," observed Eugene brightly. "Don't you think so too, girls?" he looked to Nadine, Sheena and Rhonda.
Nadine and Sheena were both smiling and about to agree that the whole Gerald and Phoebe thing over all of these years had indeed been pretty cute…when Rhonda responded to Eugene's inquiry in a firm and take charge tone. "Yes, yes, the two of them are adorable and we've all been rolling our eyes at them but not saying anything for years because Gerald's the keeper of the tales and we need him willing to talk to us to keep the legends of the neighborhood fresh in all of our minds, and we all know Helga would destroy anyone who teased Phoebe and plus Phoebe's the nicest person on the planet. Old news." She held out her hand and waved off the entire thing. "As social leader of the fourth grade though I…I think it's officially time we started trying to sort out what's going on with Arnold and Helga and Brainy…and even Lila if she's involved too." She let out a determined little sigh.
"Rhonda, baby, I TOLD you what's going on with them!" Curly started to whine, suddenly clinging to her arm. "Arnold and Helga are—"
"EW! Get away from me already, Curly! Honestly! Didn't we set up the 'you can look but don't touch' rule?" Rhonda instantly ripped her arm from his grasp. "Ugh, Nadine, you'regood with bugs, can't you come over here and act as a barrier between me and that little insect?"
"Aw, you always act repulsed by the one you lo—"
"If you say that word I am going to—"
"Ooo I like 'em with a little fire!"
"OH! You are just the most infuriating, obnox—"
"CURLY, RHONDA! Enough!" Nadine suddenly did get between them, pushing space between one and the other. Then she let out a sigh and looked to all of the kids (Sid, Stinky and Harold just laughing at the Curly/Rhonda show, Eugene chuckling politely but still obviously more concerned with thinking Gerald and Phoebe were cute, Sheena looking very eager to help if it was needed, and then of course Curly still making kissy faces to Rhonda and Rhonda obviously about to take one of her one of a kind Cabrini boots and do something arguably illegal with it to the poor boy.) Nadine shook her head and addressed them all, just trying to keep things calm and cool and on point. "Alright, look, everyone…Sheena and I think that…well that…okay there's been something different about Helga and Arnold and Brainy…and even Lila over the last week at least…but…considering how bad things got with that poem thing last month and how a lot of people's feelings almost got hurt and how a lot of people almost got in trouble, maybe…maybe we should just leave it alone, let it play out however it plays out, and then just…try and accept it. Okay?"
She looked around hopefully once more, though with an obvious touch of worry that she couldn't hide in her features.
She was met with blank looks and blinks at first.
And then Sid, Harold and Stinky just burst into raucous laughter. Curly rolled his eyes and mumbled something about, "Romantically deficient morons…" and then blew Rhonda a kiss which she made a show of catching and smashing into the dirt, and Eugene and Sheena just smiled at Nadine, obviously trying to be supportive of her.
"Aw, garsh, Miss Nadine—I know you're tryin' to be nice but…I reckon this is just too juicy to ignore. I mean, it's Helga." A grinning and still chuckling here and there Stinky looked back at Nadine.
"Yeah, Helga's got a boyfriend!" announced Harold in a singsong voice, making kissy faces before bursting into laughter again. "He's probably like her slave or something! Ha ha!"
Rhonda instantly straightened up, her eyes going wide and all of her attention now going right back to the boys and the conversation at hand. "B-But I thought we would talk more about how it's just, um…really obvious, heh, that Arnold's with Lila now! Heh…" The words suddenly escaped her, a certain degree of pushing behind them.
The boys (and even the two girls) stopped their laughter and their smiles and all looked at her…
And then Sid raised an eyebrow and a half grin came to his face. "Uh…Rhonda…yeah, with how often Arnold's been getting that dazed look in class and how Lila's not giving him the 'I don't like you like you, I just like you' speeches anymore, we all figured that. But…what we're all laughing about is Helga and Brainy."
There was a second of silence and then him, Harold and Stinky instantly broke into hearty guffaws once more, actually rolling on the ground in laughter now.
"Garsh—Brainy and Helga…I still can't…" And then Stinky was off into total laughter again with Sid just nodding away beside him on the grass.
"H-Helga and Brainy, sitting in a tree, K..K-I…I…I can't!" Harold was winded with laughter again as well.
"Oh but you guys…even if you don't think Gerald and Phoebe are a cute couple…you have to admit that Helga and Brainy are kind of sweet together…" Eugene, only politely chuckling a little from the sidelines, supplied.
Meanwhile, Sheena, Nadine and Rhonda were just watching the four of them with dropped jaws…and Curly just sighed and rolled his eyes and smacked is forehead. "Brainy and Helga are NOT dating, people! Of that I can assure you! Now can we just move on to a discussion on why Rhonda and I should be dating instead?" He grinned widely at the dark haired girl, leaning around Nadine to get a full glimpse of her again. "Come on, baby, you know you want a piece of the romance in the air—a summer fling destined to last a lifetime! Hrr…" He purred a little.
Rhonda blushed red as her shirt and then looked at him with the most indignant look she could muster. "STOP making that stupid sound! And I'm only willing to accept your presence during the school year because we're stuck in P.S. 118 all day together but if you come near me at all for anything but baseball practice this summer, I don't care what they taught us in charm school, I am not above putting on every ring I own and punching you right in that creepy face of yours!"
"Ooo simmer down, baby—you're fogging up my glasses from the steam of your red hot emotions!" Curly merely shot back with a suggestive grin.
"UGH!" Rhonda gripped the sides of her head. "I swear I'm going to tear my hair out!"
"Then can I finally have a lock of it!" asked Curly eagerly, not missing a beat!
"Alright, that's it—Nadine, give me the bat!" Rhonda went to reach for it on the grass.
"Hey, I'll accept tough love as long as it's from you! Hrr…!" Curly winked.
"Okay, Rhonda, just stop responding to him if you want him to leave you alone, and Curly, please—we're talking about Arnold and Helga now," Nadine, trying to focus on being a good arbitrator (especially since Arnold really wasn't here to do it…although lately when a Curly/Rhonda incident had come up in need of being soothed, instead of his usual 'Rhonda, don't be mean to Curly' and 'Curly, don't make Rhonda feel uncomfortable' speech, he'd just been kind of smiling and looking a little sentimental and telling them with a little chuckle to just try and not kill each other) finished her sentence without really thinking.
Harold sat up from the grass at her words, still smiling and his face still all flushed with laughter. "Yeah, I guess Arnold and Helga being like secret friends or whatever is kind of funny too. But still not nearly as funny as Helga trying to date Brainy…and all because he wrote that 'wittle wove poem for her'." Harold clasped his hands together cheesily and fluttered his eyelashes a little. "Ha ha!"
"You know, Harold, you really shouldn't laugh so much at any of this—didn't you get very upset when everyone was mean enough to make fun of you for being friends with Big Patty?" asked Sheena now in her squeaky voice, looking just a little disapprovingly at him.
Harold froze and blinked (while Sid and Stinky just laughed more) and then he blushed. He scowled and turned to the two laughing boys. "Hey, shut up! That's not funny!" Then he turned back to Sheena. "And second, her name's not Big Patty, it's Patty. And…" he counted on his fingers for a second, "Uh, third, so what if we're friends—that makes sense. She's cool and tough and I'm cool and tough. But Arnold and Helga keep disappearing at the same times and they keep walking together and eating together and goin' places together, and especially ever since that poetry tutoring thing, but they're totally different people so of course it's funny that they're secret friends or whatever."
"Yeah," chimed in Sid, now sitting up fully from the grass again as well with a grin, "It's weird that they're friends, but I guess maybe the secret stuff kind of makes sense—Helga probably threatened him not to tell anyone because of her reputation or whatever and that's why whenever we were asking them what was going on they kept making excuses and stuff. Like in his room the other week when she fell out of the wall and they tried to say it was all part of a prank or something even though at least part of it had to be from the two of them just hanging out together. And then there was that day they were walking around handcuffed to each other..." He snorted a little and rolled his eyes, but then just shrugged and ended with, "But hey, whether they're hanging out or all angry at each other like they were for the last couple of days, the point is she's been taking up his time a lot more than any of our times lately so why complain? And besides, like Harold said…her and Brainy…dating…is a LOT funnier!" He all but snorted again in laughter.
"Okay…so you all think…" Nadine just blinked a few times and then let out a sigh. She rubbed one of her temples and shook her head… "Oh boy…"
Stinky nodded, sitting up now as well and looking to her. "Well, I reckon that's the only way to explain Helga bein' a little nicer to Arnold lately. Except for this past week of course when Arnold and Helga were all angry around each other and yelling at each other in the cafeteria yesterday but they were probably just having one of their usual fights about something." He shrugged. "And then as for Helga and Brainy, I reckon them two dating is the only way to explain her bein' over at his house and her not killin' him for writing that love poem for her last month and even all those purty love poems by anonymous that Mr. Simmons has been readin' lately."
"Yeah!" Sid nodded in total agreement. "Come on, we all know Mr. Simmons thinks Helga's the best poet in the class, so of course those poems he's been reading have to be hers, and it's hard not to notice when he reads stuff like that out loud now ever since Helga got busted about being good at writing and poetry and junk last month. And those things he's been reading are definitely girly love poems. Girly love poems…Brainy wrote her a love poem to confess… It all fits!" His grin widened.
"Exactly! It's so obvious!" Harold nodded, his grin also widening. "And since Helga's taking out her anger on Arnold and then also getting all mellowed out by being all 'lovey dovey' with 'Bwainy', and between the two of them she's barely been around at all, we don't have to deal with getting bugged by that Madam Fortress Mommy!"
Stinky and Sid nodded in total agreement.
Nadine and Sheena (and Curly, actually) just looked at the three guys…cocked their heads slightly to the side…and then let out deep sighs and rubbed their temples (these actions did not at all phase the enthusiasm of the three boys though).
And then Nadine asked, still giving them that curious look, "And…have you guys…said anything about all this stuff you think to Arnold or Helga or Brainy?"
The three boys blinked at her and then instantly shook their heads. "Uh, no!" Sid replied, like 'no' should have been the most obvious answer in the world. "Helga could still kill any of us if she got angry enough and, like Harold said, as long as she's busy bothering anyone else but us…why not just go with it? At least until it all blows up in their faces, of course." He smiled again and shrugged, and Harold and Stinky nodded from beside him.
Eugene, meanwhile, considered the words of Stinky, Sid and Harold for a moment and then added, "Hmm…well, I suppose all of that makes sense, guys. And I guess now that Lila got brought up before, it all makes even more sense." He smiled and shrugged. "She's been missing a little bit and acting a little funny sometimes lately too so…maybe she and Arnold followed Helga and Brainy's example, and Gerald and Phoebe's of course, and all of them are secretly together as couple. Oh doesn't that sound romantic?" He smiled brightly.
"W-Well, I for one think the boys make a valid point about Helga and Brainy and all the rest of that stuff!" Rhonda suddenly announced, crossing her arms over her chest. "And that all works out nice and neat and also it would make the perfect headline for my gossip column: Love Strikes Fourth Grade Three Times. Hmph!" She did her best to grin proudly.
"Um, Rhonda? Perhaps you really shouldn't put something like that in the paper…" Sheena piped up, looking at her with a touch of concern. "It really is just gossip and…I don't think that's the only possibility for what's going on with our friends…"
Rhonda rolled her eyes. "Well it's the only possibility in my book. And the boys agree with me—don't you guys?" She looked to them.
Sid, Stinky and Harold and even Eugene just shrugged and nodded.
Curly, however, dramatically shook his head. "Well I for one don't agree with—"
"I said the BOYS agree with me—that didn't include geeks, Curly!" Rhonda cut him off, rolling her eyes to the side.
Nadine just let out a sigh…a very deep sigh. "Alright, um…I think I'm gonna go now. We're not getting anything done just sitting around here making assumptions and guesses about Arnold and Helga and Brainy and whoever else." She stood up from the grass and looked to the supportive girl beside her. "Sheena, do you want to come to the park with me? I'll hunt for good bugs to put into the little organic community garden there while you plant some more vegetables?"
Sheena smiled and stood up as well and nodded. "I'd like that, Nadine. All this gossip's starting to make me uncomfortable too." She turned her sights to Eugene. "Eugene, do you want to come with us? I still want to see your clog dancing act before your recital."
Eugene got that eager look again and nodded brightly as he stood up, whisking up his backpack. "Okay. Gosh, thanks guys!"
"Wait, Nadine, you can't abandon me!" Rhonda called out, looking desperate as Curly had already shifted himself quite close to her again now that Nadine was no longer acting like a human shield between the two of them.
Nadine just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Rhonda, I don't want to gossip about this anymore, okay? Someone…probably a lot of people…are gonna get hurt by it. So bye!" She looked at the remaining people on the grass in Gerald field. "Anyone else wanna come with us and actually do something fun this afternoon? Curly? Harold? Stinky?...Sid…?" She looked at the last boy with just a little extra firmness.
Sid blinked, gulped a little, but then just glanced away and shrugged with a grin. "No. I…think I still want to laugh about Helga and Brainy being the weirdest couple on the planet as long as the two of them and no one who'd rat me out is here to see." And with that he burst into some snorts and chuckles again about the whole thing.
"Yeah, I reckon I've gotta go with Sid on this one, Miss Nadine. Sorry…" Stinky started laughing again a little as well.
"Ditto!" managed Harold before joining in their fun and joking.
Nadine just sighed deeply once more and rolled her eyes and then looked to the final person on the grass. "And Curly, what about you?"
Curly just shrugged. "Uh, sorry, Nadine. I agree with you but wherever Rhonda is, I stay put." He shot a wink and a grin at Rhonda who was very explicitly NOT looking at him and scowling as she dug her manicured nails into the grass of the infield in frustration. "Oh Rhonda, you little minx—forget about all of this Helga/Brainy gossip. I could show you what real chemistry's like…and then maybe we could double with Arnold and He—"
Curly had taken the liberty of snaking an arm around Rhonda's waist as he had been talking and now, as he tightly pulled her in (and got close to saying what he was about to say), Rhonda's eyes instantly went wide and she cut him off. "UGH! That is it! I'm calling our attorney for a restraining order! Good bye!" And with that she pushed Curly off of her, stood up and stomped off down the street, pulling out her cell phone to call her limo driver.
"Aw but Rhonda, wait!" Curly jumped up and chased after her. "I still love ya, baby!"
All the rest of the kids watched just watched this scene with interest and curiosity, particularly Nadine.
Then Nadine just shook her head and turned in the direction of the park. "Come on Sheena, Eugene…let's get going." With smiles the two other kids nodded and they all started to head up the street.
And as they walked, Nadine considered some things…Things like how she and Sheena (and, she believed, even Rhonda too though she wasn't admitting it) and even Lila too every once in a while when she was hanging out with them, had seemed to be in a silent agreement that…something going on between Brainy and Helga and then between Lila and Arnold respectively wasn't probably the right… 'assessment'…of what was going on with those four people who had been acting a little differently and especially a little differently around each other lately…(as for Gerald and Phoebe, the fact that there was something going on there really was such a given that there was no question of it at this point)… Nadine also considered how even though the mistake the boys (minus Curly) were probably making might lead to some awkwardness and a lot of misunderstandings, she was kind of happy Sid and the other guys seemed to have things wrong at the moment…because maybe, when whatever the real truth was came out, it would help make things easier for people if stuff wasn't known and being talked about by everybody in advance.
Nadine also considered how Curly's take on the matter was interestingly different than all the other boys…and she also considered how…strongly Rhonda seemed to want to shut down his opinion on the subject.
And as she continued to walk on with a few of her friends, at the back of her mind, Nadine also couldn't help but recall a certain dinner at a certain restaurant a couple of months ago during which, at Helga's request, she had brought over all of her cockroaches and let them loose. She still wasn't sure why she'd done that but…Helga had seemed desperate and…Nadine did like introducing people to bugs so…she'd done it…and it had actually been kind of fun. But anyway, the back of Nadine's mind was only remembering the cockroaches and Chez Paris because…when she'd gotten to the restaurant, she'd seen Helga with Gerald and Phoebe…and Arnold. And Gerald and Phoebe had been kind of cute together, as usual…but Arnold and Helga…? She hadn't expected that: Helga picking Arnold as the fourth for the dinner party. At the time she had guessed there was a good reason—it was a given that she would have asked Phoebe…and, well, everyone knew about Phoebe and Gerald so that explained that…But somehow Arnold had ended up there too. And Nadine's first thought that night, upon seeing that, couldn't help but be that it was kind of cute…that the two of them were kind of cute. Of course then her mind had gone right into releasing the roaches but once again her first thought on seeing Helga all dressed up and looking kind of sheepishly at Arnold and Arnold in his suit kind of smiling at her had definitely been that it was a little cute…And that little thought had been echoing more and more at the back of her mind lately as she and the rest of the fourth grade had been growing more and more unable to help observing lately that something had definitely shifted in the realm of Arnold, Gerald, Helga, Brainy, Phoebe, Lila. Not that Helga & Brainy wasn't a possibility but…it didn't make that same 'cute' thought come into her mind, to say the least…and neither did Arnold & Lila.
She just hoped that things really would work out okay for that whole group whenever the real truth came out. And she also hoped that whatever had Rhonda so particularly on edge lately, especially about Curly, would work itself out soon: she was a gossip but she was also her friend and Nadine didn't like to see her uncomfortable anymore than anybody else.
While this little powwow was taking place at Gerald Field, here's what was going on at the Boarding House…
Arnold was just sitting in his living room, reading a certain little pink something, a half little grin on his face which really hadn't left ever since he and Helga had finished making up yesterday afternoon/evening…and he'd woken up a little before his bedtime on the boarding house roof, snuggling four of her pink books and with a blanket over him…and having a pretty good idea of who had brought that blanket and those pink books to him in the first place. He was so happy, just so genuinely happy…their relationship more strong and more real than ever to him… In fact, he had been just so in the mood to celebrate that he'd even kind of blown off baseball practice this afternoon (feeling a little bit of that 'bad boy' streak go through him) just to come home and read the fresh volume of poetry Helga had slipped him on the bus today. He hadn't even wanted to wait to get up to his room—he'd just come home, seen the place basically empty, plopped himself right on the couch in the living room and gotten to it. And that was where he had been for the last hour, savoring every letter of every word of every page of her odes of love to him…and very proud of himself for having finished his own next poem to her last night after she had left…And even though reading that poem…that poem he'd promised on their one week anniversary to write about her but in her style instead of his own…in other words instead of a tender sweet thing about their life together something a bit more…fiery…Yes, even though reading that poem made him blush hotly, made his stomach get all squirmy, made him feel like when she actually saw it he'd never live it down from her…he was excited to be presenting it to her as part of his one month anniversary present to her in a day or two…And speaking of which, he recalled as he turned another page, now that they were made up they probably needed to hammer out some of the details about when that glorious celebration of their relationship was going to take place. 'After all, one month…Should it be four weeks from the day of our first date, or the same date as our first date but during the next month…?' He would ask her the next time he saw her…which. he hoped, would be tonight, maybe after dinner, for a little while. Sadly, when he had asked her to play a little hooky from practice with him today she'd told him she couldn't because Olga had finally come back from student teaching in Alaska today for the summer and she had a million things she wanted to do with her 'baby sister' this afternoon, so Arnold had been forced to live without her for now…but once again he was hoping that after dinner she would be free…and then maybe along with some anniversary talk they could 'make up' some more. Had he mentioned that he really really REALLY liked making up?
On top of which, had Arnold mentioned yet that he was indeed going to marry Helga? That he had finally not only accepted but decided it! He could have laughed at his denseness as he turned another page of the precious pink book in his hands. It was like when he had finally accepted and decided that he loved her back but a million times more giddily wonderful! Oh he could have kicked himself for not realizing it before that day in his room a few weeks ago when she had proposed to him…But if she ever did it again he would be ready with a 'yes!' and then a million questions about when it should happen and how she would like to go about it and what room in the boarding house she would want to be theirs! (He blushed extra at that last idea and felt a hot squirm inside of himself as he turned another beautiful page…Oh, he would even get to read her pink books forever now! Another wonderful bonus to all of this!). And, even if he wasn't lucky enough to have her ask him again…who was to say he hadn't suddenly discovered enough personal gumption to propose to her himself!
KNOCK KNOCK
Just then there was a knock on the boarding house door.
Arnold looked up at the sound…and then grinned as words met his ears from behind the door…
"Uh, for Pete's sake, can somebody let me in?" A familiar chuckle/giggle. "The door's locked and normally me and my 'less than on the up and up' ways would just pick the lock or sneak in through a window or something but my hands are a little full and also I'm dead tired from being dragged through the mall by Olga and Lila, and—"
Helga G. Pataki stopped her humorous little rant as the boarding house door was finally eagerly unlocked and opened to reveal a bright eyed and grinning Arnold. "Helga!"
Helga smiled back at him, dressed in her familiar pink jumper and bow and wearing her familiar pigtails again, and then put down the two large pale pink shopping bags in her hands on Arnold's stoop for a moment and went and gave him a little wave. "Hey Arnold, how's it—MMM!"
Helga's sudden surprised 'MMM!' was due to being suddenly caught up in the warm arms of her (now narrow eyed and grinning) beloved, turned around, dipped back, and having a searing and passionate little kiss planted right upon her lips. She just stopped breathing, her eyes wide, one of her legs even popping up hesitantly but uncontrollably behind her, until a good ten or fifteen seconds later when Arnold pulled his lips from hers with a smacking sound and just proceeded to look down at her, panting a little and with his eyes all warm with love as he cradled her gently.
Helga, managing to regain herself a little after a couple of seconds, just blinked a bunch of times and then her eyes and mouth and everything inside of her instantly went all goofy-looking and she giggled a little. "Uh…wh-what, uh…what was that for?" She looked up at Arnold lovingly.
Arnold just grinned more down, his eyes narrowing a little extra as he replied in a sultry voice, "No reason, darling. I've got the most beautiful, vibrant, brilliant woman in the world back in my life again is all—I'm just continuing the celebration…and thanking her for showing up all of a sudden to brighten my afternoon just a little more. Think of it as an extra special kiss hello." He leaned in extra close then and added, "Your leg popped up this time. Your long, pretty leg. That's cute." He firmed up his grip on her a tiny bit and smiled more and chuckled a little.
Helga shivered in his arms and then let out a swoon and just giggled a little more. "Oh Arnold…I'm so happy we're all made up too…and, well…I…the leg thing…" She suddenly became aware now of the fact that her leg had indeed popped back all on it's own and was still bent at the knee. "Instinct, I guess…You did sort of sweep me off my feet just now, after all…What's a girl to do?" She blushed a little extra and then went on with, while she still had it in her to deny at all those electric green eyes practically pulsing with love down at her, "B-But, um…before I just go and pass out on top of that, can you let me stand up and we can go inside, Arnold? I-I really did want to talk to you about some stuff and I kind of can't if I'm out cold and dreaming of you feeding me grapes in a field overlooking the French Riviera while I admire my wedding ring, now can I?" She fluttered her eyelashes a little, a little coy smile coming to her lips.
Arnold blushed extra and let out a breath and a little chuckle. "No, I suppose not…" And then he gently raised her up and with a final little hug released her. "Here, you go inside and I'll get your bags, my fair lady, and then we can talk about anything under the sun you want to talk about."
He went to snag her cute, boxy looking pale pink shopping bags but was stopped by Helga instantly side stepping in front of it and scooping them up by the handles herself. "Uh uh uh…" she shook her head coyly at him, "I'll take charge of those—thanks for the chivalry but…some of the stuff in there's a surprise for you…" She giggled and then trotted into the house with her little secret treasures.
Arnold just blinked a few times at that information and looked after her as she went…and then he grinned a little and instantly trotted eagerly back into the house, closing the door behind them. "Hmm a surprise, huh?" he asked playfully as he followed her into the living room (where she sat down on the couch upon her eyes catching the lamp on in there and then seeing her most recent pink book resting on the coffee table.) He sat down on the couch as well and scooched close to her. "What kind of surprise?" he asked with his little grin.
Helga just giggled and crossed her legs and pushed the shopping bags on the floor off to the side a little. "Well, first of all, if I go and tell you then it won't be a surprise anymore now will it? I'll give you a hint though—Olga took me shopping…our one month anniversary is coming up…and you seem to have taken an interest in me in new outfits…" She winked at him. "And second of all, where is this new little eager and flirtatious streak coming from in your personality, my love? Not that I'm complaining of course—just curious." She leaned just a little closer to him.
Arnold blushed a little, putting his hands behind his back in a show of shyness (though if there was one thing he wasn't feeling right now it was shy). "I…think it's from the making up…and all the wonderful talking we did on my roof yesterday…I've just never felt closer to you in my whole life Helga G. Pataki and I don't want to be modest about it." He winked at her. "And as for my surprise…" his eyes fell on the shopping bags again and an extra blush appeared in his cheeks, "You…bought new clothes…all for me?"
A blushing and all fluttery inside Helga just shrugged and replied lightly and just a little giddily, "Well, partly for you, partly for me to try some new styles…and partly for Olga and Lila to shut them up because they love trying to gussy me up like I'm some kind of little doll for you or something. You'll just have to wait until I wear them to see them though…" She glanced away coyly.
"Aw…I can't get ONE little peek?" Arnold faked a pout, leaning just a bit more towards her and her bags.
Helga chuckled and leaned back, pushing the bags away more with one of her feet. "Hey, pouting only works on YOU. And nope—not even one little peek." She winked.
"Oh come on…" and then a grinning little Arnold picked up her arm and started slowly kissing from the back of her hand up the length of the limb, speaking between kisses, "You can't…tell me…that you…wouldn't love…the idea of…spending the afternoon…modeling for me…everything…you bought…my It Girl…"
Before his lips could make it to her shoulder (he had pushed up her shirt sleeve that far at this point), Arnold heard Helga let out an amused sigh and suddenly he found himself on his back on the living room couch with a bit of the wind knocked out of him. He blinked a few times and looked up to see and feel that Helga had him pinned down by his shoulders and was smiling down at him. "Arnold…"
Arnold blinked a few times, his lips trembling with a little smile he couldn't control. "Yes, angel?"
She just let out another sigh (though she did blush a tiny bit at the angel comment). "Arnold…My shopping trip with Olga and Lila ended early and I wanted to come over here because I really wanted to make plans for our anniversary…You know, how we'll celebrate, when we'll celebrate, where we'll celebrate…and it's not helping me take care of all of that when you're sitting here tempting me to change into five or six new outfits and have you cover me in kisses with every costume change. So just for now can we pretend like we don't secretly constantly want to kiss each other forever…and then once the anniversary stuff is hammered out…we can go back to some of the 'darker' stuff?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
It was hard but Arnold nodded, still smiling all goofily and tremblingly. "O-Okay…Sorry…I just…love you."
She giggled a little. "Love you too, darling." She grinned a little more. "Now, I'm going to let you up…and you'll put a leash on those voracious little lips of yours…and we'll talk…and then snuggly kissy time. Okay?"
Arnold nodded eagerly. "Yes, mam. I'll resist kissing your soft perfect skin and lips."
Helga blinked and blushed extra at first but then let him up and just giggled a ton to herself. "Ah, Arnold…so cute," she couldn't help but reflect.
He was sitting up now and he let out a little dreamy sigh. "Ah, Helga…so breathtakingly gorgeous."
"Arnold!" Helga blinked and blushed extra and then gave him a grin and a look.
He chuckled and held up his hands. "Sorry, sorry, just getting in one more for the road."
She just rolled her eyes and reclined back on the couch a bit, putting her arms behind her head. "Okay, so, anyway, getting to our anniversary—as for where we should celebrate, I was hoping we could do it here, Arnold. I-I mean, I guess we could go out but I'd like, um, you know…privacy…" she tried not to blush too much, "…so, like I said, I was hoping we could do it here?" She smiled to him hopefully. "I mean, there's always my house instead I guess but even with my parents and sister knowing about and being okay with us, we'd still never be really alone, you know?" She shrugged.
Arnold took all of that in and nodded in agreement with a smile. "I agree, Helga. I think here would be a good place for it."
Helga smiled happily back at him. "Good. Okay now as for what we should do…Well, I've got some plans…You have any plans Arnold?"
Arnold nodded. "Yeah…lots…" He tried not to betray anything and hoped she would chalk up his slight enthusiasm to just his current 'post-making up' state plus his own excitement about their one-month anniversary in general.
"Okay," Helga just nodded with her smile and maybe a little giggle (obviously thinking he was just flirting a bit and also being cute or something). "Well then, you let me know what yours are and then I'll see how they line up with mine and we'll find a way to work it all in together."
A still smiling Arnold however shook his head. "But Helga, I wanted the stuff I had planned to be a surprise…Um…why don't you tell me what your plans are and then I'll see if they line up and how we can work them all in?"
Helga let out a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest with a half grin bordering on a smirk. "Hey, wait a minute—I wanted all of my stuff to be a surprise too!"
Both kids looked at each other for a moment and then just shared a warm, hearty laugh together at the irony.
Helga let out a sigh eventually as she got herself under control and then just looked at him with a 'What am I going to ever do with you, Football Head' smile. "Well, it looks like we're at an impasse then—both too stubborn to cave in. Hmm…" she considered, glancing down in thought, "Now there has to be some way to work this out…"
"Hey Helga? Um…actually…I think I have an idea…" Arnold shrugged a little with a little half grin, wondering if she'd go for it.
Helga raised part of her brow, looking to him again. Then she shrugged and smiled. "Fire away, my love. As long as we both get to be happy and to make each other happy for this anniversary, I'm all ears."
Arnold nodded, happy for her enthusiasm, and then explained. "Well, I was thinking about our anniversary actually just now before you got here…and one of the things I couldn't really decide was whether it would be more right for us to celebrate the day exactly four weeks after our first date, or on the date of our first date but in this month, so…since those two days actually happen to fall right next to each other…this Friday and Saturday…How about Friday night I get to do my plans for you and Saturday night you get to do your plans for me?"
Helga's eyes lit up instantly. "Arnold, I love it! It'd be like a whole weekend of our one month anniversary!" And then she grinned a little mischievously and added, "And Sunday we'd get to rest…from all the fun." She winked.
Arnold shivered inside a little and nodded with a slight tremble to his lips again. "U-Um…okay…"
Helga giggled at his cuteness and then announced happily, "Alright, well then that takes care of the where, when and what. Perfect! And I've got my outfit…and your present all set up." A touch of something meaningful flittered across her face, but Arnold, in all of his love and happiness, didn't process it as anything too much.
He just nodded, so very very happy. "I've got my present for you too. I can't wait, Helga."
She smiled more, that something meaningful coming back for a moment but then getting tucked away again just as quickly as it had returned. "Me neither," she managed lightly.
They sat in smiling silence for a bit.
"So…wanna make out until we pass out now, Arnold?"
Arnold's eyes flew open at the sudden question and he blushed brightly…but then he smiled all goofy. "O-Okay…um…" a little bit of that mischievous glint came to his eyes again, "Fair warning though…I may try and sneak a peak into those bags of yours while we're doing it."
Helga just giggled a little and replied, leaning close to him, "Hmm…no, I…think I'll be able to distract you enough where those bags will definitely not be on your mind…Hrr…." She topped off her surprise little purr with a little wink.
Arnold gulped, looking even more gone and goofy if that was possible. "Uh…g-good point…" He sighed then, and it was deep and shuddery. "I love your purr, Helga. It's so light and sweet…like from a little kitten or something."
Helga's eyes brightened at that cute comparison and then she giggled a little extra and suggested, reaching out and slowly tiptoeing her fingers over his sweater from his belly button to the top of his chest as she spoke, "Okay then, I'll be the 'little kitten' and you'll be the 'big scary tiger' and you can chase me and my shopping bags up to your room and then one of us can pounce the other. Whatever floats the boat of that dark little mind of yours, my darling." Her fingers finished their little walk and she ended by tapping his nose before coyly pulling back her hand.
She was waiting for a little blushing and flustered moment of awkwardness from him, and maybe he would even have it in him to actually verbally voice an affirmative little reply to her suggestion of such a particularly bold little game…but instead Arnold just kept smiling and smiling…his eyes narrowing and narrowing…
"Uh…Arnold?" she had to ask with a touch of curiosity.
At the sound of his name from her lips he suddenly moved forward on both of his hands practically over her. "I…like your game idea, my little kitten Helga…Hrrrrr…."
His 'little kitten Helga' blinked a ton and her jaw fell, disbelieving his enthusiasm, his force, what he had just said! And of course she was literally trembling all over from that sudden deep and unexpected purr from him. She actually even gulped at the idea of him 'pouncing' her in the state the two of them making up had apparently left him in… "I-I…I…Heh…Hrr?" She gave one of her tiny light little purrs and shrugged, unsure of what else to do…so overwhelmed for the first time in a long time by that something deep and daring and dark in her beloved.
Arnold just smiled a little extra more at her…So forceful until he was forceful and then she would all but swoon and pass out half the time. He almost chuckled, figuring that phenomenon would make their life together very interesting.
But then instead of starting their little chase and pounce game, the young boy closed his eyes…took in a breath and let out a breath…and then opened his eyes again. And then (much to Helga's continued surprise and curiosity) he got off of the couch and down on one knee and took her hand…and that sultry look left his face, replaced by his normal familiar sweet smile…the one she had fallen in love with when they were three years old…and he asked her in a sweet and sincere little voice with only the lightest little blush (secretly practicing for something right now), "Helga…since this anniversary is going to be a very big one for us, I…I want to do it all right and official and grown up like so…" he cleared his throat and then looked hopefully and happily up into her eyes, "Helga G. Pataki, will you officially do me the honor of being my date for Friday and Saturday night?"
Helga took in a breath, her jaw opened, she couldn't speak, and then she nodded a ton and practically squealed. "YES! Of course! Oh Arnold…" She giggled and swooned. He was so adorable when he was romantic and corny!
Arnold's eyes brightened from his little place on his knee on the floor. "Good—thank you, Helga! I'm happy. I've been thinking of asking you all officially for our one-month anniversary for a while now. I'm happy I did it okay…" He glanced down with a shy, happy and proud little smile…very happy at how she'd responded to his style of doing this.
"Oh Arnold…you did it perfectly…" she cooed in an airy voice, and the young boy's eyes traveled up to see her with her hands clasped together over her heart, her eyelashes fluttering at him in lovesickness.
Arnold's grin went from ear to ear at this confirmation of how happy his effort had made her. "Um…thanks, Helga…my Helga…" He let out a little sigh.
…And then he got up from the floor and sat back on the couch again…leaned forward toward her…and then his eyes went narrow once more and that playful and mischievous little grin returned to his face. "Now...weren't we playing some kind of kitten/tiger game…my little kitten? Hrrrr…."
Helga blushed furiously at this sudden return of his aggression…but then (still being naturally pretty romantically aggressive herself and now having had a chance to get used to Arnold's enthusiasm about this plan of action)… "Try and catch me, tiger!" And with that she stood up and snatched up her shopping bags and proceeded to dash up the stairs in the direction of his room.
"Hey! No fair!" Arnold yelled playfully and then he popped up from the couch, snatched up her pink book from the table, and proceeded to chase after her as well. "Come here, kitten!"
She giggled like mad as she made it to the second floor landing way ahead of him. "Nope! You want it, you've gotta work for it, Arnoldo! And hey if you catch me maybe I do have one little thing in these bags that you can have as a little 'prize'!"
That bit of information only made Arnold chase after her all the faster, making it to the second floor landing himself now just in time to see her already down the hall and running up his attic room stairs that she had just managed to quickly pull down.
A while's worth of fun up in Arnold's room later…
"Hrr…" The tiger gave the kitten another little purr and then kiss on her cheek, nuzzling his head against her shoulder and neck on his bed. "I love you."
The kitten giggled, letting him nuzzle her and nuzzling back against him a little as well, the two of them just lying there with their heads on Arnold's pillows. "I know already, Arnold. You keep saying that every like ten seconds. Not that I'm complaining of course though…Hrr…" She placed a little kiss on his forehead. "I love you too, Arnold."
Arnold just chuckled, hugging against her more warmly. "I know. I can't help it though. Did I mention that I love you? Hrr…" He gave her a teasing little kiss on the corner of her mouth.
Helga blushed and shuddered in happiness, letting out a little giggle of pleasure. "Arnold, you're such a tease…" She saw him open his mouth, about to say something cute and romantic and flirty obviously, but then she reached up and grabbed his collar and cut him off by pulling him roughly close on top of her, jamming their noses together. "It drives me crazy." And then suddenly she pulled him in the rest of the way, mashing their lips together hotly, and then… "Hrr…" purred right into the kiss.
She felt him stiffen, felt almost a full deep kink go through him, and then he let out a deep, audible sigh through his nose and collapsed half on top of her, half laying back on the bed, his mouth separating from hers as he did so.
Helga was just lying there, smiling, catching her breath, and she heard Arnold, with his head lying near her chest, just panting. "Oh…Oh Helga…" he managed to breathe out.
She just smiled more, trying not to blush too much. "Yes, Arnold?"
He took in one more deep breath and then let it out, and then pulled himself up a little to look into her eyes. "You just…purred while we were…Oh Helga that felt…really really really good…"
Helga just smiled a little extra and shrugged coyly. "Just a…fun idea that came to me….I'd ask you to do it to me next but…I might die if you did…tiger." She giggled more.
Arnold grinned a little extra, a glint coming to his eyes as he looked deeply into her own. "Don't worry—remember, I'll always keep you safe, Helga G. Pataki…So even if I did do it, I promise you, you'd survive, kitten…" His voice had gone low.
Her heart was fluttering and she felt such anticipation. She was about to open her mouth and let him know what she thought of that when…
RING RING…
Helga let out a deep sigh and couldn't help pouting a tiny bit (not even as part of flirting with Arnold but just in frustration—silly phone calls interrupting her lovely afternoon). She looked to her beloved a little pleadingly, now with the intent of using the pout to maybe coax and influence him a bit. "Arnold, you wouldn't be willing to not get that, would you? I have to be home later for Olga's welcome home dinner and you and I did just make up only yesterday and we're lucky enough that your grandparents and my parents didn't ground us because of the food fight, so now we finally have this little bit of time to ourselves to just…well…you know…" She blushed a tiny bit and glanced to the side with a warm, secret little smile on her face.
RING RING…
Arnold just smiled more at her reasoning, glanced over at his alarm clock, chuckled at something about the time, and then looked back to her and nodded his head. "It's okay, I don't have to get it, Helga…And anyway, I know who it is already. Gerald and Phoebe had a date today right after school and those are usually over around now and he always calls me the second he gets back to his house to tell me everything he did and ask if I think he did it all right. But…I think it would be okay to let him work that out for himself just this once—he needs the chance to think for himself and see that the world won't end just because I'm not there to help explain girls to him." He chuckled again and then cuddled back against Helga. "I just want to enjoy our time together too."
At all of this Helga smiled and chuckled and then she giggled at the last thing. "You explaining girls…Crimeny, Arnold, you get one tall, leggy blonde to desperately throw herself at you with undying love and you suddenly turn into the big man on the elementary school campus, don't you, Football Head?" She cuddled him back a little.
"I know. I have such a big ego. If only some tall, leggy blonde hadn't gone and given it to me by making shrines to me deep in her closet."
Arnold smirked at Helga after delivering this reply for exactly one second.
And then the two of them burst into chuckles and laughed and kissed and hugged happily.
When that was done a couple of minutes later they just remained all comfy and cozy on Arnold's bed for a moment (the phone had thankfully stopped ringing). Yes, all alone just to enjoy each other's company—no obligations or interrupting friends or anything to pull them apart for now.
But then Helga…Helga just felt like there was something that should be bothering her. And then she realized what it was, and she mentioned it now, a touch of hesitation in her voice. "U-Um…Arnold?"
"Mmm hmm…" he merely replied lightly, obviously resting against her at this point, perhaps even with his eyes shut though she really couldn't see.
Helga went on, trying to let his presence to soothe her a little. "So…if Gerald and Phoebe had a date this afternoon...then…they must have skipped baseball practice today too…huh?"
"Hmm?" Arnold sighed out in his happy voice. "Oh…" her words processed but didn't seem to affect him too much as his tone remained light and at peace. "I guess so. Oh…I love you, Helga." He hugged her a little more and chuckled lightly, and reached up now to twirl the hair of one of her pigtails around his finger. He let out a little sigh to himself: he was going to get to twirl that hair of hers around his fingers forever… Yet another concept still amazing to him even after a full nearly twenty-four hours to grasp it.
Helga, meanwhile, tried to smile, tried to savor and even chuckle again at this new little habit of his with saying 'I love you, Helga' every ten seconds for no other reason than that he felt like it and wanted to…But mostly she just gulped a little instead…a little touch of fear and also that something meaningful from back in his living room coming to her eyes again (though Arnold didn't see, his own eyes currently just gazing up at the blue sky overhead a little and marveling privately now about his good fortune to always be allowed to see the blue of Helga's eyes forever). "So…" Helga spoke quietly, "…they skipped…you skipped…I skipped…Lila skipped because she went shopping with Olga and me…Do…Do you think Brainy skipped too?" Her mouth was quirked to the side in a touch of concern and she did her best to ease herself by breathing in and out near Arnold's hair for the sake of the comfort his oceans and spice aroma had always given her.
Arnold let out a little happy sigh, and then really did his best to come back to the reality of the here and now to respond to her question since, if she was asking in the middle of their time together like this, it must be important to her. He shifted off of her a little and looked up to her eyes. "I don't know for sure, Helga, but I thought he only really wanted to come to practices that you or I would be at until he gets used to everyone…and anyway doesn't he have Cello lessons on Wednesdays?"
He watched as Helga took that information in…And then it looked like her formerly blushing cheeks paled a little and now there was definitely a touch of concern in her eyes. She looked to him, sitting up a little. "Arnold…that's…a lot of people in our little circle to miss practice…and especially before a big game…and…no one to make excuses for us…"
Arnold sat up a little too, recognized this particular fear of hers, and then reached over and took her hand, holding it comfortingly in his own. "Helga," he began to soothe with the smile he knew she loved so much, "It's okay. I'm sure no one'll say anything or notice all that much. So please don't worry. And hey maybe it's even better that so many of us missed at once—it could look like a coincidence then. Okay?" He squeezed her hand a little, wanting to let her know that he was there for her.
Helga didn't look to his eyes at first, like she usually did whenever he soothed her about this particular topic. Instead her eyes remained down in thought, her mouth moved to the side in an unusual quirk, though as always whenever the fear of exposure crept into her there was just a touch of panic in her features that only a person who knew her really well and who was looking really closely could see…there was something else there too that he just couldn't immediately place.
Arnold looked at her a bit more closely at seeing all of this, considered questioning it, but didn't get the chance as Helga only remained in this unusual state for a few seconds before then letting out a breath, squeezing his hand a little back, and then finally seeming to will herself to smile (this forced smile then quickly melting into one that was genuine and sincere). She then finally turned her eyes to his and gave a nod. "Yes, I suppose you're right, my love. Nothing to worry too much about for now."
Arnold really did think about asking her if there wasn't still a reservation or two on her mind.
But then before he could act she was suddenly chuckling and asking him with a mischievous grin, "Oh and hey, Arnold…You know, you never asked about your prize for pouncing on me…Would you like it, Football Head?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him a little.
Her doing this…suddenly being sincerely coy and playful and relaxed again…put Arnold at ease about her, and now also he was curious as he recalled that she had indeed promised him a 'prize' for catching her when their chase had commenced. He sat up more fully to match her and responded, curiously smiling, "Of course, Helga. I'd love a prize. What is it?"
She giggled and then reached into her jumper pocket and pulled out an item, held it forward in her fist, and then unfurled her hand to reveal it on her palm. "Well, it's not exactly something from one of my bags, but it did come from the mall. I, uh…picked up a gumball from a machine before we left. But 'darn it', I only had one quarter so I could only get one gumball. So…wanna share?" She blushed as she shyly brought her eyes to his.
Arnold was just grinning ear to ear, eyeing the little red gumball sitting so enticingly in his love's lovely hand. "Well, um…" he almost chuckled as he started to reply back, "…This is all 'so sudden'…" He laughed a little at the small joke and so did she. "But, um…yes. I would love to share, Helga." He swallowed and scooched a little closer to her. "Who, uh…Who should go first…?" He asked the question sincerely with a little smile on his lips and his own little blush on his cheeks.
"Hmm…" Helga's grin picked up on one side. "How about you go first?"
Arnold nodded, happy to oblige of course. "Okay, Hel—"
He had been reaching out to take the gumball from her to go first, but stopped now, both in the action and in his reply.
Helga was sitting there now, blushing all throughout her face, and with the little gumball held delicately between her two pouted pink lips.
Seeing his hesitation and surprise, she giggled and then reached up and popped the gumball from her lips for a moment. "Hey," she quickly explained, "If you want it so you can go first with chewing it and everything, you've gotta come and get it." She popped the gumball delicately between her lips again.
Arnold took a deep blushing breath…and then that ear to ear grin of his returned. "Whatever you say, kitten…" And then he wrapped one arm around her waist to pull her in, used the other arm for balance on the bed, leaned over her, and brought his lips to hers to pluck the red gumball from them…though he also naturally took the opportunity to kiss her and quite deeply…and then to hold her extra tightly to make sure she would be okay as… "Hrr…" he purred directly into her mouth just as she had done to him.
He pushed his lips into final deep impression with hers and then pulled back with satisfaction, panting, as he opened his eyes. He heard her take in a shocked, deep breath, and then, "Ahhhh…!" she swooned deeply and utterly collapsed back against his pillows, her eyes wide in wonder and dewy with love.
An arm still around her, Arnold kind of fell to the bed as she did, though he managed to land a bit beside her in an attempt not to hurt her or anything. He just smiled and brought up his arm that had been around her waist to rub her arm and brush her cheek and gently stroke her hair comfortingly. "See, told you that was kind of…really really really good…" He took a few small chews of the gumball now in his mouth. "But please, stay with me now, Helga—remember, I promised I wouldn't let you die from it?" He chuckled a little. "Besides, it'll be your turn with the gum soon—you don't want to miss out."
She just took in a deep breath through her nose, let out a deep breath from her nose, and then blinked a few times and her eyes started to come back into focus. "Oh Arnold…" she whispered out, seeming to be returning to him a bit. Then she giggled and 'corrected herself' a bit, "I mean tiger…" Another little giggle and then a little sigh. "Just hold me…and maybe help sit me up a little. I feel numb and tingly all over."
Arnold, blushing considerably at having such an effect on her, reached his arms around her and helped sit her up a little on his pillows. "A-Any, um…Any better now, Helga?"
Helga, indeed finally feeling some degree of coherent feeling returning to her body and limbs ( 'Oh, him doing that actually made my very heart tremble! My darling!'), nodded. "Yes, Arnold. I'm…I'm making it through. Thank you for helping me survive all of that, my prince." She sighed and cuddled up against him, his one arm still around her waist and her liking it that way.
Her prince just sighed and blushed even more and held her close beside him. "You're welcome. And I'm…very happy you liked that."
"It was almost as good as when you moaned when we kissed yesterday at school in the cafeteria, Arnold…Nothing could ever truly beat that for me though." She giggled a little, giving him a small poke in the sweater right over his stomach.
"You're…You're the only one who'll ever make me need to moan during a kiss, Helga." He meant that in a lot of ways. His little heart fluttered.
"Hmm…I'll keep that in mind, Arnold," Helga answered playfully back. Then, tracing her finger lightly up and down his sweater over his chest, she added, "Now, uh…is it my turn with the gum yet?" She looked up at him with wide, 'innocent' eyes and a smirk underlying them.
A lovesick Arnold chuckled and nodded. "Yup. Do you want to, um…just pass it back and forth or…share it in the 'other way' ?" With a little extra blush but otherwise just smiling in his normal, loving way, he awaited her preference.
"Hmm…well…not that 'the other way' isn't something I dream about at night constantly but, um…" Helga looked a little sheepish, blushed a little extra for reasons different from why Arnold was blushing extra, and then cleared her throat. "A-After that whole 'purring in my mouth' thing plus half the other stuff we've been doing ever since we got up here, I could use a tiny bit of downtime so, would just passing it back and forth for now at least be okay?"
Arnold let out a breath and nodded, more than understanding. "Of course. And I understand…" He glanced down sheepishly as well. "I could, um…use a little downtime too. I've been…taking in a lot for the last few days, and then also, well…I guess we should be resting up for our anniversary weekend." He blushed extra hotly at saying something so suggestive.
He heard Helga's breath catch in her throat and then she giggled a little goofily and finally his eyes just barely came up to see her nod, looking all bashful and blushy and smiling. "A-Another good point, Arnold. Okay then, the normal way of sharing gum it is."
Arnold gave a little nod and then reached up and popped the gum out of his mouth and then offered it out to Helga. "Here you go, Helga."
She took the chewed gum and placed it into her mouth (and writhed in pleasure inside at the taste that flooded her senses). "Thank you, Arnold." She blew and popped a little bubble.
"You're welcome, Helga." Arnold bowed his head graciously.
She giggled and then popped the gum out of her mouth and offered it out to him. "Your turn again. Here you go, Arnold."
With a little smile he took the gum from her and placed it into his mouth (and tried not to propose then and there at the wonderful sensation that overwhelmed his taste buds…because for crying out loud it was Helga's taste plus the bright cherry flavor of the gumball and it was incredible! But no, not just yet on the proposal…). Then he managed to mumble out, "Th-Thank you, Helga."
She giggled. "You're quite welcome, Arnold."
They both let out happy sighs through their noses and decided to just continue doing this at their leisures for the rest of the afternoon.
"Um…hey, Arnold?" Helga asked as Arnold chewed the gum. Her voice was shy and she was looking down very unsurely and humbly.
He looked back at her, squeezing her hand and ready to help her with whatever was on her mind. "Yes, Helga?" While he was waiting for her to say whatever she had to say, he took the gum from him mouth and offered it out to her.
She took it and placed it into her mouth, gave a shy little chew and then asked… "As long as we're up here…and we're kind of taking a break from the making out…if you…if it wouldn't be too much…" She hesitated again, and now kind of started tugging a little at one of her pigtails with her hands.
Arnold moved closer, giving her a warm and comforting smile. "It's okay, Helga. Whatever it is, please ask?" So as not to jinx it he refused to even entertain the idea that she might ask him to marry her again right here and right now…Well, he didn't let himself entertain the idea too much at least.
"If…If it wouldn't be too much…" her eyes came up to his and she asked sincerely, "Could I…see the picture of your parents now?" She bit her lower lip just slightly.
Arnold blinked at first at this question, froze for just a second…but then the warm smile melted right back upon his face. Actually in a way he liked this question better than the 'will you marry me' one…It was a good question, a good request. And if she was going to be his wife he wanted to share with her completely and was just surprised that he had forgotten himself about his promise from yesterday to show her the picture of his parents the next time they were in his room. And so he took one of her hands and lifted it up, gave it a gentle kiss, and then looked into her still wide and unsure eyes and nodded. "Of course. I'd love to show it to you, Helga. And please don't ever feel funny about bringing them up…I told you, once I get used to it, I love sharing about them…especially with someone I love." He leaned over and gave her a little kiss on the cheek, and then separated from her for a moment to crawl over to his shelves. He moved aside Helga's little stack of pink books and then from behind them pulled out an unframed photo. He then sat back next to Helga on his bed, a little loving smile on his face as he continued to look at the picture in his hand. And then he moved the picture closer to her so that they could share in the looking at of it together, and then he said quietly (not before taking her hand nearest to him in his free hand and holding it for the comfort of it), "Um…I'd like you to meet my parents, Helga. Miles and Stella…"
Helga G. Pataki, almost shaking a little from anticipation, looked once more at her beloved (to make sure that he was smiling and that doing this really wasn't making him sad or hurting him or anything) and then she looked down and at the picture…reaching out her free hand almost without thinking out to hold a side of it as Arnold was doing.
She looked at these two people responsible for the existence of the love of her life.
"Arnold…" she merely whispered at first with wide eyes.
"Yes…Helga?" He squeezed her hand a little, still looking at and holding up the picture along with her.
"Your Dad looks so nice…so kind and nice and sweet, just like you…" These things just came from her heart right out to her lips, said with a touch of awe as she continued to gaze at the photo.
Arnold blushed a little, fought back a tear or two that threatened to come to his eyes, and merely replied with another little squeeze to her hand, still smiling, "Thank you, Helga…My Grandpa says he's a lot like me too actually. Very good hearted and helpful and caring…a bit, um…silly around girls, especially my Mom at first, but otherwise a very nice person." He almost blushed a little that comparison.
"And…Arnold…" Helga whispered, her surprised and wide-eyed sights going to the other occupant of the photo now at the mention of the word 'Mom' from him. "Your Mom…She's so beautiful, Arnold. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
Arnold blushed extra extra at that and gulped shyly. "Th-Thank you, Helga," he just said quietly, feeling his lip a little trembly with more tears threatening to come (though at no point did his smile fade or were these tears of sadness…He was just…so touched to be sharing this with her that it was a little much…but he had never wanted to talk to anyone about his parents as much as he did with her). "I…I think she's beautiful too. Do, um…" he smiled more and almost laughed, unable to help it. "Do you think the head works for her too? Considering the shape, I mean."
Helga blinked at being asked that, and was about to reply with the totally earnest response of 'Arnold, everything about her is just…so beautiful.' Instead though she took a second, got that he was actually joking a little and being comfortable with actually joking with her about something involving his parents again, and then she smiled and shrugged and said back, "Well, doi! She went and did it right—it's just a delicate, oval shape, with a gentle feminine curve. You're the one who had to take it to an extreme with that football shape that just begs to be punted across a field."
Arnold laughed, she chuckled, Helga handed off the gum back to Arnold for his turn and they just kept looking at the picture together like this.
"Arnold, really though…" Helga began in a much calmer and lighter and casual tone, now that the awe of seeing Arnold's parents had finally passed just a little at least, "Your parents look wonderful and warm and loving. And…" this last part though was added with just a touch of melancholy and sincerity, "I really hope you can find some closure about them one day…that you can go to that San Lorenzo place and understand why they couldn't come back. "
Arnold nodded and let out a breath and leaned against her. "Thank you, Helga. I'm going to try if I ever can…Remember, I told you about that journal with the map in it? So…at least I'd have somewhere to start, right?"
He asked it with hopefulness and Helga could hear that, whether he knew it or not, he was seeking support for this idea…Like despite his natural optimism and hope and belief there really were small little doubts pricking at him deep inside (it had been nine years, after all). He needed her support and to know that she believed in him and his hopes about this.
And, interestingly enough, even though it was arguably a long shot, the normally pessimistic Helga G. Pataki did believe in him about this. Call it a gut feeling.
She let him lean into her, nuzzled her head against his a little and smiled. "Yes. I think it's very lucky and a good sign that you found something like that to lead you to somewhere they've been. And Arnold…from the bottom of my heart, from the deepest part of my soul, I truly believe that if anyone would have the will and the ability and the courage to go and find them, it would be you. You can do anything, Arnold. And…if you'll let me…when the time comes…I'd like to go with you and help you do such a wonderful thing."
Before Helga knew what was happening she was suddenly pinned down and realized after a shocked second to take it in that Arnold was hugging tight against her and burying his face against her and she could swear that she could feel a hot tear or two soaking against her jumper. "A-Arnold?" she asked hesitantly, worried that something might be wrong.
She just heard him take in a deep breath though and then finally reply, still clung against her, "Oh Helga! Did I…Did I mention that I love you?" And then he chuckled in between a sniffle or two and then let out his deep breath and now just rested against her with all the love in the world.
Helga let out a relieved sigh at this response and then just brought her arms around him as best she could and patted his back lovingly. "Yes you did, my darling…about a million times so far today. But I always do love hearing it at least one more time. And of course I love you too."
Arnold chuckled a little again, remained resting against her for just a little longer, and then let out a sigh and moved off of her, sitting up a little again on his bed and picking up the photo of his parents that had fallen to his blankets at his sudden spontaneous hug of Helga for her lovely words of reassurance. He quickly wiped a small tear or two from his eyes, still feeling just a little self conscious about actually crying in front of her too much, and then just smiled down at her and asked warmly and happily, "Hey, Helga? Um…Would you want to maybe…read some of my Dad's journal with me? Um…it's really nice. It's all about him meeting my Mom and their wedding and honeymoon and her having me and us being back here…And you know, um…the part that talks about them living here for a little while with me even mentions you at one point…" He recalled that harrowing scene from the park with the slide that his Dad had described which also contained brief descriptions of some of the little kids who had been in the park that day from the neighborhood whom his father had recognized would probably be his playmates and classmates one day. ( 'And my wife…My wife…My wife…' Arnold had started to really really REALLY like the W word over the last day.)
Helga instantly shot up, first with wide eyes and then with a big eager smile. "Really Arnold? Oh I'd love to! All of it! You didn't even need to sweeten the pot by telling me I might be mentioned in it, my darling!" She giggled practically giddily and clung to his arm in delight.
Arnold grinned widely and chuckled along with her. "Okay, then—I keep it over here on the same shelf as your pink books and the picture…"
He went to put the picture back as he reached over for the journal hidden away at the back of the shelf but Helga caused him to pause and stop. "Wait…Arnold?" He turned to look at her with a curious eyebrow raised. She swallowed and asked shyly, "Um…if it's alright, while we look at the journal, could the picture stay out too? I…just love looking at them, Arnold. Trying to see what parts of you are in your parents…and what parts of them are in you. And also seeing them would make your Dad's journal more real for me. Please."
Arnold just smiled even more at the sweet request and handed the picture off to her. "Of course, Helga. I like looking at the picture while I read too. It…makes it more real, just like you said."
She smiled happily upon receiving the photo back (her eyes then eagerly turning to it to take in its contents yet again) while Arnold reached back over to his shelf and snagged his Dad's journal from its hiding place in the back, and then sat back down next to his love on the bed and opened the old book to the first page. He looked to Helga. "Do you want me to read to you while you look at the picture, Helga?"
"Hmm…" she nodded, glancing back at him again. "Yes, if you wouldn't mind, that would be lovely, my prince."
Arnold smiled more and chuckled. "Okay, my princess. Oh and before I forget…" he reached up and popped the gum out of his mouth and offered it to her. "Your turn with the gum." While holding it out, waiting for her to take it, Arnold had let his eyes turn back to his Dad's journal to start reading.
He wasn't able to start though as his eyes suddenly went wide and his breath caught in his throat and all the blood rushed to his face at the feeling of Helga…obviously suddenly taking his hand, leaning down, and then placing her soft lips upon his fingers to slowly and intimately remove the little chewed piece of gum with them and bring it into her own mouth.
"Thanks for the turn, hot lips…" she quickly whispered and then with a giggle went innocently back to looking at the photo. "Now get to reading, Football Head—chop chop," she added then in her usual playful tone.
Arnold just…just let out a deep, shuddery sigh and for a moment had to grip his sweater over his (pounding) heart (all the while doing his best not to get too overwhelmed by the fact that he would get to have the opportunity of feeling Helga do that forever too now that he had definitely decided to marry her). But then he managed to regain himself eventually, and he cleared his throat and finally managed to blushingly begin reading his father's journal. "Alright, um…M-March 15th…Today I met the woman I'm going to marry…" 'Oh boy…' Oh for crying out loud—a smiling Arnold almost couldn't stand the irony of that being the first line.
Helga just giggled a little from beside him. "Hey, your Dad sounds like me when I write, Arnold—straight to the point, and love is topic du jour."
Arnold had to laugh at that. "I guess he does, Helga. Good point." And then he nestled against Helga and Helga nestled against him, and he read on while she admired his parents and admired him.
And Helga just let herself enjoy all of this, enjoy being in this moment right here and now, her and Arnold.
Although one fleeting thought about something else did pass through her mind…It was in regards to her and Arnold's conversation before about them and their entire group of friends who were in the loop about them all accidentally missing baseball practice at once today. 'I suppose even if someone did notice…and even if they did suspect something, especially after all the practices we've found someone to excuse us from…that…well…after our last day of school on Friday…after I give Arnold the first part of his present…it…won't really matter…' It was a strange thought, both comforting and…not so comforting.
But Helga just took a breath and summed up her courage and let all her worries melt away in the wake of the love story of Arnold's parents.
(And, also, Helga tried not to laugh TOO much when Arnold mentioned, after he finished reading about Miles and Stella's wedding, that there had been a page after that which his Grandpa had started reading the first time they'd ever looked at the journal that started with something about 'The hottest night the jungle had ever seen…' but Phil had ripped it out, it seemed, giving Arnold the excuse that he'd understand how 'hot' the jungle could be one day well enough on his own without getting any previews of it now ( "Whatever that meant…Then again, Grandpa and his advice can be kind of confusing sometimes," Arnold, here and now, had added to the explanation with a smile). Helga had been really good though and just giggled a little and enjoyed how dense the silly little boy before her was about what that page had probably been about, and then she had taken the gum from her mouth and popped it right past his lips into his mouth and asked him playfully to 'get a move on with the story' because she was anxious for the part where he got born. A request to which (with a little blush about her putting the gum inside of his mouth herself this time) he readily acquiesced).
A/N:
Alright I hope you all enjoyed this! I know it was an emotional roller coaster but I really hope you guys liked what I did with stuff and this concluding part of the LTBH courtship ^w^ And as for future updates, like usually, they'll happen slowly but surely and the chapter lengths are going to stop being insane now which is good news for my own sanity, lol! XDXDXD
Alright, I'm gonna go make myself some popcorn now or something, lol ^w^
Please, please, please review! I love you guys!
Happy Reading!
~Azure129 aka Jenna
*ANOTHER SMALL NOTE*
A few of you reminded me in your reviews and PMs that Arnold actually did sneak into the movies once in "The List." I've added a couple of lines during Arnold and Helga's fight where Helga brings this up and Arnold addresses it. It's when she's bringing up the Frankie G. stuff so if you're interested in reading it, just run a search on the word 'Frankie' and you'll be at the right part ;) Thank you all! I always appreciate being helped not to violate canon ;)