I'm Back! Already!

Once again I do NOT own Hey Arnold as much as I would like to.

I know Dr. Bliss hasn't come up a lot yet, but she will DEFINITELY become a HUGE part in the next chapter. She's kind of a big dealio hehe

Just remember to R&R and enjoy!

Polkahotness xoxo

***ARNOLD***

HEY ARNOLD! HEY ARNOLD! HEY ARNOLD! HEY ARN-

I hit the clock fairly hard and yawned, stretching only slightly before jumping when I heard a clanging downstairs followed by Grandma's familiar crazed laughter.

"Pookie! Get off of the counter! Come here!"

"Only if you can catch me, General!"

If you didn't know any better, you would think that I was living in an insane asylum and not the sunset arms boarding house. But, over my 17 years, I had grown to love our wacked out family of boarders.

"Pookie! Put down the yard stick!"

I chuckled and hopped on my feet to head for my drawers full of clothes. Carefully, I picked out my favorite plaid button-up shirt, a teal t-shirt to wear underneath it and a pair of jeans.

Yea, I was a tad predictable.

After getting dressed, I took a deep breath and headed downstairs to see just what grandma had been up to NOW.

She was standing on the counter, all right. On top of her head was a frying pan and she was DEFINITELY holding a yard stick I had received at an Earth Day celebration a few years ago. Grandpa was looking up at her asking her to get down before she waved over to me and exclaimed, "Kimba! Merry Tuesday!"

I chuckled and offered my hand out for her to take so she would finally get off the counter. She had stepped on a few of the eggs Grandpa had wanted to use for scrambling, but I assumed he'd get over it. He always did. It was kind of sweet to see someone love somebody else despite their flaws and despite their…crazy lunatic behavior.

I hoped I could find somebody like that so we could be as… fun as my grandparents.

My mind strayed to wonder if my dad had thought those same things. This strayed even further to wonder if my mom was like grandma. I started to wonder if they were as in love as my grandparents clearly were despite all odds.

I took a deep breath.

Not today, Arnold. I reminded myself. Parent moping was reserved strictly for October 5th and not in JUNE of all times.

Once she was off of the counter, I walked to the cupboard and grabbed a blueberry breakfast bar and turned to give Grandpa a hug as Grandma had darted off to do God knows what. I think the age was finally getting to her.

"Hey Shortman, where are you off to so early?'

"Grandpa, I have school."

"Oh that's right! How could I forget! By God, Arnold, I'm turning into Pookie."

"Nah, Grandpa you're fine. I'll see you later."

I turned to leave for my car as he called out, "Seeya Shortman!" and I heard Grandma cheering something from far away, though I couldn't quite make out what she was saying.

I could feel myself starting to anticipate the anxiety I was sure to feel if I didn't leave on time to pick up Gerald. So with breakfast bar in my mouth, I pulled out of my 'spot' on the road and headed for Gerald's house. Since we both had our licenses, we had been trading off the driving duties so that it would save us an equal amount of gas in the long run and I was okay with that because, well, anything beats the bus.

Timberly waved at me from Mrs. Johanssen's car when I pulled up to their house and I waved back politely with a smile. I thought back to her younger years when I was the object of her affection and couldn't help but smile to myself of the old memories that had started to seem really far away from the present.

Life can be funny when it comes to 'young love' as I've noticed through my peers. One minute, they're out and in love and the next, it all blows over like some crazy storm. I'd had a few of those throughout my life so far, what teenage boy hadn't? I figured another one was bound to happen before I graduated, but I figured if I was going to date anyone anytime soon, I wasn't going for a 2 month deal and so far, my emotions have remained at bay.

I couldn't speak for my classmates in that department though. Since middle school, everyone had been all over the place and lucky me was in the middle of a good chunk of it. First there was Rhonda and Sid. Then, in the heat of an argument, she dumped him for some guy a grade older than us named Jeff. Naturally, Sid was heartbroken and I suggested that he stay out of the playing field for a while which lasted all of two days. Following that, Sheena had a fling with Stinky and to a few people's surprise, they've been on and off for the past few years now. Rhonda went off to Iggy to 'try something new' as she claimed and soon nixed that when Harold sent her a Valentine's Day Cupid-Gram with a rose and while NOBODY imagined that could last more than 24 hours, they've been together ever since. Eugene on the other hand has really been taken by the Theatre Department. While he's sustained too many injuries to count on stage and off, in the catwalk, in the prop room, there was even a mishap in the curtains during a show once but there was no doubt that the Theatre was the only relationship he was interested in.

Gerald had been like many of the remaining people in our gang like Curly, Sid and Nadine and all them; just kind of a floater.

At least until now he was.

When he finally hopped into my car that morning, he began the 'story of a century' as he called it and pulled down the visor mirror to 'fluff the do.'

"I'm telling you man, you're gonna do a flip when you hear my news."

"So spill your guts then." I smiled and pulled the gear to drive off in the direction of the school while he began to tell his tale.

"So last period yesterday is Chemistry with Phoebe, right?"

"Yep."

"And we were just chit chattering away like we always do, right?"

"I follow." I said, knowing exactly where he was headed in the direction of the story. It was about time he did something anyway. I'd only been telling him to since Rhonda's 6th grad soiree when he kissed her in Spin the Bottle. We'd all had our slice of lip action that night.

And by all, I meant ALL of us.

"Well I brought up that movie coming out on Friday, Willow Creek?"

"Isn't that supposed to be scary, Gerald?"

"Arnold, Arnold, Arnold, that's the POINT my man!"

"So you finally asked her out, huh?"

He nodded and I got this feeling that he wouldn't be like Curly, Sid or any of the other guys floating around looking for something new all the time anymore. But that was just a feeling. Like that FEELING I had when that bottle spun around and around passed everyone in our group; when it passed everyone in our group but her.

"I'm really happy for you, Gerald. Phoebe is a great girl."

"That she is, Arnold. That she is."

I parked my seven spots down from Sid's old van and Gerald started to shake his head while his lips pursed together.

"Mm mm mm mm mm, he's at it again."

"Who's at what again?"

With a not-so-subtle eye roll he sighed, "Sid. From the looks of it, it looks like he's with Nadine."

"Think it will last?"

"Not a chance. Arnold, he's gone through every girl in our grade but Helga G. Pataki."

My eyes shut for a moment.

"Looks like I'm stuck kissing YOU football-head. Don't be concerned, it isn't like I'm looking forward to the lip germs."

I found myself thinking back to the incident two years back on the FTi roof. She had been so sure about what she was saying until her excuses came after the whole ordeal was over.

The excuses I helped her make.

The lump in my throat began to grow even denser.

It wasn't even like I didn't want to kiss her or anything, and that's what scared me the most.

"Well? If you're gonna be a chicken about it Arnoldo, you can spin aga-"

"Are you gonna stop talking so we can or not?"

The room fell silent for a brief moment and I realized just how rude I sounded in that moment. I hadn't meant for it to come out that way. I swallowed once and she turned a light shade of pink that almost matched the bow on top of her pigtailed head.

"Er….um…y-yea."

Ever since our conclusion about our last…kiss…about how it was in the 'heat of the moment' and all that jazz, I knew she had to know I knew she meant it. I never said anything, I never would if she didn't want to admit to it and not take it all back. I always kind of hoped she would one day, admit to the infatuation Gerald was constantly bugging me about and that I was pretty aware of myself.

I guess I figured lying about her feelings made more sense to me than realizing what was there. Because, she said she loved me… what if I found that I had some kind of feelings for her too?

I had played the incident at the FTi roof over and over in my head so many times that I could barely look at Helga and not hear her words ring in my ears, "I LOVE YOU, ARNOLD!" Love. That's a big word and a loaded one at that. Of all the people to, love, why love me?

"Hey, Arnold?" Gerald whispered "She's kind of, waiting, you know."

We scooted to the middle of the circle where the old Yahoo bottle lay, its end pointing at Helga who was leaning in to kiss me the way we were supposed to.

My stomach started to knot and I closed my eyes leaning in and pressed-

"Are you even hearing a word I am saying?"

I opened my eyes and looked over to Gerald who looked extremely irritated.

"Sorry Gerald I was just-"

"Off in your little world? Yeah, you've been doing that a lot lately. Is something up?"

"No Gerald, nothing is up. I've just been thinking is all."

And with that, Gerald let whatever it was that I had missed go like the best friend he was. We knew when to drop it and thankfully, he had.

Now the question was, Could I?

There were a good 15 seconds to spare before Helga would be considered tardy for our first hour. I had seen Phoebe this morning (with Gerald of course) without Helga and she said it wasn't a big deal. She said Helga would probably be in class tomorrow.

I didn't buy that.

Phoebe and Helga had been best friends since Urban Tots days and they were almost as good as Gerald and I when it came to the whole secret thing. But the thing is, I know Helga and I know that she isn't a skipper. And if she happened to be out of town or something, she would say, and I quote:

"Hey Arnoldo, I'm gonna be gone tomorrow, duty calls. Mind taking notes for me? No? Good."

And then she'd laugh because she didn't give me a chance to even agree to do them, but she knew that I would do them even if she asked it was just more fun to act like she was the boss. If that had all happened, then I wouldn't be sitting here worrying if she was sick or in some kind of crisis.

"Psst. Arnold!" a piece of wadded up paper came flying at my head and I looked around to see who wanted my attention. "Hey Arnold! It's me, Rhonda!"

I nodded in her direction and waited until Mrs. Fetting had turned toward the board.
"What is it?"

"Check your phone." Mrs. Fetting paused for a moment as Rhonda repeated, "Check your phone." And she pointed to her sleek Blackberry and then back to me as I nodded once in understanding. That was when Mrs. Fetting looked me dead in the eye.

"Arnold, would you mind telling us what it is we are discussing?"

"Er…well…"

"Well I suppose it's nice for you to join us late than never at all."

I swallowed and nodded as I glanced down at my phone in my lap. Sure enough, my phone was blinking with a message from Rhonda.

HELG IS AT THE HOSPITAL, it read, MY NEIGHBOR'S FRIEND'S BOYFRIEND NICK SAW HER THERE WHILE HE WAS VISITING HIS GRANDMA.

My eyes near popped out of my head. Why on earth was Helga at the hospital? It wasn't until the end of the day when as I was bolting to the hospital on foot after dropping off my car at the boarding house that I started to wonder why I cared so much in the first place. It wasn't until after that still that my answer ran right into me.

Literally.

So what do you guys think? should i keep up with the story?

i'm really starting to dig where this is going... as i said, Dr. Bliss is coming in (and not just a flashback) in the next chapter so i hope you guys stick around to see it :)

love you all! R&R!