Written By Shaun Blankenship

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She stood quivering at the doorbell to her own house. Not Robert's bed and breakfast, but Pataki headquarters. She debated inside of her mind: Come on, you know your dad would love you coming home. You know your mother no doubt misses you. You know that Miriam pledged the dress Olga wore to prom when it was time. She owes it to you. She went for it and pushed the button.

A half-awake, fully hung-over Big Bob Pataki answered the door. "Wha... wha-who's there?" He opened his eyes and saw his daughter staring back at him. "Helga?"

"Bob," she calmly began, "I know we had our problems but-"

Before she could finish the sentence, Bob wrapped his arms around her. "Oh, Helga! Come on in!"

She fidgeted her shoulders in his tight grip. "Yeah, I would if you'd just let go of me…"

He loosened his arms and put them at his side. "Oh, yeah, sure. Come on in and take a seat! Crimeny, how've you been?"

She slowly crept through the oh-so-familiar doorway and on to the living room couch. Bob quickly followed her and made his way to the recliner. Helga cleared her throat to answer her father. "I've been great. You?"

With no hesitation, he responded, "Terrible! Ab-so-lutely terrible!"

"Yeah," she said rubbing the back of her neck. "I didn't really expect you to answer the door. I thought you worked today."

"What?" he groggily asked. "Oh, yeah. I haven't been to work very much recently. Usually I'll have my assistant manager Doug run the store while I just get paid for owning the joint."

***

A customer approached the clerk sitting by the cash register reading a dirt bike magazine. "Hi, I'd like to buy a beeper but I'm not sure which one is right for me."

The clerk reached over to a bag of a cheese curls under the counter and popped a few into his mouth. "So?" he mumbled.

"Um, I was wondering if you could assist me in my purchase. What do you think is good for me?"

After filling his mouth with another handful of cheese curls, he managed to let out, "That's not my job. Buy something or get out."

The customer stared at the clerk with a face full of question. "Can I see your superior, sir?"

"I am my superior," he bragged as he flipped the page. "But I can see you out to this store unless you buy something. Get on with it."

***

"Yeah, business isn't doing that well, the house is falling apart. A few weeks ago, my foot fell through one of the stairs. Had to have a guy come out and put down new wood for each step." Bob put his hands on the recliner's armrests and leaned forward. "You want something to drink?"

Helga waved and shook her head. "Nah, I'm fine."

"Sure?" he asked as he stood up. "Milk, water, pop, beer?"

"Nah, I'm okay." She rested her hands on top of her knees. "You don't need to feed me."

"Oh," uttered Bob as he sat back in the chair. "Okay then. Well, why'd you come back?"

Helga twiddled her thumbs and stared at the carpet. "There's actually two reasons I came. One was because I haven't talked to you since the incident and felt kind of bad about it."

"No," dismissed Bob. "Nope, that was all me there. I'm sorry I blew up at you that night. I've been a complete wreck ever since you left."

"Yeah, I heard." She looked up and smiled slightly. "The other reason'll sound kind of selfish. Remember how mom said I could have Olga's old dress when I had my prom?"

"That's not selfish," stated Bob bluntly. "Heck, we promised that to you. Take it, it's upstairs. When's your prom?"

"Tonight." Her focus returned to the ugly carpet of the Pataki living room. "I need it for tonight."

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather have a new dress? I mean you're a little old for your sister's hand-me-downs." Helga reached in his back pocket for his wallet. "Do you need some money?"

"Dad, I appreciate your offer, but this way's easier." Her attention shifted from the ugly carpet to a really bad family photo of the mid-eighties Patakis on the wall, with Helga as a scowling little toddler. "Besides, I really like that dress."

"You always said you hated it."

"That was just my youth talking," Helga snickered. "Can I have the dress?"

"Yeah, sure." Bob pointed up to the upper level of the house. "It's in the guest room's closet. Can't miss it."

"Thanks, Dad." Helga got up from the couch and hugged her father.

Bob returned the kindness and patted her back as he hugged her. "Yeah, your welcome, Helga."

***

Before entering the extra bedroom, she stopped down the hall to her old room. It was left almost the way she left it. All of her stuff was gone, but it seemed like everything was positioned to look like she still lived there. All the pictures that she smashed and knocked down were posted back up in better than perfect condition. The old frames had been replaced with newer, flawless ones. The carpet had definitely been replaced but only to show a deeper color. The bed had freshly cleaned sheets and an unopened comforter on it. The closet had new outfits Helga had never seen before hanging in it with the tags still attached. I guess Bob really wanted me back, she thought to herself.

On top of her bookshelf was a picture new to her room. It was of Bob holding her on his shoulders when she was five. The background looked like an amusement park of some sort. It wasn't Dinoland, but something close to it. It might have been a small, city carnival. Whatever the case, it was an odd picture. She had that same pink dress on like she always had, where as Bob had a black sweater with a larger brown, horizontal stripe in the middle. There were no other family members in the shot. There wasn't even anybody in the background with an identifiable face. It was almost surreal: just her and her father actually having a good time.

***

She came down the stairs holding a clothes hanger with a large white zipping cover. "Found the dress."

"It's the only thing in that closet," said Bob turning away from the TV. A football game must've been in progress when she came over because it was back on now. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, I'm good." She grinned, thinking of more she could ask for. "Actually, Dad, I was wondering if you had maybe twenty bucks."

He immediately reached back for the wallet. "Yeah, I got twenty smackers in here."

Helga laid the dress on the couch and took the twenty of her father's hand. "I was also wondering if… I could move back in."

She cringed back expecting the powerful laugh of Big Bob Pataki. Ha! Move back here! Once you're out, you're out, missy! Ain't no turning back! Any moment now, she knew he was going to hit her with it.

"Sure! Anytime! Whenever you want to! Do you wanna move in today?"

Helga let go of her unconsciously balled fists and opened her eyes. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah!" His look of delight quickly flipped to suspicion. "Why, what's wrong? Are you hiding from somebody? Are things terrible at your new place?"

"No, it's fine over there," she explained. "It's just too… wholesome. His family is too connected together, I'm not charged that much of a rent now that I have a job, and they actually cook a well-balanced breakfast every morning." Helga plopped herself on to the sofa next to Bob, making sure she didn't sit on the dress. "It's like I'm living with the Cleavers."

Bob started laughing in that whole-heartedly fashion Helga had earlier been frightened of. "Yeah, I know how that is. Think a little dysfunction'll straighten you out?"

She chuckled lightly. "Something along the lines of that. I can't move back in today though. Can you give me until next weekend?"

"Honey, you go ahead and just park yourself back in whenever you want. The sooner the better, better late than never."

"Alright." She stood back up and held out her hand. "Well… thanks for everything. I'll be back next weekend."

"Fine," he happily responded while shaking her hand.

"Hey, where's Miriam?"

He slumped down in the recliner. "Well, she's out and about. After you left, she took some job processing loans or some crap like that. She's hardly ever home anymore."

She clapped her hands and rubbed them. "I'm gonna have to talk to her tomorrow or something then. I'll see you next weekend, Dad." With that, she grabbed the dress and headed towards the door.

Big Bob waved from his recliner. "See ya, Helga."

As she closed the front door, she smiled and sighed. Not once did he get my name wrong.

***

"So," Helga mumbled in the front seat with the Limousine chauffeur. "How's business? Do you drive Princess back there everywhere?"

The man this time was a large, bulky man with no hair and almost no eyes. The squints that did squeeze onto his face were maybe wide enough for only the littlest of light to get through. How he actually saw where he was driving Helga had no idea. In a thick, taxi-driver like accent, the man replied, "Nah, I'm just for tonight. Her father pretty much owns the company I work for. They usually sent some other guy with a name I can't remember."

A voice drifted up from the call button. "Romero is the usual driver. Mind you, we can hear anything you say back here without you pressing a button. It's not fixed yet."

The man smiled and looked at Helga, raising his eyebrows up. "We'll be more respectful, Miss Lloyd." He smiled and put his attention back on the road.

Helga propped her elbow on the bottom of the door window and rested her face inside of her palm. The lights on the lampposts sped by rapidly like shooting stars in the sky. Helga put her arm down and leaned into the intercom speaker. "Hey, Mac, did you hear about that disease floating around? That one you can catch from even the slightest physical touch of a carrier? Some people may be harboring the disease and not even know it themselves. Death is pretty much imminent after six hours. Have you had yourself checked recently?" She grimaced and pointed to the speaker.

The chauffeur smiled and leaned over a little himself to a position where he would not be diverted from the road. "Why, yes, I did. In fact, I heard the cleaning guy has it. As soon as he was done with this car, he had to be rushed to the hospital. You don't suppose that the disease could survived for a half-hour in the fabric of the seats?"

Helga's mouth cracked as if to laugh but made no sound. "Are you kidding? A super-virus like that, I bet it could last five years in that backseat!"

***

Robert and Rhonda unlocked their mouths and stared at the speaker. Robert smirked at Rhonda. "That would be Helga."

Rhonda leaned back; her black hair tied back in an eloquent fashion. "I know."

He sat frozen in his tuxedo just gazing at her. "What'll happen after school's out with us?"

She shrugged and glanced to the roof of the car. "I don't know. Where are you going to college?"

"Pittsburgh Institution of Art." He turned and looked at the partition; anything to get away from looking at her face while he told of his pathetic college plans. "I figure after I've been there a few years, I could maybe work my way to another college. I wanna be an art teacher."

Rhonda nodded. "Well, that's a respectable job. I'll be going to Harvard Law."

His mouth opened and said, "Really now," yet inside he was thinking I believe I already saw that movie. "Are you going to become a lawyer or something?"

"Nope," she answered. "With a background like that, I'll be able to know when people are screwing me over. After all, just telling people you visited Harvard is like saying you went to high school with the Pope."

***

Helga backed to the far back of the seat whenever she spoke to the driver. It was almost comical to watch to her, but yet it caused her voice to miss the receiving microphone in front of her. "I never caught your name there, Slim."

The hefty man behind the wheel slowed the car down to the light. "Jonathan. What's that book down by your feet?"

She was pressed against the back of the seat, almost imitating somebody climbing a mountain with their back to the wall, looking down at the book on the floor of the Limo. "Oh, that. It's a personal momento I have to return to somebody."

"Isn't this Prom though?" The man tapped the gas gently as soon as the light turned green. "I mean, couldn't this have waited for some other time? Are you just gonna give it back during the middle of the dance?"

Helga nodded. "Yeah, something along the lines of that." She glared her eyes over without moving her head. "Trust me; it'll all work in out in a big, Hollywood ending. It serves a purpose."

"Hey, it's your dance, not mine." The squinty-eyed man kept his narrow gaze on the lines of the road. "Just thought it was kind of weird for somebody to bring a book to Prom."

***

The location was out in the countryside. A large, castle-like building set out by itself stood out as a giant crouching down in a field. It was a "meeting hall" according to the school. There was no fence to protect it, but there was a long drive equipped with surveillance cameras on posts.

Helga turned to the chauffeur. "Where do you go when we leave the car?"

The man shrugged as he navigated through the twisting driveway. "I'll just be sitting in the parking lot waiting for youse guys to get out. Have you ever seen 'Die Hard'?"

Helga nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Then why are you asking a stupid question like that?" The man sighed and pulled up to the front of the building. "I've got a bunch of cassettes in the trunk of this car. Good thing that this car has an awesome stereo."

"That's it?" she asked as the limousine parked in front of the building. "You're just gonna sit here and listen to music?"

"Aw, nah." He took his hand off the wheel and reached in his pocket, pulling out a small, blue rectangular piece of plastic. "Game Boy Color."

***

Jonathan opened the door for Rhonda and Robert, forcing to break their grip with each other as they exited. Helga stood beside him watching, shaking her head in a false sense of disapproval. "Robbie-Robbie-Robbie, you lady killer."

Ignoring what she said but acknowledging her speaking to him, Robert immediately stepped out of the car and went to her. "Are you sure Jim's gonna be here later?"

"I know the guy," she convincingly bluffed. "He wouldn't stand me up for something this big. Especially with how much a ticket costs."

Robert's eyes shifted to Rhonda and back on her. "Okay then. Are you coming inside or are you gonna sit out here and wait."

"I'm going inside, doi!" She crossed her arms against the fine fabric of her dress. "You think I'm gonna sit out here with Jon? There's a dance in there, Rob!"

"Yeah," he explained. "You don't ever go to dances. I thought maybe you'd wait until you had someone to dance with."

"Nah, there's food in there. I'll be sippin' punch until he shows up." After have saying that, shock instantly shot up her spine and she clapped her hands together. "Wait, I left something in the front of the car. I'll meet you guys inside."

Robert nodded, somewhat symbolizing regret. "Okay, then." He turned away from her and walked inside with his arm around Rhonda's waist.

Helga turned to her left, not until then realizing that Jonathan was at least a foot taller than her. He could've been bouncing people out of the prom and making some decent money of he wanted. She patted him on the inside of his elbow. "All that stuff I said, don't take it into offense. You have a good night."

"You too." He finally closed the Limo door. "Don't forget your book there."

She was already on her way to the passenger seat. "I won't."

***

Sid stood by the punch bowl with Stinky. "Couldn't find a date, huh?"

He glanced down wistfully at the red liquid in his cup. "Noper. You too."

"Nah, I'm going with the brunette over there." He pointed across the crowd to one of the girls dancing on the floor. "You see her?"

"Wow, Sid, she sure is purty. How in the heck'd you get a girl like that?"

Sid took a sip of his glass and gusted proudly, "I'm paid for her tickets on the grounds that she would dance with me tonight so I'm not the loser without a date standing by the punch bowl."

Stinky nodded, but quickly whipped his head in question at Sid. "Then why aren't you dancing with her?"

With the same proud tone, he responded, "Because, Stinky, I don't know how to dance."

***

Gerald, Phoebe, Harold, Patty, and Arnold sat across from each other inside of the white Limo: Gerald, Phoebe, and Arnold on the rear and Harold and Patty closer to the partition (It's the only way this gonna work Gerald had said. You're not gonna fit in the same seat as Harold and Patty.). The radio was going and playing an oldies station; some song from the seventies called "Hair of the Dog".

They sat there, staring awkwardly at one another, both leery about whether or not it was okay to be affectionate with their dates… all but Arnold, of course, who wished that nobody would so he wouldn't be the only odd one in the car.

Phoebe decided to break the silence up between the group. "So, Arnold, you couldn't find anybody to go with?"

His elbow was propped against the tinted window with his face in his hand. "Everybody found someone. It's okay, though. I'm sure to have a good time either way." He smiled to the group but turned back to the window, rhythmically tapping his fingers against his cheek.

Gerald grinned over to Patty and Harold. "So, how've you two been?"

Patty shrugged and responded, "Good."

Gerald smiled from ear-to-ear. "Good!" Has that girl's voice gotten deeper or is it just me? "That's good!" He pushed the button to talk to the driver. "Yo, Rudy!"

The partition parted and the driver, an anorexicly skinny black man, smiled over to Gerald. "Yes?"

"Hey, how much longer until we're there?"

The man smiled revealing a mouthful of perfectly white teeth. He coolly spoke back, "Don't worry, man. We're getting' there. It'll be about six more minutes, G-Force."

"Aight," Gerald said as he pointed to driver. "You're awesome, Rudy."

When the partition was rolled up, Arnold turned to Gerald and smiled. "This is a… pretty nice ride, G-Force.

Gerald smiled right back. "Rudy's a friend of the family. He's cool, man. We're getting' a fifty percent discount."

***

There was to be a live band performing, one by the name of Logan 6, on the small stage in the room but it hadn't arrived yet. Being well prepared for the situation, the prom organizers secured a DJ if the band wasn't coming. Logan 6 was still going to show, but not until later into the evening, so until they're arrival the DJ was slightly off to the side of the stage with his equipment plugged into the amplifiers. Nobody seemed to notice, yet nobody seemed to care.

Helga stood next an arch to side of the room. It led to a hall with bathrooms and a kitchen. She stood clenching the book behind her book in her hands, and at the same time using it to soften the edge of the arch's sides. Where is he? Is he even here yet?

***

The bathrooms were huge and luxurious. The men's room had eight stalls and ten urinals, plus a couch like Park had always been told the women's bathroom had. Every time he had heard someone talk of a woman's bathroom, the discussion of it having a couch came up. Now he finally found a men's room with a couch. Life was good. He wasn't going to sit on it, but he had proved the impossible possible.

The only thing that did not seem to fit was a small, dirty window in the wall a yard above the sinks and just left of the counter. While he was washing his hands, it had started to slowly creak open. Okay, he thought to himself. What's going on? A black shoe then poked its way in, followed by somebody yelling, "He went around the corner!" A struggling "oof" was uttered and eventually Curly fell through the window and onto the tile floor.

After standing up and dusting off, he looked over to Park and grinned. "Hey, buddy! What's up?"

Park turned the cold water knob off and stared at Curly, continuously pointing at the window and at him while shrugging in confusion. "Why? I thought you bought a ticket."

Very calmly, he adjusted the sleeves on his tux and straightened his hair out. "See, I was walking through the park when a seven-foot bear came out of nowhere and started to pound the life out of me. Then when he was done, my pockets had been shred opened and the prom ticket fell out. When I picked it up, I was immediately surround by a Japanese Ninja biker gang named the Hong Kong Kings, HKK for short."

Park rolled his eyes back. "Curly, you are so full of…"

"AND THEN THE LEADER," be belted out with his arms outstretched, "a man by the name of Tao-Gan Funishi, came over to me with an icy gaze of death in his eyes. He pulled out a American quarter and flipped in the air, while he said… 'Ooh mus' fight us or you sha' die!' And I gripped him by his jacket and said, 'I will destroy you in less than twenty-seven seconds. This much is promised.'

"I karate kicked the guy to the left of me." He motioned the moves with his hands as he spoke. "Then I went HAH-TAH-TAH," his arms were stuck outward and sliced through the air, "to the guy on the right of me! Then I jumped on that guy's shoulders, back-flipped in the air, and fell with my arms strangling the guy behind me. Then I propped myself on top of his neck, swung around, kicked the leader in the gut and sent him flying into a tree! WHA-TAI-TAH-TAHHHHHHHH! But then the guy between the guy on the left and behind me pulled out a gun and pointed it right in my ear. They reached at my hand, twisted it while at the same time holding a pressure point, forcing me to drop the prom ticket. Then one of them CRACKED me on the nape of my neck and knocked me unconscious.

"I woke up on a fishing boat surrounded by four Inuit fishermen, collecting tuna to be canned for Russia. They were nice enough to give me a ride back to the city through the dock, but when we landed they pulled large Arabian swords on me. You know the type; they're really fat with the little curve next to the tip. They wanted all the money in my pockets but I was broke. So I jump-kicked the first guy in the face, leaned over and snapped the second guy's neck, rolled back and stepped on the third one's spine, and kneed the last guy in the stomach and caused him to fall with pain. Then I went home, got dressed, and came here."

Park stood by the sink still, stunned by Curly's creativity. "Did you lose it or something?"

"Nah," she uttered. "Helga mugged me."

Park's eyes widened at the sound of the event. "I feel so sorry for you."

***

Gerald's Limo pulled up to the front of the building. Rudy rolled down the partition to talk to him. "Hey, man, you want me to get the doors and all? Because I feel at fifty percent off, you're getting' fifty percent the service."

Gerald shook his head. "Nah, man. We're cool. Arnold, can you get the door?"

Without any expression, he opened the door next to him and stepped out, followed by everybody else in the Limousine. He walked to the driver-side window and gave the Limo driver a ten-dollar bill. "I feel it's at least my contribution for the evening."

Rudy took the money and held it in his hand outside the window. "Am I driving you home or are you getting dropped off at Gerald's house?"

"Gerald's house."

He took Arnold's hand and placed the bill back into it. "You keep that, man. I don't want that. Have a good night."

Arnold put the bill back in his pocket. "Thanks, Rudy. You have a nice evening too."

As Arnold walked away, Rudy turned to the passenger seat where he had a PSone with an attached LCD screen. "Oh, you know I will, buddy."

***

The DJ gripped the speaker and started turning down the current song playing. "That was 'Gossip Folks'. Now, I bet you've all been waiting for it: Logan 6! Logan 6, everybody!"

The band was already standing on the stage with their instruments turned on. The lead singer, a very shaggy haired man about twenty-eight years old with a letterman jacket for Adams High School, approached the mic with a very fake British accent and said, "Hello, Hillwood High School, class of…" He turned tot he man playing the bass guitar. "Hey, what year is it?"

The man with the guitar shook his head and shrugged. "Last time I checked, it had been eighty-seven. That was a while ago."

He turned back to the audience, now heavily impatient and just wanting some music to be played. "Any requests?"

Helga cupped her hands over her mouth to bullhorn her voice. "YEAH! HOW ABOUT PUTTING THE DJ BACK ON! YOU STINK!"

"Just for that," the man said while pointing over to Helga, "we get to decide. This one's an oldie but goodie…"

"JUST PLAY THE SONG ALREADY, YOU HACKS!"

"It's called 'Gonna Have a Good Time!'" He scowled away from the audience and signaled to the drummer to start playing. "YEEEEEAAAAAHHHH!"

Helga backed off the wall while the band started playing, instantly rushing to Arnold as he walked through the door. "Arnold, come with."

The boy stood confused, his thoughts agreeing with his mouth. Huh? "What?"

She yanked his hand away from his pocket and pulled him over to the kitchen, still holding the book out of view from Arnold. "Come with. Follow me."

Being practically dragged by the arm, he followed Helga.

***

"Ow!" he yelled as soon as he had his arm free. "What's going on?"

"Where's your date?" She interrogated with her hands behind her back. They were standing in the middle of the large kitchen at a square counter in the middle of the room. Arnold stood on one side while Helga was at the other. "Did you stag it up tonight or what?"

"Huh?" After pausing for a minute with his hands to his forehead, he held on to what she was saying. "I couldn't find a date. Why? Where's your date?"

She pulled the book from out behind her and slammed it onto the counter. "This is."

Arnold scrambled for the book and held in front of himself to make sure he wasn't imagining it. "Oh, great! You're stealing from me again? What do I have to do, bar my windows?"

"As much of a good idea that is, don't get off subject." She walked around the counter and over to Arnold. "I read it."

Trying to pull off a good front, he placed the book on the counter and rested his arm on it while facing her. "What? Are you angry at all the stuff I say about you in it or something?"

She smacked across the side of his face, leaving a red mark of her hand that lasted for ten seconds or so. "I didn't really read that much, but if so you disserved that."

Arnold rubbed at his cheek. "Ow! How much did you read?"

"Enough," she said smiling.

Arnold's eyes shifted from her and to the book, from her and to the book. "So…" Shifted from her and to the book. "What are you trying to say?" Shifted from her and to the book.

"Arnold!" She through her hands up and walked over to a large refrigerator. She spun around and put her arms down. "Admit it! While I was sitting here, suffering from being shut out into the cold after you denied me emotion, you were secretly harboring feelings for me! The proof's all there; not only in black and white, but also in your handwriting!" She moved back over to the other side of the counter across from Arnold. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He tapped his fingers slowly on the counter. "Well… there's…"

"What?" She pounded her fist down on the counter. "When were you gonna tell me?"

"Hey!" He was now shouting and pointing back at her. "How long did you wait before telling me; twelve, thirteen years? All of sudden, you expect me to drop the same bomb as you and watch the havoc unfold?"

"I didn't lie though!"

"And with the way you treat me and everybody else in the world, how can you expect me to proudly say, 'Hey, there's Helga! The meanest girl on the face of Earth! Boy-oh-boy, do I like her!' Face reality!" He was breathing heavily. Being a very passive person, this couldn't be good for his throat. I guarantee I will have no voice tomorrow. His face glowed red with anger. "You are one of the most despised people I know!"

"Oh, shut up with that crap!" Once again, she walked over to his side of the counter. "Do you think it was easy for me to admit the way I did! I have been stumbling over you for my entire childhood! Do you think I can just go, 'Hey, there's goody-goody Arnold! I wonder if he likes girls with one eyebrow?' My decision was just as hard as yours was if not harder, and I actually acted towards it! If I hadn't taken your journal, I would've never known!"

"Once again, maybe you shouldn't steal from me then!"

***

Park was currently dancing with the girl Sid had paid for. "Hey, did you just hear something?"

She stopped and paused in the middle of the dance floor. "I can't hear anything over the music!" she yelled back.

"Huh," he said, scratching his head. "Must've been my imagination."

***

"I'm sorry things didn't go your way, but come on! You can't blame your problems on my secrets!"

"No, but I can blame them on how you lied to me about them!" She punched the counter with what seemed to be almost every other word. "I came to your house and you said that you couldn't return my feelings and then repeatedly kept telling me you had no interest in me! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME!"

"Because I was confused!" He took two steps back from her to make sure he wouldn't lose his hearing by the end of the night as well. "I didn't know what to do with you just there! Then again, I didn't really plan on coming here and getting lectured tonight!" He put his arms out with his hands stretched flat and took a deep breath. "There is a Prom going on out there, our Prom, and I'm missing it because of a freakin' book!"

"Just say it!" She said, moving towards him and pushing him on his shoulders. "Just say it!"

"You already know, what good is me saying it gonna do?"

"I want to hear you say it!" She kept moving towards him, pushing him, until he was against another counter next to a stovetop range. "Just say it!"

"Why?"

"JUST SAY IT!"

***

"I swear I heard something!" Park stopped dancing once again with the girl and stuck his ear out to listen. "You swear you didn't hear that?"

She put both hands atop of his shoulders. "Boy, if you stop dancing with me one more time, I'm gonna punch you in the face."

Park looked at her and shrugged. "Okay, then."

***

"Fine! I love you!"

She moved in closer to him and narrowed closer into his face. "What did you say?"

"What?" Arnold held his arms out in confusion. "First, you force me to say it, now you want me to repeat it! Is nothing ever goo enough for y-"

Helga cut off his sentence and began embracing him. She pulled off with her arms wrapped around him. "Oh, Arnold… you do love me…"

"Oh," Arnold protested. "Now that you have all of the yelling out of your system, you're just gonna act-"

"Boy, shut up! You're spoiling the moment." She moved in again and kissed him. This time when she released him, he fell to the floor on his face.

"Arnold?" Helga bent down, bushing her dress out of the way of Arnold's torso. "Arnold?"

***

Robert and Rhonda stood at the punch bowl with Nadine and Brainy. Nadine was explaining the events the day before that led to her being there. "And then I finally asked him to go to Prom, after already buying his tickets beforehand, he finally said yes! Didn't ya, Brainy?"

He was stuttered and panted his way to his message: "Um… uh… yeah."

Nadine grabbed at his cheek. "Isn't he just adorable?"

Rhonda smiled and looked to Robert. She raised her eyebrows and looked back to Nadine. "I was really expecting you to show up with Peapod or something."

"Well, you were wrong, weren't you?" She grabbed at Brainy's shoulders, seeming to almost shield herself with his body. "Brainy here is all I'll ever need. Isn't that right, Brainy."

"Um… uh… okay."

Helga rushed across the room over to Rhonda, catching breath as soon as she got to the table. "Rhonda… phone… Arnold… Hey, Brainy, you're going out with Nadine?"

Nadine smiled and answered for him, "Yes, we are. I had to 'stalk' it out of him."

Helga turned over to Brainy. "I thought you said she wasn't the stalker."

"Uh… um… lied."

She nodded. "Hmm. Interesting."

Rhonda cleared her throat. "Helga? You were saying?"

She stood up from the table and straightened her dress out. "Do you have your cell phone? Arnold passed out and hit his head hard on the floor. I think he should have a doctor look at it. It's swelling up really bad."

Rhonda looked around as if it were on the table a minute ago. "It's in the Limo. Just go out to the parking lot, it's on the backseat."