Here's the next chapter! Just a couple more chapters to go! Anyway, enjoy!
The next day, over at the bus driving to PS 118, Arnold and Rhonda were sitting next to each other on the bus, though none of them are talking... nor holding hands. Most likely because their thoughts were on something else.
Rhonda had noticed Helga did not come with Phoebe on the bus, which concerned her. "Is Helga really this upset? Does she not want to see me and Arnold together, so she had to walk to school?"
Arnold had noticed Curly sighing in depression as he looked concerned for him. "Poor Curly... all he wanted was to be with Rhonda... and I took that chance away from him. He's so depressed..."
Pretty soon, the bus stopped near the school as the bus opened up. Arnold and Rhonda looked at each other as Rhonda said, "Well, I guess we're here."
"Indeed." Arnold said. "So... I guess I'll see you at recess, then?"
Rhonda nodded. "Why not? Guess I'll see you then."
With that, Arnold and Rhonda got off the bus together as they went their separate ways.
When Phoebe got off the bus, she noticed a car approaching as Helga came out, sighing. She overheard the words spoken from Helga, "Thanks, Olga..."
"It's no trouble, baby sister..." Phoebe heard Olga say. "You just have a good day, okay?"
Helga nodded as she started to walk off, depressed.
Phoebe caught up to her as she said, "Helga, thank goodness! You didn't come to the bus stop, so..."
"Olga offered to drive me over. I accepted." Helga sighed.
Phoebe then noticed Helga's voice seemed distant and heartbroken. "Gosh, Helga, I don't think I ever heard you speak like this?"
Helga groaned. "When you think you're in love, Phoebe, but have that love taken away from you, how would you feel?"
"Heartbroken and hurt?" Phoebe asked.
"Exactly..." Helga sighed as she just continued walking.
Phoebe looked over in concern. She thought to herself that this was really bad. Helga never usually acted like this. I guess the love for Arnold and Rhonda broke her... she sighed.
Little did Phoebe or Helga know was that from nearby, Rhonda was listening in as she was looking over at Helga in concern.
As for Curly, he was looking down as he was gathering his books from his locker.
"Gee willikers, Curly, you don't look well." Sid said as he passed by.
"You just noticed?" Curly sighed in depression.
Sid blinked in confusion as he said, "Should I be concerned for you or run for my life? I'm kind of conflicted..."
Curly sighed. "Sid, tell me something. When you're in love, does it hurt when somebody else takes that love away from you?"
Sid paused. "If this is a plan for revenge, I don't want any part of it..."
Curly sighed in depression. "No, Sid, it's not a plan for revenge... not anymore..."
Sid just blinked in confusion as he watched Curly walked off. Sid was not usually too bright, but even he knew that Curly wasn't acting like his usual crazy self.
Little did Sid or Curly know was that from nearby, Arnold was listening in, looking over at Curly in sadness.
Pretty soon, at lunch, Arnold and Rhonda were sitting together, but none of them seem to want to talk to each other. Instead, each of them were focused on something else.
From Rhonda's perspective, Helga was just looking down at her sandwich as she just fiddled her fingers around with it.
Phoebe, sitting next to Helga, looked concerned as she said, "Better eat, Helga."
"I'm not hungry..." Helga sighed as she laid her head down. "Oh, what's the use... it's not worth anything anymore..."
Rhonda looked over at Helga as she sighed. "Wow... Helga must really love Arnold. Now I'm so conflicted, what do I do?"
From Arnold's perspective, he watched Curly looking down at his tuna sandwich as some people were looking at him, mostly afraid as they tried to stay away from him, because if they knew Curly, he'd most likely snap.
But both Arnold and Curly knew better. Curly was so depressed as he sighed, laying his head down.
Arnold sighed as he looked at Curly's position. "Poor Curly... I really wish I could do something for him... but how? I'm in love with Rhonda now... am I?"
Both Arnold and Rhonda then started thinking about their relationships...
"Maybe we both moved a little too fast with the relationship." Rhonda thought. "After all, we've only been going out for a week..."
"I may love her now, but what about the future? What will that hold?" Arnold thought. "For all I know, maybe I did rush in too fast and she's NOT my perfect soul mate."
Both of them thought about this for a long while... before nodding. "I know what I have to do. I hate to hurt his/her feelings, but it has to be done."
"Uh, Rhonda?" Arnold turned to Rhonda.
"Uh, Arnold?" Rhonda turned to Arnold, at the same exact time.
"Can I see you during recess?" Both of them asked.
They were pretty much surprised to hear those words from their mouths, but they both answered, "Uh... sure."
"Oh, great!" Arnold groaned. "How am I going to say I'm breaking up with Rhonda without upsetting her?"
"Oh, no!" Rhonda thought in worry. "How am I going to say I'm breaking up with Arnold without breaking his heart?"
As the lunch bell rang, the two looked determined as they both thought, "I have to do it! I don't have a choice! Either way, a person's heart is going to get broken! I just hope he/she forgives me!"
Pretty soon, it was recess as Rhonda came out with Nadine as she turned to her. "Nadine, you go ahead and do your bug-catching. I need to talk to Arnold."
"Can do!" Nadine smiled as she pulled out her butterfly net.
As soon as Rhonda went over to the bench, Arnold and Gerald came out as Arnold turned to Gerald. "Gerald, you go ahead, I have to talk with Rhonda."
"Oh, no problem, Arnold. I'll leave you two lovebirds alone!" Gerald gave a big smirk as he winked at him, leaving.
Arnold just sighed as he looked down. Well, no use in delaying the inevitable. It was time to lay it out on the table.
Arnold sat down next to Rhonda as they both looked into each other. Rhonda sighed. "Arnold, I have something to say."
"Oh no, she's going to say she loves me!" Arnold thought.
"Actually, Rhonda, there's something I need to say to you." Arnold said.
"Oh no, he's going to say he loves me!" Rhonda thought.
"How about we say our things at the same time?" Rhonda suggested as she was preparing for the inevitable.
"All right." Arnold nodded, preparing for the inevitable. "On three?"
"On three." Rhonda sighed as they both held up fingers, and slowly held up one finger, then two, then three.
"Arnold, I'm breaking up with you!"
"Rhonda, I'm breaking up with you!"
Both of them did not expect to hear that coming out of the other's mouth.
"What?" Rhonda said in shock.
"Wait..." Arnold blinked. "You want to break up with me?"
"Well... yes. You wanted to break up with me as well? Why?" Rhonda asked.
Arnold sighed. He knew she was going to ask this. "Because I was thinking... we are a good match for each other... but maybe we're too perfect for each other. Anyway, I mainly did this... for somebody else. That person was upset, and I know why. That person was in love..."
Rhonda listened to him in surprise. "He noticed Helga too? Wow! Maybe he is in love with her, and his consciousness hasn't caught up to him yet!"
"Actually, Arnold... I think I know who you're talking about..." Rhonda sighed. "Truth is, that's the reason I broke up with you... we're too perfect for each other and I did it for somebody who was upset... and in love as well..."
Arnold looked in shock. "Rhonda knows about Curly? And here I thought she didn't like him! Maybe she did it out of sympathy for him? Or maybe... she does like him like him, but doesn't want to act on it. I'll just play it cool."
"I'll play it cool." Rhonda smiled as she laughed.
Arnold laughed a little too. "To think, we were doing it for the same person..."
"Yeah..." Rhonda sighed. "Well, what do we do? We still have our tickets..."
Arnold paused to think as he snapped his fingers, getting an idea. Rhonda pretty soon got the same idea as well. Arnold decided not to tell her either as Arnold said, "Rhonda, I may have a solution."
"I was thinking of it too! What if we do this little 'pretend fight' before we enter? Then the person that's in love overhears it, we both officially break up, we get upset, then that person will come in..." Rhonda smiled.
"...and sweep the other off their feet!" Arnold smiled. "I think we can make it work!"
"Great!" Rhonda smiled. "Looks like we're going smoothly as planned! Want to meet up at the restaurant at five?"
Arnold nodded. "Good idea! We can execute the plan there!"
"Great!" Rhonda said. "I need to make some preparations!"
"I'm going to do some too! See you later tonight!" Arnold said as they both went their separate ways, each of them with a different thought in mind.
"This is perfect! I'm going to set Arnold up with Helga! Hopefully, he'll like it!" Rhonda smiled.
"This could work out! I'll set Rhonda up with Curly! Hopefully, she'll be okay with him... and hopefully he'll behave!" Arnold smiled.
Pretty soon, the school bell rang as Curly went over to his locker, in depression. He was pretty much in depression all day as he opened his locker... and he noticed a note falling out of it. Curiously, he picked it up.
Curly squinted as he read it, "Dear Curly, please come over to Chez Paris at five PM... something is about to happen there. Dress nicely. Signed, someone you know."
Curly just raised an eyebrow in curiosity. What was going on here?
Helga sighed as she went to her locker... guess the first thing she'll do was to get rid of anything Arnold related...
All of a sudden, Helga noticed a note that fell out of her locker.
"What's this?" Helga picked up the note. "Dear Helga, come over to Chez Paris at five PM... something big is about to occur. Dress fashionably. Signed, somebody you know."
Helga raised her unibrow to the right in confusion as Helga asked, "What is going on here?"
Pretty soon, Arnold and Rhonda were next to each other as they were keeping an eye out for a few people. Both Arnold and Rhonda were unaware that each of them invited different people.
"All right, I think I see the one in love!" Arnold said as he saw Curly, dressed in a nice tuxedo coming over to the right of him.
"So do I!" Rhonda whispered as she saw Helga, dressed up in a nice pink dress, her blonde hair up, coming from the left.
"Okay, it's showtime!" Arnold said. "You want to start, or should I?"
"I'll start. I'm the drama queen, after all." Rhonda smirked.
From nearby, Helga spotted Arnold and Rhonda talking to each other. Helga groaned. "Why are they here? Is that person who wrote that note just send me to be taunted with this once more?"
Curly glared at seeing Arnold and Rhonda talking. "Oh great! I'm gettin' out of her-"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE HORRIBLE HAIR!" Curly heard Rhonda yell.
"I'M JUST SUGGESTING, RHONDA, YOU SHOULD DO WITH A GOOD HAIRDO!" Helga heard Arnold yell at Rhonda.
Helga turned to Arnold and Rhonda in surprise. Those two... arguing? It can't be! Yet... it seemed so curious.
Curly was shocked to see Arnold and Rhonda arguing. It was just... something surprising to see! He continued watching in interest and curiosity.
And there's the twenty-first chapter! How was it? Anyway, read, review, criticize and suggest, everyone!