Sixth Grade Beginnings

Chapter 30

I have to stay calm. There has to be a reasonable explanation for this. Arnold thought as he chewed his food slowly, half listening to the banter around him. He could feel his heart start to race again and did his best not to show his frustrations to anyone else at the table. I know there is nothing going on between them romantically... but why does it bother me so much that she's messaging him? Just what's going on between them that I don't know about?

In all of his years of knowing the two, there was one thing he knew for certain and that was the relationship between the two in question was very one sided. Brainy had confided in Arnold about his affections for the girl but it was clear through their interactions that it would never be mutual. Knowing what he knew about Helga now, it was obvious why but this still did not subdue the emotions that Arnold was doing his best to bottle up. Was this why she asked me what I knew about him? And she was talking about something illegal... Fear started to add with the mess of emotions he already had, as he considered the possibilities of her being mixed up in even more than he knew. Why hasn't she talked to me about this yet?

Arnold's thought process was interrupted by Helga suddenly laughing at a story that Ernie was telling her.

"Oh man, that's rich!" She said, with what looked to be a genuine smile.

"It was, trust me!" Mr. Potts replied as he waved his fork around. "You should have seen the look on that protesters face! The realization that the building was coming down no matter what, really hit him like a ton of bricks... if you know what I'm saying." He smirked at his own joke.

"That's the sort of job I can get behind..." Helga mused as she poked around her food; all of her attention on him. "Seems like a great way to relieve stress."

"I'm telling ya, I've never needed a therapist!" He nodded in response. "Just pull the lever and BAM all your tensions are gone! It's almost like the wrecking ball is smashing it all away with every swing." Ernie took a bite of his food then had a thought. "Hey! Maybe you can come to the site sometime and I'll let you pull the lever. I've brought Arnold before so why the heck not?"

"Really?" Helga seemed almost a little too happy at the offer.

Looking over at Arnold, Ernie smiled. "I really like your friend here, Arnold. Got a good head on her shoulders. Perfect for demolition."

Not really knowing how to respond, Arnold simply smiled back before taking another bite of his food and allowing them to continue. He was happy that Helga had finally taken to eating with them, at least for right now. In a way, this was just another step of her opening up and coming out of her shell. He wondered how she was feeling as he watched her laugh again at whatever Mr. Potts was saying. He wondered what she was feeling before she entered his room and what her ultimate goal actually was in going there. Was it for the snacks or were they just a cover up for the email? Arnold remembered how nervous she looked when he suddenly caught her and it only made the whole thing even more damning to him. Was she trying to keep her exchanges with Brainy a secret? Was she in over her head in something dangerous? And most importantly, why wasn't she telling him?

"Arnold?" His mother's voice brought him back to the table. "Sweetie, you've hardly eaten your food." She noticed, pointing to his plate where there was only a few bites missing. "Is it okay?"

Seeing his mother's unease made him take another bite. "It's good!" He insisted with a forced smile. "I just have something on my mind."

His words caught the ears of Helga, but she continued to feign listening to her side conversation while listening to the more important one across the table.