Author's Notes:

Hey guys, been a bit of a while since I last wrote a chapter. Needed to take an extra day or 2 to really know how to move the story forward, especially with the integral characters and how each of them shall grow. Hope you guys already notice who these are!

Thank you to those who found the "Curly twist" well-executed. I personally, like most Hey Arnold! fans, dislike the "Curly's Girl" episode. But unlike other episodes, I strongly believed that there was a way to somehow salvage it and improve the characters of both Rhonda and Curly. Glad that some of you felt that the "twist" was warranted or believable.

Next chapter incoming...

Chapter XIV

ZOOM.

Arnold was crossing clouds as he sped through the blue sky. He saw a variety of clouds as he practiced all the tricks that his dream-self had conjured up. Loop de loops, tilt a whirls, barrel rolls - you name it! It was the same scenario he'd find himself dreaming at night ever since Parents' Day earlier in the school year: on a jet plane, thousands of feet above imaginary ground, en route to who knows where his parents ended up. And it always ends with him descending on a mysterious island, shrouded in mist, in an attempt to find his parents. His longing, personified, or perhaps in this context idealized.

But this was a nightmare.

Before he could approach the island, a cumulonimbus swarm surrounded him. Lightning struck, thunder bellowed, and eerie shadows manifested upon the clouds with every flash, like cave paintings being exposed to fire. Arnold did not feel comfort, nor security, nor thrill. There were only despair, isolation, confusion.

"Arnold...," he heard a whisper, as if calling to him.

"Arnold...," it grew louder, as if yelling for him to notice and yell back.

All the while, his plane was beginning to take more than ordinary wear and tear. It was only a matter of time before his descent would be due to mechanical failure...

"Arnooooold!" he heard the voice scream, loud but...filled with concern. But a few dream-seconds later, lightning struck his plane's wing, and he slowly began to fall from the sky. The acceleration would soon make matters worse. Arnold was in a free-fall, about to fall head first in the middle of the ocean if he doesn't act fast...

He leaps off the forsaken air vessel, pulls open a mechanism and activates his parachute. As he makes his slow descent into the water, the plane explodes, the sudden force pushing him straight down into the water. After "blacking out," he recovers and finds himself stranded. Nothing but water surrounds him, no land or shore in sight.

"This can't get worse...," Arnold spoke too soon.

He turned around. A tidal wave was coming straight for him. Before the water could make impact with his football head, he heard the voice yell out one last time, almost like a shriek...

"ARNOOOOLD!"

Morning at the Sunset Arms...

Arnold woke up with a cold sweat. His green eyes were on full display, bulging with an inability to blink, as he couldn't believe that his often comforting dream turned into a disastrous nightmare. This had never happened before.

"What's going on...how did it go so wrong..." Arnold could only wonder out loud, as the only response he received was the familiar "Hey Arnold!" tone from his potato-powered alarm clock. It read 6:30 AM. He turned it off, and tried to reassess what could have possibly triggered the awful experience he just had. When after about 10 minutes, no answers popped into his head, he decided it was best to begin his morning routine. He showered, brushed, and dressed up. He soon came down to the kitchen to find his dearest grandmother making a healthy serving of pancakes, eggs and bacon.

"Morning Tex! Why, you look like you spent an extra hour on the rodeo...," Grandma Gertie commented on her cowboy grandson's disposition. On the surface, he looks just as he is. But she could feel his spirit and his mental state, and they were all sorts of haywire at the moment.

"Oh it's nothing grandma...just had a bad dream...," Arnold faintly replied.

"Aww Tex, did you dream of losing the bull-riding contest?" Grandma Gertie continued her inquiry.

"No, I just...well...I don't want to talk about it right now."

Hearing this made Grandma Gertie realize that she's seen this Arnold before. 'He's as miserable as that time after Bob Pataki called him an orphan...,' she recalled. But with her "infinite wisdom," which most would (and possibly correctly) interpret as strong signs of dementia or senility, she sensed that her grandson was being honest in saying that he wasn't ready to share. He would be, but not now.

"Alright Arnold...you have a good day regardless. I love you." Grandma Gertie said as she poured her sweet grandson some orange juice.

"Thanks Grandma...," Arnold uttered with a small smile, appreciating the space and the opportunity for self-reflection given to him.

At the school bus...

"Have you considered just being more upfront and honest about your feelings with Ice Cream? You never know how much longer before Red Velvet wises up and sees how great it would be to pair up with him..." Phoebe said as she tried persuading her best friend to take the next big step. Hopefully this time, pork rinds wouldn't be necessary.

Phoebe, after what she overheard between Rhonda Lloyd and Nadine Robinson, realized that time may be running out for Helga. Or, at the very least, there was a strong likelihood that there would be another contender in the race to win Arnold's affections. While she waited for Helga to give a proper response, she was trying to come up with a proper code for the potential new challenger. 'I knew I should have saved Red Velvet for her just in case...raspberry doesn't quite do her justice.'

She was so proud of how far Helga had come with whatever techniques or coping mechanisms she had recently been practicing, as her obsessive compulsions had significantly decreased. Even when she would visit, she would no longer smell rotten fruit coming from the closet or notice pink poetry notebooks and heart shaped lockets strewn across Helga's bedroom floor. If she were to reveal what she found out by eavesdropping, all of her best friend's recent development may be all for naught. She wasn't gonna let that happen, but she was also gonna help her best friend get the guy. And Phoebe figured, given Helga's maturing mental and emotional state, as well as the unpredictability that this new Rhonda presents, it would be best for Helga to confess sooner rather than later. She just needed the right push, which entailed a high degree of finesse and subtlety on Phoebe's part. For her best friend, she will commit to the best of her abilities.

Helga for her part noticed that it was strange of Phoebe to suddenly ask questions about Ice Cream without her being the one to bring up the conversation to begin with. What suddenly pushed her to begin asking now? Rather than confront Phoebe about it outright, Helga opted to play a bit coy in the meantime.

"Gee I dunno Phoebe, I don't think I'm ready for that quite yet. Unless you somehow trick me into eating some pork rinds before going to bed that is..."

Helga knew that Phoebe probably knows something that she doesn't. While this may not be the best course of action to take if she were to ask Dr. Bliss about it, playing coy in the meantime and setting up Phoebe's sense of security to fail were necessary acts of evil if she is to discover what her best friend is keeping from her.

The bus reached the stop near Green Meats, and thus a stone's throw away from the Sunset Arms. The resident football head stepped inside the bus, paying for his fare. He took a good look at the bus and saw Helga, Phoebe, Harold, Stinky and Sid already there. Arnold chose for a seat in the middle section of the right aisle. Just as he began to settle into the worn out fabric of his seat, the boys approached him, with eager intent in their eyes. Arnold figured they had something on their minds, and as the designated problem solver, it would be up to him to get them out of it.

What transpired was not what he expected.

"Arnold, we heard Rhonda's parents invited you for Sunday lunch when you brought Rhonda home. Is it true?" Sid opened the conversation.

"Err, not quite Sid. I HELPED Nadine bring Rhonda home since she really got gassed out from trying to win us that game, and just as a sign of appreciation, her parents asked me to stay, not INVITED me, over for lunch," Arnold retorted, wanting to clear up any misunderstandings. He didn't want people getting the wrong idea. As far as he was concerned, Rhonda and he were only geography partners. Nothing more, nothing less. Or that's what he kept telling himself...

"Po-tey-toh, po-tah-toh Arnold. Them beautiful parents of Rhonda's invited you over for lunch after you came in like her prince charming, except their princess was left for dead after getting run over by a 10-wheeler truck named Helga Pataki," Stinky added.

Arnold could only respond with an eye roll as he looked away into the window. There wasn't a point in trying to convince Stinky otherwise, as he knew the specific tone his Arkansas-born friend had when he was dead certain on what he perceived. Helga, overhearing the compliments for her handiwork, snickered as she recalled just how sweet it was to tackle a legally-blind-without-her-contacts Rhonda Lloyd just as she landed on the ground with her head turning to run for a touchdown. Helga could still taste how savory the feeling was when she realized she actually knocked the 4th grade princess out.

"Consider yourself lucky, Arnold. Sid and I never felt like we were welcomed at Rhonda's house, even when she would just invite us for board games or school projects...," Harold chimed in.

Arnold couldn't help but pick up on the slight envious tone backing Harold's words. He realized that people really were starting to come up with ideas about him and Rhonda. He needed to put them to rest, starting with this band of well-meaning but often nitwitted boys. They did once upon a time, after all, believed to have blown up the police station with a rocket. This group also included the pair that spilled Iggy's secret after finding out, leading to possibly the most humiliating moment of Arnold's life, captured on live television.

"Guys, I'm only gonna repeat myself this one time. I wanted to thank her for being a good teammate, and we're gonna function strictly as geography partners. There's nothing more to it," Arnold said, mustering as much of a definitive tone to convince possibly not just his classmates but also himself. He convinced all, except himself and the perceptive Helga.

"Come on fellers, I reckon Arnold's telling the truth. After all, he's too head over heels for miss Lila to think of anyone else that way...," Stinky commented.

'Grrrr, Lila...,' Helga mentally muttered, realizing how she also needed to get rid of Red Velvet from the picture and make sure no one else (particularly princess) starts craving Arn- Ice Cream.

They arrived at another stop. Since they just came from the Green Meats' stop, it meant they were right by the Lloyd residence. Before the doors burst open, Sid decided to give what seemed like advice from a concerned friend.

"We'll believe you Arnold, but I'm telling you. If you find yourself not believing what you just told us, come to Harold and me. You might need some information."

With that the boys dispersed, and went back to their seats as the doors swung open and Rhonda began to enter the door and pay for her fare.

Arnold noticed that the difference in Rhonda's outfit today was that her shirt was of a different shade of red (garnet to be exact) and that her footwear was a pair of matching sneakers. Their eyes met as Rhonda was approaching to find her own seat, and she gave him a small but shy smile, as if apologizing for having caught his eye. Before she could pass his seat, Arnold asked, "Rhonda, how about you sit with me?"

Everyone in the bus, including Helga and Phoebe, then turned their attention to Arnold over what he just said. Rhonda was just as surprised as everyone else.

"Oh, are you sure Arnold? I could have sworn this seat was saved for Gerald...," she responded, unsure if she should accept his request, and even more unsure if a blush was showing on her cheeks.

"Well I figured it would be good for us to talk about our upcoming geography presentation. You know, about our list of countries and all?"

Rhonda, although a little saddened that Arnold's invitation was strictly for academic purposes, nodded her head and took him up on his offer. Helga on the other hand, initially seething with jealousy that Arnold would ask Rhonda to sit with him, calmed down just a notch after hearing Arnold's explanation. Still, she could tell that their dynamic didn't really scream "just geography partners."

"Arnold, I'll be honest...most of my choices were European countries such as France, Spain and Italy. The romantic countries, if you will...but I also added Wales since I've also wanted to delve a bit into my heritage. But, I'd understand if you find my options boring or whatnot...we can always pick one of yours," Rhonda began to explain, though her heart would occasionally rush as she dreaded the thought of Arnold being disappointed with her choices so far.

"Actually Rhonda, I think those are excellent choices," Arnold said, sincerely glad that Rhonda really did what was asked of and expected of her. It made him a little embarrassed that he didn't exactly do the same. "To be perfectly honest as well, I haven't had the time to really come up with my own choices. I was thinking that after school, we can do some brainstorming in the public library?"

Thankfully, no one could hear the gritting of teeth from across the bus by Helga Pataki, while Phoebe was starting to worry that her best friend would lose her cool and try to deck Rhonda again.

Before Rhonda could answer, she and Arnold felt as if all eyes were on them. They looked around, but didn't catch anyone staring at or glancing upon them. Rhonda then thanked Arnold for telling her what he had in mind for how to proceed with their presentation.

"I guess that sounds like a perfectly good idea. Sure thing, Arnold. I'll see you then...," Rhonda confirmed as she was about to stand up.

"Rhonda, you're already sitting here. I think you should stay." Arnold, partly perplexed as to why he wanted to keep Rhonda's company, told his geography partner.

"But Arnold...," Rhonda said, and leaned in almost to whisper, "what do I tell Gerald? I'm sure he knows that we're not exactly friends at the moment, and..."

Arnold put his hand on her shoulder, helping her relax. But it also made her heart skip a beat, as she hoped that Arnold didn't pick up on that. "I'll just tell Gerald it's a geography partner thing. He'll understand..."

And with that, Rhonda decided to stay seated next to Arnold. It was easy enough for Nadine to leave the 2 reconnecting friends (and potential lovebirds, in the bug girl's mind) alone, as she knew they needed that moment to rekindle their recovering friendship. Gerald was a different story, when he came in and realized his usual available seat was occupied by someone else.

"Arnold, I didn't know you were gonna give away my seat. What's going on...," Gerald pointed out, not doing a decent job of hiding his early morning frustration.

"Sorry Gerald, but I needed to ask Rhonda about some stuff for our geography presentation, and I thought it's best if she just sits with me in the meantime. Hope you understand," Arnold explained.

"Whatever you say Arnold. Take it easy, Rhonda," Gerald bid them farewell.

At PS 118...

The bus would soon arrive at school, and the day went by rather smoothly. The only particular thing that was discussed in the classroom, at least to Helga's mind, was the introduction of a new English lesson: the conflict between an irresistible force and an immovable object.

"Now class, sometimes this is known as the irresistible force paradox, wherein a force that cannot be denied encounters an object that cannot be subjected to any action. When they come across each other, it makes for often compelling and epic conflict..."

'Heh, this is like Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant from Wrestlemania 3...,' the aspiring young writer within Helga thought to herself.

"This conflict is often presented in the form of a powerful and indestructible spear being thrust against the wielder of a solid and impenetrable shield. When it happens, it often leaves utter destruction and devastation in its wake, leading to some heavy and serious consequences..."

'Wow, finally, an entertaining class,' Helga continued her trail of thought. Not that English bored her, as it was the only subject that actually interested her enough that she wouldn't fall asleep. But it helped that this time around, the topic was actually something she found exciting.

As mister Simmons discussed the origins of the paradox, she took a glance at Arnold, imagining running her hands through his golden locks like she were running her hands through a beautiful meadow. She then realized that she wasn't alone in sneaking looks toward the football head. She then began to wonder what must have happened, during princess' stay in Aspen, that made her suddenly seem so drawn and interested in someone like Arnold.

Helga didn't like what she was seeing. Not one bit.