Request from my Tumblr

"You're in love with her."

It wasn't a question, but Arnold felt Gerald watching him closely nonetheless.

"Yep."

"...so-o?"

Arnold leaned deeper into the old bean bag chair, releasing a long, drawn out sigh instead of attempting to verbalize what he was thinking.

A car horn blared, sounding much farther away from where the two teenagers were, high up in the old tree house from they're youth.

The blond heard his companion shift in his own worn out bean bag chair with a sigh of his own.

"She's just...so…?"

Another sigh, "I know, I know."

"Do you?"

Arnold finally looked over at him with defeated eyes, "It's always been complicated, Gerald."

"I don't think the word 'complicated' does the two of you justice, man."

Arnold offered a weak huff of laughter, "Yeah, well, it's all I've got."

"What the hell are you going to do?"

Arnold's lips thinned, "I...I don't exactly know."

Gerald watched him carefully for a moment before asking, "How long have you—"

"A while."

Gerald's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Then, wait...so what's—"

"She loves me, too."

Gerald's jaw dropped, and he noticed the color filling his friend's cheeks at the admission. After several moments of silence, Gerald's face contorted in confusion, "Wait...if, if she feels the same way, then…"

Arnold sighed again, "This is Helga we're talking about, remember? Helga G. Pataki? She'd rather rip each and every individual hair off her head then deal with her feelings."

"Well I can see someone has picked up her flare for the dramatic," Gerald muttered, earning a glare from the troubled teen.

"My point is," Arnold explained, "is that for as long as I've known her, Helga Pataki runs from her feelings, not towards them." He looked away with a pained expression, "I've been chasing after her for so long, but...apart of me has always hoped that maybe she'd chase after me for once because it's what she decided to do. No excuses, no elaborate plans, or high stake situations, just...her telling me how she feels."

"...yeah, sorry man but...I just don't see the happening," Gerald said frankly.

Arnold whipped his head around, eyes wide in surprise, "What—"

"I mean, I guess it could, I dunno know. You know her better than me, but this is the same girl who somehow manages to find a way to not wear an actual costume to Rhonda's annual mandatory costumes only party every year for the last 3 years. I heard Rhonda was actually trying to figure out a way to make sure Helga wouldn't be able to get out of it this year. It's only May. The amount of sheer stubbornness she possesses is astounding. You really think that, at least at this point in her young life, she would willingly admit how she feels about you, out loud to your face, without being under some kind of duress?" Gerald sunk back into the bean bag and shook his head, "Come on, man."

Arnold sat there blinking for a few seconds, taking in everything his best friend had just said. Then, with a final sigh, he relaxed his shoulders and asked, "What do you think I should do?"

Gerald was thoughtful for a moment before answering, "Just tell her how you feel. No bells, no whistles. Let the ball be in her court."

Arnold straightened (as much as one can in a bean bag chair), "M-me? You want me to do it?"

"Why not?"

"Well, b...because…."

"You know how you feel about her. You love her. Why not just tell her?"

"But, I'm not ready tell her!" Arnold admitted in a panic, his cheeks burning.

Gerald held up his hands in defense, and quickly replied, "I'm not saying you have to tell her now. You can tell her when you're ready!" He saw Arnold visibly relax, and he added, "All I'm saying is that you might need to be the one to say it first."

He relaxed back into his seat, watching Arnold absorb the suggestion before leaning back into his own chair with a more relaxed expression, "Okay."

The two sat in companionable silence for a minute, before Arnold glanced over to his friend.

"Hey, Gerald?"

"Hmm?"

"...Thanks."

Gerald smiled, and without looking over at him, he reached out his hand for their age-old secret handshake. Arnold met it with his own, and they both sat back in their chairs, enjoying each other's company.