Here Comes the Cold
Summary: The fall was Arnold's least favorite time of the year. Each year he watched as his friends paired off to fight the dropping temps, but he always seemed to end up alone. But he wasn't the only one. Disclaimers: You know the deal, I own nothing. Well, not nothing, but nothing to do with Hey Arnold.
By Ayn Ilial
November First. The retail world's official start of the holiday season. No sooner had the Halloween masks and candy dropped to half price than did a dazzling assortment of red, green, silver and gold trinkets line the aisles of ever store in town. It was that awkward time of year where it was still comfortable during the day, but as soon as the sun began to sink, the temperatures drop like a rock.
A young teen dodged leaves falling from the trees as he made his way down the quiet streets of Hillwood. As the sun began to set in the distance and the cool air began to settle over the city, he pulled his navy hooded sweatshirt, which he had smartly taken out for the fall, more tightly around himself. Over the years, Arnold had not changed much. A little taller and a little more solid, he had grown into a fine young 15-year-old. He still looked on the bright side and attempted to do the right thing. Tonight, however, as he returned home from the library, he was deep in thought.
This was Arnold's least favorite time of the year. Despite his usual cheerfulness and optimism, the fall always made him feel alone. Maybe it was because the days grew shorter and darker. Maybe it was the chill in the air. Maybe it was because it was because it was this time of the year that his parents disappeared. Or maybe it was because he had to walk past the park on his way home each night.
As Arnold approached the city park, he kicked a rock off the sidewalk with a heavy, soul-cleansing sigh. The street lights had already come on, illuminating the handful of young couples snuggling close on park benches. Since he had become a teenager, he noticed that a sort of tradition seemed to take place each year at this time. His friends always seemed to pair off into couple each fall. In the fall of 6th grade, it was Harold and Patti. When the leaves began to fall in the 7th grade, Gerald and Phoebe finally admitted their mutual feelings and began going steady. In the 8th grade, his longtime crush Lila finally ceased all pretenses of them possibly getting together by announcing that she "liked-liked" Stinky. It was a hard blow at first, but he was actually surprised how quickly he had gotten over it. He realized that he liked the idea of her being his girlfriend more than he actually liked Lila.
This fall, their first year of high school, couples were pairing off right and left. Tonight in the park, Arnold could make out Rhonda and Lorenzo, Sid and Nadine, Sheena and Eugene among others. Maybe it was to fight off the approaching winter chill. More likely it was the increased number of school dances that encouraged the pairings. Either way, for some reason, Arnold had never participated in this unofficial ritual of finding a partner for the winter. It seemed to him that he was the only one alone during this time of year – he was wrong.
Thank you for reading my first HA fan fiction. Please read and review. This is going to end up being a song-fic, but I wanted to make it a little longer than traditional song-fics. I will post the song at the end, but you are welcome to guess what song it is. More to come soon.