Living with Helga

by DeepVoice'06

Post TJM. 6th grade was supposed to be easier for Arnold. A new relationship with Helga? The Beeper Emporium bought out? That was all it took and he was back to solving others problems. The last thing he wanted was for Helga to be homeless, but living with her was one of the most difficult things he ever did. And keeping it from his parents? Well, that was another story. COMPLETE!

21. Chapter 21: Arnold's Confession

Hey Arnold! Living with Helga

AN: This is a warning that this story will later become M-Rated. This chapter is rated M for the two dance scenes.

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Reviews:
Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro: He most certainly will take those risks, and thanks for the review.
CoolGirl-Pataki: So glad that you liked the chapter. If you liked the last one, this one's going to be one you'll read several times. Thanks for the review.
ForeverRogue: Here you go. It's what you've been waiting for the whole story. I think you know what I'm talking about. *wink* Thanks for the review.
The J.A.M.: He works under pressure here too, lol, and thanks for the review.
SakiKitty: Yup, it took guts, that's for sure. Here you go. Everything you've been waiting for, packed into one chapter. Thanks for the review.
Kryten: Very true, and thanks for the review.
Em Pataki: Thank you for the long review! Arnold did it for himself and Helga, Helga is changing, but she still reverts into bully-mode sometimes. Arnold was dying inside keeping all those secrets from everyone. I probably should have had Principal Wartz stop him, but it's funny with the chapter the way it is, and I wouldn't change a thing at this point. Arnold's parents truly love him, and we've finally got to see proof of that in this story. I don't know what you're going to think about this chapter, but I do think that you'll like the confession scene. Your mouth might drop as you're reading the dance scenes between Arnold and Helga at the end. It's almost identical to the April Fool's Day episode, though.
Qmiki Chan: Thanks for the review, and I'm glad that you like it. If you think the situations I put Arnold through are something, try keeping him in character the whole time. It wasn't an easy thing to do; that's one of the reasons I have an editor, plus I edited this myself five times before sending it off to that person. Yes, I'm overcautious. I didn't forget about Miriam. You'll see her in the next chapter. Olga explains that she was at graduation, I just didn't show Olga in the last chapter.
The Wasp1995: That was a heck of a speech to write! I worked individually on each speech. They all served an important purpose. I'm trying to tie up all loose ends at this point. Phoebe and Gerald, the spell, and the confession are tied up in this chapter. Miriam and Olga are tied up in the next one, which will be the last. Thanks for the review.
BaSingTei: Glad to hear that you like the story. Here's a fifty-three-page chapter for you. Thanks for the review.
Themainman123: Thank you for the kind words and the review. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
Guest: It's here, enjoy!
Smooth Pancakes: I'm happy to hear you enjoyed Cafeteria Confessions and Halloween Confessions. It took me years to get done that series, way longer than it's going to take to finish this one. I sent you a PM to respond to your reviews, which you know at this point. Thanks for all of them, by the way! I enjoyed reading your summary of each chapter. They even motivated me to keep working on this, despite having two jobs that take up most of my time.

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Chapter 21: Arnold's Confession/Rhonda's Party

Saturday June 11th, afternoon.

Helga was in Arnold's room napping.

Arnold and his parents were downstairs, sitting together on the couch in the living room. Arnold was in the middle, Stella to his left and Miles to his right. They were looking through an old photo album together from when Arnold was a baby. They were talking and laughing, just like a family should.

Stella pointed at a picture of when Arnold was one, in a blue shirt and black pants, standing at the playground, "Look at that! That was the day after Miles and I went shopping to get you new clothes. You were already growing out of your baby ones. That was the only time we could get you to stay still. You were so big for your age, so brave and adventurous. I can count multiple times that we've had to save you from getting into serious accidents, even outside of the jungle when we got back to Hillwood. You were such a curious boy."

Miles smiled as he looked at his son, "That's why we decided to leave the jungle. It was no place to raise a child. I never wanted to go back again. I told my friend Eduardo that part of our lives was over."

Arnold said to them, "Then why did you both go back if you were determined to stay and take care of me?"

Stella touched Arnold's face gently with her hands, "Sweetie, we thought it would be a quick trip. We were planning on being back home in a week. It was easy to make the serum once we got there; I've done it before. The last thing we expected was to catch the sleeping sickness and be delayed on our trip back."

Miles looked at his son, "It was hard to leave you that day. If we knew we would be stuck in San Lorenzo for ten years, we wouldn't have gone. It was difficult realizing this last year that we've lost so many years with you as a child. I don't know about Stella, but that's why I've always treated you as if you were younger. I guess I was hoping I could get back those years by doing it," he sighed, looking away with regret and closing his eyes painfully, "I'm never going to get back those years. I'm so sorry, son."

Arnold put his left hand on his chin. He had never considered that his parents felt guilty. He said to his dad, "Really? I mean, you felt so bad that you subconsciously treated me as if I was younger?"

Stella nodded with tears in her eyes, looking at her twelve-year-old son. Just thinking about all the wasted years filled her with regrets, "Of course, Sweetheart. If we would've stayed with you instead of going to help the Green Eyes through the sleeping sickness, you would've never felt such loneliness and abandonment from our absence. I wish I could take back that terrible decision we've made and all the pain you've gone through because of our absence."

Arnold smiled sadly at his mother and reached his arms out to pull her into a hug, "It wasn't your fault, Mom. You were just doing what you did best, helping other people. Not only that, but you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the Green Eyes saving both of your lives. It's only fair that you do the same for them," he pulled back from the embrace, "I'm not mad at you or dad anymore. I recognize at this point it was necessary."

Miles sighed, "No, Arnold. It was a selfish decision that we both made. You're our son. You're the most important priority in our lives."

Stella grabbed Arnold's left hand, causing him to look into her eyes curiously. She said to him, "You're our life, Sweetheart. Never forget that. You're the thing we want to sacrifice our lives for every single day."

Arnold looked down, now feeling like the one that was being selfish. He said to them, "Don't worry, Mom and Dad. I may be getting older, but I'm still twelve. You still have my teen years to be parents to me, and there's no reason you can't guide me through my adult years as well. After all, I'm still going to need you when I'm an adult."

Miles was so thankful, he threw his arms around Arnold, and Stella started crying in happiness. She wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hands. His parents could tell that they were truly forgiven by their son.

After Miles let go of his embrace, Arnold said, "I know that you both love me. I can see that from your actions, and how much you regret the way I've reacted to your absence all these years. You both obviously know how to love others from the sacrifices you've made to help them. But, how did you know you were in love with each other? I'm guessing it takes a lot of time to put together such intense feelings."

Miles and Stella shared a confused glance before turning to Arnold.

Stella said, "Oh, Sweetie. Unconditional love isn't something that you have to think about, you just know it. I knew when I loved Miles," she smiled at her husband.

Miles scratched his chin with his left hand in thought, and said, "Why are you asking that question, son? Does this have something to do with your girlfriend, Helga?"

Arnold nodded, "I care a lot about her, and I know she loves me, but I don't know if I love her. Is there an easy way to tell? I know she needs to hear the words from me and not just see my actions as proof of my feelings, but I don't want to lie about something so serious. When I tell her my feelings, I want to mean them."

Stella and Miles glanced at each other, smiling. Stella said to her son, putting her right arm on his shoulders, "Well, I knew I loved Miles when he fell off that cliff and I had to take care of his wounds in the jungle. Before then, I realized I cared a lot about him, but afterwards, I knew that I never wanted to live without him."

Miles nodded as he glanced at his wife, "I would say that I realized it not long after Stella did. We were getting ready to fall down a waterfall. We were right on the edge when I looked into her eyes. That's when I realized I'd rather sacrifice my life than watch her lose hers. I could stare into her eyes forever, and I realized that I wanted to be with her forever that day." He started to get lost in her eyes as he was speaking about it.

Arnold paused a moment before saying, "So, if I wanted to sacrifice my life for Helga or I realized at some point that I couldn't live without her, then I probably love her?"

Stella smiled, "Sweetie, love means different things for different people. Love also takes on different extremes. You don't have to sacrifice your life to realize you love somebody. Sometimes it's about what you'll do for them for their benefit instead of yours. Sometimes it's wanting to be physically close."

Miles spoke as he daydreamed, "…Wanting to give your life for them, wanting to live with them the rest of your life, refusing to let them experience any pain. That's what real love is about," He smiled again at his wife. She smiled back affectionately, reaching for his hand across from Arnold.

Arnold thought to himself about all the things his parents said.

Just like my mom and dad almost lost their lives in that waterfall, Helga and I almost lost our lives falling off that bridge in San Lorenzo. I felt bad because our lives were going to end before I could tell her my feelings. I guess that's when I realized I had feelings for her, but were they love when I looked in her eyes or was I concerned because I didn't get the chance to tell her I cared? For her benefit, I refused to have sex with her all these months. I didn't do it because of me, I did it because of her. I sacrificed my wants for her needs, but is that love? I would still give everything I have for her not to be homeless. I would live with her the rest of my life if I had to, even if I dealt with this spell forever. I want to be with her physically, but is that love or lust?

He looked up at his dad to ask aloud, "Isn't wanting to be physically close to somebody lust? How can the physical possibly be mixed with a feeling as deep as love? Aren't they different?"

Miles and Stella let go of each other's hands. Miles smiled at his wife, remembering past times of their affections. He said to Arnold, "A lot of times when you want to be physically close to somebody, that's because you love them. Lust is wanting to be physically close without caring about the person. I hope you never feel lust for anyone, Arnold."

Arnold bit his bottom lip as he asked, "So, it's normal for me to feel physical urges when I'm around my girlfriend? I could still be in love with her, even while I'm physically attracted to her?"

Stella laughed at the question, "Yes! That's completely normal at your age, Sweetie! I can't count the number of times Miles and I were both tempted to give into physical temptations before we were married. I was a virgin, but it didn't help make things any easier for us. When you're in love with somebody, you want to be that close, but we wanted to do things right and wait until the time was right for those physical affections."

Miles admitted to his son, "I wasn't a virgin when I married your mother. I had one previous relationship before her and I made a mistake, but those mistakes developed me into a more responsible, caring person. I knew what the right thing to do with your mother was, and I wanted to give her everything. I wanted our physical relationship to be special. It was difficult to wait at times, but we managed to wait until we got married before we started that part of our relationship."

Stella put her left hand into her son's left hand, "Every relationship is different. You'll know when the time is right to start those things, Sweetie."

Arnold asked his mother, "But is making love with somebody even possible to do instead of having sex when you're physically attracted to each other?"

Miles nodded, "Of course it is. You'll know the difference when the time comes, don't worry."

Arnold took a glance up the stairs as he thought about his sleeping girlfriend. It was then he realized his feelings. He admitted to his parents, in a shaky whisper, "I know I'm in love with her now, but how do I tell her? Suddenly, I'm nervous."

Stella laughed as she hugged her son, "Aw, Sweetie. It's completely normal to feel nervous about admitting your feelings to her if you've never told her about them."

Miles laughed as well, "Just go upstairs, wake her up, and tell her that you love her. It will probably make her day!"

Stella said, "I can tell that she loves you too, Sweetie. She wouldn't have sacrificed her life or her locket for us if she didn't."

Miles added, "I don't think she would've lived here so long either. You both have put up with a lot from each other this past year. Living together is never easy."

Arnold took a deep shaky breath, "You're right. I need to tell her my feelings. I'm going to tell her, right now. She needs to know." With those thoughts, Stella and Miles watched Arnold get up and run up the stairs. They got up from the couch and put their arms around each other's shoulders with smiles on their faces, remembering their younger days when they were deep in love.

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Arnold opened his room door and walked in, then shut it forcefully. He wanted to get this part over with. He was shaking so badly, and his hands were sweaty. How had he not told her his feelings yet?

Helga sat up quickly from Arnold's bed, looking around in panic at the loud noise. She noticed her boyfriend, standing in front of the door with his hands behind his back, looking at her nervously. She said to him with irritation, "What's your deal? Where the heck's the fire? Criminy, why do you have to be so loud when I'm trying to take a nap?! After living with me for seven months, I would think you knew how to be quiet when someone in your room is trying to sleep!" She held her head with her left hand.

Arnold gulped at her beauty, even just waking up she was beautiful. How did Helga make this part look so easy? How was she even able to say the words, something he knew he couldn't do in the past. He wanted her to know that he loved her, but his heart was racing, and his legs felt like they were going to collapse and cause his body to hit the ground. He was also worried he wouldn't be able to say the words again, and now he knew the physical reactions his body was making weren't just lust. He choked on his words, "I—I've got to t—talk to you H—Helga. This is really, really, important, and I'm a little nervous."

Her head was already hurting from the noise and now Arnold wasn't making any sense! She groaned, "Well, make it quick, Bucko. You've already given me a headache this afternoon and I'm starving to death! I want to go downstairs and get something to eat!"

He played with his fingers nervously as he looked back into her deep blue eyes. So beautiful. As she got off the bed and walked in front of him, crossing her arms, he could feel his heart skipping beats, not just from being physically excited but from being in love. He tried not to look down at her legs or into her deep eyes as he admitted to her, looking away, "Listen, I talked with my parents, and I just realized that I—"

Suddenly, the phone in Arnold's room rang loudly. Arnold groaned and hit his head with his left hand as Helga rushed past him. She turned to her boyfriend swiftly, saying to him, "It's probably Ol-ga. Answer it for me and remind her that I don't do weekends on the phone! I'm going downstairs to get a bite to eat!" She walked out and shut the door.

Arnold watched the door shut, feeling even more defeated. The one chance to tell Helga that he loved her, and he blew it.

The phone was still ringing in his room. After taking one more deep breath, he slowly walked over to the phone beside his red couch. He sat on the couch and answered the phone as he said weakly to the person on the other end, "Hello?"

Olga's perky voice spoke on the other line, "Oh, Arnold! What a wonderful opportunity to speak with you! I need to talk with Helga, it's important."

Arnold sighed as he ran his shaky left hand through his hair, his nerves starting to calm down, but his heart was still beating fast. He said, "Helga made her way downstairs to get something to eat, and I don't think she wants to talk on the phone right now. Is there any way you could leave her a message with me?"

Olga started to explain, "Unfortunately, this is something I need to talk with her about privately. Her mother is doing much better, and Susie and I are settled into our new apartment."

Arnold said to her, "That's great, Olga! I'm happy for you."

She said to him, "And I'm happy for you, too, Arnold. The graduation speech you gave yesterday was wonderful. It made me realize I was caught in an endless cycle with Robert, a cycle that needed to be broken. The only way it was able to happen was for him to go to jail. You encouraged me to continue to get my life together, even though I miss him. I need to continue to focus on others' needs above my own wants, and not get back in touch with him when he gets out of prison."

He shrugged, "I was just discussing what I've been through. It was nothing but getting a lot of stuff off my chest, but I'm glad that I was able to motivate you."

Olga paused a moment before saying, "I guess I should be irritated with you for doing that kind of stuff in the same environment that my sister is living, but you're the one who gave her a place to stay in the first place, and I know my little sister would tell me if she was having problems living with you. It must have taken a lot of self-control not to give in physically with her, after looking at pornography. I feel bad because even I gave into sexual temptations with Robert. I lost my virginity to him after all these years of saving it for the right person. I really thought he was the right person, Arnold. I feel like I've stained the Pataki's reputation from my past mistake."

He said to her, "Let go of those decisions you've made and move on. You're a wonderful person, Olga, and so much more than that. Don't let losing your innocence define you as a person. Take it as a learning opportunity, not a mistake."

"That's a wise way of looking at it. Okay, so I won't call it a mistake anymore. I'll use it as a learning opportunity," She paused a moment, "So, where is my baby sister right now? Will I be able to stop over in a couple weeks to see her in person?"

He admitted, "She told me yesterday that she was going over to Phoebe's tonight. You can try to catch her before she leaves today."

Olga thought a moment before saying, "I suppose I can wait a bit to tell her the news if she's busy. Are you doing okay, Arnold? I realize I haven't spoken to you much recently in your own struggles, even at the graduation ceremony. How are things living with my baby sister? Is she being a good tenant?"

Arnold admitted nervously, playing with the phone cord roughly, "Things are alright, I suppose, and Helga is being a good tenant, but I feel so bad because I haven't been the best boyfriend to her lately, and I haven't gotten the chance to tell her that I love her."

Olga screamed with glee, making Arnold bring the phone away from his ear at the loud noise and let go of the phone cord. As he brought the phone back to his ear cautiously, he heard her say to him, excitedly, "You love my baby sister? Aw, Arnold, that's just so precious! That's so sweet! Aw, puppy love! I remember that when I was your age! When did you first realize that you loved her?"

He sighed, "To be honest, I realized it before you called, but I haven't gotten the chance to tell her—"

"—You must tell her, Arnold," she said, sternly. "Tell her that you love her. She needs to hear it from you more than anyone else. Show her how important she is to you!"

He was nervous all over again just thinking about confessing his feelings to her, but he knew what he needed to do. He gulped, "Alright. Well, I better go downstairs and tell her, then, and let her know that you called. It was great speaking with you today. I'm glad things are looking up." With those words, Arnold hung up the phone before waiting for a goodbye from Olga and walked over to his bedroom door to open it. He made his way downstairs, feeling weak in the knees. Was it normal to feel so weak being in love? Helga made him weak, and now he knew the feeling wasn't just sexual. Just as he was walking down the steps, his girlfriend was running up. He stopped at the same time she did, a step above her. He looked at her as she looked at him, quizzically. He said to her in surprise, "You finished dinner already? I didn't even realize my parents made dinner that fast." His hands were already shaking, and he hadn't even told her his feelings yet.

Helga rolled her eyes, "There is such a thing called a snack, doi! Now, if you don't mind, I'm going upstairs to call Phoebs. Whatever you've got to tell me is going to have to wait."

Arnold put his hands on her shoulders, stopping her from running up the steps. He took a breath, "Wait! Um, your sister told me that I needed to tell you something. It's important."

She groaned as she grabbed his arms with her hands to move them away from her. She was dying to head over to Phoebe's house and start the summer. Couldn't he see that she needed time away from him? She said to him, "Why would you tell Mary Sunshine anything? Don't you know she can't keep secrets?"

As Helga ran up the steps, he followed her up like a lost puppy dog. She ran in his room and sat down on the red couch, grabbing the phone beside his couch.

He said to her in a rush, "Well, it's not going to be a secret for much longer because I want to tell you the secret now." He shut his door as he walked over to her. "Please, just listen to me a couple minutes."

She was barely paying attention to him, "Whatever it is you want to say about not being physical, hurry it up because I've got a phone call to make. It's probably nothing you haven't already told me anyway."

He walked over to her, his whole being was trembling. He sat down on the left of her and said, "It's about the emotional part of our relationship, not the physical. There's been something that's been on my mind for the last hour that I need to talk with you about. I've probably needed to tell you it ever since we came back from San Lorenzo. Either way, I'm ready to tell you now."

She had to laugh as she put the phone down on the receiver and crossed her arms. She already had a feeling what he was trying to say. She looked at him, "Good luck getting the words out without reacting physically, Bucko." She looked directly at him, waiting impatiently.

"I'm not going to react physically to what I'm going to tell you. Not when it's so important." He grabbed both of her hands gently, squeezing them.

She was getting aggravated. Couldn't he stop rambling and just say what was on his mind? Why did he always have to make a big speech about it? She said in a rush, "Well tell me already, we're burning daylight!"

He put both of his hands on her shoulders, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath. He opened his eyes to look into her blue eyes and gulped. He knew he needed to make this special for her, but how? He whispered heatedly, "Helga, living with you and putting up with you for years has been one experience, but it's taught me a lot and it's made me realize even more. More than anything, I realize now that I've probably, always—"

And then, there was a loud knock on his room door that interrupted his sentence. Helga raised her left eyebrow at her boyfriend. He let go of her shoulders and hit his left hand on his head, frustrated about being interrupted again.

She said to him, irritated, "Expecting someone to interrupt us, Bucko?"

He groaned, "But I'm not expecting anyone!"

He heard his grandpa's voice on the other side of his door, "Can I come in a second, Shortman? Your two little friends are here to see you."

Arnold glanced at Helga, "What two friends? Nobody is supposed to be here right now."

As Phil opened Arnold's door, Gerald and Phoebe walked inside Arnold's room, uninvited. They both waved at him, with soft smiles on their faces. They had no clue what they interrupted.

Helga jumped up from the couch excitedly, walking over to grab Phoebe's left hand and lead her out the door. She said to her, "Finally! Now we're getting somewhere! Come on, Phoebs, let's go down to the river and throw rocks before it gets any later." Helga dragged her best friend downstairs. They both were running to the front door.

Arnold ran over to his room door and yelled to Helga as she was running down the steps, "Wait a minute, Helga. What about what I wanted to tell you? Wasn't that important, too?"

She yelled to him, "Tell me later, Football Head, I'll be back on Monday!" She yelled while running outside, "Summer vacation, here I come. Nightmare on Elm street, I'm out of here!" she laughed.

Phoebe couldn't help but giggle at Helga's reaction to getting out of the boarding house and away from Arnold.

Arnold crossed his arms as he heard the downstairs door slam, and then turned around to narrow his eyes at his best friend. Fifty percent of the reason that he still couldn't confess his feelings to Helga was because of him. He was irritated.

Gerald noticed his best friend's narrowed eyes immediately, "Man, what's with you? Aren't you happy to see me? Has hanging out with Helga so much caused you to start looking and acting like her now? That is a scary sight, my friend. A scary sight."

Arnold leaned against his door, shutting it with his back. He groaned, "I understand why Phoebe visited, but why are you here? You guys aren't even dating!"

Gerald walked over to his best friend, "What do you mean? I can't come over with Phoebe to visit my best friend?"

Arnold explained as he walked back over to the red couch, "There's no reason for you to be with her. There has to be another reason you're here that has nothing to do with Phoebe, unless you're trying to get back with her or something," he took a glance at him, full of curiosity.

Gerald walked over to sit down on the red couch on the left, next to Arnold. He held out his hands, feeling defeated, "Okay, I'll confess. After that big speech you did in front of the sixth graders yesterday, I realized if you were willing to take the risks admitting you had a pornography addiction, I should be willing to take the risks physically with Phoebe. That took a lot of guts yesterday, Arnold. I want to follow in your example and take the risks as well."

Arnold raised his left eyebrow, "Wait a minute, let me get this straight: you want me to get you back together with your ex-girlfriend? That's up to you and Phoebe. I can't help you."

Gerald groaned, he didn't want to explain the reasons they broke up, but he knew he had to, "That's not what I'm trying to do. Of course, I want to get back together with Phoebe. She's a wonderful gal, but she's not going to get back together with me unless I decide on something. I would like you to help me make a decision regarding that something."

Arnold sighed, "Well, you ruined the moment between Helga and I, so you might as well tell me what decision you need help making."

Gerald whispered to him, embarrassed, "Should I start a physical relationship with Phoebe like you've started with Helga? I mean, I wouldn't ask the question, but Phoebe seems ambitious on starting a relationship like that. Our lack of a physical relationship was most of the reason we broke up a couple months ago." He looked down at the ground, embarrassed.

Arnold blinked in surprise, not knowing how to answer his question, "Gerald, I can't decide for you whether or not you should be with Phoebe physically, that's a decision that you have to make on your own. Each relationship is different."

Gerald sighed as he looked back up, "Well, can you tell me if it's worth it or not? I mean, would the risks that I'm taking with Phoebe be worth it in the future? Does the physical side of a relationship mean anything at all? Do you still have the feelings that are loving and romantic, even with the physical stuff, or is it all just lust with you and Helga? If it's all just lust, I would say no to getting back with Phoebe, because it's all liable to translate into disaster."

Arnold said to his best friend, putting his left hand by his heart, "I love her, Gerald. Her life matters to me more than anything, but my decisions in love don't factor into how you feel about Phoebe. You have to decide for yourself whether or not you love her, and if your physical relationship will mean anything to you," he said, repeating the words that Doctor Bliss said to him, and remembering what his parents talked with him about.

Gerald said, "Man, I hate it when you're right. I just—" he blinked, and then looked at Arnold in shock, "What? Did you just say that you love Helga G. Pataki? Man, I guess I shouldn't expect anything less since you've been living together for seven months, but you've never told me you've felt like that before, for anyone. When did you plan on telling her your feelings?"

Arnold admitted, "As soon as I get the time to be alone with her, but everything's been interrupting me today and she's on the run."

Gerald put his arm on his best friend's shoulders, reassuringly, "I wouldn't rush it. You've got your whole life to tell Helga that you love her, especially if you plan on living with her for the rest of it."

Arnold groaned, holding his head with his right hand, "Isn't this about you and Phoebe? Because I'd really like to get on with my day and put aside my losses from all the missed opportunities I've had to tell her my feelings."

Gerald could only stare in shock, "You are certainly a grump today, Buddy. Are you sure living with Helga is good for your mental health?"

Arnold ignored those comments and gave him the advice he needed to hear, "If Phoebe really wants the physical stuff in a relationship, maybe you should sacrifice your wants for her needs. A relationship is about sacrifices."

"What about Helga? Obviously, she's been demanding it from you for ages, and you won't give it to her. Does that mean you're not willing to sacrifice your love for her?"

Arnold was frustrated, "How would you even know that? I haven't told you anything about my and Helga's physical relationship, so how would you know that she even wanted a physical relationship with me like that?"

Gerald sighed, "It's obvious. The way she looks and acts around you makes it obvious, but she's told me on a few occasions how frustrated she is with you putting the chains on the physical stuff. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to put everything together."

Arnold sighed, frustrated, "But, why would she tell you all of that, and not me? If she wanted to make love, wouldn't I be the first person she would admit that to?"

Gerald shrugged, "I don't know. That girl can be complicated, but maybe she didn't know how to tell you. I've started to enjoy talking to her once I saw her as a girl. Her bossy side isn't all it's cracked up to be and you're right, she's okay deep down. Anyway, you say I should sacrifice my wants for Phoebe's needs, but maybe you need to practice what you're preaching in your own relationship."

Arnold tried to explain his reasoning to his best friend, "That kind of physical relationship starts the deeper things. Even if you're just kissing and hugging, those kinds of things start a sexual relationship. You could regret it the rest of your life if you don't have a physical relationship with her, then again, you might regret it if you do. I've been holding back because I don't want to regret moving forward. It's also a serious decision to make. What if she gets pregnant?"

Gerald looked at him, "But you love her, right? I mean, it's obvious you want to jump her so I'm not even going to ask if you're physically attracted to her. Most of the time, you look like a lion trying to get out of its cage with nowhere to hide. You're just walking around, waiting for the feelings to go away. They're not going to go away. You've said so yourself. I mean, how long have you been feeling this way?"

Gerald's comments caused Arnold to think a bit to himself.

Gerald makes a good point. Why haven't I made love with her? It's obvious that both her and I want to, and we both do love each other so—

Gerald said to him, interrupting his thoughts, "—So, I should just give in, take the risks, and see where it leads us, right?"

Arnold was still deep in his own thoughts about Gerald's last comments as he replied, "Yeah, Gerald. I guess taking the risks is the best thing to do."

Gerald got up to walk out of the room, his decision regarding Phoebe was made, "Great! That's all I need to know, Buddy. Thanks!" Before he walked out of the room, he turned to Arnold, who looked like he was in another world. Gerald said to him, worried, "Hey, are you all right? You kind of blanked out for a second."

Arnold nodded as he turned to Gerald, "Yeah, I'm fine. I might spend the night at Mighty Pete tonight while Helga's staying with Phoebe."

Gerald smiled slightly, "You really are in love with her, aren't you, Arnold?"

Arnold closed his eyes, trying to think rationally. He was already thinking about sex again, "That, and I don't need to be doing stuff I shouldn't be doing without her around. If I do anything, it needs to be with her."

Gerald knew what he was talking about, and shrugged, "Well, if you want to get rid of any magazines you have lying around, you know where I live."

Arnold groaned, "Gerald..."

Gerald smirked at Arnold as he started to shut the door, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding man, relax." He shut the door, letting his best friend get dressed to go out.

---

Monday June 13th, afternoon.

Helga walked in the boarding house a couple days later with a smile on her face. Her time with Phoebe was just the thing she needed after all the torturous time she'd been spending in close quarters with Arnold.

Arnold was waiting for her on the living room couch and his arms were crossed when she walked in. After she shut the door, he said to her, frustrated, "I thought you told me that you were going to be home by Monday morning; it's Monday evening."

Helga looked at her boyfriend, raising her left eyebrow, "Get a grip, Goof-Wad. Have you really been living with me so long that two days away from me is too much for you to handle?"

He stood up and walked over to her, "Isn't it normal for boyfriends to miss their girlfriends while they're away? You're my whole world, Helga!"

For some reason, those words caused Helga to stop walking, right in the middle of the living room floor. She blinked in surprise. He missed her, he really missed her! She sighed love-sickly, stopping herself from swooning. He held out his right hand to grab her left hand. He said to her in a whisper, pulling her up the stairs with desired urgency, "I want to spend some time with you alone. It's been too long."

She smirked as Arnold rushed her up the steps, "Sheesh, Arnold, do you realize how you look and sound right now? And don't you think it's a bad idea to say that kind of stuff with your parents and the other boarders wandering around this place? They already know what kind of stuff you've been thinking about doing with me, no thanks to your little speech last week. If you're going to screw me, at least have the decency not to do it here."

He pulled her in his room and shut the door harshly, locking it. He turned to her and sighed, "Why does everything have to be about sex with you? Maybe I just want to go up here and talk. Spend some time getting to know each other."

She huffed as she crossed her arms, "Sounds like you just want sex to me, Bucko. Getting to know each other? Please! Is that some sort of new code word for us?"

He sighed as he gave up trying to explain his actions to her. Sometimes he thought she was the one with the spell on her. Of course, he was excited, but he wanted to do so much more than have sex with her. He walked over to his stereo and turned it on. He pulled out a jazz CD from the shelf underneath it and put it inside the CD player. He turned around to look at Helga just as the soft music started playing. He walked in front of her and held out his left hand to her. He whispered nervously, "Can we dance?"

Helga's eyes widened in surprise at his romantic behavior. She looked at him in shock, "Dance? Wait a minute, you're not going to throw me into a pool, are you?" she laughed nervously.

He grabbed both of her hands to entwine them into his tenderly. He whispered back, "You're not pretending to be blind tonight, are you?"

She held his hands as she started to sway to the music with him, and admitted, "What about all the 'We're too close' crap you been preaching the past couple months? I mean, you didn't want to get close to me. Isn't dancing as bad as being physical? It's a physical activity, right? You're going against everything you've ever said!"

He sighed slightly, "As I've said to you before, I want to get close to you. Believe me when I say this: I want you, badly. My feelings for you shouldn't be based on the physical stuff, though. There's a reason I'm being so careful with your body, and the reason is because I care for you. I want you, but I want you at the right time."

She started to increase the swaying, as she let go of his hands and put her hands behind his neck, "Wouldn't be a bad thing if you lost control at the wrong time. I'm still on birth control, remember?"

He said to her hoarsely, putting his hands on her hips gently, "You really don't have much faith in me, do you? It's either that or you've been trying to tempt me to give in this whole time, which wouldn't surprise me, given how much you tease me all the time." He breathed harshly before he whispered to her, "Sometimes I don't understand why I've been holding back continuing a physical relationship with you. Just looking into your eyes, I feel so many things that it's hard not to express them with just words. Maybe that's why I've only expressed my feelings physically to you so far."

She laughed as they both started to move in a circle, "Well, you're horny, Arnoldo. You obviously still have that stupid spell on you that's unbreakable unless we figure out what it is you're supposed to do."

Arnold thought a moment before saying, "Maybe it's not something that I have to do, but it's something that I have to say, and maybe it's something that I should have told you a long time ago. Maybe it's something that's been developing slowly throughout the years we've been together, only now, it's much deeper and stronger than it was before."

She watched his eyes curiously as he spun her around and stared into hers deeply. Something was different about him, but she didn't know what. Helga was starting to wonder if the words he was going to say were the words she had been waiting for him to say her whole life! She whispered, "What have you been trying to tell me?"

He whispered, "I don't want to say a few words to you and that's it. I want this to mean something. I want this to be just as meaningful as all our other moments together have been throughout the years," he breathed. "You're beautiful. So gorgeous."

She started to blush, "I am? I mean, really?"

He admitted, "Inside and out, you're beautiful. You fit so perfectly into my hands, and my life. It's no wonder that we dance so well together, that we fit so well together." His body was shaking with more than just nerves, he could feel it, but he pushed the feelings aside to focus on her. He was doing this for her.

She breathed nervously, her cheeks still red, "Well, opposites attract, what did you expect?"

He said, huskily, "It's more than that now, Helga, and you know it's more than that. You know I've always felt a deep connection to you, even when we were toddlers. I'm so sorry that it's taken me this long to realize it, but to be fair, you do have a lustful spell on me that has contributed to a lot of my confusion. Maybe if I didn't feel all the lust, I would be able to see the other feelings more clearly. Maybe if I felt that love from my parents a long time ago, I could have been able to define the feelings I've always felt around you."

She said, feeling lightheaded, "Whatever you're trying to say, tell me already."

He whispered, "I'd do anything for you, sacrifice all of myself, put my needs to the side, you're that important to me."

She whispered harshly, getting impatient, "Spit it out, would you!"

Arnold pulled her closer to whisper into her left ear, "Helga, I lo—"

And then, the phone rang, interrupting the rest of what Arnold was going to say.

They pulled away from each other, both blinking in surprise. Helga growled, and Arnold sighed deeply, both were frustrated.

He looked at her with regret, the moment was ruined.

She huffed, stomping over to his room door, "Forget it, Football Head. I knew your feelings were too good to be true. You've never said them before, why would you say them now?!" With those words, she stomped out of his room and slammed the door.

Arnold sat down on the red couch and answered the phone. He said sternly to the person on the other line, "Whoever this is, this better be important. I was just getting ready to tell Helga that I love her."

On the other line, he heard a gasp of surprise. Doctor Bliss's voice spoke up, "I'm so sorry to hear that I interrupted something so major. When did you realize your feelings for her, Arnold?"

He sighed as he tried to calm down, "On Saturday when I talked with my parents. After I realized how much my parents love me and each other, I was able to define what love was for me and then I put together my feelings for Helga." He paused a moment before he asked, "Why are you calling right now, Doctor Bliss? Is something wrong?"

She said, "I wanted to check on you after hearing your speech the other day. I'm proud of you for being honest with everyone about your experiences. The things that you admitted are not easy for most people to talk about. It must have been difficult for you to admit."

He nodded, "It was, but I knew I couldn't move forward until I was willing to own up to my failures as a person. It was difficult, but I'm glad that I was truthful. My words needed to be said, and more importantly, it's made it possible for me to say something far more important."

She said, "What did you have planned for your summer vacation?"

He thought a moment before saying, "Well, Rhonda invited Helga and me to her graduation party this coming Saturday, so I guess that will be the first thing we'll do this summer."

She suggested to him, "Why don't you confess your feelings for Helga at the party? I think that would be a romantic way for you to show her your feelings."

He chanced a smile, "You know what, Doctor Bliss? I think you're right."

---

Saturday June 18th, evening.

Lila and Arnold were in the guest room at the punch bowl, talking about stuff. Arnold's girlfriend just went to the bathroom and so did Lila's date, Stinky. Lila was wearing her regular sixth grade outfit and carrying a small light brown pocketbook. Arnold was wearing a black suit and a light blue tie, the same outfit he wore at the April Fool's Day dance in the fifth grade.

Lila turned to Arnold and said, "—I can't thank you enough for encouraging Stinky to ask me out to Rhonda's party. It was an ever so thoughtful idea. I've always cared for Stinky, but I never knew that he liked me the way I liked him. That was generous and kind-hearted of you to consider us."

Arnold shrugged as he poured himself some punch in a red cup. He said to her, "It was no big deal. It's better to take the risks in a relationship and admit your feelings than to not take any risks at all. I've learned that in my relationship with Helga."

She bent towards him, "Speaking of risks, Arnold. That speech that you gave at the graduation ceremony was very risky. I know most of the girls don't appreciate what you said up there, but I'm proud of you for being honest with everyone about your failures. It's not at all easy to take those chances."

He smiled, "Thanks, Lila. I appreciate that."

Arnold and Lila stood next to each other and drank from their punch cups in content silence. A moment later, she asked, "So, how is your relationship with Helga going? You're the longest lasting couple at P.S. 118, after Phoebe and Gerald's breakup. Being in a different class all year, I haven't been able to ask you about your relationship."

He nodded, "Helga and I are doing good, but I don't think she realizes I love her. I still need to tell her my feelings."

Lila blinked in surprise as she looked at him, "Goodness, Arnold, you've been living with her so long and you haven't told her that you love her yet? I would take care of that as soon as possible. She probably needs to hear the words as much as you need to admit them."

He glanced around the living room a moment, before asking her, "Where would be the best opportunity to tell Helga my feelings? I don't want to confess around other people. I want us to be alone. The moment needs to be perfect."

Lila nodded over to the outside, "Go on Rhonda's balcony with Helga and talk with her there. I'm sure that would give you both plenty of time to be by yourselves. Also, it's a romantic place for you to confess your love, with all the pretty stars in the sky."

He smiled at her, "Thanks, Lila. I think I'm going to do that. It's been great talking with you tonight. We'll have to talk some more soon."

She nodded, "Likewise, Arnold, and I'm so glad to hear that you and Helga are doing well. Hopefully we'll have some classes together next year and all three of us can talk some more."

As Lila walked away to find Stinky, Arnold took notice that the balcony was empty of everybody but Patti and Harold, who were slow dancing. He looked around Rhonda's mansion for a couple of seconds, trying to find Helga. He saw her in the kitchen, eating snacks from the table. She was wearing the same outfit she did when they went on their dinner for four together with Phoebe and Gerald, but without the gloves.

He smiled as he walked over and into the kitchen, eager to confess his undying love for her. He grabbed her right hand to pull her away from the snacks and dragged her out of the kitchen. He whispered, "Come on, let's go to the balcony. I have something I need to tell you."

Helga groaned as her boyfriend pulled her into the guest room with desired urgency, "You have nerve, Bucko, and some of the worst timing. Haven't you ever heard the saying 'the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach'? Why do I want to go star gazing when I can eat off Rhonda's rich snack platter?"

He had to laugh at her words, "So, you care more about Rhonda's snacks than you do about me? Let's be serious, Helga. There's something important that I need to say, and it's way overdue." He continued to pull her until they were outside on the balcony.

As they walked on the balcony, they heard soft music in the distance. Harold and Patti stopped slow dancing when they noticed Arnold and Helga walking towards them. Harold and Patti were dressed up the way they usually were at one of Rhonda's parties. Harold was wearing a black suit and Patti had on a blue dress.

Arnold let go of Helga's right hand hesitantly as he walked over to Harold. Helga crossed her arms and tapped her left foot, waiting for her boyfriend to finish the conversation she was guessing he was going to have with the other couple.

Arnold approached Harold, and said to him, "I'm glad to see that your relationship is working out."

Harold remembered their talk during graduation and said to him, "It's great, Arnold. Thanks again for everything."

Patti smiled at Arnold as she said, "Did you want some time alone out here with your girlfriend? Harold and I were just getting ready to go in and grab some food."

Harold's eyes lit up at the mention of food, and Patti smiled at him knowingly. She grabbed his hand again to lead him into the kitchen. Arnold gave Patti a smile of gratitude as he walked back over to Helga.

He walked in front of her and reached for both of her hands with his own. He entwined their fingers together. No matter how many times he grabbed her soft warm hands, the gentle affections never got old for him. He would hold her hands forever if he had to, just to keep her by his side. He slowly brought his right hand away from her left hand, to put it around her back. He squeezed his left hand against her right hand affectionately. He whispered, "I think now is the perfect time to talk to you and tell you what's on my mind."

Helga looked at him a moment, clueless, "What's on your mind?"

As a new soft song started to play on the outside radio, he lined his feet up with hers, and started to slow dance with her to a gentle beat. She caught on quickly. He said to her, in a whisper, "You've always been amazing at dancing."

She said to him with a shrug, "We've done enough physical stuff for it to be natural by now."

He smiled, and with the next step, he pulled her left hand closer to him as he pulled her body around, to turn her slowly around in a circle to the right.

She was breathless as she looked into her boyfriend's green eyes. It did nothing to calm down her own nerves. He was slow dancing with her on the balcony of Rhonda's mansion. There was beautiful soft music playing on the radio, and they were all alone. This was better than her wildest dreams! She hesitantly spoke to him, "You—you're not too bad yourself." She was feeling breathless. Nothing could be better than this.

After he brought her around in a circle once, he whispered to her, "Maybe I just found the right dance partner."

Helga whispered back, "You've always had me, Hair-boy. Always."

He took a deep breath with a pause. He slowly brought his girlfriend around the other way, this time, pushing her right hand back as he pulled her left shoulder towards him, to turn her to the left. How could something as simple as dancing cause him to feel physically excited? He needed to focus on her, and his love filled feelings, not his hormones. He focused on the sounds of the music in the background, and the lovestruck look in his girlfriend's deep blue eyes.

They started to move their feet faster as the beat of the music started to increase. They were able to keep up with each other, almost as if they rehearsed the routine a million times. She admitted to him, "You know, we could dance like this all night long, but something tells me that's not what you pulled me on the balcony for."

He squeezed her left hand affectionately as he brought his right hand against the middle of her back, pulling her body against his, so that she could rest her head on his left shoulder as he was spinning her around. He whispered, trying to untense his nerves, "Glide, step, touch. Glide, step, touch."

He felt her chuckle against his chest, which did nothing but make him tenser. She whispered in his right ear with a smirk, "Geez, Football Head, are you actually nervous? You know we've done this dance a million times."

He pulled her closer as he whispered, "But this is a different type of dance, isn't it?"

She breathed nervously as he ran his right hand down the small of her back gently. She whispered back, "It sure feels different. What's changed?"

He whispered to her nervously, "I've changed, and my feelings have too. How could you keep your feelings a secret from me for six years? I could barely manage one."

Helga's breath caught in her throat in shock and her eyes widened as she pulled back from Arnold's embrace to look at him. Arnold put his left hand in her right hand again. He put his right hand against her left shoulder as he whispered, "I'm in love with you, Helga. I'd do anything for you. Anything." He leaned in, his quivering lips met hers in a tender kiss. He started to dance with her in his arms while they were kissing, spinning her around to the left as he took the kiss even deeper, bringing his tongue into her mouth and frenching her passionately. He was completely focused and getting lost in the moment. To him, there was nobody at that party but her.

She was on cloud nine, maybe cloud ten. Arnold just said the words she had been longing to hear from him since the age of three. She was feeling faint and lightheaded, and if he wasn't holding her up, she was sure that she would've fainted from his words and the kiss. How was she still standing? It felt like they were going around in circles, spinning like one of those carnival rides. She didn't expect him to return her feelings. She thought it was impossible for someone to love her unconditionally.

He forced himself to slowly pull his lips away from hers. He wanted to continue, but he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable with everyone in the mansion. He smiled at her, her eyes were closed, and a blissful smile was on her face. She looked peaceful.

She whispered to him, completely awestruck, "You love me. You really love me."

He said, running his left hand over her face softly, "I know I had feelings for you when we almost fell from the cliff in San Lorenzo. I was so scared to lose you without telling you that I cared, and I would've regretted it the rest of my life if we had died."

She had to ask, "Then, why did you tell me that you didn't love me a few months ago?"

He grabbed her hands to entwine them with his again, looking into her eyes, "Because I didn't think that I did. The spell that you put on me confused me. It made me believe that all I was feeling for you was lust. After talking with my parents, I learned that love isn't just a romantic feeling. Sometimes, it can be a physical longing as well."

She blinked. She wasn't sure how she felt after hearing that, "So, just because you're physically longing for me, you think that you love me? I—I don't understand." She was worried he was confusing his feelings, or that his feelings were too good to be true.

He kissed her gently on the lip before he put his hands on her shoulders. After he broke the kiss, he pulled her into a gentle hug. He explained in a whisper, "Listen, the physical part is only a small part of it. I wouldn't tell you I love you unless I meant it." She pulled back cautiously and looked into his eyes, trying to find truth in what he was saying. He sensed that she didn't believe him for some reason, and he said to her in a breath, "I would do anything for you, Helga! I would live with you in my room, yelling and screaming all day just so you wouldn't go homeless. I would stay in a relationship with you, even after you threatened to end the relationship with me and forced me to stay away. Most of all, I would resist getting involved physically with you, because I care about you enough to put my own wants aside for the sake of your needs. You wanted me, but without the chance of having children or going through any physical pain. I spared you that, because I love you. I'll always love you, Helga. I couldn't walk away if I tried. If I did, I would come crawling back. It's you that I want, Helga. It will always be you."

She was beyond breathless and started to choke on her air, tears rushing down her eyes and cheeks.

He gasped in fear and grabbed her hands, entwining them with his. He gently brought her over to some white patio chairs that were off to the side. After he made sure she was safely seated on the one to the left, he sat on the one to the right beside her and asked, "Is everything alright? Did I say something wrong?"

She continued to cry, but now, she was trying to stop from laughing while crying. It didn't work. She said, "You think you said something wrong? Criminy, you're a sap. Heck, I'm a sap for even crying about all this. Sheesh!"

He frowned, "You're unhappy I told you that I love you? I'm sorry, Helga, but… it's true! I mean, I wouldn't tell you those things unless they were really how I felt. I couldn't take it back if I wanted to, and I don't, because I know my feelings for you are real," he breathed harshly. The innocent look in her moist blue eyes caused his heart to skip a beat, again, "I—I don't know what you did to me, but I'm head over heels for you. I fell into something much deeper than your spell. I fell into your arms."

She blinked in awe as she looked into his intense green eyes, tears were still falling down her face. Was this real?

He sighed as he grabbed her hands and pulled her on top of his body, to comfort her. He hugged her against him. He didn't care anymore if anyone happened to see them in such an intimate position. He loved her, and that was all that mattered.

She pulled away from his embrace and choked as she cried. She looked into his concerned green eyes, and said, "Just—shut up, please! Don't say anymore! I don't deserve your love! I never have!"

He looked into her beautiful blue eyes. He wiped the tears on her cheeks with his fingers as he whispered, "Let me tell you how much I love every part of you, not just your body, but your soul. You're perfect for me.I wouldn't change anything about you. You're the one that I want to struggle and suffer with all my days. You're the one, Helga. What's so bad about that?"

Helga choked at his loving words. She warned him in a harsh whisper, "You don't realize what you're getting yourself into putting up with a poor excuse like me. Sure, you've lived with me for seven months, but you haven't even scratched the surface of how unbearable I can be. You also don't know what it's like to be married, have children,or raise a family with me. How can you possibly say that you'll love me forever? I wouldn't even stay with me." She cried some more, her tears rushing down her face faster than his fingers could catch them. "I couldn't even stay with you and live with your flaws. For the longest time, I put you on a pedestal! I didn't love you unconditionally!"

Arnold was now kissing away the tears on her face with his lips. He looked back into her eyes, tears slowly forming in his own eyes from watching her cry so much. He whispered, choking on his words, "Shhh, stop crying, you're making me cry." He sniffed, "Helga, that's the past. I want you to forget about the mistakes of the past and focus on the future. You love me unconditionally now, and I love you unconditionally. We've learned to love each other completely, with our whole hearts. That's better than anybody else our age could ever say."

She admitted, "But my heart is a broken one, Arnold; how can I possibly love you with all of it? I mean, you told me before that I was just obsessed with you, right? What kind of feelings exist there?!"

He whispered, "There's a hole in my heart, too, but that doesn't change my love for you. Nothing will. My love is unconditional." He put his left finger on her lip to stop her from saying anymore before pulling her closer to him, to lie on top of his body. He whispered as he hugged her to him, "Shhh, Babe, calm down. You've learned to love me unconditionally, as I've learned to love you. These hard times living with each other, struggling to get along, sleeping in the same bed. It's taught us the meaning of unconditional love."

Her voice was muffled in his embrace, "I'm sorry for everything, my Love. I'm sorry for always fighting with you and arguing. I'm sorry for putting that stupid spell on you. And I'm sorry for doubting your words, when you've shown me countless times how much you've cared, not with your words, but your actions."

He whispered, "Actions may speak louder than words, but sometimes, you need to hear the words to believe the obvious. I want to be with you, and I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to tell you that. Just close your eyes and let me love you, and I'll continue to show you that my love is real."

---

Twenty minutes later...

Suddenly, a loud noise that sounded like a trumpet went off outside. Arnold and Helga both woke up quickly and glanced at each other with alarm. A moment later, they looked around in surprise. They noticed Rhonda, Nadine, Phoebe, Lila, Patti, Lorenzo, Sid, Gerald, Stinky and Harold standing around them impatiently, and Sheena was playing her trumpet with expertise. Rhonda had a satisfied smirk on her face.

After Sheena stopped playing the trumpet, Eugene clapped loudly. He said, "Great job, Sheena!"

Rhonda whispered to Nadine on her right, putting her left hand beside her mouth, "See? I told you Sheena knew how to play. I am the knowledgeable gossip queen, after all." She cleared her throat as she turned to the now awake couple. Helga was still lying on top of Arnold, on one of the white patio chairs outside. Rhonda scolded them, "How dare the two of you fall asleep at my party."

Helga growled, getting off Arnold and dusting herself off, "Yeah, but your party isn't exactly exploding with non-stop thrills, Rhondalloyd. And how dare you devise a plan to wake me up when I was sleeping peacefully, Princess."

Suddenly, most of the guys erupted in hysterical laughter. Helga raised an eyebrow at all the guys laughing: Harold, Sid, Stinky, and Lorenzo. Worried they were laughing at her, she put up her natural defenses, "And just what do you guys think is so funny here?" She crossed her arms.

Harold pointed at Arnold, "Look! He's got a stiffy! A-HA-HA-HA-HA! What's the matter, Arrr-nold. Can't resist getting hard sleeping next to your little girlfriend?!"

Sid laughed, "Boy howdy, he's pitching a tent! Talk about embarrassing."

Arnold groaned as he sat up on the chair and then put his knees together in embarrassment to hide his problem. Sure, it was natural for him to be "turned on" around Helga while he had the spell on him, but it was embarrassing for everyone else to find out about it. He was tempted to leave the party. He could flee with some sort of excuse. Hopefully Helga would be an understanding girlfriend about it.

Helga walked over to the chuckling boys, waving her hands around, "Alright, alright, break it up, already! You guys have got better things to do than stare at my boyfriend's junk all night," She smiled evilly. "Naturally, it wouldn't happen to you stooges since you don't have anything between your legs, right?!" She and all the girls laughed, and the boys fumed at her insult. As they tried to come up with a retort, she blinked as she turned to her boyfriend and thought. Wait a minute, didn't I want Arnold to confess his love for me when I cast the spell? That means the spell is over, right? Then what's going on? Why the heck is he still turned on?!

As Arnold tried to calm down his hormones, he heard his best friend ask Rhonda, "So, what party games are we playing tonight?"

Rhonda said to Gerald, "I'm glad you asked. The first game we're playing is a little game called, Two truths and one lie. Let's go in the dining room and I'll explain to everyone how it's played!"

---

All the preteens were in a circle: Patti next to Harold, then Sheena, Eugene, Rhonda, Lorenzo, Nadine, Sid, Gerald, Phoebe, Stinky, Lila, Helga, and Arnold.

Rhonda looked around at her friends, "Since obviously all the new seventh graders couldn't make it to my party, you guys will be the only ones that will learn this new ice breaker game I just made up." Rhonda let that sink in, and then continued speaking, "I will go around in the circle and each one of you will state your full name, and then give us all two truths about you, and one lie. The rest of us are to guess the lie. For each person that guesses correctly, they'll earn one point. The one with the most points at the end of the game wins. Since this is my party, I believe that I'll start. Phoebe, can you tally instead of play?"

Phoebe pulled out a notepad from her left pocket and smiled, "Tallying."

Rhonda cleared her throat, "Okay, my full name is Rhonda Olivia Wellington Lloyd. I'm the fashion queen of P.S. 118. I wear contacts, and I've thrown seven parties this year."

Sid whispered to Harold and Stinky, "Doesn't sound like any of that is a lie to me."

Harold yelled out, "Aww, come on, Rhonda. This is boring! Everyone already knows all of this!" Patti reached for his hand to try to comfort him.

Nadine whispered to the group, "Think about it, everyone: it's a trick question."

Lorenzo admitted, "It's not tricky to me, but I guess since we're dating, that's to be expected."

Gerald said aloud, "I say she's lying about wearing contacts." Most of the guys nodded and agreed with a "yeah" or "that's it".

Nadine said, "I say she's lying about the parties."

Helga yawned, "I say I really don't care what she's lying about, but I'll go with Bug Girl on that one."

Rhonda said, "Okay, Nadine, Lorenzo, and Helga all get one point, everyone else gets zero. I only threw six parties this year," she grinned.

Helga crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "Well, whoop-de-do for you, Princess."

Rhonda looked at her new boyfriend, "Okay, Lorenzo. You're next."

Lorenzo cleared his throat, "Alright. My name is Lorenzo Victor Lopez Salinas. I have a crazy schedule, including time for paid work during the week. I'm dating Rhonda right now, and I live with my parents and grandparents."

Rhonda smirked, "Easy one, Sweetie."

Nadine and Sheena glanced at each other in thought, trying to figure it out. They all didn't know Lorenzo that well. Only Lila shared a class with him last year.

Sid explained to the group, "He doesn't live with his grandparents. I've been over to his house a bunch over the years."

Helga yawned, "I go with Paranoid Frog Boy on this one."

Sid scowled, "Hey, I am not paranoid, and don't call me Frog Boy!"

Rhonda nodded, "Sid and Helga and I all get a point. What's the score, Phoebe?"

Phoebe said to everyone, "Helga, two points. Nadine, Lorenzo, Sid, and Rhonda, one point, everyone else, zero."

Nadine looked at her friends, "Okay, it's my turn. My name is Nadine Robinson. My favorite activity is catching bugs, my middle name is Marie, and I'm considered to be two different races."

Rhonda grinned at her, "Oh, that's easy, Nadine."

Arnold thought for a moment, "Wait a minute, isn't your middle name Lauren?"

Helga jotted her thumb at Arnold, "I'll go with Football Head on this one."

Sid, Harold, and Stinky agreed, and with that, Nadine nodded, "You guys are right. My middle name is Lauren."

Helga twiddled her fingers, "I don't know about you, Princess, but this game blows."

Harold yelled out, "Patti and I agree with Helga! Now, can we go and grab something to eat, I'm starving!"

Stinky scratched his head, "Why, I could have sworn you were in the kitchen half an hour ago."

Phoebe interrupted the argument, "Helga: three points, Sid, Harold, Stinky, Arnold, Nadine, and Rhonda, one point, everyone else, zero."

Rhonda looked at Gerald, "Go ahead, Gerald."

Gerald stood up, "My name is Gerald Martin Johansson. I have all the Purdy Boy mysteries in my collection, I'm the coolest kid in the whole sixth grade, and my best friend is Arnold."

Sid chuckled, "Well, obviously that last one isn't a lie. They've been best friends since what, pre-school?"

Rhonda said, matter of factly, "Well, I'm the coolest in the sixth grade, so that's a lie."

Arnold said to the group, "It's the Purdy Boys' collection. He hasn't collected the new one yet."

Harold yawned as Patti said to him, rubbing his back reassuringly, "Calm down, Harold. The game will be over soon."

Helga said, pointing her thumb at Arnold again, "I agree with Football Head. He knows Gerald-o better than any of you, saps."

Rhonda said, shocked, "But… that's not fair. I'm obviously the coolest kid in the sixth grade, not Gerald. After all, he won against me as class president two years in a row. Not cool!"

Phoebe said, "Helga four points, Arnold two points, Sid, Harold, Stinky, Nadine, and Rhonda, one point, everyone else, zero."

Rhonda was speechless. "Well, I never," she huffed.

Helga raised an eyebrow at her and winked, "Well, you should. It's fun."

Gerald whispered to his best friend, "Your go, man."

Arnold cleared his throat as he said to the group, "I'm Arnold Shortman, my middle name is Phillip, I've been dating Helga since last October, and… uh, Oskar isn't living at the boarding house anymore."

Helga had to roll her eyes, "Easy to guess that one, Bucko. You're a terrible liar, and you hesitated at the end! Oskar is obviously still living at the boarding house."

Phoebe smiled, "I must agree with my best friend."

All the boys and girls sitting around in the circle agreed with Helga.

Phoebe smiled, "Alright, so, Helga: five, Arnold: two, Sid, Stinky, Harold, and Nadine: three, Rhonda: two, and everyone else has one."

Arnold whispered to Helga, "Go ahead, Babe."

Helga said to them, "Name's Helga G. Pataki, I wasn't homeless this year, I know where my mother is, and I'm dating Football Head. I'm sure you guys all know that last one wasn't a lie, no thanks to Simmons."

Sid whispered to Stinky, "Was she really homeless?"

Lila said, sadly, "Helga was temporarily homeless until Arnold let her stay with him."

Rhonda nodded, "Correct. Lila gets one point."

Sid yelled out, "And Stinky and I do too. We knew that!"

Helga smirked, "You're all wrong! I was at the Safehouse. I don't know where Miriam is, that was the lie!"

Arnold paused a moment before saying to his girlfriend, "Well, technically you were homeless, so that's two lies."

Helga rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, Sherlock."

Phoebe corrected the tallies and said, "Helga: six, Sid, Stinky, and Arnold: two, Harold and Nadine: three, Rhonda and Lila: two, and everyone else has one."

Rhonda said to the tall girl, "Sheena?"

Sheena cleared her throat nervously, "Hi! My name is Sheena Francesca Smith. I dislike violence, my best friend is Eugene, and my parents are married."

All the girls thought for a moment, completely stumped.

Eugene spoke up excitedly, "I know the answer, but I want to give everybody the chance to guess correctly!"

Rhonda said, "Don't you have a girl best friend?" All the girls agreed with Rhonda.

Sid said, "I say her parents aren't married. Eugene and Sheena have been friends since day one. I wouldn't be surprised if they were best friends all those years."

Sheena said, "That is correct, Sid."

Phoebe smiled, "Helga and Sid are tied for first place with six points!"

Eugene said, "Hi everyone! My name is Nathaniel Eugene Horowitz. I've always been the class jinx, Arnold has been responsible for most of my misfortunes, and I've broken every bone in my body in the last year."

Sheena raised her hand excitedly, "Oh, oh, I know the answer!"

Arnold sighed, "Eugene, how many times do I have to tell you that I am not a jinx."

Helga chuckled, "I say that Football Head is a jinx and Eugene hasn't broken every bone in his body yet this year."

Sid chuckled, "I agree with Helga. After all, Arnold has been responsible for most of Eugene's misfortunes."

Arnold scowled at Sid, "Cut it out, Sid!"

Gerald held out his left hand, and said matter of factly, "The bone one, he's lying about that." Harold and Stinky agreed with a nod.

Sheena said, "He hasn't broken every bone this year, his back is untouched. He told me so last week. And technically, the bones in his inner ears are also intact and it would be very difficult for them to break, so… yeah."

Helga smirked at Sheena, "So far, my girl. So far."

Phoebe said, "Helga and Sid are still tied for first place with seven points. Stinky and Arnold: four, Harold and Nadine: three, Rhonda, Sheena, Gerald, and Lila: two, and everyone else has one."

Rhonda said to the crowd, "Lila?"

Lila stood up, "My full name is Lila Ashley Sawyer. I moved here in the fourth grade from the country, my mother passed away many years ago, and I've never been homeless."

Helga thought for a moment, "Hmm. I've got to admit, this is a tough one."

Arnold thought a moment before saying softly, "The last one."

Lila nodded sadly, "Once. It was when I was five. My mother passed away then, and my father lost his job."

Stinky said, "Still sorry to hear that one, Miss Lila."

Phoebe said, "Helga and Sid: Seven, Arnold: five, Stinky: four, Harold and Nadine: three, Rhonda, Sheena, Gerald, and Lila: two, and everyone else has one."

Rhonda pointed to Stinky, "Alright, Stinky. Your turn."

Stinky said, "Let's see. My full name is Christopher Stiles 'Stinky' Peterson, my ma and pa used to live in the country, I've moved here in first grade, and I don't care about fame."

Sid laughed, "Oh man, that's easy! Stinky has been living here his whole life! I used to play in the playground with you before we even started preschool!"

Stinky smiled, putting one thumb up, "Darn tooting!"

Phoebe said, "Okay, Sid is in the lead."

Rhonda looked at her ex and his new girlfriend, "So, are you guys participating?"

Harold admitted, "Nah, I'm just here for the snacks."

Patti said softly, "I'm fine just listening. I'm not worried about participating or winning like everyone else is."

Rhonda shrugged, "Suit yourself, Patti. Sid? Have you gone yet?"

Sid stood up and said, "My full name is Sidney Taylor Gifaldi, my birthday is July fifteenth, and I have the coolest room known to man."

Stinky said, "That's a dang lie, Sid! You don't have the coolest room. You borrowed Arnold's when Lorenzo was in our class in fourth grade."

Lorenzo nodded, "That is very true."

Arnold, Harold, Gerald, and Helga agreed.

Rhonda looked at Phoebe, "Okay, who won?"

Phoebe smiled, "Sid and Helga are tied for first place."

Sheena, Lila, and Nadine cheered. Patti and Phoebe smiled, Harold and Helga yawned, and Sid smirked. All the others waited for Rhonda's next words with curiosity.

Rhonda said, "Okay, I guess the winner should get a prize, huh?"

Helga held out her left hand expectantly, "I'll take cash."

Sid grinned, "I'll take cash too!"

Rhonda reached in her red and black party dress and pulled out forty dollars. She handed twenty to Sid and twenty to Helga. She said to them both, "You both are something, you know that? You're lucky I'm loaded with cash, otherwise I wouldn't give either of you a penny."

Harold said to her, "Aw, Rhonda. For once in your life, could you stop being stuck up?"

As Sid, Stinky, and Harold laughed, Rhonda huffed, "Well, I never. You guys are out of the next game."

Harold got up, holding out his hand for Patti to take to stand, "Come on, Patti. I think there's still some snacks left over in the kitchen." As they walked in the kitchen, Sid and Stinky ran behind them, giggling about something.

Nadine smiled at her best friend, "What game are we playing next, Rhonda?"

Rhonda flicked her hair, "Well, I figure since we did the ice breaker game, we can get into more engaging and risk-taking games."

Helga raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she put the twenty bucks away, "I'm afraid to ask what you've got up your sleeves, Rhondalloyd."

Nadine asked her best friend curiously, "Are we playing Truth or Dare?"

Rhonda smirked at the crowd around her, "No, Nadine. Something much different than that elementary school game. Helga, since you won the last game, why don't you start this one?"

Helga raised her left eyebrow, "What exactly am I getting involved in, Princess? I mean, I don't even know which game we're going to play and you're asking me to start?"

Rhonda motioned for Nadine to walk over. She handed Nadine a stop-watch. Rhonda smirked at Helga, "We're going to play Seven Minutes in Heaven."

Gerald raised an eyebrow, "Aren't all the high schoolers playing that game? Isn't that a little mature for all of us since we're just starting middle school?"

Phoebe asked curiously, "What's the purpose of the game? I've never heard of Seven Minutes in Heaven before."

Nadine explained the rules, "Two people are chosen to go in a closet in complete darkness for seven minutes. Anything can happen in there, but once the doors open, it's all over. You will have seven minutes inside to do what you want."

Phoebe noticed Helga's smirk that was directed at her, and said to Rhonda, "I don't know if I want to participate in this game."

Rhonda said, "Stop being so bashful, Phoebe. Don't knock it until you've tried it. You might enjoy it."

Helga added bluntly, "Speaking of which, Gerald and Phoebs can get the first closet."

Gerald's eyes went wide in shock at Helga's suggestion, and Phoebe looked frustrated and irritated. She crossed her arms and looked away from Gerald. Certainly, Helga understood that she didn't want to be paired up with Gerald anymore on anything.

Lila, Nadine, and Rhonda were sighing and making "aw" noises. Arnold watched as his girlfriend walked over to Gerald.

Gerald whispered to Helga, "Helga, you do realize what you're doing right now, right?"

Helga whispered in his left ear, "I think it's time to apologize and make things right. Go get her, Loverboy."

Gerald whispered back, "But, what if she doesn't forgive me?"

Helga put her left hand on his right shoulder, "Phoebe forgave me for what I did. What makes you so special?"

Gerald watched Phoebe a moment before Rhonda and Nadine pushed both into a dark closet, giggling.

Rhonda blew a kiss at them, "Have fun, you love birds." She turned off the lights and shut the door on them.

---

Patti watched as Harold sat at Rhonda's table and stuffed his face with pastries and cookies. Patti sighed, "Harold,we're in the company of others. Could you be more mannerly, please?"

Sid shrugged, saying to Patti, "Oh, don't worry about us. This is typical behavior for him."

Stinky added, "Yeah! I still remember the time we bet Harold twenty-five cents that he couldn't eat fifty Mr. Fudgy bars."

Harold looked up from the food that was smeared all over his face to say to them, "I did it, didn't I?"

Patti said to Sid and Stinky, "Twenty-five cents? How much did each of the bars cost?"

Stinky laughed, "Fifty cents a piece."

Sid and Stinky laughed as Harold paid them no mind and kept stuffing his face.

Patti groaned before she looked at her oblivious boyfriend, "Harold."

---

The preteens that were playing Seven Minutes in Heaven all sat on the couch and the floor huddled together, waiting for Rhonda's permission to check on the couple that was locked in the closet.

Helga tapped her fingers impatiently on the couch, and looked at Rhonda, "So, what are we going to do? Just continue to sit here and wait for them to finish locking lips?"

Nadine, Sheena, and Lila giggled at Helga's wise-crack, considering Gerald and Phoebe both used to be in a relationship.

Rhonda nodded, "It will be worth it. Just you wait and see. It might even give me some gossip for next year."

Arnold was sitting left of Helga on the couch. He whispered to her, "Are you sure about this? I mean, I know you and Gerald are getting along now, but him and Phoebe did break up a couple of months ago. I'm worried they're going to get into a serious fight, being locked in there all by themselves."

Helga chuckled, "Believe me, Bucko. The last thing Gerald and Phoebe are doing in there right now is fighting."

---

In the dark closet that Gerald and Phoebe were sitting on the floor in, there was silence for three whole minutes. Phoebe had her arms crossed and Gerald looked apprehensive, trying to figure out how to start a conversation.

Gerald cleared his throat, nervously, "Phoebe, I'm so sorry."

Phoebe was silent a moment before saying, "Why are you apologizing for something that's already over? Our relationship is in the past, Gerald. I've moved on. You need to move on as well."

He reached for her left hand, but she pulled it back from him. He sighed, "Have you really moved on from me? I mean, we've hardly had the chance at having a relationship like Harold and Patti have, or Arnold and Helga."

She paused a moment at the mention of Arnold and Helga, before saying, "I thought that you didn't want us to be like Arnold or Helga. I thought you didn't want us to take the risks."

He looked away, "I've changed my mind."

She blinked in the darkness, thinking that she misheard him, "Excuse me?"

He said, "You were right, Phoebe. I wasn't being considerate of your needs, and if you wanted a physical relationship, the least I could have done was given it a shot. Sure, I'm fearful of what's happened in my family, but I can't let my fears overwhelm me to where I'm not living my own life."

She uncrossed her arms and looked over at Gerald. She took the chance and reached for one of his hands in the darkness, "You're right. I'm sorry, too."

He squeezed her hands gently, "Man, what do you have to be sorry for? I was the one at fault."

She moved closer to him, admitting, "But… I didn't respect your fears. Helga told me a relationship was nothing without the physical aspects of it. I suppose the lack of physical intimacy in our relationship caused me to make a rash decision and become paranoid. I didn't stop to consider she could be wrong. I was also being selfish."

He whispered to her hesitantly, "Are we ever going to be able to put this fight behind us and try again? I want to be with you, Phoebe, for real this time."

She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned towards him. With those words, their lips met each other's for the first time in three months.

---

Sheena, Lila, Nadine, and Helga sat with Rhonda on her couch. They waited impatiently for the seven minutes to be up. Eugene and Arnold were standing up now. They looked at Lorenzo as he checked his new high-tech watch. Nadine checked her smartphone as well, and then turned to Rhonda and nodded. Lorenzo gave his girlfriend two thumbs up for confirmation.

Rhonda pursed her lips together before she got off the couch and walked over to the closet, "Follow me, everyone."

Lorenzo, Sheena, Eugene, Lila, Arnold, Helga, and Nadine all followed close behind Rhonda as she walked over to the closet and unlocked the door. Nadine turned on the closet light and every one of the preteens who were waiting gasped in shock at what they saw.

Phoebe was on top of Gerald, leaving kisses all over his face. She didn't hear the closet door open or her peers' gasping in shock. Gerald didn't look too bothered about all the attention, either. He was lying back against the ground with a smile on his lips, enjoying her gentle affections.

Helga raised her left eyebrow as she looked at Arnold on her right. She couldn't help but chuckle, "Well, at least they're still dressed."

Arnold groaned as he elbowed her. "Helga!"

Helga smirked at her boyfriend, "Hey, I was just stating the obvious."

Rhonda smirked as she hollered, "Your seven minutes are up, love birds!"

Phoebe pulled away from Gerald. She blushed when she noticed everyone around, watching them. Gerald blinked a couple times to clear the fussiness from his eyes before getting off the ground.

Arnold asked Phoebe as she walked out of the closet, "Did you forgive him? Are you guys back together?"

Phoebe nodded with a smile and a blush, "Affirmative."

Helga smirked at Gerald as he walked out of the closet, "Not half-bad, Loverboy."

Gerald sighed wistfully, "Man, I wouldn't mind going for another seven minutes like that."

Sheena commented, "You can't. It's time for you and Phoebe to pick two other people to go in the closet."

Gerald smirked at Helga, "You and Arnold: Seven Minutes in Heaven."

Lila and Sheena held their hands together and sighed admirably.

Rhonda only huffed as she crossed her arms, "Ugh, so boring. They're already a couple! What's going to be so shocking about them kissing? Don't they make out with each other enough already?"

Helga mumbled to herself, "Not enough, that's for sure."

Gerald whispered to Helga, so Arnold couldn't hear, "You know what you've got to do, right?"

Helga whispered back to Gerald, "Sit down and wait for the Princess to open the door? He's not going to budge, Gerald. You should know that better than anyone."

Gerald smirked at her, as if he knew something she didn't. He said, "He loves you, and he wants you. I say, go for it. He can't resist you forever. I couldn't resist Phoebe."

Helga sighed as she put on a fake smile and walked over to the closet, "Let's get this stupid thing over with." Arnold only nodded in agreement as he walked over to the closet as well.

Rhonda said to them so only they could hear, "You've got seven minutes. Also, while we all know about your past struggles, Arnold, nothing that happens in there will be anything we haven't seen or heard before. Unfortunately, I don't think you two would be willing to have sex in seven minutes just to give me something to talk about next year, but you must admit, it's a tempting idea for us both."

Helga's eyes widened in shock, "Are you kidding me? What, are you planning on having us completely naked by the time you open the door? Are you going to take pictures and videos to put up around our new middle school?" Helga huffed and whispered, "And here I thought Arnold was the perverted one this year."

Arnold sighed, a bit aggravated, "We're not planning on getting naked in your closet, Rhonda."

Rhonda pursed her lips before smirking at Arnold, "Suit yourself. Nadine?" She turned to her best friend.

Nadine smiled sadly when she remembered Arnold's speech about his problem. She said to him softly, "I'm sorry, Arnold," and shut the door.

---

Sid, Stinky, and Harold were walking around Rhonda's kitchen, snooping. Sid was opening cabinets and drawers, Harold kept opening the fridge and the freezer, looking for more snacks, and Stinky was walking around with his hands behind his back, looking around, trying to figure out what to get into. Patti was sitting at the table. She couldn't help but watch the three boys with curiosity.

She asked them, "What are you doing meddling in Rhonda's personal stuff? Aren't you afraid you're going to get in trouble?"

Harold chuckled as he pulled out a piece of rich double chocolate cake. "Aw, I'm not meddling in Rhonda's personal stuff. I just want more to eat! Relax, Patti. We do this kind of stuff all the time. We're not going to get caught." He stuffed the whole piece of cake in his mouth at once.

Sid whispered to the two other boys, "I say we mess with the wiring underneath the stove and set it on fire. We'll surely mess with her head that way. She'll regret ever kicking us out of the living room just because she's a snob."

Patti narrowed her eyes and said to her boyfriend, "Harold, I would really appreciate it if you didn't make such careless decisions that could get the both of us in trouble."

Harold groaned in annoyance, "Aw, come on Patti, you aren't my mother. I can take care of myself!"

Stinky opened a cabinet that was above the fridge that only he could reach, and he gasped when he saw what was inside, "Willikers! The Lloyd family really is rich, fellers! They've got a chock full of wine up in this hear cabinet!"

Sid chuckled, "Enough to get us drunk, right? I think we should do it!"

Stinky stared at Sid a moment, "Sid, I don't think that's the smartest thing to do. Why don't we just dump the wine bottles out and leave them all over the kitchen for her to clean up?"

Harold said to them both, "I think we should pull everything out of the fridge AND EAT ALL HER FOOD! YEAH!"

Sid sighed, "Is your belly all you ever think about, Harold?"

Stinky said to the two boys, "Hey, I've got it! Why not start a food fight?"

Sid crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, "I like the getting drunk off all her parents expensive wine idea a lot better."

Patti pulled Harold's arm to lead him out of the kitchen, and he protested, "Hey, where are we going?!"

She warned him, "I think it's best that we find something else to do."

---

Arnold and Helga were sitting on the floor in the dark, facing each other in silence. It only took Helga sixty seconds to start a conversation with him, "So, you must be feeling pretty normal right about now, huh?"

Arnold tried to see her face in the dark, but he could only see a shadow. Sighing, he said, "I feel like I usually do, I guess."

She smirked, "Really now? Because I know how to break the spell."

With those words, his eyes lit up in surprise. He couldn't help but ask her, "You know how to break the spell? You really do? How, Helga?! What do I have to do?!"

She said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms, "You don't have to do anything, Goof-Wad: you've already completed it!"

Those words made him confused. He asked, "What do you mean, Helga? We haven't had sex. You know I've been avoiding physical intimacy for that reason. I didn't want to complete it."

She admitted, "I don't mean complete it by having sex. All I've ever wanted from you is for you to tell me that you love me. I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner! When I put that spell on you, I asked you to admit your feelings for me, to burn for me, to want me like I want you, and you've done it! You've done exactly what I've asked you to do! It's over, Arnold! You don't have to resist me anymore! The spell has been broken!"

Arnold blinked in the darkness, and then blinked again. It was the weirdest thing for him to hear that there was no spell on him! She said that he didn't need to worry about going too far physically, but if that was true, then why was he still turned on? Was it the tension of being alone in the closet together with the lights off, or was Helga lying to him just to get him to give in? He said with a sigh, "Look, why don't we turn the lights on and bang on the door to get out? We both realize that we love each other. We don't need to stay in here and start something we're not able to finish. Besides, what if Rhonda's serious about seeing us naked? I don't think it's a good idea."

Helga rolled her eyes, getting frustrated with his thick-headedness, "You're misunderstanding me. You don't have the spell on you anymore, so what reason would you have to jump me if we started kissing? You were only going through those puberty related issues because of the spell I put on you, and now it's broken. You can kiss me and hug me and touch me all you want without us having sex. We won't take our clothes off or go too far. How would you go too far without the spell on you, anyway? Think about it!"

He thought about what she said but didn't make a move to kiss or touch her. He was starting to believe she was making up a lie about the spell being over just to get him to give in. She was so set on having a physical relationship with him, it was no wonder she was trying by lying to him.

She noticed that he wasn't responding, and tried another approach, with a sigh, "Look, Arnold, can't you put your goody-two-shoes nature aside for me for just one minute and do what you want to do for a change? You say you love me, but you don't want to get closer. You're the one that told me love is more than just the emotional, it's the physical and wanting to be closer to the other person. What's so wrong with making out in a dark closet when you obviously want to? If you really loved me, wouldn't you do this? You know you would. I would do it without another thought!"

She moved closer to him on the floor and he groaned as he thought about what she said. His hands were already being placed on her shoulders automatically. Spell or no spell, he was having trouble resisting her. He was also feeling pressured to do stuff to show his girlfriend he was serious about his love for her. He whispered, "I guess if you really want to bring back the physical side of our relationship, I can't refuse it if I'm in love with you." His hot lips met hers heatedly, and within a few seconds, she was already seeking his tongue. Gosh, it had been so long since they were able to be physical in a private place, he could already feel his body reacting. But wait… didn't Helga just tell him that the spell was OVER!? That—that couldn't be true! She lied to him; he was sure of it now!

She was swapping tongues with him faster and could even feel the bulge in his pants pushing against his jeans and her dress as she got on top of him. Wait a minute—how could he possibly be excited after the spell was brought to completion? It made no sense! She couldn't help but think to herself. Must be a delayed reaction from all that pent-up sexual frustration he hasn't released. Wait a minute, if he's still sexually frustrated, I could use that to my advantage, right? I mean, at this point, it's not like he doesn't love me, and obviously he wants me, even after denying my pleasure repeatedly. He left me frustrated and irritated for months. Heh, it's payback time. Helga, you're a genius!

She started to devour his mouth, licking and swapping her tongue even faster against his.

He was easily able to keep up with her, groaning as he pushed her against the ground and got on top of her, for once taking the lead himself. He was losing his patience and control. As he entwined their hands together, trying to control the impulse to slam their hips together and start dry humping, they heard the door open. They opened their eyes and stopped kissing when they noticed a light coming on in the room.

Rhonda smirked as Lila, Nadine, and Sheena whistled at them holding hands and made "aw" noises. Phoebe and Gerald smiled at the tender affections.

Rhonda commented, "Now that is simply adorable. I can never get over how cute the two of you look together."

Nadine said to her best friend, "Hey Rhonda. Shouldn't we get the others so that we can start the next party game?"

Rhonda said to Nadine, "Just as long as they don't make any rude remarks about me."

Lila asked, "Was the next game the dance contest that you were talking about earlier? I think it sounds like an oh so romantic idea! I'll go with Nadine to go get Stinky."

Rhonda, Nadine, and Lila walked in the kitchen and Rhonda gasped at what she saw. Food was thrown all over the place! She walked in, and screamed at Sid and Stinky, "What did you both do?! Why are all my kitchen cabinets opened, and half of the groceries that were in my parent's fridge THROWN ALL OVER THE PLACE!?"

Sid and Stinky backed up, pointing at each other. They said, simultaneously, "It was his fault, he did it. HE DID IT!"

Patti sighed as she approached Rhonda from behind, with Harold beside her. Patti said, "Just forgive them, Rhonda. I don't think they're even thinking about what they're doing at this point."

Rhonda sighed as she rolled her eyes. Considering Patti was kind enough to forgive her in the past, she decided to dismiss what Sid and Stinky did to her kitchen. She turned to Patti and said to her, "Honestly, I'm not surprised, but my parents can replace the pantries and refrigerator with their steady income. I suppose it's not a big deal." She raised her voice to the two boys that messed up her kitchen, getting their attention, "Just as long as you both CLEAN UP THIS MESS RIGHT NOW!" Sid and Stinky nodded as they looked at Rhonda, terrified. They started cleaning up the kitchen immediately.

Meanwhile, in the other room, Arnold and Helga walked out of the closet and back in the living room. Arnold was lightheaded, and Helga was smirking at his lovesick expression. She thought to herself. You're going to regret ever making me wait for your love, Bucko. You're turned on so badly that you can't even walk straight, and you don't have a spell that you can blame for it, either.'

Phoebe and Gerald approached their best friends. Gerald smirked as he raised his left eyebrow, repeating what Helga had said earlier, "Well, at least you guys still have your clothes on."

Phoebe giggled behind her hands at her boyfriend's comment as he grinned at her.

---

It wasn't long before the gang was outside on Rhonda's balcony. All the chairs were moved in a large square around it. Rhonda was standing in the center of the dance circle next to her boyfriend, Lorenzo. She was getting ready to make the announcements about the competition. Nadine was sitting next to Sid, Eugene next to Sheena, Phoebe next to Gerald, Lila next to Stinky, Harold next to Patti, and Arnold next to Helga. Rhonda said to everyone, "Okay, this is my couples dance competition. You will each have five minutes to dance out whichever style you prefer. The winning couple will get a limo ride and a reservation to a fancy hotel on the beach. It's not as fancy as the one my parents booked, but still rated at least four stars. My parents gave my boyfriend and I one as a graduation present and I am free to give the reservation they didn't want to whomever I choose." Rhonda flicked her hair.

Harold raised his left hand, "Um, shouldn't we practice our dancing before the contest? I mean, I haven't danced with a girl for a year."

Sid couldn't help but laugh at Harold's expense, "Yeah, he might have two left feet."

As Stinky, Gerald, and Sid laughed at him, Harold yelled to all three of them, "Cut it out! Shut up, Sid! Shut up right now or I'll pound you!"

Patti made fists with her hands and cracked her knuckles and that was when Gerald swallowed, and Sid and Stinky started whistling, as if they'd never said anything to Harold. They were afraid of Harold, but after seeing his girlfriend ready to beat them up, they stopped teasing him. Patti didn't have a good reputation for not hitting others in the past.

Rhonda said, "You all have thirty minutes to practice. The dance competition will start at six tonight, right here on my balcony."

---

Sid shut the door to one of Rhonda's rooms and looked at Nadine, "I've got to be honest with you, Nadine. I may have won the last competition, but I don't know a thing about dancing. I don't think we have much of a chance to win."

Nadine shrugged, "It doesn't matter if we win or not. I guess the three real couples are going to slow dance. Let's do something more upbeat considering neither of us is in a relationship."

He was relieved, "That sounds great! No offense, but I was kind of hoping that we wouldn't have to kiss."

She breathed a sigh of relief as well, "I agree with you, Sid. Let's just have fun!" She got on her smart phone to look up dance styles they could do. She smiled when she saw one that looked slightly familiar, and pointed at it, showing it to Sid. "I think we should try this. It's called Swing Dancing. We wouldn't have to touch much, and from what I remember about it, it's really cool!"

He scratched the back of his neck with his left hand, "I've got to admit, it doesn't look half bad, but what if I let go of you and swing you across the dance floor? I mean, I've never done any sort of dancing before."

She laughed, "It will be fine, Sid, and I can lead. My mom and dad performed swing dancing when they were dating. It's pretty simple." Nadine looked at Sid a moment as he stared at her. He clearly didn't know where to start.

He cleared his throat, laughing nervously, "I guess we've got to start by holding hands, right?"

---

Sheena and Eugene were out in the open, doing their typical dancing routine that they had memorized by now. They both said, "A-five, six, seven, eight, and jump!"

---

Stinky rubbed his left arm nervously. He took a glance at his date. Lila smiled sweetly at him, batting her eyelashes affectionately.

He scratched his head, "Um, did you want to slow dance? I promise not to drop you."

She said, "I know ballet, but I've never slow danced with somebody before. I'm afraid I might not be very good at it."

He reassured her, "It's okay, Miss Lila. We can practice out here and go nice and slow. I ain't never slow danced neither, maybe square danced."

Her eyes lit up, "Square dancing? Oh, Stinky, that sounds like an oh so exciting dance routine. Can you teach me how to square dance?"

He smiled, holding out his hand, "Why sure, Miss Lila. Ain't a problem at all."

---

Phoebe cleared her throat nervously as she looked at her boyfriend. She said to him, "Um… would you like to slow dance together?"

He laughed nervously, "Sure, Baby. I might be a bit out of practice. It's been awhile since we've danced."

She said sadly, "Yes, it has been a rather long time."

He thoughtfully said, "Yeah. Let's slow dance, but let's try a little more hands-on routine. Does that sound good?"

She smiled excitedly, "Gosh, that sounds wonderful!"

---

Patti and Harold were by themselves outside while everyone else was upstairs.

Harold crossed his arms as soon as they got outside, "Why should I care about a stupid dance? I know how to dance! I danced with you a year ago!"

She said to him, reassuringly, "Harold, relax. Just because we're in front of your friends for the competition, you shouldn't be nervous."

He explained, "I'm not nervous. I just think dancing's stupid, and dancing competitions are stupid too. I mean, what can we do with a hotel stay? Why can't Rhonda just give us a grocery card or a gift card to an all-you-can-eat place?"

She sighed, "While I admit that would probably be a better idea, it shouldn't stop us from having a good time. After all, Harold, we haven't participated in any of the other contests or activities, besides eating."

He admitted to her with a smile, "Eating is worth it. At least I know what I'm getting when I put food in my mouth."

She said to him, with a smirk, "I keep thinking you just don't want to do this whole dancing contest thing because you're scared."

His eyes widened, "Scared? I'm not scared! Why should I be scared of a stupid dance! I can dance! I can dance a whole lot better than you can."

She said to him, sternly, "Then, prove it to me, Harold."

He grabbed her arms and started to slow dance with her, counting cautiously, "One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four."

---

Arnold and Helga were upstairs in Rhonda's parents' room, sitting on her parent's bed. Helga said to her boyfriend, who was sitting beside her on the right, "So, what did you want us to do while we're waiting on Princess Lloyd to call us out to the dance floor? I mean, obviously, we're experts. We don't need any sort of practice!"

Arnold raised his right eyebrow and put his right hand on his hip, "Experts. Since when are we experts?"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Oh, come off it, Arnold-o. We've danced with each other plenty of times. Like that April Fool's Day dance."

He sighed, "That wasn't really dancing though, was it, Helga?"

She stared at him a moment, "What would you call it then?"

He hesitated a moment before saying, looking away, "I don't know. Entrapment?"

She smacked her head with her left hand and drug it down her face, "Sheesh. Well then, why don't you show me your moves, Football Head, for real this time."

"If you insist." He couldn't help but smirk as he got off the bed and walked over to Rhonda's music player. He already knew which dance style he wanted to do with Helga for the competition. He put the radio on a station that was playing Brazilian music, and then slowly moved his way back over to Helga, swaying his hips to the beat as he walked over. She watched him curiously from her seat on the bed, taking a moment to raise her right eyebrow. His eyes were on hers as her eyes stared into his with the same intense passion. He said, lowly, "Are you sure you can keep up with me? Grandma taught me the Lambada a few years ago."

Her eyes went wide, "The Lambada? Is she crazy? I mean, I know what the Lambada is, but only because I've read about it."

He chuckled a moment as he reached his right hand down to grab her left hand and help her up, "I think you already know that my Grandma is a little off, but she's still a smart and compassionate person. So is my Grandpa, even if they both do treat me as if I'm older sometimes."

She thought to herself as she circled around her boyfriend, still moving her hips. And they're both sensual, apparently. His grandparents are practically begging for us to screw each other! She said to him, "I'm take it you want to give the entire middle school something else to talk about?"

Arnold took both of her hands into his and lifted them above their heads and back down repeatedly. They both kept moving their hips to the beat of the music. He said, "It's June. They're liable to forget all about Rhonda's party by August. Besides, we gave them something to talk about last year during the April Fool's Day dance, why not now while we're dancing the lambada? It might be fun to watch you suffer for a change. You've made me suffer for months by putting that spell on me." He took her right hand to twirl her around until she was in front of him, her back facing him. He used the opportunity to grab her right hand with his and lean closer to her, whispering harshly in her right ear, "Which, by the way, I know is still on me. You know if you really wanted to get close, you didn't need to manipulate me to get your way. I want to be close to you, spell or no spell." He grinded himself into her backside as they danced to the music, and by Helga's gasp, she could tell he was excited. He was starting to lose control, but for some reason, he was beyond caring. He thought to himself, You did this to yourself, Helga. I'm going to give you exactly what you've been asking for, but will you be able to handle it as well as I have? I guess we'll see. He used his right hand to twirl her away from him, to the left, then the right, then the left.

As soon as she was in front of him again, she put her hands on his shoulders as she continued to move her hips closer to his core. She whispered, "If you're so sure you're still under that spell, Arnold, then why don't you do something about it?" She pressed herself against his hips and whispered, "Prove to me where the magic ends and where the boy I love really begins, or are you scared?" She chuckled to herself, her body rippling with the motion of her laughter. Toying with him turned her on so much, and he made it so easy sometimes. Who was she to try to resist him?

They both moved around in a circle, shaking their hips closer to each other as they continued to dance. He hated being called scared, especially when being physical was the least of his worries. What did he need to keep holding back for? It wasn't like she didn't want it. She had been practically begging him to have sex with her since sex ed class in January! She deserved to be teased, just as much as she was always teasing him, and it was about time he took matters into his own hands. He twirled her body to the left before pulling her body in front of him against his, earning a gasp of surprise from his girlfriend at how rough he was being. He said, hoarsely, "Ooh, I'm not scared of what you do to me, that should be pretty obvious right about now." He grinded himself against her softly and she panted in excitement. He continued, "The one that should be scared is you. Just think about what I can do to this body of yours on the dance floor." He whispered in her ear, "Remember, I know how to tango." She swallowed, taking a deep breath.

After those words, Rhonda opened the door they were in, just before things got even more heated between them. As the song on the radio came to an end, she said to them, "What are you both waiting for? It's time for the dance competition on my balcony. Everyone else is already downstairs!"

Arnold and Helga hesitantly stopped dancing and looked at Rhonda. The sexual tension was lingering in the air between them. Even Rhonda sensed something big happened that she didn't know about. As the couple walked downstairs quietly, she could only watch them in deep thought from behind, putting her left hand on her chin.

---

Rhonda had disco lights on that lit up the dark outside and the balcony as she stood in the middle of it, everyone else was in the chairs that were around her. She said to the couples, "Okay, everyone has five minutes to dance. The couple that dances the best wins. Lorenzo and I aren't participating because we already have our prize." She winked at her boyfriend and he blushed before she turned to the first couple, "Harold and Patti, you're up!"

As Harold and Patti got up and started slow dancing, Harold noticed something he didn't before. With his focus off himself and on his girlfriend, he was less concerned about the opinion of others. Also, nobody was laughing at them like he thought they would.

Patti smiled at Harold as they slow danced together to the music. She said to him, "You smell nice, Harold."

Harold smiled slightly, "It was some sort of cologne mom sprayed on me before I left. You don't smell so bad yourself."

She said to him, "The perfume is called Windsong."

He admitted, "It suits you. Strong, but unique."

They both gave each other a gentle smile as they continued dancing. They were deep in the moment.

After they finished their routine, everyone clapped as Rhonda announced, "Okay, Stinky and Lila, you guys are up next. Let's see some moves out on this floor!"

Stinky and Lila got up excitedly from their seats on the left side. Stinky said, "Ain't a problem, Miss Lloyd. Hopefully, you'll enjoy our square-dancing routine."

Helga couldn't help but comment, raising her left hand out, "Square dancing? What are we in? Some sort of freaky western movie?"

Everyone watched as Lila and Stinky started square dancing together.

They were rounding up on each other, and then backing up. Lila admitted to Stinky with a giggle, "This is ever so much fun! This is oh so much better than operas or ballet dancing." Her heart was pounding with nerves.

He admitted to her, "I reckon I wouldn't know anything about all of that. My Ma' and Pa' taught me to doe-see-doe." They grabbed each other's hands and stared into each other's eyes.

Her eyes were glistening as she looked into his eyes. She admitted to him, in a whisper, "I'm scared, Stinky."

He blinked in confusion, "Scared? Why, I reckon you're doing all the dance moves perfectly fine, Miss Lila."

She let go of his hands before she said to him, "No, Stinky. That'snot what I meant. I meant… well, if I'm perfectly honest with you, I'm afraid of falling."

Stinky said, "You haven't lost your mojo yet, and if you fall on this here floor, I'll catch you."

Lila sighed, "It's not the floor I'm worried about falling on… it's in love with you."

He watched her curiously as she explained to him, "I've only fallen in love once in my life, and that's with Arnold, but he broke my heart just ever so much. I cared deeply for him, but he didn't want to be with me."

He was confused, "But haven't you been turning him down for years? That don't make any dang sense."

She said, "I was afraid he would fall out of love again and re-break my heart. Not only that, but I knew Helga's feelings for him before she admitted them to everyone. I didn't want her heart to be broken the way mine was from Arnold, all because of my actions. That wouldn't be fair to her."

Stinky grabbed Lila's left hand and kissed it gently before rocking her in his arms against him, "Why, I reckon, I'll never break your heart, Miss Lila. You're the prettiest gal I ever did lay eyes on. And I know how it feels to be heart broken. Helga broke up with me after dating a couple weeks in fourth grade. Took me a few months to move on from it. Gloria and I never lasted, either."

Lila whispered to him as he held her close, "I'm terribly sorry to hear that, Stinky. I suppose we've both had experiences with broken hearts."

He whispered to her, "If you date me, I promise to never bury yours in the crops."

She said to him, "And I promise that this courtship will be an oh so special one to me. I'll stick by you, and we'll work out things by talking before ending a relationship abruptly."

He pulled away from her as the music ended, "Does that mean you want to date me?"

She laughed lightly, "Of course, Stinky! I would love to!"

He jumped up in the air excitedly, "Hot dog! I reckon I've got myself a brand-new girlfriend!"

She laughed as the music faded and all her friends started clapping.

---

"A-five, six, seven, eight, and jump!"

Sheena said to Eugene, "Do you think our routine will win the competition."

He said to her, "I'm guessing it's worth a shot. If we don't win, it's not a big deal. The important thing is that we had fun, and nobody got hurt."

She smiled, "That's a good point, Eugene."

Rhonda huffed as her best friend, Nadine, couldn't help but giggle behind her hands. Rhonda exclaimed, "Can we please stop this chaos on my balcony, before one of you knocks something over?"

Almost on cue, Eugene lost his footing when he tried to jump and knocked over a glass monument that was outside, and then landed in Rhonda's pool.

Rhonda jumped up from her seat, yelling out, "Ugh, my parents' statue! You both are… disqualified!"

Sheena shouted to Eugene, "Are you okay, Eugene?!"

Eugene came up from the water, coughing a bit. He said to everyone, "I'm okay!"

---

Rhonda cleaned up the glass and put caution signs around the area Eugene slid on. Sheena left to help Eugene with his injuries, and Phoebe and Gerald took the center of the 'stage'.

Phoebe was slow dancing with Gerald. She was focused more on his dark brown eyes than anyone's attention on them. She whispered to him, "Slow dancing is rather romantic, Gerald."

He whispered to her, "It's only romantic because I get to slow dance with the prettiest girl at this party."

She started to blush, "Gosh, Gerald, I'm flattered. Are you being serious?"

He brought her around in a circle as they stepped together. He admitted to her, "It's the truth. I may have lost you once, but I don't ever plan on losing you again. You're my girl." Taking the risk with a slight fear still in his heart from the intimate contact, he leaned in to kiss her lips gently. Phoebe closed her eyes with a smile on her face. His tongue slowly made its way into her mouth, and Phoebe smiled as she enjoyed the first French kiss she'd ever received.

---

It was after Nadine got swung across the dance floor a third time that she angrily approached Sid, "Okay, new plan, I don't care if we win, just please… do not let go of me when you're in full swing, okay? I mean, I realize it's swing dancing, but that's not the way you're supposed to do it. I already have bruises developing and I can hear some of our classmates, laughing at us."

Harold, Stinky, and Gerald were laughing hysterically with Helga making wise cracks on the side.

Sid was blushing, completely embarrassed. Dancing wasn't his strong point, "I'm sorry. I just, well, I guess I'm the one that has two left feet, Nadine."

Nadine hit her head with her left hand and whispered to him, wishing the five minutes were over, "Don't worry about it, just don't let go this time until I tell you to, okay?" Nadine thought to herself. I really wish I was bug catching right now, instead of stuck at one of Rhonda's parties. I'm just not into all this romantic stuff or dancing. That's not the kind of girl I am.

Sid tried to stay positive, even though he was panicking inside, "Oh, okay, no problem." He thought to himself. I wish I was at a frog catching contest or at home in my room instead of dancing for this competition. What do I need to learn to dance for? It's not like I've got a girlfriend, or even want one.

---

Rhonda shook her head as she watched Sid and Nadine walk away. Rhonda mentioned to Nadine, sympathetically, "There's band-aids in the kitchen cabinet, Nadine." Rhonda said to everyone, "And finally, Arnold and Helga will conclude with," she paused a moment as she watched them get up, walking in the center of the balcony, Arnold walked to the left, Helga to the right, "whatever dance they're doing today." She said to them, curiously, "Which dance style were you doing upstairs, anyway?"

They ignored her question as they approached the middle of the balcony on the opposite side of each other. Rhonda shrugged as she went in the kitchen to grab a quick drink and check on Nadine.

Sid, Stinky, and Harold's mouths dropped when they noticed Arnold and Helga's hips twitching as they seductively made their way towards each other.

Gerald whispered to his girlfriend on his left, "Something tells me we're going to need an air conditioner outside in a couple minutes."

Phoebe whispered back to her boyfriend on the right, "With the way their eyes are darkening, I'd have to concur."

Helga tried to maintain her control as she moved her hips and they circled around each other's bodies seductively. They entwined their hands with each other's and moved them up and down, moving their hips as she said to him, "I've got to admit, you're a good dancer, Bucko. Sex is said to be the original dance, and yet, while I haven't had the experience, I know how to follow my instincts, just like we're doing right now on the floor," she whispered, feeling his grip on her hands grow a bit stronger, a sure sign her words were getting to him. She whispered into his right ear, low enough for only him to hear, "All these months you wouldn't touch me. Arnold, I'm not going to be easy and gentle with you. We can dance all you like, but I'm going to be the one to make you lose control."

Arnold couldn't help but bring the front of her body against his right leg, until she was practically sitting on his knee. He was so close to her heat now, and he wanted her. He trailed his hands down her chest slowly, feeling the shiver run down her back as he went lower. He whispered to her, hoarsely, "I don't think that's such a good idea. I'm sure you've heard of karma, Helga. And technically, I'm wearing the pants right now." He gripped her lower back with his right hand and pulled her hips against his core with his left. He could feel her moist heat against him, and gasped, feeling his own passion rise. He whispered as he trailed his left hand underneath the dress she wore, "You're soaked, Helga. You can't possibly continue to wear this right now." He was tempted to reach down and take off all the barriers between them and discard them. What would it hurt?

She could feel her insides pulsing as he jammed his fingers inside of her. "I'm doing just fine wearing them, Bucko. Just because I'm a little wet doesn't mean I can't contain myself," she grinned mischievously as she pulled his left hand out of her heat, moving her body so her back was against him, and she grinded. Helga could feel the boy's ridged and rigid penis straining upwards awkwardly, and she used her body to pin it flat against him. She made the fabric strain and caused a moan to come out of her boyfriend's throat. "The question is, how are you going to handle all this stimulation without popping your cork?"

Arnold grabbed Helga's arms with a gasp from her. As he felt her underwear becoming even more wet against him, he couldn't help but move with her to the rhythm of the music, grinding their hips together passionately, in a rhythm not forgotten from passed times. They turned in a circle with their hands entwined. He whispered, "The same way you're going to handle holding back an orgasm on the dance floor. You can't tell me that my groin and everything around it doesn't feel really good, rubbing up against you. Just think about how it would feel with everything on the floor."

She whispered, "Shouldn't that be my line? You've been fantasizing about this body for months now, denying yourself everything I have to offer. Don't you want to find out just what I'm capable of? Don't you want to know what I've learned? What I can do? How I feel?" She grinded her body against his more harshly, satisfied when she heard his breath catch, "Don't you want to know what sinking yourself into a puddle of hot, soft, wet warmth is like?"

Arnold managed to turn her around, so that she was in front of him. He moved his hands slowly down her shoulders, brushing her nipples lightly as he passed them. With the moan she let out, he could tell that he was getting to her. Just a few more lines, and she would be putty in his hands that he could play with and work his own magic against. He pulled her against him, his right hand going beneath her core, "Just remember whose fingers explored that hot, soft, wet warmth only some months ago. I know just what buttons to press, just how to finger and lick you until your essence is all over me." He explored her chest with his left hand underneath her outfit while dancing, completely forgetting that they had an audience, watching them and even hearing parts of their heated conversation.

"I—I can get myself going just as good as you can," she breathed huskily, screwing her eyes shut. That image Arnold had planted was powerful, but she was Helga G. Pataki—and she did not surrender just because it was easier than keeping up the fight. "You could say I'm a total expert. It's not so easy for you though, is it, Arnold? I'll bet you can still remember with crystal clarity that fourth month we were sharing your bed. When I slipped my head under the covers and—"

Arnold gasped, pulling Helga away from his body, trying to maintain some sort of control over himself before he flooded his pants. He remembered that night without thinking about it. It was the second time she put her mouth on him, right before he decided he needed to keep his distance and resist getting too close to her. It was—it was the last time he received the pleasure of oral. The thoughts were causing his body to shake and twitch, and his lower stomach was tightening in agony, but he had to resist it. He needed her to cave in first. He breathed deeply. She was sneaky. She knew that oral sex was one of his weaknesses, especially that second time when she was able to swallow every bit of him. He started to twirl her around to the right with his left hand, and then to the left. The way she was moving was driving him crazy. After he pulled her in front of him and against his body, he said to her, still moving his hips against hers, "Trying to use your morning pleasure against me to get me to break, huh, Pataki? Well, I remember something else you may have forgotten that happened around that time." He gripped her left shoulder with his right hand and used his left hand to trail his fingers inside of her core,"On the Sunset Arms rooftop about twelve at night, in March, I had a late dessert. As I remember, you even gave me seconds. Mmm, it tasted so delicious, so warm and sweet. The forbidden treat." He took his left out of her body, to lick his index finger slowly.

"Giving your compliments to the chef?" Helga asked, breathing heavily. Good lord, that night had been something else—something else entirely. It wasn't just the pleasure she could recall, the feelings of Arnold lapping at her, eyes rolling up to meet hers in reverence; it was the sheer electricity of the moment, that she could finally share the most intimate parts of herself with the boy she had loved for so many years. Some moments dived beyond the physical, bonding them for life. That was one of them, "I—I didn't mind preparing that meal for you," she forced herself to swallow. It was getting so hot in there and feeling him against her made her head start spinning, "It's a special recipe I'd never offer to anyone else!"

He couldn't help but groan in the back of his throat, listening to her words. He was barely able to contain himself. Good grief, he was even pre-releasing at this point. It was so hot around them, and he didn't think it was just from the dancing. He was ready to have sex, no, make love with her. He wanted to feel her body shaking against him, not just dancing. He even had a strong desire to take her, right there on the dance floor! Managing to control himself, and slowly starting to come back to reality as the music faded. He remembered that everyone was watching them, and he whispered to her so that only she could hear, "I'd never offer myself to anyone else, either, Helga. I want you to have me, every part of me. I want you, not because I'm straining against my boxers or because I still have a spell attached to me, but because I want to offer myself to you. I want more than just sex with you, I want to make love with you." She gasped in surprise at his words, feeling her girlhood tremble.

As the music stopped, the other kids either applauded or stared speechless. A few of them were making comments or laughing.

Stinky stared at them, and admitted to his girlfriend, "I reckon that was a little too graphic for my innocent eyes to watch."

Lila's eyes were wide with shock. She admitted to her boyfriend, staring at Arnold and Helga as well, "I have to admit, that was a rather intimate dance. I don't believe we'll be dancing like that for quite some time, Stinky."

Stinky agreed, "I'm with you there, Miss Sawyer. Square dancing for us!"

Sid was laughing, "Boy howdy! They were practically dancing naked on the floor!"

Harold was laughing as his girlfriend to the left of him just stared in shock. Even though she knew at this point Arnold and Helga were dating and had quite a bit of past affections for each other, the last thing she expected was a dance as intimate as the one they shared.

Phoebe was smiling as Gerald hummed his traditional, "Mm, mmm, mmm, what a dance! I've got to say, that was worse than the April Fool's Day dance they shared in fifth grade."

Rhonda was clapping a lot, impressed by their skills on the dance floor. "Oh my, bravo, absolutely splendid! You guys are the winners of this competition! Here," she walked over to the couple and handed Arnold an envelope with their reservations inside. "It's a free night stay for each of you at the Beach Hotel in Hillwood. Considering you both share a room at the boarding house, I'm sure you wouldn't mind sharing a room at the hotel, like Lorenzo and I are doing. The reservation is only for tonight, so I suggest you get in our limo and come with us."

Arnold and Helga glanced at each other heatedly: She swallowed, and he closed his eyes in frustration. Each one knew what the other one was thinking about… but would they?

Arnold talked himself down. I've got to relax. I can't possibly make love with Helga, even if it's at a hotel where we're by ourselves. I've got to be respectful of her boundaries and continue to do what I've been doing, right...?