Announcement in English:
Hey everyone! On October 7, 2020, Arun Mehta from the Arun Mehta Show will be interviewing Craig Bartlett for the Hey Arnold! anniversary. If you have any questions about Hey Arnold!, The Patakis, or anything else that you would like Arun to ask Craig, you can email him. The email address is on Arun's Instagram page. The deadline to submit your questions is September 26, 2020. Hopefully we can get an update of a possible season 6.
Anuncio en español:
¡Hola a todos! En Octubre 7, 2020, Arun Mehta del Arun Mehta Show va entrevistar a Craig Bartlett por el aniversario de Hey Arnold!. Si tienen preguntas sobre la seria Hey Arnold!, Los Patakis, or de otra tema que quieren que Arun pregunta a Craig, ustedes lo pueden mandar un email a él (en ingles por supuesto). Su dirección de correo está en su página de Instagram. La fecha para someter sus preguntas es en el 26 de Septiembre, 2020. Ojala que va ver noticias sobre el estado de un posible temporada 6.
Responses to reviews:
Guest: Well, however this story ends, I hope you still enjoyed reading it.
Cre8ivelybankrupt87: I know, right?! It has been a long time coming for her to finally explode. I'm surprised she even lasted this long.
She is just tired with her feelings and unable to get out of this hole that she has been in for years and whenever she does, she winds up back into it. I'm sure anyone else would have exploded after enduring it for this long.
Lol, I can only imagine what kind of children Rodrigo and Rhonda would have. Probably highly cultured, charming, but ruthless businessperson.
I know! I don't know why everyone is ganging up on poor Rodrigo, sheesh! lol.
Yeah, only time will let if they are ready to put things behind them.
Veganmama: Glad to see this story is getting your blood boiling a bit. Success, lol! Yes, this supposed duo between the individual and others, between individual and social responsibility has been a central theme throughout this entire series. Whether if it's Helga, Rodrigo, Arnold, Rhonda and everyone else, each had to wiggle through this conflicting mixture between when to take responsibility for something or when to blame others. So, it's inevitable when things get so confusing that it becomes hard where or whom to place the blame on. That's why there is a constant shift between blaming Rodrigo and Arnold for leading them astray and then saying that this was their decision to make, only to go back to blaming the leaders and then blaming themselves for actually going through it without question. Those on Rodrigo's side see the flaws in Arnold, while those on Arnold's side see the flaws in Rodrigo.
If it's a bit confusion, that's because it's intentional. My goal is to show the reader that despite this serious moral/ being responsible mess, there are times when to place blame on others for their misfortunes and when to take responsibility for it. I have used HA! episode 'Deconstructing Arnold', 'Rhonda' Goes Broke', 'Helga on the Couch' 'Arnie Visits' and other episodes, as well as the Milgram Shock experiment (specifically about when people follow orders without question from someone in a position of authority, not about torturing people, lol) as inspirations throughout this series.
You know, I would like to read a fic story where Helga manages to not only move on from Arnold, but also just pushes guys away and focuses on herself, enjoying being single and no longer being obsessed over Arnold or anyone else.
Yes, you have not seen the last of Mayor Dixie, that's for sure.
We will have to wait and see how the rest of the chapters are. No spoilers! lol.
While Rhonda seriously scoffed at Rodrigo and Arnold, Helga furiously continued to march her way back home. Having absolutely no patience to wait for the bus, she opted to stomp her way back. This was probably not the best choice. Despite her serious, angry outburst at both Rodrigo and Arnold, it had not subsided, not by a long shot. Still utterly fuming over everything that has happened over the summer, she could no longer control it. After trying for so long on trying to keep it together and repress it, the lid had finally burst open and now there was no chance of it closing. She was soon ready for another angry outburst, but there was no way she was going to do it out in the street. No, she was going to hold it until she got home. Wasting no time, she continued to march down the street while grinding her teeth, snarling and tightly clenching her fists.
By some miracle, she barely managed to make it home. She quickly made her up the stoop, got inside, took off her sandals and angrily threw them at the wall. Not caring at all if anyone was inside, she then made her way up the stairs.
"Oh, good evening baby si…" Olga happily tried to greet her younger sibling, only for her to cut herself off when she saw the serious, deadly, scowling face that was Helga was making. Her smile was quickly replaced with a worried look as she saw her younger sister stomping her way upstairs.
Instinctively out of concern, after ensuring there was a fair amount of distance between them, Olga put the box that she was carrying down and then quietly followed Helga.
Helga immediately went inside her room and slammed the door shut down. She was now in her sanctuary, a place where she could reside, replenish her energy, free of worry, stress or care. It was not so this time. Once inside, Helga continued to stomp around in her room, breathing heavily and snarling so bad that some silva was dripping down her mouth. She tried one last attempt to control her temper, but she was now at a point where even she did not want to. She had to get it out. Finally, after pouncing around in her room for about a minute, she finally exploded.
"GGGRRRRRRRAAAHHHHH!" Helga let out a serious, growling scream and started to repeatedly and violently kick and her bed and mattress.
Punch after punch, kick after kick, she violently hit it. Even if she ended up hurting her own her toes and her fist, she continued to take all of her anger out on her bed, grunting and growling with every swing. When that was not enough for her, she then started to violently kick everything and anything that was on the ground; her shoes, any books, desk, notebooks, clothes, anything!
*Bang**clink**swap**thump**bang*
Helga took no pity on any of her items and violently continued to kick at them, but even that did not curb her anger and frustration. She then saw an unfolded box and it quickly became her latest victim. She grabbed it and tried to tear it with her own hands, but initially she wasn't able to. But then, after about a few seconds, she channeled all of her anger and might on that one box and soon violently tore it to pieces.
"Aaarrrggghhh!" She screamed as she tore it.
Using her feet to pin a part of it down, she used her hand to continue to rip it, all a while yelling, grunting and screaming with a fury.
Olga quietly walked towards Helga's room and put her ear on the door to see if she could hear anything. She wasn't much of a snooper, but something was telling her that Helga was in a very bad shape and knowing how secretive her baby sister was, the only way for her to know anything was to eavesdrop. Olga was startled when she heard Helga scream at the top of her lungs and got more and more worried as she heard a lot of commotion. Yet despite wanting to open the door and intervene, she restrained herself and just continued to listen in.
"UGH! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! I GIVE UP!" Helga screamed out with a fury.
Once Helga was finished with the box, she immediately saw the photo frames of her, Arnold and Rodrigo on her nightstand and without any hesitation, went for them and with her arm, took a swing at them and sent the photo frames flying. Some of them landed right into the ground while others flew right towards the wall on the other side. But even after that was not enough. Helga, while still panting and scowling, then took it upon herself and began to slam her own body against the wall, causing big thumps and bumps to be felt and heard throughout the house. She used either her torso, arms, elbow or her hands to slam them on the wall, while angrily grunting and yelling.
Olga listened with utter distress and worry as she felt the sudden and aggressive thumps and bumps. She knew what Helga was doing, but she still restrained herself from going in her. She knew that her sister had anger issues and based on her studies, knew that going inside at this time was a seriously bad idea. She needed to give Helga time to let it all out and then calm down before she can approach her. But, that was easier said than done. Knowing that Helga needed someone, Olga tearfully had to do nothing and she just continued listen to her sister suffer.
"GGRR! GGRRR! GGRRR! AAAHHHH! GRRRR!" Helga continued to grunt and yell as she slammed her body and hands into the walls, the door and then her dressing cabinet. At one point, she even banged her own head against the wall.
In a fury, she then grabbed the necklace Rodrigo had given her that was around her neck, forcefully pulled right off of her and threw it across the room.
Finally, after around fifteen, brutal minutes of constantly yelling, slamming herself and her things everywhere, Helga finally managed to let all of that anger and frustration out of her system. Feeling exhausted, she collapsed onto the floor, next to her bed, panting and looking hopelessly on the floor.
"I…I...I can't do this anymore." She said to her herself tearfully as she panted.
"I...I give up." She continued to lament. "I can't take this anymore. It's hurting too much. I'm hurting too many people. I am so weak. I can't even make one, stupid decision!"
Once the anger had disappeared, sadness, a somber feeling and tears soon followed. Almost without warning, Helga felt tears developing in her eyes. No longer caring, she let them fall.
"I can't take this anymore!" Helga again said as she started to cry. "I can't...move on. No matter how hard I try, I can't be happy!"
"Bob's right." She continued to talk as tears now started flooding down her face. "We need to get out of here. I need to get out of here. I can't keep doing this. I can't keep doing this to Rodrigo."
It was right then when Helga made a fateful decision; she decided it was best to...break up with Rodrigo. She hadn't done it when she berated him that same evening. But come tomorrow, she will make it clear to him that things are now over between them. With the guilt and pain eating up inside her, Helga could no longer tolerate the burden of how much she had hurt him these past few months. No, she was too crazy and a hazard for him. He didn't deserve that. He deserved being with someone who was stable, had a cheerful personality and wasn't such a control-freak or could easily get irritated. No, he deserved someone...better. But, she had no intention of going back to Arnold. Despite still having strong feelings for him, she burned that bridge months ago and thought it wouldn't be fair to Arnold on going back and forth with this. Although still suspicious about why he came to Hillwood at all, she thought that perhaps it was best if they went their separate ways...forever.
"I'm so sorry, Arnold. I'm so sorry, Rodrigo." Helga said as she continued to cry heavily, tears going down her cheeks like waterfalls. "I tried, but you deserve so much more..."
Ever since Bob mentioned that moving to a new place, a home, a new neighbourhood would be a fresh new start, Helga took it to heart and thought deeply about it. However, what finally convinced her to heed her father's words was when she realized that trying to save the neighbourhood was now a lost cause. Perhaps that's what she really needed; a chance to start over. Only, she would do it on her own, without Rodrigo and Arnold. There was nothing left for her to do. She couldn't make a decision. So, she opted for a third choice; she would have neither of them. Besides, there was just too much of a messy history with those two. No, she needed to completely start over, alone, as she always tried to do.
Helga didn't bother to control herself and quickly started sobbing while still sitting on the floor, with her room now an utter mess. Clothes, ripped boxes pieces, books, notebooks, pencils and pens, broken picture frames, all were scattered and lying on the floor. The decision she had made did not bring her any solace. Worse, it only served to carve a painful gash in her chest, as she felt more alone and isolated then ever. Feeling the pain almost intolerable, Helga grabbed whatever blanket was within reach and covered herself, while gently lying on the ground in an almost fetal position, all a while still sobbing and hurting.
Olga continued to listen until it became clear that Helga had finally let out all of her anger. She then heard her crying. It was very faint, but she could tell by the various sniffs and grunts that she making. With a heavy heart, and with tears flowing down her own cheeks, Olga slowly and sadly leaned back up and proceeded to walk way from the door. Feeling utterly helpless, she wish she could comfort her baby sister. But when it came with Helga, one always had to do it at the right moment. Now was not such a time.
After sobbing for a long while, Helga slowly managed to regain some calmness, replacing the sobbing with a steady, but slowly dissipating crying. Eventually, she managed to stop crying completely, with only a few sniffs, all while trying to comfort herself by hugging herself. Her throat was hurting from all of the screaming. Her hands and knuckles were bruised and hurting as well. Her right shoulder hurt. Her eyes were puffy and red. Everything was painful. Then, sleepiness started to permeate her body and mind. Feeling that she had used all of her energy to essentially destroy her room, she no longer had the strength to do anything else, much less stay awake. Slowly, she quietly closed her eyes as she continued to sniffle and make small gasps, soon drifting off to sleep.
Nadine…
Once everyone started leaving Rodrigo and Arnold, Nadine followed suit. However, unlike everyone else, she was not going home. Determined to finally settle things, she was going to go and find Rhonda. Lila and Sheena offered to go with her and take her home, but Nadine politely declined the offer. As everyone started going their separate ways, Nadine limped and stomped her way to Rhonda's house.
I don't care how badly I'm hurt. Nadine thought. One way or another, I'm going to talk to her. She needs to hear me out. She needs to know how I feel about all of this...
Nadine had no idea if Rhonda actually went to her house, or if she went somewhere. She was just going on a hunch. She had tried to text her when she left, but Rhonda hadn't responded. With little other choice, she continued to limp, trying not to overexert herself or cause any further injuries.
This would be a lot faster if I didn't break my leg. She annoyingly thought.
Nadine was making her way towards the nearest bus stop that was suppose to take her to Rhonda's house. Frustratingly, that bus stop was a few blocks away, but that did not deter her. She continued limping and stomping her away. When she made it to the second block, there was a small alleyway that ran in between two buildings. Nadine would not have given it any second thought, had she not heard something coming from that alleyway.
*sniff**sniff**slight gasp*
Nadine stopped when she heard what appeared to be someone...crying. Curiously, she turned to look towards the alleyway. Because it was now pitch dark, she couldn't see who it was. She had to get closer. Slowly and cautiously, she made her way towards that alleyway.
"Rhonda?" Nadine softly called out.
"Nadine!" A startled Rhonda exclaimed and tried to wipe away the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. No longer caring about her clothes or being clean and presentable, she was sitting on the floor with garbage all around whilst she cried.
"W-W-What are you doing here?" The socialite asked her, while still to stop crying.
"I was looking for you." Nadine responded as she crept closer. "What are you doing here?"
"Nothing, nothing really." Rhonda began to respond as she continued to sniff. "I just wanted to be alone and think..." But as she looked up to get a clear view of her former best friend, the bandages and wounds that were around her merely caused her to be painfully reminded of what she did to her. Just as quickly as she calmed herself, soon tears started to develop and trickle down her cheeks again. Her eyes dilated big to make a puppy-like, sad facial expression on her face.
"Oh Nadine!" Rhonda hysterically cried out as she started to cry again. "I'm so sorry! I-I-I-I never meant to hurt you. I would have never hurt you..." But Rhonda couldn't even finish her sentence and began to hysterically cry.
Nadine, feeling terrible for the poor, sad and guilty state Rhonda was in, merely went up next to her and using the walls, slowly sat down next to her. She then used her good right arm to wrap around Rhonda and attempt to console her.
"Rhonda, it's OK..." Nadine began to softly speak to her.
"No, it's not OK!" Before Rhonda suddenly and angrily spoke up, cutting her off. "Nothing about this is OK! Look at what I did to you! Look at the mess that I did. Instead of helping you save your home and not having to move away, I made it into a reality. You're going to lose your home because of me!" Rhonda then began to cry again.
"Rhonda, that wasn't your fault." Nadine then began to speak again. "Everyone is to blame; including me."
"No, don't do that!" Rhonda quickly countered. "Don't blame yourself for what happened to you. This one is on me."
"That's just it, Rhonda. It's not just on you. It's on everyone." Nadine said. "We never should have allowed this to go this far. Someone should have said something. I don't know about your group, but no one raised their voice to oppose Arnold. We all just took it and blindly followed him. We trusted him too much, thinking he had no fault. Especially me, I'm just as responsible for not saving the neighbourhood as you are. I made it worse by betraying your trust and hacking into your account, remember. Rhonda, I'm really sorry I did that to do, and for breaking your trust."
That did not make Rhonda feel any better. Still consumed by the guilt, she merely rested her head on top of her knees and sadly looked down on the floor.
"I-It's OK." Rhonda said as she wiped away a few tears that were developing on her eyes. "I don't care about that anymore. It was because of that I ended up hurting you. I stupidly let my anger and pride get the best of me and they made me hurt one of my closest friends. I'm so sorry, Nadine." She tearfully said
"It's OK, Rhonda." Nadine said. "It was karma."
"No." Rhonda said as she shook her head, refusing to accept this as a form of 'universal' justice. "You didn't deserve this. You were only trying to save the neighbourhood. You didn't do it for selfish reasons. I was just too blind to see that. I was angry at you and yes, I wanted to get back at you, but not like this. This isn't what I wanted."
"Maybe not." Nadine calmly said. "But, I forgive you. I don't want us fighting anymore. I want us to be friends again."
"Me too." Rhonda agreed as she sniffed again.
The two teens then went silent, not really knowing what else to say as the reality of Nadine now having to move began to set in. Feeling like utter failures, the extreme sadness and guilt of allowing themselves to be divided like that was sourly consuming them. They had not only failed to save other people's homes, they failed to prevent Nadine from moving away and thereby, prevent their friendship from becoming long distant.
"So, this is it, isn't it?" Rhonda sadly said. "You're going to be moving away?"
Nadine said nothing and merely gave Rhonda a sad nod.
Rhonda took Nadine's silence as an acknowledgment, which only served for more tears to trickle down her face.
"I never got a chance to ask you, how are your...injuries?" Rhonda said tearfully.
"They are OK." Nadine said. "The doctors said I should make a full recovery. I didn't suffer a concussion when I hit my head."
"That's good." Rhonda said with a sniffle. "At least there's some good news."
Nadine just nodded, but didn't say anything else, allowing the silence to start gripping the alleyway that they were in.
"I've missed you." Rhonda then suddenly said. "I've missed us. Ever since we became only friends, we've drifted apart even more. We don't hang out like we used to, or call each other for help as often as we used to. If anything, I feel things have gotten...weird between us and I didn't want that to happen. That wasn't supposed to happen. I thought that by just being friends, it was supposed to have made things easy between us, not worse, at least for me. I know you've moved on and found a best friend who is more in line with your interests, but...I was never able to really move on with us not being best friends anymore. I tried to, but I just couldn't."
"Not even with Rodrigo?" Nadine asked, to which Rhonda just sadly shook her head.
"Even before Rodrigo pulled that stupid stunt with the Mitigators, I wasn't able to take that step. There wasn't anything wrong with him, I just... didn't want to replace you. Plus, he's a guy. I can't expect to talk to him about anything feminine or of any 'girl problems'. That would have been too weird, even if he understood where I was coming from. It just...wouldn't have been the same." Rhonda said as she sighed.
"Well, Rhonda," Nadine shyly said, "the truth is that, I don't really have a best friend at the moment."
"What?" Rhonda surprisingly asked.
"I mean, since we've only became friends, I've started makings friends with those who are more in line with what I like. I became really close to some of them, but I was never really able to become best friends with anyone."
"Why not?" Rhonda asked.
"It's just like you said; it just not the same." Nadine said. "The truth is, I've come to really appreciate just how different we are. It made things more...interesting. With those I became friends with, I felt I just had too much in common with them and there really wasn't anything, I guess different or special about them. I mean with us, we were able to combine a lot of our interests together and come up with something new. Remember back in the fourth grade when we made that insect fashion suit and had Arnold and Gerald walk down the aisle with them?"
"Yeah." Rhonda said with a chuckle, finally allowing a small smile to appear on her face. "I remember that. Those were good times."
"They were." Nadine said with a smile. "So, it was times like those that made me think we made a good team together. We were able to learn a lot from each other. You taught me a lot of about fashion, history and cultural stuff and you learn a lot of about insects and plants. I just didn't realize all of this until after we stopped being best friends."
"Yeah. But, I guess that now doesn't matter, since you will be moving away and all." Rhonda sadly said.
"Actually Rhonda, that's what I want to talk to you about." Nadine shyly said. "Even though I'm going to have to move, I was wondering if perhaps we could...be best friends again."
"What?" Rhonda startlingly asked, looking at Nadine with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"
Nadine just shyly smiled and nodded.
"Really?" Rhonda asked again.
"Yes, Rhonda." Nadine said.
"Even after what I did to you?" Rhonda continued to surprisingly ask. "No, I don't deserve your friendship. I hurt you too much."
"Rhonda, I betrayed your trust." Nadine countered. "If anything, I was the one that caused you to be angry with me and push me off the fence. We're both at fault, really. Plus, I know you didn't mean to do it. And I know how terrible you must be feeling. That shows me that you are really sorry for what you did and as I said, I forgive you."
"But I can't forgive myself." Rhonda said sadly.
"You can make up for it by being my best friend." Nadine said.
"How is that going make up for what I did?" Rhonda asked.
"Since I'm going to have to move away now, I'll be further away from all of my friends, including you." Nadine explained. "I don't yet know where I'll be moving to, but I know the distance will put a serious strain on our friendship. Unless we try to keep in touch, I don't think our friendship will last, and I don't want that. I don't want to lose any of my friends, including you. I'll be going to a new school, live in a new neighbourhood, with people I don't know. It'll be weird, if not scary. That's why I'm going to need my friends, now more than ever, including my best friend."
Nadine then reached out for Rhonda's hand and gently grabbed it. Rhonda felt it, but initially didn't reciprocate. She still felt terrible for what she did and didn't think she was worthy of Nadine's friendship, much less her forgiveness. However, after thinking about what Nadine said and then by looking straight at her, Rhonda suddenly felt another small smile appear on her face. As guilty as she felt, Nadine was right; she had to make it up to her and being her best friend was the best way to do it. That was how she was going to make it up to her; by being there for her, both physically and emotionally.
Finally, Rhonda turned her hand and reciprocated by holding Nadine's hand tight.
"Thank you, Nadine." Rhonda said tearfully and then leaned in to give Nadine a big, tight hug.
"Ouch!" Nadine then suddenly exclaimed in pain when Rhonda accidentally wrapped arm around Nadine's broken left arm.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Nadine." Rhonda said as she backed away. "Are you OK?"
"Ya, I'm OK." Nadine responded. "Just my left arm." Not wanting to ruin the moment, Nadine then used her right arm to hug Rhonda on her side. Rhonda, although still hesitant on getting close to her Nadine, eventually went in again, this time closely and cautiously and placed her head on Nadine's shoulder.
"Best friends forever." They both said simultaneously, causing them to start giggling.
After many years of trying to continue with her life, Rhonda felt a strong sense of calm and peace inside her. For the first time in years, she finally felt just a bit more...complete and reassured. With a big smile on her face, she happily savored this moment; she finally had her best friend back.
Patty...
Patty followed everyone else by leaving both Rodrigo and Arnold at the front of the boarding house. Dismayed, angry, disappointed and demoralized by everything that had happened, Patty walked the dark streets of the neighbourhood alone, fuming at the fact that she had allowed herself to make trying to save the neighbourhood a priority over her relationship with Harold. Because of that, like Nadine, she wasn't going home. She was looking for Harold, who left a bit earlier before she did. The fact that he didn't even bother to wait for her was a big sign that indicated that he was highly upset about all of this, and at her.
I hope he is OK. Patty thought worryingly as she continued to walk by herself. She just hoped he wasn't too mad at her.
She wasn't sure where Harold had gone. She tried to text him, but had not received a response back. Purely out of intuition, she decided to head for his house, hoping if that's where he went. After walking some blocks, she started turning to a corner when she suddenly hit something or someone.
"Ouch!" Patty exclaimed as she hit her head someone, rubbing it.
"Hey, why don't you watch where you are...Patty?!" The second person initially started to yell at Patty angrily until he realized who it was.
"Harold?" Patty said once she looked at the person whom she banged into and realized that it was her boyfriend.
"What are you doing here?" Harold asked her as he rubbed his head.
"I was looking for you." Patty said. "I wanted to see if you are alright."
"Ya, I'm OK." Harold initially grumbled.
"You don't sound OK." Patty noticed.
"You know what? You're right, I'm not OK." Harold finally admitted. "I'm actually very angry! I'm angry at Rodrigo, I'm angry at Arnold, I'm angry at you, but I'm especially angry at myself!"
"I get why you would be angry at me, Rodrigo and Arnold, but why are you angry at yourself?" Patty asked in her usual soft voice.
"Because I was willing to get into a fight with you, just to prevent you from doing something so dumb and dangerous!" Harold angrily shouted. "I still can't believe I actually did that! I knew that I'd be putting our relationship at risk, but I was willing to do that just so you can stay safe and still have some hope to save this place. But now, all of that was for nothing! Our neighbourhood is still going to be destroyed! We now have to move; everything we did was for nothing!"
Harold then angrily and dishearteningly went to sit down on the edge of the sidewalk, with his feet touching the road. Patty initially just stood there, rubbing the back of her neck and feeling guilty about all of this. However, she then walked to sit next to Harold.
"I'm sorry." Patty softly said to him. "I'm sorry for putting you in that position."
Harold initially said nothing and just continued to pout and frown.
"I was really surprised what you tried to do back in the alleyway." She softly continued. "I didn't think you cared that much about me that you were willing to stand up to me and risk our relationship, just so I would be OK."
"Well, I do." Harold pouted.
"Um, well, thank you, Harold." Patty said as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for caring and for being there for me. I just wish I did the same for you."
Harold initially didn't say anything and just continued to frown, still angry at her for making him do that.
"You don't have to feel sorry for not having my back." Harold finally said to her. "I know why you did it and it's my fault really for putting you in that position."
"What position?" Patty asked.
"For forcing you to side with Rodrigo, just to prove to me that I was wrong about you." He responded. "I mean, I know that you kind of agreed with him, but I also know that what I said - about girls being easily manipulated, kind of pushed you into his direction. Had I not said those things, there would have been a chance that you wouldn't have sided with him."
"Well, thanks for saying that." Patty said, feeling relieved that he seemed to have finally understood. "What you said to me, about girls being easily influenced, that was really upsetting, you know? I'm actually surprised you believe in that."
"Ah, I don't believe in that stuff." Harold grumbled. "I never did."
"What?!" Patty exclaimed, feeling shocked by the news. "You never believed in that? Then why did you say those things to me?"
"I was never any good in debating stuff," Harold sourly explained, "especially those that needed deep, 'theoretical' understanding of the topic. Half of the time, I don't get what Rodrigo is saying. It's like he's talking in another language or something. The only thing I was able to see were the effects of his actions and that was enough for me to not like his ideas, or him for that matter."
"But, you seem to know what he is saying." He continued. "At least, enough for you to understand him. That's one of the things that I really like about you, Patty; you're is so smart, much more than me. That's probably why I still can't understand why you would ever agree with him. That's why, apart from the fact that it started making me feel self conscious, I also said those mean things when it started to become clear to me that you were starting to agree with what Rodrigo did to both the Mitigators and to Caesar and his gang. I didn't want you to go to his camp, but I felt I had little in the way of trying to convince you with all of this 'smart' stuff."
"So," Harold continued, albeit this time shamefully, "I said those things in order to make you feel self-conscious about yourself in the hopes that it would stop you from to siding with Rodrigo. That, and by saying those things, it just made it easier for me to blame Rodrigo for 'influencing' you rather than taking it out on you. It felt better to just confront him rather than you."
"Why?" Patty asked.
Harold just groaned, feeling already embarrassed than he wanted to be that night. But, he knew that he had to come clean with her. No more hiding away like a cry baby.
"I...sometimes find you a bit intimidating." He shyly, but very softly confessed.
"What?" Patty asked him.
"I said I sometimes find you intimidating." Harold loudly re-said his previous statement. "Debating about this stuff has never really been my strongest suit. So, I felt intimidated in going up against you about these kinds of stuff."
"Anyways, that's my confession." Harold said with a frown. "I know you have your own opinions about these things, but I was afraid. I'm sorry for trying to make you feel bad. I just didn't know what else to do to try to make you not take his side. Instead of making things better, I only made them worse. And for that, I'm sorry."
Patty initially said nothing and just gave Harold a weird look, not really sure what to think about his reasons why he said those things. Nevertheless, Patty knew where Harold was coming from and understood why he did it.
"It's OK, Harold." Patty said with a sigh. "I understand where you are coming from. Thanks for telling me the truth. But, it's just as my fault for choosing to side with Rodrigo. It was still my decision. You never forced me to pick a side. I should have just thought about this more clearly. I now realize that I should have done what Helga did; not chosen a side. All we did by getting involved was to make things worse."
"Ya, woodeedoo for us." Harold groaned sarcastically.
Patty said nothing and just continued to look down on the pavement, looking ever more sadden, knowing that these were the last few days before she and Harold would have to move away to God knows where. Neither of them knew how far they were going to be from each other and how much it might strain their relationship.
"What's going to happen to us?" Patty sadly and worryingly asked.
Harold looked at Patty and when he saw the extreme sadness in her face, knew he needed to say something.
"Nothing." Harold said with a smile, as he then reached for her hand and held it. "I may not know much, but what I do know is that I want to be with you. It doesn't matter where I or you move. Sure, I'd prefer if we don't live too far apart, but whatever the case, I don't want to let you go and I'm not going to."
Patty said nothing and just smiled at him, thankful that she at least still had him. She leaned in and gave him a kiss on his lips.
"Thanks, Harold." She said. "I do too."
Lila…
Lila walked into her house looking visibly upset and in tears. Not having the energy to even go up to her room, she went straight to the living room, sat on the couch and continued to cry.
*sniff**sniff*
"Oh hi there, sweety." Her father cheerfully entered the living room from behind. "I didn't hear you come in."
Lila didn't answer him and with tears in her eyes, just continued to cry and sniffle on the couch.
"Sweety?" Her father, now realizing that she was upset and crying, worryingly approached her. "What's wrong?"
"Oh daddy!" Lila exclaimed as she quickly leaned forward to embrace him. "I'm ever so sorry." She tearfully said to him. "I failed to safe our home."
Lila's father was really surprised by the news. He had high hopes that Arnold would do whatever he could to prevent the place from getting torn down. However, knowing that his shock and disappoint would have only made his daughter feel worse, he remained calm.
"There, there." Her father tried to comfort her by rubbing her back and caressing her long red hair. "It's okay, sweety. You did your best."
"No, that's just it!" Lila quickly interjected with tears will in her eyes. "I didn't do my best. I actually...I made things worse!" She exclaimed before succumbing to crying again, this time, not restraining herself anymore and just let the tears flow down.
Her father said nothing and continued to comfort her. He never liked seeing her upset and tried to do what he could to calm her down.
"We'll be alright, buttercup." He softly said to her as he continued to caressing her head. "I saved enough to get a new place. And with the money that we will get from selling this house, I'm sure we can get a descent place in this city."
"But I don't want to move!" Lila just angrily cried out as she clutched onto her father tightly. "I like it here! I like my friends…"
Her father didn't say anything and just placed a gentle kiss on her head and just held her tightly back.
Unbeknownst to her father, Helga's words continued to rang true inside Lila's head and was infuriated with herself for being duped into getting involved into Rodrigo's and Arnold's feud when she should have just stayed out of it. She only got involved because she wanted to save the neighbourhood and initially thought that's what Arnold and even Rodrigo also wanted to do. Now, she faced the reality that none of that was true. Neither male teen wanted to actually save it. She realized it too late…
Oh how could I ever have been so blind?! Lila angrily thought.
Back at the boarding house...
It was now night and Arnold and Rodrigo had still not moved from their spot, just outside of the boarding house, with only the single street light illuminating them. Everyone of their friends had left, if not completely abandoned them. It wasn't sure why neither of them had moved. Maybe they were waiting for something or someone to get them to snap out of it. Whatever the reason, all they knew was that they were still reeling from what happened and they were still trying to completely register everything without getting emotionally overwhelmed and have their guilt eat away at them. Their friends had already done that.
Incredibly, despite what their friends had just said to them, both teens' were still angry at each other, now more than ever. That was essentially the main reason why neither of them had yet to speak to each other, much less look at each other. Although now realizing that they were partly responsible for letting things get out of hand, they still placed most of the blame on the other person. Both just couldn't fathom on equally placing the blame on each other. No, it had to mostly be the other person's fault, it just had to.
Just then, the door to the boarding house swung open, allowing a diverse array of animals to come out. Yet even with that, it did not deter the two male teens to move or to snap out of their train of thought. Then, a person came out and descended down the stoop.
"Oh, hey there fellas!" Phil greeted them. "So, how's your little reenactment of the American Civil War coming along? Anybody win yet?"
"Grandpa..." Arnold annoyingly and sternly groaned at him.
"Whoa hey, don't let me stop you." Phil continued to joke as he raised his hands up. "Frankly, I don't know who is supposed to be who. Is Rodrigo the Confederacy? I can see a bit gray in his clothes. That's a bit awkward, don't you think?"
Rodrigo said nothing and just frowned even more, not sure what was more infuriating; Phil joking around at a really bad time, or him actually thinking he would ever support the South.
"Grandpa, please! Not now." Arnold pleaded as he finally moved from his spot and went to sit down on the boarding house's stoop. "We're not in the mood for one of your jokes."
"Who says I was joking?" Phil said, now with a serious tone and facial expression on his face, getting both teens' attention.
"Frankly my boy, I'm disappointed in you for allowing this to get out of hand." Phil said to Arnold, much to the blonde teen's surprise and dismay. "I expected better from you. You too, Rodrigo."
Rodrigo just frustratingly sighed and slowly turned around to face Phil.
"Phil, with all due respect," Rodrigo began to calmly say to him, "I'd prefer if you can just spare us from any more lectures. Our friends pretty much did that, and then some."
"Oh I know. I heard everything." Phil admitted. "Helga and Rhonda really chewed you both and spit you out. I'm surprised both of you are still standing after that."
"You were eavesdropping?" Arnold asked.
"Not really. It was hard not listening to them when they were yelling and screaming at you." Phil said.
"But both of you can't blame me for being disappointed too." Phil continued. "From such mature kids such as yourselves, I am shocked that you both allowed things to get this bad. Helga and Rhonda were right, everyone here trusted you with saving their homes." He continued harshly. "Arnold, you asked your grandmother and I to stay out of this. I didn't want to because I wanted to help, but you were adamant that we let you take care of this on your own. The reason why I listened was because of what you did last time. You did save our homes from Von Scheck the last time and I had faith that you were going to do it again. The same with you, Rodrigo. Even though you've only moved here less than a year ago, you quickly demonstrated to everyone here that you are a smart and mature person. Like Arnold, you've earned quite a reputation here for being such a wise teen."
Both Arnold and Rodrigo said nothing and just sadly sighed on having to feel the pain of salt being poured on wounds that were still so fresh.
"But," Phil then said, lowering his disappointed and stern tone and replacing with it with a calm and tender one, "perhaps that was everyone's fault. None of us should have ever asked you to put such a responsibility as saving an entire neighbourhood over both your shoulders. Despite your maturities, you are both still kids. You shouldn't have to bear this. That's our job."
That got both teens' attention.
"Look kids. Come here, I want tell you a story." Phil said as he took a sit on top of the stoop. Arnold got up and then sat down beside him, while Rodrigo approached them but remained standing.
"I hope you both can learn from this. I did, but by that time, it was too late for us." Phil said rather sadly.
"Us?" Arnold asked curiously, to which Phil nodded.
"It was more than fifty years ago," Phil began to tell his story, "I had just returned home from France after the end of the Second World War, feeling confident and triumphant. When I arrived home, I found that I couldn't go back to my old job. But, instead of taking that as a defeat, I used it as an opportunity. I got together with my best friend, Jimmy Kafka and another good friend of ours, Stewart Little and all three of us decided to start a business at a far off town."
"What business?" Arnold asked.
"I don't quite remember." Phil said as he scratched his head, trying to remember. "It was something about selling clothes, various equipment and some white, powdered-like stuff that everyone was going nuts over."
"You mean cocaine?" Rodrigo worryingly asked.
"What? No! Are you crazy?!" Phil shockingly exclaimed. "It was sugar; now I remember. We used to import sugar from Cuba. You know, before Castro came to power and when they were our 'friends'. Talk about a change in politics, let me tell you. You cannot believe how fast we turned our backs against the Cubans. Luckily, we were able to import a bunch of that 'white gold' from that island before they eventually sealed that Island off from the outside world..."
"Grandpa, what does this have to do with our situation?" Arnold annoyingly asked, interrupting him.
"My thoughts exactly." Rodrigo remarked.
"Hold on, I'm getting to that." Phil countered back. "Teens these days; have no patience." He muttered. "Anyways, the point is that the three of us opened up a business. Because we all made an investment in it, we were all technically the owners. Luckily, Jimmy didn't want to manage the place, so he left it in the hands of me and Stewart. I'm not really sure if that was a sound business move on his part or not. But regardless, the business quickly took a downturn."
"Why?" Rodrigo asked.
"Neither Stewart or I were able to get along." Phil said. "We were both young men back then. Which is another way to say that we were both arrogant, stubborn, blind, confident that each of our ideas was the correct one. Both coming back triumphant straight from the Great War, we thought we knew everything and didn't think we needed help. Needless to say, we couldn't agree on anything; from how much we should charge a dozen cartons of eggs, to what merchandise should we display in the front window. We couldn't even agree on what to name our business! Jimmy had to choose the name. We each tried to out do the other, focusing our attention that the other was wrong rather than actually trying to run a business."
"What happened then?" Arnold asked.
"Well not surprisingly, the business eventually failed." Phil responded as he sadly recounted the memories of that fateful day. "By focusing our attention on trying to outdo the other, we neglected on what should have been our priority; the customers. Eventually, the business ran dry and we had no choice but to declare bankruptcy and sell everything that was there."
"Well, what happened to you and Stewart?" Arnold asked. "Did you to manage to patch things up?"
"Pfft! Are you kidding me? Heck no!" Phil exclaimed. "Steward blamed me for making the business fail, and I naturally blamed him. Jimmy tried to mediate between us, but it was no use. Angry and blaming the other instead of both of us claiming responsibility like an adult would have, our friendship ended on that same day." He continued on sadly.
"You guys never spoke after that?" Rodrigo asked, to which Phil only sadly shook his head.
"Because I was too proud and stubborn to at least try and work with him, I not only lost a good friend, but a business, as well as my credibility." Phil said
"What do you mean?" Arnold asked.
"A lot of people in that far off town depended on that business that the three of us started, Arnold." Phil responded. "That's why we decided open up a business there and sell different products; from food to tools. There was a demand for it. But after we closed down, it shut people from a lot things that they needed in their daily lives. That's why it's not surprising that a lot of them were angry at me and Stewart for letting them down."
"Luckily for me my father had this old place here and was on the verge of converting into a boarding house. Needing my help and having no other options, I returned home in disgrace and Gertie and I began to operate the boarding house all those years ago." He continued.
"Were you running away from your creditors?" Rodrigo asked.
"No, no. I just needed to find work." Phil responded. "That business was my only hope to make something of myself and I blew it. With nothing else left there, I decided to leave that place and come back here just to stay afloat."
"Anyways, the point of the story is that I allowed my arrogance and pride to blind me from helping others and to also possibly strike it rich. And I also lost a good friend." Phil sadly said.
"You never tried to find him? Stewart I mean?" Arnold asked.
"I tried once some years after, but he was still angry with me for allowing our business to fail. To be fair, he had it worse than me. He had a hard time trying to find work after. He never forgave me for that and after all these years, it's too late even to try and patch it up." Phil said. "I buried that part of my life a long time ago and I don't want to go back and dig it all up again."
"Well, it's pretty much too late for us as well." Rodrigo said. "We both blew it and now, we don't even have a plan."
"Well maybe not." Phil said. "And that's the point why I told you this story. Unlike Stewart and I, you both still have time to try and fix this. You have what, more than a week before the deadline to come up with something, right?" He continued, trying to encourage the youths to try one last time, but it was no use.
"Ya, but without a plan and without our friends, we can't really do anything." Arnold said sadly. "Our friends want nothing more to do with us. So, even if we come up with something, we can't do it alone."
"Well, call them and apologize to them." Phil said to them. "You have always been a forgiving person, short man. How many times have you forgiven all the crazy stuff that they did? Especially that blonde girl with the pigtails and the one eyebrow."
"Grandpa, you know her name is Helga." Arnold complained with a frown.
"I know, I know short man. I'm just pulling your leg." Phil chuckled. "Ah, good times." He swooned. "But seriously, so what if they are angry at you? If they are really your friends, they will forgive you, especially if you admit that you screwed up."
"I guess." Arnold said with a bit of hope in his voice. Rodrigo however, was not enthusiastic.
"Lucky you, Arnold." He said with a dispirited tone. "At least they'll forgive you."
"Now hold on there, young man." Phil said. "When I was talking about all of this forgiving stuff, I wasn't just talking about Arnold. You also had to deal with a lot of their crazy stuff, from what I hear. How many times have you looked the other way and focused on the good things about them?"
"Too many to count." Rodrigo softly remarked.
"Exactly! So, I'm sure they will look past this and forgive you." Phil confidently responded back with a smile.
"I doubt it." Rodrigo said unenthusiastically. "Everyone hates me now. Helga just broke up with me, I think. I lost a good friend. Everybody thinks I used them. Heck, I practically got half of the group to go against Arnold. Can he ever forgive me for that?"
"Well, can you short man?" Phil asked his grandson.
Arnold said nothing and frowned while looking down on the ground.
"I see." Phil said.
"See?!" Rodrigo exclaimed. "Even the great Arnold cannot even forgive me for what I did, and I don't blame him. So what chance do I have for everyone else to forgive me?" He rhetorically asked.
Rodrigo then just sadly sighed.
"Regardless, it's irrelevant." He continued to say. "Thanks for the story Phil, but just like your story, I'm afraid it's too late, at least for me. Arnold can do whatever he wants. He can still ask for their forgiveness. There is nothing left for me. I'm just going home. I guess he finally succeeded in stopping me."
Arnold had to swallow hard when he heard Rodrigo say that. Instead of feeling happy, relieve or just plain proud, he instead felt utterly empty, hollow and...guilty. In this case, the taste of victory tasted very bitter for him, if it was a victory at all.
Rodrigo said nothing and just gave Arnold an angry, but sad glance before then turning around and headed home…in defeat.
Arnold had never liked seeing the pessimism inside anyone and wanted to say something to him to convince him that everything he had just said was not true. But, he just let him go. For some reason, something was still pulling him away from trying to actually talk to him without any resentment or anger. Arnold then realized that Rodrigo was right; he cannot forgive him for what he did while he was still angry at him. And if he can't do that, then there's no way his apology to his friends will ever be sincere and genuine. And if he can't get them to help him, then there was no way they can ever hope to beat Von Scheck. Either he will have to go about it alone, or...admit defeat.
Arnold did not want to give up, but without a plan and a solid backing from his friends, including Rodrigo, there was little he could do. Arnold just sighed as he watched Rodrigo disappear into the night, feeling and upset, hopeless and disappointed that he just can't move past this.
"Well short man," Phil sadly sighed as he got up, "I've done all I can do. It's up to you and him now on what you want to do. I'm going to go back inside and continue packing."
"Ya, I'll be there in a second grandpa." Arnold said while still feeling down.
Phil just patted Arnold on his shoulder before then heading back inside. Arnold just stood there for a while, feeling completely lost. He can't forgive Rodrigo, he had no plan, his friends are all angry at him and demoralized, with two, if not four of them out of action. After a while, and suddenly feeling utterly exhausted, Arnold just sighed and then slowly but somberly ascended the stoop and went inside.
What have I done? He thought.
So, I have no idea where Lila's dilapidated home is, so just to make things simple, I put her home within the vicinity of the neighbourhood.
I didn't write a scene for every character because I'm sure you got the jist of it; everyone is demoralized and depressed and feel they have lost.