Chapter 10: I'll Be There

Rhonda opened the door to find a winded and unkempt Helga panting on her front porch. Helga took a minute to catch her breath from walking all the way there with all the extra weight from her luggage and the baby.

"Hi, Rhonda..."

Helga was surprised by Rhonda's reaction to her. She thought it'd be like old time where she'd scold her for being such a mess and sending her on her way. This time, though, Rhonda ran up to Helga and hugged her."Helga, hi! I'm actually really glad you're here!" Rhonda said letting go of Helga. "I noticed you weren't in English class which worried me since I know it's your favorite class."

"Wow, Rhonda. I actually really happy to hear that you're glad to see me because I have no where else to turn. Rhonda, you're my last hope", Helga said as Rhonda noticed her lips beginning to quiver and her eyes beginning to water.

Rhonda hugged Helga once again and brought her to one of the guest rooms in her large house. Helga entered the room and felt a strange sense of familiarity within it. It was like déjà vu, like she'd been there before.
Helga slowly paced around the room examining each and every crevasse of tile and panel.

"You recognize this room at all, Helga?" Rhonda inquired.

Helga felt a shiver run down her spine and remained silent. She placed her bag down and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Helga, I know everything. I know that all those rumors at school aren't true and that you know exactly whose baby that is", Rhonda said stepping closer toward Helga. "It's Arnold's, and you conceived it right here. Right in this room."

"But how? How do you know that?" Helga asked in amazement.

"Harold found me and told me you'd came to the party. I was really excited you decided to show up because, well, hanging out with the old gang feels weird and incomplete without you. Anyway, it took me a while to find you, but when I did you were in here in a...let's say compromising position with Arnold. Even though I knew it seemed a bit odd, especially since Arnold has Lila, I quickly left the room, leaving you to your business. When the party was pretty much over I came back up to check on you guys and you were both asleep so I didn't wake you and let you spend the night. You really thought I wasn't aware you guys spent the night at my house? What kind of responsible daughter would I be if I didn't double check the rooms in my house after having a massive party?" Rhonda said ironically and smiled. The two girls had a brief chuckle then the room went quiet once again.

Rhonda continued, "So anyway, I know Arnold's story is a lie. I know it's his. I've known you since we were four years old at Urban Tots." Rhonda sat down next to Helga at the foot of the bed. "As much as we may not have gotten along until semi-recently I know that no matter what you're not the kind of girl that sleeps around. I would even bet that Arnold was your first, right?" Helga just nodded as tears began to stream from her eyes and down her cheek. "I screwed up so bad, Rhonda, and now I don't have anyone to help me."

"You have me, alright. I'm not going anywhere. You can stay here as long as you want to. It shouldn't be a problem. We don't need Arnold, okay? He's an ass and he doesn't even deserve to be a part of yours or the baby's life. Ugh, if only I'd known what this would lead up to I would have stopped you guys when I came in here. I'm so stupid. You know, I kind of just thought that you'd have been getting your wish. I know you liked to think you hid it well, but it was so obvious you liked Arnold since we were little kids. I'm sorry this had to happen this way. It'll be fine, though, okay?"

"It's okay, Rhonda. It wasn't your fault, it was mine. And thank you so much, but I don't even think I can go back to school tomorrow. How can I face all those people again. I can't take the judgements anymore", Helga said throwing her self back onto the bed.

"I know, and I'm sorry you have to put up with all that, but you need to go to school. It's senior year and you can't put your future at risk. Just ignore them the best you can and just know that I've got your back, okay?" Rhonda sincerely said placing her hand on Helga's.

"Psh, what future, my future is done for, but really? You have my back?"

"Of course. Even today I heard a bunch of girls saying these awful things about you, so I stood up and told them the truth. I doubt they believed me, but I'll continue to keep saying it." Helga didn't know how to feel about this. In a way she was happy Rhonda was telling everyone the truth, but in another way she wanted her to keep her mouth shut. She thought Arnold's happiness was more important than hers. She decided to just run with it though. It's not her that's making him unhappy, it's Rhonda.

"But why are you doing this, Rhonda? Why are you being so nice? You're not usually one to go against the crowd for something like this."

"You know, ever since I started dating Harold I realized that there is more to people than what it seems. I'll be honest, the only reason I finally agreed to a date with Harold was because he'd changed physically. However, it didn't take long until I noticed he was the same old Harold that I'd known all my life on the inside. Although I started to like him for his looks, I fell in love with his personality. If only I'd known that when I was younger we would have gotten together sooner. I learned not to judge a person from what it's seems like on the outside, but to dig deeper and find out the truth about them."

"Wow, Princess, that was actually pretty deep. I'm impressed."

"Don't judge a book by it's cover", the two girls smiled and shared a laugh. "Okay, well I'll let you relax for a while in here. You can make yourself at home. If you want you can also come down for dinner in a bit", Rhonda said as she got up off the bed and left the room.

Although Helga was still hurt by Arnold's actions and was still nervous about the school days that lie ahead, knowing Rhonda was behind her actually made her feel comforted. As she lied in bed she had flashbacks to waking up next to Arnold that morning all those months ago. She started day dreaming about what it could have been like. She wished she could remember the night she made love to Arnold, instead all she is left with is the aftermath. She was starting to wonder if keeping this baby was the best option. Maybe she had made a careless, rash decision and Arnold had been right all along. She stared down at her protruding stomach and caressed it when she felt a slight thud on the palm of her hand. The baby just kicked! Right then she knew she had made the right choice. Maybe the whole thing started with a mistake, and maybe things had been getting a bit out of hand, but in the end they had done something beautiful. She and Arnold had created another life and that in itself was a miracle.

Helga drifted off to sleep, clearly not making it to dinner, as she dreamed of what her son of daughter would grow up to be like. If it was a boy, even after everything that had happened that day, she still hoped he would grow up to be like his father. Always helping people and putting himself before others...for the most part.

Rhonda came in to check on Helga, but at this point she was already fallen into a deep sleep. Rhonda pulled the covers over Helga's body and tucked her in hoping tomorrow would be a better day for her.