Excuse me for the language in this story. See, I'm Hungarian, and English is a learned language for me, so there may be minor mistakes. I hope they're not making the story less enjoyable.

For those, who happened to read my other story, "On the wild side": There will be some elements in "Heat", that may suggest this is a prequel to OTWS. Well, it's not, so don't wait certain characters to turn into psychos. :)

HEAT - Day One

ARNOLD

Arnold missed his old alarm clock pretty much. The "Hey Arnold!" line was a lot more friendly sound to wake up a person, than the violent ringing of his current alarm clock. But he was getting closer and closer to 17 now, and a young man in his age can't wake up to such thing. It was 05:30 am, incredibly early for Arnold.

So, he get up, and tried to do something to wake up completely. This is the day. The first day of the real summer vacation. The others will wait for him down the street in twenty minutes, and he will have to drive more than an hour to Hillbay. Except of course if he wanted to let Helga drive, and watch how she's turning the car into a coffin on wheels. Unfortunately he was still on the edge of sleeping.

He decided to do some refreshing morning push ups. Three push ups later, he decided it was a stupid idea. It didn't refresh him at all, but it made him more tired. He wanted to start working out in years but he never had the endurance for it, Especially not in the mornings.

He fell back to the bed. He knew he must go to shower within four minutes, or he's going to be late. They've planned this vacation in months. The nine of them - he, Gerald, Phoebe, Lila, Rhonda, Helga, Harold, Stinky and Sid collected enough money to rent a house next to the beach. They looked forward to the Holiday of a lifetime.

GERALD

Gerald didn't thought searching for pimples in the mirror can be so much fun. He never felt this good in his life. He's been waiting this trip in ages. At last he can spend almost two months close the girl, he loved more than anything in the world.

He had to keep it quiet, because the whole family was sleeping, and he didn't wanted to wake them up so early in the morning. So when her cell phone rang, he was pretty rushed back to his room to pick it up. It was her girlfriend Phoebe - they were together in five months already.

"Morning muffin!" - Gerald greeted her.

"Hey Gerald. I just wanted to make sure you wake up in time." - Phoebe said.

"Don't worry honey-bunny. I barely slept all night. I was too excited!" - he said.

"It's good to hear you're not so chilled all the time." - Phoebe said - " I can't wait to see you."

"I miss you too Pheebs." - he said. He thought this miss you line is funny. They spent the last night together. - "But don't worry, we will meet in ten minutes. Bye honey."

"I love you." - Phoebe said. Gerald froze for a moment and then turned off the phone, like he didn't hear it. Phoebe's "I love you" was the one thing he didn't wanted to answer right now. Why the hell did she call him anyway? She knew they will meet minutes later! He looked into the mirror.

"C'mon, you can do this." - he said to himself, as he put on his charming smile - "You're the man!" - he said. Then he turned around, and went to the kitchen, to make some sandwiches to the road.

PHOEBE

She just stood there, with the phone in her hand. She couldn't decide what to think - did Gerald hear when she said "I love you" or he hung up the phone already? She knew about Gerald's issues with responsibility, so she didn't wanted to push him. But still, she found it necessary to tell him. She was listening to Helga's constant blabbing about Arnold in the last few years, but she never understood the way she longed for him. Not until now, when she felt the same overwhelming desire for Gerald. The only difference was, Gerald returned her feelings, while Helga still played Arnold's arch nemesis, like she did in pre-school.

So, Phoebe did something yesterday, she never thought possible. She went to the mall and bought some underwear, but not the usual ones. She bought them to a special occasion - she and Gerald will probably share the same room in Hillbay, and she were prepared to the first, magical time with him. She always thought she is cute, maybe even pretty in her own way - but she never felt to be particularly sexy. It was Gerald, who made her feel that way. She didn't know how did he earn the attention of the school's coolest boy, but it happened. And she was pretty thankful for that.

HELGA

"Bye Bob! Bye Miriam!" - Helga shouted from the door. "I'll be back next month."

"Where are you going Olga?" - Bob asked as he walked down the stairs, in his sleeping shirt. He was practically sleeping.

"To Hillbay. I'm spending the summer there." - she said as she grabbed her packages. She never felt it necessary to mention it to her parents.

"Okay." - he said as she turned around to go back to sleep. Then he stopped - "Hey! Aren't you supposed to be grounded?" - he asked. The question was ridiculous of course. Since Helga hit puberty she was constantly grounded. Her last detention - this time for some "vandalism" in the boys lockers in the school - supposed to last one more week.

"No." - she said. She was so convincing the half-sleeping Bob the believed her.

"Okay. Have fun Olga." - Bob said as went back to the bedroom.

"It's Helga..." - she murmured as she left the house. She knew she's not coming back. The Helga G. Pataki who's leaving the house this morning will no exist after this summer. This summer will be the time she's been waiting in all her life. This summer she will tell Arnold everything. No more worries about the consequences.

"Oh, Rhonda, this trip, it's going to be so wonderful!" - Lila said as she got out of Rhonda's car in front of Sunset Arms.

"I still can't believe you guys are coming with Arnold's Packard." - Rhonda said. - "We will better hide it when we get there, before anybody sees it."

"I like this car. It's classic and cool and..."

"And maybe it won't fall apart till we get to Hillbay." - Helga said. She just arrived with Phoebe on her side.

"Only if you're not driving it." - Rhonda said. Helga got pretty infamous with her two car accidents since she had her driver's license. It was pretty mysterious how she got her license in the first place.

"Hey Rhonda, what are you doing here?" - Helga asked - "Aren't you supposed to pick up the other guys?"

"Yeah, I just gave Lila a ride." - she said - "I felt sorry for her to be forced together with you for the whole trip."

"I bet you will have a great time with Harold too. His stories about dates that never happened are pretty interesting. And Stinky! I bet he will raise the level of coolness in your car." - Helga said. - "So would you just leave us alone princess?"

"Well they are certainly more entertaining than listening to "Oh-I-hate-Arnold, but-wait-I-love-him!" Greek tragedy." - she said as she turned on the engine - "By the way, I like your new hair." - Helga decided to cut her hair short for this summer. "First it was weird, but now I had time to adjust to it. Looks very good. I'm sure he's gonna love it." - Rhonda said.

"Yeah. Thanks. Now get the hell out of my sight, bitch." - Helga said. For out-standers it should had seem like the two girls are enemies, but really they were pretty close to each other. Rippin' on each other was the celebration of their friendship. Rhonda was one of the few people, who learned about her attraction to Arnold in the passed few years. So those who knew the secret were something of a private club, and they forged into girlfriends over high school. They were a pretty strange team: Rhonda, the rich fashion-maniac, Lila, the most popular and nicest girl of the school, Phoebe, the brainiac and Helga the official bad girl, who sent several members of the school's wresting team to hospital, because the school board didn't let her to be a member, because she happened to be a girl. They've got all the boys drooling over them at the school for sure. They became the hottest thing since Rosie McDonald and her bunch of girl lackeys graduated from the school.

As Rhonda was gone, Gerald just turned around the corner.

"Hey girls!" - he said waving. Phoebe dropped her baggage and run to him. He grabbed her and kissed her. The captain of the football team kissing the science geek. It was like some Freddie Prince Jr. fairytale flick.

"Hey, tall-hair boy, let her breath for god's shake! - Helga shouted.

"This is none of your business Pataki!" - he shouted back.

"Crimney, I hope their room isn't next to mine."

"I think they're sweet." - Lila said.

"I bet you do." - Helga replied. - "Where the hell is Football Head? He supposed to be driving."

"Chill Helga..." - Lila said. - "He will be here soon. So Helga, you still plan to..."

"To confess him? Yeah. I mean, as my sources are telling me, he might like me too, so... - she said. Bless you Sid - she thought. He was the biggest meeting point of gossips in the school - "What can I loose, huh?"

"So, this means you will stop being so mean to him?"

"Well, I'll try." - Helga said, as the door opened and Arnold appeared with his luggage. - "Where were you hair-boy! Get the sand out of your eyes, and get your ass to the car! I don't have all day to wait for you Football Head!"

"C'mon Helga, it's only been five minutes..." - Arnold said.

"Yeah, well maybe it was the five minutes we needed to avoid the huge traffic!" - she said.

"Whatever you say Helga." - he said, as he walked down the stairs. He seemed to be pretty sleepy. - "Hey, I like your new hair."

"I don't remember asking dwarf." - She replied, but when Arnold turned around to get to the car, her face just took the happiest expression. Lila looked at her in disbelief. Helga noticed that. - "Hey, I said I'll try."

"You need a shrink." - Lila said.

"I had one but she gave up on me." - she said - "She said I'm beyond help, when I painted Olga's hair black while she was sleeping." - she said - "And I'm not even sorry. It was hilarious."

"I'm a very bad sleeper Helga. I wake up to the slightest noise." - Lila said.

"We will see." - Helga said with a huge smile on her face. Even though they were girlfriends Lila was the target of Helga's jokes and pranks.

Arnold arrived with the car and parked it next to them.

"So ladies, are we going or what?"

The first Hillbay day was fantastic. The weather was great, the shore was full with hot chicks and guys, the house they rented proved to be huge. It had four bedrooms, and Arnold did everything, to make possible for Phoebe and Gerald to be alone. So he shared his room with Harold, Stinky went with Sid, while Helga, Rhonda and Lila were sleeping in the biggest bedroom together.

"I can imagine those pillow fights your doing in baby-doll." - Sid said. They were all sitting over the campfire. It was a great place, very close to the house, but they could see the moonlight reflecting on the sea surface, witch was pretty beautiful.

"Yeah, we will do that for sure." - Rhonda said with some irony in her voice - "You're such a retard Sid."

They were all pretty sizzled - Gerald's brother, Jamie-o bought all the alcohol they could want. She only asked a date from Rhonda in return, and she "sacrificed" herself, mainly because she were really into older guys. So around the campfire, there were lots of bottles of beer, that Arnold tried to collect it like a good boyscout to save the environment, but he gave it up. Helga produced the empty cans faster, than he could collect them. They will clean up the mess tomorrow - he decided. Phoebe was in the arms of Gerald, who apparently drank some whine from the bottle.

"Hey, Gerald, stop! You're going to..."

"Hey, I know what I'm doing Pheebs. I'm not some wussy who will puke his guts out." - he said as he looked at Arnold with a smile. He was famous for being a bad drinker.

"Well you're right." - Arnold tried to say something witty, but he drank to much already to think. - "I have to admit, the world is getting pretty blurry around me. Maye I'll go to bed."

"Mind if I join you?" - Helga asked smiling. She was pretty drunk herself.

"I would be honored. But not tonight. I'm not sure I would be able to impress you with my performance right now. I can barely stand."

"Yeah, I'm pretty hard to impress Football head."

"We will see next time, babe." - he said smiling - "I'm counting on you." - he said and Helga laughed out loud.

"Keep dreaming Arnoldo!" - she said, but she was put on her charming smile. She was actually flirting with Arnold. She was happy beyond she could imagine.

Soon, most of the gang joined Arnold and went back to sleep. It was a great, but hard day, and they were all tired.

Only Gerald, Phoebe and Helga left. Helga just couldn't go back and leave them alone, she was too excited, and Phoebe didn't seemed to mind it.

"Give me the bottle Gerald." - Helga said.

"Hey, blond, won't it be enough?" - Gerald said. Helga never seen him like this. It's not like he was violently drunk, but he was very liberated.

"Hey, I won't let you drink me under the table you wuss." - she said and grabbed the bottle. Phoebe stood up.

"Well, I'll let you too have your annoying macho thing. I'm going to have a shower."

"Hey, don't go Pheebs." - Helga said.

"I want to smell good, when Gerald comes in." - she said and looked at his boyfriend.

"Good plan." - he said, as she kissed Phoebes left leg. It was the only part of her, that he could currently easily reach from where he was sitting. - I'll be in there in no time."

"Don't hurry." - Phoebe said smiling. - "It's going to be a long shower." - she turned around and left to the house.

"You're pushing me and you know that." - Gerald shouted. - "Hey, you want to leave me here with her?!"

"Chill, she doesn't bite... usually." - she said.

So, the two of them were left alone. They made the second bottle of wine disappear perfectly, while they were looking on the sea.

"Isn't life is the greatest?" - Helga asked. - "I mean, we all have problems and all... and then something happens, and it doesn't seem so dark anymore." - she was totally overwhelmed by hope. She's been flirting with Arnold all day in a way she never dared to do in school. There were tension between them, and her girlfriends assured her, Arnold was always looking at her when she was not listen.

"Yeah." - Gerald said.

"I just... You know Gerald, I'm a kind of brat."

"Tell me about it." - he said.

"And I pretty mean to you and Arnold... especially to Arnold. But you must know I'm not that bad... that you guys are meaning a lot to me." - she said. She felt like a new girl. The new Helga Pataki, who's not so mean to the others. Who's able to show her true feelings. - "And the way you treating my best girlfriend... I never told you that , but I think you're a great guy."

"Thanks, it means a lot to me." - he said. Then he took deep breath and continued. His face was changed damn serious.

"Helga, there is something you have to know too. And I guess I'll never have a better opportunity to tell you that. I... I want to start this summer with doing the one thing I never dared to do before." - Gerald said. For a moment he tried to organize his thoughts - which was pretty hard for him after the second bottle of wine "You know we were never too close to each other... Mainly because I always behaved like someone who hates you..." - he said. Helga was surprised. Where the hell is he going with that?

"I... hell I should have told you this years ago!" - he continued.

"Gerald..."

"The only reason I'm going out with Phoebe, is to get a chance to be close to you! That's why I talked about you that way all the time! I love you Helga! I love you ever since I can remember!"

"Stop it." - Helga murmured. Everything was falling apart. One moment ago everything was the way it should be. And know the words of this boy are just changing all the rules.

"You are... the prettiest and strongest girl I know! The... the way you don't let anyone to mess with you... the fire you have inside... I'm just crazy about you girl!" - he said as he looked into Helga's eyes - "I've been hiding it since we were nine! You can't imagine how it's like." - under other circumstances she would have laughed at this. She was the one who invented the incredibly stupid game of "Let's pretend I hate you!"

"I said stop it! This is the alcohol talking from you!" - Helga screamed at him. It was final. He didn't wanted to hurt Gerald, but his confession meant the end of her dreams. If tall hair-boy is in love with her, she will never get a chance with Arnold. Football head is just too decent to start with his best pals love. Not to talk about Phoebes feelings, that will be ruined eventually. Gerald just messed up everything. "Please! Forget it Gerald." - she said.

"Hey, don't do this Helga! You must say something!" - he said, but Helga turned around. Gerald grabbed her shoulder in desperation.

"Leave me alone!" - Helga screamed at her. He tried to be soft, but he was too sizzled, and accidentally grabbed Helga's necklace and tear it apart. They both watched the pieces falling into the sand. First the little links, and then the locket, that Helga wore since fourth grade. Helga seen it almost in slow motion, how it fell down to Gerald's feet, and opened, relieving it's secret - the picture of Arnold. "This can't be happening." - Helga said to herself. Within two minutes the wonder-Holiday turned into horror. Gerald's eyes were opened wide in shock.

"Hey, is that Arn..?" - he said, but he stopped as he understood what he saw.

"Gerald..." - Helga didn't know what to say.

"I made a fool of myself." - Gerald murmured.

"No you didn't... Listen, what you said, it means a lot to me, and..."

"I behaved like a fucking retard! Listen... what I said, I'm just drunk okay! I don't know what I'm talking' about." - he said, as he turned around, and went back in the direction of the house. Helga stood there for a while looking at the pieces of her necklace, just like she was looking at the pieces of her shattered dreams. One month of vacation seemed a lot longer than before.