Friday night...

Arnold prepared for his first night club event in Hillwood. He was a bit nervous, but also excited at this venture. For tonight, he decided to wear a clean white shirt, with brown formal pants and black shoes. He also had a black tie. Once he was ready, he quickly made his way towards the rendezvous point. He had to walk a few blocks to meet up with Rodrigo, Gabriela and Daniela at the bus stop. Upon arrival, he saw that they were already there.

Rodrigo was wearing black formal pants with a red shirt and his famous fedora heat. Both Gabriela and Daniela looked amazing. They were both wearing long, tight dresses. Gabriela wore a green dress, while Daniela wore a red one. While Gabriela had little make up on, only wearing green eye shadow, Daniela had a bit more make up with red lipstick. Given the cold weather, all four teens wore coats and scarves.

Gabriela Oliveira was a beautiful Brazilian by birth and grew up in a Brazilian household. Although she can understand Portuguese, her parents never forced her to learn it. Instead, she learned English and Spanish and is currently learning Italian. Being mixed, she had the face skin tone as Nadine, but with dark, afro brown after hair and green eyes. She was not much taller than Rodrigo and her body type was almost the same as Helga's. Being bisexual, she has been dating Daniela for a about a month or so.

Daniela was another beautiful, but Caucasian teen with red hair. Like Gabriela, she was also bisexual. A bit taller than her girlfriend, she had a more feminist personality than her.

After making their greetings, the four teens quickly hopped onto the bus the second it arrived, in order to get away from the cold. Once inside, they sat down and chatted away. Despite the strange request, all four teens were able to relax and even grew excited about tonight's event, with Daniela especially being jumpy and a bit anxious on getting to the club in order to dance with her girlfriend.

Upon arriving at the club, it soon hit Arnold where he actually was and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. From the outset, one could feel the strong Latin flavour throughout the dance floor. It was loud, lively, energetic, fun and sexy all at the same time. Arnold watched with astonishment but also with some edginess at how the other teens were also dancing. Some were only performing basic moves while others were fully into themselves, being extremely close to each other and moving in accordance to the beat. Arnold was also astonished as to how liberally dressed many of the females teens were. Some had so little clothes on that Arnold at least a few times thought they were naked. Some teens have such skimpy skirts and one could almost see their buttocks. However, others were dresses that revealed less, with longer dresses that went all the way to their knees, while others simply wore jeans.

Yet despite that, this was clearly not Arnold's type of crowd. Even the few times when he went to a club in San Lorenzo with some of his friends, seeing people dancing and dressing up like this made him a bit uncomfortable, but it wasn't all bad. It was a combination of excitement, but also nervousness and Arnold was having a hard time reconciling the two. Nevertheless, with whatever confidence he had, he came what he set out to do here; learn to find his groove and just enjoy the night.

Once they went inside, all four teens then quickly proceeded to the dance floor and began their night of partying.

Arnold started dancing with Gabriela. Initially, he was having a hard time keeping to the beat, with a few times stumbling. However, Gabriela gently encouraged him and got him to relax just enough for him to start dancing more and more in line with the tune of the music. Eventually, he was able to regain his confidence and the groove that he had acquired only yesterday. Gabriela was a bit surprised at how quickly he was able to start taking the lead. Although his body was a bit strict, Arnold nevertheless was able to perform as few moves that he himself made up, much to Gabriela and Rodrigo's surprise. He was no professional, but he was a quick learner.

The four teens had made it clear that they would only dance Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia or bachata with each other. Reggaeton was out of the question, as that usually involved heavy grinding, which neither teens was willing to get into, except Gabriela and Daniela, who did not hesitate to get extremely close to each other and aroused each other.

The four teens took turns dancing with each other, with Gabriela sometimes going to the dance floor to dance with Daniela. When that happened, Arnold, Rodrigo, and a few guys and girls stood by and watched with amazement at how they danced. It was purely energetic, bustle with an arousing display of sexy movements as both females teens danced with each other, while being extremely close, often kissing one another. Sometimes Gabriela would lead, while at other times, Daniela would.

All in all, all four teens seemed to be enjoying the night. Arnold became completely relaxed and would sometimes even venture out to dance with other girls, much to the other teens' surprise. However, it soon became clear that there was something going on between Arnold and Gabriela.

Ever since they met up at the bus stop to go to the club, Arnold, after introducing himself to Rodrigo's friends, began to converse with them. However, slowly, Arnold and Gabriela began to concentrate on talking to each other, but their conversation was soon cut off when they arrived at the club. For a while, they just focused on dancing with each other. It was hard to talk at the club anyways, given the loud music. However, after a little more than an hour, both teens went somewhere where it was a bit quiet and sat down to talk again.

Initially, neither Rodrigo nor Daniela minded it, nor did they notice anything suspicious and simply focused on either dancing with each other, or conversing as well. However, after twenty minutes, Rodrigo soon started to notice that they have not moved from their spot and it didn't seem likely that they would be rejoining them anytime soon.

Rodrigo, curious, wanted to investigate, but being with Daniela, he was unable to. However, Daniela soon excused herself to go to bathroom, allowing him to step in a bit closer and see what was happening, all while ensuring that they would not see him.

Once taking a closer look, it initially didn't seem that anything was happening, other than them simply talking. However, upon closer look, it became clear that something was indeed happening. They seemed to be enjoying each other's company,

Almost too much. He thought.

Rodrigo noticed a change in Gabriela's behaviour. She went from being relaxed and chilled around Arnold to being flirty and confident, but also showing her being a bit nervous around him. Plus, she was smiling at him throughout. Arnold for his part was also enjoying in conversing with Gabriela and was also smiling.

It turned out that both teens have a lot of things in common. Gabriela, like Arnold, was passionate about helping the downtrodden and upon learning what Arnold was doing in San Lorenzo, excitedly commended him for it and began to ask him more questions about it. She also told him about her own experience in helping those in need and told him about she would sometimes go back to Brazil on special programs and spend the summer in the infamous favelas (shantytowns) helping the residents, a fact that impressed Arnold greatly. Arnold also learned that Gabriela had a neck for mathematics, but her real passionate lied in biology. He learned that Gabriela had big aspirations about one day becoming a botanist and traveling around the world to collect various specimens.

Soon, Rodrigo realized what was happening and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. It was clear to him that both teens were becoming interested, if not attracted in each other. Personally, he was all for it and the sooner Arnold moved on from Helga, the better. However, his concern lied on how Helga would feel about this, which he assumed would not take this lightly. It was too soon for her to allow him and her to move on.

In the end, he let both teens be and went back to the dance floor. There was little hope of them ever becoming serious. Apart from the fact that Gabriela was already taken, Arnold was scheduled to return to San Lorenzo the next day with no telling on when he will be coming back. As far as Rodrigo was concerned, this was only a fling. Nevertheless, he felt confident and relieved in knowing that Arnold will eventually move on and this little scenario with Gabriela has proven that. He hoped that with time, Helga would also do the same.

Eventually, Arnold and Gabriela decided to rejoin their friends and continued to dance. After another hour or so, the four teens decided to call it a night. Arnold still had to pack and he wanted to wake up on time in order to eat breakfast with his family before he set off.

As they walked out of the club, Gabriela received a text message from a friend about a house party not far from the club. She asked if Rodrigo and Arnold wanted to come with, but both male teens declined.

"Are you sure you ladies are ok to go to the party on your own?" Arnold asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. I may be new here, but I know my way around. I promise that we won't go through any dark alleys." Gabriela assured them. "And it is not a big party. I know the people there and I am comfortable with them."

Rodrigo and Arnold were not so sure. It was very late and despite it not being far, it was still quite a walk to get there.

"Maybe we should just go with you, just in case." Rodrigo suggested.

"Relax hermanito." Gabriela insisted. "If anything happens, I'll text you. You just go and make sure Arnold arrives home safely. You wouldn't Helga to come after you if she finds out that something happened to him." She taunted him.

"You do know that Arnold used to live here, right?" Rodrigo said to her.

"Exactly, used to live here. Much has changed." She replied back to him.

"Which is why we insist on walking with you to the party." Arnold interjected. "Just to be safe and for peace of mind."

Although still wanting to protest, Gabriela just smiled at him and simply said with an almost swooning voice, "ok, sure." a behaviour that Rodrigo noticed. Like Helga, Gabriela can be a bit stubborn when making up her mind, so for her to simply be convinced like that was not something that Rodrigo took lightly. He just hoped that Daniela did not also notice it.

All four teens then made their way to the house party and just like before, Arnold and Gabriela spent more of their time talking to each other while Rodrigo talked with Daniela.

Upon arriving at the house, the teens then said their goodbyes. Gabriela made little attempt in hiding the sadness she felt on having to say goodbye to Arnold. She had a nice time with him. For a second, she thought about perhaps exchanging their personal contact information and keeping in touch, but at the last second, decided against it, for various reasons, which mostly revolve around Helga.

Arnold for his part, noticed Gabriela being a bit sad. He assured her that it was nice meeting her and he hoped to see her again soon the next time he came to visit. Other than that, he could do little else to help her, but it did the trick. Gabriela remained hopeful to one day see him again.

After making their goodbyes, the two males teens then proceeded to go home. Not wanting to walk all the way home, they waited for a bit for the bus to arrive and take them back to the neighbourhood. They didn't have to wait long.

While on the bus, Rodrigo thought about inquiring a bit on what happened between Arnold and Gabriela, but decided against it. He figured that there was no point and he wasn't sure how Arnold felt about it.

Indeed, while Arnold did have a good time tonight and enjoyed Gabriela's company, he was in no mood to even ponder on the possibility on being with someone else. It was too soon for him. He was not as dense as people claim him to be; he knew there was an almost instant attraction between him and Gabriela, but chose not to follow up on it.

"So, how did you enjoy your night?" Rodrigo suddenly asked.

"It was great. I had a lot of fun." Arnold responded back with a smile.

"See? What did I tell ya? And you seemed to have really gotten confident. You even went out to ask other girls to dance with you and not once did you stumble." Said Rodrigo.

"Ya, I felt a sense of excitement and energy swirling around me. It's pretty toxic and hard not to be in a partying mood when you're in there." Arnold explained.

"Well, you'll knock'em dead in San Lorenzo." Rodrigo said.

"Hehe, I'm sure I will." He said confidently. "Thank you Rodrigo for tonight."

"No, thank you Arnold." Rodrigo countered, this time with a bit of seriousness in his voice. "Thank you for being so understanding and for allowing us to be friends. Despite what happened, I'm glad that you convinced me to spend time with you and our friends during the rest of this week. I had fun; I hope you also had fun."

"I did. It was great seeing everyone again. And despite what happened, I don't regret coming back to visit." Arnold said with a smile on his face.

As both teens continued to chat, the bus eventually made it to their stop and both got out. They then proceeded to go home. Rodrigo walked with Arnold towards the boarding house. Once there, Rodrigo would head home.

"So, any plans on when you will be planning on visiting us next?" Rodrigo asked.

"I'm not sure, really." Arnold responded. "I haven't really thought about it. I was thinking either this summer or this coming Christmas, but I have to make sure that I don't fall behind on my studies."

"Well, I hope we don't have to wait another two and a half years to see you again." Said Rodrigo.

"No," Said Arnold with a chuckle, "it won't be that long again."

"And if you do plan on coming home for Christmas, do me a favour and don't open the door if I come knocking on it." Rodrigo said with a laugh, fully remembering the last time Rodrigo went to the boarding house on Boxing Day, only to find Arnold was in Hillwood for two days but did not inform their friends.

"God no! I'm not going to let that happen again." Arnold exclaimed.

As the two teens continued walking home, none initially noticed another person was walking right behind them. After walking for a block, Arnold noticed the third person but initially did not worry about it. However, it soon became apparent that the figure was walking awfully close to them, with no indication that the person was either going to pass them or turn on a corner. Worse, the person was wearing a thick brown coat with a long, brown fedora hat, which tipped forward, covering the person's face.

Arnold, getting a bit suspicious, dropped his smile and started to frown.

"You ok Arnold?" Rodrigo asked, taking notice of his changed facial appearance.

"Yeah, but I think there is someone who is following us." Arnold whispered to Rodrigo. "He has been following us since we got off the bus stop."

After walking another block, it confirmed the teens' suspicion; the person was definitely following them. Rodrigo then decided to confront the person. He stopped walking, quickly turned around to face him.

"Hey, are you following us?" He called out, but the person also stopped walking, only a few feet away from them and simply stood still, while saying nothing.

Arnold, not liking the person's silence, then gently pulled on Rodrigo's shoulder.

"Rodrigo, let's go. This is getting too weird." He said to him.

"Ya..." was all he could say, as he was also getting weirded out.

However, no sooner had they turned around when, to their shock, another person appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, right in front of them. Like the previous one, he/she was also wearing a long brown coat with a long brown fedora hat that was tipped forward, covering the person's face.

By now, both male teens started becoming nervous. Their palms became sweaty, despite the cold, and their hearts started beating faster, feeling that their flight response was starting to act up.

Thinking fast, Arnold saw to their right that there was an allay.

"Quickly, run!" He cried as he started running into the allay, with Rodrigo close by.

None bothered to look back and just continued on running. They soon hit a fence, but already into their flight response, simply climbed up and went over it. After a while, they made it out of the allay and back on the main road. Seeing as how both figures were not following them, both teens stopped running to catch their breath.

"I think..we lost them." Arnold said as he was panting.

"Yeah...I think so...too." Rodrigo agreed as he panted. "Who the hell were those guys?!"

"I don't know." Said Arnold. "But I hope we have seen the last of them."

"Wow, what a night!" Rodrigo exclaimed, feeling a bit relieved that they lost them.

Once they caught their breaths, both male teens were about to start heading home when,

"You've got to be kidding me?!" Rodrigo exclaimed again, horrified in suddenly seeing the person with the large coat again.

Arnold, also horrified, turned around and saw the second person right behind them.

Fear started gripping the teens, as they were at a loss of who these guys were and what they wanted with them.

"Arnold," Rodrigo whispered, "we may have to fight our way out."

Arnold merely glanced at him a bit before looking back at the mysterious person right in front of them.

"You may be right, Rodrigo." He reluctantly confirmed.

Let's just hope they are not armed. He nervously thought.

"Ok, let's take one of them out, then make a run for it." Rodrigo continued to whisper to him.

"Ok." He confirmed.

Then, both teens started walking towards one of the mysterious person, hoping to catch him by surprise and overwhelm him before his partner got a chance to help.

However, no sooner had they started towards one of them when that person put his hand inside his coat, only to take out a large, sharp butcher's knife, forcing the two males teens to stop dead in their tracks and stare at the cold blade with a petrified look.

"Um, what do we do know?" Arnold asked with a serious sense of fear in this voice.

"Run!" Rodrigo yelled and both teens crossed the street and made a run for it.

Not bothering to even look behind them, they quickly made a dash for the boarding house. The allay from where had they emerged from lead them to the opposite side from the boarding house, further away from it. Hence, they were forced to go around the block, running as fast as their legs could carry them.

It was now very dark and the weather was very cold, but neither teens were bothered by it. They were primarily concerned for their safety, so they were not focused on how the cold air penetrated their skins, freezing their faces and nose as they continued to run. Finally, they saw the boarding house and safety.

"We're almost there!" Arnold yelled as he furiously continued running.

"Safety!" Yelled Rodrigo. "Take out your keys, quickly!"

Arnold took out his keys, just in time for him to quickly put it inside the lock, unlocking the door, allowing both teens to go inside and immediately lock it again.

Finally feeling safe, both teens just leaned on the door, face first, as they continued to pant heavily for air. Their hearts were furiously racing as it pumped blood and adrenaline throughout their bodies to allow them to continue running. Even after they entered the house, their hearts still continued to beat furiously, but were slowly decreasing in intensity.

"Let's not do this again." Rodrigo said while still panting.

"Ya." Said Arnold.

Then suddenly, both teens then felt a tap on their shoulders. As they turned around, their faces went completely white as they saw who it was that tapped their shoulders.

Somehow, the two mysterious people that were chasing them had managed to not only beat them to the boarding house, but had broken into it as well. Worse, the male teens were now trapped, with nowhere to go. They were still wearing their large fedora hats, so their faces were still concealed. Then, they both pulled out two large butcher knives, ready to make mince meat out of the two male teens. Upon seeing those large knives,

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Both male teens screamed with petrified fear and hugged each other, closed their eyes as they shivered, waiting for the inevitable. However instead,

*giggles**snickers*

They heard giggles and snickering coming from the two mysterious people that were in front of them, confusing the two teens. However, because they were still locked in fear, neither were able to inquiry on it.

"What a bunch of sissies!" One of the mysterious person said.

That voice...it sounds familiar. Both male teens thought as they desperately tried to regain any sense of control over themselves.

"Well, it was easy to scare them." Said the other person, again sounding familiar to both male teens.

Before they could say or do anything, the two mysterious people then took off their hats and coats, revealing themselves to them.

"Helga?!" Exclaimed Rodrigo in utter shock.

"Phoebe?!" Exclaimed Arnold, also in utter shock.

"You got it!" Said Helga with a mischievous smile.

"B-B-But, those knives..." Arnold tried to comment.

"Oh this?" Helga said as she placed a finger at the tip of the blade, easily bending it. "It's just cheap plastic, but it looks undoubtedly real. Pretty sweet gig, right?"

"I-I-I don't get it, why did you scare us like that?" Arnold asked with a raised voice.

But before Helga or Phoebe could respond,

*thump* *thump*

Rodrigo collapsed to the ground, completely fainting.

"Oh dear." Said Phoebe worryingly as she looked down. "I think we may have over done it."

"Nah, serves him right for going to that club." Said Helga unsympathetically.

"That's what this is about?" Arnold asked with an angry look on his face. "You were upset that Rodrigo and I went to the club? He told me that when asked you, you were ok with it."

"Ya, he did." Helga casually responded. "And I did tell him he can go."

"Then why did you scare us like that?!" Arnold yelled.

"Ssshhhh! Keep your voice down." Helga shushed him. "You don't want to wake up your folks. They have a plane to catch, you know?"

"And as for your question, football head," she continued, "I did tell him that he can go, but at his own risk. I guess he must have not heard that last part." She said she chuckled. "I guess I was not being loud enough when I said that. Silly me."

"Helga," Arnold frowned at her, "that was not funny. We were really scared. We thought you two were actually going to hurt us."

"Oh please," Helga responded, "like anyone can ever hurt you. Maybe Rodrigo, but not you. Besides, consider this as a little goodbye souvenir from moi." She said with a smirk. "And as a lesson for Latino boy down here to never, NEVER do something like that again."

"Helga," Arnold said as he rubbed his face in frustration, "you could have just said no if you didn't want us to go."

"I could have, but where would the fun be in that?" She said with a triumphant smile.

"Seriously?!" Arnold exclaimed.

"Excuse me," Phoebe then interjected, "Not to interrupt, but perhaps we should move Rodrigo somewhere more comfortable before he comes to?"

"Yeah." Was all Arnold said as he continued to frown at Helga for this very cruel joke.

While Arnold grabbed an unconscious Rodrigo from his torso, Helga and Phoebe grabbed him from his legs.

"Sheesh, this guy is heavy and he is not even that tall." Helga grunted.

Gently, they moved in coordination and walked towards the living room where they placed him on the couch.

Arnold then examined his head to see for any bruises when he hit the floor.

"I think he'll be ok. He didn't hit his head, but let's leave him here until he regains consciousness."

"Well, that's a relief." Said Helga. "I wasn't expecting to give him a heart attack."

"Phoebe," Arnold began to say exasperatingly, "I understand why Helga did this, but why did you decide to get involved?"

"Well to be perfectly honest," She began to explain, "I wasn't really in agreement with Rodrigo on going to the club without Helga, even if she gave him permission. I believe he should have either gone with her or none at all. I'm a bit old fashion like that."

"Plus," Phoebe continued as she giggled, "when Helga told me what she was planning to do, I couldn't resist. It kind of felt like...old times."

As much as Arnold was crossed with both teens for pulling a stunt like this, he couldn't help but feel that it did indeed felt like it was old times. Arnold still vividly remembered when they were kids, some of the stunts and tricks that Helga or their other friends used to pull on him or everyone else for fun. Despite his anger, it brought a warmly sense of nostalgia and even a sense of...belonging, a feeling he has not felt in years.

"Yea, it kind of does feel like old times..." He admitted with a smile, albeit with some reluctance. However, then began to focus again on Rodrigo.

"How long do think he will be out?" He asked.

"I'm not sure, but I believe it would be best if he stays here for tonight. It's not like we can take him home." Phoebe suggested.

"Ok, let me grab my phone and text message his parents." Said Arnold as he took out his phone and began texting them.

"There, done." He said.

"What did you say to them?" Helga asked.

"Well, I told them that Rodrigo was so exhausted from the club that he just passed out on my couch. When I came in, I saw him sleeping and not wanting to wake him up, I decided to text them to let them know that he is ok. I hope they bought it."

"I'm sure they did." Said Helga.

Finally, some silence started permeating among the three teens as they quietly exited the living room and entered the hallway. Helga especially was having trouble in adjusting to this silence, as it allowed her to start concentrating on Arnold again and feared that her feelings for him might starting acting up again. Not waiting to allow that to happen, Helga decided to call it a night and leave before anything happened that she would regret later on.

"Pheebs, it's getting late. Let's go home." She said to her best friend. "Well, I'll see you later football head." She said nervously and quickly started walking towards the door.

However, no sooner after taking a few steps, she felt someone put their hand on her shoulder.

"Helga, wait." Said Arnold, as he stopped her. "I know it's late, but I was wondering if perhaps...we just sit down and talk a bit. I mean, this is my last day here in Hillwood." He said shyly.

You have got to be joking. She thought.

"I um...I don't think that's a good idea, Arnold." Helga nervously responded. "It's getting late and I need to walk Phoebe home."

"It'll only be for a few minutes, Helga." Arnold suddenly added. "I know things have been...awkward between us since I came, but I don't want that to get in the way with our um...friendship." That last word left a sour taste in Arnold's mouth. Despite his optimism, the wounds were still clearly felt, but he was nevertheless determined to move on.

Helga was starting to lose her grip. Yes, she wanted to sit down and spend some time with him. She rarely did so during the whole week that he was here, as she mostly tried to fend off her feelings for him from overwhelming her and tried not to create a more awkward moment between the two. Yet, she wasn't sure if she would be up the task. His mere presence alone caused her to loosen her grip and any sense of logic or reason. Her heart would automatically start to beat faster and she would experience butterflies in her stomach. Indeed, she had always had a hard time trying to maintain her composure around him, even when they were together.

Now, things were different. They weren't together. In a few days, she was going to be with Rodrigo and she was adamant that she was not going to do something that she would come to regret, not when she was so close to finally having the means and motivation to move on.

"Arnold," she said softly but still nervously, with a hint of sadness, "let's not make this anymore awkward than it needs to be. It's...late and you have a plane to catch and I can't have Phoebe walk home by herself."

However, before either Arnold or Helga could say anything else,

"It's ok Helga," Phoebe then suddenly interjected, "I can walk home on my own. You should stay and catch up with Arnold."

Helga quickly turned around and gave her best friend a shocking but also staring glare, facially indicating just what she was doing. Phoebe however, remained unfazed and just smiled at her best friend.

"It's ok Helga." She said to her as she gently put her hand on her shoulder. "Just stay and talk. I'm sure Rodrigo will wake up soon anyways and he would want an explanation from you about our little...prank."

Although clearly feeling uncomfortable about being stuck with Arnold...at the boarding house...with so many memories of them being together...alone, with her future boyfriend in the other room, Phoebe also caught on to another part of Helga's psychology; as much as Helga didn't want to be there, mostly for Rodrigo's sake, she definitely wanted to be there. True, it was mostly for the wrong reasons, but she wanted to stay and spend whatever little time there was left with Arnold, a fact Phoebe caught on. Besides, who knows when they will be able to see Arnold again. It could take another two and a half years.

Helga was at a completely loss for words and remained frozen. As much as she clearly wanted to object and just leave, she felt a strong urge to stay and spend their last hour or so together before Arnold goes off again to San Lorenzo. But even if she wanted to get a word out, Phoebe quickly said her goodbyes to both Helga and Arnold and left, leaving Helga with no choice but to stay.

Phoebe, if I ever get out of this alive I'm going to kill you! Helga snarled in thought.

Despite her extreme apprehension to the situation, Arnold was glad that she stayed. With a smile on his face, he directed her to the kitchen where they can sit down and talk. While Helga nervously sat down, Arnold went to the stove and started making some tea for them. While the kettle began to warm up, Arnold then sat down next to Helga.

"Helga," Arnold began to say, "you really shouldn't have pranked us like that. I mean, Rodrigo did ask for your permission. You could have said no." He said

Despite having already moved on from this conversation, Arnold thought that bringing this up again would help Helga ease up a bit. It worked.

"Oh come on, Arnoldo. It wouldn't have been as much fun if I just said no, like a typical girlfriend. I had to do it Pataki style." She said with a smirk, as she felt some sense of her confidence returning.

"And me? Why did you have to also pull that prank on me?" He asked.

"Wouldn't have been much fun if I only did it to Latino boy over there." She responded. "It was like Phoebe said, for old time's sake. Besides, how was I suppose to prank him while you were with him the entire time?"

Arnold just sighed in annoyance and didn't bother to continue to argue about it.

However apart from that topic, it soon became clear that neither of them knew what else to say to each other. As much as Arnold wanted to spend some time and talk to Helga before he left, he really had no plan on what he was actually going to talk to her about. He actually didn't think Helga would agree to staying this late to talk to him. This only aggravated the situation more for Helga, as she felt she was slipping from nervousness to extreme anxiety again. She nervously started fidgeting with her hands, trying desperately to calm her nerves.

"So," Helga spoke, finally breaking this wall of awkward silence. "What um... time does your plane leave tomorrow?"

"3:30pm" Arnold answered. "I have to leave here no later than 12:30pm, in case of traffic."

"Ah, good plan." She responded.

Although it was definitely for the best that Arnold returned back to San Lorenzo, Helga couldn't help but still feel a pain in her chest on seeing him go away for the second time. Yes, it's less painful than the first time, but it still stung. Nevertheless, she now looked forward to finally starting her relationship with Rodrigo in just a few days. This was the only positive outcome that was coming from Arnold's departure and the only thing that was preventing her from feeling the same amount of pain that she felt when he left almost three years ago. She was confident that once he left, she would finally be able to move on from him.

"So, you're off to save the poor, hungry folks of San Lorenzo?" she asked him.

"Ya, I am. I won't have much time to help out due to school work, but I want to make an attempt on going to a few villages during the weekend. I have some souvenirs for some of my friends in those areas so I want to give that to them as well." He responded back.

"Sounds good. I'll bet they'll build a statue of you in honor of your deeds, as the Green-eyed people did." She said with a smirk on her face, recalling the memories of their adventure there.

"Speaking of which," Arnold said, "My parents and I did come across them again. We were trying to collect a rare plant and the Green-eyed people knew of its location, so we went back to their city to ask for their help. Naturally, they showed us the way and we were able to collect them. When we arrived there, we were surprised that they built statues of you and Gerald."

"Really?" she asked him with a surprising tone in her voice

"Yes and not just one, but several!" he added.

"Well finally I get a bit of the credit for helping them. Good to know that I wasn't forgotten." She said happily.

"No, they haven't. They are eternally grateful for what you did for them. Actually they've asked me how you and Gerald have been doing and they've asked me to give you their hellos and thank yous. They said that you will always be welcomed to their city."

Helga wasn't sure if Arnold was still trying to convince her to go with him to San Lorenzo or if he was just making conversation. Nevertheless, she still had no intention of going to live there, especially now that she will be with Rodrigo by the beginning of next week. Yet, she felt glad that the Green-eyed people have never forgotten her and what she did for them. It felt...nice being appreciated for once.

"I might just visit them one day; so long as I don't have to walk through their road of death like last time!" she retorted.

Arnold just chuckled. "No, you won't have to. They have another entrance where visitors can enter the city safely."

Again, both teens then went silent again, not really knowing what else to say. The awkwardness starting returning again. Arnold nervously attempted to come up with something else to talk about, but kept floundering on what topic to discuss. Finally, after almost a minute of more silence and in seeing Helga becoming increasingly nervous and anxious, he decided to just say it.

"This is awkward, isn't it?" He finally said.

"Um ya, a bit." Helga shyly admitted.

More like a lot. She thought.

*sigh* "I'm sorry, Helga. I didn't mean to put you in this position." Arnold said with a bit of frustration in his voice. "I just wanted to have some alone time to just sit down and talk to you. I have been wanting to do with you all week. We haven't seen or talked to each other for almost three years. I just wanted to, you know, catch up. I didn't want your relationship with Rodrigo to get in the way with us being friends, but I feel like that is what has been happening this whole week. I know you said you need some time and I respect that. I just wanted a little time in hanging out with you before I go back. As awkward as this may sound, I really missed you."

Helga, despite her anxiety, knew full well that she was lying to herself this whole time. She had tried to tell herself multiple times that she didn't want to hang out with him, nor was she happy to finally see him. That was an abject failure on her part. She was overwhelming happy to see him! Yet, she felt severely frustrated that was she was not able to enjoy his visit in the way that she had dreamt of for almost three years! Apart from the fact that she now had to accept the realities of things, she felt even more frustrated that she was letting her relationship with the Latino kid get in the way of at least finally enjoying the small opportunity of hanging out with Arnold.

"I know, Arnold. I've missed you too." She said with a sigh. "This wasn't exactly how I planned to spend time with you either. Rodrigo coming into my life was completely unexpected and it virtually threw everything out the window. My goal, whenever you decided to come visit us, was to try and get back together with you. For almost three years I was dead set on that. Anything that I was going to do with you during your visit revolved around us trying to get back together."

Helga then just slumped around and rubbed her eyes.

"Now, I had to grudgingly throw that out the window." She continued frustratingly. "Not that I regret it. It's just that...it's bittersweet. I can't say that I'm happy to see because you and I can't be in that situation that I was hoping for years we would be in. But...at the same time, well, it's been really good seeing you again, football head. Even if it's as friends, it has been really good to have you around here. You were never that rough on the eyes." She continued with a very small smile.

Arnold said nothing and just smiled at her.

"It has also been bothering me that we haven't really hanged out as much as I would have liked to. I'm sorry that this wasn't the welcoming session that you had hoped to receive, but...if it's any consolation, I'm glad that you visited us this week. And despite it all, it has been...nice to hang out with you again." She continued with a small smile.

Again, Arnold initially said nothing just smiled back, but after a few seconds,

"Thanks Helga."

"Are you ever planning on visiting us again without your parents?" She asked him.

Arnold looked at her with a surprised look on his face. After some thought, he answered her.

"Well, I was thinking of perhaps coming to visit for another week during Christmas. I still get really anxious about leaving my parents, but it has gotten better. I have to practice and start to slowly get used to the idea of going to faraway places without them."

"No plans to come back for this summer?" She asked him.

Arnold just shook his head.

"No. I'm still behind on my school work and I promised my parents that I would help them out with some work, so the chances of me coming to visit during the summer are slim."

Helga couldn't help but feel emotional conflicted by that. On the one hand she felt saddened that Arnold was still not able to come visit them unless his parents also go with him, the chances of which are second to none. It meant that she would not be able to see him again for a good while. In addition, As much as she tried to resist it, she felt incredible annoyed and...still hurt that despite the years that went by, he still favoured them over her. Yet, on the other hand, she felt relieved and even...glad that he would not be coming back for a while, as this would allow her the time to move on with Rodrigo. Helga knew that the only way for her to move past her obsessional love for the football head was for him to not be physically around. So long as he remained far way, she knew that she could beat it and allow her feelings for Rodrigo to continue to mature and eventually, develop into something more..profound, more deep; love.

"Well, take your time." She said to him with a smile. "But don't take too long to come visit us again. Things get pretty...dull here without you sometimes."

Arnold just smiled at her and said, "Thanks Helga. I promise I'll come and visit more often."

Just then both teens heard footsteps, prompting both to look towards the entrance. After a few steps, Rodrigo walked up and carefully made his way towards the kitchen table. He still felt a bit dazed and he didn't want to stumble down again. However, he was fully aware what had just happened and he was in a very foul mood.

"Hey, there you are. How was your nap Latino Boy?" Helga taunted him with a smirk.

"Shut up Pataki." Rodrigo snapped back angrily as he sat down on the table while rubbing his head

"Oh come on, you gotta admit, it was a bit fun...for me at least." She said with a bit of a chuckle.

Arnold frowned at her, while Rodrigo gave her a deadly stare.

"Rodrigo, does your head hurt?" Arnold asked.

"No, I just feel a bit dazed." He responded.

Arnold then got up, went to the stove and pour some tea onto a mug, then went back to give it to Rodrigo.

"Here, drink this. It'll help." He said as he sat back down.

"Thanks Arnold." Rodrigo said softly as he took a sip from the mug.

Helga meanwhile just sat back and smiled at her latest achievement in pranking these two male teens in one stroke.

"You gotta admit," Helga said to Rodrigo, "it was a good prank, one that you will surely remember."

"I swear to God I'm gonna get you back for this, Helga." He warned her.

"Sure you will. You don't believe in God, so your threat has no foundation, so I can't take it seriously." She cockily told him.

"You know what I meant!" he raised his voice at her.

"Fine. And I'll be waiting." She said while smiling at him. "And keep your voice down. Everyone is still sleeping. I'm surprised no one got up after hearing those girly screams."

Rodrigo said nothing and merely gave Helga the middle finger while he just sipped on his tea.

"Ok, fine." He said. "I got your message; never go to club again, at least not without you."

"Attaboy." She said with a smirk.

"Was she always like this?" Rodrigo asked Arnold.

"Well, sometimes." He awkwardly said.

Rodrigo just groaned as he now wondered just what exactly he had gotten himself into.

"You're not planning on backing out, are you?" Helga suddenly asked with a now more worried tone. Even her smirk disappeared.

Her tone took both male teens by surprise, which prompted them to look at her. In a split second, Helga went from being confidently arrogant and mischievous, to showing her vulnerability.

Realizing that he quickly needed to answer before things got even more awkward between them, "Not on your life." He said confidently. "You're stuck with me." He continued with a smirk.

That made Helga's smile return to her face.

"Good."

"Listen," Rodrigo then began to say, "it must be very late and I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted. I'll take my leave."

"You go. I think I'll stay here a bit." She said to him. "That is, if you are and Arnold are ok with that?"

Arnold and Rodrigo then looked at each other for each other's confirmation.

"Sure." They both said simultaneously, which surprised them.

"I mean, ya, if you're ok with that, Rodrigo?" Arnold asked.

"Ya, I'm ok with that. I'm not the jealous type." He said as he glanced at Helga with a smirk, which she just rolled her eyes.

Rodrigo then said his goodbyes to both Arnold and Helga before grabbing his coat and heading off.

Arnold and Helga then went back to the kitchen to continue their awkward conversation. Arnold tried his best to maintain a calm and comfortable environment between them and avoided going into topics that discussed either Rodrigo or their previous relationship. Yet, despite Arnold's best efforts and trying to feel calm and confident, Helga had trouble trying to prevent her feelings for Arnold from resurfacing. She had to constantly think about Rodrigo in order to keep them at bay and yet even that sometimes proved to be insufficient. Nevertheless, she tried to enjoy whatever little time she had left with Arnold. It had a been a long time coming and Helga was not going to allow her feelings to get in the away in trying to at least enjoy Arnold's company.

Finally, Helga felt that it was time for her to head home. Apart from it being extremely late, she could no longer stand being in the same room with Arnold without fully succumbing to her obsessive feelings for him.

Arnold walked her to the door and despite her uneasiness, gave Helga a big hug. Helga had to use every strength in her body and mind to not grab him and kiss him and only hug him back. After letting go, she quickly made her way out and took a deep breath.

"That...was too close!" She exclaimed frustratingly. "Crimeny, I can't believe that even with Rodrigo on my mind, I'm still having a hard time in keeping my feelings for that stupid football head at bay. What do I have to do to get rid of them?!"

Despite her frustration, Helga was too exhausted to think about it and just decided to put her headphones on and listen to some heavy metal music while she headed home.

The next day...at the Boarding house...

Helga arrived at the boarding house early in order to help Arnold and his parents with any final packing and to say her final goodbyes to them.

Helga found it hard to say goodbye to both Miles and Stella for the second time. They had been nothing but good towards her, despite her antics, and she had been eternally grateful for their love and acceptance. Although she tried not to think about it, she could not help but feel that she was losing her parents with their departure.

Miles and Stella were also finding it hard to say their goodbyes to Helga. Internally, they had hoped that Helga would accept Arnold's offer to come live with them in San Lorenzo. They were just as surprised as Arnold was when their son told them of Helga's refusal to go back with them. Although it was not easy to deal with her sometimes, their time together during those years after the event of San Lorenzo allowed Miles and Stella to came to view Helga as a daughter and they had made it clear to her that even though they fully accept and support her decision to be with Rodrigo, they would never allow that to change things between them. Helga likewise, felt the same way.

Finally, it was time for the Shortmans to get into the taxi that was waiting for them to take them to the airport. Helga, Phil, Gertie and all the tenants watched with sadness in their eyes as the Shortmans got onto the taxi and drove off. Neither attempted to move until taxi was completely out of sight. When it did so, everyone then slowly started making their way back into the boarding house. Helga had some chores to do and promised she would help Phil out a bit.

Three hours later...

Helga was in Arnold's room and just about finish cleaning it up when she stopped to look at the clock. Realizing that their plane was about to leave, she quickly grabbed her coat, put it on, then climbed up to the rooftop.

Helga looked around at the sky of any planes passing by. After a few minutes, she noticed one coming towards their neighbourhood. Although obviously not really knowing if that was Arnold's plane, she had a gut feeling that he and his parents were on it.

She watched with a sense of sadness, emptiness, yet strong sense of hope, as the plane continued to ascend into the sky.

"Bye Arnold." She said softly to herself as she saw the plane flying ever higher towards the sky, away from Hillwood, away from her.

Once the plane was out of sight, Helga let out a sad sigh and began to descend down into Arnold's room to continue her chores. Despite her sadness in seeing him go again, Helga nevertheless focused on the positive; Rodrigo. In just two days, their relationship will begin and a new life will start.