(Sorry chapters are small. I write when I have time, and usually in a rush. Two kids and a husband to run round after, plus studies)
Arnold sat there watching her disappear into the darkness. Should he follow or let her go?
He got up and decided to follow her. Who knew what was lurking around out here. If something happened to her, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. He only walked for fifteen minutes when he came to her lying on the sand, staring up at the stars.
"Before you yell at me and go stomping off into the night, I should let you know I'm not leaving you alone out here because there's a lot of weirdos in the world, and I don't mean me, and your female and alone," he told her, again sitting down next to her.
Helga smirked. Arnold looked out at the waves for a moment then flopped down on his back. Looking up at all the stars, and listening to the waves crashing onto the beach was soothing and relaxing.
Arnold heard Helga sigh and looked over at her.
"It all started with Derek coming to school," Helga said. "I wasn't in to him at first. I was still pining over you. Anyway, Phoebe flipped head over heels for the guy, which I thought was great, because Derek is a great guy". She stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, then continued.
"Anyway, I got along really well with him, you know as friends. And I tried getting him and Phoebe together, though she was going up against Rhonda. Anyway, about this time I gave into Wolfgang. Guy is persistent. He'd been chasing me for months, and I got fed up and said yes".
Arnold sat up and looked over at her. She was frowning.
"So what happened?" Arnold coaxed. Helga sighed again.
"We went out, he tried it on, I rejected him, he wouldn't take no for an answer, so I got out of his car and walked away. He got pissy-eyed about it all and told me to get back in the car or he'd leave me there. I said "Go then!", and he did. So there I was, stuck alone at night up by the water tower. You know, the one we dressed up as a UFO as kids?" she asked. Arnold smiled at the memory.
"So I was stranded and texted the only other person I knew who had a car at the time, and that was Derek". she stopped and Arnold was going to ask her to continue, but the look on her face said 'I'll tell it in my own time or not at all,' so he stayed silent. A good five minutes went past before she said anything again.
"Derek came and got me," she said. "Phoebe was with him and looking a bit disgruntled by the whole thing. I felt horrible, but when I asked her about it later, she said she was grateful as the "date" hadn't been going so well. Rhonda just happened to be at the movies as well, seeing the same movie, with Nadine, and sort of pushed herself into the mix. Phoebe told me later that she didn't have the feelings for him she thought she had," she finished. "And a little bit of me felt happy. I hadn't even realised it, but being around him, I had slowly started getting feelings for him." Arnold took a breath, and admitted it hurt hearing that. Like a needle was poked into his heart and his lungs was trying to climb up his throat.
He looked away.
"It took me three months to make a move. And only because he made the move first. I spoke to Phoebe about it, and she said that that was fine and she wished us well. I cried Arnold. I actually cried. I was so scared that I would hurt her. But she was over him. At least that's what she said. Looking back now, I think she was just a very good liar," he finished sitting up.
"So jealousy is what started this?" Arnold asked.
"I don't know," Helga answered honestly. "She seemed fine. Initially she supported me after the stunt Wolfgang pulled on me. But then Gerald asked her out, and she accepted. Then she changed. I mean, everyone gets wrapped up in their new boyfriends and girlfriends at first. I understand that. But what happened . . . What happened was different. She stopped talking to me one day. I racked my brain for a week trying to figure it out. By this time Lila and her boyfriend had broken up, and he'd shared naked photo's of her with the whole school," she said, anger creeping into her voice. "I wasn't Lila's biggest fan, but that was just such a horrible thing to do".
Arnold thought about the way Gerald and Phoebe had told it and shook his head. They hadn't mentioned it was a boyfriend . . .
"So one day I go walking into the girls toilets to find her crying in a stall," Helga said softly. "I had a fair idea of what she was going through, and offered her support. People were still saying things behind my back, but you know what? I didn't care. Cause at the end of the day, Derek was there," she said, smiling softly. "So anyway, I started hanging out with Lila, and Phoebe just shut herself off from me completely," Helga sighed. "Eventually we got back to saying 'hi' and then small conversations, but never when Gerald was around. That's why I invited her on this holiday. I thought we could have time alone, to catch up, and re-bond. So you can see, now, why I was so peeved when I saw that Gerald was here with you," she said, grinding her teeth.
Arnold was quiet for a moment, letting it all sink in. then a realization hit him like a train.
"When did you invite her?" Arnold asked.
Helga looked at him. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears. He felt so bad for her. He knew there was a lot she was leaving out.
"About six weeks ago. Why?" she asked.
"I told Gerald where I was going to be this summer about three weeks ago. And he said that he thought it would be awesome if he could come catch up with me," Arnold could feel himself getting annoyed as he pieced together what had gone on behind both his and Helga's back. Gerald would have known that Helga was going to be here. And that Phoebe was going to be here too. So his wanting to come "catch up" wasn't so much about catching up with Arnold, but being with his girlfriend all summer. The fact that he could make Helga's summer miserable would have just been a side bonus.
"I cant believe he did this," Arnold said.
"What do you mean?" Helga asked.
"He acted so surprised when he saw that Phoebe was here, like it was some big coincidence. But he would have known. He would have known she would be here, with you and me," he said.
"Maybe that's why they told you bull about me. So I'd be angry at you, and you wouldn't want to talk to me, and it wouldn't be figured out. By you at least," Helga said.
They were both quiet as it all settled in.
"Did you honestly not know Phoebe would be coming?" Helga asked at last, breaking the silence.
"No," he said. He felt horrible. His supposed "best friend" had used him.
He thought for a while, then asked confused, "Don't you hang out with Wolfgang?"
Helga laughed. "No. he's no friend. He talks to Harold occationally, but I try to avoid him if I can. He apologised, but damage was done," she said. "Where would you get that from?"
"Something Phoebe said," he told her.
Helga shook her head.
"Figures".
Helga and Arnold had walked back to the party, talking about old friends and misadventures of childhood. They drank, danced, and Arnold had his first joint. He felt so bad doing it, and Helga had laughed her ass off at him, which made him laugh. It had been a long time since he had felt so relaxed. People started dispersing, and Brianna came to let Helga know where she could sleep.
"Plenty of room," she said, winking at her.
Helga had laughed at her when she had said that, but an hour later she wasn't laughing.
She was lying naked in bed with Arnold, guilt working its way through her body, until it reached her throat and she couldn't hold it in. She got up and threw up in the toilet in the en-suite.
Helga and Arnold felt terrible, Gerald and Phoebe .
All this only got worse as later the next day, after being dropped off by Kacey and Brianna, Helga heard a car door slam and laughing. Familiar laughing.
Lila's laughing.
'What the heck?' Helga asked herself quietly, getting up and walking out to see a familiar car, with a familiar guy behind the wheel, and Lila getting out and running towards her, calling out her name. Helga barely had time to register what was happening before Lila had thrown her arms around Helga's neck in a crushing death hug.
Derek slowly got out of the car and smiled at Helga. Helga's heart stopped for a moment, and the feeling of guilt came back. Then awkwardness as she heard Gerald and Arnold come out and look to see who had shown up.
"Gerald," Lila said coldly. "Oh, Arnold! It's been so long!" she squealed, moving forward to give him a hug. As they greeted each other, Helga walked down the steps to greet Derek.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in shock, and slight delight.
"You said you were having a terrible time, so I thought I'd come cheer you up. Lila wanted to come along, so she did," he told her, holding his arms open. Like steel to a magnet, Helga just fell into his arms and started crying softly. He'd come all this way, just to see her, and what had she done to him just last night?
"Hey, your supposed to be happy," he said with a small laugh.
"I am," she muffled into his shoulder. "I really, really am,"
"Good. So who's this?" he asked looking towards Arnold.
"Oh, Derek, this is Arnold! He's an old school friend of ours," Lila said excitedly. She stopped smiling as Phoebe walked out.
"Hello Lila," Phoebe said.
"Hi," replied Lila awkwardly.
There did stretch a long, awkward silence, as old boyfriend eyes up new boyfriend, old best friend glared at new best friend. It was Gerald who broke the silence with a sword to everyone's guts.
"Arnold is also known as Helga's ex-boyfriend," he said cheerfully. "So you two came back late this morning. Did you guys spend the whole night together?"
Helga felt Derek stiffen, and looked at Arnold, who glared at Gerald, who just smirked.
"Not like that," Helga blurted out. She looked at Arnold. Had he told him? Had he told Gerald what the two of them had done?