AN: Here ya go! I'll be on chat later tonight or tomorrow, but right now, I have a headache I'm trying to get rid of.

Chapter 3: More Confrontations

In Mr. Simmons class: In the morning…

Rhonda fluffed up her hair as she walked over to Helga. "Hey, you are coming to the costume party I'm having this Halloween, aren't you, Helga? It's going to be all the rage of the year, you know."

Helga crossed her arms, not wanting to deal with the "princess" today. "I wouldn't be caught dead at that thing—"

"—Because you know, there's quite a rumor going around about you and Arnold, and I heard it's going to be announced at the party."

Helga's eyes twitched around, until she caught sight of her private boyfriend, walking in the classroom. She responded back, trying to hide her nervousness. "I…I don't know what you're talking about—"

"—Word on the street is that you and Arnold are an item now, and if you don't come clean, the tape has the words to tell the story itself."

"What story?" Helga was terrified now, and trying to hide it. Who the HECK found out?

"Don't play dumb. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, Helga. I'm sure you've seen the tape, in fact, you're on it." She smiled, smugly.

"Tape, what tape!?"

"Oh, so they haven't told you what they're doing this Halloween at your expense."

Helga growled in annoyance. Why is she going around in circles! "If you got something to say, I suggest you say it now before I knock your teeth out!"

Rhonda put her hands on her hips, looking down. "Oh, I wouldn't suggest doing that, Helga. Even with my teeth gone, people are still going to talk about you, and you're still going to be teased about it. I heard from a wise source that you love Arnold; the tape even has you saying it! Rest assured, if you don't tell us more about this HELGA and Arnold doesn't tell us more about this ARNOLD you guys keep hiding from everyone, I'm afraid I'm going to have to vocalize your secret. Either ways, something's getting said to everyone."

"What?"

"You do remember that revenge is a dish best served cold, right? Well, I hear it's going to be a cold night at my costume party. It's about time too, considering how long you've been mocking me and laughing at me behind my back. Ciao." She walked away to continue giving out her invites.

Helga's face grew pale. She had to find her boyfriend, now!

Arnold and Helga: In the Janitors Closet…

Helga screamed at her love, pinning him against the wall. "What did you do, head-boy?!"

Arnold pulled her back slightly. "Calm down, Helga. I didn't do it on purpose. Gerald entered my room, saw the tape on my bed and took it."

"Oh, criminey," she moved around frantically. "How am I going to live if that tape gets out at Rhonda's party? I'll be a public basket case for the rest of my live! Why didn't you tell me this sooner! This was important! This is the kind of things we need to talk about! And why did you just have our confessions tape, conveniently lying on your bed in the first place! It's supposed to be private! Even someone as thickheaded as you would know that. I thought Wartz getting a hold of this would be bad, Arnold-o, but this? This takes the cake!"

"It's okay; I'm trying to figure out what to do here! Just—just calm down!" He looked just as scared as she did.

"It's just like all of your other problems, Arnold-o, you can't solve them!" She sighed and looked away. "They already know how I feel about you. It's only a matter of time before it gets to everyone else."

"How do you know that?" He hugged her gently. "Hey, look, we might still be able to get the tape back."

She leaned into him, feeling pathetic and hopeless. "Like we did with the cafeteria confessions? What, are we going to sneak into their houses, look for it and if we happen to find it, steal it without getting caught? Nice try, Arnold."

"I know…I just don't want you to worry anymore."

"Look, Arnold, there's nothing we can do right now unless we go to the party and steal it from Rhonda ourselves. I already told Rhonda I'm not going, so if I dress up, she's not going to suspect me." She pulled back from Arnold, holding his shoulders and looking into his eyes.

He nodded, feeling weak as he looked into her eyes. He tried to think up an intelligent response. "That's good advice, Helga, and I'm definitely going to take it. We'll walk in the party with our costumes on, part ways to hunt for the tape together and—"

"—Whoa, hold it there, lover-boy. Do you really think that you're going to be looking for the tape with me?"

He rubbed his shoulder, nervously. "I was assuming. I mean—I, I am your boyfriend, and all I want to do is help you out."

"Aren't you forgetting one small thing?" She turned him to a small mirror in the closet and pointed at his reflection until he caught on and his eyes widened. "Football-head, your head stands out like a deer in the headlights!"

Arnold sighed. "I want to do something for you."

"Distract everyone! I'll go to the dance with you in another disguise and steal the tape myself."

He crossed his arms and mumbled stubbornly at her idea. "I hate you and your disguises."

She changed the subject, not wanting to talk about herself at the moment. "So, I'm guessing Gerald-o still has the tape? Why didn't you get it back from him! You should have noticed that thing as soon as it was gone!" Keep accusing him. Yep, that's one way to let him into your heart, Pataki…

"I don't know who has the tape right now. Gerald tried to bring it back to me, but it dropped out of his backpack." He looked defeated.

"Great! For all we know, somebody from our class has it."

"That's what I'm thinking. Sid did offer for Rhonda not to show it at the party, but I had to come clean about who you and me are, and tell them that instead of admitting your love for me."

Her eyes widened at his words, "Oh criminey, now I'm being blackmailed. I should've known that all I've done throughout the years would catch up to me. But—wait a minute, you never told Sid anything about my hidden personality, even to get the tape back?"

He pushed her lightly against the wall and touched her lips with his fingers. He wished he could kiss her, but he didn't want to go too fast, especially when she insisted on making their relationship private. "I know the tape is important, but your privacy is important too. You told me the day I became your boyfriend that you wanted it to stay private. I admit, I would rather be open about it. Hold your hand in the hallways, glance at each other in class, but I care about you. If you feel the need to tease and mock me the rest of the year to keep your secret hidden, that's fine, and there's no way I'm going to expose you either."

She stared into his eyes, wishing she could just get a little physical with him. She couldn't do that unless she was open about herself and her relationship with him to everyone else, right? I mean, that is what he said to her two weeks ago. "You really love me that much, Arnold? You're really that selfless? Even though you have a chance to be public about our relationship and who I am, you'd really not reveal who I am and help me find the tape again to destroy it? That's crazy!"

He smiled. "But I am crazy, Helga. And of course I would do that for you. I know we'll eventually be public down the line. But the things that are important for me right now are not my needs, but yours. It's the least I can do after the cafeteria confessions went public, anyway. I shouldn't have gone crazy on you."

"But that's what I love about you, Hair-boy. You're crazy. I wouldn't have my boyfriend any other way but how you are." She squeezed him affectionately. Maybe they could finally make-out again.

"And I wouldn't have you any other way but compassionate and supportive either." God, just a little bit closer and they could finally kiss.

"Great! Now we just have to find a disguise so that nobody else can see us like that."

He forced himself to step back. I can't get too close to her. If she wants to be private, I need to keep respecting her boundaries and keep the physical expression of our feelings at a minimum. "I'll be a vampire, but—what will you be for the costume party, Helga…?" he smiled shyly at her.

"I don't know. I haven't given it much thought."

"You know….you could be Cecile."

Helga was shocked. "H—how did you know I was Cecile!?"

"Your bangs dropped in front of your eyes when we were confronting each other at the school that night. I recognized you were her immediately. It's nothing to be ashamed about, Helga."

"Wait a minute; you weren't freaked out by it?" She was surprised.

"I already knew you loved me. Why would I be surprised if you were my French pen pal? Besides, at the time, I was too afraid that you would reveal me."

She thought about it. "Hmmm…that actually is a pretty good idea. All I've got to do now is go through some dresses, make some adjustments, and I'll be ready. Oh—I do need to buy a mask and dye streaks of my hair black—"

"—Black hair! Why?" I love your blonde hair, Helga…

"Arnold, please; you're as dense as a house brick, but other people aren't. If people see me with blond hair and know I'm not showing up, they'll put two and two together and know it's me."

"Oh come on, I'm not that thickheaded." He crossed his arms, feeling stubborn and more like his true self, although he didn't know why.

"Face it, Arnold-o. That's another part of your personality you're just going to have to accept." She grinned.