Wal*Mart RP

((Wow, I leave for one afternoon and the board explodes!))

Rhonda aimed a kick at Harold's head as he scooted closer to her shoes.

"Harold, do you know how much these shoes cost? More than you are worth." Turning her attention to Stinky, she propped her hands on her hips and gave him a thorough tongue-lashing.

"Stinky. Stop telling Harold such ridiculous stories." She allowed a twisted smile to cross her face in the dark. "Besides, everyone knows it's not the oxygen running out you have to worry about, it's the giant rats. You know, the ones that come out at night to dig through the garbage cans? I've heard they like a nice bite of human every know and then...." she trailed off, grinning through the gloom.

((And what happened to Sid? Curly ran off to find him, and I don't know what to do now! ))

Arnold

"So we're all agreed that there was something there, right?" He frowned. "I'd say we should go check it, but we really ought to go and get something for Gerald's face." He glanced to at his best friend who was currently offering his jacket to Phoebe. "Anyone know how to get to the frozen food section?"


Wolfgang

Wolfgang grabbed Edmund by the scruff of his collar and pulled him back hard. The two boys crouched down behind a fruit stand, just out of sight of a small gathering of freshmen. Then he whispered harshly to his lackey: "Idiot! I think they saw you."


Harold

Harold screamed and threw himself towards Rhonda. "AGGHHHHH!"


Sid

((let's get Curly back into the game!))

Sid stopped as he heard Harold scream. He slapped a hand to his forehead.

"I can't believe it. We missed him." He turned his flashlight towards his newest companion, Curly. "Guess we ought to head back to Rhonda and Stinky, then. Besides I think we're going in circles."

((Wow activity is fun! XD Alyssa you got a full plate there huh!? LOL ))

Helga:
Phoebe was right, she wasnt at all afraid of the dark or the fact they were trapped here. Rescue would come eventually it was just a matter how long she could last being trapped with all these morons, (save Phoebe and Arnold of course!). She glanced around and when no one spoke up at Arnold's question she sighed and threw her arms up in the air.

"All right you bunch of ninnies. I'll go get Gerald a pack of frozen peas or something." Maybe she'd stop by the first aid section too. She took her flash light and started to walk away from the group.

Lila:
"Helga, could you bring me back a sweater? Please?" At her request though, Helga just laughed. Lila rolled her eyes. She knew why Helga hated her but honestly did she have to be that immature about it all the time?


Stinky:
"Aw Rhonda there aint nothin wrong with rats! They're really friendly and make wonderful pets!" He smiled and patter Harold's head. "I had a few of em growin up, I did. Mr. Pacman. . .and Mrs. Pacman. . get it? Instead of packrat...pacman." He laughed a little "Well I thought it was sure funny."

Rhonda shone her flashlight at the faces of her companions.

"Stinky, you and your jokes have something in common. They both STINK." She reached down and detached Harold's arms from her leg.

________

Curly cackled as he heard Harold's screams from across the store. Mayhem, terror, destruction, his work was just getting interesting.

Stinky:
"Now Rhonda thats not fair. I use axe." He frowned a little. He didnt smell. At least he didnt think he did.

"I meant your name, you hayseed." She replied.


((I hate axe! lol))

(( ROFLMAO!!!! HAYSEED! *DIES WITH LULZZZZ!!!!!!!!* and I know I hate it too! XDD))

((LOL I love Rhondas joke XD And the Gerald-post is so sweet < 3 wheee ))

Phoebe

"Well I.. I DO feel kinda cold.. Are you sure you don't need it yourself?"
Gerald hang the jacket gently over her shoulders.
"Thank you, that feels much better.."
And she didn't just mean that because of the cold.. The jacket smelled so nice! It made her feel warmer than any other jacket, even though it was lots of sizes too big for her..
She turned around, facing Gerald again.. It looked like he was blushing a bit, but she figured that could be the bruises as well..
"What happened to you?!"
She wanted to reach for his face, but pulled back at the last moment.
His handsome face.. She felt so sad for him. It looked so painful.

Arnold

Arnold watch Helga walk away from the group and was suddenly compelled to go after her.

"Wait here guys." He said to the group as he started after Helga. "Helga, wait up!"



Wolfgang

"Dammit. Some of them are headed our way." He gave Edmund a good shove. "Move it, dumbass." The two headed away from the lights, fumbling in the dark. "Stupid fucking freshmen. Blowing the lights..."



Harold

"Are we gonna die?"



Sid

"Geeze Curly, wait up!" He yelled as he took off after his crazy companion.

Helga:

She didnt slow in her walk, just waited for Arnold to catch up to her. When he did she rose an eyebrow. "Whats the matter? Think I cant take care of myself in the dark?" She pointed her flashlight out ahead of them. "Or just dont trust me to bring back the right kind of frozen vegetables?"

[I'm having difficulty keeping track of who everyone is playing as now. Squirreltamer has done a truly righteous job of being Arnold (and Harold.) I could take on different characters if she wants him full time.]

Arnold:
Arnold broke into a brief jog down the aisle, but slowed to keep pace with Helga once they were walking side by side. "If there's anyone I trust, it's you Helga." He said with surprising sincerity. "It's just that I'll feel better once Gerald's taken care of." There was genuine guilt etched onto his face. Gerald had gotten the spit beat out of him, and Arnold hadn't been there. Logically, Arnold knew it was foolish to think he alone would have made a difference in a one-sided fight against a six-foot-something bruiser like Wolfgang. He knew this, but it still felt as though he had somehow let his best friend down. Absurd as it was Arnold wished he'd been there and suffered the same abuse.
Helga would only scoff at him and make some degrading comment about men and their retarded macho pretensions. She always trivialized things like that. Arnold smirked to himself while he considered what her sarcastic opinion would be. It made him feel better, somehow. "Anyway, let's get something for his face quick and get back to the others. We need to get everyone organized."

[Since Hatterlet has graciously stepped out of the RP for awhile, I think I'll take up the wheel of Curly...... Mwa-hahahaha!]

Curly:
Curly could be as loud and opinionated as any of the other kids (although he was much more dramatic) but he was also eerily quiet at times as well. Such was the case at this particular moment. Curly used his thumb and index finger to unnecessarily straighten his round-rimmed glasses while he walked with Sid. It was an easy habit to fall into when you wore any sort of eye wear. His bowl cut hair had grown out fairly long since elementary school, with dark bangs that fell partially over his eyes. The wandering shadows caused by the flashlights obscured his face so that only the gleaming lenses of his glasses could be easily discerned.
"You go ahead. I've got... things to do." He replied mysteriously, and then skulked off into the darkness of the store. Alone.

((Aww, Anne! Thanks for your compliment about my Gerald post! Your Phoebe post was so sweet and cute as well. I really did mean to respond to it a couple of days ago but I've been having some trouble with my internet which prevented me from making even moderate length posts. Since I think I've gotten it under control here I am again, lol))

Gerald
Knowing that Phoebe didn't reject him made Gerald relax considerably, even though he was still very nervous. When he had hung the jacket over her shoulders, his hands lingered on top of them for a moment unconsciously. He didn't know if she was aware of it, but she had placed one of her hands on one of his. This tiny gesture sent a rush through his body and his heart skipped a beat. It was a moment that Gerald would've frozen...not forever but for a signifigant amount of time...atleast until their next moment. If they were to have another moment like that one...

When Phoebe spoke to him with her soft, sweet voice, the blood rushing through him suddenly pooled in his face in a very deep blush. Where was his usual confident, flirty self? Why couldn't he respond to her thank you with a line like "yeah babe, I know how to keep a girl warm, don't I?" Where was the smoothness he had maybe an hour ago? What was with him becoming so nervous around Phoebe? Oh right. He actually had real feelings for her. He actually liked her- liked her.

She was facing him now, the small light from the flashlight she held alluminating her face and making her dark eyes twinkle. Gerald tried not to let himself melt from the sight of her face. He had to stay cool. Calm. She still looked so upset and he became aware after her exclaimation of worry that her concern had been directed at him all along.

"Well..." Gerald tried to explain quietly, touching the bruise around his eye. "I-I did have a run-in with Wolfgang a little while ago..." His voice trailed off, the rest of the story simply remaining in the air. A testosterone- filled story of fighting a hulking bully and getting a few blows in himself before being completely knocked unconscious. A story he could only really tell to a bunch of guys and still retain atleast a small amount of maniless. This was something that he couldn't tell Phoebe. He was sure she would see right through any facade of maniless that he tried to put on.

He found himself staring into her concerned eyes once more, suddenly having the strong urdge to bend down before her and place a soft kiss on her forhead....or her lips even. Gerald resisted the desire, knowing it wasn't the time or the place for it. Plus, just because she didn't reject his jacket didn't mean she wouldn't reject an action so forward.

Helga:

"I think the guy'll live, Arnold." Helga rolled her eyes. She grew up being jealous of the connection that Gerald and Arnold had, but he was one the more tolerable of their group... most of the time. Their group. She laughed out loud at the idea of getting them organized. "Yeah good luck with that one. They're all over the place and some are pissing themselves with fear. Its actually quite funny. "

She opened a freezer and pulled out a Popsicle box, opened it, and pulled out a Popsicle and stuck it in her mouth. She replaced the box and then headed for the freezer with the frozen vegetables. "What do you think heals faster, Ovoid? Peas or corn??"

Stinky
He shrugged in response to Harold's question. "I 'unno but I think we should go explorin' and stake out the safest place to hide lessen they do try to come suck the air outa our lungs." He tried not to giggle. "Asides it getin kinda boring just standin here."

((I haven't done a post for Brainy in a while. I think I'm going to get him back into the action, lol))

Brainy
After the shoulder-flick, and watching Arnold jump a foot in the air in shock, Brainy hadn't had much to do other than stand there. Since the jealousy he had felt towards him made him feel a little bit braver, he couldn't help but let out a few wheezing chuckles. He felt a small amount of delight somehow knowing that Arnold had been effected by something he did, even for a moment.

Now Brainy came back to life, removing himself from his amused stupor where he didn't hear any of the last few exchanges and noticed something was very off. Very wrong. His beloved Helga was gone! He could no longer smell the amazing scent of her body odor not far from him...tempting him...tantalizing him. The very large cracks in his glasses made it even harder to see in the dark than a normal person so he hadn't detected where she went at all. He literally smacked himself on the side of the head, cursing himself for not noticing when she had left. He usually kept track of Helga so well!

All he knew was that he had to find her. He had to be in her presence...

Brainy began to walk away from what was left of the group, trying the best he could to see through glasses that were almost a kaleidoscope. He had never had one of the flashlights and while making his impulsive, rash choice, he hadn't thought to borrow one from one of the others. He now very much regretted this. After a long while of walking by himself in the dark, he didn't manage to find Helga....or any of the other freshman for that matter. The person that he slammed into was huge...and just the back of this person's leg (where he accidently hit) was almost bigger than his whole body.

Brainy fell down harshly into a sitting position from the impact and looked up, frozen in place just like stone, his wheezing abruptly cut off. What little color he had in his face drained out as an intense fear washed over him.

Wolfgang

At the impact, Wolfgang froze and then slowly turned around. Behind him, on the ground sat a rather unfortunate looking freshman. Familiar too. Wolfgang squinted in the dark and then smiled a wicked smile.

"Well, well, well. Looks like we meet again little dork." He reached down with one arm and grabbed Brainy by the back of his shirt and hoisted him up, until they were eye level. Brainy's feet dangled at least an inch above the ground. "You're the quiet one, aren't you? That's good." He leaned forward and smirked. "Wouldn't want your lame brain freshie friends to find us yet. We weren't planning on having you tag along, but it looks like it can't be helped for now. Dragging you along unconscious would be a big pain, so lucky for you I won't be pounding your face in just yet." With that he pushed Brainy into Edmund's arms. "Tie him up with belts from that rack over there." He gestured to the left with the small pen flashlight he had acquired.

"Heh, sure thing, Wolfgang."

Once their hostage was secured, they slunk back into the dark abyss of the Walmart to start up the next phase of the plan.



((okay so like, i honestly have NO idea what Wolfgang is planning to do? Nothing terrible, but enough to severely freak the kids out? Also, I've been kind of setting this up in the background for a bit, but what do you guys think of a snowstorm making it so that the kids are stuck in the Walmart for more than just a night?))

(( I like the snowstorm idea ))

Phoebe

Phoebe looked Gerald in the eyes. He was staring back at her. If only she could read his mind.
"With Wolfgang?!" she repeated. "He did this to you?! He's such a horrible person.."
She felt so bad for him. How could she help him? She'd have loved to give him a comforting hug, but was just too shy to do anything like that. Especially with half their class looking their way.
A silence fell. She looked down, thinking of something comforting to say, but couldn't find the right words. To break the silence she turned to the direction in which Helga and Arnold had left. "I sure hope Helga will be back soon.."

Arnold

Arnold chose to ignore her comment on Gerald's well-being. Sheesh. What bothered him was that she was probably right about their friends. About being scattered around the store, that is. Not about the pants pissing. Well... maybe Harold... but it'd be cruel to say that. Harold could be brave when it really mattered. “Give them a break. There's nothing wrong with being a little afraid.” He replied, and after a moments consideration added: “You ought to know that if anyone does.” Teasingly reminding her of all the times she had panicked in one of the many desperate situations they'd gotten themselves into.
He then grabbed a frozen bag and shut the door again. “...Let's go with the peas. I don't think they'll heal faster, (insert eye roll) but I'm sure it'll be fine.” Arnold passed Helga a handkerchief from his back pocket, winked, and started back the way they came. Popsicles could be messy.

Helga:

She paused and considered Arnold's words. The scene with them stuck on the subway was the first thing that came to mind, yeah she had been quite hysterical then. . .but that was underground. . with rats. She shivered. This wasn't a life or death situation. This was just being stuck in a wal*mart over night and they had everything they could ever need to be stuck here. Clothes, food, bathroom. . .Arnold. Yes, to her Arnold was a life necessity.

"Yeah well... different circumstances." She snorted a little and shrugged one shoulder. For some reason Arnold was the only one smart enough (or brave enough) to try to tease Helga. . she had to give him credit for that. . .respect. Even if she didn't appreciate it too much, its what she admired about him. Still she made a mental note that he would pay for that later. She finished her Popsicle and wiped her hands and mouth with the handkerchief given to her and she followed him until she was walking along side him. Then she flicked the stick somewhere, strategically replaced his handkerchief his back pocket. . . and kept her hand there afterward. Heh heh. She smiled to herself. Yeah She could get away with that in the dark. If he was going to be bold enough to tease her, she would be bold right back.

Arnold:

It wouldn't kill her to be a little more compassionate. He thought. Yet, she just wouldn't be Helga if she lost her blustery nature. Frankly Arnold had half expected her to attack him for offering the handkerchief. He could hear her now: “What do you even have one of those for, Football Head? Are you gonna tie it around your neck and tell us to split up and look for clues?”

Arnold stifled the laugh that was bubbling up through his smile. In actuality, he kept a handkerchief on hand in order to keep track of the small machine components belonging to the appliances that he tinkered with in his spare time. Usually clocks. He had a desk drawer full of them. Although he washed the cloths regularly, the one he'd given Helga was newly bought. He wouldn't have felt right offering it otherwise.
Currently however, his most pressing concern was that there really was no efficient way to carry a bag of frozen peas with his bare hands. They weren't heavy or anything, but awkward to hold and too damp to put under his arm. Arnold supposed there was nothing to do except hurry back-- whoaHelga'shandwasonhisbutt. The two of them continued walking for some distance, and she showed no signs of pulling her hand out. At least the darkness hid the flush in his cheeks. After his initial surprise, Arnold reasoned that it would be an awkward walk back if they continued... so... Arnold did the only thing he could think of. He decided to one-up her. His palm glided past the small of her back and smooth as you please, he slid his hand into Helga's back pocket.

(( Freddie you keep beating me at my own game! Its not fair! XDDDD ))

She felt quite content and dominant even walking along with her hand casually nested in Arnold's back pocket. He jumped a little at first and she snickered. She loved teasing the guy at every angle and unwanted affection had been a new subject of torture since early last year when she had to come to terms with the fact that everyone and their dog knew her 'secret'. For a couple of reasons, one being that Arnold had started to turn their childhood rivalry into more of an obscure friendship, to which she didnt much complain. The other reason being it was increasingly difficult with that friendship forming to stop the talk amongst what was a whispering this and that middle school scene. Now here they were freshmen in high school and she had neither confirmed nor denied anything but found it all the more fun to slip subtle actions like this when no one was looking and then act like he totally disgusted her later. It kept him guessing.

Or so she thought. Lately he had been more and more bold. Instead of ignoring her actions and teasing, he had been dishing them right back at her and Helga wasnt sure if she was comfortable with that. She knew why SHE was teasing him. . .she didnt know why HE was teasing her. It couldnt be for defense, he would have done that yeas ago. There was something else and deep down Helga wasnt quite ready to come to terms with what it was, but what she did know was that he was no longer afraid of her (not that he really had ever been) but it made her feel less secure when he decided to step up. So where as the feeling of his hand down her back was nothing short of angelic to her, his own hand in her back pocket made her flinch. She hesitated and took her hand away from his, crossing her arms in front of her with a scowl that he'd ruined her fun. "You know. . ." She grumbled. "A couple years ago you would have never have had the balls to do that." She wasn't yet sure if she liked him better with or without them. . .she contemplated giving him a punch in the arm.

((I love the Arnold/Helga interaction here, A.G. and Freddie. I've already read both of your posts a couple of times now, lol. Simply beautiful. It really makes me wish I could draw because I have another idea for a fanart, lol! It would be just wonderful if someone could draw a picture of Arnold and Helga's backs with a hand in each of their pockets and they could both be looking at each other and smirking or something, hehe. What do you guys think?

Oh and by the way, Alyssa, your post for Wolfgang was completely brilliant and priceless! Poor Brainy, haha!))

Brainy
Brainy had done nothing to stop Edmund from tying him up with the belts. He had been paralyzed with fear by the bully Wolfgang and his henchman, his entire body becoming limp just like a ragdoll. Now he was trapped. Trapped laying on his side in the darkness with quite a few leather belts cutting off the circulation in his arms, legs, waist, stomach...everything that someone could think to tie had been tied. Edmund seemed to not have missed a mark at all. They were so tight that it was painful...and the pain brought tears to Brainy's eyes.

It was then strangly that Brainy's very much broken glasses seemed to decide they'd had enough. They randomly broke in half, both peices sliding one by one quickly off of his face, landing on the floor before once more sliding a couple of inches away from him. Great...just great. Now he couldn't see at all. Since he couldn't move, it was impossible to grab them up and atleast try to fix them well enough to be seen through before he could get home to replace them. Without his glasses, he practically had to have a seeing-eye-dog to lead him around.

He didn't know how he was going to find Helga now and that thought completely devastated him. Plus Brainy had to go to bathroom very badly and he didn't know how much longer he could hold it in...

With as much loudness as his usually quiet voice could muster, he yelled out, hoping that someone else besides Wolfgang or Edmund would hear him. "Uh...somebody? Help."

Gerald
Something inside Gerald lit-up after he spoke about his bruises when Phoebe immediately exclaimed that Wolfgang was a horrible person. There was a spark in her eyes that suggested her concern for him ran deeper then just a friend being worried about another friend. Could it be possible that she, the beautiful, intelligent, sweet, caring Phoebe...actually had feelings for him as well? This thought was what lit him up inside.

His face fell slightly, though, when she made the comment about hoping Helga would be back soon. To him, she looked extremely awkward, looking down at her feet...not looking him in the eye. Gerald suddenly had a frightening thought that the desire he felt for her must have shown on his face. Maybe he was drooling or something. His hand flew to his face as casually as possible, checking his mouth and chin for any signs of drool. No drool. That didn't mean what he felt still didn't show.

If she felt awkward because of that, which he was sure that was the reason, than he must have read her eyes completely wrong. There was no deeper feelings from her end other than friendship. Disappointment weighed down Gerald's heart like a massive brick. Hope had made him read into things much more than they should be read into.

"I'm sure Helga will be back soon..." Gerald said quietly, looking down himself to try and hide his disappointment. "I-I-I'm sure it's more fun being trapped here with your best friend than...than..." He hadn't meant to blurt that last part out and immediately stopped himself. Stupid...stupid! What the hell was that all about? Him being so stupid? Gerald was beginning to think he could give Harold a run for his money with how much he seemed to be falling apart during the night...

((I agree, I love reading the Helga Arnold posts!
Your posts are awesome too btw, poor Brainy >< lol ))

Phoebe

"Than being trapped here with you?" She looked at Gerald again. "Actually, I was referring to Helga, because I want her to be back as soon as possible to cool the bump on your head.." She smiled at him.
All of a sudden they were interrupted by some noise and voices in the far distance, even too far to lighten it up with their flashlights. It didn't sound like anyone of their own group.They heard slow footsteps, it sounded like a big and heavy person.
They all held their breath and turned towards the noise. Phoebe grabbed Geralds arm, she felt more safe holding him.

((edited a few spelling mistakes))

(Apologies for the lack of activity. I've been doing some thinking about where the story is going, and what I can do to help it move in a particular direction. Also, I've been busy playing Resident Evil 5.... heh heh... heh.)

Arnold:

It would be some time before Arnold responded, since he found himself reflecting upon his own complicated feelings. Was Helga ashamed, or perhaps afraid of her bond with him? Whether she would admit to it nor not, the two of them had a friendship that went deeper than most people understood. To Arnold, it seemed as though they had shared so much that they naturally came to feel close to one another. Despite it all though, he could never understand Helga. Not when they were little kids, and certainly not now. She seemed to prefer it that way, and dodged all of his attempts to truly know her. She gave him occasional glimpses of the girl beneath the scowling facade. Her tone of voice would change, her eyes would soften, and he would see her-- for the briefest of moments-- as kind and beautiful.
He wanted to tell her that. He also wanted to ask her who she really wanted to be. Of course, Helga would never have a conversation like that with him, so all he said was “Let's hurry back” and smiled his quiet smile to assure her that things were still the same between them.

Plenty of time to ponder the mysteries of women later, he thought.

At the end of the aisle he could see Gerald and Phoebe standing close together with their flashlights. Right away Arnold noticed that something wasn't right about the scene. Gerald's features were difficult to make out, but he looked grim, and Phoebe was positioning herself protectively in front of him. Injured as he was, Gerald looked ready for another fight. His fists were clenched.

Arnold broke into a run.