(A/N: Just a heads up, you guys are in for one bumpy unexpected ride that I had no intention of actually writing but tell that to my fingers. They do the walking and I just sit back and enjoy it with you... at least that's how my writing normally works ;;)
Morning came and went, as the friends all gathered in the same place and walked to school. Idle chit-chat commenced and even some shy glances from the new official couple as they went about the day from class to class. Even lunch time was seemingly normal without any real chaos, unless you count Harold nearly beating up Sid for "stealing" one of his sandwiches, which was then laughed about amongst them all for the rest of the day.
"Don't forget to tell your mom how much I liked the sandwich, Harold!" Sid laughed as him and the gang left the school.
The large older bully then groaned in annoyance. "Awwww, will you just shut up already?!" He bellowed out towards the shorter boy.
"What? I just want to make sure she knew how good they were!" Sid suggested as he began to speed up, knowing full well that all his taunts would do, would make Harold beat him up.
"Yeah Harold," Stinky agreed in his usual happy southern voice. "Maybe you can get her to make me one too!"
"You guys…! You're seriously asking for it…!" Harold threatened, glaring at them both while they laughed in unison.
Their goal today had been to play some arcade games before separating to complete their own class projects before the due date tomorrow, however with them both taunting him since lunch, Harold didn't find it to be a good idea any longer.
"Come on Harold! We're just messin' with ya." Stinky smiled as he put his hands in his pants pocket, keeping up alongside the chubby boy.
"Yeah," Sid nodded, "And besides, I can just ask her to make me my own when I go over your house today."
Harold's face reddened with both rage and embarrassment as he balled up his fist and glared at the back of Sid's head, causing him to look back and see the hostile gaze. "Do it. I dare you…" Harold threatened.
"She'd probably make ya one too, on account of his mom being so nice n' all." Stinky smirked, purposely egging Harold on to further rage.
"THAT'S IT!" It had finally been the breaking point for Harold. With both fists clenched and ready for action, he began to charge at his two friends who immediately began to flee towards their destination, laughing as they ran.
It had only been a few blocks before the bigger kid ran out of steam and began to slow down, until letting the other two get away and resting his forearm against a building to catch his breath. Although they had noticed his halt, it did not change their motives and instead of waiting for him, they continued onward to the arcade without him.
Harold had always been a soft hearted boy at heart, however similar to Helga, always decided it was best to put up a big and angry front then to show it off to the world. He would huff and puff and blunder about, getting into fights and tussles with his friends, however in the end, they always remained his friends and considered it more of a play fight rather than a real one. He knew full well that Sid and Stinky cared about him, so he would always plan on getting back at them some other way in the end. He didn't really want to beat them up, but he also didn't like being made fun of for having a loving mother who always carefully packed his lunch with all his favorite things, and then a few extras.
With a frown, Harold turned and rested his back against the building and relaxed. "I'll get you guys back, just wait and see…" He huffed, feeling more frustrated than ever. But before he could fully regain his stamina, a man came bursting through the door next to him and waved his hands in anger.
"Hey!" He yelled, "Hey you! Get away from my shop you hoodlum!"
Harold looked at the man, a little confused and hurt. "What do you mean? I'm not doing nothing." He explained, unsure of what to do as speaking to grown-ups was never his strong suit.
"Can't you read the sign?!" The man asked angrily.
"What sign?!" Harold asked, now becoming frustrated again along with his confusion.
"This one, right here fatso!" The shop owner yelled again, pointing to a small note that had been glued to the shop window he had just had his back against.
Squinting his eyes, Harold brought his face up close to the sign to read it out loud. "No… So-solicitaaaating?"
The shop-keep rolled his eyes. "No! The one under that one!"
"Oh." Harold then looked to the next sign that had been directly under the other. "No Loitering….?"
The man nodded his head with pride. "Yes! Yes that one!"
Harold backed up and raised his eyebrow at the man. "What's that mean?"
With his mouth gaping open, the man angrily waved his arms around again. "It means don't stand around here in front of my store! It's bad for business to have kids like you making trouble for innocent customers. Don't they teach you anything in school?!"
Although Harold wanted to answer, the man ignored him and headed back inside with a loud bang following, causing Harold to angrily mumble to himself. He was used to being called names like fatso, fat boy, lard boy, pink boy, stupid, idiot and some other things he couldn't think of right now, most of them being called from one person but sometimes from strangers too. "Do I really look all that bad?" He wondered to himself as he put his hands in his pockets and sadly began to walk towards the arcade again. He turned to another shop's window and peered into the glass to see his reflection. He looked like he normally did, so what was the problem? What's it mean to be a hoodlum? He wondered. Was it because he was older than his friends? Was it because he was bigger? Why was everyone always picking on him, anyway? Many questions flooded his head and he continued on walking. Rabi always says "Do unto others as you wish done unto you" but what does that mean? He asked himself silently. I didn't do anything to that guy so why did he have to be mean to me?! Harold then found an empty soda can and kicked it along the sidewalk.
"Stupid mean old man!" He yelled as it went flying, causing a sleeping cat nearby to become startled, cry and run off. "Oh… sorry." Harold called out to it, but it was already gone.
As he continued to walk and think, he heard something in the distance that caught his attention. It was a voice, a familiar voice. Tilting his head, he began to hurry up to the next intersection to see if it was who he thought it was.
"Move it, paste-for-brains! I ain't got all day!" the voice shouted from behind the building.
Is that…? Harold was almost sure he knew the voice but kept pressing onward towards it.
"Why are you in such a rush? We have all night." Another familiar voice replied.
"Yeah, well I'm not trying to spend it all being cooped up in some stupid boarding house with nut jobs, Football head!"
It is! Harold shouted in his mind as he finally got to the clearing to see his two classmates, Arnold and Helga standing at a walkway and waiting for the signal to turn. Maybe they wanna come to the arcade too? He thought, slowly marching in their direction.
Arnold frowned. "Helga…"
"What?!" She shrieked, throwing her hands in the air in dramatics and tapping her foot impatiently.
With a half lidded gaze and a small smile, the odd headed boy offered out his hand. "You do realize how far from school we are, right? You don't have to keep acting."
"A-a-acting?!" Helga asked, turning her head from him stubbornly. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"Uh huh…" He signed with defeat, continuing to offer his hand to her. "Do you want it or not?"
Helga blushed a little before looking around frantically, then looking back at the boy. Her heart began to pound as they were much closer to civilization then she'd like but also knew that she promised him that she would begin trying to "practice" their show of affection in public in hopes of getting rid of her fears. With a trembling heart, she willingly took the welcoming hand and sighed happily, allowing all the nerves in her body to melt the moment his heat collided with her own. After a second to absorb her bliss, Helga gave him a small scowl and he laughed. "Shut up and let's just go…" she said with a worried tone.
"Okay." Arnold agreed happily as the signal turned to walk and they disappeared into the mass of people.
Harold stood bewildered with his mouth nearly touching the floor at the scene he had just witnessed. "Was that…?" He started, still trying to wrap his mind around it all. "Arnold and Helga?" but then it finally hit him that his eyes were not playing games. "And were they… HOLDING HANDS?!"
Instantly, his feet began to hit the pavement with haste as he raced to the arcade. "I have to tell the guys!" he shouted eagerly, "They're never gonna believe this!"
"I reckon you got the long straw there, Sid." Stinky suggested as he quickly tapped the buttons on his machine, causing a pixelated man to shoot tiny bullets at a few bad guys.
"Why do you say that?" Sid asked alongside his southern friend, mashing his own buttons.
"You get to hang out with Harold and eat wholesome meals at his place while my partner barely even says two words to me…" The tall boy frowned as the bad guys took away his remaining life and a large Game Over screen played.
"Ohhhh yeah!" Sid smiled devilishly, glancing over at his sullen friend quickly before returning to his own game. "I forgot that Brainy was your partner. What's it like at his place?"
Stinky grimaced and began to watch the stringy haired boy thrash about his joystick. "Weird." Was all he could say in response.
Sid laughed. "Boy howdy, I'm kicking major butt! I think this is the farthest I've ever gotten in Roboman 6000!"
But just before he could reach the final boss, Sid and Stinky were startled by a loud bang of the door, causing him to lose focus and the boss to jump on him repeatedly, losing his game.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sid cried as he put his hands on the screen and slowly slid them down.
"Not so good anymore, are ya now?" Stinky laughed loudly, causing his small friend to give him a mean scowl before turning to see where the noise came from. There stood Harold, panting like a mad man in the doors entrance, barely able to breathe or stand. Others turned their concern on him, however did not make any motion to help.
"What happened?" Stinky asked his tired friend from afar.
"What happened is he just made me lose my game!" Sid shouted, followed by a few whimpers as he looked over at his own Game Over screen.
"Guys…" Harold panted out, slowly stepping towards them. "You… gotta… see… this…"
"Why? What did ya see?" Stinky asked, now a little interested in what the chubby kid had to say.
Sid grumbled to himself before finally giving up and accepting his loss. "It better be good because you just made me lose the game of the century!"
Harold made his way up to them both and grabbed on to Sid's arcade machine, using it to rest on and continued to catch his breath.
Now feeling a little concerned, Stinky placed his hand on his friends shoulder and made an unsure chuckle. "Is the jolly-olly man gone mad again and handin' out free Mr. Fudgy's or somethin'?"
"It's… I saw…" He continued to pant.
"Spit it out for cripes sake!" Sid cried in anticipation.
With a large breath, Harold took all of what he saw in and finally blurted it out for the whole arcade to hear. "Arnold and Helga were holding hands!"
The two friend's eyes turned wide in shock and they looked at each other before turning back to their still tuckered out friend.
"You mean she was yanking him around or something, right?" Sid asked, still in denial.
"No!" Harold shouted. "Like lovey-dovey all kissy like!"
"No way, Harold" Stinky shook his head in disbelief, "Your jus' pullin' our legs on account of we were makin' fun of you earlier."
"Yeah." Sid laughed, "No way in a million years that would happen. I mean, hell would freeze over or something."
Stinky laughed along with him and nodded in agreement. "Those two go together like an angry old cat and a starving mutt!"
"Guys I'm serious!" Harold finally had regained his life and now stood firmly in front of them, his fists on his hip. "They were on their way to his house or something! I heard them!"
The two boys glanced at each other again, this time a little more than concerned.
"I mean, it was kinda strange that they chose each other as partners for the assignment…" Stinky said as he scratched the back of his head in confusion.
"Yeah but that was probably because they were the only two kids left without a partner." Sid suggested, "It's happened before."
"I dunno, Sid. I didn't exactly choose Brainy to be my partner. I'm pretty sure that we were the last picks of the class…" Stinky frowned, remembering his tough luck.
"Would you guys just shut up and let's go already!" Harold whined, looking towards the door as another kid came in and paid the worker for some quarters. "I'll show you I'm not just making it up!"
The duo all nodded to each other before finally giving in and following Harold out of the arcade.
Up inside the furnished attic of the Sunset Arms, Arnold and Helga continued to finish their project on re-establishing Big Bobs Beepers. Helga cut out some pictures and glued them on a poster board, while Arnold remained at his computer, typing up their script along with the essay to attach to the presentation. About an hour had passed since they had arrived at Arnold's house, and only a few times they had been interrupted by his parents and grandparents, bringing them refreshments and checking up on their progress.
Arnold took a sip of his lemonade and finished writing the conclusion of the essay, before turning around to see Helga's progress. "How's the poster coming along?" He asked cheerfully.
Helga huffed in response and shoved a glue slopped picture on the snow white board. "Just swimmingly…" she growled.
Although they had finally come into agreement that he would write the essay and she would build the project, it wasn't exactly what she wanted and Arnold was very aware. During the argument of the assigned tasks, he recalled many projects that he was forced to work alongside her and remembered that he was always stuck doing the arts and crafts portion while she wrote the essay and had decided this time would be different.
"Fair is fair, Helga…" He stated, a little proud of himself winning against her for the first time.
"Yeah well this is the last time I'm doing a stupid project with you, Bucko!" She yelled as she grabbed her big black permanent marker and began to write the heading in big bold letters. It was a hollow threat, and they both knew it but Helga was a sore loser. No one had ever really dared to face her in an argument and the few times they tried, it only ended up in them becoming humiliated in some way.
Arnold watched, full of pride, as she tried to be as neat and precise as possible, and continued to sip his drink. "Whatever you say, Helga." He smiled.
Suddenly there was another knock on his door. Arnold unconsciously rolled his eyes and got up, not wanting to disturb Helga further from her obligation. He opened the door to find his dad standing there with a large warm smile on his face.
"Hey there slugger, how's the project coming along?" Asked Miles as he peered around his son to see if he could gaze upon the poster he knew they were making.
Feeling a little awkward, as this had been now the third time in an hour that they had been interrupted, Arnold gently pushed his father out of the way a little onto the stairs and closed the bedroom door behind him. "It's going great, Dad." Arnold smiled back with a little exhaustion, "What's up?"
Miles gave an unenthused shrug, "Not much. Your mother just went out to buy groceries for dinner tonight, your grandpa is playing checkers with Oskar and your grandma is out hunting Siberian tigers." He explained a little loneliness in his voice. "And I was starting to miss you."
Arnold could feel guilt bubbling up in his chest and he frowned. With all that had now been going on between him and Helga, he hadn't hung out with his parents in a while and was beginning to feel bad. "I'm sorry…" Arnold said as he slowly walked down his stairway; his dad in tow. "I didn't mean to shut you out or anything. We're just doing school work."
"I know, I know." Miles called out from behind him. "But hey, how about when you guys are done, we have a little father-son time. Whatcha say?"
Arnold turned around and saw the cheesy grin on his father's face and couldn't help but smile back. "Sure Dad." He nodded, "But just promise me one little thing, okay?"
Miles eyes became filled with wonderment as he anticipated his son's next sentence. "Sure! What is it, Son?"
The words he was about to say were probably one of the last he ever thought of having to say to his parents. He had thought long and hard about them after the first time they were interrupted and decided it was probably best to be open and honest with them, like he had always been with his grandparents, however seeing the hope in his father's face only made Arnold feel worse about what he was about to say. "Just promise that Helga and I can finish our school project in peace… okay?"
The joy from his father's eyes slowly disappeared and he hung his head sadly. "Oh… Okay. No problem." He said disheartened.
Arnold felt his heart drop to the floor as he saw how sad his words made the man; however he also knew he couldn't falter from his decision. "Thanks, Dad and I promise that right after she goes home, I'll hang out with you for the rest of the night! Deal?" He begged, hoping that his dad would feel a little happier.
Words from his wife and father rang through Miles ear. "Leave the boy alone! He'll come to you when he's ready…/ Dear just be patient… give him some time to come around on his own…" and he knew that they were right. Gathering what hope he had left of the situation, Miles put on a fake smile and lifted his head happily. "You got it, partner!" He shined, before promptly turning around and heading down to the main floor, leaving Arnold to stand there awkwardly.
Shaking off what he had left of the scene, Arnold raced back upstairs and opened and closed the door behind him, causing Helga to jump a little from the sudden slam.
"Criminy!" She shouted. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" She said as she grasped her heart like she was about to have a Coronary.
"Ah, Sorry!" Arnold said shyly, as he scratched the back of his head before realizing something a little important. "I… seem to be saying that a lot today, actually."
With a note of suspicion, Helga looked up at him and analyzed his state with her eyes. "Why? Breaking a lot of hearts or something?"
Her words hit him dead on and a wave of guilt came crashing back over. "No… Not intentionally, anyway." He said as he made his way over to his bed and sat down in front of her.
Helga looked at her poster on the floor and decided that it was probably all done by now, as she had no more things to glue on and there was only so much glitter and crayons that would make it visually appealing, and stood up to sit next to him. "Come on, what did you say to the poor fool?" She insisted as she crossed her legs.
Wondering if this was how it felt when he pried into her life, Arnold straightened himself up and felt a little defensive. "Nothing that bad! Just that…" His voice trailed off as he decided on a few choice words to finish with, "I didn't want us to be distracted from our project too much."
"So in other words," Helga sighed. "You told him to buzz off, am I right?"
Arnold raised his eyebrows in surprise at how attentive she was but also how she seemed to be trying to console him in her own way. "Well not in so many words…" He explained, trying to excuse his own actions.
The irony of the situation made Helga laugh and shake her head. "Oh boy."
"What?" Arnold asked, now feeling like he was about to be put to trial.
"Oh nothing, nothing at all…" Helga said with amusement, giving him a side glance.
"Helga!" Arnold insisted, "What is it?"
Shaking her head again, Helga got up and picked up the decorative poster, laid it on the bed next to him and began to brush off the little bits of glitter that had fallen on her pink ombre dress. "I just kinda find it funny how you finally have parents and now you're beginning to see why none of us normal kids want ours around." She explained as she paced back in forth in front of him.
He now definitely felt like he was being put on trial. "That's not true! I want them around I just-"
"Just don't want them nosing around into your business?" She suggested in an ironic tone. "Poking their heads in to make sure we're not doing anything funny? Asking if we need anything?" Helga snorted and stopped in her tracts. "Just face it; you know how us regular kids feel now. Invaded."
Arnold began to feel a bit misunderstood and annoyed, and stood up to argue back. "That's not true either! I don't feel invaded! I just figured we could finish this faster without interruption." He tried to justify.
"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night, Football head." She shrugged with a smirk.
Her accusations and insensitive remarks were now beginning to hurt the boy's feelings. He never meant to hurt his dad or feel ungrateful for him being in his life. Never once did he regret them coming back and now, with them finally back, he felt whole again! "What do you know? You never want your parents around because they don't even try to be! Mine at least try and care!"
After spitting out those sour words, Arnold watched as Helga's expression changed from amusement to cold and she began to gather her belongings. "I-I'm sorry!" He cried out regrettably however she didn't even stop to look at him before walking out. Arnold knew he had to do something, say something; so he began to chase after her. "Helga, wait!" He called out but she continued. This was the second time she was now leaving his house not feeling very happy.
Arnold raced down his stairs in hot pursuit of her. "Helga! Stop!" He said, finally catching up to her at his front door. He held it shut with one hand and continued to plead. "I wasn't thinking! I wasn't-"but before he could finish his sentence, she turned to look at him with a complex expression that he couldn't begin to understand.
"No. You weren't." She replied sinisterly calm. "And now I'm leaving." Helga turned back to the door and placed her hand on the knob, causing him to step back cautiously as their air around her didn't seem safe.
Words of remorse choked in the boy's throat as he watched her open the door in front of him. He knew there was nothing he could say to stop her at this point, and much to his dismay, he knew he deserved it. Many times in his life his Grandpa had warned him not to fight fire with fire and especially when it came to dealing with Helga Pataki. Now, he was starting to understand why.
Helga, shaken on the inside and slowly rebuilding the walls she had so carefully taken down over the last few days, walked outside and took a slow breath of fresh air. She could sense that he wasn't following her and she wasn't even sure if that mattered. After she took her last step off his stoop, her contemplation was interrupted by a loud boisterous voice behind her.
"Oh look! It's Helga G. Pataki and her stupid pink bow!" Harold taunted with his hands on top of his hat, trying to imitate her bow.
"Whatcha doing in Arnold's house, Helga?" Sid asked in amusement, "Making out?"
Before Stinky could open his mouth and say the comment he had prepared, he saw the look of death and destruction that crossed her eyes as she looked their way. "Fellas… I don't think-"but the warning was too late.
"There's no use denying it, Helga! I saw you two holding hands!" Harold continued to taunt, completely unaware of her murderous intent as she turned to walk towards him. "You Love Arnold! Ahahahaha!" He laughed.
She then quickly locked eyes with Sid, who also cautiously walked back to where Stinky was standing. "Uhhh… Harold, I think we should go…" He warned from afar.
"Huh? Why you guys? I thought we were gonna-"But before he could finish his sentence, Helga slammed her fist into his face, causing him to fall on his backend.
Arnold watched in horror as she continued to pummel the larger kid into the cement. "Helga! Stop!" He shouted as he concentrated his efforts into jumping off his stoop and trying to get her off of him. "It's not worth it!"
The duo could only stare in horror before fleeing for their own lives, knowing that they would soon be next. "Sorry Harold!" Stinky shouted as he ran.
"Don't die on us, buddy!" Shouted Sid as he followed close behind his taller companion.
Harold continued to cry and block her punches, but most of his efforts were in vain as her shots seemed mostly dead on.
Arnold grabbed both of her arms to get her to stop. "Please!" He yelled, causing her to stall a moment. He could feel all the sadness inside him rush up front and he fought it back as hard as he could. As much as he didn't want to blame himself for the situation, he knew that it was mostly his fault. "Don't take it out on Harold, Helga! It's my fault!" He pleaded again. "Hit me if you want to hit someone!"
"Yeah! Hit Arnold!" Harold agreed as he tried to wiggle himself out from under her but failing.
Arnold quietly waited for an answer but when he saw he wasn't going to get one, he continued. "What I said back there was wrong. I shouldn't have said that your parents don't care! They do and you know it too!" He hoped and prayed that his words would get through to her. "I shouldn't have compared mine to yours. It was insensitive and stupid of me!" He could feel her resistance against him begin to fade and Arnold began to feel like maybe his words weren't all for naught. "Please Helga, if you're listening at all…" He could feel himself beginning to break and his voice began to crack. "Don't do this."
Within her rampage, Helga had listened to every word he had said. She knew what she was doing wasn't the answer, and didn't care. But as he continued his apology, she could also tell that she was now intentionally hurting the one she loved; and that wasn't Harold Berman. At his final words, she could feel his grip loosen and she broke her arms away from him. Quietly she stood up and dusted herself off, making no attempt to look at the sad boy standing next to her. As time moved forward around them, all of Arnold's family, boarders and neighbors began to emerge from their dwellings to see what had just gone down as his shouting was definitely out of the norm.
"Thank you…" He breathed out reluctantly as he slowly watched her leave Harold beaten on the ground.
Helga stopped in her tracts, "It wasn't for you." Were the only words that came out of her mouth before she continued to walk down the road until vanishing.
The adults around them exchanged looks of concern, confusion and bewilderment before going over to the two boys and asking if they were alright. Clearly Harold was not, and Mr. Green picked the boy up and helped him walk into his butcher shop to help clean him up, leaving Arnold to have to answer all the questions being asked by everyone.
"Make room everyone!" Phil yelled from behind the crowd of worried adults. "Let the boy breathe! How do you expect him to explain anything if you're all crowded around him like that?" He had finally pushed his way through, with his incredibly worried son hot on his heels. Secretly, Phil had heard some of the argument from the two of them before all hell broke loose from inside the bathroom; however that wasn't going to be mentioned.
"Arnold!" Miles patiently breathed out, placing his hands on his son's shoulders and facing him. "What happened? Why did she beat up that kid?"
"Beat up?" Phil piped up, "That's nothing compared to what some of the older kids do around here. He should consider himself lucky…"
"Dad?" Miles was now even further concerned.
Arnold couldn't stand to look at any of them in the face and just continue to trace the pavement with his eyes, hardening his emotions once more. "It's all my fault…" He replied quietly, causing both of his elders to turn back to him.
"I'm sure that's not true…" Miles coaxed, slowly rubbing his shoulders in a comforting way.
"Yeah! Your little blonde friend is always beating up people! I'm sure it wasn't something you did, Arnold." Phil added, rubbing the top of his bald head and looking towards Green Meats.
"But it is!" Arnold spoke louder, feeling the pain in his chest spread. "I did the one thing you told me not to do, Grandpa." He then looked up past his dad and into his grandfather's eyes, trying to convey the memory.
"Oh no, you went with your bad instincts again, eh?" Phil sympathized as he began to shoo away the onlookers.
"Bad instincts?" Miles asked, now feeling completely out of the loop. "What do you mean, Dad?"
Heaving a heavy exhausted sigh, Phil touched his son's back and signaled him to follow. "Come on… we got a lot of talking to do inside without the peanut gallery!" He finished, glaring at the few boarders still peaking their heads out of the window, causing them to quickly go back inside.
"I'm sorry, Dad…" Arnold whispered, barely audible for Miles to hear.
"It's alright, Arnold." He replied, slowly ushering his son to follow his grandpa as he stood in the doorway waiting. "I knew there were something's I needed to catch up on but I didn't think I'd find out this way…"
The walk from Arnold's house quickly became dark as the skies that loomed over the city turned dark with rain clouds, as Helga slowly walked in a miscellaneous. Her brain unsettlingly quiet and calm as her heart continued to pound in pain. Where was she going? It didn't matter. Nothing mattered at that moment as she couldn't even think of anywhere to go. All roads seemed to look alike and her feet just seemed to know which direction they wanted to go in, so her body followed. The news hadn't reported that today would be rain; however it almost seemed appropriate anyway. It was Helga's luck to have the universe feel the same way she did. Sad, cold, alone, forlorn, and forsaken; just to name a few. Helga could hear rumbles of thunder in the distance and could sense the uneasiness in the air surrounding her; the storm was close behind her. Mothers escorted their children inside their houses and called to their friends to go home before the rain started. "What's a little rain, anyway? Will it wash away the pain? The sorrow? The unending agony that seemed to pierce through my very being? If not, then what good is it? Rain is supposed to cleanse the earth and wash away any waste and debris that would do harm, right? So why wasn't it the same for me?" Helga's poetic heart began to sing as she continued to hear more thunder in the distance. "What good is rain or a heart, for that matter?" She then looked up at the darkening clouds overhead and began to reflect of her past, her family, her friends and then of course, her beloved. "They say that pain is what makes you stronger and that you cannot fully experience love without it, but what good is that either when everything I try to ends up like this?" She asked sorrowfully as her feet came to a halt at the feel of a single raindrop hitting her soft pale skin.
The past few days had probably been some of the best in her entire life. The feelings of love and acceptance were all the girl ever wanted to feel, but just when there was such a clear blinding light at the end of her dark ominous tunnel, of course the hole had to be covered in with dirt just to keep the exit away longer. "Is there really an escape from all this? Or is every positive thing that happens to me just there as a tease to remind me that gold will never stay?!" She called out to the sky as a few more rain drops splashed against her face. Helga then looked around to notice that she was now the sole person left on the street, as everyone else had already ran inside to take cover from the weather.
After continuing down her path a few more blocks, the girl realized where her feet had taken her. Just up ahead was Phoebe's house. "So this is where I was going?" She asked herself as she stood in front of the door. As she rapped on it lightly, a sharp sting suddenly resonated through her hand and up through her arm and shoulder. Helga hissed in pain as she softly cradled her pulsating hand; awaiting a response from the door. Without much delay, it opened to reveal a surprised Phoebe at the other end.
"Helga?!" The small girl cried out in shock, seeing as her best friend had just shown up, unannounced and drenched from head to toe in rain.
"Hey Pheebs," Helga responded dully, as if all was normal in her world. "Can I, uh, come in?"
The question had been so ridiculous that Phoebe brought it upon herself to grab and drag her inside forcefully. "What happened?" Phoebe asked as she quickly grabbed a towel from a nearby bathroom to drape over her wet friend.
Helga shrugged weakly and pulled the towel around her tighter; basking in its fully warm texture. "Not much." She lied.
Regardless of what Helga answered, Phoebe knew that it couldn't possibly be the truth. Shaking her head in frustration, she grabbed her friend once more and quickly brought her up to her bedroom knowing full well that in order for Helga to spill the beans, she would have to be in a closed off, private space that she felt comfortable in.
"Phoebe? Who was at the door?" Her mother's voice had called out from another room.
"Just Helga, Mother!" Phoebe replied as she waited a moment for a possible response, and then quickly shut her bedroom door to start the examination. Once she turned around, she gazed over at Helga who seemed to be in a blank state. "Helga, why did you just walk over here in the rain?" She asked softly, "You know that my parents would have picked you up if you'd have just asked."
With a shrug of nonchalance, Helga looked around her friends' tidy room aimlessly. "No reason." She replied plainly.
Taking Helga's hand firmly, Phoebe walked her over to her bed and had the still sopping wet girl sit down. "We both know that can't possibly be true. Weren't you supposed to finish Mr. Simmon's report today with Arnold?"
"Arnold?" Helga repeated naively, as she could feel her calm state begin to break as tears formed in her eyes.
Phoebe's eyes shot wide open as her best friend began to crumble before her eyes and without warning, Helga threw herself at her best friend and buried her face in her tiny chest and began to wail loudly. Gasping from the sudden impact, Phoebe waited patiently for Helga to talk about it freely on her own; slowly rubbing her back for support.
Time passed by slowly, as Helga eventually regained her composure and decided it was finally time to talk. Phoebe quietly handed her a box of tissues to clean herself up with, and continued to remain quiet and patient. Suddenly Helga stood up, and walked over to Phoebe's window and drew open the curtains to reveal the storm outside and Phoebe followed in interest.
"Phoebe," She finally spoke; with a voice still broken. "Have you ever felt like maybe you're dying and that all the happiness you experience is just to slowly comfort you before your inevitable death? You know like when people's' lives flash before their eyes as they're in a dismal situation?"
The question was concerning but Phoebe knew her well enough to know that she was just being over dramatic. "No, I have never felt like that." She shook her head, "Do you feel like that, Helga?"
The tall blonde nodded solemnly as she continued to peer out into the storm. "At least I feel like that today." Her words broke for a sigh, "Like my whole life is being swallowed up in a dark abyss and while I try to grab onto things to pull myself out, they just fall in with me…" Helga then turned back around to face her friend with a grim face. "Can I stay the night? I really don't feel like going home."
Phoebe nodded. "Of course, Helga. You always know that you're welcome here whenever you need. I'll just have to inform my parents. Do you want to call home?" She suggested as she picked up her wireless home phone and brought it over.
After taking it and looking it over for a second, Helga set it down next to her. "I'll call Miriam later. She's probably asleep now anyway."
Phoebe understood and sat down on the floor in front of her companion and softly patted it in indication for Helga to join her. "Let's talk."
Helga looked at the gesture then gradually obeyed, sitting in front of the open window. "Okay…" She sighed sadly, bringing her knees up to her chest. Weaving her story from start to finish, Helga left no detail out; from the brilliant start to the cataclysmic finish and all Phoebe could do was listen in horror. "And that's when I wound up here…" She breathed for a moment. "Weird, right?"
Phoebe had just finished digesting the story and shook her head in remorse. "No… I'm flattered that you would naturally bring yourself here, as opposed to going elsewhere." She then recalled the last bit of the story regarding their hefty friend. "And just how bad did you beat him up?"
"Not any worse than I've done before. "Helga answered, rolling her eyes and slouching with her back up against the cold glass. "He'll make it."
"That maybe so…" Phoebe started as she leaned forward to get a better look into her friends face, "However you know you'll just be reprimanded from it tomorrow at school, right? This won't bode well with your father, Helga."
"Since when does he care, Pheebs?" Helga huffed and crossed her arms. "Oh no! Another blemish on the Pataki name!" She spat, "Not like I'm the golden child anyway…."
"Still, do well to think up the apology you'll say tomorrow so you won't be in bigger trouble than necessary." The young black haired girl suggested inquisitively. "Suspension won't be good for either of you." Although beating up Harold was probably the worst part of the prior situation, Phoebe gingerly moved on to the next topic. "What will you say to Arnold tomorrow?"
The subject made Helga's face turn down again, as she fumbled a little. "I dunno… I haven't really thought that far ahead. I know that he didn't mean what he said and that I pretty much egged him on with suggesting that he didn't want his parents around but," she paused briefly before continuing. "It still hurt, Phoebe." She finished quietly.
"I absolutely agree." Phoebe nodded, placing her hand on her friend's ankle; causing her to look up. "It's strange to hear Arnold doing something so brash, however given the topic at hand… I can't say that I'm completely surprised either. Cruel words were said on both ends."
"Yeah… Leave it to me to mess up the best thing in my life and only on the first official day!" Helga gave out a small chuckle before returning to her melancholy. "I suck."
"Don't say that." Her best friend coached with a smile, "Fights are always bound to happen… especially between you two."
"Always a silver lining, eh Pheebs?" Helga smiled. "You're beginning to sound like him now."
Phoebe gave a fake offended look and a small huff. "I'd like to think that I tend to look at things positively as well!" she stated, causing Helga to smile a bit more. "Are you feeling a little better now?"
Giving a small stretch, Helga glanced around to find the small handheld phone and rested it in her hand. "Yeah, I guess. I still don't want to go back home though, that's the last place I want to be right now."
"I suppose you'll be phoning your parents then?" The small girl asked. When Helga nodded in response, Phoebe gradually picked herself up and brushed off her nicely pressed shirt. "Alright then, I'll inform Mother and Father of your stay. Be right back!" She explained before exiting the room and leaving the down and out girl by herself.
Looking over the phone again, Helga had noticed it was a newer model then last time. It was sleeker with smaller buttons and no antenna to be found. I guess her dad finally got that raise he was hoping for, Helga thought as she pressed the on button and called her mom.
The phone rang and rang, then rang some more before Helga got fed up, hung up and proceeded to call again. Her mom was probably asleep, as expected, and figured the more it rang; the faster it would be for her to awake from her drunken slumber. After about 3 more tries, her mother finally picked up the phone and Helga made up some excuse to why she needed to stay over Phoebe's tonight. Little concern came from her mother's dazed end, and she agreed to tell Bob before hanging up and letting Helga sit in her silence. Since they had moved out of their house, Miriam had gotten worse just as Bob had, but for a different reason. As Bob had gotten angrier and more stubborn to the lack of money and business; Miriam had become far more depressed than normal, however it wasn't about the money or the business, it was about losing the house. It had been Bob's present to her upon hearing of her pregnancy and even let Miriam pick out the house herself. It was truly hers… and it had been lost. Having only the old run down couch to sleep on, and a small dresser of clothes left to her name, Miriam had drunk herself into almost a comatose state more nights since the move than Helga could count in her whole life time. If only Olga would come home more often, maybe then her mother would straighten up a bit, however even she wasn't enough to get her to quit the smoothies that easy. Countless arguments had ensured, followed by strong presentations of how it would benefit the family if Miriam quit; both from money and a stronger loving connection between them all, ending with cries and pleads from Olga for Miriam to bring that the Mommy she once had. Only then Miriam would step away from the blender, at least until Olga left on another save the children mission.
The sound of Phoebe returning broke Helga from her dreary thoughts and she handed the phone back to its owner. "What did they say?"
"Mother and Father are always pleased to have you stay over, Helga. They wanted me to let you know that we'll be having grilled chicken with steamed bok choy and carrots for dinner tonight." Phoebe pleasantly explained, sitting back down on the floor in front of her friend. "How did the call with your parents go?"
"Oh you know, same ol' same ol'" Helga started with a twirl of her finger. "Miriam didn't seem to mind, not that she was awake for most of the call anyway, and told me that she'd let Bob know when he returns. I guess he must have gone out or something." Helga explained.
Phoebe frowned at the story, but knew there was no use talking about it. Only the woman could save herself. Deciding it was best to change the subject to something more cheerful; Phoebe decided to let Helga know about her and Gerald's exciting project, explaining where, why and how it would benefit the city just like if she was presenting in front of their class already. Her eagerness to succeed always made Helga smile as nothing could ever change her best friend.
The rest of the night went by relatively smoothly, as the two best friends occupied their time in pleasant and constructive ways as to not let Helga fall back into her own self loathing, and soon morning had come for the rest of Hillwood. The sun rose in the sky as if it was just a regular normal day, birds chirped and children laughed and played on their way to school; the world none the wisest to the toil of the day prior. As Helga and Phoebe made their way to the school, unaccompanied by their male companions, the blonde breathed in the fresh air deeply and did her best to remove all sense of uneasiness that definitely still lingered. "You'll be fine." Phoebe had told her that morning, while getting Helga's freshly washed clothes out of her dryer. "The day will fly by before you know it!" and Helga reflected on those words, even if they were cruel in their own way. Despite the world continuing to turn as usual, her world just still wasn't spinning its usual spin. If anything, it seemed to halt every now and again when she thought of Arnold. How would he look at her? How would she speak to him? Did he hate her now? Was everything completely ruined at just a few swings of a fist? She wasn't sure and it only made her world rockier by the moment.