A FEW MONTHS AGO, STARFICTION123 REQUESTED I WRITE A SEQUEL TO MY SHORT STORY 'BITE THE BULLET'

THIS STORY IS STILL UNDERSTANDABLE IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO READ 'BITE THE BULLET'. I JUST FEEL IT MAKES IT MORE ENJOYABLE. HOPEFULLY YOU ENJOY AND REVIEW BOTH OF THEM :)

Chapter 1: Are You Going To Take This?

It was the middle of their eighth grade year. Not only were Arnold and Helga finally in a stable relationship, but a few of their other classmates had become rather close as well. When it comes to relationships, the closer you become, the more comfortable you are opening up to the one you're with. This can be just as bad as it is good…

P.S. 118 Hallway

"Helga and I are going to Slausens after school. Do you and Phoebe want to come with us?" Arnold asked, already knowing the answer.

"Sure man, sounds great."

As the boys were headed towards the classroom, Arnold asked "So, did you and Phoebe finish the math assignment Mr. Simmons gave us?"

"If by finish, you mean 'copied her answers' then yes." Gerald said wittily.

"Well, at least she's always willing to help you. You never seem to have any complaints about your relationship."

"Of course not man. We agree on everything."

Classroom

"I gather this hasn't been the best morning for you Helga?"

"Pttss...more like week!" Helga scowled, listening to her friend take an interest in her issues.

"Is your sister still informing your parents on all of her recent achievements?" Phoebe asked, knowing it was a pointless question. That was all Olga ever did when she was home.

"Worse! Bob's putting together a new commercial and has decided to use Olga's friends who majored in theater. Now they spend every waking minute using the living room as some kind of studio room! How in the heck am I supposed to get a moment's peace with those clowns turning my afternoons into a cheap theater rendition?!" Helga scowled.

Helga leaned back in her seat with her arms crossed as she watched her boyfriend enter the room with his best friend.

Arnold took a seat in front of his girlfriend, noting the sour look she was carrying and asked "Are you okay Helga? You didn't say much on the bus this morning?"

Rolling her eyes at his inability to realize if she was in a bad mood, her family was the cause of it, she scoffed "Oh I'm just peachy...except for one little incident that happened to occur when I went inside last night."

Helga's House

"I had a really good time tonight Helga." Arnold said, holding his girlfriend's hands under the stars on the steps of her porch.

Helga began to blush as she took notice of his sweet smile and half lidded eyes. The signature look that always managed to make her knees grow weak and cause a swoon to release from her. "Umm thanks, I did too."

"Did you want to go to Slausens after school tomorrow? Maybe Gerald and Phoebe will go with us."

"Sure football head."

Arnold pulled her in for a passionate kiss that sent a tingling sensation throughout her body. All it took was the sweet touch of her beloved, be it his hands or his lips to make her day feel (as well as herself) feel complete.

Releasing her lips, he took notice of the way the stars shone in her sapphire eyes. As he softly stroked her cheek with his thumb, he said to her "Mine won't be as sweet as you are to me. I'll let you decide which ice cream you like more." he winked, taking notice of the way her body was beginning to shake.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Arnold smiled, walking away from her.

Helga waved back, once again letting out a heavy swoon as she said to herself…

Oh Arnold my love! What dish could outweigh the sweetness of your soul? What texture could replace the touch of your gentle hands? What intense degree could make my body tremble more than the call of your own good name?

After watching him leave, Helga happily went inside only to hear …

"Alright, I want to see you people back at 5:00 sharp tomorrow! This commercial's got a deadline!"

"What's going on?" Helga asked, cocking her brow.

"Huh? Oh hey Olga. Get a load of the actors for my new commercial!" Bob said eagerly, not caring he had once again messed up his daughter's name.

Smacking her face with her hand, Helga scowled "Criminy! Why can't you shoot those freaks at your store?"

"Hey! Hey-hey-hey-hey-hey! No one sees the commercial until it's finished! If I wanted my customers to see some crappy, unfinished one-shot, I'd stick you and Miriam in it. Got it?"

Rolling her eyes at his insensitivity, Helga scoffed "Got it BOB!"

Classroom

"Mm, mm, mmm. She leads a sorry life." Gerald shook his head.

"Pttss...ya think?"

Placing his hand on his girlfriend's, Arnold said softly "You can come over to my place until they're finished shooting it."

"No offense man, but this isn't one of those 'do in a day' activities, if you want it done right." Gerald pointed out.

Before Arnold could finish his thoughts, Mr. Simmons walked in. "Hello class! I'm assuming you all had time to finish your math assignment last night?"

"I stopped on part two of the first problem, because it included information from the first part, which I didn't understand." Sid explained.

Normally Helga would sigh to herself, thinking about what an idiot her classmates were. This time however, she sat there thinking of how sick she was of Bob's unhealthy obsession with his work. He was the manager of the store. Was all of this necessary, or was it just an excuse to avoid his family?

Having considered this all morning, lunch came before she knew it. As he turned around in his desk, seeing his girlfriend sighing with her head propped in her hand, Arnold asked "Ready for lunch Helga?"

Rolling her eyes at his enthusiasm (as if it would make things any better for her) she said "Guess so football head."

Cafeteria

As the boys stood in line, grabbing lunch for the girls, Gerald said "I think Pataki's looking at this commercial business this wrong way. I can't imagine having something like that taking place at my house."

Letting out a deep sigh, Arnold said "She's upset because her dad cares more about his business than he does about her."

"I don't see that guy changing his ways anymore than I see her changing her ways. If she wants his attention, it's going to take something drastic."

Arnold was beginning to grow frustrated. Best friend had come to terms with accepting Helga's need for hanging onto her reputation (to protect herself from the class' negative opinions of her). However, he failed to realize her hostile behavior had much to do with the pain she felt was caused by the way her family neglected her.

While the girls waited for the boys to return, Phoebe watched her somber friend stare into space, leaning her head on her hand, letting out depressing sighs.

"Perhaps you could look at this from a different point of view Helga." Phoebe at last spoke, feeling the need to do something.

Helga sat up as she cocked her brow, ready to scowl at her friend for assuming their could be a positive way to look at her father favoring his business over his daughter.

Before she could say anything, the boys returned with the food for the girls. "Here you go Helga." Arnold smiled, handing her a burger and some chocolate milk.

Helga stared at it, knowing it would be the highlight of her day. Once she arrived home that night, she would be making herself cereal at the kitchen counter, listening to Bob give orders to Olga's perfect friends on how to make a perfect commercial.

Noticing his girlfriend wasn't eating, Arnold gave a worried look and asked "Aren't you hungry?"

Pushing the tray back towards him, Helga placed her hand in her hands with her elbows on the table and said "Not really."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm just NOT okay? SHEESH!" Helga scowled, getting up to leave the table.

Arnold followed her worriedly out of the cafeteria, while Gerald shook his head at his girlfriend and said "Mm, mm, mmm. That girls more complex than my man is straightforward."

Phoebe was a very understanding person, but even she had her limits when it came to people judging those she cared about.

"If I may say so Gerald, Helga's hostile behavior does not always pertain to her need to protect her reputation."

"You sure about that?" Gerald asked lifting an eyebrow.

"Helga appears to be aggressive around her classmates." Phoebe began before being interrupted…

"Because she feels weak on the inside. She seems to think letting her guard down for two minutes would make the other kids want to seek revenge over her. I know babe."

"It's more than that I'm afraid. She's taken care of herself her entire life due to the fact her family has done nothing but neglect her. Arnold is what gives her hope." Phoebe tried getting through to her boyfriend, not realizing the severe tone she was using.

"If that's the way she feels, why does she have to jump all over him?" Gerald couldn't help but ask.

Frustrated with Gerald's unwillingness to look deeper into the matter, Phoebe said "Because she knows how much he loves her."

"Say that again?" Gerald requested, lifting an eyebrow.

Rolling her eyes, Phoebe replied "Although it may seem an ungrateful way to do it, Helga knows deep down there are people in her life she can trust to stand by her, no matter how she treats them when she's experiencing emotional difficulties. Even before they were together, Helga knew how much patience Arnold had with her, despite her negative behavior towards him."

"And you're willing to put up with that?"

Unable to take it anymore, Phoebe left the cafeteria, leaving Gerald alone with his thoughts. She knew Gerald thought of Helga as a friend. It just wasn't enough in times such as these.

Hallway

"Just give it some time Helga." Arnold pleaded, unsure of what to say to his irritated girlfriend.

"News flash Arnoldo! That's what I've been doing my ENTIRE life! The clock runs out eventually and he didn't even hear it go off!" Helga scowled, raising her hands in the air.

Although Arnold believed her family had to love her in some way, he was beginning to see her point on how hopeless it may be to get them to imply it.

All he could do was imply he would always care for her. Seeing the frustrated look on her face, Arnold wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight as he said "Everything's going to be okay Helga."

"Pttss...how do ya figure?" she scoffed, ignoring the sweet touch of her boyfriend.

"Because sometimes you just have to take things one step at a time, rather than looking at the big picture. This whole situation seems hopeless, but this day isn't over yet. You don't know everything that will have happened by the end of it."

A weak smile formed on her face as she felt him rubbing her hands. While she felt him pulling her close to kiss her, the two of them heard the door to the hallway opening.

"Oh hey Phoebe." Arnold said, letting go of his girlfriend.

"Hello Arnold. I hope everything is well between the two of you now." she asked, assuming it was.

"Uhh yeah. Where's Gerald?"

"Well…"

The bell to end lunch then interrupted their conversation, and Phoebe was relieved at the idea of not having to answer.

Classroom

Gerald entered the classroom to see his friends already in their seats.

"Hey Gerald, where were you?" Arnold asked, seeing Phoebe look away.

"Uhh sorry man. I had to grab something from my locker." he replied.

Gerald noticed his best friend rubbing Helga's hand and could only assume they had made up before lunch ended. Perhaps Phoebe was right about Arnold knowing Helga's hostile behavior was simply a way to vent her distress.

This confirmation hadn't erased the guilt Gerald now felt for giving his girlfriend a hard time about the situation.

As the group heard the teacher in the hallway, Arnold turned in his desk to see Gerald with a sorrowful look on his face.

Having left the cafeteria in a rush, he wasn't sure what it could be about.

Just then he Mr. Simmons speaking with someone…

"Why yes of course! That would be wonderful! Please come in!"

Mr. Simmons then entered the room as the class listened to him say…

"Boys and girls, we have a very special guest who would like to share with you all some exciting news you may be interested in!"

Helga then looked up to see her sister entering the room. Her eyes began to widen, having a feeling this may have something to do with her dad's new commercial.

"Hello boys and girls! Do you all remember me from fourth grade?"

"Yes Ms. Pataki! You were just ever so sweet!" Lila said, not noticing Helga gritting her teeth at the usual undivided attention her sister was receiving.

"Today I'm here because my daddy is shooting a commercial for his new merchandise. My friends said how important it is to have cute kids like you be in it, because young people today are using cellphones as well."

"Boy howdy! Does this mean we get to be in the commercial too?!" Sid asked excitedly.

"Why on earth would she pick someone like you to be in it?" Rhonda smirked, knowing how successful and stylish Olga was.

Criminy! What is she doing to me?! Helga thought to herself, ready to rip her hair out.

"You're all welcome to come to my house after school. All my wonderful friends will be there to help you!" Olga exclaimed, not taking notice of how upset her sister was.

As she was on her way out the door, Mr. Simmons waved goodbye, excited for his students. "Wasn't that wonderful boys and girls?!"

Arnold gulped quietly to himself, knowing how furious Helga must be. He said not to worry that the day wasn't over yet. Unless none of the kids showed up to audition, it didn't seem to matter which way she looked at it now.

Once classes were over, Arnold turned to see the upset look on his girlfriend's face and asked "Did you still want to go to Slausens, or do you just want to go to my place?"

Although Helga had been angry with her sister since she left, she had also taken notice of the upset look her friend was carrying all afternoon.

"Actually football head, I think I'm going to hang out with Pheebs for awhile. I'll stop by your place before I head home."

Arnold appeared disappointed before looking over at his best friend. There was obviously something on Gerald's mind as well.

"Well okay then. I'll see you tonight." he smiled.

After watching the boys leave, Phoebe turned to Helga and asked "Was there something you needed to ask me Helga?"

Rolling her eyes at her friend's secrecy, Helga replied "Oh don't give me that!"

"What do you mean?"

"Obviously something happened between you and Geraldo when football head followed me into the hallway."

Hallway

"I can tell something's bothering you Gerald. Do you want to come back to my place until Helga comes over?" Arnold asked, having grabbed his books from his locker.

"I guess." Gerald sighed, following his friend down the hall.