And now, for another brand new chapter of "Rhonda's Beau"! By the way, for fans of classic Nickelodeon shows in the 90s, you'll be surprised by an unexpected cameo guest star! Who is that, you may ask? You'll see! Anyway, enjoy!
"Nadine, come on!" Arnold called as he and Rhonda were looking around a big crowd, having lost Nadine somewhere in the middle.
"Gosh darn it, where are you?" Rhonda groaned as she held her head and tapped her foot. "I swear, that girl is more athletic than she lets on."
"I can see what you mean..." Arnold said as he looked up and noticed that the bug sanctuary, a nice, set up huge tent near the center of the field, wasn't too far away. "Maybe she already went inside and is just waiting for us!"
"What say we ditch her and maker her think we made out somewhere?" Rhonda snickered.
Arnold joined in the snickering for a brief moment... before containing his composure and shaking his head. "No, we shouldn't do that to Nadine. The least we can do is find her and get through this tour quick!"
Rhonda looked around and saw that there wasn't a huge line in front of the tent as she grabbed Arnold's hand. "Well, we may as well go in and see if Nadine is inside. Come on."
Arnold nodded as the two held hands and ran over towards the line where they waited at least a couple of minutes before arriving at the gate.
"And where are your tickets?" The person asked.
"We don't have any, but did a girl with a spider-like hairstyle come in this way?" Rhonda asked as she gave the motion of Nadine's pigtails around her head.
"Spider-like hairstyle... oh! Yes, I remember! She told me to reserve two tickets for a couple of friends of hers, one of them went by the last name, Lloyd. Are one of youse Lloyd?" The person behind the counter asked as Rhonda nodded.
"Yes, my last name is Lloyd." Rhonda mentioned as the person handed her two tickets.
"There you go, you and your boyfriend enjoy the bugs, try not to push any cages or disturb them in their natural habitat." The person said as Rhonda and Arnold nodded.
"Thank you, sir." Arnold said as he and the rich girl by his side walked inside the tent as their eyes grew wide with interest. Some people were walking by several glass cages that were set up, with some insects roaming around inside some of them, most of them having some air holes, and yet, no sign of Nadine was anywhere.
"Maybe she's at the far end of the tent?" Rhonda guessed as she turned to her "boyfriend".
Arnold could only nod as the two walked together as they couldn't help but notice a few bugs in the cages as they observed them. One particular cage that caught their interest was of a scorpion and a tarantula staring down each other, as if about to fight one another.
"I never knew scorpions and tarantulas can be considered natural enemies." Arnold pointed out as he shivered a bit, noticing the tarantula.
"I didn't think scorpions were insects." Rhonda said as she noticed Arnold shivering. She put a hand on Arnold's shoulder as she whispered soothing words to him. "It's okay, Arnold. The tarantula is in the cage. It's not going to harm you or jump out at you in any way... just relax for me, okay?"
Arnold still looked nervous, but nodded as he started to relax, looking at his "girlfriend"'s beautiful eyes. "Thanks, Rhonda. I almost freaked out for a moment..."
"Just stay with me, darling. We'll be fine." Rhonda said as the two continued looking at each bug and insect that was in the cage as the couple came across an ant farm that contained two ants, one red and one black.
Seeing this sight made Arnold sigh a little bit, most of it in frustration as Rhonda noticed. "Arnold, what's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. Just... seeing a black ant and red ant together brought back some memories of the Biosquare project. Remember when we were assigned partners to do a science project together and I picked this project?" Arnold asked.
Rhonda snapped her fingers. "Right! Helga was your partner, wasn't she?"
"Well, yeah." Arnold sighed. "Honestly, she may not have been the best partner when it came to that project. Always complaining about how living without electricity and the types of snacks I had and the project and the faucet... I mean, we still had a good time, but... still, she's just so..."
"Condescending?" Rhonda raised an eyebrow.
"I was going to say frustrating to work with." Arnold said as Rhonda rolled her eyes.
"You know, Arnold, if I was your partner, I would not have complained at all!" Rhonda smirked, feeling confident.
Arnold looked over and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, Rhonda, I know you. You wouldn't be able to survive without your basic necessities for three seconds."
"Oh, ye of little faith!" Rhonda laughed a bit... though she paused. "Actually, you could be right on that. But I'd still be a more faithful science partner to you than Helga would be. I know she's getting a little better at talking with us at times, but I swear, she just brings out the worst in you."
Arnold raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"
"Well, come on, most of us have noticed it, but we don't usually say anything..." Rhonda said. "But you have to be annoyed at the spitballs and awful names that Helga gives you every so often. I mean, she insults us and jokes around, sure, but she really goes at it with you..."
"Well..." Arnold paused as he thought about it for a moment, before saying, "I guess I am a little annoyed that Helga usually does spitballs at me. But hey, if it's just me and not anybody else, I'm happy to take the hit for everyone. As for 'Football Head'... I don't know. I mean, I'm used to the nickname Helga gives me, I just don't see it as an insult as much as she thinks..."
Rhonda smiled a bit as she massaged Arnold's hand. "You know, I always like that about you Arnold. Even when things get low, you still look for the positive in people."
"Not everybody..." Arnold shook his head as the two continued on and noticed a couple more bugs.
"Really?" Rhonda said in surprise. "There are actually people you HATE?"
Arnold gave a nod. "Well, more like 'I'll never forgive them again for doing something that is going too far'. For example, I'm sure you recall the disaster I dub, 'the Iggy incident'."
"Oh, right... I remember that..." Rhonda frowned. "Honestly, I regret even thinking about what happened that day..."
"Yeah. I haven't talked to Iggy since the incident occurred, all because he wouldn't let me explain on what really happened." Arnold sighed.
"I'm still surprised you still talk to Stinky and Sid, since they were the unwitting instigators of the incident." Rhonda said.
"I haven't ENTIRELY forgiven them, but I know Stinky and Sid are good kids at heart." Arnold shrugged as they kept walking. "I don't know. I guess, in the back of my mind, I know it's not their fault, but at the same time, they did start it all in the first place by merely guessing what I was laughing about... I'm sorry, I just don't want to think about it anymore."
"All right, if it makes you feel uncomfortable, I'll stop bringing it up." Rhonda said as they stopped nearby a little theater as they looked inside. Rhonda instantly spotted something as she tugged on Arnold's sleeve. "Don't look now, but I spotted our little runaway."
Arnold looked over and indeed, sitting and watching the screen was Nadine, who looked pretty entranced by what was on it as Arnold and Rhonda walked over as Rhonda sighed in relief. "There you are, Nadine! Where have you been? You got us worried si-"
"Sh!" Nadine shushed her as attention was on the screen. Arnold and Rhonda looked at each other in confusion before turning to see what was on screen as both of them sat down.
"This is a most marvelous creature of the Amazon River, a very rare insect known as the Longhorn Beetle!" A man's voice explained as a close-up of a yellow and black striped beetle with two long antennae was on the screen. "Such a majestic creature, isn't it? But when they get on your body, while they don't bite, they will cause quite a bit of a rash. Er, Marianne, can you position the camera back a bit, please?"
The camera backed up a bit as it revealed that the beetle was in a small cage and standing next to the cage holding a microphone was an orange haired man with an orange mustache wearing a khaki jungle shirt and green shorts with small brown shoes gave a smile as he raised an eyebrow. "Am I in the shot? Smashing! Anyway, these long horned beetles may not be as dangerous, but they don't compare to the horrors that is the armed spider!"
Indeed, the man put the cage aside as he pulled out another cage, this time, containining a spider that was crawling around. The man looked excited as he continued, "Get a good shot of this, Marianne!"
The camera went closer towards the insect...
Arnold shivered a bit before Rhonda grabbed his hand and started rubbing it as he started to take deep breaths, relaxing a little as Rhonda put her head on his shoulders, calming the boy down a little.
...as it crawled around the cage. "Another smashing creature of the rainforests, this one from Central America! Now, these spiders, if handled in the wrong hands, can be very dangerous as chances are, they'll proceed to bite you and chances are, you'll get poisoned from these creatures. Fortunately, this magnificent creature has its venom sucked out before the show, so, without wasting further time, I will take the spider out of the cage and let it crawl around me!"
"Er, Nigel, I don't think that's a-" A female voice from offscreen said as the camera backed away a bit before Nigel opened the cage and put his hand out.
"All right, come on, then little guy. Cheerio!" The man laughed in happiness as the spider crawled in his hand as the man lifted the spider out of the cage for all to see.
Nadine smiled as she turned to see Rhonda getting comfortable on Arnold's shoulder as Arnold had his left arm around Rhonda's body. Nadine giggled as she said, "Aww, look at you two. Already, I see the classic 'couple can't keep hands off each other during the movie'."
Arnold and Rhonda's eyes widened upon hearing that, but before they could separate, Rhonda decided that maybe it would be convincing as she looked at Arnold, who thought the same thing. So, they remained in the position.
"So what? It's not strange for a couple to hold each other while watching a movie." Arnold said.
"Especially one that's... oddly eccentric." Rhonda frowned. "What is this weird documentary I'm watching?"
Nadine's eyes widened in shock as she said, "Whoa, what? You never heard of Nigel Thornberry's Animal World starring Nigel Thornberry, one of the greatest animal caretakers and television stars of a generation?"
Arnold and Rhonda shook their heads as Nadine said, "This was a really old episode from long ago! Nigel Thornberry, along with his family, always goes around the world and takes time to document the animals that live in the wild and how they manage to live every day life! It's always like this every week for my parents when they grew up together watching the show! And when they had me, I started watching the old show alongside them when I was four. Unfortunately, a year before I started watching, he passed away from the world."
Arnold raised an eyebrow as he turned to Nadine. "So, this Nigel Thornberry is dead?"
"Unfortunately. He was guest-starring in another documentary and was trying to handle sting-rays. One of them used the stinger to pierce his heart and he bled out to death, sadly. It was a hard day for my parents and I guess for fans of Nigel around the world, but we knew he died doing what he did best..." Nadine said as she pointed to the screen, which right now, Nigel was seen wearily coughing a bit.
"I... I just now realized I picked the wrong cage... Marianne, do you think you can cut the camera off and get the first aid from the truck?" Nigel said in worry.
"Hang on!" Marianne said as the camera switched later to Nigel, whose face was puffed up, but he had a bandage around his head as he smiled,
"And we're back! Just had to get the poison out, is all!" Nigel smiled in confidence.
Back in reality, Nadine smiled as she continued, "Helping out animals and explaining them and how to be wary of them! He's always been my favorite celebrity..."
"Even though he's not in this world, he's your favorite celebrity?" Rhonda asked as Nadine nodded.
The spider haired girl then got up as she said, "It's always been my dream to be like Nigel Thornberry and go around the world to find more exotic bugs, as I feel there's a lot more that have yet to be discovered."
"It's nice to know you have a lifelong goal." Arnold smiled as Nadine opened up her backpack.
"It's like I always say, it's better to have a good life goal than no goal at all!" Nadine said as she pulled out what seemed to be a stuffed Nigel Thornberry doll. "What do you think, Nigel?"
Nadine then squeezed the doll's hand as a scratchy voice came out of the doll. "Smashing!"
Arnold and Rhonda raised an eyebrow as Nadine put the Nigel Thornberry doll back in her backpack as Rhonda asked, "Why do you have that?"
"For good luck." Nadine simply said as she turned to Arnold and Rhonda. "So, how are you two enjoying the bug sanctuary? Nice place to explore?"
The couple paused as they looked at each other as they thought about the walk and the talk they had together before smiling as Rhonda said, "Yeah, we had a good time!"
"Oh, how great! Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to get some dinner." Nadine smiled.
Arnold paused as he looked at his watch, surprised to see quite a lot of time has passed. "I can't believe we were in the bug sanctuary for an hour."
"It felt more like fifteen minutes..." Rhonda said, just as surprised.
"That just means you're having fun! Now, I said dinner is on me and I meant it! What do you guys say to sushi, hm?" Nadine smirked.
"Sushi?" Arnold and Rhonda said in surprise, wondering where Nadine would possibly be taking them.
And with that, chapter fourteen is now completed! How did you guys like it? Yeah, I decided to include Nigel Thornberry from 'The Wild Thornberrys' on there, because there's always been many times that Nicktoons would often share the same universe, whether it be on the commercials or in the video games. Now, obviously, since those aren't canon to Hey Arnold, I wanted to see if I could at least experiment a little by putting in a surprise guest from one of the classic Nick shows, and figured Nigel Thornberry would be perfect for this! And in case you're wondering, some of Nigel Thornberry's history is sort of a combination of his 'Wild Thornberrys' character with a bit of Steve Irwin thrown in, in case you were curious to know. With that said, do you want to see other Nicktoons making cameos in the Hey Arnold stories, whether they look like they belong in the real world, or on TV? Let me know in your reviews! Next time, Arnold and Rhonda are about to try a new dish when Nadine takes them out to dinner... but somebody is at that same restaurant, looking to sabotage the date! What'll happen next? Anyway, read, review, criticize and suggest, folks!