He opened the door of the classroom and ran out in the hall. It was deserted, giving him the respite of solitude he desperately needed. Arnold walked down the hall trying hard to breath over the tight lump that formed in his throat. Tears burned at his eyes as he walked and the lump got bigger and bigger. Come on, you're not like this. You can do it, just get outside he told himself struggling to hold back the tears. He barreled into the door swinging it wide open as he walked out to the courtyard. The sun rose high in the sky, its rays doing nothing to warm the cold biting air that swept through Hillwood High School.
Arnold passed quickly through the cobblestone walk went around behind the auditorium breathing hard and shaky. A single tear broke past his barrier and rolled down his cheek; his vision started to blur as more formed. He brought both his hands up to his face and frantically started to wipe at his eyes, sniffing and taking in another shaky breath. Arnold stopped at the back wall and looked around, hoping to find somewhere, anywhere, he could crawl in and take a moment and be away from it all. He stopped looking and slid down against the wall, sniffling again as he fell into a sitting position. Another tear fell down his face as he looked down at the pavement and the bottoms of his jeans. He wiped it away and coughed, trying to clear the knot in his throat.
"I…I just want to go home". His voice was thin and timed.
He coughed again and fought back more tears.
"Ar..Arnold?"
He shot his head up and glared through watery eyes to see who had come up on him. A nervous pang hit his stomach. He couldn't take anymore ridicule or mocking, he just wanted to be alone. He looked up at his visitor, at her jeans and dark purple striped shirt, and felt his heart flutter.
"Are you okay?" Helga asked as she bent down next to Arnold.
She looked in his red and puffy green eyes that were usually full of cheer and kindness and saw hurt and worry; she hoped she didn't cause it. Helga was scared. Here was her prince, her fearless football head that always looked on the bright side on the verge of tears, leaning up against the auditorium wall. She wanted to reach out to him but she held her kneel inches away from him.
"Arnold?" She asked timidly, afraid of what would happen next.
He looked at her and cleared his throat and took in a quivering breath. "Yeah…I'm fine" He said, his voice cracking. "I'm just..a little shaken up"
He looked at Helga and wanted so badly to let the tears flow, to stop fighting, but he didn't want her to see him cry. Not Helga. Another single tear broke free and rolled down his face and he breathed in hard. He could feel the muscles on his face shuddering with the strain. She reached out slowly and put a hand on his thigh. Arnold looked down at it and then back to her; her face showed worry and fear but warmth and compassion as well, something he had never seen from her. Another tear fell followed by another. He let out a small whimper and fell into her letting the tears flow down his face. She wrapped her arms around his shaking body and held him there, pouring all the love she felt for him into the embrace.
He didn't want to fight anymore, all the emotions built up over the day and spilled out onto Helga's shoulder. He wasn't alone anymore. He had her.