….

RHONDA

"Oh. My. God!" she yelled, startling Sheena, who was adjusting the hem on Rhonda's dress. "Arnold and Helga? She's famous! Why would she want him? He doesn't even have a job! And he's a solo dad."

"Not everything is about money and fame, Rhonda," Sheena said between the pins in her teeth.

don't get her wrong, Rhonda was happy for Helga. She had done well for herself. But Helga could do so much better than Arnold. And she said so.

"Many people said the same thing in regards to you and Harold, once, Rhonda," Sheena pointed out. "There, all the pins are in, now for the sewing, and it will be done and ready in time for your Christmas party."

Sheena looked up when she realized that Rhonda hadn't responded to her last comment. She immediately felt bad. Harold Berman was a sore spot for Rhonda, especially since his marriage to Patty Smith. She had pulled every trick in the book during High School to separate Harold and Patty, and at times it had worked, but they always seemed to get back together. It was frustrating.

When she had first found out that they were expecting she had gone home and raged and cried. That should be her! But when she found out Patty had lost the baby, she felt bad, but also pleased. Would this be the end of Harold and Patty? She had heard how a loss could drive couples apart.

But it hadn't. if anything it had drawn them closer. Even after the second miscarriage Patty had had.

Rhonda sighed.

"I suppose," she said, looking at her reflection. She couldn't understand it. She was a beautiful woman. Men always gave her a second, third, sometimes even a fourth look. Her long raven locks, her porcalin skin, her dark smoky eyes . . . She was beautiful. She could get and have any man she wanted.

Except the one she really did.

There had been hope early on, but Harold was just drawn to Patty, and Rhonda had found that the tighter she held on, the more he pulled away. She wanted to keep him in her life somehow, so had resorted to being friend zoned. It wasn't as bad as she had thought. Thinking on that made her think of another failed attempt at love and romance.

Thaddeus Gammelthorpe had become a good friend. Although she had finally relented and dated him, they found, much to their shock, that the spark wasn't there. Thaddeus was the most distraught over the whole debacle, which is what it became. He couldn't understand it, and had disappeared for a few months, without a word. He eventually came back, and Rhonda and him agreed to be friends. However, if they were both single when they hit thirty - which was five years away - they would marry out of companionship. Possibly have a child via surrogate. They agreed that they would work out the details when the time came.

She stepped off the stool, and let Sheena carefully remove the dress from her. It was a deep red, with a sweetheart neckline. Rhonda was very firm with her dress conduct. Deep cut top, long skirt/pants. High cut up top, short skirt or shorts. Though she refused to wear mini skirts. The shortest she would go was just above the knee. That way she could be assured that she was always classy, never skanky. A fate worse than death in her books.

"Miss Lloyd," a small woman said quietly, almost timidly, walking into the room. "It has been confirmed that a majority of your guests will be coming to the party. Including Ms Pataki."

Rhonda's eyes went wide, and her heart skipped a beat.

She was going to have a celebrity in her house, even if it was just Helga whom she ahd grown up with. This would mean, no doubt, that paparazzi would follow her. Which would also mean a beef up of security. As wonderful as it would be for her picture to be everywhere, she didn't want her privacy, her home, to be intruded upon.

"Please inform them that I will have security here at the party, but she is welcome to bring her own," Rhonda said. Was that what she would say? She had no clue!

….

HAROLD

…..

God he loved his wife. Everyday he would come home, and she would have dinner ready or cooking, even though she worked herself. On a Friday night, she would have a cold beer waiting for him as well, his one treat he kept til the end of the working week, though it never seemed to stop for him.

The apartment was always neat, washing always put away.

But today was different. When he walked in dinner was not cooking. The house was a bit messy. Washing was still in the washing basket by the door.

He panicked. The last time he had come home to this, Patty had lost their second baby. He had found her curled up on the bed, drowning in tears. It had broken his heart, especially when she had told him she felt like a complete and utter failure to him.

"You will never be a failure to me, Patty," he had told her, and held her, and kissed her tears away.

"Patty!" he called out. He got no answer, so went to the bedroom. The bed was made and an envelope was sitting on the bed. He gulped. No, she couldn't have. She wouldn't. would she?

Picking it up with shaky hands he opened the envelope and looked in to see a picture. Taking it out and staring at it he realised it was a scan. And that there was a little jelly bean in that scan. His breath caught.

"Surprise," her voice said from behind him. He turned around, tears forming in his eyes.

"Is this?"

"Yep. I'm 14 weeks," she told him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded happily.

"I didn't want to get your hopes up in case I lost it again," she admitted.

Harold ran to her and held her close.

"And everything is okay?" he asked, a tear finally escaping. Patty nodded. "This calls for a celebration!"

"This came in the mail for us today," she said, handing him an envelope.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Rhonda is throwing a Christmas party this year. Apparently a lot of your old friends are coming in this year, and she wanted to get them all together, with their partners, and catch up," she told him. "It's on Saturday night."

It was currently Tuesday.

"Also, Helga is in town. It was all over the papers this morning," Patty said. "I was thinking of maybe going to catch up with her."

Harold nodded.

Before high school had finished, Helga had been Harold and Patty's biggest supporter. Rhonda would scheme, and Helga was always right there to make sure the plans fell flat. A couple escaped Helga, but generally the girl always found a way to fix things. Harold was never sure if it was because she and Patty were friends, by this point, or because she enjoyed Rhonda's torment. Either way, he was grateful.

"That sounds like a good idea," Harold said, still staring down at the picture of his little baby. He prayed with all his heart that this baby would go full term.

Then his life would be complete.

….

RHONDA

…..

"Arnold, doll!" she called out. Arnold turned to see her walking slowly towards him, being careful not to slip on the slippery sidewalk. "How are you?"

Arnold gave her a big smile, and adjusted the child in his arms.

"I'm great, thanks," he told her. "And how have you been?"

"Oh, you know. Busy, busy, busy," she told him. "So will I see you Tomorrow night?"

Arnold nodded.

"So what's going on with you and Helga?" she asked.

"I'm helping her out of a sticky situation," he told her.

"Ah, yes, the cheating, home wreaker scandal," she said. Arnold nodded. "You were always such a nice person, Arnold, always helping others out."

"Do you need help with something, Rhonda?" he asked, looking a little suspicious.

Rhonda was offended.

"No," she said. "I was just making a comment. Good grief!"

"I'm sorry, Rhonda. It's been a hard few years for me. I'm more suspicious of people and their motives than I used to be," he told her. "Especially now. I'm pretty sure I'm being followed."

"You are. Two people in fact," Rhonda told him.

"What?"

"Yeah, with cameras," she told him. "I also had someone ring me this morning digging for dirt on you. Told them you were a nice guy, and blah, blah, blah. I swear the person sounded disappointed."

Arnold sighed.

"And to think Helga goes through this every day," he muttered.

"So, how is Gerald?" she asked.

"With Phoebe," he told her.

"Really?" she asked, surprised. "My, my, my!"

"What about you, Rhonda?" he asked. "How have you been keeping?"

"Very well, thankyou Arnold," she said. "I'm on my way to visit Lila. Would you like to come along?"

"I'm kind of busy," he said.

"It's just for a little bit," she said, smiling.

"I suppose a short visit wouldn't hurt," Arnold said. "I was just going to be doing a bit of shopping."

"Who's the little man?" she asked. She resisted the urge to gasp when the child turned to look at her. A splitting image of Arnold! But with blue eyes instead of green. It was a little unnerving.

"My son, James," Arnold told her. Rhonda was good at reading body language, and Arnold's right now was saying 'don't ask anymore questions.'

"Hello, James. My name is Rhonda., I went to school with your daddy," she said, holding her hand out to him. He smiled shyly, then buried his face into his daddy's shoulder. "That is so cute."

They walked the rest of the way to the Sawyer household in silence. Getting there Rhonda knocked on the door and waited patiently for the door to open.

"Rhonda!" a young woman cried out, flinging her arms around her. The woman's red hair was in a thick single braid, she still had freckles, and her eyes were bright and green. She turned to Arnold. "Oh, my, Arnold?"

Rhonda stared hard at Arnold, wondering if there were any lingering feelings there. If there was, Arnold wasn't letting anything show.

"Hello, Lila," he said, smiling. "James, say hello."

"No," came the muffled reply.

"Oh, that's okay, Arnold. Little children are very shy of strangers," she told him. "You should see what happens to some who see Santa!"

"Oh, I've seen, believe me," Arnold said.

"Let's get in out of the cold, shall we?" Rhonda suggested, moving past Lila and into her house. Lila looked to the ceiling, then back down at Arnold with a smile.

"Some things never change."

During the short visit, Rhonda watched Lila and Arnold like a hawk. There! The glint in Lila's eye! She was warming up to Arnold, and by then end she could see a slight blush on Lila's cheeks as their fingers touched. Arnold, the goof, was watching his son play with some matchbox cars, so didn't see it. Nor the lingering glance she cast him as he and Rhonda were leaving.

'Interesting,' she thought. She couldn't wait to see what would happen at her party tomorrow night!

…..

….

(A/N: Sorry the chapters are so short. I want to get this story out of my system before I get bored with it)