(A/N: How's everyone! Hope everyone's holidays are good times! Things are decent with me and I even reread everything, edited and corrected some things that hopefully no one noticed! Let me know what you all think of this new chapter! Hopefully one day I'll be able to update a little more... regularly...)
The young man chewed on the tip of his pencil eraser, eyes closed and his head throbbing. Panic began to invade his usual calm and neutral self as his eyes stared into the blackness behind his eyelids.
There is no response… Was all that echoed in his mind. Time was becoming more and more stretched and the longer this mission went on, the more deadly it would end. He was no idiot. His insides tugged at him to do something, anything but he refused them. I need a clear mind… He thought as he did his best to trek through all the possible negative outcomes he could be rushing into with every moment left without action. His throat was dry and scratchy; his palms were moist with sweat.
There were only two possible choices to make at this time. Either revert what he had done and possibly get away with it, but end up regretting it if it's too soon… or wait another day and see if his queen responded to him. If news of greatness, he could easily undo what he did. If not… he would continue to hold steady his plan even if it ended badly. Both options had possible good or bad endings and fate could bless him with the best outcome… or send him to jail for many years into adulthood.
Brainy's head pounded with every thought. His heart throbbed painfully. His breathing as raspy as ever and even though he could easily relief that one symptom, it meant going across the room away from his computer. Was he a gambling man?
A cold wind filled with bits of snow flew by as children draped in parkas of animal fur ran around in circles playing some unknown game. It was nearly time for recess to be over and their loving teacher would be glowing with excitement and colorful stories of far off lands they could only dream of. Stories of Kings and Queens, stories of wars and famine, stories of families not too different from their own but with cultures far different, stories of different climates of which they had never experienced. Some laughed and played while others threw their body into the white fluffy snow to make snow angels.
"Betcha can't catch me!" A girl with red pigtails called a boy with raven black hair before bolting around the igloos.
"Oh yeah?!" The boy challenged before following suit. He ran around the igloo but saw no sign of his friend. Turning his head back and forth, the boy scrunched his nose in confusion. He rounded the school a few more times before turning around and noticing a tall man with a bag approaching the school. Being the bravest in the class, the boy stood his ground and watched as the man got closer. "Whatcha here for there, mister?" He asked in a cheeky tone.
The man gave the boy a warm smile before reaching in his large bag and pulling out a letter. "Just a letter for your teacher," He replied and held it to the boy. "Make sure she gets it!"
The child nodded and looked down at the letter. It was small and looked to be a little dirty. He couldn't read very well but well enough to make out his own teachers name. He chose to end his little game with his friends early and head on into their icy school, but just as he reached the door, a sharp cold pain reached the back of his head causing his dark hair to turn white.
"You wimp! I knew you couldn't catch me!" The girl's familiar voice shouted. He turned his head and saw her smug grin as she placed her hands on her hips.
"I can so!" he shouted back before waving the letter in his hands. "I got more important things to do than chase your sorry butt around!"
The girl eyed the piece of white paper curiously before walking over. "What's that?"
"A letter for Ms. Pataki" He replied before snatching it away from the girls view and turning away, "For her eyes only!"
The early morning's glow reached Helga's eyes and softly pulled her away from her slumber. Her eyelids fluttered open slowly as she gazed over at the open window at the far end of her bed. Everything was quiet and peaceful; something incredibly rare for her. She sat up and could feel her body ache. "How long was I asleep?" She asked herself, shuffling her legs around her bed and eventually throwing them over the side to get up. Helga reached for the alarm clock that Arnold had lent her and noticed it was much earlier than she expected. Everyone was probably still asleep and she didn't blame them.
Helga threw her arms up and let out a loud moan as she stretched her limbs. She had slept far too long and knew she would pay for it in aches and pains but it was worth it. It was probably the best sleep she had gotten in a while, despite her drifting off to not so pleasant thoughts. In fact, she couldn't really remember much of her dreams either, which was rather odd. "Well no point in wasting time…" She said as she walked to her new closet. Inside she found all her newly bought clothes hanging and waiting for her. On the floor, was a small basket with a sundry of toiletries that she would be using for her shower that her body so desperately craved. She could feel a quake in her stomach that caused her to wrap her arms around her mid section and wince. "Damn… I gotta grab something to eat too." The hunger pangs slowly subsided and she quickly grabbed her things to prepare for a somewhat normal morning routine.
The shower was marvelous and refreshing. As much as she enjoyed lavishing herself in her beloved's scent, there was something about using her own products that just felt right. She didn't feel as though she was being a nuisance or needy. She was just herself, Helga G. Pataki and wasn't intentionally relying on any help. How much of that was true though? Helga jumped out of the shower and slowly dried herself off with the towel. This still wasn't her bathroom. This still wasn't her house. Negative thoughts and feelings began to intrude in her subconscious. Doing her best to push them aside, Helga took a deep breath and looked into the foggy mirror. She gazed upon herself and drank in the image. She drank in the feelings of her surroundings and did her best to normalize her thoughts. Everything is fine…, she told her inner self. This is where I belong anyway. The thought gave her a mixture of emotions, knowing just how true it was. It was a house of crazies and she, more than anyone else, was aware of just how far she could go. It was the home of the one person in the entire world whom she treasured more than life itself; the one person who made her life even worth living. She wondered briefly if other people in the world had ever felt the way she did, but then quickly dismissed the thought as she approached her bedroom door. Helga noticed a small white triangle sticking out from beneath and she cocked her head to the side. Was that there before? She thought as she opened the door. It was a small piece of paper that had been folded up to be even smaller. Helga knelt down and picked it up. How in blazes did I miss this? She asked herself before opening it. The contents made her smile something fierce and nothing in the world could bother her at that moment. It was so wholesome yet so typical of him. Helga's heart quickened and she gave the paper a tiny kiss before placing it on the nightstand.
"It's almost like he knew I'd wake up hungry…" She said with a longing tone. It was weird to know that someone truly cared for her without expecting something in return. She didn't need to fear this plate waiting for her downstairs like it would be held over her later on and she would need to act so incredibly grateful. As if the mere act of making sure she ate properly was one that would somehow create world peace or cure cancer and the person should be made ruler indefinitely. Helga could feel herself becoming soft at the thought that maybe, just maybe, the object of her obsessions was truly growing to love her the same ways she loved him. Would one day she wake up to breakfast in bed? Would one day they even share a bed? Her mind became clouded with possibilities until her stomach interrupted her fantasies with another twist, turn and growl. "Ya, ya, I hear you." She grumbled at it after coming back to the earth.
Helga put away her belongings, threw her used clothes at the foot of her bed and made a quick dash downstairs to the kitchen. She looked around the room for a moment in silence to hear if anyone else was possibly around, before opening up the fridge and rooting for the plate in question. Her meal was plain to see and she wasted no time putting it into the microwave to warm up. The beeps of the number pad let out loud yells that she felt could be heard across the world and made her shutter. "Please, let the whole house know how I'm abusing you." She angrily told it and pressed the 'start' button, which seemed to respond to her in agreement. She could hear the mechanisms within it begin to whirl and soon her food was making its circular journey to nowhere. The thought of real food, good food, actually made her a little excited inside. The feeling felt stupid to her and actually made her cringe. It was pathetic to feel so excited for a real meal and she knew it. Helga wanted to punch herself in the head but before she could do it, the microwave told her she had missed her chance. Giving it a scowl, she threw its door open and grabbed her steaming food. Meat and vegetables lay before her swimming in some sort of clear sauce. She let another silence wash over the room before placing the food down and hunting for a fork.
The food was great, just as she expected. Each bite seemingly better than the next and before she knew it, her hand was shoveling it into her mouth with lightening speed. Delicious, nutritious and homemade: Was she in heaven? It sure felt that way by the time she was done. Her belly full and bulging from her pink dress, Helga let out a sigh of contentment. "Wasn't traditional breakfast but you sure won't see me complaining." She said to herself with a smile.
"Oh good!" said a sudden familiar voice from behind the girl. "It was meant to be good!"
Helga jumped at the sound of the voice and nearly fell out of her chair. Standing up and turning around, she eyed Arnold's grandpa standing in the doorway with his back rested up against the frame and his arms crossed. "Don't scare me like that!" She yelled, gathering up the dishes and bringing them to the sink to wash.
Laughing softly to himself, Phil walked over to her and took the dishes out of her hand. "Don't need to do that," He said warmly, "I got it. You go get ready for school or something."
"But," She started but was immediately cut off.
"Not buts missy." He said as he turned to the sink and nudged her out of the way. "You get going now and leave these dishes to me. I wouldn't want young Arnold to think I'm slaving you away down here while he's asleep. Why, that would make me the worst grandpa imaginable!" He chuckled.
Helga scowled and crossed her arms as she watched him turn on the water and begin scrubbing. "It's Saturday. There is no school and I was fully capable of washing them myself. You don't need to cater to me, old man. I've been taking care of myself since I was like 4."
"That may be true but so long as you're under my roof, you'll do what I say since I'm your landlord." He said with a wink.
"So if you ask me to scrub the gutters, I have to?" She asked, arching her eyebrow in amusement.
"Scrub the gutters, clean the toilets, feed the pig…" He started as he kept count on his fingers, the water rushing over the plate, "Vacuum the rugs, wash the windows, dig the moat…"
"Dig the moat?" Helga asked with dry skepticism.
Phil began to scrub the plate some more. "Yeah! You could dig a moat around the boarding house before the storm that's coming. Catch all that rain water and then, who knows? Maybe Pookie can get us an alligator to protect us from all those annoying door to door salesman!" He chuckled loudly to himself.
His laugh seemed to bounce off all of the walls in the mostly empty first floor and made Helga feel a little at ease. Despite not wanting to be seen as needy, she could tell that he was just trying to make her feel welcome and not a total burden. Helga let her scowl turn into a sly smile. "But if you get alligators to chase away the salesman that also means you won't be getting any of those chocolate turtles from the Campfire Lass."
"Ohhhh!" Phil closed his eyes and fantasized about those delicious treats he loved so much. "Touché Ms. Pataki! Definitely no alligators then. It's bad enough I have to wait once a year for those little sirens to come around and tickle my sweet tooth, I couldn't imagine not getting any at all. I would die a sad, sad man…"
"And what storm that's coming?" Helga asked curiously.
Arnold's grandpa finished washing the plate and set it in the strainer to dry. "The weather man last night said something about a storm coming this way. Who knows if it's true? They're wrong more than half the time anyway. Best prepare now then be sorry later."
Helga thought of the rain storm that flooded the city back in fourth grade. The image of the students painting themselves and pretending to be Native Americans made her laugh, as well as her stumbling upon the principal in full Mexican attire dancing in the hallway. It was all fun and games for the most part, until it was time to save their teacher from almost being washed away. If it wasn't for Phil and his lifeboat, it could have ended badly for them. "You still have that old lifeboat in case we need it?"
Scratching his bald head, Phil looked around as if it was expected to be somewhere in the kitchen with them. "Hmm, should be somewhere. Maybe in the basement or the shed… Suppose I'll have to look for it later just in case."
"Yeah, you do that." She replied as she turned around to leave, somewhat listening to him mumble to himself. The thought of getting trapped in the boarding house due to a rain storm didn't seem too bad, so long as there was food to eat and the boarders kept their distance. The thought even seemed kind of fun. Better than being trapped with Bob and Miriam… She thought as she exited the kitchen in route of her bedroom.
Hearing the girl's footsteps echo away, Phil turned around and smiled to watch her go. Truthfully, he was happy to see her helping herself and taking the initiative. He knew it must be hard for her to swallow her pride and accept help but eventually she would warm up to the boarding house. Everyone always seemed to. Maybe it was the generations that lived there over the years; the people who had come and gone. Maybe it was the love and hospitality of the Shortman family that seeped into the walls, or maybe it was something in the water corrupting people's minds. Who knows? Phil didn't and honestly he didn't really care too much. What mattered most to him was his grandson's happiness and it was apparent that the two kids were entwined for better or for worse. Phil could recall all the times Arnold had come to him complaining about the young woman, the times she would skip rope outside the boarding house just waiting for him to come outside so she could call him names, the times she would somehow wind up inside the boarding house, and the times her family happened to cause issues for his own. Could he really call it all coincidence? Or was it possibly… fate? The muse made Phil chuckle again.
"Just what has that poor boy gotten himself into?" He asked to no one in particular, shaking his head. "Kinda makes ya think…"
Arnold stirred under his blankets uncomfortably. He had, had one of those weird and confusing dreams again that always ended with him feeling frustrated. He awoke to a sharp pain in one of his legs, which caused him to kick off his blanket and rub it gently. The pain seemed to radiate from his knee up into his thigh and within the few moments of him being awake, the other leg began to mimic the pains. Unsure of what to do, the young man got up and began to walk around, hoping the pain would subside. Much to his misfortune, the pain only seemed to get worse and gradually made it to his calves and caused the boy to sit back down on his bed with a frown. The coach must have worked me too hard… He concluded as he started to rub his legs again. Maybe if I just continue to rub them like this, it will help stimulate the blood flow and ease the pain eventually… But no matter what he did, his legs continued to throb.
Knock, knock, knock…
The young man looked up at his door. "Come in."
The door creaked open and a familiar female face peeked in. "Figured you were awake." Helga said as she pushed her way through the doors opening. "I heard you walking around on my ceiling." She said, pointing up with her finger.
"Yeah..." He said with a smile, his pain somewhat subsiding at the sight of her. "How did you sleep?"
"Eh. I slept okay." Helga responded with a shrug.
"Good!" He said, wondering what time she finally managed to wake up but figuring it might be a little strange to ask. Doing his best to ignore the shooting pain, he stood up and walked towards her. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
Helga eyed the boy critically as she watched him walk. It was clear to her that there was something wrong; all the years of her watching his every move particularly helped with that. She was nothing short of an expert. "You fall outta your bed or something, yutz?" She asked playfully, ignoring his question and grinning to mask her concern. "You look like you got hit by a truck."
"No…I woke up like this." He replied glumly, looking down at his limbs. "Is it that obvious?"
She could hear the hurt in his voice and her delightful grin vanished. "I- I mean… not really." Helga retracted; shuffling her feet. "You're just usually full of life in the morning… annoyingly so." She finished with a cross of her arms and a turn of her head.
Arnold sat on his small red couch and let his arms fall across his lap in defeat. "It's just weird. I figured maybe I overdid it in gym class yesterday but usually I can just walk it off." He explained, sadly looking at his feet. "I've been up for about an hour, walking around my room and even trying to rub the pains away but…" Arnold looked up at Helga, concern in his eyes, "My legs really hurt."
"Like, a lot?" She asked, her face drooping a little.
"Yeah," He responded. "More than I'm used to, anyway."
Helga hated seeing him like this and gritted her teeth. What could she do? She had to help him somehow, or at the very least cheer him up. "Well… maybe you slept on the wrong side of the bed? Or heck, maybe you're just getting old." She joked.
Smiling a little, Arnold appreciated what she was trying to do. "I'm pretty sure 11 isn't all that old, Helga."
"Hey, hey, hey!" She protested, pointing her finger at him. "You're almost 12, Arnoldo. Who knows? Maybe it all goes downhill in your family around then."
They gave each other a small smile and let the tension fade away a little. "Yeah… maybe" He said, rubbing his thighs with a firm amount of pressure hoping it would work.
A few more moments passed between them in silence before she noticed that he didn't seem in a hurry to stand up again. Another pain shot up into his knees and caused the boy to wince a little. It seemed as though the aches synchronized themselves with every beat of his heart and were only shooting violently once in a while.
Helga watched as he struggled with a frown. She walked over to him and placed a soft hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up. "Look Arnold, I don't exactly know how you're feeling but I can at least tell that it's bad enough to keep you from jumping around like merry sunshine." She said, watching his pain stricken face turn soft as their gazes met. "You want me to get your grandpa? I know he's awake..."
Knowing she was right, Arnold nodded his head in agreement. "I guess." He said, placing his hand on top of hers, causing her to blush a little. "It's nice to have you here, Helga."
His words and actions instantly made her swoon, causing fireworks to go off in her head and soon she was giving him a goofy looking face. The moment she realized it however, her face turned a darker shade of red and she swiftly retracted her hand from his. "Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Football head." She replied quickly; walking backwards towards his bedroom door. "I'll let your grandpa know. Just feel better, okay? Don't go injuring yourself all over the place and causing trouble for people! Sheesh!" It was far too early in the morning for him to be making her feel this way and she needed to escape soon and fast or she might do something she would regret later.
Arnold quietly watched as the embarrassed girl quickly ran out of the room and shut the door behind her. He smiled fondly and propped his head upon his hand. He couldn't help but think of how endearing she looked just then; running out in frustration. He thought of how she looked just last night as she lay curled up on her bed; sleeping. He thought of his dreams about her even though those thoughts embarrassed even himself. He sighed a little. Maybe it was just him growing older that made him feel this way. Was all this normal? Probably not. Maybe I am as sick as Gerald thinks… He analyzed himself silently. Gerald had made it very clear that the two of them sleeping under the same roof was very weird and risky but how could that be true when it felt so… so right?
Sharp pains threw him out of his contemplations and Arnold cried out quietly. He scowled down at his body, got up with a little wobble then walked over to his bed.
"Arnold?" called a voice from behind his door.
The young boy looked towards the door and cleared his thoughts. "Yeah?"
The door opened again but this time his grandfather emerged. "You okay, Shortman?" He asked cautiously. "Your little girlfriend said something about you feeling under the weather before she ran out of the house."
"Yeah Grandpa, I'm alright." He said reassuringly, a small sigh following his words. It was comforting to see the old man as he was the caretaker that had overlooked the young boy's life growing up.
Phil looked the boy up and down before deciding to sit next to him. "Was it the food?" He asked. "I told your mom not to add so much basil but she was convinced it wouldn't hard anyone. Or maybe your grandma added something to the pot when no one was looking…" He said wearily, his eyes narrowing at the thought. "I wouldn't put it past her."
"No Grandpa. My stomach is fine." Arnold explained, "Actually, it's my legs that hurt."
"Your legs?" The elder man raised an eyebrow. "Whatcha do to them? Kick a ball too hard?"
The thought of that being possible amused the young boy and made him smile. "No… I think I just pushed myself too hard during gym. The coach had us running back and forth the entire period and maybe I just wore them out."
"Ohhhh, so muscle pains eh?" Phil inquired, putting a finger on his boney chin.
"Yeah..." Arnold replied, before suddenly changing his mind. "Well, actually no." He thought deeply about the pains. "It seems more like pain is coming from my knees and shooting up and down through the rest of my legs. I know it doesn't make any sense but this doesn't feel the same as if I pulled a muscle or something."
Phil patted the boy on top of his feathery blonde hair and grinned. "Oh Arnold, it makes perfect sense!" He stated; almost gleaming. "You're a growing boy, that's all."
The prospect made sense but that the same time didn't, as it seem like the only ever heard those words when it came to him eating. "Huh?"
"I mean it!" Phil stated. "Literally!" The old man got up and began to pace around the room. "Why it happens to everyone at some point in their lives… except maybe Ernie. When you grow up, your body changes and does all sorts of weird things-"
"Yeah Grandpa, I know. We've had this conversation before." Arnold interrupted.
"Right! But sometimes these changes can be painful!" The old man continued. "You're getting taller, Arnold!"
"Taller?" Arnold thought about it for a moment. "But I thought we only grew in our sleep?"
Phil nodded excitedly. "Yes! Most of our growing happens in our sleep but sometimes, specifically during these times, your body goes on overdrive and decides… well it's going to do it whenever it feels like it! Pretty rude if you ask me but your body doesn't care! It's got a whole list of things it's trying to accomplish right now Shortman and this is just the beginning!"
Arnold rubbed his legs again then focused more on his knees. "And it's supposed to hurt this bad?"
"Some days it will hurt more than other days, and it will happen pretty random." Phil explained thoughtfully. "Happened to me like that anyway. One day you're a shrimp and the next you could be the next hot shot playing basketball!" He finished with a laugh. "Although you probably won't be getting any taller than me so you don't have to worry too much."
The boy eyed his elder up and down and measured his height against his own. "So it's going to hurt like this until I get to your height?" He asked in horror, not wanting to even imagine how that was going to feel in compared to how he was already currently feeling.
"Goodness, No! It's only gonna hurt for a little while and then it will go back to its usual growing process." Phil reassured, giving his grandson a breath of relief. "Don't worry about it too much, Arnold. I'll go get you some pain killers and you relax up here. The pain will go away and you can go back to your usual day to day life." He finished with a wink then headed back to the door.
"Thanks, Grandpa." Arnold said as he watched him go, letting himself relax a little knowing that this pain was only temporary and nothing to be really concerned about.
"Anytime, Shortman." Phil replied on his way out. "I'll be back."
Once Arnold heard the click of his door, he let his body fall back against his bed. He could vaguely hear the voices of the others below him and let the familiar noises calm his nerves.
The sky was bright and shining as the early morning turned towards the afternoon. Saturday was usually a busy day in the park, and today was no exception. People rode around on their bikes, walked their dogs and many kids ran around playing various games. It was a good day to do these sorts of things and this too was agreed on by Stinky. Today he had planned on meeting Sid there to stretch his limbs with a nice game of Frisbee but so far his small friend had yet to show. This wasn't going to bring him down though. Putting a little pep in his step, the tall southern boy began to walk over to the nearest bench and waited patiently. He watched as people passed by with their smiling faces and nice attitudes. He watched as a couple held hands and strolled down the cobblestone pathways, as well as girls giggling to one another close by. He watched as an elderly woman threw some seed to some birds. He watched as a father and son played catch and it made it think of his Pa and himself back when he was a youngin. Of course that wasn't too long ago and they didn't go to the park either, but that didn't matter. What mattered was it was nice to watch people getting along and being happy.
Stinky scratched his head and looked back and forth, as he had been waiting there for quite a while. "Just where is he?" He wondered out loud.
"Oh, Hello Stinky." A cheerful voice came from behind him.
The boy turned his head to see Lila standing there with her usual delightful face. This brightened up his predicament quite a bit and Stinky smiled back. "Why, Miss Lila. Fancy meeting you here." He greeted politely.
Lila stretched her arms behind her back and walked around the bench over to his side. "It's an ever so wonderful day. I just had to enjoy it outside and couldn't think of a more suitable place to go." She explained before placing a curious finger on her chin. "Are you waiting for someone? I couldn't help but noticing you looking around."
Stinky's grin shrank a little at the question and he turned to look around again. "Yeah. Sid was supposed to meet me here but hasn't shown yet." He replied, his voice sounding a little disappointed.
"I don't suppose I could sit with you until he comes?" The girl asked, "You looked ever so lonely."
The comment confused him a little, as he was quite content with his surroundings but he patted the spot next to him nonetheless. "Be my guest!" He replied, scooting his body over a little further to give her more space. He was always happy to spend time with the girl. The aura around her was always so bright and shiny, as well as her stories so colorful and interesting.
"Thank you." She replied, smoothing out the skirt behind her before sitting down.
The two of them listened to the ambient noises around them quietly and relaxed. It was nice to have company, even in the most unexpected sorts.
"Have you and your Pa settled in nicely since returning back to town?" Stinky asked thoughtfully; placing his arm over the top of the bench behind her.
"Oh, yes!" Lila replied, noticing his movement but giving them no real thought. "Being with my family was nice but being back home is ever so refreshing."
Stinky nodded and smiled. "Family sure is nice. I have a large family myself but most of them are back in Arkansas."
"Oh?" Lila inquired, giving him the opportunity to continue.
"Yup. Most of them are farmers, you see but since the land was getting barren on account of pollution in such, we moved here." He explained. "They stayed there though in hopes of it getting better."
"And did it get better?" She asked thoughtfully.
"Nah, I reckon not." He replied with a frown. "A drought came right after and they started bickering and eventually moved away from each other; still in Arkansas but away from each other. We get letters from them every so often but not that much."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Lila's frown mimicked his own. "Do you miss them?"
"Can't really miss people you haven't met." Stinky said with a queer expression.
"I suppose that's true." She said, looking down at the ground and kicking her feet in the dirt a little. "I didn't know much of my family either until recently. I knew my Aunt's ex husband and a few of my cousins though. It was nice meeting them but also ever so awkward at the same time." She explained with a weary tone. "Everyone was so much older than me."
Stinky thought on what she said and understood, but noticed something didn't add up and he scratched his head. "But didn't you say they were too busy to come help?" He asked; confused. "Ain't that why you went all the way there?"
"Well they came after to pay-" Lila suddenly stopped mid-sentence and swallowed, "to pay her a visit!" She concluded happily. "She was ever so happy to see them now that she was well. I suppose maybe it was even better that they came after the fact, as to not stress her in her prior condition."
Noticing there was something a little strange about her demeanor just then, Stinky couldn't help but get suspicious. "Are you okay, Miss Lila?" He asked with mild suspicion. "You get something caught in your throat there? I heard there was some Chinese flu going around. I hope you didn't catch it or something."
"Oh I am ever so fine, Stinky but it is nice of you to ask." Lila's smile grew to its usual charm and she shrugged.
Narrowing his eyes a bit, he decided that she had no reason to lie about it and relaxed. "Okiedokie!" He grinned.
Feeling the air around them getting uncomfortable, Lila stood up and brushed herself off a little as to possibly get rid of any wrinkles on her skirt. "I suppose I should get going now…" She explained, sounding a little disappointed. "I'm sure Sid will show up soon and you two will have an ever so fun day!"
The thought of her leaving and him possibly ruining their time made Stinky mentally kick himself. "Y- You can stay as long as you like!" He insisted a little too quickly and grabbed her hand. "I was just a little angst-ridden for your wellbeing is all. No need for you to go or nothing." Realizing his sudden grab at her was rather inappropriate; Stinky let the girl's hand go and did his best to straighten himself up. "I'm sorry about that."
Lila could see his distress and looked around nervously a moment. It was strange and completely new to her for him to reach out like that, but at the same time he did seem ever so regretful about it. "I… I suppose…" Lila replied, unsure of herself but sitting down next to him again.
Stinky could feel himself becoming a little nervous. Truthfully, he had always been smitten with the pretty pigtailed little miss but had never really found the courage to come right out and tell her. He had seen Arnold's trouble with like-liking her and not getting her feelings in return and really didn't want that for himself. He also couldn't bare another rejection like he had with Helga all those years past, not that he thought she would do so in such a cruel manner like his former, but couldn't really bring himself to risk it again. His youth was supposed to be filled with springtime and joy; not downtrodden and wistful events. And besides… she likes Arnold's homely, dull as dirt cousin… She could never like a guy like me… Mourning his rotten luck, Stinky placed his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands.
"Why Stinky… What's ever so wrong?" Lila asked innocently as she looked over at him; trying to see his face.
Turning his head but remaining how he was, Stinky gave a heavy and defeated sigh. "I just hoping to have a nice, wholesome and carefree chat with you but it seems like I musta said something wrong…" He admitted sorrowfully.
Doing her best to put aside her own insecurities, Lila placed a reassuring hand on his leg and smiled up at him. "To be perfectly honest, you grabbing me like that did startle me but… I'm fine." Her words seemed genuine and earned her a half hearted smile from the boy, urging her to continue. "I just figured I had taken enough of your time, is all."
Hearing such a thing made the lanky boy chuckle. "Why, that might be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. You don't take up my time, Lila. In fact, I enjoy every second of you being around." His mood had been lifted and he wanted nothing more than to continue where they had left off. "Your rosy cheeks and enchanting smile always charms my heart."
His words made the girl feel a little more confident in herself and graced him with the very smile he talked about. "You are ever so lovely yourself, Stinky. Just ever so much!"
Doing his best to not make her feel unwelcome again, Stinky continued to have idle conversation with her. They spoke about the weather, about class and about anything else he could think of that they might have in common, causing the atmosphere to lighten up. She laughed at his jokes and was in awe at a few of his stories.
"And I even grew a pumpkin as big as a house once!" Stinky explained, concluding one of his stories. "That thing was massive! You shoulda seen it!"
"Goodness!" Lila entwined her fingers together and looked curiously at him. "Do you think you could grow something like that again?"
Stinky rubbed his chin a moment in thought. "I don't see why not but I haven't tried in quite some time. Right now, I'm just growing basic stuff behind the house. Nothing too big or special."
Feeling a little shy, Lila looked down and shuffled her feet against the dirt. "Maybe you could show me your garden sometime? If it's not too much trouble…"
The opportunity made a spark in Stinky's head, causing him to jump up off the bench in excitement. "Hot Dog!" He cried out. "I could show you right now, if you want. I don't live too far from here. It would be a short walk."
"It is a nice day for a walk…" Lila agreed, "But maybe it would be best for next time. I'm afraid it's getting ever so late and honestly my Dad is expecting me home soon." She could see his excitement begin to flicker out and dim. Standing up, she placed a kind hand on his arm and smiled. "But maybe I could come see it tomorrow?"
Stinky's eyes opened a little wide at both her words and her touch. "You… You mean like a date?" He asked hopefully.
The term made Lila noticeably cringe for a half a second, before returning to her usual relaxed self. "Not in so many words…" She smiled harmlessly. "Just a normal visit between friends."
"Oh…" The boy's hope slowly dwindled away, however he was still happy that he might have gotten somewhere with her. "Okiedokie. How about we meet here for tomorrow around noon?"
"That sounds ever so nice." Lila replied happily as she clasped her hands together.
They both said their goodbyes and waved before she skipped away and out of the park. Stinky stood there for a moment, before remembering that his whole plan for coming out here was with Sid and that he hadn't shown up at all. Wondering if everything was all right with him, he headed off towards Sid's house.
Once there, Stinky rang the doorbell and stood back. He waited a moment before ringing it again and peeking his head into a window. There was no movement. "Sid? Ya home?" He called out before going back to the door and knocking. Eventually he heard a little shuffling and the door creaked open. "Sid…?" but before he could get another word in, Stinky was immediately pulled inside.
It took a moment for the tall boy's eyes to become accustomed to the dark room he was standing in. None of the lights were on, and all the window curtains were drawn shut. "What in the heck?"
"Hey Stinky." Sid started in an uneasy voice. "Sorry for not showing up."
With a few more blinks, Stinky's vision finally became normal and he looked down at his shorter companion. He noticed that the boy's face was covered in bandages. "Sid! Whatcha dressed up like a Mummy for? Halloween isn't for another month or so."
Sid turned around and began to pace around his living room. "I'm not dressed up, you idiot." He explained. "My face is just… different is all and I didn't want you to see."
"Different?" Stinky questioned. "How the heck is it different?" He watched Sid pace around a few more times and started to grow impatient. "Did you fall and scrape it or something?"
"NO!" Sid shouted before dropping to his knees and covering his face with his hands. "It's horrible!" He cried. "It's terrible! My face! My beautiful face!"
Just what the heck is he going on about? Stinky asked himself as he walked over to the boy in concern. He knew his friend very well and knew that he could jump into hysterics on a whim but this seemed a little eccentric. "Sid? What happened?"
"I don't KNOW!" He screamed out with a few sobs. "I woke up this morning, I went into the bathroom, climbed in the shower and noticed when I was washing my face that it felt different. Alarmed, I jumped out of the shower and looked into the mirror and… and…"
"And…?" Stinky pushed in annoyance.
"AND I WAS HIDEOUS!" Sid finished with a wail.
Stinky brought his hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Sid, you probably don't look any different then ya normally do. What are you going on about?" He waited a few more minutes to see if the frantic boy would come to his senses. Once he realized that he wasn't going to stop, Stinky grabbed his arm and pulled him up. "Snap out of it, will ya?" He said with a few good shakes to Sid's body, trying to jerk him back to normal as if he was an old vending machine.
"Okay! Okay!" Sid shouted at him, pulling his hands away and walking towards the bathroom. "Follow me…"
Stinky rolled his eyes and followed his friend; silently regretting ever even coming to his house. As much as he was curious as to what provoked him, he was also becoming tired of the antics.
The moment they got into the bathroom, Sid turned on the lights. "I'll show you but you have to promise not to laugh, okay?" He said with a little whine in his voice.
"Sure Sid, whatever you say." Stinky coaxed calmly. "Just take off the bandages and show me."
"Do you promise?" Sid asked, stalling for time. "Swear to me, Stinky. SWEAR TO ME!"
"I Swear!" Stinky shouted. "I promise! Just take off the dang bandages already!"
A few seconds of silence passed before Sid let out a few more sniffles. "Okay…" He turned around and began unwrapping his face, causing the white fabric to slowly entangle on the bathroom floor. It seemed like ages had passed before he was finally done, but he didn't turn around. "Are you ready?"
With another aggravated sigh, Stinky placed his hands on his hips. "As ready as I'm ever gonna be."
"Okay…" Sid replied but still made no motion of turning around.
"Sid."
"OKAY!" He shrieked loudly. He turned around and looked up sadly at his tall lanky friend.
Stinky looked at him for a moment, until becoming over torn with laughter. "Willikers!" He cried out through his loud cackles. "Is what you're on about?!"
With anger and embarrassment, Sid stood up and began to throw punches at Stinky in futile hopes of getting him to stop. "Quit it, you jerk!" He yelled. "You promised! You liar!"
Tears formed in Stinky's eyes as he couldn't contain himself. As he gazed on Sid's face, there stood 3 large pimples on his nose, as well as a few minor ones on his forehead. "You look like Principal Wartz!" He shouted through his laughter.
His punches became harder at the comment, "You're the worst, Stinky! I should have never showed you!" Sid cried out. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!"
Knowing full well that he was being insensitive to his friend, Stinky did his best to stifle the rest of his fits of laughter and eventually they receded to a few raspy breaths. He watched as Sid huffed and puffed about the bathroom in anger, not knowing what to do with himself now. "Is that seriously all, Sid?" He asked as he calmed down.
"Is that all?!" Sid asked angrily, "My face is a nightmare!" He threw his arms up in dramatics and went over to his mirror. "What am I supposed to do about this?!"
Wiping a few more tears from his eyes, Stinky sighed. "You pop em, Sid. Have ya never gotta a zit before?"
"Of course I have!" Sid yelled back at his friend, "But these are huge! They're terrible! I can't even bare to touch them!"
The southern boy walked over to his distraught friend and looked at them both through Sid's mirror. "Well I ain't doing it for ya! That's nasty!"
"I know its NASTY!" Sid flustered, "I've tried washing them, covering them up with a bandaid, covering them up with my mom's make up! Nothing works!" He could feel tears forming in his eyes again at his plight. "How am I supposed to go out like this?! Everyone's going to point and laugh at me and call me names like pizza face!"
"Or Principal Wartz" Stinky snickered again. "On account a they look just as big an ugly like the bumps he got on his nose!"
"You're not helping!" Sid pushed Stinky away from him. "I never should have let you in! You're probably gonna spill the beans to everyone now!"
Stinky rolled his eyes, "Oh come on! Just pop em already! You're being a big baby!"
Sid went to throw another punch at his friend, but Stinky blocked them all with his hands. They fought for a little while before Sid finally gave up and sat on the toilet with defeat. "I'm gonna have to wear a mask at school or something…"
"Or you could quit being a big baby and pop em." Stinky replied, "It really can't be all that bad. Why not go to the drug store and find some sorta numbing cream or somethin? There's gotta be some sorta magical cream amongst all them elixirs."
The thought hadn't crossed Sid's mind. Instantly he stood up and reached into his pants pocket. He realized he had no money then immediately ran out of the bathroom, causing Stinky to watch him in confusion. "Jus' what are you doing now?" He called out to him but got no response. Eventually Stinky left the bathroom and wandered back into the living room and watched as Sid threw apart the house clearly looking for something. He darted in and out of the room, flipped over couch cushions and even emptied out a few decorative candy bowls.
"My mom has a safe in her room filled with a little extra cash in case of emergencies." The exasperated boy explained while throwing open the closet door and rummaging through its contents. "All I gotta do is find that key, open it up and grab a few dollars then you can go to the store and get it for me!" The plan seemed fool proof and the only logical option at this point.
"Sid, why would your mom leave the key lying around the house like that?" Stinky asked, knowing full well that his friend was throwing his house in disarray for no reason. "Why not check in her bedroom? It's probably under her mattress or something. That's where my Pa hides all his secret things."
"That's a good point!" Sid said as he flew from the closet and down the darkened hallway.
Stinky shook his head and followed him. "You're such a dang fool…"
After a few more minutes of loud crashes, bangs and other unexplained loud noises, Sid finally exclaimed an "Ah Hah!" and came out of his mother's bedroom triumphantly. "This is it! I got it!"
Shaking his head and heading towards one of his windows, Stinky peered outside and saw that the beautiful day was becoming cloudy. "Just hurry it up. Starting to look like the weather is gonna turn badly and I ain't trying to stay here all day." He explained in frustration. "I already waited for you half the dang day..."
Sid came running back into the room and handed Stinky a $20 bill. "Here." He said as she shoved it into the taller kids hands. "Take this, go to the pharmacy and see what they have. Buy yourself a Mr. Nutty as payment and come right back. Got it?"
"Yeah…" Stinky sighed as he put the money and his pocket and headed for the door.
"And don't tell ANYONE about this!" Sid demanded as he followed his friend. "No one!"
"Okay Sid!" Stinky replied in annoyance.
The nearest pharmacy was only a couple blocks down the street and only took Stinky a few minutes to get there. He browsed all their selection with a confused look on his face. He had no idea what he was actually looking for. "Athlete foot cream, Antifungal cream…" He scanned all the items out loud. "Anti itch cream, hemorrhoid cream, triple healing cream…"
"Can I help you?" A young sales clerk asked as he went up to the boy. He was shorter than Stinky but only by a few hairs, with stubble on his chin and neck. Despite his rugged appearance, he carried a professional air about him.
"My friend has a huge zit and is too much of a baby to pop it. You got any anti pain cream?" He asked with a tired expression.
The man thought for a second. "You mean like acne ointment?"
"What the heck is acne?" Stinky asked with a raise of his brows.
With a waving motion to follow, the store clerk disappeared from the aisle. With no other option, Stinky chased after him and wound up in front of another display of random medical grade options. "Acne is basically just a lot of really bad pimples." The clerk explained as he picked out a few products. "Some of these help to prevent them from appearing and others help them to go away faster. Which does your friend think he needs?"
Stinky pondered the options. "I reckon he'll need both at this rate. You got any numbing medicine to help him with the really big ones?"
The man handed him two boxes then disappeared around the corner and eventually came back with another box. "Here." He said as he handed him the third box. "Lidocaine should do the trick. This stuff is typically used to help muscle pains but it should work. I don't see why it wouldn't…"
Knowing absolutely nothing about any of these things, Stinky simply nodded and brought them to the cash register. When he got the total, he frowned when he realized he didn't have enough for his candy bar, sucked up his dismay then brought the items back to his desperate friend.
"You got the goods?" Sid asked from behind his front door in a cloak of darkness.
Stinky thrust the plastic bag to the boy and gave him a disapproving look. "You still owe me a Mr. Nutty, Sid. Those medical creams were mighty expensive so consider yourself lucky you had enough."
Eyeing the bag suspiciously, Sid accepted it and slowly opened his door a little wider. "You coming in?"
"Naw, I gotta get on home. It's starting to get dark and I'm getting hungry. You're on your own." Stinky said as he turned around with a wave. "Good luck. I'll see ya on Monday. Hope you manage to pop them zits!"
Having spent the day with Phoebe in order to get some girl time and let out all of her frustrations about living with Arnold, Helga was finally on her way back to the Sunset Arms. She noticed that the weather was suddenly taking a turn for the worst, just as the weather man apparently predicted and wondered if she was really gonna have to dig a moat.
She opened the door and let the conglomerate of animals run back inside the house before walking on in herself. She could hear adults talking to each other and continued to mind her own business towards her own room. Once inside, she kicked off her shoes and looked out of the window. She could see the clouds were looking more ominous as the minutes flew by. "Geez… It's hard to believe a sunny day can change so fast. I'm lucky I got here when I did." She said as she noticed it started to softly rain. "I wonder what Arnold ended up doing?" Helga remembered how he had been in pain and felt a little guilty about leaving so quickly. "What was I supposed to do?!" She asked herself in annoyance. "With his stupid, beautiful Football shaped face looking at me like that?! The way he touched my hand…" The image was burned into her brain and she knew there was no way it was going to disappear. Helga pulled out her worn locket and gazed into it lovingly, slowly caressing the glass with her finger as if stroking him in person. "Could it be true? Have my wildest fantasies really become real? Arnold…"
If you really love me like you insist you do… Then give me the same respect…Through all the hardships that await us in the future…Helga, let me stand by you and protect you in any way I can. Let me pay back the love you've shown me… with the love I want to show you… His words still played in her mind, despite the time that had passed. The passionate kiss he had given her up on his roof top, the way she saw him look at her from time to time, the way he had touched her that morning after confiding to her how he was in pain; the look on his face. All signs seemed to point to yes, and even Phoebe seemed to agree that it was very possible for all this to be real.
"What do I do?" Helga asked Phoebe as she walked back and forth in front of her.
"What do you mean, Helga?" Her patient friend asked curiously. "This is what you want, isn't it?"
"Of course it is!" Helga shouted, nearly causing herself to lose balance. "This is all I have ever wanted in my whole life! It's just so… so…" Helga fought her brain a little for words to come at her, "Just so strange! It feels wrong!"
"Wrong?" Phoebe couldn't believe her ears. "Why does it feel wrong for Arnold to love you?"
"Because it just DOES!" Helga shouted back at her best friend. "I just can't seem to explain why!"
Phoebe continued to watch her blonde friend pace around her room without any words of comfort. She had no idea what to say and, although Helga was wired a bit differently from herself, normally she could at least follow what the girl was trying to get across. This time, however, she was at a loss. "Helga…?"
"It just feels wrong to believe him!" Helga cried out but after listening to the words she had just uttered, she looked at her confused friend and backtracked. "No, of course I don't think he's lying. He doesn't lie, that's just completely against everything that little goody-two-shoes is! Despite that, his actions sure don't lie! Those can't lie!"
"Then….?"
"Then all signs point to him ACTUALLY loving me!" Helga threw her hands at her face and felt like she was going to melt but instead dropped to her knees. "But if I accept this and allow these feelings to grow between us then there's a possibility of things going haywire!"
"Well of course, Helga." Phoebe replied; completely baffled. "That's how relationships are. You won't know unless you try though. All relationships are trial and error."
"And I've spent my whole life AVOIDING that!" Helga couldn't handle her feelings anymore and looked at her friend with all the stress in the world. "Phoebe! I have spent my WHOLE LIFE avoiding relationships for this very reason! I can't ruin something if it never began!"
Phoebe started to feel anger rise inside of her small frame but did her best to quell it through clenching her jaw. "And if it never begins then it can never get better either…" Standing up, she walked over to the girl having an existential crisis and knelt before her. "Helga, you're talking crazy." She saw Helga's obvious expression and decided to alter her words, "Crazier than normal!" She clarified. "You've been loving him for years, right? He has been the absolute core of your world since as long as I've known you! You can't be seriously thinking of throwing everything away because you're scared of somehow ruining everything!"
"N-not throwing it away… just doing my best to avoid it at all costs?" Helga corrected, her voice sounding innocent.
"Right and you have to hear how ridiculous that sounds!" Phoebe reached out to the girl and looked into her eyes; her rage receding and sympathy coming through. "You've always believed that you two were soul mates so why are you faltering from that now? If there is anything about you that has never changed in all the years I've known you Helga, it's your tenacity. You can't just run away now because you think things might get rocky. Of course they're going to get rocky! You fight with Arnold more than any other classmate we've ever had and look at you now!" She could see that her words were possibly bringing some sense into her friend. "But you'll never know unless you let things take their course. You have to look up, stay strong and take things as they come… after all, part of wedding vows are 'for better or for worse' right?"
Her best friend's words sank into her heart and brought a little ease throughout the frustrated girl's body. Her words made sense; they always did with Phoebe which is why she was her best friend. No matter what sort of crisis Helga was having, Phoebe always had some way to explain it in a way to make her understand it a little better, or in the very least, offer a few suggestions to make whatever it was somewhat easier. "Phoebe's right…" Helga admitted to herself. "I shouldn't be so afraid of letting things take its course." She continued to stare out at the rain and let the noises of the water tapping up against the window soothe her. "So what if he loves me? That's okay, right?" She asked her reflection. "He already knows me well enough to know I don't always mean some of the nasty things I do. I just can't help it if I run away sometimes… it's part of who I am, right? Heck, maybe I'll even grow out of it one day… Maybe he'll even… help me."
Helga's thoughts were stopped when she could hear the wooden boards above her begin to make some noise. It was obvious that Arnold was still in his room and the realization of this made her want to go to him and apologize to him for something she hadn't even actually done yet. He would understand, right? Arnold was always an understanding type of guy but how much of a basket case would she really have to be, to just barge in his room and start apologizing for things she might do in the future? It was absolutely nuts and she knew it.
Clutching her locket with all the love inside her being, Helga put it away and looked towards the door. "At the very least, I should check up on him." She decided out loud. "It's not every day that I might get the opportunity to console his weary body. Maybe he'll even let me touch him…" She finished with a loud swoon after considering the possibilities.