"Why the hell is she here?" Gerald asked for the third time.
From Arnold's left, Phoebe rolled her eyes, "Your level of maturity is outstanding." Phoebe replied with a cold tone in her voice.
Arnold sighed from between them. He really wanted to tell Gerald off, as he had invited himself, unlike Phoebe who he had actually invited. Still, he kept his thoughts to himself. He couldn't really blame Gerald for being curious. Still, that didn't give him any right to be rude.
"Why couldn't you have driven us, Gerald?" Phoebe taunted as the trio turned another corner.
Gerald glared at the class president. For a while Arnold was certain that Gerald was going to jump around him to attack Phoebe. Finally, Gerald coldly answered, "My mom's car broke down so I'm walking for the week."
Phoebe couldn't help but chuckle, "Well you'd better hope that Lila hasn't left any panties in your backseat. I'd hate for your mother to be torn from the illusion that her son is responsible when it comes sex."
"Well we'd better hope that your parents don't find out anything in particular about you." Gerald threatened.
Phoebe rolled her eyes, "My parents already know about all my mistakes. You can't blackmail me, Gerald."
"We can't be on the right street." Gerald stated, eager to get off the subject.
Happy to be off of the subject of panties, sex, and blackmail, Arnold looked down at the slip of paper Olga Pataki had given him with the Pataki's current address upon it. "It's the right road. Why wouldn't it be?"
"It's just a ritzy area." Phoebe answered. "Gerald, you've been to BBP before. The Patakis living on Belvaire Avenue shouldn't come as such a surprise to you."
"Have you seen the houses on this road?" Gerald questioned.
Phoebe rolled her eyes, "I know that you didn't know the Patakis nearly as well as I did, but if there's anything I knew about Bob Pataki, it was that he was a brilliant businessman. And the business just got better after Mrs. Pataki went on as her husband's business partner. I don't find it surprising at all that they'd be this well off."
Arnold really underestimated how well off Gerald and Phoebe were implying that the Patakis had become until they were standing in front of their house. Arnold had to crane his neck just to see the top of the four-story building. There was a tall iron gate keeping them on the sidewalk, but not blocking the veiw of the house. Gerald, Arnold, and Phoebe glanced at each other before Arnold cautiously reached out for the speaker box by the gate.
"Do you have an appointment?" a gruff and callous voice demanded.
Arnold swallowed a lump in his throat before nervously answering, "Um...yes. Olga Pataki told me to come here at-"
"Name?" The voice snapped before Arnold could finish.
"Um, Arnold Shortman." Arnold answered nervously.
"Proceed." was the last thing the man said before the gate swung open, following a loud buzz.
Arnold glanced at his friends once more before they started up the hill. They were surprised to find a circular driveway with half a dozen cars. Were they all nice cars, Arnold would have assumed that they belonged to Big Bob, but more than half of them were clunkers. The trio walked past the driveway and to the door, which was about eight feet tall and hand carved from gorgeous mahogany. Phoebe rang the doorbell and they waited. Almost a moment passed before Phoebe decided to ring the bell again.
After the third ring, the door was finally answered. "No one else is here. What do you want?"
Arnold, Gerald, and Phoebe stared at the girl who had answered the door with their eyes wide and their jaws slack. This couldn't have been Helga. Her hair was blonde and her words were a bit short, but Helga had never given anyone the impression that in her spare time she'd wear Victorian style gowns with her hair done in curls. When neither of them answered, the girl snapped, "What are you staring at?"
There was a low growl at the girl's feet and Gerald, Arnold, and Phoebe both looked down to see what was growling at them. Expecting a dog, Gerald and Arnold both shouted in surprise and jolted backward at the sight of a giant lizard. Arnold was too surprised to realise that it was the same lizard that had eaten his parrot in the fourth grade. Phoebe on the otherhand, laughed and knelt down, extending her hand to let the reptile sniff her. "Hey Demonicus. Do you remember me?"
The lizard's tongue flicked out of its mouth before gently touching his nose against the girl's hand and turning to wander back into the house.
The blonde gave Phoebe an odd look before she finally said, "Phoebe?"
Phoebe smiled shortly, "Hey Helga."
Even Phoebe was taken off guard when Helga squealed excitedly and pulled the other girl into a bone crushing embrace. "Oh my god! I haven't seen you in years! How are you?" When Helga pulled back she was beaming.
Her smile instantly vanished when a voice from inside yelled for her. "ONE MINUTE!" She screamed back. She sighed and shook her head before turning back to Phoebe. "Sorry, you caught me at a bad time. Dress rehearsal."
"Dress rehearsal?" Phoebe echoed.
Helga nodded, "Yeah, the choir kids reserved the stage before we could and we needed to rehearse today because it's the only day we were all available before the weekend."
"What the hell are you supposed to be?" Gerald deadpanned.
Helga squinted at him, still not recognising Phoebe's companions. "Mina from Dracula the Musical."
"There's a musical about Dracula?" Arnold asked.
"Yes!" Helga answered, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. "It's so much fun. Anyway, I should be busy for about half an hour, but feel free to wander the house until then. Just don't take anything and stay on the first floor." She stood aside to let them in. Once Arnold, Gerald, and Phoebe were inside the sound of singing arose from below. "I have to go." Helga said frantically before picking up her skirt, revealing that she was wearing a pair of cut off leggings beneath the massive gown and hadn't graced her feet with the presence of shoes. She sprinted down the stairs at the end of the foyer, leaving Gerald, Arnold, and Phoebe in the doorway, looking confused.
"Do you think she recognised us?" Gerald asked Arnold.
Arnold shook his head, "Probably not. She didn't do anything to suggest she did."
"Whoever Helga is doing this play with, they aren't bad." Phoebe thought aloud, paying more attention to the music echoing from the basement.
Arnold listened in on the singers. He didn't know the song, but would later learn that it was called Deep In The Darkest Night. "They are pretty good."
"Should we go and take a peek?" Gerald recommended.
"No!" Arnold and Phoebe snapped in unison. "Helga told us to stay on the first floor." Arnold finished.
Gerald rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
The three split off to explore the first floor of Helga's house. Gerald made himself comfortable in the kitchen, filling up on snacks. Phoebe had found her way to the backyardand spent most of her time exploring the garden. She couldn't help but laugh when she discovered that Bob Pataki still had a yurt in the yard. Arnold, however, spent most of his time exploring a room he couldn't really put a name to. There were pictures all over the walls, some of people he didn't even recognise, others of the Pataki family he knew. Olga accepting her diploma as valedictorian of Bennington College. Bob and Miriam riding horses in some canyon, looking happier than he had ever seen them together. The photos of Helga were the ones he was most interested in though. There were some photos of Helga that he could only describe as galmor shots. It made it easy to believe that for a while when they were kids she was a model. There was one photo that really caught his eye. He had a copy of the photo himself. It was the photo Mr. Simmons had insisted be taken of all the class in San Lorenzo before everyone went back home. Everyone but him, anyway. Rhonda was pushing Curly off of her, screaming. Nadine held up one of the man jars full of bugs she had collected. Stinky and Sid were playing a prank on Harold. Sheena was trying to help Eugene up after he fell down. Phoebe and Gerald were flirting shameless, which only reminded him of how strange it was that they hated each other so much. He and Helga stood in the center. It was the first picture he had ever seen of Helga where she was smiling rather than scowling. He wasn't oblivious to the fact that he had been holding her hand when the picture was taken.
"I was a pretty ugly kid, wasn't I?" Arnold shouted in surprise and almost dropped the frame in his hand. Helga chuckled as she tied her hair up into a ponytail. Her extravagant gown had been replaced by black leggings and a white tank top. "You must have been pretty out of it if you didn't hear everyone leave."
He swallowed a lump in his throat. "I-I don't think you were an ugly kid."
She smirked and shook her head, "You don't have to lie."
"I'm not lying." Arnold declared, setting the frame down.
She rolled her eyes, "Alright, whatever you say. How do you know Phoebe?"
Arnold blinked. Did she really not recognise him? Or had she forgotten him? "I've known Phoebe since preschool." Arnold answered at last. "I've known you since preschool too."
Helga looked at him warily, raising a water bottle to her lips to take a sip, "Are you sure about that?" She asked before taking a drink.
"Yes, I'm sure." Arnold answered, his tone growing impatient. "You used to call me football head."
In an instant, Arnold was showered in the water that Helga HAD been drinking. She choked and coughed, ramming herself in the chest with her fist. Arnold was about to start hitting her on the back when she finished coughing. "Arnold?" she asked when she was finally able to speak again.
Arnold smiled, "Nice to see you remember me."
Helga didn't embrace him like she embraced Phoebe. Part of her wanted to. She'd become much more comfortable with hugging people she liked. She blamed that on dance classes and her growing experience with musical theatre. Still, she was too shocked to do much more than sputter for a few moments. "I didn't even know you were back in Hillwood." she finally managed to say.
Arnold shrugged, "My mom and dad decided to come back after grandma broke her hip."
"Gerdie broke her hip AND you came back from San Lorenzo?" Helga exclaimed, outrage growing in her voice. "And nobody told me?"
Arnold blinked, "Who would have told you?"
"Well Susie, for starters." Helga answered shortly.
"You know Susie?" Arnold asked, only growing more confused.
"Doi, Arnold. She and my mom are only best friends."
Arnold couldn't help the fit of laughter that followed. He doubled over clutching his stomach, hardly able to breathe. It was such a relief to know that Helga hadn't changed completely since he'd been gone. "It's not funny!" Helga shouted.
"I know! I know!" Arnold chuckled, putting his hands up defensively.
Helga growled before storming out of the room. "Helga! Come back!" Arnold shouted, starting after her. She was already gone, yanking Gerald out of the kitchen, his mouth still full.
"Hey!" Gerald swallowed his mouthful before continuing, "I was eating."
Helga reached under the sofa Gerald was about to lean under and pulled out the monitor lizard that the boys hadn't even noticed was there, "Yeah, well no Demon is going to be eating. PHOEBE!" Helga stormed back into the kitchen and sat her pet down on the counter, where he proceeded to finish the last of Gerald's snack.
Phoebe heard Helga yelling and dashed for the door, peeking in from the garden, "Is something wrong, Helga?"
"Yeah there is, now let's go." Helga snapped.
"What the hell did you two do?" Phoebe snarled at Arnold and Gerald as they followed Helga through the front door.
"Don't look at me!" Gerald answered, throwing his hands up defensively.
"Get in the fucking car." Helga ordered as she unlocked a black jeep before climbing into the driver's seat. Phoebe got into the front and warily glanced at Arnold and Gerald as they pulled out of the driveway. Helga said nothing, which only made them more frightened.
"Um...Helga...where are we going?" Phoebe asked as they watched the gate open for them.
"Sunset Arms boarding house." Helga answered before she slammed her foot on the gas, peeling out of her driveway and onto the road.
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