The Jungle Story

chapter 3: Secrets

The next day, Mike's parents wished her luck after she got on her backpack with her essay inside and she was on her way to school. 

"Bye, Mom, Bye, Dad, see you after school!" Mike waved as she walked down the sidewalk to get herself to school. She walked down and noticed someone glaring down at her. "Hello, Helga..."

Helga walked down with her, seeming to be more hateful than usual.

"What is it?" Mike glared back.

"I saw you talkin' with the Football Head yesterday..." Helga growled. "What were you guys talking about?"

Mike glared back. "None of your business."

"You like Arnold, don't you?"

"Of course I like him, he's a cool friend!"

"No, I mean like him like him." Helga explained.

Mike sighed, rolling her eyes. "I hate that expression... But, no, I don't like him like him, why are you so obsessed with him anyway?"

"What do you mean obsessed?"

"You know what I'm talking about," Mike narrowed her eyes. "You pick on him more than anyone else... My mom says if a boy pulls on some girl's hair, it means he likes her..."

"Well, that doesn't have to do with anything!" Helga seemed touchy about the subject. "I don't like Arnold, he's a stupid football head!"

"You seemed pretty defensive of him at the Parents Day picnic." Mike remembered when Helga's father Big Bob called Arnold an 'orphan'. She didn't know why, but that hit her deep too, maybe she was just very sad for Arnold and angry at Big Bob for bringing it up like that. What gave him the right to call Arnold an orphan?

"What're you talking about?"

"Remember what your dad called him? The O word?"

Helga looked sad, then very angry then. "Yeah, but what's it to you? You have a boy's name!"

"Thanks, Helga, never heard that one before." Mike rolled her eyes.

Mike then continued to walk as Helga stopped then. 

"Okay, you win!" Helga spoke up. 

Mike stopped, turning back to her. "What?"

Helga looked around to make sure no one was listening. She then made a finger gesture for Mike to come over. Mike blinked, shrugged and came over. Helga then came closer to Mike so this would be a lot more secretive. She whispered the most deep dark secret of her entire life.

"So you do like Arnold." Mike smiled, she had a sneaking suspicion.

"Yes, but you can't tell him!" Helga quickly spoke louder again in a way that could nearly match her father.

"Why not?" Mike wanted to know. "He was nice to you on your guys's first day of preschool."

"You know about that?" Helga blushed. Mike was right, the mean girl had fallen in love with Arnold because he was the only one who really paid attention to her for her first day of preschool since her parents were too focused on 15-year-old Olga at the time that no one would take her to school, so she had to walk alone in the rain.

"Sure," Mike shrugged. "I might not have been here for that, but I've heard stories."

"Did Dr. Bliss tell you!?" Helga growled. "I made that woman swear she wouldn't tell and she promised she wouldn't!"

"Chill out, I just heard other people who could remember that far back," Mike cooed. 

Helga gripped Mike's shirt. "You have to promise me you won't tell!"

"Helga..."

"PROMISE ME, MAZINSKY!"

"Okay, okay, I promise," Mike blinked, then took Helga's hands off her shirt. "I won't tell Arnold... But you should..." She then continued to walk down the street to get to school.

Helga watched Mike leave and wasn't sure what to do right then. She had a lot on her mind right now after that discussion.