(Back. Computer issues)

"This has gone on long enough!" Helga declared, standing up and banging her fist onto the table, making both Lila and Arnold jump. "We've sat by and done nothing long enough. It's time for action!"
Lila and Arnold both exchanged worried looks. It never bode well for anyone when Helga got ideas in her head. Though they would admit that, yes, she was an excellent match-maker (if she liked you), she had a bit of a dramatic flare when it came to executing her plans and ideas. Usually a lot of poetic, dramatic, nonsense.
It had been two weeks since Phoebe and Gerald had broken up. Rhonda had happily wrapped Phoebe under her "wing", and she now sat with her regularly. Her parents had inquired about Gerald, but she just told them she didn't want to talk about it.
Gerald sat with the basketball team. They hadn't spoken to each other, and had made it awkward for Arnold and Helga. Which in turn cut into their together time. It also didn't help that a couple of girls were sniffing around Gerald. It made Phoebe even angrier.
"What are you thinking?" Lila asked warily.
It was very rare that Arnold ever felt the need to strike someone, but right now he could have slapped Lila for egging Helga on. He groaned inwardly when his girlfriends lips twitched wickedly. He should probably warn his parents. Just in case they needed them to come bail them out.
"Romance!" she said dramatically, hand shaping an invisible rainbow. Arnold swallowed his food. Helga's idea of romance was a little . . . what was a nice word to say smothering?
"Okay," Lila said, smiling happily. Arnold glared at her. "Where do we start?"
"Mrs. Vitello's," she said. "A big bunch of Phoebe's favourite flowers."
"That's it?" Arnold asked, Half surprised, half hoping.
Helga looked down on him. "No, Arnold. We need to set up a romantic dinner, too."
she pointed to Lila. "Flowers!" Then she pointed to Arnold. "Reservations!"
she sat down and smiled. "I'll handle the rest."

….

"Hello, Mrs. Vitello," Lila said, smiling and walking over to the elderly lady. "How are you today?"
"Oh, Lila, sweetheart, I'm fine," she said raspily. She was slightlyl hunched these days. Lila often came in to help her on weekends, and all the girls came together during Valentines to help with all the floral arrangments. Even Rhonda would join them.
"I'm needing to put together a bouqet for a friend to give to his girlfriend," Lila said. "Is it okay if I take a look and then put something together?"
"Go right ahead, dear, and don't worry about paying for it," Mrs. Vitello smiled. "It's on the house."
"Thankyou ever so much," Lila said sweetly, then made her way around. Okay, Helga had said Phoebe loved lillies but was allergic to . . . oh, what was it? She searched in her pocket for the piece of paper Helga had written it all down on, but couldn't find it.
"Oh dear," she whispered. Sliding her bag off her shoulder and placing it on the floor she decided to search through her bag. She bit her lip, then started chewing it. It was in her pockets and wasn't in her bag. Where was it?
"Lila dear, are you okay?" Mrs. Vitello asked, coming over to her.
"Oh, yes, I just lost the piece of paper that had a list of her favourite flowers and which she was allergic to."

"Oh, well, how about we work with what you do know she likes, and go from there?" the woman asked kindly. Lila smiled and nodded.

….

"Hi, reservation for two please," Arnold said over the phone. "Tomorrow night sounds fine. Under Johansson. Thank-you. Yes, I'll ring tomorriw to confirm."
Arnold quickly wrote down the details and Chez Paris, then pinned it to the wall, then went off to find his girlfriend and let her know his part was done.
"Oh, Arnold," Suzy called out. Arnold stopped, hand on the door. What now? "There's a weird sound coming from the kitchen sink. Do you think you could have a look at it?"
"Isn't dad here?" he asked.
"Oh, him and your mother rushed off in a hurry today. Something about artifacts and the museum and som interns mistake or something . . ."
Arnold rolled his eyes. Typical. His parents were good at disappearing.
"Okay, I just need to check on something and I'll be right-"
WHOOSH!
"Oh my God!" Suzy screamed, tumbling into the hallway. Arnold rushed into the kitchen to see that water was spraying from the sink into the air like a fountain. He sighed. He'd have to get in touch with Helga later.

….

Helga rolled her eyes when she saw the flashing lights behind her. She pulled over and groaned as she saw the cop pull up behind her. What now? The drive had been terrible enough. She'd driven two towns over to get specific chocolates from this special little place that the two girls had discovered once. Phoebe loved them, and Helga had gone and chosen out her absolute favourites. Then her had gotten a flat tyre. A perv had stopped to help her, and had tried to follow her into her car. Lila ringing had freaked the guy out when Helga had told her about the perv and given Lila his liscnce plate number. The guy swore at her, jumped into his own car and driven off. Helga had taken it down anyway, and gotten a picture of him on her phone and had every intention of notifying a traffic cop. But of course she hadn't seen any.
Until now anyway.
"Licence," he said into her open window. She opened her purse and showed him her licence. "Miss, do you know how fast you were going?"
"No," Helga sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"It was over the speed limit," he informed her. "Did you not see the sign?"
"How could I see the sign officer, if I was speeding?" she snapped.
"No need to be rude, miss," he said. Helga raised an eyebrow. Miss? He can't have been much older than her!
"How old are you?" she asked. "Twelve?"
"Miss, I'm just doing my job," he said, writing her a ticket.
"Oh really?" she asked.
"Really," he affirmed.
"Well here's a side job," she said, taking out the piece of paper she had written down the details of the perv down on. "This guy is a pervert who tried to accost me in my car. He's still driving around too. Hey, you know what? While you're here giving me a ticket for going five over, he could be off raping some poor girl in her car."
the cop looked at the paper, then at her. "How long ago?"
"About fifteen minutes," she said, frowning.
he walked off to his car, and said something into the radio, then came back.
"Miss, if you see him again, call nine one one and lock your car doors," he said. He nodded to her and walked back to his car and got in.
"Wait, my ticket!" she called out the window.
"Stay under the limit, and consider this your last shred of luck for the day," he called out as he passed her, then continued off down the highway.
"What was that about?" she murmered. Then she shrugged. Not her problem.

…

"Okay, so I have the flowers ready to be delivered to her locker tomorrow morning," Lila said.
"Reservations done," Arnold told Helga smiling.
"And I hid the chocolates in her locker during math," Helga said proudly, smiling.
"Weren't you late?" Lila asked,
"Late?"
"To Math?"
Arnold and Helga looked at each other and smiled.
"You know what?" Lila said smirking, "Nevermind. I don't want to know."

…..

Phoebe opened her locker to see a big bouqet of Lily flowers sitting in her locker, with a card attatched, and a box of chocolates. Her favourites. Phoebe breathed in the scent of the Lillies, then sneezed. Oh no! The daisies! She was allergic to these particular daisies, that had been hidden under the lillies. She could feel her throat closing up, and her face swell.
Gerald knew she was allergic to daisies!

….

When Gerald left his class he saw some people gathered around in the hallway. Walking over he saw Phoebe struggling to breath, and the school nurse with her.
"There's an ambulance on the way now, dear, and we'll call your parents and let them know what's happening."
"Phoebe?" he cried out, dropping his bag and running over to her. She was wheezing, and her face was swollen. "Oh my God, what happened?"
"Day – wheeze – zees – wheeze – lillies," she said, pointing. "You – wheeze – idiot - wheeze."
"I didn't get you flowers," he told her. "And if I did, I wouldn't get you daisies, your allergic to them!"
"Excuse me," a paramedic said, pushing him aside and putting a mask over Phoebe's face, then stabbing her thigh with a needle. "We'll take it from here."
Gerald watched helplessly as Phoebe was lifted onto a stretcher and wheeled away. He looked down at the fallen flowers and picked them up. He read the card and shook his head.

Dear Phoebe,
I'm sorry I was such a slob and jerk. I love you and miss you.
Forgive me?
Dinner tonight, seven, Chez Pierre.
Love Gerald

…..

"Alright," his angry voice snapped as he stalked over to the table Helga, Lila and Arnold were sitting at. Sheena had joined them that day. He threw the flowers on the table. "Phoebe's on her way to the hospital!"
"Oh golly!" Sheena said, covering her mouth. "What happened?"
Gerald glared at Lila, Arnold and then Helga.
"Fucking daisies, is what happened."
He saw Arnold glance at Lila, whose eyes went wide, and her mouth opened into an O. Helga wasn't as subtle.
"Are you kidding me?" she snapped. "I said no daisies because she's allergic!"
"I lost the list, oh my gosh, Gerald I am so sorry!" Lila said, tears coming to her eyes. "Is she going to be okay?"
"She better be, and it's not me you should be apologising too" he snapped. "And whoever was responsible for the reservations at Chez Pierre, can cancel them. I don't think we'll make it."
"You mean, Chez Paris?" Arnold corrected him. Gerald tossed the card at him.
"No Chez Pierre!" Gerald turned and stormed off, leaving his friends sitting there stunned. He had just reached his car and gotten in when Helga jumped into the passenger side.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"Your gonna need someone to back up your story," she told him simply. "Now shut up and drive!"

…

Phoebe's parents were just leaving Phoebe's room, but they let Helga and Gerald in to see her. When they entered her room, she still had a mask on her face, and her face was still a bit swollen.
"Oh Phoebe!" Helga cried out in dramatic flair. She draped herself over her best friend. "I'm so, so, sorry!"
Gerald walked in.
"Are you okay?" he asked. She looked at him and smiled.
"Gerald had nothing to do with those flowers," Helga told her. "It was mine, Arnold's and Lila's fault!"
Phoebe nodded, then took off her mask. "I know, Lila text me apologising."
Helga stepped back and let Gerald move close, to hold Phoebe's hand. "We had dinner reservations tonight. But we can reschedule."
"I'd like that," Phoebe said. "I'm so sorry, Gerald. I was so mean."
"I was no saint either," he admitted, sighing. He leaned forward and kissed her softly on her still swollen lips. Then they just lost themselves in each others eyes until -
"Holy shit!" Helga cursed, bring them out of their romantic reverie. They looked up at her. She pointed to the TV screen. "That's Perv!"
"Perv?" Phoebe and Gerald asked at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled.
"Yeah, when I was coming back from picking up a box of your favourite chocolates, I got a flat. That's the guy who stopped to help me, then tried to get into the car with me!"
"What about it?" Gerald asked.
"He hijacked, raped and murdered a girl, Geraldo," Helga informed them. "That girl could have been me!"
Phoebe's stomach flip-flopped. "Oh, my!"
"Oh my, alright, so you better damn well enjoy those chocolates," Helga said. "I almost died because of those!"

…

"So everything is well again?" Arnold asked, pausing the game and looking over at Gerald.
"Yeah, me and Pheeb's are cool," he said, smiling. "It's nice to have my girl back. But we're gonna give living with each other a big, long break."
"Good idea," Arnold said, standing up and stretching.
"How's Helga? You know, after her "near-death-experience"," Gerald asked, smiling.
"The police actually came to see her," Arnold said.
"Really?" Gerald asked surprised. "How'd they know to see her?"
"Apparently she was speeding and got pulled over and that's how they got not just her details, but the guys details too, including a pic on her phone," Arnold told him. "If Lila hadn't rung her and freaked him out, Helga wouldn't have been the first victim. He's responsible for two others."
"Holy shit," Gerald said. "So she was alone, on the side of the road, with a serial killer?"
"Basically, and she's not planning to let you and Phoebe forget anytime soon, either," Arnold informed him.
"Figures."

...

(This isn't the end)