Author's Note:

Hi guys, thank you for the early and positive reviews! While I did state in the summary that the story will deal with Rhonda's time in Aspin, please be patient as I will retell the episode of Rhonda Goes Broke and add a lot of Arnold's thoughts on the matter during that episode. Might take a chapter or 2 before we see the Lloyd heiress and her family in Aspin and get the story really going, so please hang in there, I promise it's too better flesh out character! Hope I won't disappoint.

Chapter I

The next morning...

CRASH. Arnold heard the sound of armor running straight into the walls upstairs. If he had to bet, Grandma probably was too engrossed with chasing Abner and couldn't control her speed. He decided to check out the mess after collecting the laundry. As he approached the stairs, Arnold saw his Grandpa heading down, who seemed relieved that little short man was getting the laundry done.

"Oh Arnold, that riches to rags family just arrived! Been showing them the perks of living in the boarding house, I think they're slightly impressed."

To Arnold, that could only mean that Rhonda was finally here. As excited as he was at the prospect of seeing a friendly and familiar (and pretty) face around the boarding house, truth be told, Arnold had a bad feeling in his gut about the Lloyds' presence. Nevertheless, he knew there was more to Rhonda than just money. She'll get used to it. Right?

"Alright grandpa, I'll be sure to check on Rhonda and her family." Arnold noticed the bite-mark infested salami that his grandpa was holding. He shuddered at the thought of having that for dinner sometime soon. He then went up the stairs.

Arnold forgot to ask which room the Lloyds rented out, but fortunately he'd get his answer immediately. As he reached the upstairs corridor, he saw two new faces from across. The man and woman looked to be in their mid to late 30s. They had an aura of pride and refinement to them, the latter of which Arnold himself wasn't used to sensing in the Sunset Arms. The man had a thick mustache with a faux pompadour hairdo, yet he was wearing a sporting coat on his polo shirt paired with what seemed like board shorts. He hoped they were board shorts and not boxers: it was enough that on sick days, Mister Hyunh would stroll about in basically just his underwear. He noticed the woman was tall, slender and refined as well. Her face looked like a perfect sphere, and her hair was dolled out. Noticing how out of place they were, and the woman's strong resemblance to a certain someone, Arnold instantly knew they were Rhonda's parents.

"Good morning mister and missus Lloyd, I'm Arnold, Phil and Gertie's grandson. I go to school with your daughter." Arnold tried to make conversation and have them feel welcomed. He had a feeling that Grandpa, Grandma and the other boarders likely failed to accomplish that.

"Oh why hello there young man! Our daughter's told us about you," Buckley informed Arnold as he gave the young boy a firm handshake. "Yes, I believe she called you the cool football-headed boy that ruined her party." Noticing the slight tinge of fear that ran the young boy's spine, Buckley and Brooke gave a few chuckles.

"Oh dear boy, worry not! My silly husband is only trying to get a reaction out of you!" Brooke assured Arnold. "We know that among Rhonda's friends, you're a very pleasant and well-meaning boy. In fact, I believe that she speaks well of and frequently of you, almost as much as she does about Nadine."

Arnold was surprised. Rhonda talks about him in her own home? Sure, they've had many an adventure and the Lloyd heiress has repeatedly come to him for advice and wisdom, but to be talked about enough to leave an impression on her parents? Arnold hoped that the Lloyds didn't notice the blush creeping onto his cheeks.

"Unfortunately young lad, we've had some financial difficulties as of late, and we need to stay here in the meantime. I rummaged thru the portfolios and checked on the performance of my investments, and there's an off-chance that they could bounce back. But I'm not too hopeful about it. While my dear wife and I will manage, as we are adults, our dear princess on the other hand...well...you know her Arnold...," Buckley said.

Arnold tried to keep it together. First grandpa, now Rhonda's own father is roasting her for her upbringing.

"Rest assured Arnold, my husband and I will be good boarders, for however long we might stay here," Brooke Lloyd chimed in. "But please, may I ask you a favor? Look out for my daughter in school and for the times that she may keep her distance from us. We saw how much of a shock it was to hear the news at home, and it seems to be getting worse as we arrived. She even fainted when she heard of the bathroom situation..."

"Ok missus Lloyd. I won't let you down." Arnold could tell that despite being from high society, the Lloyd family can and will adjust to hard times. So having Rhonda around might not be so bad after all.

A few minutes later...

"Hi Rhonda."

"Arnold!" Rhonda exclaimed. The football head noticed that there was definitely something different about Rhonda. Sure, she was still giving off that aura of confidence after realizing that her classmate greeted her, but Arnold could see right through her. Unlike typical Rhonda Lloyd fashion, the aura of confidence she was exhibiting felt forced. She also looked like she hadn't slept since yesterday, as this was the first time Arnold noticed dark circles around her eyes. Guess fainting earlier couldn't get rid of them. With all these in mind, Arnold knew he needed to proceed with caution.

"I heard you were moving in?"

Rhonda's pride would not accept that statement. "Don't be ridiculous. We're simply...remodeling our house and...this was the only place we could find on such short notice. Frankly, I'd appreciate it if you kept it under wraps. If people knew I was living here, well..."

Arnold prayed that despite going through some hard times, Rhonda would have enough respect to not be so blunt of how she feels, especially since she was in no position to belittle her surroundings. A mistake on his part.

"It is a dump," Rhonda nonchalantly said.

'A dump. WOW,' Arnold thought to himself. He realized this was gonna be a major work in progress. But a promise is a promise, and he'll do his best to once again teach his dear friend the lesson of humility, with some perseverance in the mix.

"RHONDA...I live here."

"Yes! Well...this is fine for an artistic type like you. But, I have an image to maintain...I lead by example." Despite standing up as if to prove her point, Arnold noticed that the cracks on Rhonda's defensive wall of denial were starting to show. He just needed to make sure that they collapse on their own rather than him breaking through it himself.

"Rhonda...my grandfather told me that your family's in some financial trouble," Arnold informed her as he put the laundry down next to him. He knew this was not gonna end pretty. He crossed his arms.

"Your grandfather is SUCH a JOKER. That'd be a sad day when Rhonda Wellington Lloyd goes completely broke." With that, Rhonda stared at him smugly.

What followed felt like a mental conversation. 'Really?' Arnold's expression said. 'Definitely...,' Rhonda's smug expression replied. 'Cut the crap,' Arnold's unimpressed gaze said. Tears, a breakdown and a confession soon ensued.

"OH ARNOLD, I'm completely broke!" Rhonda yelled in pain.

Arnold knew that she would eventually crack, but he did not expect to see it in the flesh. The high, mighty and snooty Rhonda Wellington Lloyd, on her knees with every ounce of self-confidence robbed of her.

"Arnold, please please I beg you - don't tell anyone that I'm p-p..."

"Poor?" Arnold forgot to sugarcoat it.

Rhonda let out a wail that was completely foreign to Arnold. It was equal parts hilarious and sad. But he needed to keep to missus Lloyd's favor.

"Rhonda, no one cares if you're poor!"

Rather than let him speak, Rhonda stood up, trying to keep it together the only way she knew how - by building the wall of denial back up again, brick by brick. "Arnold, if so much as a peep gets out, I'll be ruined, ruined!"

Arnold noticed Rhonda charging at him. Before he could react, the girl's hands (and consequently, most of her deceiving strength) was on his shoulders. As scared as Arnold was, he felt some goosebumps being touched by Rhonda.

"Promise me you won't tell."

Arnold didn't even get a chance to think it over.

"Promise me, promise me! PROMISE. ME." Rhonda demanded his acquiescence.

And promise, he did. Looks like there's not gonna be any smooth sailing with the Lloyds around in the boarding house.

"Thank you Arnold! I'm sorry I shook you. Now all I have to do is keep up appearances and NO ONE will have to know that I'm p-po..."

Forget smooth sailing. This is gonna be a storm. Arnold finished the thought for her, to which Rhonda told him to shush, as she put a finger on his lips. Arnold was thanking any divine being above that Rhonda was too focused on her desire to keep up appearances in school that she did not notice the red shade surrounding his cheeks.

The next school day...

Arnold and Rhonda were on the way home after what proved to be a day of near mishaps.

To begin with, Rhonda didn't even join Arnold on the boarding house porch to wait for the bus. After breakfast, she ran like a track star all the way to the Lloyds' previous residence to wait for the bus there. Helga Pataki, sharp as Arnold when she needed to be, called out Rhonda's uncharacteristic sweaty and messy look. Rhonda lied about having to do areobics to help her conditioning for her Aspin skiing trip. When she fell off the bus, Stinky told her she needed to change her footwear on account of a busted heel. Arnold noticed that did not sit especially well with Rhonda, to be told off by someone like Stinky. To make matters worse, she had to drag his name in the mud by saying that the "single heel striders" were the latest fashion trend, and that he was well aware of such "fact." He had to tell everyone at the bus stop that, indeed, they were all the rage. The closest of calls came late in the morning, when Nadine asked Rhonda what was going on in her house cause she couldn't access the Lloyds' phone. Rather than fess up to her own best friend since pre-school, Rhonda kept the facade, and once again expected Arnold to back her up with the claim of having a new satellite phone installed.

Arnold knew that Rhonda could be difficult, but this was a side he didn't fully expect, and he was struggling to grasp it. Is this really the Rhonda he grew up with? The one who learned the hard way, twice, that people are equal despite labels? The one who would easily ditch her pretty fashionista girl persona if it meant helping out her friends? The one who he though, without a doubt, was his best dance partner? No wonder missus Lloyd called it a favor upon asking Arnold to look out for her dear daughter.

They weren't far from home. Well, Arnold's home, to which Rhonda finds is a dump. Arnold was still struggling to process how rude Rhonda could be, after everything they had been through.

"Arnold...thank you for being a sport, and backing me up there." Rhonda told Arnold as they sat next to each other. "I'll just head down this next stop, and I'll meet you back in the - boarding house - for dinner, ok? Ciao doll!"

Arnold didn't even get to respond as Rhonda, with speed, descended from the bus. About ten minutes later, he arrived at his stop and slowly made it to the Sunset Arms. He did not expect that upon opening the door, missus Lloyd would be in the dining room. She noticed the boy as he was about to greet her, to which she kindly asked him to join her for some tea. Apparently, missus Lloyd managed to keep her tea leaf collection and was consuming good amounts to cope with their situation.

"How are you doing ma'am?" Arnold asked with utmost sincerity.

"I'm managing, thank you. What about my Rhonda? Why is she not here yet?"

Silence. Arnold looked at Rhonda's mother, and before he could explain, as if reading his mind (or just knowing her daughter well enough), she said, "keeping up appearances, isn't she?"

"I'm sorry missus Lloyd. I was watching out for her, making sure she wasn't too distracted from school and reminding her to eat for lunch, but Rhonda's really focused on no one else finding out." Arnold said these words almost apologetically.

"It's alright son, I understand. Frankly, this is what I get for how I raised her." Brooke said with a bit of melancholy in her eyes. "Did Rhonda tell you about the day she needed to get glasses? I made it off like it was the end of the world for her. Rather than just helping her accept it and tell her that she would stay the same, I insisted that some frames robbed her of her beauty."

Arnold stayed quiet, knowing that not only did missus Lloyd need to vent, but this was also an opportunity to delve deeper into Rhonda's psyche and what makes her tick.

"You could say, Arnold, that I'm only reaping what I sowed." Brooke said with a small chuckle, doing her best to hold back the tears starting to form her eyes. She managed to keep it together. "I'm sorry I put this favor upon you, but my husband is spending every waking minute trying to ensure our stocks bounce back, and of course trying to find other means of work in the meantime. I'm also trying to reach out to my side of the family, to help with some immediate cash, since we're down to our last dollars. You're a bright and well-meaning boy, so I'm sure you understand what I'm trying to say. Please Arnold."

Arnold could tell that, unlike Ronda, missus Lloyd chose to not let her pride and ego get the better of her. She was allowing Arnold to get a glimpse of the pain she was experiencing, for him to understand how much it would mean to her that the boy keep his word.

"I don't know how much worse it can get for Rhonda in school, but for better or worse missus Lloyd, I'll be there for your daughter." Arnold said with unwavering spirit.

Brooke laughed. She could tell Arnold was confused, so she simple dismissed it as her having too much tea. She could have sworn that it sounded like a marriage vow. She then realized why Rhonda spoke frequently about the boy - he was genuinely one of a kind.

"Thank you for entertaining me dear. You may run along now, I'm sure you have homework to attend to."

After Dinner

Arnold didn't know how much more Rhonda could take. Then again, if Arnold too had been going through so much inner turmoil, have half-eaten salami and sock stew served for dinner, only for the dining experience to be topped off by a possibly flu infested sneeze to his face from a fellow boarder, he would have walked off the dining table and went straight to bed. Though he would have done it with more poise.

He couldn't help but overhear what the Lloyd family was discussing behind closed doors. Rhonda had no lunch money, and was being told that in the meantime, she would need to possibly recycle bottles for some cash. Rhonda being Rhonda, told her parents that she maintained a semblance of her dignity and social standing, and therefore would not stoop to such modes of earning just to get something to eat. Arnold did indeed feel sorry - as selfish as Rhonda was, collecting trash for lunch money was indeed too much.

He waited for Rhonda's parents to step out on their night walk for him to approach the miserable princess. He knocked, introduced himself, to which Rhonda told him to come in.

"Hey. I know it's been a tough first day back, and I couldn't help but overhear that you're wondering how you'll buy lunch tomorrow, so how about I buy us lunch and we can split. I got enough for the classics."

He thought Rhonda would appreciate the gesture. Or at least take it into consideration. He was starting to get the feeling that he was always wrong about her.

"How much do you have?" Rhonda retorted.

"I got about 4 dollars." Arnold told her.

"Arnold, I've been having just the most miserable day, do you really think that 2 dollars will be enough for me!?" Rhonda yelled with utmost frustration. "After everything, don't you think I'd like a bit more than just the classics? I'm so miserable and you can only give me the bare minimum? UGH. GET OUT!"

Arnold, close to being offended, decided to take the high road and politely saw himself out. How much worse can Rhonda get...