Chapter Theme Song: "Disturbia"- Rihanna

Arnold

I woke up next to the most beautiful woman in the world, Helga G. Pataki. She was sprawled out against my chest, drool clinging from her bottom lip to my shirt as she snored louder than an untamed grizzly. I chuckled as I began stroking her hear, enjoying the angelic aura that surrounded her through the rays of the early morning sun. I glanced at my watch and noticed it was only a half hour after dawn. I hated how I had to get up early every morning for a seven thirty class; especially on Tuesdays when my day was the longest. I had back to back classes until six in the evening with very little to no breaks in between. Times like these were where I regretted choosing Pre-Med as my major. All I wanted to do was snuggle back up against Helga, wait until she woke up, and maybe take her to her favorite diner for breakfast since it was no telling when she would disappear and leave behind nothing but a glass slipper. This little game of cat and mouse was getting old, growing more annoying by the day she would want me to 'chase' after her. In my heart of hearts I did not believe there was someone else she was interested in, but I was far from naïve to believe there was not something going on she was not telling me about. Lately, Helga has been distancing herself from me; not answering phone calls, ignoring my text messages, even going as far as to physically avoid me on campus. I would spot her walking near the quad and wave, but she would get this fearful look in her eyes and turn the opposite direction. Gerald feels there is another man and I should keep my options open- and he does pose a valid point. There is this one girl in my anatomy course, Justine, that has had a crush on me first semester of sophomore year; but I only have the eyes and heart for Helga. Since we became close in high-school almost five year ago, we not only grew as friends, but we became somewhat of an inseparable item. If she was not hanging with Phoebe, she was with me, and vice versa. I just couldn't stand the thought of Helga having her attention set on another guy when there was a perfectly good one standing in front of her.

Careful not to stir Helga, I quietly maneuvered around her to get out of her bed. I was conscious to not knock over anything or stumble over the various piles of dirty laundry she had scattered on the floor. Helga was knocked out cold, snoring even louder now that she had her bed to herself. I smiled, watching her for a few minutes. I kept thinking of what I may have done to cause her to act awkward around me. Because we were becoming so close, a few weeks ago I bought her a heart-shaped locket with a picture she and I took at the state fair a few summers ago. The back of the locket was engraved with her favorite line from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." It made me reminisce on the time she and I reenacted the same play in fourth grade; technically, the time when we first kissed. The beginning of our friendship was smooth and steady, both of us taking time out to get to know one another better and actually converse to a point where it was no longer forced. We would talk and laugh for hours until it was time for both of us to go home; neither wanting to leave. I am not sure when my feelings for Helga morphed into romantic rather than friendly, but I was certainly not complaining. Helga has a very rough and rigid exterior while her inner self is peaceful and gentle. I love that part most about Helga because it shows a different side of her I never realized was there. Helga had this sense of vulnerability that she often times didn't show. It made her seem…human rather than a stoic, calculating, sadistic bully. I never realized how much I was falling in love with Helga until she began to slow wander. I would find myself missing her warmth as she would lay next to me at night, the smell of her strawberry apricot scented shampoo, her addiction to honey baked ham, her tender laugh, the playful minx that would arise whenever we engaged in a friendly competitive game of racing, everything. I missed Helga.

I quickly scribbled a note down for her on a piece of paper, reading:

Be back by seven. Had to get up early for class and didn't want to wake you. See you soon, Angel. –Arnold

I placed it atop of her nightstand, grabbed my sweatshirt, and quickly exited her bedroom before she became restless. I took one last glance at my watch, noting the time as I fumbled on putting back on my sweatshirt. I bumped into something, stumbling backwards. I finally managed to get my oddly shaped head into the neck hole of my hoodie to meet a highly interested Dr. Bliss.

"Good Morning, Dr. Bliss."

She smiled, shifting her steaming coffee from her left hand to her right. She held a manila envelope containing a stack of papers; gracing her infamous purple suit and black pumps. "Good Morning, Arnold. If I am not mistaken, I just saw you come out of Helga's room, did I not?"

I nodded, shrugging. "We fell asleep together. I meant to only stay for an hour or so but time got the best of us." She raised an eyebrow, curious. I cleared my throat as my cheeks burned in embarrassment. She was thinking something completely different than what I was implying. "Oh, no, nothing like that, Dr. Bliss."

"Oh?"

"We just literally slept together."

"Really now?"

"In the same bed I mean."

"You don't say?"

"With clothes on!" I defended, getting flustered. I lowered my head in defeat to the soothing timbre of her chuckles. Apparently she was just pulling my leg.

She took a short sip of her coffee, wiping away a smear of pink lipstick on the lid. "I understand, Arnold. I know you are not the type of man to take advantage of a situation like that. I know it was completely innocent."

"I just wanted to be sure."

"Understood. However, I will require one minor favor from you."

"Sure." I paused, unsure of how to go forward with the conversation. Dr. Bliss rarely ever spoke to anyone but Helga and Phoebe. She would occasionally wave or nod in our direction signaling she acknowledged our presence, but rarely ever exchanged words. She only talked to Phoebe since she was her intern and Helga…well…I am unsure exactly why she speaks to Helga but the grapevine has it that she is undergoing counseling to cope with her father's incarceration of pedophilia. When word got out that Big Bob was sexually active with the young girls around the neighborhood, Helga became a primary target for sadistic, sick jokes and blood-curling pranks; getting into fist fights every day until she was transferred to an alternative high school for her senior year a few miles out of Hillwood. I had to calm myself half the time she was there because I wanted to wring a few of the girls necks who would think putting a used tampon in someone's drink was funny. Gerald, Phoebe, and I were the only ones out of our group of friends that remained in contact with Helga after that. Gerald and Phoebe would go visit her almost every day after school while I would go visit her and her mother at their apartment on weekends. After that episode, Helga did not have any friends besides Phoebe, Gerald, and myself. "What do you need?"

"I don't want to seem like the villain here, Arnold, but I am going to need for you to keep your distance from Helga. At least for a little while until I give you the green light."

That completely shocked me, earning her a quizzical, dumfounded stare. I remained quiet for a few moments before answering. "May I ask why?"

She shook her head, pouting. "I am sorry, Arnold, but I can't; Patient-Doctor confidentiality. I'm sure you can understand that, right?"

"I guess-"

"Good, now be a good boy and run along. I need to wake up Helga." She spoke dismissively, nudging past me. That got me irritated. How could she just break news for me to not talk to Helga until she said it was alright? Who does this broad think she is?

"Dr. Bliss, though I respect your opinion, why do you need for me to leave Helga alone?"

"Arnold, I am not legally allowed to tell you."

"Is there something wrong with her?" She stood motionless, stoic. I huffed. "Well?"

"Arnold, please just understand that I am not telling you to separate yourself from Helga to be malicious. It is for her own sake."

"Helga seems to enjoy my company…" I shot back snottily, earning a small eye twitch from her. "Unless Helga asks me to give her some space, I can't guarantee I will stay away from her; especially since there are no viable grounds for me to."

She rubbed her temples slowly, mumbling something under her breath that vaguely resembled 'stupid football head'. I smirked, beginning to stroll down the hallway to make it on time for class. "You have yourself a good day, Dr. Bliss."

"Arnold, I would definitely reconsider you leave Helga alone. I cannot physically make you stay away…but I don't think you want to push me."

That caught my attention; causing me to turn around. We glared at each other, waiting for the other to budge. "Push you?" I broke first, growing tired of her mind games. "How so?"

"Do as I requested and you won't have to find out, Arnold. I am not trying to be the bad guy here; just a friend to Helga. I am just as much as a friend as you are."

"You are her therapist , not her friend."

"So as her therapist, I am not qualified to be her friend?"

"Do you truly have her best interests at heart?"

"Do you, Arnold?"

There was a moment of silence before she let out a low sigh, turning her back towards me. She took another sip of her forgotten coffee before knocking on Helga's bedroom door. "I suggest you go to class, Arnold. It's impolite to eavesdrop on a private conversation."

I wanted to quip back another sarcastic comment but decided against it. I took one last glance at the unwavering Dr. Bliss before heading down to the stairwell and rushing off to class. I didn't have enough time to grab my backpack, let alone shower or brush my teeth, so I went inside the campus bookstore and bought a pack of mint-flavored gum, a stick of deodorant, and a notebook to avoid me be completely ill-prepared today. It wouldn't matter anyhow; my mind was completely on Helga all day. I kept rewinding the conversation I had with Dr. Bliss and kept asking myself the question of 'Why?' Why would she want me to keep my distance from Helga? Was that the underlying reason why Helga has been blowing me off lately? What was she hiding from me? What was Helga hiding? All those questions and more coursed through my mind that I went through the entire day not noticing much of anything else. By the time I finally forced myself to ease my mind, it was already a quarter past six and raining. My political theory professor released us a half hour early, so it gave me time to rush over to Helga's. I debated with myself on if I should make the trip over there despite what Dr. Bliss had said but I stood firm with my decision. I meant it when I said I would only back off if it came from Helga's mouth and not someone else's. Helga was becoming too important to me for me to just let her go so easily. I knocked on her door for a couple of minutes before her cluster mate told me she was not in and I had just missed her about ten minutes ago. From what she told me, Helga was heading towards Gunners Lane to get a strawberry cake from Gunners bakery. I found that quite peculiar seeing as how Helga was allergic to strawberries.

I walked around in the rain for a half hour searching for Helga. I stopped by Gunners Bakery in hopes of finding her, but the owner had just told me that there was no scowling girl that had stopped by this evening; only this sweet, innocent pig-tailed blonde and some red-head. I let out an exasperated sigh before thanking the man for his time. I bought a plain bagel and some blueberry cream cheese for the walk back, thinking I wouldn't have much time for dinner since I had a full load of homework to do. I pulled up my hood, ready to be pelted with the sudden rainstorm that was picking up speed when I saw Helga merrily splashing in rain puddles, eating strawberry cake across the street. I called out to her but she did not answer. I stuffed my bagel back into the brown paper bag and called out to her again; still no answer.

"Helga!" I yelled louder, this time earning a few stares. I shrugged them off, running towards her. She was dressed in a blue and yellow dress, hair damp and clinging to her face as she jumped around in blue violet rain boots. I tapped her on her shoulder and she turned around. "Helga…did you not hear me call you from across the street?"

She tilted her head lopsidedly, giggling as she reached atop of a red car parked besides her to shovel in a rather large slice of strawberry cake. She giggled more as thunder and lightning began to strike. I took a step back, highly confused at the way she was acting. Although Helga's favorite color was pink, she never, and I mean never, wore feminine colors- let alone a dresses aside from the pink and white one she donned in elementary school. She never even wore makeup…or braided-pigtails. Helga was even allergic to strawberries and refused to even eat strawberry flavored gum. The biggest issue was not what Helga wore, but how she wore it. The blue and yellow dress was similar to an old 1940's western movie, filled with ruffled at the bottom hem line, bows on the sides, a sash, and a plunging, deep neckline that showed enough cleavage to the point where I could almost see the tip of her nipples. As her friend, I wanted to look away; but as her potential boyfriend and a man, I wanted to do nothing but stare and gawk. I guessed she noticed me looking because instead of slapping me like I know she would have normally done, she shoved them in my face. It startled me briefly but I had to fight the urge to admit that I enjoyed it. She began laughing again, twirling against the rain.

"H-helga…?" She stopped suddenly, huffing as she crossed her arms against her chest. This time it exposed her left pearl and I had to physically make myself not stare. My cheeks grew crimson as I felt myself grow hard. Shit. "Can you please not do that?"

"Do what?" she asked in an unusual high-pitched voice. She looked down, noticing her nipple slip. She laughed again, this time undoing the straps of her dress to expose herself completely. My face was scorching as I turned completely around to show some respect- and hide my now throbbing erection. "Arnold?"

"Helga, please pull the top of your dress back up." I grumbled, silently praying she doesn't notice the tent in my pants. "Please!"

Helga laughed again, reaching out a slender hand to caress my pulsating skin. She rubbed my back through the damp fabric of the sweatshirt, running a single finger against the curve of my spine before yanking my hood. She turned me around and planted a deep, sensual, lustful kiss upon my lips. I wanted to pull away, I really did, but my body rejected the idea and allowed me to deepen it; slinking my tongue into her mouth as my hands became wrapped around her waist. She pushed herself against my chest, rubbing her nipples against me; mewling as her hands roamed by body until they nestled against the bulge of my jeans. I tried to push her away but she wouldn't let me, devilishly grinning as she grabbed my hand and escorted me against the hood of the parked red car. I didn't have the chance to think before Helga began unzipping my pants, digging through my boxer briefs to release me.

"Helga!" I shouted, trying to inch away. I damn near slid off the car and fell to the street, but Helga didn't allow it. She placed her hands on either side of my legs before nipping at the tip. She reached for her forgotten cake, grabbing a slice to smear on my shaft. My head grew so cloudy, that it could rival the ones of the storm. A few random street walkers walked past and hollered profanities, one even threatening to call the police for indecent conduct, but Helga swatted them away with laughter. I tried to make sense of it all, but I was conflicted between the wrongness of what was going on how great Helga's mouth felt. It was so warm, tight, and inviting that I had a leg spasm at the first touch. She began her rhythm, bobbing her head against the beat of the pelting rain as she licked at gnawed at the frosting and cake residue that remained. I shielded my face with my hood, trying to force myself to push Helga off but I was enchanted by her sin. I have been intimate with women before in more ways than others and was no stranger to the oral sex department; but I never had received some this…spectacular. It normally took me a minute to cum, but the way Helga was moving her lips and sucking in sync, she was going to have me blow at her command. I reached down to palm the wet locks of Helga's hair, guiding her head against my crotch as she began to deep throat. I nearly lost all my sense when she started to hum and vibrate against my most sensitive area. I had to make her stop. I couldn't do this. I couldn't take advantage of Helga.

"Stop!" I angrily roared, kicking Helga a few feet. I didn't mean to hit her so roughly, but it was instinct. I began panting, trying to clear my head as I shakily fumbled with my pants. It took me a moment to realize what was just happening. I was so confused. I looked at Helga, who sat motionless on the curb of the sidewalk crying. "Helga…"

"Stop calling me that!" she yelled. "My name is not Helga, it's Violet."

I blinked…twice. I was now utterly confused. "Helga…since when has your name been Violet?"

"Since forever!" she screamed, kicking her arms and legs like a three year old having a tantrum. She began to weep harder, muffling her sobs into her hands; screaming louder. I covered my ears, desperate.

"Helga, stop screaming!"

"I'm…not…Helga!" she screamed again, this time bolting up to slap and kick me. This was becoming too much for me to handle. One minute she is giving me a blowjob in public and the next she is assaulting me.

I reached for her arms and held them at her sides. She tried to wriggle out of my grip but I was much stronger than she was. When that failed, she began trying to bite me and calling me names like 'bitch' and 'cunt'. I ignored her and forced her to stand still. I grew irate. "What the hell, Helga!?"

"I'm not…"

"Violet, whatever!" I breathed. My heart rate was a record pace as I felt my hands begin to shake against the cool skin of Helga's or…Violet's. I watched as the anger in her eyes slowly simmered, the tears coming back to take the place of rage. She tried to kiss me but I pulled back. All the years I have known Helga G. Pataki, the one thing I knew about her was that she was as moody as they come; but this was an entirely different level I have not seen before. It was like she was another person. "What the hell was that just there?"

"What?" she asked, playing coy. Her voice was no higher than a whisper. "Is Arnold mad at Violet?"

"Yes…I mean…No...I mean…who the hell is Violet!?"

"Me, silly!" she giggled, beginning to hop up and down on one foot. Her still exposed breasts began to grind against my chest. If I wasn't still heated I would have enjoyed it. I commanded that she stop moving but she only went faster, going back to trying to bite me again. "I'm Violet. How do you not know my name?"

"Your name is Helga." I spoke sternly, pulling up her dress myself. "It's always been Helga."

"No, it's Violet. Helga is asleep and Rose is going to come out and play in a little while. I wouldn't want to be here when she does."

I stared at Helga incredulously, unsure of what to possibly say. Who was Rose and Violet? Was she playing a trick on me? "Helga, this is not funny anymore. What the hell is going on? Why did you just try and…and…you know!?"

She shook her head, giggling. She started to twirl again against the rain, pulling back down the top of her dress. Her hands began to fondle and massage her erected nipples. Her moans cascaded into the night as she slowly got herself off. I watched in awe and in terror as I tried desperately to make terms of the situation. I have never seen Helga in this state of mind before that it almost scared me. "Come play with Violet, Arnold!"

"Helga…"

"I'm Violet! I told you, Helga is not here and Rose is coming. Come play with Violet until Rose gets here."

"Helga!"

"Come play!"

She began dancing in the middle of traffic, earning a number of stares and honks from the impatient drivers of rush hour traffic. I wanted to pull her out the street but I was too stunned to even move. It was like a scene from a horror movie. I called out to 'Violet' again but she just laughed me off…and kept laughing. She laughed to the point where she fell out in the middle of the street, half-naked with a seizure. I watched in terror as Helga started to spasm violently against the wet concrete. One of the drivers in the car behind her got out of his car and tried to help her. Helga pushed him off and let out a blood-curling shriek. She told me to run…run as fast as I could away from her and not look back. My feet remained glued to the ground before she yelled out for me run again. This time I did and did not look back.

Rose is coming!