A blare of flourescence pierced through the room, eliminating the darkness and momentarily blinding Arnold. He sat up hastily from his temporary bed made on the uncomfortable couch, blinking rapidly to adjust to the sudden change in lighting.

"Arnold!" Helga exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"It's my house, Helga… somehow i feel like I should ask you that question," Arnold replied.

Her eyes darkened, her eyebrows furrowed, her mouth transitioning to her trademark scowl. For a moment, she looked like her old self: the passionate, young, angry nine-year-old girl that he had known for so long. "I told you," she seethed. "I have nowhere else to go."

In his heart of hearts, Arnold knew that was the truth. He had talked to Gerald earlier that evening and had found out that Big Bob had threatened to fire Gerald if he helped Helga. Gerald had climbed Big Bob's company ladder and had earned himself a high ranking marketing position, a position that would devastate him to lose.

"Really, Arnoldo, tell me. Tell me what the hell I was supposed to do this morning when I was homeless," Helga hissed. "No? Okay well then I guess my plan sounds pretty damn good, doesn't it?"

Arnold sighed heavily. "Look, Helga… you're right okay? I'm sorry… I'm just— I'm frustrated and I'm tired and this couch isn't helping me any."

She relaxed noticeably and bit her full bottom lip. "Why are you on the couch?"

"Lila is studying and I didn't want to bother her," he lied. Actually, she refused to sleep next to me because she's convinced there is something going on between us, his mind screamed.

"You're a horrible liar, Arnold," Helga said as she plopped on the couch beside him. She grimaced as she shifted, trying to find comfort on the tattered green couch.

"What are you doing?"

"Relax, football head. I'm just trying to be a friend to you… like you were to me. That's all."

"Really, Helga, there's nothing wrong. Lila is just studying and I came down here to get some shut eye," Arnold insisted. Helga studied his face for only a moment before the stairs began to creak and Lila appeared in the doorway.

Lila's green eyes bore a hole through Helga's back as she ascended the stairs. She spun around to face Arnold, her mouth pressed into a thin, hard line. "What. The. Fuck."

Oh shit… she's cussing. "Lila…" Arnold started

She held up a finger, effectively silencing him for a moment. "It's been less than a day since she moved in and you are already having a secret rendezvous!"

"It wasn't secret nor was it a rendezvous! I was laying here in the dark— because you put me out— and she walked in!"

"Well why didn't you just walk out?"

"And go where, Lila? I couldn't go to our room. I couldn't go to my old room. What was I supposed to do? Go for a leisurely stroll down the street at 11pm in my boxers?"

"You're in your BOXERS?!" Lila exclaimed, ripping the Arnold's blanket away. She giggled unexpectedly then, a kind of nervous high pitched laugh. Her knees buckled and she sat on the floor beside him. "I'm ever so crazy, aren't I?"

Arnold stroked her hair and rolled his eyes. "Of course not, baby."

Lila shifted on the floor and raised her head to meet his gaze. "Honey, I'm sorry. I was just jealous that you spent your night with Helga while I was at work but I'm oh so certain that I understand that you were just being the good person you are."

Arnold smiled and reached down to kiss her lips. "Thanks, baby. Let's go to bed." They rose and headed for the stairs.

"I think it's great that Helga has a great friend like you to help her during this tough time. Just do something for me?" Lila asked sweetly.

"What's that, babe?"

"Wear some pants next time."

"Go fish!" Grandma yelled.

"Pookie! We're playing poker! And you don't even have any cards!" Grandpa yelled.

It is way too early for this. Arnold thought as he looked at his alarm clock. He rolled over, greeted with the loneliness of an empty mattress. Lila had been paged about an hour before and had left in quite a hurry. The chatter on the floor below summoned him from his slumber and he groggily dragged some clothes on.

The past weekend had been such an emotional rollercoaster that it left him feeling a bit nauseous. He had defended his friendship with Helga, even going so far as to swear that Helga had never had feelings for him to his knowledge. It's a harmless white lie, he told himself. Besides, the only proof Lila would have is that diary… and it's safely tucked away—

"DAMN!" He exclaimed. He raced out into the hallway and started towards the familiar steps, taking them two at a time, bursting into his old room. He was met with a gust of intoxicating mangoes. He inhaled the aroma, captivated.

Arnold glanced around and took notice of the small changes Helga had made to his room. He studied a few of the framed photographs that were on his dresser. Their fourth grade class picture hung on the wall beside the bed, a photograph of her family above it. Arnold climbed onto the messy bed and pulled open his secret drawer just as he heard footsteps approaching.

He dove across the room onto the couch and fumbled with the remote until it rolled him back behind a false wall. He peeked through a crack in the wall and held his breath while Helga entered, with only a towel wrapped around her. Her wet hair clung to her skin as she moved about, gathering an outfit for the day. Arnold looked away as she dressed, not wanting to violate her in any way.

"I forgot my lotion," she said aloud. "I wonder if he has some around here?" Helga began looking around the room; she investigated the closet, his computer desk, and under his bed before resting her eyes upon the drawers above his bed.

Oh no.

Each drawer she opened shaved about a year off of Arnold's life. He prayed for a distraction as Helga's quest for lotion zeroed in on the last drawer. Her eyes widened as she tugged the drawer open. "Empty," she mumbled. What? "Guess I'm going to the store," she said.

He waited until he heard her footsteps retreat down the stairs and down the hall before he freed himself of dust bunnies and cobwebs. What did she mean? "EMPTY"?! Arnold jumped on the bed and yanked the empty drawer right out of place.

No. He pulled open another empty drawer. No. Every single drawer was emptied out onto the bed, as Arnold frantically searched for the pink diary. No! No! No! NO!

"It's gone," he said dejectedly as he hung is head in defeat.

Fuck.