Year 2 (10th Grade)

Chapter 8

Secret Meetings

A few months had gone by since school started. Everyone had gotten settled in and things were once again a normal, predictable, rhythmic pace. The students went about their classes without much distraction or anything else of any real excitement. Well almost every student. Helga still went around school bossing everyone around. Arnold could hear her between classes, "Watch where you're walking bucko." Or "Move it geek bate." Her commanding voice would carry down even the longest hallways of the old school. Every time Arnold would hear her carry on like this he couldn't help but laugh. Listening to Helga would always make him think of the times that Helga would bully and pester him like that. And then there was their occasional little run in throughout the halls. At first she would revert back to her old usual response, "Watch where you're going football head."

Arnold would always reply the same way, "Sorry Helga."

Which always have a slight laugh behind it, and then they would go about their separate ways. Later Helga's response would simply turn into, "Sorry Arnold."

And Arnold would say, "Its okay Helga."

This again had a slight laugh to it. Every morning was like watching an old zombie movie, all of the students and even some of the faculty shuffling into the building, looking barely alive. The afternoon was a different story, as soon as the bell would ring the halls became packed, traffic out of the building was unbearable. No one could get any elbow room. The only other time during the day when the halls would be that crowded was lunch. Everyone was in a huge hurry to get out of class, practically sprinting the whole way there. Lunch was the only other time of the day that Arnold and Helga would have at the same time, other than their early morning science class. During lunch every day they would always sit at opposite ends of the cafeteria, so as to keep up appearances that they weren't in a relationship. However, they would always sit in places where they could clearly see each other. It was always the same thing, Arnold would eat his lunch with Gerald, and Helga would always eat with Phoebe, just as they had back at P.S. 118. And just like every other student in school, when they were done eating they used what precious little time they had left to go over whatever homework they had not done the previous night. Either that or study for an upcoming test they might have had, or to just generally waste time and talk. Every day Arnold and Helga would look at each other whenever they could, giving one another their silent "I love you" wink that they had become accustomed to. The last lunch bell would always bring about a sense of great longing for the two of them. Once that bell rang, they knew they would not see each other until after school. The final bell of the day was only two classes away, but to them it would feel like an eternity. And yet, Arnold began to notice something about Helga. It started one cloudy Monday. He noticed that sometime after she had eaten, she got up and left the cafeteria. She did this every day for a week. However, Arnold would soon find out where she went.

Arnold and Gerald after eating lunch one day were going over some of their homework, "Hey Arnold, can I see your math work? I wanna make sure I did this right." Gerald said to Arnold.

"Sure Gerald, I got it right here." Arnold said as he started looking through his bag.

"Huh? Well I thought it was in here." Arnold said as he continued to look through his backpack.

"Is it not in there?" Gerald said.

"I guess not." Arnold said not knowing where his work was.

"Let me go check my locker. I'll be right back." Arnold said as he got up to leave.

"Alright man." Gerald said as he went back to his books.

As Arnold exited the cafeteria he noticed that there was not a single student in the halls of P.H.S. 209. Not one individual.

*It sure is quiet in here.* Arnold thought to himself as he walked the halls.

As he turned a corner a sudden sound caught his attention. It was the sound of a door opening. The door in question was the door to the janitor's closet that he was passing. Before he knew what to think he suddenly felt someone grab him by his shirt and pull him in. It was Helga; she was wearing her traditional black wool cap, a light pink t-shirt, jeans, and her usual boots.

"H…Helga what are you…" Arnold said quite surprised as Helga kissed him.

Even though he had been surprised by this, he couldn't help but enjoy it. As they continued to kiss, Arnold slowly wrapped his arms around her. He succumbed to Helga's love, and reveled in her company. Arnold loved it when he and Helga kissed. Though, this time was somehow different. He noticed so many more things about her that he hadn't before. He could feel her heart beat through his shirt. He loved how warm and soft her skin was. Her smell was almost unnoticeable, but it would always linger with him, much like the taste of her kiss. But what he loved most was the way she held him. Whenever they kissed like this Arnold could feel Helga's love for him. He could feel it through her touch, the warmth of her body, and the passion with which she kissed him.

As she finished up her kiss she pulled away from Arnold and said, "I'm sorry Arnold."

"Don't be." Arnold said with a clear sound of pleasure from her kiss.

"I didn't mean to jerk you in here so suddenly, it's just…I couldn't wait any longer. I had to be with you, even if it is in this janitor's closet." Helga says as she tightened her embrace around Arnold's neck.

"I can see that." Arnold said with a slight laugh.

"Arnold, are you laughing at me?" Helga said with a surprised inflection.

"No I'm not. It's just this situation is a little funny. You know, being in the janitor's closet." Arnold said.

"Yeah I guess you're right. I just couldn't wait until after school to be with you." Helga told him.

"Well, you wouldn't have to wait at all if our relationship wasn't a secret." Arnold reminded her.

"I know, I know but I'm just not ready yet." Helga said sounding rather worried.

"What's the matter Helga?" Arnold asked.

"It's just, what would people think if they saw us together." She said to him.

"It almost sounds like you're embarrassed to be seen with me." Arnold said disappointedly.

"No Arnold I'm not. I'm really not." Helga said trying to comfort him.

"Than what is it?" Arnold asked trying to understand why she was thinking like this.

"I…I…I'm not sure." Helga admitted.

As she says this, Arnold notices a tear on her cheek. Arnold reaches to wipe it away.

"Hey." Arnold says to her.

Helga looks at him, unable to say anything.

"It's okay Helga; we can wait until you feel like you're ready. Don't worry about it, okay." Arnold said as he wipes the tear from her cheek trying to make her feel better.

Helga, hearing this saw it on Arnold's face that he meant what he said. "Thank you Arnold. I love you so much." She said as she leaned in for another kiss.

"I love you too Helga." Arnold said just as they kiss for a second time.

After they kiss they both fall to the floor of the closet. In each other's arms they just enjoy one another's company. With Arnold leaning against the wall, Helga buries her face in her boyfriend's chest. She loves his warmth, the steady beating of his heart, the feeling of comfort she got from his embrace. She didn't want this feeling to end.

*Oh how I wish time would stop right now.* Helga thought to herself as she listened to Arnold's heartbeat.

A few minutes pass by before Arnold looks at his watch. Its ten minutes before the last lunch bell rings.

"Helga." Arnold said.

"Hmm." Helga said still leaning against him.

"Lunch is about to be over soon." He said to her.

"Oh…okay." She said sadly as she gets up.

"Listen I've got to stay after school today to do some work for a class. So if you don't see me I'll call you when you get home from work okay." She says to Arnold as he gets up from the floor of the closet.

"Okay Helga and…listen I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Arnold said.

"It's okay Arnold; I know that you're right. We can't keep it a secret forever and we shouldn't try to keep it a secret." Helga said sounding more optimistic than before.

"Are you feeling better Helga?" Arnold asked.

"Yeah, I am...I love you Arnold." Helga said as she gave him a quick kiss.

"I love you too Helga." Arnold said as he returned the favor.

Just before Arnold leaves Helga gives him a hug and whispers, "Thank you Arnold."

Arnold hears this and hugs her back drawing her in even closer.

"I got to go Helga." Arnold said as he started for the door.

"Okay Arnold, I'll call you later." Helga said.

"Alright Helga, I'll talk to you later."Arnold said as he gave her a quick kiss just before he left.

And so, left alone in the closet Helga reflects on what she and Arnold just discussed. She remembered how good it felt to be in his arms, the gentle pulse of his heart, and the warmth of his body. Almost on instinct, she removes the locket from her shirt. Staring at Arnold's picture she can't help but smile. She places her locket over her heart, and the emptiness of the closet whispers, "I love you Arnold."

Arnold made his way back to the cafeteria with a few minutes to spare. He got Gerald's attention as he sat back down at the table.

"Where have you been Arnold?" Gerald said rather confused as to what happened to him.

"Sorry Gerald, I uh got caught up in something." Arnold said trying to keep his promise to Helga.

"Something…what do you mean by 'something'?" Gerald asked him.

"Oh it was…nothing. Don't worry about it Gerald." Arnold said trying to get off the subject.

"Whatever you say Arnold." Gerald said as he gave up on trying to figure it out.

Before they could continue the subject the last lunch bell rang. They both got up from the table and proceeded to their last few classes of the day. The last two classes went by quickly without any real excitement. Finally the last bell of the day rang; once again the halls became packed. It was a few minutes before anyone could get any breathing room. As Arnold descended the front steps of the school he could see Gerald waiting at the bus stop off in the distance. At the bottom of the stairs he took a moment to scan the crowd for Helga. No sign of her. He suddenly remembered what she told him in the closet.

*If you don't see, I'll call you when you get home from work.* her words echoed in his mind.

With Helga's words fresh in his mind he boarded the bus for the trip home.

Arnold entered his home in his usual manner, "I'm home."He said loudly to anyone within ear shot.

"We're in here Arnold." He heard his dad say.

Arnold entered the living room to find his parent's and grandparent's watching TV.

"Hi honey how was school?" His mother said as he sat down to join them.

"Hi Mom, it was okay." Arnold told her sounding rather puzzled.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" his mother asked him sounding worried.

"It's just…its something Helga asked me to do." Arnold said.

"What did she ask you to do Arnold?" Miles asked his son.

"She asked me…to keep our relationship a secret." Arnold said reluctantly.

"Keep it a secret…from your friends you mean. Why do you think she would want to keep it a secret?" Stella asked him.

"I don't know, I tried to ask her today, but it's like…even she doesn't know herself." Arnold explained as best as he could.

"I guess all I can do is try my best to keep my promise." Arnold said to his family.

"Well that's very admirable of you Arnold." His grandpa said.

"Thanks grandpa." Arnold said rather quietly.

"Well I'm gonna go upstairs and look over my books a bit before I go to work." Arnold said as he got up to leave.

"Do you want anything to eat before you leave Arnold?" his mother asked him.

"No thanks Mom, I'm not really hungry." Arnold said just as he came to the doorway of the living room.

"Alright sweetie just let us know if you need anything." His mother said to him.

"Okay Mom I will." He said to her just before he started up the stairs.

As he slowly made his way up the he remembered how Helga looked like she had started to cry. Thinking about this made Arnold's stomach turn. He didn't like to see anyone in pain. But seeing Helga like that was something he had never experienced before. Never before had he been so angry at himself for making her cry. He felt genuinely disgusted at himself. As he entered his room, he set his books down on his desk and made a solemn promise to himself.

*Never again, will I make her cry. I don't want to see her like that again.* Arnold silently vowed.

He knew he must not break this promise, because he did not want to see his girlfriend like that again. After he made his oath he began to go over his books for what little time he had left before he had to leave for work. Book by book subject by subject each one was finished with a few minutes to spare before he had to leave for work. As he began his trek downstairs he was stopped by his dad before he left the old house.

"Hang on Arnold. I wanna talk to you a minute." Miles said to him.

"What is it dad?" Arnold said as he came to the bottom of the stairs.

"Listen Arnold; don't worry about what Helga has asked you to do. You'll find this out later, but when you truly love someone you find that you will do things for them that you will probably never understand, but you do it anyway. Because, you love them. Have you ever heard the old saying 'love conquers all." His dad said to him.

"Yeah dad I have." Arnold replied.

"Well sometimes love even conquers our own minds, making us completely oblivious to the world around us. Not able to understand anything. So don't worry about it too much Arnold, just focus on your relationship with Helga. Don't focus on the things that could potentially ruin or harm it. These are some of the greatest years of your life Arnold, enjoy them. You and Helga both." His dad said to him.

"Thanks dad. You're right; I won't try to make sense of why she asked me to keep it a secret. I'll just try my best to keep it a secret…for her." Arnold said as he takes in what his father has told him.

"I'm glad to hear to say that Arnold, just remember your grandma and grandpa, and your mother and I will always be here if you need someone to talk to." Arnold's dad told him.

"Thanks dad, I'm heading off to work. I'll see you guys when I get home." Arnold said as he started for the front door.

"Okay Arnold well save you some supper." His dad told.

"Okay, bye dad." Arnold said as he opened the door.

"Bye Arnold." Miles said as he left.

After his conversation with his dad Arnold started down the sidewalk toward another nightly shift at the bookstore.

That night at the store was rather busy; it was unusual for a weeknight. However, Arnold had noticed that business had picked up, even on a nightly basis. There had been an increase in the amount of customers the store had seen. Usually they would only have no more than ten customers. But over the past few weeks that number had grown significantly. But no matter how busy it got, Arnold was always his usual helpful, courteous, and friendly self. Even with this increase in business his shift seemed to fly by just as fast any other night. Before he knew what to think he was clocking out and preparing for his walk home. But before he left he had one request to make of his boss.

"Mr. Franks, would you mind if I stayed after for a little bit tonight?" He asked his boss.

"Sure Arnold go ahead. Are you looking for something in particular?" Mike asked him.

"I'm not sure; I just wanna get my girlfriend something special." Arnold said.

"Oh I see, is it a special occasion or what?" he asked Arnold.

"No, I just thought I would get her something special because I could." Arnold admitted to him.

"Well she must mean lot to you, and what kind of literature does the young lady prefer?" Franks asked him.

"Well she likes poetry, although she has said that she will read Shakespeare or something along those lines." Arnold told him as he started looking through the store.

Arnold looked up and down the shelves trying to find the right book for Helga. He was doing this as a way to apologize for unintentionally upsetting her earlier in the day. All in all he spent about fifteen minutes looking through the store before he finally found what he was looking for. On one of the back shelves he found an old book. It was a collection of the greatest American and Elizabethan love poems. He couldn't help but smile knowing he had found exactly what he was looking for. He grabbed it off the shelf and proceeded to head for the front desk.

"I see you found what you were looking for." Franks said.

"Yeah I did. I know she'll just love it." Arnold said as he handed the old book to his boss.

"Oh this old thing, I've been waiting for someone to buy it since as long as I've been here. And yet you're the one who will leave here with it." Franks said rather surprised at Arnold's selection.

"You can go ahead and take it Arnold; I'll just take it out your paycheck this week if you don't mind." Franks said to him.

"That fine with me. Thanks again Mr. Franks, I'll see you tomorrow." Arnold said as he began his walk home.

"See you tomorrow Arnold." Mike said as Arnold left the old store. Once he had Helga's gift, he left the old store and made his way for home.

As he entered his home he yelled, "I'm home."

"Hey Arnold were all in the kitchen." He heard his mother say.

He entered the kitchen to find his family at the kitchen table just finishing up a late dinner.

"Hey honey how was work?" Stella asked him.

"Hey Mom, it was pretty busy tonight." Arnold told his mother.

"What's that you got there Arnold?" Miles asked him seeing the book in his hand.

"It's for Helga." Arnold said to his dad.

"Really, what's the occasion?" his mother asked.

"No reason…I just felt like it." Arnold said.

"Well that's very sweet of you Arnold." Said his grandma.

"Here Arnold, we save some dinner." Stella said as she handed him a plate of meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and a mix of vegetables.

"Thanks Mom, you don't mind if I eat in my room do you?" Arnold asked his family.

"Not at all Arnold, you got right ahead." His mother said to him.

"Thanks, I'll bring down my dishes when I'm done." Arnold said as he made his way to the stairs.

"Alright Arnold let us know if you need anything." Miles told him.

"I will dad." He said just as he left the kitchen.

Arnold climbed the steps of the old house to his room, pulled down the steps to his room, and ate his dinner in silence. After he ate, he took his dishes back down to the kitchen, went to take a shower and got ready for bed. Once he had taken a shower and changed his clothes, he once more went over the book that he had picked out for Helga.

A collection of the greatest love poems in the world, *Yeah…she's gonna love it.* Arnold thought to himself.

Just as he thought this his phone rang.

"Hello." Arnold said into the receiver.

"Hey Arnold how was work tonight?" Helga asked him over the phone.

"Hey Helga, it was kinda busy tonight. But then again the store seems to be getting more and more popular." Arnold said to her.

"But I really enjoy the work so it's not bad at all." Arnold told her.

"That's good to hear…listen Arnold I want to say…I'm sorry. I know it can't be easy for you to keep our relationship a secret." Helga said with a soft tone in her voice.

"Don't worry about it Helga, I promised you I would keep it a secret until you're ready and that's what I intend to do. Because, I love you Helga." Arnold said to her over the phone.

"I love you too Arnold, and thank you for saying that, it means a lot to me to hear you say that." Helga told him.

"I know, hey do you want meet up at lunch again tomorrow? Same time, same place." Arnold asked her.

"Sure Arnold that sounds great. I gotta go, so I'll see you tomorrow?" Helga asked him.

"Yeah I'll see you tomorrow. I love you Helga." Arnold said to his girlfriend.

"I love you too…goodnight Arnold." Helga said.

"Goodnight Helga." Arnold said just before he placed the phone back in its cradle.

After his conversation with Helga, he placed her gift in his bag, and climbed into bed. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he gave her the book.

The next day began as usual breakfast, trip to school, early morning science class, and then the rest of their classes before lunch. Finally, the first lunch bell rang. As usual the two of them got their lunches and sat at their regular tables at opposite ends of the cafeteria, within clear view of each other of course. Once their lunches were finished they just had to wait for the right moment. With twenty minutes left of their lunch break, Arnold notices Helga leave the cafeteria. He waits for a minute before following her.

"I'll be right back Gerald." He tells him.

"Okay Arnold." Gerald said in that kind of 'not listening' way.

As Arnold got up from the table he grabbed Helga's gift from his bag and started in the way of the janitor's closet. Again Arnold noticed that there was no one wandering the halls. As he approached the closet tried his best to hide the book, after all it was still a surprise. He walked up to the door to be pulled in the same way as he had yesterday. Once again, Helga kissed him with that same strong passion she always exuded whenever they were together. Once again Arnold wrapped his arms around her, taking in every aspect of his girlfriend, the smell of her perfume, her soft warm skin, the gentle brush of her hair, and the taste of her kiss. He loved being with her like this, even if it was in secret. Their kiss finished, Helga broke the silence.

"Hey." She simply said with love in her eyes.

"Hey." Arnold said with love in his voice.

"How are you doing today?" Arnold asked.

"I'm doing much better now that you're here." Helga said as she tightened her embrace around Arnold's neck.

"Well that's good to hear. Listen…I uh…got you something last night." Arnold said to her.

"Oh you didn't have to do that Arnold." Helga said.

"No I didn't HAVE to…I wanted to, I hope you like it." Arnold said as he handed her the book.

Helga takes a minute to look over the gift that's just been handed to her.

"Oh Arnold, I love it. Thank you so much." Helga said as she kisses him again.

"I'm glad you like. It's just my way of saying sorry. Sorry for upsetting you yesterday." Arnold said with a hint of regret in his voice.

"Arnold you don't need to apologize, I know you would never intentionally upset me. Thank you anyway, this is a very nice book." Helga said.

"Well I remember you saying how much you like poetry so…I figured you would like it." Arnold said with a resounding sound of happiness in his voice.

"I do Arnold, I love it. Thank you so much." Helga told him.

"You're welcome Helga." Arnold said as they gazed in each other eyes.

A few minutes went by before either of them said anything.

"So, what kinds of poems are in there?" Arnold asked her.

"Well let's take a look, shall we." Helga said as they both fell to the floor of the closet just as they had the previous day.

They both spent the last few minutes looking through the book in the silence of the closet. Another few minutes went by before Arnold took a look at his watch. Again the last lunch bell was only a few minutes away.

"Lunch will be over soon Helga." Arnold stated.

"I know." Helga said as she got up off the floor.

"Listen, I don't think we should make this an everyday thing Helga." Arnold told her as he stood up.

"What, why not?" Helga said rather surprised.

"It's just if we both keep this up every day, people might start to get suspicious." Arnold explained to Helga.

"You may be right Arnold. Okay this sounds like a good idea." Helga said.

"How about we meet like this on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday?" Arnold suggested.

"That sounds great Arnold." Helga said as she gives him a quick kiss.

"I gotta go Helga." Arnold said as he began to open the door.

"Okay Arnold, I love you." Helga said.

"I love you too Helga." Arnold said as he stole another quick kiss.

"Bye Arnold." Helga said.

"Bye Helga." Arnold said just as he left.

Once again alone in the closet, Helga revels in the feeling of Arnold's company. She looks at the book given to her by her boyfriend. Much like her locket the previous day, she holds it close to her heart.

"Arnold…you're the best. I love you so much." She whispers to the empty space of the closet.

Arnold went back to the cafeteria, and then on to class. And the two of them resumed their normal lives with a secret relationship. Each day would end with their silent "I love you" wink, and then their separate ride home. Each night would end with the two of them talking on the phone just before bed. True to their word, the two young lovers would meet in the same janitor's closet every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And the weekend is when they would go on a date, careful to avoid any of their friends so as to maintain their secret relationship. This became a rather comfortable pattern for them. But before they were even aware of it, months had gone by and Christmas was once again quickly approaching. This year would be special one for Arnold and Helga. It was after all, their first Christmas together as a couple. This Christmas would also reveal one of the biggest secrets to the kids of the neighborhood, the secret that everyone couldn't stop talking about, no matter how surprising it was.