Chapter 14

First off, I recommend that you re-read Chapter 13. Nothing was really changed there, but the more I read it, the more I didn't like it. So I did what every good writer does, I started chopping, and then adding, chopping, adding. While I was adding, I was making that chapter way too long. So, I cut it down. Thus, where it ended before is not where it ends now. The first part of this chapter is what carried over from that chapter, and you will see where the major changes are.

Helga looked at him, and Arnold guessed that her thought process was at war with her emotions. Finally, she sighed, turning back around, "Whatever floats your boat, Football Head."

Letting out a breath he did not realize he was holding, Arnold took a seat beside her, making sure to give her some space. The last thing he wanted to do at this point was crowd her. As he got comfortable, he noticed that she was wearing a black skirt, something she rarely did. Along with a form fitting pink

v-neck shirt and pink sandals, it was a casual and comfortable look, but blended in with the party scene. It also made Arnold take note of how attractive she was, which made his body go somewhat haywire. Closing his eyes, he took a few breaths. He needed to focus, and his hormones could not interfere.

"How come you aren't inside?" he asked after several minutes.

Helga shrugged as she replied, "Not in much of a party mood, I guess. I was going to stay home, but I promised Phoebe I would give her a ride a couple of days ago, and I didn't want to disappoint her."

Arnold nodded as he looked toward the house again. He saw that Phoebe and Gerald had made it outside, standing on the far side of the deck. While he could not hear what was being said, he knew that Gerald was finally taking action with Phoebe. It came as a surprise when Phoebe reached up and kissed Gerald on the lips quickly, grinning and nodding when she pulled back. Gerald smiled in return, grabbing her hand and pulling her back inside.

When Helga did not hear from Arnold for some time, she turned to see what had gotten his attention. Just in time, she saw her best friend tip-toe up and kiss her long-time crush, nodding in an apparent affirmation of going out. "Go Phoebe! I take it Hair Boy finally made a move?"

Arnold nodded as he turned back to Helga, "Yes, he just needed the proper motivation, so to speak."

Helga raised an eyebrow, but made no other comment. She stood up, looking up at the house, where the music was starting to pick up in tempo and volume. Hugging herself, she looked down at Arnold, "How come you aren't in there? I thought you were one of the guests of honor."

Arnold stood up to meet her. "No, Arnie is the guest of honor. I'm just the travel agent that verifies where he gets to go, according to Lila." He saw that she had stiffened at the mention of Lila's name. Mentally kicking himself for such a dense move, he slowly started to step closer to her, hoping she would not notice and decide to bail. "In truth, I'm out here because this is where you are."

Helga's eyes widened at his response. Knowing he had caught her off guard, Arnold said the first thing that came to him.

"Helga, I'm sorry. I was just taking a walk after the study session, and I wound up on your block."

She stared at him for several minutes, and Arnold felt that he had once again said the wrong thing, but was not sure how to fix it. So, ignoring his instinct to stop talking in fear of saying the wrong thing again, he continued on, "It was wrong, and I didn't follow you, really. I was just there, and then I heard you and Arnie, and then I saw you kiss him…"

"He kissed me," Helga interrupted, but Arnold refused to get side tracked.

"And you kissed him back, and I felt so angry. At the time I didn't really know why."

At this point, Helga had walked up to face him. "Football Head, you were just being your annoying over-protective self. Yes, I forgive you. And no, Arnie does not know me as well as you claim he does."

Stepping away, Helga turned to face the house once again, "You now, I don't know why I said yes when he asked me. I'm not sure what even provoked him to ask. He mentioned something about liking me when we were kids. But, I had this little voice inside my head pestering me to go for it, that I might be able to have fun, and maybe even move on."

Arnold was about to apologize again, but she turned around to face him as she stated, "So I said yes, and we had fun, and he kissed me. It was great. He was good at it, definitely knew what he was doing. But it wasn't the lightening bolts and fire crackers and the orchestra playing good. That's what is suppose to happen, right? You get all tingly and you can't think straight and you know that, at that moment, everything is perfect. It makes me wonder if I have too high expectations. But even if they are, I can't give them up. My stupid freaking heart won't let me. I want that moment, and I want that moment with someone that my heart beats out of control for. And the sad part is that he is too damn dense to even notice!"

Arnold decided that being "dense" at this point might get him further than the truth. "Helga, who is it that you're talking about?" he asked as innocently as he could.

It must have worked, because Helga looked like she wanted to strangle him, clenching her fists so hard that her knuckles were turning white. At the same time he could tell that she did not want to put her heart out on the line, the fear of rejection keeping up the barrier that protected it.

"What does it matter?" she finally replied, sighing in defeat, and relaxing against the tree. "He has different expectations. Ones that I obviously don't fit into. Ones that mirror little Ms. Perfect." The last statement was said with barely hidden disdain, and Arnold knew that Lila had an influence, however indirect, on Helga's perception on how relationships worked.

.

Deciding to take the dense act further, he placed his hands behind his back, casually taking slow steps toward her. When he reached the tree, he leaned up against it, right beside Helga, mirroring her image, with his arms crossed, shoulders touching. Curiosity clouded Helga's features, and he knew she was trying to figure out what was going on inside his head. Hoping that his poker face was giving nothing away, Arnold looked forward, not wanting to face her as he started.

"I take it this guy likes Lila."

Helga just rolled her eyes as she answered him, "Oh, it's safe to say that he was head over heels in love with her." Softly, she added, "and I feel that maybe sometimes he still could be."

Arnold turned to look at her, frowning slightly as he replied, "Love is a strong word, Helga. It's not one to use unless you really mean it Are you sure his feelings are that intense? I mean, did he tell Lila that he loved her?"

When her reply was a simple shrug of her shoulders, he continued, "Well, based on my personal experience with Lila, I feel sorry for this guy. I mean, I didn't love Lila, but I liked her a lot. At one point I felt that maybe I did love her. But looking back, I was just attracted to her." When she looked over at him in slight shock and disbelief, he knew he was on the right track, "Her constant rejection wasn't easy to accept, but when you get hurt by someone you love, it hurts a hell of a lot more than getting hurt by someone you feel attracted to. Getting hurt by Lila wasn't the end of the world for me, so I knew it couldn't have been love, and while she may still be attractive, I just don't feel that 'gotta be near her' pull."

Helga turned toward him, an amused look crossing her features. To Arnold, it was as if she was trying to looked into his heart to see if he truly believed his own words. 'Try all you want, Helga,' he thought, 'You'll know I'm not lying.'

Not seeing the denial she was expecting, Helga leaned back up, looking toward the house, "You are getting way too serious for me, Football Head. I guess maybe we should get to the party. I mean, that's why you're here, right?"

Looking up at the house, which now appeared to be in fully rock-out party mode, Arnold had a better idea, "Look, why don't I text Gerald to see if he can give Phoebe a ride home, along with Arnie? I'm not much in the party mode myself, and I'm sure we can have a better time hanging out. Unless you would rather stay here and watch Eugene try to impress Sheena with his disco moves?"

Faking a look of horror, Helga replied, "Let's blow this joint."