Well Journal, as expected, the Fall Cheese Festival was as wonderful and dramatic as it was, well… cheesy.

It started out in good fun. Arnold and I met up with Gerald and Phoebe outside the fair where we ran into Nadine and her new-best-friend Addie (who is surprisingly okay) and we talked about which food stands to hit and rides to get tickets for. Then, of course, we wandered around the game area to see which booths had the best prizes worth wasting all of our allowances on.

Even though it was a relatively good time, the whole night just proved that we are DEFINITELY middle schoolers living in a teenage world full of gossip, immaturity, and anxiety.

Oh, and did I mention?

Cheese.

So. Much. CHEESE.

"You ever wonder why it is we even celebrate this bogus holiday?" Helga asked her three comrades as they walked through the archway which proudly displayed the words 'Cheese Festival' in bright, blinking lights.

"The cheese festival isn't based on a holiday, Helga," Arnold said semi-confidently before pausing to wonder if he actually knew what he was talking about. "Wait. Is it?"

"I don't think so," Gerald replied nonchalantly. "Although, I do remember a certain friend of mine once referring to this event as an 'annual festival of the holy provolon-ee.'"

"I do believe it's pronounced provolone," Phoebe corrected, though Gerald shook his head fervently.

"Nope. I distinctly remember Arnold saying 'provolon-ee.'"

Rolling his eyes, Arnold allowed a sly grin to twitch at his lips. "I was nine, okay? And besides, at least I wasn't doing that stupid thing where you run around in circles and stare through a slice of swiss cheese to find my 'true love.'"

"You didn't need to, man," his best friend countered with a laugh. "Don't you remember your foolproof plan?"

"My plan?" The football-headed boy repeated in confusion. "What plan?"

"I'll give you a hint," Gerald said before stopping in his tracks to raise his hands up as if painting a delicate picture before him. "Two words: Hi Ruth."

"Oh god," the mortified blonde uttered as red quickly filled in his cheeks. "I can't believe you remember that."

"How could I forget? You only said those two words the entire night."

Smirking to herself, Helga glanced over at Arnold who still appeared to be beyond embarrassed. She too remembered the night of which Gerald spoke. For her, it had been a night riddled with failed schemes that amounted to nothing more than disappointment and a neck brace.

However, as Arnold's hand gripped hers with each step they took, she felt at peace with the shenanigans of her past. It was now abundantly clear to her that whatever road she had traveled down before to be with Arnold had worked.

At least for now, anyway.

"So, where are we going first?" Gerald asked the group in a dramatic voice. "Do we get tickets and start the night out with the 'Built-to-Hurl' so we don't blow chunks later in the night? Or do we play some games and watch as I demolish you all on 'Wack-a-Rat?'" His arms came up to fists that he used to box at the air.

"What are you, some tough guy 'cause you can hit a plastic rat with a mallet?" Helga teased which was returned with a slight glare from the accused. "Please. We all know this festival is about one thing, and one thing only—"

"Cheese?" Arnold finished for her as she grinned in his direction.

"Exactly," she agreed with a smug expression. "Lots, and lots of cheese."

"Hey guys!" The familiar voice of Nadine rang out from the unintelligible noise of the other festivalgoers surrounding them.

Walking towards the foursome, Nadine was once again accompanied by Addie who seemed both overwhelmed and excited about the environment that she found herself in. The pair were just that—a pair. Helga eyed them while half-expecting Rhonda to appear or Nadine's boyfriend, Carson, formerly known as Peapod Kid.

"Where's the posse?" Helga greeted them while letting go of Arnold's hand to cross her arms loosely over her chest. "I see that her highness is not gracing us with her presence tonight."

"Yeah," Nadine said with a shrug. "Something about all the fat in cheese? I'm not really sure. Rhonda's been really concerned about her weight lately."

"What, is she ballooning up or something?" Helga immediately replied; all sets of eyes looking with disappointment in her direction. Quickly, she tried to defend herself. "Not like extra weight is a bad thing, criminy!"

"I've tried telling her that," Nadine continued with a sad smile. "Personally, I think she looks great, but you know Rhonda and her appearance…"

Just under her breath, Helga couldn't help but to mutter, "Do we ever" although her comment was swallowed up by the hubbub of the crowd.

"So, anyway," Nadine went on with a renewed sense of energy in her voice, "I figured that, since Addie has never gone to the cheese festival, it might be fun for just the two of us to go."

Nodding her head, the new girl added, "I'm surprised Hillwood has a cheese festival. It kinda sounds like something that would happen in Wisconsin, not… here."

The group chuckled at her comment as Arnold spoke up. "The cheese festival has been going on for years, as long as any of us can remember. Though… I'm not really sure how it started. Gerald?"

"Don't ask me," he responded with a laugh. "I am the keeper of all legends and the teller of tales, not some town historian."

The two boys exchanged an amused look as Phoebe tried her hand at answering the question Arnold had posed. "From what I've heard, the Cheese Festival originated on a family farm some miles away. They produced signature cheeses and wished to market them to a wider audience here in Hillwood."

"Wait, really?" Arnold wondered while watching Phoebe with an astounded expression as she continued with the story.

"I believe the first year the official festival was held was around 1920-something, though I'm afraid I don't know when." Her face twisted into a thoughtful look as she dug through the piles of information hoarded inside her head. "I suppose the festival itself has simply grown over the years to become somewhat of a hallowed tradition."

"Thanks for the history lesson, Pheebs," Helga stated before looking in Nadine and Addie's direction once more. Surveying them carefully for a moment as all six stood awkwardly in one place, she gestured down to the set of identical bands the girls wore around their wrists. "Matching bracelets," she commented to Nadine who perked up at the observation she had interpreted as a compliment.

Holding her wrist up to further display the purple woven bracelet, Nadine bragged, "Addie made them. Pretty cool, huh?"

"I made one for Rhonda too," the girl explained in a somber tone, "but I don't think she liked it very much."

"Eh, don't take it personally," Helga reassured her. "Rhonda doesn't strike me as the kind of person who appreciates hand-made anything, especially jewelry made of string—no offense."

Shaking her head, Addie maintained a pleasant expression. "None taken. You're probably right. Either way, I just like making them." She too held out her wrist that had not only a matching bracelet to Nadine's, but many other carefully woven designs in all shades of different colors. "Been doing it since I learned how at Summer camp when I was a kid."

"Summer camp, huh?" Helga smirked in preparation for a back-handed comment about the wilderness and the midwest. Noticing the inflection of her words, Arnold lightly nudged her in the ribs to signal a silent 'stop' at the remark she was formulating for the new and unsuspecting victim.

Without catching Helga's subtleties, Addie went on. "Yeah, I used to go every year when I lived in Minnesota. We'd stay in these little cabins with bunk beds, learn crafts, do outdoor activities and all that. Then the last three days each cabin went out into the woods and we all camped in tents and stuff. Fresh air… clear stars… stories around the campfire." Her voice transitioned to one of nostalgia and sadness. "Last Summer will have been my last time going 'cause of the move and all…"

"That must be hard to move so far away from home," Arnold empathized. "Your camp sounds really fun. We've gone camping here, but not at an actual 'camp' before."

"Yeah, some of us have gone camping," Gerald noted while giving a side-eye in Helga's direction. "Others go glamping."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, so my dad had a fancy RV with cable and air conditioning, big whoop." Helga returned Gerald's look with her added snarky comment. "Doesn't mean I don't know how to camp."

"Besides," Phoebe chimed in at the defense of her friend, "both you and Arnold were kind enough to let Helga and I join you at your campsite afterwards. So, in a sense, you could say that we too went camping."

Accepting the point his girlfriend had illustrated for him, Gerald let out a long breath before letting out a firm complaint. "Now that we've established that we've all gone camping, can we please get to enjoying the fair, or what?" Outstretching his arm forward, he gestured to the festivities around them. "All of this is only once a year, people, and new girl or not, I am getting some cheese curds with or without you guys."

Glancing around themselves almost nervously, Phoebe forced a smile and nodded her head. "Of course, Gerald. Then maybe we can retire for the evening and, and we could go see a movie?"

"You wanna skip the fireworks show at the end of the night?" He asked incredulously as the two began walking in the direction of the food stands. "Why?"

"I don't know," she mumbled while looking down at her feet. "Just thought it might be nice not to be around… so many people."

Caught off guard by Phoebe's sudden change in attitude, Arnold re-directed the conversation to include the two girls who had inadvertently joined their group. "You guys want to join us? There's plenty to see around here. Plus, it'll give us a chance to get to know you better, Addie."

"Whattya say, Ads?" Nadine asked the tentative girl who soon nodded her head.

"Sounds like fun. I've really only met a few people at this point—"

"Probably because you're stuck in Rhonda's bubble," Helga interjected. "I mean, I'm sure being popular is a riot and all that, but you don't exactly seem…"

"Popular material?" Addie finished with a soft chuckle. As the four followed behind Gerald and Phoebe who were making their way to 'Lunar Green Cheese' which sold an assortment of different curds as well as other strange cheese concoctions, Addie added, "I'm definitely not."

"Then why spend so much time with the Princess?" the blonde demanded to know. "I mean, I know why Nadine sticks around, but what's your excuse?"

Shrugging her shoulders, the brunette didn't divulge a satisfactory answer. "Where else am I gonna go? It isn't like I know anybody. Other than Nadine, of course."

The two smiled at one another and Helga raised her brow in curiosity as she watched them interact with each other. Relaxing her stance, her hand replaced itself in Arnold's grip as they walked the fairgrounds.

"I guess at least you have someone to hang out with in the group then," Helga said while scanning the other people that milled around them.

"We actually bonded over a subspecies of dragonflies, isn't that crazy?" Nadine exclaimed while Addie laughed beside her at the memory.

Without much inflection, Helga responded flatly, "No, Nadine. For you, that sounds anything but crazy."

"It was found in Oklahoma," Nadine continued, "and it's really funny because we only got on the topic because—"

"I played Laurey in 'Oklahoma!' back home at my community theater," she finished excitedly.

"From musicals to insects, huh?" Arnold reiterated with a smile. "I think it's cool that you found a friend so fast, especially in Nadine."

"Aw, thanks, Arnold," Nadine told him earnestly. "Anyway, we've been friends ever since and, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it's been kind of nice not having to talk about makeup and clothes all the time."

The festival itself was like it usually is. Tons of cheese-themed foods and activities. The usual rides were there along with their typical lines that could reach to Timbuktu. It wasn't the FAIR that was inherently dramatic by any means.

In fact, dramatic isn't even the word I'm looking for that would accurately describe the night's events because nothing DRAMATIC even happened… it's more like there was drama in the SUBTEXT of the evening.

The first was that new girl and Nadine. She seems outdoorsy which suits Nadine a hell of a lot better than Rhonda ever has, but, you see, THAT'S where the drama starts. It's in their friendship that the seedling of imminent disaster has been planted.

And I think I'm the only one that sees it.

"I'm surprised Rhonda let you come to this without her," Helga noted as they passed the 'Cheese LIVE!' stage where performances chock full of puns and ridiculous costumes was taking place every hour on the hour.

"Why? Rhonda's not her keeper," Addie laughed out as Nadine glanced between her and Helga before answering for herself.

"I mean, she certainly wasn't thrilled at the idea, but I think she and Harold were going to do something else instead." It was a deflection that Helga immediately caught, though let slip by unnoticed.

"Harold Berman isn't coming to the Cheese Festival?" Gerald exclaimed in mild shock. "Now that's something I wasn't expecting to hear."

"Rhonda said she has him on some new diet for the football season," Nadine further explained with a shrug. "I told her that a plant-based diet is a great option for health purposes—"

Piping in to add her own tidbit, Addie said excitedly, "Which I can totally vouch for, given I've been a vegan for almost two years now. It was my mom's idea, actually."

"And yet," Helga just barely cut her off, "here you are. At a cheese festival. As in cheese that is made from milk which comes from animals."

"Helga," Arnold deadpanned, "she doesn't have to eat the food to enjoy the festival. There's lots to do besides eat cheese."

"You're kidding, right? Like, have you looked around lately?" She retorted before gesturing around at the many stands and booths that littered the fairground. "There's JoAnne's Cheesecakes, a true staple at the fair here. I heard that she's recently added deep-fried cheesecake to her repertoire which comes in a variety of flavors including cherry and blueberry—which half fits a vegan lifestyle. Then there's chocolate, of course, and the ever-terrifying nacho cheese option."

"Hold up," Gerald interrupted with a hand firmly held out to stop her, "Nacho cheese on cheesecake?"

"Deep-fried cheesecake, Gerald" Helga re-iterated with a knowing smile. "In case the cake itself isn't enough dairy to digest."

While Phoebe suppressed a giggle, Gerald waved his hand away from Helga which was her signal to continue with her introduction of the annual event Addie had never heard of.

"Moving right along, we have some classics like our Pretzel stand, so a plain pretzel might fit in with your little diet, but they also include over seven different kinds of liquified cheese for dipping," Helga pointed before shifting her gaze across the way to another stand. "Then of course, for the truly daring, there's pickled cheeses that you can pair with a big ol' cup of cheese juice, which is basically milk but with an added level of just… why?"

"See, these are the stands that we avoid," Arnold explained; Addie smirking where she walked beside Nadine in line with her other classmates. "She's pointing out the worst of the worst to prove a point."

"A point, which I may proudly say, I have illustrated flawlessly, thank you very much," Helga stated with sheer arrogance that made Arnold roll his eyes; the hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

It wasn't obvious at first. Mostly the two shared all these inside jokes and goofed around which helped showcase the girl for the first time since I'd met her at Rhonda's Back-to-School-Bash. But, as Geraldo got his precious cheese curds that he loaded with jalapeno nacho cheese and Phoebe picked up a Swiss Cone with some 'savory ice cream' that sounded repulsive to me, we wandered around in search of my OWN personal favorite food: specialty cheese kabobs.

Granted, the booth they're located at also sell the horrific Cotton Cheese which is basically sugary mozzarella string cheese somehow fluffed around a crispy, fried stick. It's like a cheese and cotton candy hybrid that should never exist—not even in theory.

But I wasn't there for THAT monstrosity… I just wanted a stinkin' cheese kabob.

And while I waited in line with Arnold, Nadine and Addie, Gerald and Phoebe wandered off for the tunnel of love to leave the four of us alone.

"What's the 'Big Cheese?'" Addie asked from the long line while her vision fixated on the decorated tent just feet away.

Looking towards her eyeline, Nadine shook her head with a laugh. "You do not wanna know."

"Why not?" She pressed; both Arnold and Helga occupied in a conversation about who would pay for what when they reached the acne-ridden cashier.

"Oh, I really, really do," Addie confirmed with a slick smile. "What's in there?"

"Didn't you read the sign?" Nadine immediately teased with just a dash of flirtation. "It clearly says: 'Learn all you need to know in here'."

Addies eyes widened with a glint of humor behind her hazel irises. "Well, that's certainly ominous. And what's with all the clowns on the outside of the tent?"

Shrugging her shoulders dramatically, Nadine smirked, "No clue. But I can promise you one thing—what's inside isn't as ominous as whatever is in that cotton cheese, Arnold's buying." She nodded ahead towards the two blondes were now ordering.

"They're so sweet," Addie commented out of the blue which made Nadine eye her quizzically.

"Cotton Cheese?" Nadine asked, though Addie was quick to shake her head.

"Arnold and Helga," she cooed with a soft sigh. "Are they dating, now? After Rhonda's party?"

Nadine shook her head. "Who knows. Rhonda seems pretty convinced that they are."

"Rhonda has also convinced herself that Harold is committed to her food plan," the brunette laughed out—Nadine guffawing at the comment.

"I'm just glad they officially went public." Unwanted memories of endless late-night conversations flashed through Nadine's memory and she tried to shake them away. "There's nothing worse than listening to Rhonda talk nonstop about boys and dates and potential double dates… it's just… a lot."

Raising a brow, Addie watched Nadine skeptically for a moment as Arnold and Helga left the counter to grab napkins at the side of the stand. "You don't enjoy double dates?"

"No, that's not it," she quickly defended. "It's just that Carson and I…" her voice trailed off as she searched for the proper word that would describe both her feelings and the nature of their relationship. "We don't have the same kind of connection most couples do, I guess. Not like Rhonda and Harold, that's for sure."

"Well, if you two don't have a connection, then why are you dating?" Addie wondered, though Nadine was unable to answer as Helga cut into their conversation with Arnold at her side.

"You sure you don't wanna break your veganism just for a taste of this strange, signature cheese?" She enticed with a small wiggle of the kabob she held betwixt her fingers.

"It's the 'Authentic Autumn Kabob,'" Arnold explained while pointing towards the stick she held. "Each cheese is themed for fall."

As her eyes met with each of the cheeses in the line, Helga quickly listed the different flavors. "Aged Cinnamon Cheddar, Stuffing Surprise, Smoky Sesame Squash, and Pumpkin Spice, of course, cause… fall."

"Stuffing Surprise?" Addie repeated with a concerned expression. "What's the surprise?"

Glancing down at the cheese she was referencing, Helga shrugged before bringing the first of the cheeses up to her mouth. "Beats me." With that, she began with a bite of the first stop on her kabob and chewed it thoughtfully. "Cinnamon-y. Spicy?" She described as Arnold watched her with an entertained look fluttering over his features.

Nadine and Addie only stayed with us for a short time, but from what I was able to sneakily eavesdrop from their conversation, I'd be threatened for the 'best friend position' if I was Rhonda. Then again, Rhonda is all into the politics of popularity these days, so she might not care as much as she did back when I tried to swipe Nadine for myself that time Phoebe switched to the 6th grade for a while.

And, not to be some typical teenage gossip monkey, but I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up kicking Carson to the curb right next to the Princess.

Nadine may make tons of excuses for her, but I think she's actually getting sick of Rhonda's shit. And this Addie girl? She's… different. I can't tell if I like her yet, but I DO give the girl credit in that she's nobody's fool. Being an outsider, she sees Rhonda for the toxic friend she is and, in the end, Nadine is either going to stick with this new friendship or give it up to continue being some sidekick.

Given the way those two are practically joined at the hip these days, I think it's safe to say that I'll be winning that bet against Tall Hair Boy.

And SPEAKING of Geraldo—

"There you are!" Gerald called out while waving an arm in the direction of where their four peers stood beside the Cotton Cheese booth. "Where'd you guys disappear to?"

"It isn't obvious?" Helga snapped back while masticating the next in her line of cheeses. "We went and got food like you did. We just chose a different booth."

"You got Cotton Cheese?" He asked in surprise to which Helga narrowed her eyes with a solid frown taking over her mouth.

"Does it looklike I got Cotton Cheese?" She retorted while holding up the remainder of her kabob with widened eyes. "Arnold's the only one crazy enough to try that thing. I got a cheese kabob, doi."

"The cotton cheese really isn't that bad," Arnold defended while taking a bite from the cloud of sweet mozzarella. "You sure you don't want to try some?"

Twisting her face into one of disgust, Helga firmly said, "Hard pass, Arnoldo," to which he simply laughed before offering some to his other friends.

"You want some Gerald? Phoebe?"

"Actually," Gerald began to answer in a somewhat disappointed voice, "Pheebs and I are gonna head."

Contorting his brow into one of concern, Arnold said, "I thought you wanted to stay for the fireworks?"

"There's quite the swarm of fairgoers tonight," Phoebe noted while looking around herself almost nervously. "The tunnel of love had a significant amount of our classmates there as well."

Crossing her arms while still firmly holding her kabob, Helga eyed Phoebe curiously. "So?"

Clearing her throat, the small dark-haired girl glanced down to her feet while muttering, "I'm afraid that it made me… somewhat uncomfortable."

Before Helga could further interrogate her friend for more information, Gerald was quick to intervene and come to her rescue. "We're gonna see a movie. There's still time to catch the late showing of that sequel to 'The Day the Sun Exploded,'" he said nonchalantly; Phoebe perking her head up to explain more.

"It's titled 'The Day After the Sun Exploded' which is intriguing given where the first left off," she went on almost too excitedly. "I wonder how they will explain the geological and climate changes to the Earth given such an extreme event."

Gerald shrugged his shoulders while popping the last of his cheese curds into his mouth. "I'm just going for the action scenes cause that dude who won the last Slam Jam Wrestling Match is in it." Wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, he added, "It's his first movie."

"Sounds like a good time," Arnold supportively stated. "We'll talk later?" He asked his best friend as they both reached their fists out to do their signature thumb-wiggling handshake they'd been doing since childhood.

"For sure," he confirmed before giving a wave to the rest of the group. "See you guys later!"

Nodding her goodbye, Helga and Phoebe shared a prolonged look; the former trying her hardest to understand what could be going through her friend's mind.

—something is going on with him and Phoebe. I don't think it's anything BAD, but she was acting really… not like herself.

Sure, she's always been kind of a subdued, shy person, but it was like she was COMPLETELY uninterested in being around other people, especially our classmates. Normally she just tags along quietly and observes everything with a comment or two, but it was like she was AFRAID of everyone or something.

The only thing I can think of is that stupid 'ship or dip' thing on CamGram. I hope she didn't take that personally, I mean, if I can get over the fact that Lila and Stinky are heading the charge of cutest couple, I'm pretty sure that Phoebe can get over some stupid online trolls and their unimaginative comments.

Turning to face the two girls who were still hanging around, Arnold smiled their way. "What do you want to do next? We can ride some rides or play a game or two—"

"Actually, Arnold," Nadine interrupted, "I think Addie and I are going to do some wandering around on our own if that's cool."

"Oh," he breathed out with a mild contorting of his brows. "Y-Yeah, that's fine."

"It's just, well, I think we want to take in more of the atmosphere than do the whole 'ride and games' thing, you know?" She went on awkwardly; Addie soon continuing for her friend who appeared to be having troubles excusing them from the group.

"I really want to see what the 'Big Cheese' is," she said cheerfully. "And that 'Cheese Live!' show looks kind of fun, too."

Helga smirked at her comment while glancing over towards the performance being referenced. "Just like Eugene, you musical nerds are like moths to the flame. Enjoy the puns."

"Oh, we will!" Addie chirped as the two offered a wave before turning around to make their way towards the stage.

Finally alone, Arnold looked at Helga with a light blush dusting his cheeks. "So, what should we do, Helga?"

Anyway, I was actually relieved when Arnold and I could have some time to ourselves. After all, I had wanted to go to the festival with HIM, not some group of our peers so we could share in some cathartic experience or whatever.

First, we walked around the game area to pick something fun to indulge in. Being the competitive person that I am, it was more than entertaining to go against him in the Cheeseball Toss and Simian Slam—although, he dominated me at that stupid balloon dart game.

Who knew the kid had perfect aim?

His antics at that booth scored him a fairly big prize which, of course, he let me choose like the gentleman he is. I picked this ugly Pitbull stuffed animal that wore a blue collar with little spikes on it.

"He looks sort of…grumpy," Arnold noted as Helga carried the large toy while they wandered the dirt-laden walkways of the fairgrounds.

"Nah," she assured him while turning the animal around to face her directly with its hardened expression. "He's just a little… hesitant, that's all."

"Hesitant?" Arnold repeated with a smirk. "How so?"

Turning the animal back around to look outwards, Helga held the plushy close to her chest as they continued to walk aimlessly by the shouting carnies and laughter from the masses. "He's probably scared in a way," she carefully began to explain. "Scared that the world will screw him over after he's finally freed from the wall of that booth."

Glancing behind him from where they came, Arnold returned his gaze to look over at the blonde girl who was, in his eyes, as mysterious as she was charming. "I imagine it must have sucked to be stuck on that wall for so long…" His voice was inquisitive if not intrigued; the tone inviting Helga to participate in a hypothetical discussion that both teenagers knew was a metaphor for how they felt about one another.

"He's used to it," she commented quietly. "Maybe that's why he's so scared to go out and try to be…" she paused while trying to find the right way to continue their deceptive conversation, "…the kind of prize somebody wants to have."

"Well," Arnold started to say as his feet stopped in their tracks, "he doesn't have to worry anymore, does he?"

Halting at his side, Helga turned her body to face the boy who watched her intently. "I don't know, Arnold… does he?" She questioned him right back; her eyes dancing to and fro as she searched his emerald irises for the hint of an answer. "How does he know that… that this fool who chose him after all this time won't just go and throw him away? How does he know that he won't end up back on that wall watching the world pass him by; endlessly waiting to be chosen, yet again?"

Arnold watched her for a long moment. Nodding his head after a beat, he reached out to take Helga's hand from around the animal it held and laced his fingers with hers effortlessly. "I don't think he has to worry about being thrown away," he answered boldly. "He may look tough on the outside, but inside he's just as soft as any teddy bear on that wall."

With a roll of her eyes, Helga fought back the blush that was rising to her cheeks. "You're such a nerd," she muttered, though her voice gave away the swoon she attempted to hide. "C'mon. Let's go ride something before this festival is over and we wasted our money on these stupid tickets."

Now I have this dumb toy sitting on my bed and every time I look at it, my heart flutters inside my chest like some kind of idiot. It's just an ugly dog staring back at me, not some physical representation of our night together.

Even so, I can't help but stare at him and smile because I know that Arnold won it for me and every time, I look at it, I'll remember the way his eyes lit up when he handed it to me after the carnie handed it to him. He was so proud to present it to me, like this toy was the shiniest and biggest trophy in the world.

He'd won it for me—for Helga G. Pataki.

After that, we wandered around some more and did the math to decide which rides to go on with how many tickets we'd bought. We ended up choosing the Hall of Mirrors (which, I gotta admit, was probably an experience where we both ended up laughing harder than we had in a really, REALLY long time), the Tunnel of Love (doi), and of course, the Ferris Wheel.

It had always been my dream to ride that dumb Tunnel of Love ride with him… to sit in that swan and go through the dark ride with its illuminated stars, moons and cupids of all colors surrounding us. As we floated through the ride, Arnold's hand held mine so tightly and from the security of our little boat, I rested my head on his shoulder.

I've never felt so… safe? It was like all the troubles from our past were gone and we just floated along the pathway in comfortable silence. The sounds of the rushing water soothed us both and while we didn't talk for the majority of the ride, it was like we didn't NEED to, ya know? I could feel this energy exuding from him that told me all of the feelings he didn't have to explain.

Sure, we may not be in an 'official' relationship by any means, but the way it felt to sit beside him in that ride? It was like it didn't matter if there was a label or not.

Because I KNEW he cared about me. I could FEEL it… for the first time in what felt like centuries, I could FEEL that Arnold Shortman had significant feelings for one Helga G. Pataki.

Maybe it was love.

Maybe Arnold loves me again…though I won't hold my breath for him to say those words.

While our trip down the lazy river of love was smooth sailing, our little go around the Ferris Wheel wasn't quite the same experience, I tell you that. First of all, it was the end of the night which I THOUGHT would be romantic to be above the festival with all the lights flashing and the background of unintelligible voices to make up the soundtrack of our night.

Figures that the damn ride would get stuck while we were directly at the top, right?

"Seriously?" Helga exclaimed while looking over the edge of their cart as if to see what had halted the ride. "Why did we stop?"

"Maybe they're letting people off," Arnold suggested, though he was soon shot down by Helga's frustrated voice.

"Yeah right," she murmured before returning to a neutral position in her seat. "We only just got on the stupid thing, why would they be letting people off already?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "I don't know," he answered softly while his eyes transfixed themselves ahead on the night sky. "I guess I don't mind so much that we've stopped."

"Oh yeah?" She challenged while turning to look his way. "And why's that?"

"It's kind of… nice up here," he noted. "Still. Serene. Quiet."

Helga took a moment and listened to the hush of a distant crowd below and the tranquility that Arnold spoke of that surrounded them. He was right that there was a sort of peace from being so high in the air away from the gathering below. It was as if the world beneath them didn't matter and there was nothing else except for the couple as they sat safely in their car at the tip-top of the circular structure.

A gust of autumn air blew just then; Helga shuddering at its slap against her skin that forced the hairs on her body to stand on end like the prickles of a cactus. "Only downside is the cold," she said while wrapping her arms around herself. "That air is freezing from up here."

"You're cold?" Arnold asked before immediately beginning to shift in his seat; his body working to take off the zip-up hoodie he wore. Once it was free from him, he held it out to Helga with a smile and said, "Here. Take my sweatshirt."

"But then you'll be cold," she asserted, though she silently begged him to fight her on the matter.

Which he did.

"Don't worry about me," he insisted while scooting closer to Helga in an effort to drape the piece of fabric around her shivering shoulders.

The warmth of his sweater soon blanketed her frigid body; the scent of Arnold wafting from the fabric to tickle at her nostrils. A sense of calm washed over Helga as she took in the heat that both the sweatshirt and Arnold gave off from their close proximity to her skin. As she breathed in the chill air with a soft shut of her eyes, she allowed herself to inch closer to the boy who had chivalrously sacrificed his own comfort for hers.

"Thanks," she mumbled just before settling in to her spot at his side.

The sound of loud booming jolted the pair from their calm state as the nightly fireworks show began.

It ended up being okay though because from the very top of that wheel, we got to watch the fireworks color the night sky. Honestly, it was the best view anyone could ask for.

There we sat, perfectly content and alone, watching the colors burst and shimmer against the backlight of the carnival rides and games below. They glittered amongst the stars and it was under them that I got to experience some fireworks of my OWN.

That's right. Like a freakin' MOVIE, Arnold leaned in underneath the fireworks from the top of the Ferris Wheel and kissed me the most tenderly he ever had… it was a magic that I'd truly never felt before and I swear my insides were on fire with each movement of his lips against mine.

Honestly, it was the longest we've kissed yet and I'm pretty sure that we wouldn't have stopped had the ride not jolted us forward in the middle of it.

With a hard thrust, the Ferris Wheel lurched its previously stuck passengers forward in their seats—effectively pulling both Arnold and Helga away from one another where they kissed. As they looked at one another with mild disappointment at the ruined moment, it was Arnold whose lips curled up into a smile before he began to laugh.

Following suit, Helga slowly chuckled into a full-blown laugh attack right with him as they continued their descent downwards from the large wheel and back to the land of the ants once below them.

After they wandered around a little longer, Arnold's sweatshirt still draped around Helga's shoulders while she carried her large stuffed animal, the pair finally left the festival in pursuit of their respective homes.

They laughed and talked about their wonderful night together. They wondered about what was going on with Phoebe at hers and Gerald's sudden departure. Helga even brought up her observations about Nadine and the new girl—Arnold soon squashing her prediction of Nadine abandoning Rhonda as they had been best friends for too long.

Once they reached Helga's stoop where Arnold was to 'drop her off,' they stood outside for a long while in the stillness of the night. The wind had picked up since their entrapment at the top of the Ferris Wheel, and each gust sent a flurry of shivers through Helga's nervous system, despite the help of Arnold's sweatshirt.

"Here," Helga said while beginning to take off the article of clothing he had thoughtfully loaned her for the evening. "Guess I should give you this back for your walk home, huh?"

Arnold shrugged his shoulders while shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Honestly, I'm not that cold."

"You're kidding."

"No," he insisted. "I kind of like the wind, actually. Walking late at night with the wind at your back… there's something almost peaceful about it. Like it's free company or something."

"Free company?" Helga repeated with a skeptical expression. "What does that even mean?"

Thinking about this for a moment, Arnold spoke in fragments as he tried to explain his thought process. "Free company, like…" Pause. "Pieces of the earth walking beside you." Pause. "Not walking, I guess, but more… drifting?" Longer pause. Deep breath. "I guess it just is comforting in some way, I don't really know how to explain it better than that."

"Oh," Helga murmured as if halfheartedly accepting his answer, though he managed to continue anyway.

"I mean, before we found my parents and all," he went on while looking down to his feet that mindlessly kicked a small rock out of his way, "I used to walk Abner a lot at night. It was really quiet at night because most people were asleep and stuff, and I could just be alone with my thoughts."

"I guess that makes sense," Helga noted, though Arnold continued without pause.

"And on nights like tonight, when there was a lot of wind… I guess it just felt like they were with me somehow," he said just above a whisper in an almost embarrassed tone. "Like, each blow of the wind was them encouraging me to go on and that they were there and—and…" his voice trailed off before he looked up to meet Helga's eyes with a rosy color filling in his cheeks.

"That sounds pretty dumb, huh?" He asked her, though she was already shaking her head.

"No, Arnold. That doesn't sound dumb at all," she firmly stated before taking a step towards him and reaching for his hand which he pulled out of his pocket to lace fingers with her own. "I think that's… well, it's poetic."

"Wait, really?" He wondered aloud, Helga nodding her head slowly.

"Those are the kinds of things I like to write about, like… the metaphors in life and nature and how it all blends together." It was her turn to look away at the boy, though he didn't give her the chance.

Releasing Helga's hand from his own, Arnold reached up to gently hold her chin under his thumb to tilt her head back up from where it had wandered down to her feet. "One day, I hope you'll let me read more of your poetry."

"You'd… you'd really want to?" She asked while searching his bright green eyes for any hint of deception.

"Of course, Helga, I…" he took a deep breath before letting it out and seeming to force the words out of himself. "I don't want you to think I'm going to throw you away. To put you back on that wall."

Immediately Helga froze as she realized Arnold was referencing their previously metaphorical conversation about the stuffed animal that he had won for her. Swallowing hard, she nodded as his hand drifted from her chin to tenderly touch at her cheek.

"I know we don't have a label on us or anything and we could walk away at any time, but," he paused while taking a gulp for himself, "while we were sitting up on that Ferris Wheel together… it just kind of hit me like a ton of bricks how much you mean to me. Even more than before and I guess… I mean, what I'm trying to say is—"

"Will you kiss me again, Arnold?" Helga blurted out as his widened eyes met hers.

"Wh-What?"

"Kiss me? Again?" She managed to squeak out; a sheepish smile spreading across Arnold's mouth.

Nodding his head without having to give an answer, the two leaned in towards one another as their lips met for the second time that night. Much like their kiss atop the Ferris Wheel, there was great care in the way they moved together under the moonlight of the Hillwood evening. Arnold's hand gently cradled Helga's face as their lips held onto one another's for a prolonged moment before at last pulling away mere inches so their eyes could lock together in a mutual gaze of adoration.

"I'll uh…" Arnold started while reaching up to rub at the back of his neck almost nervously, "I'll talk to you tomorrow?" He offered, though Helga was already nodding her head.

"Yeah, you uh—you text me," she impulsively said as he began walking away, though backwards so he could keep looking in Helga's direction. "I just have to help Olga with a few things but I shouldn't be busy or anything."

"Okay, great," Arnold said before offering a lone nod and turning around to begin his walk back to his own house; each step he took feeling as though he were walking amongst the clouds.

"Hey, Arnold!" Helga suddenly called out, and he turned around to look her way from where she stood yards behind him. "Your sweatshirt?"

"Keep it," he told her. "Just… just keep it for a while. You can give it back to me, you know, whenever. It's not a big deal."

"O-Okay…" despite the enormous vocabulary that frequented Helga's brain, in this moment, the young blonde remained speechless as she watched the football-headed boy walk into the night and out of her sight.

It was all okay, though Journal, because when Arnold dropped me off at my house after the festival, he laid one on me that I'll never forget.

And I KNOW that I keep saying it, but I'm not kidding about how each kiss feels better than the last. It's like… in the space between our embraces, the intensity and emotions behind the action charge themselves and then BOOM like a hit of lightening, I'm electrified and charged up all at the same time of feeling such utter bliss I could practically go into a coma.

So, here I am—documenting the whole thing before I drift off to sleep and dream of that heavenly football-head and his smooth, glorious lips against mine.

I may have always known that I loved the boy, and he may not say the words any time soon, but I can wait.

As long as he keeps kissing me like that? Criminy, I'd wait FOREVER.

~Helga

Aww what a sweet and fluff-tastic chapter! Let me tell you, the amount of work I did to make this canon-accurate is INSANE. I watched both Cheese Festival episodes and continued to stop and write down everything I saw in the background so I could make sure all of the stands and whatnot could be correlated to the ones seen in the show. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it and are enjoying the new season. Be sure to leave me a REVIEW and let me know what you thought!

Next posting date is on Saturday, March 27th so keep your eyes peeled! And be sure to favorite and follow this story so you don't miss any updates. If you want even MORE fun tidbits and updates about the progress of Helga Unbound, follow me (polkahotness) on Twitter and Tumbler and follow the hashtag #HelgaUnbound

See you all on the 27th!

-Polka