Being friends with Arnold through the barrier of technology was easy.

Until I got Friday afternoon's texts.

Hey! Don't forget that we have a party to go to tonite : ) –A (sent 1:42 pm)

I can't stop by Hill-O-Beans today but I still plan on picking you up at 8 –A (sent 1:45 pm)

Can't wait to see you XD –A (sent 2:02 pm)

At first, I didn't even see the texts. I had been dealing with some nasty customer and then we got hit with a major rush. But as soon as I did, I felt the world spin around me and heat rushed to my face. I don't know how, but I made it through the rest of my shift and played it off to my co-workers like the apocalypse wasn't happening. Sure my hands shook and every blond haired man that walked through the door made me jump, but I acted perfectly natural. But as soon as the clock hit five-thirty, I ran like hell all the way back to my house and booked it straight to the bathroom.

I sniffed at the shirt I was wearing and scowled, "Ugh, I smell like stale coffee and table cleaner."

I threw off my clothes as fast as possible and hopped into the shower. The full blast of the steaming hot water relaxed my muscles but not my mind. Arnold's text messages raced through my head. 'Can't wait to see you'? 'XD'? What the heck does that mean!? I half fumed and half daydreamed. The texts and IMs we had been exchanging had made my heart race sure, but this was nothing compared to today's texts. And on top of that, we were going to a party together. Sure I had to hope that Rhonda didn't make a scene and throw me out, but the risk was well worth it.

I used a mango orange citrus body wash to make sure every whiff of stale coffee was erased from my skin. Then I used its companion shampoo to do a quick wash on my hair even though I had just washed it yesterday night. Wrapping myself in a towel, I stepped out of the bathroom. I must have been in longer than I thought because the clock read 6:46 pm.

"Crap! Crap! Crap!" I felt my heart start to hammer in panic.

I only had a little over an hour to get dress and do my hair and possibly make-up before Arnold showed up. Throwing open my closest door, racks of clothes swayed in front of me making my head swim. Who the hell was I kidding!? I wore jeans on my best days, sweats on my better days. What the heck do I know about dressing for a fancy Wellington party? Now the clock read 6:49 pm. I needed help fast.

"Konichiwa, Helga," Phoebe greeted as soon as Skype connected us. "How are you?"

"Panicking! Please tell me that you're going to the Princess's surprise party." I yelled from my closet.

"Of course Helga, Gerald wouldn't hear otherwise."

I felt the tiniest bit of relief. "Good. What kinda clothes are you wearing? I'm completely lost here." I'd rather die than wear a dress, but I didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb like I usually did.

"It's dressy casual so I was planning on wearing a simple dress and leggings," Phoebe said. "But shouldn't you know that Helga? It's on the invitation."

"Yeah about that…" I mumbled.

Phoebe gave a little, surprised gasp. "Helga, aren't you afraid what will happen if Rhonda-"

"Throws me out on my butt? Yeah, but it's not like I have much of a choice." I pawed through a couple of skirts. None of them were completely terrible just not my usual wear. "And don't say I do have a choice Pheebs because I really don't."

"Yes, Helga." Phoebe sighed.

A black leather skirt caught my eye. It was about knee length with a slight pleat and came with a studded belt. I also managed to locate a hot pink, form-fitting top that comes off both of shoulders. I ran back to the laptop, still in my towel, and held up the items. On the screen Phoebe was patiently sitting at her laptop, reading a book. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail at the nape of her neck and she had touches on red lipstick on.

"Will these work?" I asked her.

She put the book away and nodded. "Those look nice. When did you get them?"

"Forced shopping trip with Olga," I explained quickly, moving off screen to change. I paired the skirt and top with my only pair of heels. The clock now read 7:26 pm which meant I now had thirty-four minutes left to do my hair.

"Oh, Gerald just showed up Helga. I'll meet you at the party okay?" Phoebe said.

"Yeah, see you in a few!" I called back.

The Skype call went dead but I didn't bother logging out. Instead, I booked it back into my bathroom to do something about my hair. I took a breath and slowly unwrapped the towel from my hair. It was still damp but the bright pink streaks I had recently put in were still vivid amongst my bright yellow natural lock.

"Awesome, it came out perfect." I grinned.

The streaks were my little project that I had been planning on getting for a while now. I didn't want anything too strong to ruin my hair so I asked Sheena for any hook ups. And it definitely cost me a pretty penny.

"Okay, Arnold will be here in thirty minutes," I bit my lip and searched for the blow dryer, "let's see what I can do."

It took the blow dryer, the hard knobby brush, a flat iron and me cycling through curls or no curls before I finally got my hair right. It fell down my back in a sorta messy way but with volume. Equally messy bangs fell across my forehead and framed my face as well.

"Wow." I winked at my reflection. "I actually looked pretty hot."

Surprisingly it was true. The yellow of my hair made the blue of my eyes stand out. And the bright pink streaks made me look like some cool rocker chick instead of some girl going on her first date—

"Ugh!" I groaned and buried my burning face in my hands, "stop spazzing out! This may not even be that kind of date!"

But what about this past week? A hopeful voice in my head pointed out. All those messages hint that he's interested.

"Or that we're still friends and he's a nice guy." I mumbled.

But still, you never know until you try.

"I know if I try I could get my heart broken all over again."

The hopeful voice in my head fell silent at that.

"See? Now shut up before you make me grow crazy."

I lifted my face from my hands and decided to push my look one step further. I lined my eyes with black eyeliner and glossed my lips with my favorite pink grapefruit lip gloss. And finally, I tied one of my pink ribbons around my throat like a choker. If I looked hot before, I looked even better now. A tiny devious smirk curled my glossy, pink lips.

"Well Arnold," I cackled, "If you're really determined to just be friends, it's your lost football head."

My phone went off in the bedroom and I rushed to answer it. Turns it was my alarm telling me that it was 8:00 pm sharp. A fresh onslaught of nervous butterflies erupted in my stomach. Arnold would be here any minute now.

8:03 pm. Any minute now.

8:05 pm. Any freakin' minute now.

8:09 pm. Yep, he was going to be pulling up any minute filled with apologies.

But then the clock read 8:18 pm.

Twenty minutes late probably didn't seem like a big deal to most girls, but I was most certainly not most girls. Hot tears blurred my vision as I clutched my phone and dialed the prick's number.

"Come on, come on," I paced the floor as the phone kept ringing. Finally, it clicked.

"Hey, this is Arnold-"

"Football head you prick!" I screamed.

"—I'm not at my phone right now, but leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a nice day!"

"Raarg!" A scream tore through my throat as I threw my phone across the room. Then I swore and went after it. Olga would not be happy with me if I asked her to buy me another phone. Again. Thankfully though it landed in one of the many piles of dirty clothes.

"Criminy." My voice came out a small whimper as I started wiping at my eyes.

Whelp. It had happened again. I got my hopes up like an idiot and once again they came crashing down. I mean, who was I kidding? For all I knew Arnold probably changed his mind about taking me and was taking a busty brunette instead.

He changed his mind in less than a day and didn't even bother telling you? Does that sound like Arnold to you?

"Shut up."

But suddenly, the doorbell rang and my heart leaped to my throat. I looked out the window and saw a limo parked right outside and a familiar football dome standing at the door. As if he could sense me pressed to the window like an idiot, Arnold suddenly looked up directly at my window and gave me a sheepish smile and a wave.

I stopped myself from smiling and scowled, quickly moving away from the window. I quickly grabbed a jacket and my house keys and raced downstairs. My heart was still strumming from a mixture of excitement and anger so I took a breath to calm my nerves before I opened the door. My breath caught in my throat as soon as I saw him. Arnold was wearing black jeans, a red t-shirt that fit his chest perfectly, and a blue dress shirt. I shook myself out of my drooling stupor and greeted him with a scowl.

"About time, you showed up football head."

I expected him to grovel and make up an excuse for being late, but he went on staring at me. My face got hot and I started to get all antsy and self-conscious. Maybe I over did it with the make-up and hair thing. Maybe I looked less like a hot rocker and more like some desperate rocker wanna be. But then Arnold smiled, his green eyes shone brightly, and I could have swooned on the spot.

"Helga you look amazing!" He gushed. "Did you do those streaks yourself? Is that what you were hiding under the towel? I love it! It looks amazing!"

I blushed hard and couldn't keep the smile off my face even if wanted to. But that didn't mean I had to giggle like some girly girl or whatever.

"Yeah, yeah, no need to fall at my feet, Arnoldo." I shrugged liked I didn't care and gestured to the limo behind him. "So did you forget to tell me that you're loaded or what?"

"Oh, that?" Arnold shrugged. "Blame Rhonda, she sent the limo to my house because she wanted me to 'make an entrance'. It took me almost forty minutes to convince her that I already had a date and didn't need her to escort me. That's why I was late in the first place."

Another smile broke through before I could stop it. Arnold returned my smile. He then held out his hand towards me and gestured towards the limo. "Shall we?"

My hand hovered over his. For a split second, I imagined myself grabbing his hand and holding it tightly, never letting go. But then the stupid old Pataki pride kicked in.

"No need to get all gentlemanly on me," I scoffed and knocked his hand away. "I can walk you know." I brushed past him and walked towards the limo, feeling my skirt sway as my hips swung. I could have imagined it, but I could have sworn I felt his eyes on me.

The chauffeur opened the door for me and as I slid inside, Arnold quickly caught up and slid in after me. The driver closed the door behind us and I gave a low whistle at the plush and fancy interior.

"I gotta hand it to the princess, she really knows how to set someone up in style." I nodded appreciatively.

Arnold sat next to me and gave another shrug. "Yeah, it's pretty nice. When I was younger I probably would have appreciated it more, but after being out in the real world I kinda lost my taste for luxuries."

"I sure haven't." I ran my hand over the smooth leather seats. "When I was younger I had always imagined being rich enough to go everywhere in a limo. That was a long time ago, though. Right now I would settle for a decent paying job and a relatively clean apartment."

"I slept in a hut for almost two years." Arnold gave me a crooked smile. "You get used to a little dirt here or there."

I chuckled at the thought of Arnold living in a tree house, swinging through vines. Of course, in my fantasies, he was wearing nothing but a loincloth.

"Don't," Arnold laughed, pointing an accusing finger at me, "clear that thought from your head right now."

I gave him a mischievous smile. "Too late. I'm definitely going to start fantasizing about Arnold the Jungle Man."

"Fantasies?" Arnold leaned even closer and his eyes started to twinkle dangerously. "Do you have fantasies about me, Helga?"

"Uhh… I…I…" My smile slipped from my face and I had a hard time recovering it. Somehow we had moved from a friendly conversation into much more dangerous territory. The way Arnold was smiling at me, the way his eyes shone, sent an indescribable thrill down my spine. His arm drifted to rest over my shoulders. Behind him, I could see the city lights, tinted by the dark windows.

"I have some pictures of my trip you know," Arnold said softly, "Really beautiful ones I took with my mom's first camera. I'd love to show you them sometime."

Arnold's bright green eyes held mine and I found myself feeling breathless and light headed. My hand found his knee and he jumped a little at my touch.

"I'd like- love that Arnold."

Suddenly, light flooded the dark interior of the limo as the driver opened the door.

"Sir? Ma'am?" He gave us a small smirk. "We've arrived at the designated location. Or did you want to circle around?"

Arnold cleared his throat in embarrassment and helped me out of the limo. "No thanks. Um… do I tip you or anything?"

"Nope, Miss Lloyd has it all covered." The driver reached into his pocket and handed Arnold a card. "Call me when you need a ride back. A round trip is included."

Arnold thanked the man and the limo drove off. The house, er mansion, in front of us, was beyond huge. You could already hear loud music coming from inside and people milling around. Arnold must have heard my nervous gulp because he grabbed my hand and tucked it in his elbow.

The party was already in full swing when we went inside. The expansive living room had the couches pushed back to make room for a dance floor, DJ booth, and speakers. People came in and out of the kitchen with foods and drinks. It took a few minutes before someone finally noticed us.

"Arnold's back!"

"Hey, Arnold's here!"

"Arnold when did you get here!?"

Everyone crowded around Arnold, chatting excitedly. Hillwood's golden boy was back and everyone wanted to be his best friend. They barely noticed Helga, the old bully of Hillwood, except to throw me an odd look. Probably wondering why the bully ex-girlfriend was hanging on the arm of the adventurous golden boy. But Arnold remained oblivious to my rising discomfort and greeted everyone who was crowding around him, humbly and graciously accepting their numerous compliments.

"Arnold darling, is that you?" An annoyingly familiar, falsetto voice rang out. The guy at the DJ booth changed tracks and a spotlight shone at the top of the staircase. Rhonda Wellington Lloyd herself appeared at the top of the staircase wearing a black and red tight little number. She came down the stairs with a large, red-lipped smile and a swing to her hips. I rolled my eyes as most of the guys openly checked her out. But that phony smile of hers turned into a nasty scowl as soon as she noticed me.

"Oh no. No way. Absolutely not!" Rhonda scowled and pointed a manicured finger at me. "What the hell are you doing here Pataki? I told you that I never wanted to see your face around me ever again!"

I returned her ugly sneer with one of my own. I was just about to tell her where she can shove her fake plastic fingernail when I felt Arnold's arm wrap around my waist and pull me close to him. Whatever I was about to say completely slipped from my mind when I felt his warmth pressing into me.

"Actually Rhonda, Helga is here with me," Arnold explained patiently. "I asked her to be my date to my welcome back party. This party is still for me right?"

"Well, of course, it is Arnold." Rhonda pouted. "But I just don't see why you had to bring Helga of all people. I mean, she's your ex-girlfriend remember? I still can't believe you dated her in the first place."

"BITE ME YOU SNARKY BIT-"

"Helga!" Arnold's eyes and voice were firm, but I could hear the laugh in his voice and there was an amused twinkle in his eyes. His hand gripped my side a little firmer and he turned back to Rhonda, still patient. "Helga is my date, Rhonda. Now she can either be my date here at this incredible party you were nice enough to throw me, or she can be my date at the movie theaters. It's your choice, Rhonda."

There was a surprised murmur around the crowd as Rhonda's face started turning as red as her nails. Arnold's voice had been completely friendly and there was a smile on his face, but there was an underlying forceful tone to his words. Rhonda's beady little eyes darted around to gauge the mood of the people around us. Finally, she sighed and tossed her hair.

"Fine! I guess she can stay." Rhonda huffed. Her eyes briefly scanned me and I shifted, ready to punch her if I needed to. "At least, you don't look like the total mess that you usually do."

I lunged at the broad, and princess nearly tripped over her heels to get away from me. Arnold gave a little chuckle and led me over to sit on one of the couches. The mini crowd parted for us and dispersed to keep partying.

"So what was all that about?" Arnold laughed as we sat down. "I knew you and Rhonda weren't the best of friends, but wow. I never saw her that mad at you before."

I groaned and flopped back on the couch. "It's a looooong story."

"Well, we have plenty of time."

Arnold's smile was encouraging and intoxicating. I opened my mouth to start explaining when there was another commotion near the front door.

"Oh no, absolutely, positively not!" Rhonda shrieked. "It's bad enough that I had to let her in, there's no way I'm letting you in too."

Arnold craned his neck to see what was going on but I already knew. There was only one other person that Rhonda hated more than me right now.

"Rhonda, babe relax. You're always so high strung." Jacob chuckled. Behind him were a group of guys varying of college and high school age carrying instruments and booze. Jacob himself was holding two cases of beers.

"Besides, I brought the band and the booze you wanted." He continued.

"Drop them at the door and get out!" Rhonda screamed.

Arnold turned to me in confusion. "Um, any idea why Jake's here and why Rhonda hates him so much?"

"Besides the fact that Jacob is a class one a-hole?" I laughed with a shake of my head. "Ugh, unfortunately… Jacob is Rhonda's ex-boyfriend. Emphasis on ex."

I could see Arnold's brain working as he tried to connect the dots. He gave me an inquisitive look and continued to prompt me, "And Rhonda hates you because…"

"Because…" I bit my lip and decided to blunder it. "Rhonda thinks I stole Jacob from her."