(A/N: At long last, and at lost sleep... here you are chapter 16! I'm sorry it took longer than it should have. I started writing this almost a week ago, then got side tracked, then lost where i was going with it... but i'm satisfied with how it turned out so Mozel Tov!)
Class ended and with their minds buzzed with new information, the students exited the premises of P.S.118 in route of their own choosing. Gerald said his brief goodbye to his best friend before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking in a very specific direction. Worry about Phoebe's absence weighed heavy on the boy's mind and he couldn't help but shake the weird feeling that something was wrong.
As he got to her house, he straightened his back and made sure his hair was just perfect before knocking on the door. It only took moments for Mrs. Heyerdahl to answer.
"Oh Gerald, how nice of you to come by." The woman greeted him warmly with a smile.
His once impenetrable wall of cool suddenly got knocked down and the boy could only feel a sense of uneasiness. "I-is Phoebe around?" He asked meekly as he rubbed the side of his arm.
Reba let out a small sigh. "She is… but I don't know if she's up for visitors." She answered truthfully.
Gerald's face unconsciously turned into a frown upon hearing her words. "Oh…"
"But I suppose seeing you might make her feel a little better." Reba finished before opening the door for him to enter past her. "Phoebe! You have a guest!" She called out behind her.
The boys face lit up with delight and he nodded to the woman with appreciation. "Thanks."
The woman pointed in up the stairs. "You'll find her in her bed room lying down." She explained; her face becoming a little grim. "Prepare yourself though; she can get a little snippy when she's not feeling well."
Acknowledging the information, Gerald gulped but was no less up for his task. "Got it." He replied before turning towards the stairs. "Anymore advice before I go up?"
Reba smiled and crossed her arms. Such a little man… she thought to herself. "You should be fine, dear. I'll bring up some refreshments for you both shortly, that outta help a little."
Gerald ventured up the stairs and took a sharp left into a long hallway. He only ever been in Phoebe's room once before and that was to console her into returning back to school after an embarrassing incident. I hope something like that didn't happen again… He couldn't help but think back to how much she suffered through all the ridicule. He stood in front of her bedroom door and took in a large breath. Why was he so nervous? It was just Phoebe, after all. He could feel little beads of sweat begin to form upon his brow as well as his palms becoming damp. His heart began to quicken at the thought of her being alone in her room and in some unknown state. "Phoebe?" He called out to beyond the door, "It's… me. Can I come in?" He hesitated.
"You may enter." Phoebe called back in her usual voice.
After taking a few more large breaths to prepare himself for what lie beyond that door, Gerald grasped her door knob and opened it slowly. He peeked around it and saw his girlfriend lying in her bed with a book in her hand. Everything seemed pretty normal.
"Hey." He called out with a smile, "What's up?"
Phoebe turned to look up at him and forced out a smile back. "Reading." She replied quietly.
Taking a few more steps into her room, Gerald could see that there was a large red hot water bottle lying on top of her lower half. "You left school early, that's unlike you. Are you okay?" He asked with concern.
With a few grunts, Phoebe managed to push herself into a sitting position and scooted over so that way her guest could sit next to her. "I'm fine Gerald, thank you for asking."
Her voice sounded normal enough, however Gerald knew there had to be more to it than that. Motioning to the large rubber floppy container draped over her small frame, he let out a small chuckle to lighten up the mood. "What's with that thing?"
Phoebe looked down at the only thing really supporting her in her time of need. "Oh this?" She asked as she patted it and watched the water ripples cascade on top of its smooth exterior. "It helps the pain quite a bit. Mother suggested it after I got home."
"Oh, the pain is back again?"Gerald asked, remembering the stomach issues she had a few days ago. "Did you see a doctor yet?" He gazed down at her hands. They were rested so nicely on top of her lap. He wanted to hold them; caress them and comfort her. Was she in pain now?
Phoebe breathed a calm breath before turning to him with a little awkwardness. "I guess you could say that…" She started as she shuffled a bit in place, and then adjusted her warm bottle. "I saw the school nurse and… although she was a little cryptic and unclear in the beginning, everything became clear later on without her help."
Tilting his head to the side, Gerald attempted to grasp what she had said. "So… that means you're okay, right? Nothing serious?" He asked, trying to get a clearer response.
"Yes, I'm fine. Nothing serious." Phoebe reassured with a nod. "Turns out what's going on with me is very normal and very unavoidable and I suspect we'll be learning more about it soon enough."
The awkwardness in the room lightened up a little as both of the adolescents relaxed into the atmosphere they had created. There was no doubt in her mind that Gerald cared for her, and for that she was glad. She hadn't expected anyone to visit her really, so the sentiment was nice.
"How was the new class?" She asked, breaking the silence.
Gerald snapped back into attention and shook his head. "Weird." He replied, cringing a little. "I guess we're going to be learning more about each other bodies and drugs n stuff… nothing cool. I'd much rather have gym."
Phoebe frowned at his displeasure but placed her hand on top of his, causing him to look up at her in surprise. "Physical education is indeed important, however so is learning about the body and how it works. Think of it as the educational side of gym." She reassured.
"Yeah yeah, I know. The nurse explained its importance pretty much all of class." He explained as he rolled his eyes. "I never knew one person could be so hyped about talking about uncomfortable and gross things."
The term he had used wasn't very comforting and Phoebe withdrew her hand from his. "Gross…. Huh." She whispered, more to herself than him. Despite her changes being normal, she couldn't exactly disagree with the term. There was nothing pleasant about what her body was doing, regardless of its beneficial properties for the future, but did that mean he thought she was gross to him now? Worries began to flood the girls mind and she let out a small groan.
"You okay?" Gerald noticed a change in her demeanor. "The pain coming back or something?"
"Nothing is wrong, I'm completely fine." Phoebe replied, unable to hide the whine in her voice as she tried to hide her feelings.
Gerald placed his hand on the girls shoulder and got a little closer, "Come on, you don't have to hide it… beautiful."
Phoebe wiggled her shoulder out from under his grasp, causing him to withdraw a little; feeling rejected. "Beautiful, huh?" She responded callously. He basically just said I was gross…
Frowning, Gerald took back his hands and rested them on his lap. "Yeah… You know how I think about you, why you acting this way all of a sudden?" He asked; his tone turning from sadness into a little annoyance. Her mother did warn him she could get snippy but he saw nothing he did could possibly warrant it.
"Acting?" Questioned Phoebe as she turned to him with a scowl. She knew her stubbornness was getting the better of her, however none of that mattered in that moment. "I feel I am acting perfectly normal."
Geez, now she's just getting ridiculous! Gerald thought as he stood up to give her some space. "If you say so." He could see her expression turned a little softer as he backed away and hoped she would get the hint. "I only came over to make sure you were alright. Maybe I should go if you don't want my company."
Just then, Phoebe's bedroom door opened up and Reba came walking in with some chocolate chip cookies and milk. "I brought you guys some snacks!" She said cheerfully until analyzing the mood in the room. "Ya'll alright in here?"
"Yes Mother." Phoebe answered; changing her tone to a happier one. "Gerald was just giving me some space, that's all."
Reba looked between the two preteens with a worried look, before setting down the plate of cookies at the end of Phoebe's bed. "Well alright. If you need anything, just holler."
Phoebe and Gerald nodded and agreed before watching Reba slowly walk out of the room and close the door softly behind her.
With a sad sigh, Phoebe lay back down and gazed up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry, Gerald. I don't mean to be hostile with you…" She explained, "I understand if you want to leave me alone. Heck, Mother doesn't even want to say with me very long with how my emotions have been getting the better of me."
Hearing her remorse, Gerald crossed his arms and sat back down next to her. "It might help if you actually told me what's wrong, though."
Nodding, she turned her head to him. A relationship was two people working together no matter what. What was the use hiding her situation from him? He would learn all about it in a few days anyway; the whole class would! Who better to have understanding her pain than the person whose affection she longed for? In reality, she knew he was actually the only person she wanted there with her right then.
Phoebe let out a small sigh. "You're right. I apologize…" She said slowly before going over what she was about to explain in her head. "Just… don't think I'm gross, okay?" Her voice sounded vulnerable and weak.
With a proud smile, Gerald placed his hand on top of hers once more and winked. "Wouldn't dream of it, babe."
The Beeper Emporium was once again, swamped with young adults hovering over the old dusty models that were on display. Helga dropped her backpack in front of the door carelessly and snickered at the sight. Sure, this was great for their business but really? What use were those things now except a fashion commodity to them? And to make it worse, those poor saps would spend all that money on those plastic pieces of crap and they would just break soon after anyway. Helga watched as a couple of girl friends giggled as they "tried on" the models with glee. Pathetic morons… she thought as she crossed her arms. But might as well help out seeing as Bob will see me any moment now and demand it anyway… she sighed as she brought her body over to the customers.
"Anything I can help you with, miss?" Helga asked with a sickly sweet voice as she forced out a cringe worthy forced smile.
One of the girls turned to Helga and scowled at her attempt. "Uhhh as if. What could you help me with anyway?" she responded with a click in her voice as she looked over Helga's attire. "You clearly don't know the first thing about fashion."
Her companion giggled besides her. "Shana… be nice to the little girl!"
Gritting her teeth and holding her tongue, Helga concentrated on keeping her cool and her anger at bay. "I can show you the latest models of the brand you're looking at, plus some high end models from the back." She lied, knowing full well the ones stored in the back were even older and more out dated… however they didn't need to know that.
"Oh really?" The kinder girl smiled in bliss. "Can we?"
The girl Shana scoffed and flipped her perfectly primed hair to the side. "Sure, if you insist…"
With a low growl, Helga stomped out of the show room and into the hallway. Opening a small storage closet adjacent to her own room, Helga rummaged through the box of miscellaneous beepers that she knew full well were probably duds. "This outta teach those prissy preppy no good fashionista!" She said as she pulled out a few. Just as she was about to close the door, however, she noticed a full box of what looked to be a brand new shipping label. "What's this?" She asked out loud before placing the two set of beepers in her pocket and pulling the box out. She grabbed the package and ripped off the tape holding the two flaps together. Inside where perfectly pristine beepers of what were actually good quality. "Since when did we have these? I thought these sold out months ago!" With a scratch of her head, Helga shrugged and shoved the box back inside the closet. "Oh well!" She smiled before pulling out the two set of beepers she had specifically chosen for her customers.
Helga gracefully waltzed into the show room and presented her find. "These beauty's are high vintage and in pristine condition! Top of the line and most valued model available." She explained as she showed them off. "We… were keeping them in the back for some very special people; however they never showed up so we got stuck with them." She lied. The girls ooh'd and ahh'd at the models before reaching their hands out to touch them, but before they could, Helga snatched them away. "Ah ah ah…" She said before taking them behind her back. "Are you sure you can even buy these? I mean… they're pretty expensive since they're so exclusive…" Helga smiled. She knew using buzz words would help push her sale and could see that her influence was working on the two girls. "These aren't meant for just anyone…"
The mean girl scoffed and looked desperate. "We absolutely must have them!" She demanded before turning to her friend with her mouth open wide. "Right Bridget?!"
The nicer girl nodded with enthusiasm. "I saved up a whole bunch of money from my summer job so I know I totally have enough!"
Helga looked at both the girls square in the face as she sized them up. "I don't know…" She spoke under her breath, although on the inside she was cackling like an old hag.
"Just name your price!" Shana boasted, loud enough for the rest of the store to hear; catching Bob's attention.
Letting out a long and drawn out sigh, Helga nodded to the foolish girl. "Alright, alright… I can see that you really want these. Let's just walk on over to the register and I'll call my father over to you to talk details…"
The two girls eagerly followed as Helga signaled Bob over. He looked a little skeptical at her before politely excusing himself from his own customers to join them.
"These two lovely young ladies would like to buy these beepers." Helga stated as she placed the models on the register. "And absolutely nothing will talk them out of it. What says you, Dad?"
Bob raised an eyebrow at the girl before looking over the beepers. "Uh huh…" He murmured. Unsure of the situation, he turned to the two young customers. "These ones, huh?"
"Most certainly! And nothing you can say will talk us out of it!" Shana explained with a cross of her arms.
"We need them!" Bridget joined desperately as she pulled out her wallet and revealed her cash.
Looking at the green bills, Bob's eyes lit up. "No arguments here. Move over girl, I'll handle this." He said as he pushed Helga out of the way to finish the transaction.
Despite not appreciating the shove, Helga huffed and backed away. "Suit yourself." She mumbled before walking over to her backpack and throwing it over her shoulder. She watched from a distance as the girls proudly bought their prized new possessions. I almost feel guilty… almost… she thought with a laugh before leaving the show room and heading into the kitchen. Inside, Miriam was fixing herself a coffee and resting her elbows on the counter; completely unaware of her daughters presence.
Helga threw her backpack on the table and startled the woman with a loud bang. "O-oh! Helga!" Miriam said, a little shaken. "When did you come home?"
"About 20 minutes ago, you know when school ended?" Helga answered a matter-of-factly as she opened up her bag and pulled out a few notebooks.
Miriam watched in silence a moment, before slowly taking a sip of her coffee. "Is… is that homework?" She asked sheepishly, not wanting to frustrate her daughter with all the imposing questions.
"Doi!" Helga blurted out before noticing the coffee mug in her mother's hands. "Are you… are you drinking coffee?"
Looking down at her mug, Miriam gave it a curious look. "Why, yes it is, Helga." She responded cheerfully. "I figured with how business has picked up a little, I might be of some use to B if I was more awake."
Helga could see her mother was trying her best, but decided not to indulge the woman further and went back to her homework. After a minute of awkward silence, Helga looked up to see her mother was still peering at her from across the small room. "So why are you in here and not out there helping?"
The older woman looked down at the tiled floor and toyed with a crumb at her foot. "Oh… You know how he can get when he's overwhelmed." Miriam explained with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I tried to help a few times but ended up knocking over displays or spilling coffee on someone's shirt… So he sent me in here to be out of the way."
Helga let out a long dragged out sigh and shut her science book. "Well you're not helping anyone being back here either. Just go out there and try again. Welcome customers into the store if you have to but leave the coffee here."
"A-are you sure? I don't want to be in the way…" Miriam replied as she gave a look of concern into her daughter's eyes. "How about I help you with your homework instead? I was pretty good at that the last time I helped you, remember?"
The irritated girl thought back to when her mother ran the beeper emporium for the short amount of time needed. Miriam had become a woman that she'd never seen before. Strong, independent and quick witted. It was amazing what she could accomplish once she put down her substance and forced on something and this included helping Helga with her homework. Her lunches were pretty good too. Sadly though, the homework Helga had was rather simple and she needed no help. "No thanks, Mom. I'm pretty sure Bob needs you more than I do right now. It got pretty lively a little while ago."
Hearing her youngest actually referred to her as her proper noun caused the woman to smile slightly. "Well… alright then." She said as she put down her coffee which looked barely touched. "I guess I'll go do that then."
Miriam walked around the counter and passed Helga before stopping abruptly. "But if you want help, just ask okay honey?"
Helga nodded and opened her book back up, signaling her mom to leave.
She stared at the book for a long while, however it didn't matter how many times she read the first sentence, and it just didn't stick in her mind. "Criminy!" She wailed before sitting back in her chair. "This is hopeless. I give up." She said before slamming the book shut and shoving it in her bag. She knew she was going to need something to gear up her brain and get the juices flowing and she knew just what to rely on.
Quickly the young girl headed into her room and down into her trusty lair where all of her Arnold paraphernalia awaited. There, she turned on her computer and with a loud buzz and whine from its power supply, it started up.
"Oh you magnificent being! Let me gaze upon you and open my mind's eye…." She said out loud to herself as she waited for the old thing to fully start up. It didn't take long for the manufacturer's logo to appear and then the software's. Impatiently the girl tapped her foot on the floor. The moment everything was fully loaded and ready, Helga opened up her Arnold folder and scrolled through various pictures taken that she had taken the liberty to upload there as opposed to pasting the pictures in notebooks that would later fall apart. Swooning at one image in particular of Arnold standing and waiting at the bus stop, Helga grasped her hands together and swirled around in her chair. "My darling! How you make my very being burn up with passion! How I wish to be surrounded by nothing but you! There has never been a day that went by that my heart hasn't fluttered at the sound of your name. Dare I ask… does your heart flutter at mine?" The girl then thought back to his odd behavior and embarrassing explanation at the park, which caused her mind to get cloudy with ecstasy. "I can't believe the day has actually come where you've thought of me as more than a mere tormentor, more than a classmate, more than just that girl who eyes you from across the room adoringly… Oh Arnold, my passio; my sufferer. Are you not yet ready to leap in the deep vast waters of our love? Just how long will you let me wait for your intended gifts of love?" She continued to scroll through her pictures of him one after another until a small red dot with the number one inside caught her attention.
Taking her mouse in hand, Helga hovered over the notification and clicked on it. Within seconds, a web page was pulled up to the known image of her email.
"The geek replied I see…" She said as she saw the new mail. Now fully out of her Arnold trance, Helga brought her face close to the screen and started to read Brainy's long email. "Unorthodox question, huh? Why would it matter if the computer is from the emporium or my personal one…?" She asked herself; scratching her chin and continuing on. His analysis of her parents made a bit of sense and made her think back to past conversations with them, as well as how her mother acted today. Feeling her heart go solemn, she wondered if Olga had received her letter yet. Lastly… "Lastly, I believe it would do YOU a great of good to let your beloved see your demons as well…- reach out to him and find the well of happiness you deserve." Brainy's words struck a chord in her heart she didn't want touched. Placing her hand on her chest, she leaned back into her computer chair and stared at the words on her screen. Everyone seemed to agree that opening up to Arnold completely was in her best interest but… was it in his? Did his weird shaped head really need the extra burden of her personal problems as well? He just got his family back after all, and now he's dealing with his own changes… wouldn't hers added just overwhelm him? Helga sank deeply into her chair and sulked. "If only it were that easy…" She whispered sadly. "Arnold has enough on his plate as it is and I've been dealing with my problems forever… what's another lifetime added on, right?"
Shaking her head to remove the negativity from her brain, Helga sat back up and began to type her reply to her secret admirer who was no longer secret.
"To: GoldenHero
From: Helgoth
Subject: Re: Unorthodox Question,
Uhhh, Yeah this is the store's computer originally but I hijacked it since it's been long forgotten about. Why do you ask? Thanks for the thoughts on my parents but I'm gonna have to pass on the advice about Arnold. He has his own problems and doesn't need mine."
Helga reread her message before promptly hitting the "send" button and relaxing back in her chair. Unsure if she should go back into her Arnold dream land or actually mature up and go back to her homework, she sat there. Oddly enough, it only took mere moments for a noise to ping in her ear to indicate she had another new message.
"What is he like stalking me or something?" She asked herself before slapping herself in the forehead. "Doi, of course he is. I knew that already but geez! It's like he ran to his computer the moment he got home and waited for my response… what a creeper."
Helga opened up her new message and cocked and eyebrow. It was significantly shorter than all the other emails he had sent her:
"To: Helgoth
From: GoldenHero
Subject: Download me…,
My heart sores that you would grace me with another email back. I won't take up much of your time as I know it is precious… but would you entertain me for a moment? I have attached a program to this email. Download and install it and leave your computer on sleep mode tonight. Tomorrow after school, I want you to uninstall this program as soon as you can. I'm sure you have many questions however it would be in both our best interests if you do not ask and trust in me, my dearest.
Attachment: "
"Onlooker?" Helga read to herself the file's name. "Sounds like he's going the extra mile to see me at home now too…" She scowled at his tactics before clicking on the attachment then fully downloaded and installed its software. "Well jokes on him because his webcam has never worked a day in its life and even IF it ever did, all he'd see is the black from this dark room once I leave."
There was something that bothered her though that she couldn't seem to dismiss. It's best if I don't ask questions… what's the deal with that? She wondered as she impatiently tapped on her sleek desk with her fingernails. Shivers shot up her spine at the thought of Brainy being shadier than usual.
Hours passed and soon afternoon turned into the night and left many people in Hillwood asleep in their beds… save for one night owl on a mission.
The stand up fan in Brainy's dark bedroom slowly oscillated back and forth, giving a warm faint breeze every time it touched him. His face was illuminated by the LED computer screen in front of him, complimenting his already pale skin. Breathing heavily, he looked at the time. It was 11:09pm. Helga must surely already be asleep…
He looked at an icon sitting in the far right lower corner of his desktop: "Onlooker" It was a simple program that he had downloaded from the darkest depth of the internet and then proceeded to modify in his own time. For what reason? There was none. Brainy had a lot of free time and spent the majority of it searching the world-wide-web when alone… which was most often than not. His mother worked third shift as janitorial staff at a government facility a few cities away and he hardly knew his father, so the only quality time he spent with his family was the small time margin when she got home and before he went to school. After school, she would be asleep until around 10pm which was normally the time he was drift off into his own dreamland… except for tonight. Although tonight was a school night, Brainy had more important things to do.
He hovered over the icon with anticipation soaring through his veins. Should he really do this? Listening to Helga's intimate love rambles and watching her from afar was one thing… but would really being this intrusive be okay? Brainy could feel his body begin to shake under the tremendous amount of pressure he was putting himself through. Instinctively he grabbed his inhaler and took a puff. This is for her benefit… her happiness… it doesn't matter what happens to me. He thought as he slowed down his breathing. Any amount of help I can give… no matter how small… is worth it.
Soon he double clicked the icon and started up the program. After entering a few codes and passwords, he was in. The light on Helga's desktop flickered on from a few blocks away, even though no one was around to see it. There in front of Brainy was her company's bland layout of a desktop. He had all night to search through its files to find what he needed.
TAP… TAP… TAP… TAP…
Arnold sat slouched at his school desk, pencil in hand with a book in front of him. The class was doing a reading assignment and the dead silence was beginning to buzz in his ear. In an attempt to remedy the situation, he began to tap his pencil against the wood of his desk. He stared at the pages of the book with a blank train of thought. Periodically he looked from his book over at the ticking clock to the right of him and from there, to the front of the classroom where the rest of the students were carrying out the same task he was: To read the short story and write his interpretation of what the author was trying to convey. The story itself was fairly simple, however it was hard to see if there was further meaning to the story than just that in itself; a story. He looked around and saw some of his classmates had already begun to write down their own interpretations and began to feel inadequate. Class only had about 15 more minutes left… just what would he write? Skimming through the story once more in order to possibly grasp something he missed originally; Arnold continued to tap on his desk.
Minutes continued to fade away until the poor boy gave up in his endeavors and wrote all he could think of, even if it was a little half baked. The bell rang and all of the students got up from their seats and handed their papers into Mr. Simmons before slowly making their way out of the classroom. Arnold gathered his belongings and waited for Gerald to also do the same.
"Ready Gerald?" He asked with a little enthusiasm in his voice as he led his best friend out of the room.
"You know it," Gerald responded with a smile, "I heard coach say we're gonna be starting dodgeball, and you know I have the best aim."
The two laughed with anticipation as they headed on down towards the gym.
After changing in the boys' locker room, the two headed to the large gymnasium where they met up with the rest of their class and awaited the coach. Arnold watched on as Gerald boasted about his sniper's aim while Curly chimed in with his impeccable blocking skills. Their voices all became drowned out the moment Arnold noticed the girls emerging from their own locker room and of course his eyes searched for a specific someone. Helga walked out in her usual gym attire of a white tank top and pink shorts, along with Phoebe who didn't seem to have changed at all. Noticing this, Arnold nudged Gerald and signaled his attention.
"It looks like Phoebe isn't participating today…" Arnold mentioned as he watched the girls stand in their usual corner of the gym. "Did you ever find out what was wrong?"
Gerald became silent and Arnold couldn't help but become curious. "Gerald?"
With a weak shake of his head, Gerald let out a small sigh. "Yeah… sorta," He responded wearily.
Arnold could see from his friend's dark expression that further questions weren't welcome and turned back to the girls. They seemed to be carrying on normally as Helga told some sort of story to Phoebe in a dramatic way, full with arm flailing, and the boy couldn't help but smile at Helga's antics and clearly neither could Phoebe.
"Alright class! Suit up, suit up!" Coach Wittenberg called out as he stomped through the room to get their attention. "As I'm sure all of you remember from last class, I said we'd be doing dodgeball!"
The class cheered in response but was immediately silenced once the coach put his hand up.
"However this is no longer going to be the case!" His loud voice echoed through the room and caused all the students to groan and turn to one another in confusion. With a harsh sigh, the coach continued, "The school unfortunately can no longer afford to replace our old ones, and since those are too beaten up to use, we will be doing something different."
Gerald crossed his arms in annoyance. "So what are we doing then?"
The coach turned to the disgruntled boy and gave him a large grin. "Instead we're going to be doing track and field. Usually this is saved for the end of the school year when it starts to get warm but I figured since our curriculum has already been reallocated, that we would cut our losses and make the best of the rest of the summer we have left. Any questions?"
"Sir… this school doesn't have a track." Arnold mentioned with a slow raise of his hand.
"Correct! This is why we'll be walking down the street to the high school to use theirs." The man replied promptly. "After you graduate from P.S. 118, you will undoubtedly be transferred to P.S. 121, where you will become more acquainted with the track and field."
"But sir, what if we choose to go to a different high school?" Peapod kid asked in his deep voice.
Coach Wittenberg let out a large whine. "I don't know, kid! Then you'll use whatever sort of gym system they have over there. Anymore useful questions?"
Sid raised his hand. "What will we be doing at the end of the school year then?"
Coach Wittenberg cleared his throat and averted his eyes from the small boy. "That has yet to be determined. Any other questions?"
The students began to quietly murmur between each other until the older male got fed up with it and led them all outside.
"Man! This is ridiculous!" Gerald cried out as they exited through the large metal double doors to the outside. "First they get rid of half the class, now they got rid of dodgeball?! It's almost like they don't want me to have fun this year!"
Arnold replied with a half smile. "Don't say that, Gerald. This year may have started off…" he trailed off as he noticed Helga stomping in front of him, "unusual but I'm sure the rest of the year will be fine."
The tall dark skin boy scoffed, "Whatever you say, Arnold but that's just you looking on the bright side as always."
"Well somebody has to." Arnold reminded, now with a full on smile.
"You sure you're gonna be okay by yourself Pheebs?" Helga asked as the students all prepared to stretch. "I'm pretty sure I could probably sit this class out with you, ya know for moral support or something."
"Most certainly, Helga." The young Asian girl replied with a smile. "I'll be A-Okay."
Helga responded with a simple shrug, "If you say so." Then turn and ran back with the rest of the females.
"Alright you wimps! Grab a partner and stretch! You'll be running a mile afterwards." The coach yelled to them all with full force.
Helga frowned and smacked herself in the forehead. What luck?! Who's gonna be my partner now that Phoebe is sitting this one out? She thought as she slowly moved her hand down her face. Everyone seemed to already have a partner except…. Great… Helga cringed as a tall yet happy girl jogged up to her.
"Hello there, Helga!" Sheena greeted, "I see that your usual partner is sitting out and Eugene is currently resting in the nurse's office after eating something he was allergic to… Would you mind being my partner?"
"Criminy…" Helga whined as she looked around again at everyone, "Yeah, Yeah I guess so… Just don't get used to it."
Sheena nodded politely and headed on over to the others, leaving Helga standing there cursing her luck. There was nothing particularly bad about Sheena, the girl just always seemed abnormally happy for Helga's taste. Her optimism and passiveness even rivaled that of Arnold and that was saying a lot. A girl who soul life purpose seemed to be taking care of the less fortunate and taking care of the earth. Her esteem for everyone around her was truly admirable; however there was only so much "hippy talk" that Helga could take. Slowly, the girl made her way to her partner.
Coach Wittenberg instructed the students on the proper way of stretching and, using Arnold as his demonstrative partner, gave visuals on how each pair should help each other out. The thought of Sheena having to touch her, made Helga cringe.
"Would you like to go first, Helga?" Sheena asked considerately as she motioned to the ground; indicating Helga to sit down.
Helga crossed her arms and stubbornly looked away. "Psh, No thanks. You can go first if you want."
Understandingly, Sheena sat down and posed in the same position as everyone else. Eventually it got to the part where Helga had to assist and she did so even if very unwillingly.
"This isn't so bad, is it Helga?" Sheena asked as she pulled herself forward to reach the tip of her shoes. It was no surprise to her that her partner didn't find it necessary to respond so Sheena continued to try and make small talk. Looking up at the clear skies, Sheena smiled. "At least it's a nice day out!"
"Uh huh…" Helga responded blandly as she looked elsewhere to find a certain football headed boy to see what he was up to.
"The forecasts predict that the weather all week will be bright and shining!" The tall girl grinned as she finished her stretches and got up. She could see Helga was preoccupied and gave a shy smile. "It's nice how certain things can make the day shine even brighter…"
"Huh?!" Helga yelped as she was startled by Sheena's sudden attentiveness. "W-what are you talking about? Are we done yet?"
"You don't have to hide it." Sheena whispered as she signaled to Helga that it was, in fact, her turn to stretch. "There's nothing to be ashamed about."
Helga blushed awkwardly before sitting down and beginning her stretches. "I DON'T know what you're going on about, just focus on helping me, got it?!"
Sheena let out a small giggle before complying with the stubborn girl's request. She had known Helga just as long as the rest of them and knew that she was a solid force to be reckoned with, however she wished just once that the girl would lighten up a bit.
Now feeling self conscious, Helga focused on her assigned task and remained focused until all the stretches were done. Everyone rose to their feet and awaited the coach's next instructions.
Coach Wittenberg pointed to the large black track, "This is your next task. You will all run 4 laps around this track which will equal precisely 1 mile." then finished with a loud blow of his whistle. All of the kids bolted off towards the track.
"You know Arnold, You're right. This isn't half bad." Gerald agreed through steady breaths to his partner. "It's not dodgeball, but it's not half bad."
"Glad to hear your day is looking up." Arnold replied as he managed to keep up with Gerald's pace. He was not a particularly fast runner; however Arnold had a fair amount of endurance due to the training he received from his grandmother. He knew that Gerald would eventually outlast him but he would continue at this pace as long as possible.
They ended up passing the still sitting Phoebe and Arnold caught a frown from his friend. "I'm sure she's fine." He said reassuringly.
Gerald turned his head to keep his attention on the track. "Yeah, I know." He said rather flatly. His attitude towards his girlfriend was becoming concerning to the blonde boy and only made him wonder further what the problem was. The subject still seemed very unwelcome.
Arnold thought back to how concerned Gerald always was for him and his problems. No matter what the situation or how Arnold reacted, Gerald was always there for him no matter what. Shouldn't Arnold be able to do the same? What about this situation seemed so impenetrable? The vibe Gerald was giving off was just odd.
Looking over at his concerned friend, Gerald let out a sigh and slowed his pace down. "It's not a big deal, Arnold. Don't sweat it." He said with a weak smile, similar to one he had given earlier.
"It just…" Arnold started, feeling a little cautious about his next few words, "You always say that there is no secrets between us, right? So why won't you tell me what's up?"
Gerald frowned. "Because it's not about us, Arnold. What's going on with her is her business and not mine to tell… not that I'd wanna tell anyhow. Girls are just… you know, weird."
"Weird?" Arnold asked, now intrigued. "What do you mean?"
"You know, weird." Gerald repeated, hoping his friend would catch on. "They're different than us; hard to understand."
His words still only confused the boy worse. "I don't get it."
Now becoming fully aggravated with the topic, Gerald rushed his pace. "Never mind man, just drop it."
The truth was, although the situation had been fully explained to Gerald by his girlfriend, he still didn't fully understand it all that well himself. Sure, he knew a lot about girls from his brother but this? This was just way different. Phoebe, being the intellectual that she was, did her best to go into very scientific detail in hopes of making her predicament more interesting rather than the disgusting mess it was, only leaving Gerald with far more questions than he started with and not wanting them answered. He knew that woman gave birth to children but he didn't quite know the process in which the body had to undergo in order for that function to work properly! The tall haired boy cringed a little and began to run full pace passed everyone else, leaving his best friend in the dust to think.
Just a few feet away, Helga watched as Gerald ran off and wondered what could have happened. She could see that Arnold was troubled and it made her heart ache. Did they have a fight? Oh my poor football headed dream boat, dare I attempt to console you? She asked inside as love pulsed through her veins. Brainy's words flooded forward into her mind and she began to highly consider them. Maybe… If I talked about my problems to him, he could talk about his problems with me! The option was very plausible however the fact that all of her classmates were around her made it very impossible. Maybe later… I just wish he didn't look so sad! Maybe a little talking couldn't hurt; after all I did sorta blow him off yesterday.
Helga ran up close to her beloved and ran at his pace. "Hey football head, how's it hanging?" She asked casually as to make nothing seem amiss. "This totally blows, right? I mean, whose idea was it to make us all run a mile in the hot summer weather? There's a total heat wave today! I'm practically dying!"
Arnold could sense she was doing her best and gave her a soft smile. "You're not the only one thinking that…" He replied quietly, looking forward to watch Gerald turn the wide corner and continue on.
"Something eating Tall Hair boy?" She inquired thoughtfully, hoping that her prying didn't make his situation any worse than it might have been.
They both began to jog slower until receding to a brisk walk, letting all of the other students pass by. "Something seems to be on his mind and he doesn't want to talk about it." He admitted, looking up into Helga's eyes and showing the sorrow that lingered behind them.
"So why not be the prying goody-two-shoes you are and bug him about it?" Helga asked with a snicker, "What's stopping you?"
"That's the thing…" Arnold sighed, "I did ask him about it but… he just brushed it off and told me to drop it. Gerald is always open and honest with me so it's strange that he's being so…-"
"Distant?" Helga suggested, interrupting his pause.
"Yeah" Arnold said exhaustively, as if he had the world on his shoulders.
Helga looked around to see that no one was in ear shot, save for Harold's wobbling, panting attempt at a run and decided it was alright to talk a little… freer. "Everybody has things they want to keep to themselves sometimes… right?" She asked genuinely, "I'm sure there has been a time in your life where something was up but you didn't want to discuss it with anyone. I'm like that… all the time."
Her openness was surprising and Arnold turned to her in shock. He contemplated her words and did remember a few times, even recently, where he was put in a spot he didn't want to be open about. Was Gerald possibly going through something difficult that he himself couldn't talk about? Did something happen between him and Phoebe yesterday that he's not comfortable discussing even with him? The thought hadn't crossed his mind until now. Despite Gerald walking in on his and Helga's first real show of affection, Arnold didn't exactly feel comfortable talking about his relationship with her to an extent, even to his best friend. "Yeah… You're right."
"I-I am?" Helga asked, startled by his revelation and blushed. "I mean, of course I am! I'm always right Football head and you better remember it! Doi!"
With a chuckle, Arnold could feel himself feeling a little better. "Thanks, Helga. This talk really helped."
Her blush became darker and she held back a swoon from emerging. "N-no p-problem…" Feeling as though she was going to explode with passion, Helga sped up. "We gotta finish this run or we'll be here all night! Pick up your feet, paste-for-brains!" She said before zooming off.
Arnold continued to chuckle to himself, knowing full well why she did what she did. He watched as she ran off and noticed her athletic features until something inside him stirred once more, something he had done well to ignore. He had always noticed Gerald checking out girls from time to time and never exactly understood why, but never questioned it either… was this what it felt like? If so… "I guess this isn't all that bad…"