Hi everyone. So, I want to backtrack a bit and do a story with Rodrigo and Arnold in it. This story takes place before the previous chapter, specifically on Friday, Arnold's last day at Hillwood before he has to leave and head back to San Lorenzo.
"One, two, three, four, ya you got it Arn!" Rodrigo exclaimed excitedly.
"Now do a turn...good! Now do a side sweep...you got! See? You're a natural." He continued, happy with his performance.
It was now Thursday late afternoon and Rodrigo was at the boarding house with Arnold, teaching him some salsa moves. Before Arnold arrived, as their friends were making a schedule on what and where to hang out, Rodrigo had suggested about teaching them some dancing lessons on Friday. Although initially that idea was put on hold, the gang eventually decided to try it, but moved it to Thursday.
When the day came, everyone, including Helga, rather reluctantly, came to the boarding house and prepared for Rodrigo to inspire them to find their dancing groove. While Arnold, Rhonda, Nadine, Lila and Phoebe, Stinky and Patty found the lesson to be fun and enlightening, others such as Harold, Sid, Eugene, Gerald and Helga either had little interest in it or found it to be awkward, for various reasons.
In the end, everyone stayed at the boarding house well over two hours, either dancing to some Latin beats, or listening and dancing to other types of music. Once the dancing lessons were over and everyone headed home, Arnold, surprisingly, asked Rodrigo if he can stay a bit longer and teach him a few more moves, to which the Latino kid happily agreed.
Arnold was a bit of a slow learner when it came to Latin music. When the dancing lessons started, Rodrigo had to devote more time into helping Arnold than the rest of their friends. However, he slowly started getting the hang of it and by the end of the day, got pretty good at it, much to Rodrigo's joy.
"Thanks, Rodrigo." Said Arnold. "I think I've got the hang of this now."
"Oh ya, you totally do!" Rodrigo genuinely remarked.
As he continued watching Arnold while he danced, Rodrigo could hardly believe at how things quickly cooled between them. Just a few days ago, things were pretty tense between them and just the thought of being in the same room with Arnold would have been unthinkable. He didn't blame Arnold for feeling embittered or angry at him after Helga refused to get back together with him. SHOCKER! In Rodrigo's mind, Arnold had every right to be upset. Nevertheless, not wanting to have any lasting animosities between them, Rodrigo decided to speak with him the day after that fateful Sunday.
Three days earlier...on Monday...
Rodrigo nervously arrived at the boarding house and knocked on the door. Bracing himself for the inevitable animals coming out, they immediately ran out the second the door opened, as usual.
"Hi, Rodrigo." Miles warmly greeted him. "What brings you here today?"
"Um well, sir," Rodrigo began to nervously talk, "I came to speak to Arnold. Is he here?"
"Yes, he is upstairs. Please come in." Said Miles, as he swung the door open to let Rodrigo in.
"Thank you." Rodrigo said as he took off his coat and hat.
"Well you know where his room is, so I'll leave you to it." Said Miles as he began to walk away.
"Wait, Miles!" Rodrigo called out to him, prompting him to stop and look at the Latino kid.
"Before I go upstairs, I would also like to speak with you and Stella, Phil and Gertie." He said.
"Sure, but about what?" Miles innocently asked, although he had a clear idea on what Rodrigo wanted to talk to them about.
"About what has been happening between myself, Helga and Arnold. I'm assuming Arnold has already told you about that."
"Yes, he did." Miles said quite seriously. "Come on, everyone is in the living room."
Miles and Rodrigo walked towards the living room.
"We have a visitor today." Miles announced with a smile as they both entered the living room.
"Rodrigo, nice to see you again!" Stella greeted him with a smile.
"Morning Stella." Rodrigo said with a small smile.
"Well my boy, to what do you owe the pleasure?" Phil asked.
"Well Phil," Rodrigo began to talk as he started getting nervous again. "I actually came here to speak to everyone about what has been happening between myself, Helga and Arnold."
That made everyone in the room go quiet, averting their complete attention to Rodrigo, much to his anxiety, but at least that made him aware that they knew what he was talking about.
"I umm," Rodrigo said as he nervously fidgeting with his hat, "I came to apologize for the trouble that I have caused. I know that Arnold has already told you what he and Helga spoke about yesterday. I um, just wanted to say that I'm sorry for coming in between them. Believe me, it was never my intention for this to happen, and I never meant to hurt Arnold. I just want everyone to know that I care about Helga and I don't want this in any way to have a negative effect on how you perceive her. So, if you feel that you need to be angry at someone, then please let it be me. I just don't want this to in any way come between everyone here and Helga. She sees you all as family and I don't want her to lose that..."
"Rodrigo, stop." Miles rather firmly said to him, prompting him to go quiet. Miles was slightly offended at Rodrigo's insinuation that he would ever allow this come between them and Helga, but he understood where Rodrigo was coming from and he commended him for that.
"You have nothing to apologize about." Miles said to him. "We know what transpired between the three of you. It is..a messy affair, to say that least. But in no way do we blame you or Helga."
"Indeed." Phil said as he got up. "You are forgetting Rodrigo that it was our boy Arnold that broke up with Helga in the first place. I know, he did what he felt was for the best, even when I told him that it was a mistake in my opinion, but it was his choice. The same goes for Helga; it's her choice whom she wants to be with. No one can blame her for that. And to proof a point, Arnold did wish for her to move on, which she did, kind of late I might add, but she still moved on."
"We still love Helga, even if she is no longer with Arnold." Stella added as she also got up. "That will never change, and I know Helga feels that way too."
"She came downstairs with Arnold after their talk and told us what her decision was yesterday." Miles added. "We told her what we are telling you right now, Rodrigo; she will always be welcomed in this house and in this family with open arms."
"Whatever she needs, whenever she needs someone, we will always be there for her." Said Stella.
"The same goes for you, Rod." Said Phil. "Even though you've only set foot in this old crate for a few months, it has been really nice having you around. So, that door will always be open for you. Just don't swing it open all the way when you come in; it cracks very loud and it sometimes wakes us up." he continued with a smile.
"Thanks Phil, that means a lot." Rodrigo with a smile. "Thank you everyone, for understanding."
At least they understanding. I just hope Arnold will too. He thought.
"Well, I suppose you also came here to talk to Arnold?" Phil asked.
"Um, yes." Said Rodrigo as he started getting nervous again.
"Well then, come along my boy and I'll take you to him." He said as he and Rodrigo both started walking and heading upstairs.
"Um Phil, how did Arnold take all this?" Rodrigo asked.
"Well to be quite honest, he has been having a hard time accepting it, which is why I am coming along, to see how he is doing today." Said Phil with a worried look on his face.
"Oh..." was all Rodrigo could say demoralizing, as he now felt that any chances of them reconciling had become dimmer.
"But don't worry Rodrigo," Phil then said with some optimism as he patted him on the back, "Arnold always has a way to bounce back from this these things and I'm certain that this is no exception."
I hope you're right, Phil. He thought.
Finally, after walking down the hall, they reached the staircase that leads to Arnold's room.
"Do me a favour Rodrigo and just wait here for a second." Said Phil, which Rodrigo nodded.
Phil then proceeded to walk upstairs on his own and knock on the door.
Arnold had been cooped up almost all morning in his room. He only came down to eat breakfast that morning, but then asked to be excused to go back into his room once he was finished eating. To say that he was feeling a combination of emotions, from sadness, embitterment to outright anger, was not a farfetched conclusion. Indeed, he had been having a hard time accepting Helga's decision to be with Rodrigo, even when he offered her to come live with him in San Lorenzo, she still said no.
Arnold wanted to spend the day trying to sort out his emotions. To do that, he had been spending the morning online, looking around the net to either distract himself or give him any kind of clue as to what he was feeling. He was confused as to why he felt so hurt upon realizing that she had actually moved on, as he wanted her to. Or, did he not wanted her to move on? Actually, he wasn't even sure why he wanted to get back together with her to begin with.
I don't understand why I am feeling so hurt by this. He thought as he rubbed his face and eyes. I broke up with Helga almost three years ago. I thought that I had, in some ways, moved on. So why I feel all of those feelings for her come rushing back to me when she came to the room last Saturday? What did it mean? Did I really not move on? That must be it; why else would I have felt that way? I was fooling myself all of those years into thinking that I was actually over her. It's true that I thought about her from time to time, but those feelings eventually then became very infrequent and almost disappeared until two days ago. I guess I was only repressing them.
Arnold then slammed his hand onto his desk, feeling completely frustrated and angry in realizing this too late.
So then, if I was really only fooling myself into thinking that I had moved on, then that must mean that I never really wanted her to move on either.
Upon realizing this, Arnold grew completely disgusted with himself at how low his mind was willing to go, just to egotistically hang on to the fantasy of him one day getting back together with Helga.
No! That can't be, not after what Rodrigo told me what she went through after I broke up with her, there's no way that can be true! I know I broke up with her because I wanted her to move on, I wanted her to be happy, even if it meant being with someone else. I cannot allow myself to think that, deep down, I never wanted her to move on! But then, how else do I explain why I'm having such a hard time accepting Helga's decision to be with Rodrigo and why I feel so much resentment towards him?
Indeed, just at the thought of seeing Rodrigo in his mind was causing him to get angry.
But it's not his fault! He continued to think. He had nothing to do with this! I broke up with Helga and at anytime, I could have sent her a letter, asking to get back together with her. But I didn't. I remained silent, allowing her to move on, just as I wanted her to, even if I didn't. So, I can't blame neither of them for getting together when in reality, it was all my doing!
Just then, there was a knock on the door, prompting Arnold to immediately get out of his train of thought.
"Come in!" He called out.
"Hey shortman, just came by to see how you are feeling today." Phil said as he opened the door and came inside, closing the door behind him.
*sigh* "Not so good grandpa." Arnold said sadly. "I'm still having a hard time accepting this and I don't know why."
*sigh* "I'm sorry to hear that, Arnold." Phil said as he walked towards him. "I know it has been a rough visit for you, but don't let that get you down. You still have the rest of the week to hang out with your friends. That is why you came to visit; to see them. Surely you are not going to let this drama with Helga and Rodrigo ruin that for you."
"I guess not." Said Arnold. "But it's hard to enjoy going out when I'm feeling this down."
"I know shortman, but you won't know unless you try." Said Phil.
"Ya, you're right grandpa. I came here to see them because I've missed them, so I should make an attempt to have fun. Who knows when I'll see them again." Said Arnold, trying to get back to his usual optimistic nature.
"That's the spirit!" Said Phil joyfully. "By the way, you have a visitor."
"Who is it?" Arnold asked.
"Rodrigo Castile. He came here to talk to you." Phil responded.
"Rodrigo? What's he doing here?" Arnold asked bitterly, almost angrily really and with a frown on his face.
"Now shortman, don't be like that. Rodrigo came here to apologize to you about everything that has happened. He wants to reconcile."
Despite what Phil said, Arnold was in no mood to see Rodrigo. He couldn't even stand being in the same room with him right now.
"So what? That's not going to make things any better for me." Said Arnold as he pouted.
Phil looked at his grandson with a bit of a surprised look. He knew he had been taking this thing hard, but for him to act like this, to be hostile at someone, he didn't think it was that bad.
"Maybe it can." Phil said.
"What do you mean?" Arnold asked.
"Think about it, Arnold. Do you think Rodrigo is really at fault here? I know you feel that he stole your girlfriend, but you know very well it's not like that at all. You wanted Helga to move on, to find her own purpose and happiness away from you. I don't think you were lying to yourself when you broke up with her for that reason, but it seems that you underestimated the power of love and the effects it has on people, including you."
"I guess," Arnold pondered, "but what good will it do for Rodrigo to come here and apologize?" He asked again as he pouted.
"Well, it can give you a different perspective on things, not just on how Rodrigo must also be feeling about all of this, which I imagined he must be feeling pretty terrible if he also apologized to us about it, but also on how you are unable or unwilling to see yourself."
"He came and apologized to you? Even to Mom and Dad?" Arnold asked surprisingly.
"Yes, he did. He even went so far as to try and pitch our angry and at him and not at Helga. We were surprised by that. I think your Dad even got a bit offended by it, but we knew where he was coming from and told him that there is nothing to apologize about. Neither he, nor Helga did anything wrong. No one did anything wrong, shortman. It's just the choices that people make and how those choices affect them."
Arnold was surprised that Rodrigo would come here and not only apologize for getting together with Helga, but even going so far as to become the target of everyone's angry, just so no one can take it out on Helga. Following his grandfather's advice, it was then that Arnold realized something about himself and the reason why he was having such a hard time accepting all of this. In his mind, he was unwilling to blame himself. His mind had convinced itself to blame on either Rodrigo or Helga, seeing as it was easier to do that, then admit to oneself that he was at fault. One's ego often does not allow itself to see the errors of its own ways. As a result, he had allowed his emotions to get the better of him and make Rodrigo the target of his contempt.
"But if you don't feel like having visitors today, I guess I'll go and let Rodrigo..." Said Phil before Arnold cut him off
"No, wait!" *sigh* "You're right, grandpa. It's not fair for me to just wallow in my own self pity and to take it out on him. He didn't do anything wrong and I don't want to be mean. If I am to get over this, I have to face this instead of being cooped in here."
Phil said nothing and just smiled as his grandson. Then he opened the door to let Rodrigo know.
Rodrigo meanwhile was nervously waiting for Phil to let him in. As the minutes went by, he grew more and more demoralized and started to think that Arnold didn't even want to see him.
I can't blame the poor guy for being mad at me. He sadly thought. I practically ruined his visit.
Just then, Phil came out and called out to Rodrigo.
"Rodrigo? Come on in!" He called out.
Finally, seeing some hope, Rodrigo quickly made his way upstairs to meet Arnold.
Phil merely waited for him to come inside the room, then he just closed the door behind him and left, leaving the two male teens inside.
"Hey Arnold." Rodrigo said softly.
"Hey Rodrigo." He responded back, trying not to frowning or scowl at him.
"I know I am the last person that you want to see right now, given everything that has happened. But I came here because I wanted to tell you how sorry I really am about all of this." Rodrigo said.
When Arnold said nothing and just continued to look at him, Rodrigo continued.
"You must know that I never meant to hurt you, especially during your visit. That was not even the last thing that I wanted to do; it wasn't on my list. I never meant to come between you and Helga, or any of your friends. I only wanted to be a part of this group. I have no words to describe how truly sorry I am, but I hope...actually, I really do hope this did not ruin your visit. I know you've waited for almost three years to see everyone and I do think you should still make the best of it."
When Arnold still said nothing and just continued starting at him, Rodrigo started feeling awkward, as an eerie silence started filling the room. He had hoped he would say something, anything really. But, seeing as he wasn't saying a peep, he opted to just leave. He had said what he came here to say. That's all he could do.
"Well, that's all I wanted to say Arnold. I hope to see you around." He said before he turned around to started to leave.
"Rodrigo, wait!" Arnold suddenly called out, prompting Rodrigo to turn back around to face him.
Arnold then got up and walked towards Rodrigo. When he approached him, after a short pause, he offered his hand. Rodrigo, although surprised by this, nevertheless shook it.
"Thanks, Rodrigo." Arnold said to him. "That means a lot. But like my family, you don't have anything to apologize about. It's true that it's been...difficult for me to accept this, but I'm not going to allow this to come between us, nor between Helga. I'll be ok eventually. I care about her happiness and if being with you makes her happy, then I accept that."
"Thanks Arnold." Rodrigo said with a smile. "Anyway, I know you wanted to be alone this morning and you are scheduled to meet up with everyone in an hour or so, I'll let you be.
"Ok." Said Arnold, as he gave him a raised eyebrow about what exactly meant by 'letting him be'. "What time are you going to meet up with them?" He asked him.
"Huh? Oh, I think it's best if I don't really meet up with everyone today, or tomorrow for that matter." Said Rodrigo. "After everything that has happened, it's probably best if I just stay by the sidelines. I've already caused a lot of distress since you've arrived and I don't want to add anymore baggage or awkwardness during the rest of your stay. I'll see ya later, Arn." he continued before turning around and starting to walk out of the room.
"Wait, Rodrigo!" Arnold suddenly called out again. "Come hang out with us today. I didn't just come here to see all of my friends; I also came to see you. I was looking forward to hanging out with you."
Rodrigo just rubbed the back of his neck, not really convinced that he should be present. "I don't know Arnold."
"Rodrigo, if you are really sorry as you say that you are," Arnold insisted, "then you must also try and move past this. If you don't, then this baggage will continue to linger on. I know you are doing it for my sake, and I thank you for that, but as I told you, I'm not going to allow this to come between us. I would really like for you to come and hang out with us; Helga too." he continued with a genuine smile.
Rodrigo, after some hesitation, heeded to his wisdom. "Alright, I'll come." He said with his own smile.
Despite Arnold's insistence on having Rodrigo there with everyone, it was still awkward for all three teens to hang out and pretend that everything was ok. Although Arnold had insisted on Rodrigo coming, he still kept his distance, but no longer showed any disdain or contempt towards him. Both Rodrigo and Helga decided the day before, out of respect for Arnold, that they would not officially start their relationship until the end of his visit. That meant that they would not in any way be intimate towards each other, neither will they hold hands or even kiss. Essentially, they would remain 'friends' throughout the rest of that march break, a fact that both teens took seriously. Rodrigo mostly stayed by the sidelines while Arnold conversed with everyone, watching and studying them.
Despite the day starting awkward, everyone made the best of it and focused on enjoying their time with Arnold, Rodrigo and Helga included. With time, things finally started normalizing again. Slowly but surely, Arnold started conversing more and more with Rodrigo and started to feel more relaxed and friendly towards him, even up to the point where both teens told jokes.
Helga, despite still possessing feelings for the football head, kept her distance from Arnold and tried to act as normally as possible. Just being in his presence still nerve-wrecked her, so it was often a challenge to be cool around him and not succumb to any of her swooning traits towards him. Whenever she did feel she was being overwhelmed, she would either excuse herself to get some air, or simply moved towards Rodrigo to be closer to him. Yet, whenever possible, she did try and enjoy Arnold's company. Rodrigo noticed Helga's anxiety, but could do little about it. Although not liking how Helga still showed that being near to Arnold was making her skip a heartbeat, he tried to reassure himself that Helga had stated not once, but twice that she had chosen to be with him and not Arnold. They only had to endure this for a few more days before they can finally start their relationship.
To help Helga out a bit, they agreed to meet up after their time with Arnold and their friends, allowing Helga to 'recharge' her batteries as it were, and remind her of why she chose to be with Rodrigo. Although they reframed from being in any way intimate, it nevertheless worked and Helga felt she can continue hanging out with Arnold.
By the time Thursday rolled around, things were almost like old times. Arnold was fully enjoying in hanging out with his friends again and he was especially enjoying Rodrigo's company. It seemed that the dramatic events of the first two days of his visit were already a distant memory. Yet despite this, Rodrigo was still surprised when Arnold asked him to stay a bit longer in order to help him with a few more dance moves. Rodrigo wasn't sure if he asked him to stay longer because he genuinely wanted to learn a few more moves, or if he was simply wanting for things to become completely friendly and normal between them. Either way, Rodrigo took the opportunity and accepted it.
Back in the present...
"I gotta say Arnold, I'm impressed." Rodrigo said with a smile. "When you first started today, you were having a bit of a hard time, but I can see that are a quick learner and you even started doing your own dance move, and developing your own groove."
"Thank you, Rodrigo." Said Arnold as he continued to dance. "You were a big help with that. You were patient and worked with me until I was able to find my way."
"Well, I can honestly say that you are ready." He said to him with a bit of a smirk.
"Ready for what?" Arnold asked.
"To go to a club. With the way you are dancing now, the ladies will be swarming you to dance with you." He said.
"Oh, I don't know about that, Rodrigo." Arnold said shyly. "The last time I tried dancing inside one of the clubs in San Lorenzo, well, let's just say that I ended up making a fool of myself."
"Ya, but that was then, when you were only starting to feel the rhythm. But now you are ready. You have the knowledge, the tools and the confidence to pull it off. I know you will make an impression there."
"Ya, I'm just not sure if I am ready to go to one yet." Arnold insisted.
Just then, Rodrigo had an idea.
"Would it help if I come along with you?" He asked.
"Huh? To San Lorenzo?" Arnold asked confusingly.
"No, if we go to a latin club here in Hillwood." Rodrigo clarified.
"There's a latin club in Hillwood?" Arnold asked.
"Hell ya! There's one that just opened recently that I go to sometimes. So how about it? Would you be more confident if I go with you to a club and help you out?"
"Well, um, I mean, I'm not sure. When will we be able to go?" Arnold hesitatingly asked.
"Why not tomorrow? Friday night? It'll be your last day here in Hillwood, so why not leave here with a good Friday night blow out?"
"But um, do you really think I am ready?" Arnold asked shyly.
"Sure you are!" Rodrigo responded confidently. "If I thought that you weren't, I wouldn't have suggested it. I'll be there to help you out, so have nothing to worry about it."
Actually, Arnold did have something to worry about and it concerned Rodrigo too. He was really hesitating about bringing it up, not wanting it to sour their evening and make things awkward between them again, but Arnold felt compelled to make it known.
"Well um, Rodrigo, not that I don't want to go but...what about Helga?" He nervously asked. "Will she be ok with this?"
Rodrigo went completely silent and any excitement that was once on his face almost completely disappeared. Worse, a sense of awkwardness started permeating the room where they were in. Clearly this was still a sensitive topic for the two and Rodrigo was suspicious about why HE had to bring it up. Yet despite the annoyance, Arnold did bring up a good point. How would Helga feel that the two boys she currently/still likes, as strange and awkward as that may seem, feel about them going to a club and dancing with other girls?
Ya, she would flip. Rodrigo thought.
"Hm, good point Arn." Rodrigo said, trying to sound unfazed by the arisen name of a certain someone.
Helga will surely not like the idea of us dancing with any girls, even if we assure her that nothing will come out of it. It's a controversial suggestion, which I personally won't blame her if she flat out refuses to allow myself AND Arnold to go. Rodrigo thought.
Just then, an idea popped into his head.
"Hey! Why don't I ask a female friend of mine to come with us? Helga knows her and based on my observation, my friend seems to be on her good side."
"Who?" Arnold asked.
"Gabriela. She recently moved here at Hillwood from Los Angeles. She is Brazilian and a cool person to hang out with." Rodrigo responded.
"Well, I guess that could work." said Arnold, although still not convinced that Helga will allow this. "How will that be any different than us dancing with other girls at the club?"
"Because Gabriela is currently dating a girl, I think her name is Daniela. They are romantically involved with each other, so it's perfect. I can ask them if they would like to come with us to the club tomorrow night not as dates, but as friends. It can in no way be a date, nor can anything happen between them and us, since Gabriela and Daniela are together. See? Problem solved." Rodrigo explained.
Arnold thought about it for a second and realized that it could actually work.
"That sounds like a concrete plan." He agreed. Do you think they will want to come with us?"
"Only one way to find out." Rodrigo said with a smile as he took out his cell phone and dialed Gabriela's number. After a few rings, she answered.
"Hello?" Gabriela asked.
"Gaby, it's Rodrigo, what's up?" He greeted her cheerfully.
"Eh, just chilling at home." She responded nonchalantly. "How are things going between you and Arnold?"
"That's what I would like to talk to you about." He responded back. "By the way, you are on speaker. Arnold is here with me right now and I would like take him to a Latin club so he can practice a bit before he heads back to San Lorenzo. But I'm not sure how Helga will feel about this, so I was wondering if perhaps you and your girlfriend would like to come with us to the club, not as dates, but simply as friends. I figured that if you guys came along with us, it can in no way be considered a date, nor can anything happen since you and Daniela are together."
"Ookkk..."Gabriela said through the phone at this strange request. "What will Daniela and I do there?"
"Uh, duh! You will be dancing with us and help Arnold here continue to find his groove."
"Football head can dance?" Gabriela asked.
Arnold became surprised that a total stranger had used a nickname that is usually reserved for Helga to use to refer to him. Rodrigo for his part, in utter embarrassment, just slammed his face with his hand,.
"Gaby, didn't I just say that you are on speaker and Arnold is right here? He heard you call him that." He said to her.
"So what? Doesn't Helga call him that as his nickname?" She asked him.
"Yes, but only Helga is allowed to call him that. It's her pet name for him. She is privileged." He said to her.
"Oh and I am not privileged? I'm hurt Rodrigo." *sniff*. She said jokingly.
"Gaby, no words will ever describe what a privilege it is for ME to have a friend like you." He said teasingly, if not also flirtatiously.
"Aww." She said. "So, can I call him football head?"
"No, you cannot." Rodrigo responded.
Arnold just looked on with a sense of entertainment and then suddenly said,
"It's ok Gaby, you can call me football head."
Rodrigo turned around and looked straight at him, completely surprised. He wasn't sure what to make of this. Did it mean anything? Based on his conversation with their friends, that nickname had a long and intimate history that connected Arnold and Helga. Once used to insult and scorn Arnold, it quickly became an intimate, loving, yet Helga-like nickname for him. Now Arnold seemed to be throwing all of that way and Rodrigo was not liking it. He thought it was too much of a radical step for him to let anyone call him by that nickname, even for someone as radical as him!
I better make sure I never tell Helga; she would kill me...and him. Rodrigo thought worryingly.
"There, you see? He doesn't mind." Gabriela said, prompting Rodrigo to snap out of his train of thought and focus back on why he had called her in the first place.
"But, may I call you Gaby?" Arnold then suddenly asked.
After a bit of a pause, Gabriela answered. "Sure, that seems fair."
"Fine, you win. So, will you and Daniela come with us tomorrow night?" Rodrigo asked.
"Sure, why not?" Gabriela confirmed. "How did you managed to convince Helga of this?"
"I didn't even speak to her about this yet." Said Rodrigo. "I wanted to confirm with you first before I speak to her. It wouldn't have made any sense if I convinced her to go with this idea if you didn't want to do it."
"When are you going to talk to her?" Gabriela asked.
"Later today. I promised to meet up with her after I was done teaching Arnold a few more dancing moves. Once she gives me the green light I'll let you know." He said.
"Ok, good luck. I'll buy your tombstone in advance, just in case." She said while giggling.
"Very funny." Rodrigo groaned. "Chao."
"Chao. Chao, Arnold." She said.
"Chao, Gaby." Said Arnold. "She is nice."
"Very." Said Rodrigo, not taking serious notice of Arnold's comment, "So ya, I guess Friday night is on."
"I guess so." Said Arnold, feeling a bit excited about doing this. "How exactly are you planning on telling her?" He asked.
"Just bluntly tell her about it and ask if she is ok with it. She has always been a brutally honest person, so it's only fair that I be honest with her. If she has a problem with it, I will expect her to tell me. I'm not willing to do this if she doesn't want us to."
"Ok." Said Arnold.
Despite Rodrigo's confidence and sensitivity for Helga's feelings, Arnold wasn't so sure that Helga will simply allow them to go to the club. Personally, he doesn't think she will be ok with it. Even if by some miracle she was, he got a unnerve feeling that she will not just let them go scot-free. Nevertheless, he opted to just let Rodrigo speak with Helga about it and hoped she would be honest about how she felt about this.
Later the evening...
As promised, Rodrigo met up with Helga after his class session with Arnold had ended. They agreed to meet up at Slausen's Ice Cream Parlor, although given the still cold weather, they were in no mood to have ice cream. Hot chocolate would do.
Helga was especially glad to have met up with Rodrigo tonight and was looking forward to spending time. The evenings were the only time she was able to be with him and be relaxed, without having to look over her shoulder and care what Arnold or anyone else thought about them.
After ordering their hot beverage, they sat down and chatted a bit, mostly about what they were planning on doing during their first week as boyfriend and girlfriend. Helga still couldn't believe at the turn of events, but was nevertheless excited about it, although she didn't explicitly showed it to Rodrigo. Eventually, the conversation then steered to what Rodrigo and Arnold had planned on doing tomorrow night. Rodrigo fully explained the whole plan out to her and explicitly stated his reasons on why he wanted to take Arnold to a club. He also told her about inviting Gabriela and her girlfriend to ensure that this would not be a date.
Helga listened attentively while Rodrigo spoke, but couldn't help but give him a bit of a glare as she wondered if there was some cultural difference between American and Hispanic cultures, or if Rodrigo, given his inexperience in dating, was just being naive and truly thought she would be ok with this. Yet, she reframed from truly giving him a scowling face and just waited for him to finish before she gave him her answer. She didn't have to wait long.
"Well, what do think? It would it be ok if Arnold and I go to a club with Gabriela and her girlfriend?" Rodrigo asked.
After a bit of a pause, she answered. "Sure, why not? Have fun." She said casually as she took a sip from her hot chocolate.
Rodrigo just continued to stare her, completely surprised that she seemed to be completely ok with this...almost too ok.
"Really?" He asked.
"Did I stutter? Yes, I said it's ok." She responded.
Seeing as how Rodrigo was still surprised and not really convinced, Helga opted to clarify herself.
"Look, it's just as you said, it's not a date and you will be going with two female friends who are dating each other. So what could happen?"
"Well, ya." He said a bit assuringly.
"Besides," she added with an almost sarcastic laughter, "we're not dating yet, so you are free to do what you want." As she gave him a small nudge on his shoulder.
That last statement didn't sit well with Rodrigo and he began to feel suspicious about Helga's intentions, if not also be a bit offended.
"Helga, I'm not trying to take advantage of 'my last few days of freedom' here." He said to her. "I just want to take Arnold to a club where he can practice his dancing. I'm not trying to do something behind your back and I don't want to go if it's going to upset you. That's why I'm asking you if you are ok with this. If you are not, then please tell me."
"Relax, Latino boy," Helga assured him, "I know you are trying to be friends with Arnoldo and to be honest, I'm glad that you are trying."
"You are?" He asked.
"Sure. It would have really sucked if both of you didn't get along because of little old me. That's why I appreciate you trying to spend some time with him. In the end, he is a great guy. That's why I'm letting you take him to the club. So, you can go," she continued with a smile.
"Thank you." He said with his own smile,
"at your own risk, Latino boy." She added with a whispering snarl.
"What?" Rodrigo asked.
"What?"
"Did you say anything?" Rodrigo asked.
"No, I didn't." She said and just continued to innocently sip on her hot chocolate.
To be continued...
Hmm, "at your own risk?" I don't like the sound of that. What does Helga have up her sleeve? Find out in the next chapter!
