Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold, or anything else that I've mentioned.

Full Summary: Helga, never imagined that one rash decision at a party, would turn her life completely on its head six years later, and leave her in a twisted web of secrets, lies and deceit. The skeletons are coming out. For Hillwood, it's the crime of the century. A love/crime/triangle drama! R&R!

A/N: Yeah, I know, I said I wouldn't work on anything but "What are the odds?" But I literally, had a dream that inspired this story and my mind has just gone wild working out a plot. I totally have ADD. So...we'll see how it goes. WATO is still my priority so, expect slowish updates on this just depending on my time, cause WATO is coming first.

Housekeeping: This story has some language and this first chapter does have a big ole fat adult situation in it. Ye have been warned!

Edit: 7/27/17. Didn't realize that the beginning part of my chapter got deleted when I was correcting a few typos. Anyway, I pasted it back in, so...for those that may have re-read and see this whole new section, that's what happened. It was always suppose to be there. Thanks!

I'm good, I'm good, I'm great.

I know it's been awhile.

How well does anybody really know anyone else? Really, and truly know another person's soul, their energy, and what makes them tick? Human beings, as a whole, tend to believe that when it comes to social behaviors, everything has been figured out, and when something malfunctions, we scramble to find the red flag that should have given away everything. We take that flag, we pick it apart with a fine tooth comb, finding the triggers, the chips in character, that helped mold such atrocious behavior, and then we say 'next time.'

Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you.

Perhaps it's the cleverest of coping mechanisms. A built in circuit breaker that trips to prevent social chaos fueled by paranoia and distrust. After all, trust is the glue of society. Monsters can't hide. Monsters are monsters. Vile, black eyed creatures that find it impossible to conceal themselves amongst the properly functioning ones in society, if you're really paying attention.

'You should have seen the signs,' They'd say.

'How could you not have known what he was doing?' They'd say

It's what made everybody sleep well at night, intently believing that, they would spot a devil, they would see the signs of a devil in training.

But it was all a lie. A sweet, comforting lie as old as time.

The nasty truth was: Monsters hid, and they hid well.

They could be your neighbors, your co-workers...

"Helga..."

The blonde young woman snapped away from the vortex of thoughts that she had been so abruptly sucked into, realizing that she still had the worn, corded phone receiver pressed to her ear. Her clouded blue, and grimly bloodshot eyes shifted up from the nicked, pale grey counter top she'd been aimlessly staring at, back to the bullet proof plexiglass, back to a creased orange jump suit being worn by...her whole life. Her mouth was so dry, too dry to audibly form any sort of reply to him right a way, because she was desperately trying to swallow down the sickness infested inside of her.

Monsters were amongst us. Monsters were handsome. Monsters were successful. Monsters had gorgeous eyes.

Monsters had families...

...Families that had no other purpose to them, but to provide the perfect camouflage.

As if on cue, she felt a little kick from her unborn child, innocently reminding the tears that were piling up behind her swollen lids of the reason why they were there. It was finally enough to spur them to tumbling over her rims and spilling onto her cheeks in blotted streaks of mascara and heart brokenness. "I sat on that back patio every morning..." She began in a raspy voice, her broken soul being drowned with an unimaginable and unbridled level of disgust she'd never thought possible, having to call upon every fiber of her collective to stop from splintering apart right there, "And they were there the entire time."

His face was ghostly pale with hollowed out eyes that for the first time ever, she couldn't bring herself to look directly in as he whispered, "...you have to believe me. I didn't do this."

Six Years Before

It was 11:50am, and if 21 year old Helga Pataki didn't leave her apartment right then, she was going to be very late to her lunch date with Phoebe. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but there she was, blinking, foggy eyed at her phone, swearing she had only closed her eyes for like a second after coming home from a morning class. She bolted out of bed, plucking her clothes up and throwing them on before collecting her book bag. Her boy was nowhere to be found and she made the assumption that he'd headed out to a class already. So nice of him to wake her before he left, she thought as she was mentally rolling her eyes at him while locking the door behind her and then galloping down three flights of stairs because it was way faster than waiting for the ancient elevator to hustle its elderly heap up the shaft and back down.

She then walked the half mile across campus to everybody's favorite in-between class sandwich dive. Phoebe, predictably, had already secured them a table, having most probably arrived 10 minutes ahead of schedule and looked to be doing some in-between class studying as she waited for her friend to show up.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Helga announced and apologized as she tossed her book bag into the booth and then slid in herself, "I kind of...fell asleep after class."

"No worries!" Phoebe chirped, "I was just getting a head start on some biology reading anyway," She relayed as she closed the book and slid it back into her light blue book bag beside her. "I ordered you a soda already."

"Thanks."

Phoebe took a sip of her water, "So, how has life been? I feel like I haven't heard from you in quite awhile."

Her friend snorted, "Oh, well you know, classes and this ass kicking apprenticeship of mine."

"Are you really that busy with it? I thought it was suppose to be a few hours a week kind of thing?"

"Yeah, I thought so too, but dude has me out every day with him inspecting houses." Phoebe gave her a 'wow' look and Helga shrugged and ran her finger around the rim of her glass. While she was in college, getting a degree was simply a formality, a necessary first hurtle to getting to her career of choice. Home inspecting. And while, it may have seemed out of character for her to pick such career, her attention to detail, often seen in her straight 'A's' in English and literature, had made it a perfect choice for her. To her, it was a real life game of hide and seek, a game to see if she could outsmart devious builders and sellers. Besides, she was Helga Pataki, she was going to kick ass in a male dominated field, and they were going to learn to like it. "It is what it is though, the more hours I have by graduation the better. He knows that."

"That's true," Phoebe agreed.

"So what about you? How's your mom, by the way?"

Phoebe lightly chuckled, "Just studying, non-stop and she's fine. She gets her walking boot off next week."

"That's good."

"Indeed. She said she's never letting my dad talk her into white water rafting again."

"Eh, can't say I blame her."

Before they could further their conversation, their waiter came by, asking if they were ready to order, which they were, not even needing to examine the menu, because they both ordered the same things every time they at there. It wasn't but about 15 minutes more before he had returned with each of their sandwiches and sides.

Helga was about mid-bite on her turkey club when her phone started buzzing on the table, seeing the name, and hating the loud ruckus it was causing, she quickly snatched it up and answered it, "Hey. Out to lunch with Phoebe. I guess, maybe why? No, it's cool. Alright...talk to you later. Bye...love you too," She hung up and sat the phone back down.

Phoebe was intently watching the whole one sided exchange, the entire time chewing a mouth full of pasta salad she had just scooped with her fork, her eyes slightly thinning as she watched her friend set her phone back on the table top and continue chowing down on her sandwich. "How's Jeremy?"

"He's good."

"I'm going to be honest. I almost thought that was your dad at first."

Helga snorted, "Wow, thanks. I get that we're not super sickening lovey-dovey like somebody I know, but come on."

Phoebe cocked an eyebrow, a small smile tugging the side of her mouth, "What are you saying?"

"That you and Geraldo are disgusting to listen to," Her friend teased. "Like I want to puke sometimes."

The dark headed girl blushed at her blatant call out, "I really don't think it's that bad."

"No, of course you wouldn't," Helga chuckled and took another bite of her sandwich. "You're the one doing it."

Phoebe sighed, deciding she might pry a little more seeing as she really hadn't see her friend in a little while, "So, how are you and Jeremy then? Things still feeling a little...stale since last time we got together?"

The blonde halted mid-chew and perked her left eyebrow at her friend and then swallowed, "Eh, I mean...you know how it is when you both get busy."

"Well, not really."

Helga sat her sandwich down and folded her arms on the table, "Right, well...I guess neither one of us has ever been the mega lovey-dovey type. I don't know."

"I'm just asking. But as long as you're happy..." Phoebe gave her a smile and took another bite of her own sandwich, waiting, knowing that that casual remark would open her up a bit. Last time they had had 'girl talk', over a month ago, Helga had admitted that she had thought about taking a break from Jeremy. She was rather curious about what had gone on with that, seeing as nothing on any of their social media had suggested any change.

"Alright, yeah...things still could be better, but nothing's really wrong is the thing." The raven haired petite girl looked back up at her friend, and Helga shrugged at her, "You know they say there is a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone?" Phoebe nodded, "There are days where I feel like I really, really love the guy, but don't feel like I'm in love with him."

"So, do you think you're just too comfortable, or just afraid of being by yourself?" Eh, it was pretty blunt, even for Phoebe.

"What I think is that five years has made me comfortably bored, but not unhappy. Sure, he can be a little distant at times which drives me nuts, but otherwise, we jive pretty well I think," Helga concluded and took bite out of the side of her sandwich. "I just wish he were a tad bit more spontaneous like me though."

"Lord. Hillwood couldn't handle that."

Helga rolled her eyes and smirked, "But it would be so empty without me," She joked.

Phoebe took a gulp of water and swallowed, "Well, and I'm only mentioning it because I have to go to it, even though I really don't want to. Anyway, Gerald's fraternity is throwing a party tonight on Greek Street. You two should come."

"Frat kegger huh?" The blonde nodded, "Yeah, I'll swing by. If only just to keep you company for awhile."

Helga skipped through her apartment door an hour later, eyes immediately falling onto Jeremy, laying on the couch in some lounge clothes with the remote perched on his chest with his hand on top of it. He rolled his dark head back to see her, giving her a quick flash of a smile, tooth pick sticking out of his side cheek, and a, "Hey," as she walked over to him.

She dropped her book bag to the floor and sat down on the edge of the couch at his waist, "How are you?" She asked, leaning forward, plucking the God forsaken mini wooden plank out of his mouth and tossing to the coffee table before leaning in and giving him a kiss, which he returned while half smiling. She couldn't stand his toothpick obsession, but in high school it had been either move him over to this oral crutch or continue to deal with him smoking.

She'd chosen the toothpick, and she'd been dealing with his obsession ever since.

"I'm alright. I've got a ridiculous headache right now though," He rubbed his temple with two fingers.

Helga grimaced, "Sorry. Did you take something?"

"Yeah, a little while ago."

"So, you think you maybe want to go to a party tonight?"

Jeremy ran a hand over the top of his head, fingers through his black wavy hair, watching her turn and glance briefly at what he was watching before turning back to him with a small smirk and a quirked left brow, "Whose?" He finally procured.

"Gerald's fraternity. Phoebe wants me to come to come and hang out."

He smiled up at her, "Yeah, sure. I don't have to work tonight."

"Alright. I've got to go meet Dave to do a few inspections but, I'll probably be done by 5:30," She gave him a single pat on the chest and stood up, "Take a nap," She smiled at him before walking off to change her clothes.

It was closer to 6:15pm by the time Helga had wrapped up her apprenticeship/part time job and got back home. To her surprise, Jeremy was still laying on their couch, only this time his arm draped over his eyes.

"Jay?" She called, but it sounded more like a question.

"Hmm?" He replied and pulled his arm away from his face, blinking to see her standing next to the couch.

"You alright?"

He cleared his throat, "I feel like crap."

Helga frowned, "Your head still?"

He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the couch, "All over. I think I'm getting a cold or something," He rubbed his face. "I don't feel like going to that party at all tonight."

Helga nodded, "Alright. That's fine. I'll text Pheebs and tell her were staying home."

Jeremy looked up at her and shook his head, "No, you go still."

She chuckled, and ran her hand through his hair, scratching his scalp lightly, "I'm not going to leave you here, looking like you're about to keel over. What kind of girlfriend would I be?"

"I'm literally going to go get in bed and stay there the rest of the night. Go blow off some steam with Phoebe. I know you want to," He told her, but only catching one of her weary looks, "I really don't mind if you go out and leave me here...sick and everything," He tried to convince her, offering up a half smile and reaching out to grab her hand and give it a squeeze.

Jeremy's convincing had worked, and if he was okay with staying home by himself, she was okay going out by herself too. They had never been one of those couples that felt the need to do every thing, every waking moment together, and she, for the most part, liked that, because she herself was a very independent person, but on the few occasions when when she did go out, like out out, without him, she felt a little strange. Especially when she saw couples like Gerald and Phoebe, who never ever went out without one another. Hell they practically didn't breathe without one another.

It made her wonder, if only a bit.

Helga parked her car quite a few houses down from the one she'd be going to, thankful that she wasn't going to have to walk further than that, her heels weren't the most comfortable. This apparently was going to be a pretty popular party. She gave herself the once over in the visor mirror, touched up her mascara, hair was looking awesome, make-up now was on point and her little party dress was killing it.

The house was very much alive when she walked up the sidewalk, people hanging out on the porch with the red solo cups, muted music seeping out from the cracks on the door and windows. It was much more jumping inside, people everywhere, kegs set, liquor bar set. In the midst of inspecting everything, her eyes were peeled for Phoebe, or Gerald, or somebody she knew.

That was what she hated the most about going to these things. She knew like two people, and would maybe run into one person she took a class with.

"Helga!" She heard her name, looking off to the left in time to see her friend sliding off of the kitchen counter she'd been sitting on while talking to some other girls. Helga smiled and walked her way. "Where's Jeremy at?"

"He's sick. I think he's probably got a cold or something."

Phoebe frowned, "Oh no. I hope I didn't guilt you into coming this morning."

Helga nonchalantly waved her off, "Nah, he'll be fine. He practically ushered me out the door. So, this place has gotten bumping early huh?"

"Just a little. We can go out back. Not as loud," Phoebe elbowed her friend and turned to head out the back of the house into the backyard where there were a few beer pong tables sat up, and people gathered around them. They had to walk around the Jacuzzi that a few girls had already gotten into.

Over in the corner of the yard, where Phoebe was leading them, she saw Gerald standing with a few other guys, whom she was sure were a few of his frat brothers, but one of them caught her eyes, and only because she knew him the minute she saw him. Indeed it had been a few years since she'd last laid eyes on him, but she would always recognize him.

Arnold Freakin' Shortman.

And she wasn't even going to lie. He was still looking really good.

After enough of Gerald's begging, he'd some how managed to convince him to come to one of those blasted frat parties they seemed to have left and right. He really shouldn't have even been there, because he had an ass of studying he really needed to be doing, but there he was, and his friend was definitely going to be on the hook for a good favor or two.

He'd come with his girlfriend, Taylor, expecting to stay a couple hours, maximum, before heading out. After all, these things weren't really his jam, even if he didn't have volumes of course work that he really needed to be doing.

One couldn't BS their way through medical school, that was for certain.

Needless to say, he was more than quite surprised to look up and see Helga Pataki sauntering his way along side Phoebe. It had been awhile, but he figured she was one of those people that he'd always recognize. And he did.

And to his amazement, she was looking even more gorgeous that he remembered. Gorgeous enough that he had to deliberately look away or he would have just kept staring like a moron.

"Well, the pong champion has graced us with her presence tonight, I see," Gerald announced, to the chuckles of his frat brothers as his girlfriend and Helga walked up.

"Can it, Geraldo. Your jealousy isn't flattering," Helga snapped back with a smirk before shifting her gaze to the proverbial elephant in the group, "Wow, Football head, it's been a hot minute."

Arnold snickered, pleased that she recognized him too and tipping his red solo cup at her, "And I see nothing has changed, Helga."

"Of course not. What have you been doing with yourself since Highschool?"

Gerald snorted, "This guy?" He thumbed to his best friend, "You're looking at the future Doctor Shortman."

"Wow," Helga said, actually kind of impressed by that, "Aiming high huh?"

Arnold smirked, "I like the challenge."

"So, not to leave you all stranded here, but I've got to go make sure everything inside is rip roaring. We're having a mini rave later. Babe you want to come with?" He held his hand out, intending for phoebe to take it and go with him.

She nodded and half shrugged, giving Helga a slightly apologetic look for 'ditching' her and said, "Sure," Took his hand and they walked back towards the house.

Helga and Arnold quickly found themselves completely abandoned when Gerald's two frat brothers walked off to talk to some other people they actually knew. "Well, I am going to go grab a beer out of that keg across the yard," She announced pointing past him.

"I actually need a refill myself," Arnold chimed in, shaking his empty cup in his hand. Helga smirked as she walked past him and towards the keg that had been set up on a fold out table with cups stacked beside it.

"So, doctor Arnold huh?" She asked as they strolled.

He grinned, a little bashful, "Yeah. Specifically a cardiologist."

"That's pretty cool, actually."

"So what have you been up to in the last few years. Are you and Jeremy still together?" He started asking his own questions as they arrived at the table.

Helga turned back to him with a half smirk, "I am actually becoming a residential and commercial inspector, and yes, we are still together," She replied, grabbing one of the cups from the stack, filling it up.

Arnold nodded, "Cool. I'm actually here with my girlfriend, Taylor," He said. For some reason he felt the the need to tell her that, like she cared, and even went as far as pointing over to where said girlfriend stood, talking with a bunch of other girls near the Jacuzzi.

Helga glanced at where he was pointing and took a sip of her newly poured beer, "She's pretty. How long have you two been an item?"

"Few months," He replied, refilling his cup after her.

"I take it you don't come to these things as often as her?"

Arnold starting smirking again, "Why?"

Helga only chortled, and shook her head, "Chill. Just an observation. You latched on to the only other person you know in this place," She pointed out, "Unlike your girlfriend, who seems to know lots of people here."

He smiled at her, bringing his cup to his lips and taking a gulp, "She's in a sorority and a lot of these girls are her sisters. But, you're right. I don't come to these things often. I'm not really a party person."

"I hear you. Neither am I."

Arnold laughed and gave her an incredulous look, "You're not? Huh...if I recall, it wasn't but just a few minutes ago you were being referred to as...what was it? The pong champion?"

Helga perched a hand on her hip and thinned her blue eyes at him with a snarky little smirk playing at her lips, "He's being facetious. I absolutely suck at it. I'm only here because of Phoebe."

He laughed, "And the free beer too, right?"

"And the free beer," She agreed, holding up her cup in a 'cheers' fashion.

"Do you care to start a game?" He thumbed over to one of the free tables.

Helga quirked her left brow, "I'm gathering now that I've admitted my terribleness at it you're going to try to run the tables on me huh?"

The young man laughed and gave her a 'no way' expression, "You're implying that I myself are good at it, which I never said."

"Said every pool shark from the bad side of town," She countered, grinning smartly.

He laughed, "Pong shark, I am not. Do you want to play or not?"

Helga tossed her free hand in the air and then let it drop, "Yeah why not. It'll keep me from having to go mingle with the rest of these people."

The pair walked over to the table and Arnold picked up the two stacks of cups and began setting them out, "I'm not going to fill these up much, I've got to drive home tonight. Is that cool?" He asked.

Helga nodded, "Perfect. I've got to drive too."

He filled two arms worth of cups with about a inch worth of beer in each and brought them back to the table in two trips. They staged them up and dropped the six ping pong balls in the holder cups fill with water.

"Ladies first."

"Look at you," Helga teased him, reaching and grabbing a single ball, "Such a gentleman."

He grinned, "Like I can help it," She stood back, tossed the ball and...missed. "Ohh...better luck next time right?"

"I'm not holding my breath." Arnold grabbed a ball and cocked his arms back, shot and missed too, "But, I'm suddenly feeling much more optimistic about my chances here now."

"I'm glad I can inspire such confidence." She shot, and again missed, and he mimicked her actions like a reflection, "So where is your guy at tonight?"

"Laying in bed, sick."

He chuckled, "And you're here? You are extremely doting," He teased her as she cocked her arm back and let a ball soar, right into one of his cups. A wide smile stretched across her face while she did the 'yes' arm pump.

She then goaded him with, "Drink up, buttercup." Arnold was grinning from ear to ear as he grabbed the up and downed the little bit of beer in it, "And if you must know, because for some reason I feel the need to defend my reputation to you, he shooed me out the door, more than likely so he could lay up in bed and watch those God awful crime shows all night."

Arnold laughed, tossing a ball, almost getting one it but it ricocheting off the rim and flying into the grass, "Dammit. Crime shows huh?"

"Loves them. Well, he's a criminal justice major."

"What's he plan to do with that?" He asked. Helga sunk another one of her balls in his cup, "Jeez, you're running the table on me now. I'm beginning to think you are the pong shark," He jokingly accused and tossed the beer back.

"I swear. This is the best I've ever been at this," She adamantly defended, "So, anyway, he eventually wants to become a detective."

Laughing, he said, "So watching investigative discovery is just studying for him, huh?"

Helga rolled her eyes in complete agreement with him, "Pretty much." He shot and finally sunk a ball.

"Oh! Striker, striker. Drink up butter cup," He grinned, borrowing her words. She teasingly glared at him and knocked the cup back in a single gulp.

"So, I'm going to be honest here for a second," She began, royally missing her next shot, "Your girlfriend doesn't act like you're even here. What's up with that. You guys get into an argument before hand?" She smirked.

Arnold sighed, but he didn't appear to her bothered by what she had pointed out, "No, not at all. I'm just not enough fun for her."

Helga nodded, "So is this a classic opposites attract scenario?" She smiled, expecting him to start into how they met and how they just loved everything else about one another. What she wasn't expecting was what she got:

He shook his head 'no,' missing his shot too and then casually saying, "She is only dating me because I'm a med student."

"Whoa," Her eyes widened a little bit, definitely not expecting him to just...call his girlfriend, whom she didn't even know, out like that, "That's pretty harsh." She didn't really know what else to say to that.

"It's true though," He insisted, take a sip of his regular beer and looking over at Taylor, in deep animated conversation with some of her other sorority sisters. "She thinks I don't see that. But I do. Girls like her go to college to get their M.R.S. degree," He turned back to his opponent.

Helga quirked a smile, "You make that up all by yourself?"

"I did. And it is so true. The fact is, she would much rather be dating one of the fun guys over there," He pointed to a few of the frat boys with the finger on the hand holding his beer, "But, she latched on to me because one day, I'm going to be doctor Shortman, cardio surgeon, and she thinks if she can stay with me that long, I'll marry her and she'll be set. The fun guys, they will end up at their Dad's insurance firm peddling home and auto policies."

"Damn. If you know that, why do you date her?" She quickly asked, "Though, I suppose it's none of my business, but I guess it is since you felt the need to throw her under the bus right here," She said, a ghost of a smile hinting at the corners of her mouth.

Arnold only offered up a nonchalant shrug, "It's lonely being single."

At that, Helga couldn't help but think, that it could be lonely being in a relationship sometimes too. She cast him a smile and nodded, "Hey, if it works for you I guess."

An hour and forty-five minutes ticked by of this banter and game, then another thirty before both were kind of sick of each others pong crappiness. Arnold's girlfriend had by then changed into her bikini and hopped into the Jacuzzi with her friends and a few other guys after giving Arnold the heads up. It seemed like as good a time as ever to end that terrible game anyway, they heard a beat drop inside and realized, Gerald had probably not been kidding about them having a rave-ish thing going on in the house later on.

And it was, after all, later on at that point.

Helga had a nice little buzz going, and was keen to leave it at that. She had to drive but she also just didn't care about ever getting drunk, and could count on her hand how many times she'd ever been. It just wasn't her thing.

She was a happy buzzer.

"I kind of want to go check out what's going on inside," She thumbed towards the house, already starting to walk away.

"Yeah, me too, let me go touch base with Taylor first and I'll be right there,"He replied and watched her stroll away from him, that little dress hugging her in all the right ways. She was just...mesmerizing to him, in a way she'd never been when they were in high school. He looked away. He needed to go see his girlfriend, if only to disrupt the thoughts he was having.

Helga was secretly glad he hadn't followed her into the house right away. She needed a moment to collect her thoughts. She'd been having a really good time with him tonight. A really good time. Like she really wanted to just hang out with him and him only, which weirded her out majorly.

And maybe it was just because she'd found him incredibly easy to talk to. Which, in a way, made her inwardly chuckle because her entire childhood, when she had been crushing on him something fierce, she found it so hard to talk to him, because she had always been so nervous. That night, she might as well have been talking to Phoebe.

For one thing, she didn't feel like she was having to pull conversation out of him with a proverbial pair of pliers like she sometimes had to do with Jeremy.

Ugh, she needed to stop, and stop right now. The last thing she needed to be doing was playing a childish compare game between a guy she'd only been hanging out with for a few hours, and her long term boyfriend. It was ridiculous to do, and would on succeed in being inflammatory for her.

They were what they were.

Inside, there was indeed, a full blown bump and grind fest going on in the living room, complete with black lights and strobes. Helga was standing there, staring at the bodies moving and grinding on one another, deciding that she really wanted no part of that, when Arnold walked up and brushed past her, turning back with a lopsided smirk, nodding towards the crowd as if to say, 'want to come?'

She blushed, trying to seem convincing with her head shake but he grabbed her arm and dragged her out into the bee hive of people. "You still can dance right?" He asked. "I know you used to be able to."

"That's awfully stalker-ish of you," She smirked up at him, watching him begin to sway to the beat.

He rolled his eyes, "Prom. I saw you at prom."

She pulled an arm up, ran her hand through the top of her hair, resting it on the back of her head as she swayed with him, "I've still got some rhythm," She said, biting her bottom lip.

His eyebrow quirked watching her turn around, continuing to sway. He subconsciously moved his body closer, moving against her, trying to figure out what to do with his hands for the moment, because he was having to fight the urge to touch her. Flexing said hands a few times, he finally couldn't resist anymore and just reached out and glided his finger tips down her arms, watching for a reaction. She didn't throw him off negatively. Maybe she was just as into this as he was getting.

Whatever this was.

All he knew was that he wanted to be around her as much as possible that night. It wasn't only because he thought she was fucking gorgeous either, his own girlfriend was a ten too, and he didn't want anything to do with her that night. No, this was something else entirely.

And it was enough for him to wish to get rid of Taylor right then and there.

Or at least wish that she weren't at that party.

His hands ran from Helga's arms down her body, leaning in and touching the top of her head with his nose, using the opportunity to cop a glance out the back door to make sure she were still in the Jacuzzi.

None the wiser. Perfect.

Because he and Helga were bumping and grinding on one another like two well oiled gears in a machine. His hands were on her hips, moving forward and down her thighs, her hands coming to rest over top his much bigger ones, her slender fingers sliding in between his. Hers were so soft too.

His right hand slid down a little more, catching the edge of her dress, bending them forward just a bit to run his hand up the inside of her thigh. He heard her hiss as he pulled it away, running it back up the side of her body and letting it come to rest on her hip.

Helga had finally been somewhat snapped from the trance she'd been in with him, pulling herself away from his body, desperate to clear her head of the million thoughts crowding it's confines. Arnold stalled, felling suddenly empty by her brisk departure from his person. He stared at her as she turned around, dropping him a mixed expression that fell somewhere between extremely turned on and extremely confused.

At least they were on the same page.

She held his eyes with hers for a moment longer before bolting out of the crowd. He ran a hand through his hair, snatching one more look to check Taylor's whereabouts before making the decision to go after her.

Helga left the main area of the house and wandered off down the first hallway she saw, no destination in mind, she just desperately needed to clear her head. She shouldn't have been getting into him like that. Not at all. She was playing a dangerous game. But she couldn't stop herself. He was just so...easy to be around, and get wrapped up with.

The music was still so loud that even down the length of the hall, she didn't hear him come up behind her until last minute.

As Arnold inched closer and closer behind her, he lost all sense of rational thought, and before he even knew what he was doing, he grabbed her, pushing her into an open bathroom, slamming the door shut with his foot, pushing her until her backside collided with the vanity, both of his hands coming to her head, cupping it in his palms as he shoved his lips up against hers in a rough and needy kiss. She had ceased all reasonable thought by that point as well. She didn't have time to think, because suddenly she was kissing him back with the same fervor, just loving the taste of his mouth, and quickly finding herself not being able to get enough of it.

He tasted like...everything she wanted, everything she liked. His hands fell, coming to ride up her outer thighs underneath her thin little dress, continuing his dance floor exploration. Her fingers were curling deep into his wavy blonde hair when he broke away from her mouth to string a line of nippish kisses down her jaw line, nipping at her ear and down her neck. Her body bowing into his with such an aching want, feeling his desire pushing against the center of his jeans while one of her hands slid down and came to clutch the back of his arm. Having a hold of him better, she began rubbing herself against him.

He groaned, still so mesmerized by his sudden want for her that night that, just like her, he couldn't even think about his outside life...or the girlfriend that was wandering around somewhere at that very same party. He had one thing and one thing only on his mind. He wanted her. And he wanted her right then. Nothing else mattered. His fingers folded over the top of her underwear and he quickly slid them down, his hands then coming back up to cup her ass as he lifted her onto the counter top, finishing pulling the garment from her legs and tossing it else where.

In between the devouring of one anothers mouths, her hands dropped to unbuttoning his jeans, a task that he gladly let her more nimble fingers take care of, because in the mean time, he reached into his back pocket and grabbed the condom that he always carried with him. He brought the tin packet up to his mouth and tore it open with his teeth, spitting the torn top on the floor.

Her mouth was all over his neck, down the open buttons of his shirt on his collar bone, and he could hardly stand it anymore. So when she pushed the front of his boxers down and he sprang free, he wasted not a second more, quickly rolling the condom on and sinking himself deep within her, thrusting into her with the same fervor that had gotten them into that position to begin with. A very infinitesimal piece of him felt bad for just plowing into her that way, but damn she felt so good, and she seemed not to mind his abruptness.

And in fact, she didn't mind at all. He felt amazing, and she was absolutely loving that he was more than a little rough with her. She brought her legs up and hooked them around his waist, heaving herself into him a little more than she already was, causing them both to gasp. He removed one of his hands from her waist and brought it up to the nape of her neck, feeling the silky strands of her hair glide through his fingers as he pulled her mouth into his own, his tongue colliding into hers, catching all of her little squeaks and moans so hungrily. Her mouth then slid away from his as she tilted her head back, eyes closed and moaned, "Jesus...Arnold."

His name fell out of her mouth.

God dammit he was so turned on by that. "Helga..." He groaned a reply back, nuzzling his mouth to her neck and hair. His movements became much more erratic, rougher as he was chasing her ever closer to a glorious release. And then, a few strokes later, she cut loose on him, "Oh, God-Fuck...yes! Mmm," She cried out, clutching him tightly, feeling the euphoric crack of lightning radiate out from her core, bringing her to a shuddering mess in what was probably one of the best orgasms she'd had in awhile. Arnold followed her almost immediately. The way she pulsated around him, grabbed on to him was just too delicious for him hold back any longer. His familiar flame shot through his groin, and he came so hard he momentarily thought that he was turning inside out. A few more pumps, riding out their last bits of bliss and they both were spent. He sagged slightly up against the vanity, his legs suddenly feeling weak, but still hugging her to him, trying to keep her close. Helga had laid her head on his shoulder by that point, that mind of hers that not so long ago had been so filled with light and desire was all too quickly having its arousing fog lifted, and she realized the enormous fuck up she'd just made.

In a sweeping gust of panic, she leaned back and shoved him out of her and quickly slid from the vanity top. "Fuck!" She swore, running her hand through her hair, watching her giant mistake hobble backwards, appearing incredibly confused as he was attempting to rid himself of the used condom. She smoothed her dress out and reached for the door, giving the knob a quick twist, realizing it hadn't even been locked, "Helga! Wait!" Arnold tried, hurriedly yanking his zipper up, but she had already torn from the bathroom, not sparing him a second glance.

She marched back through the party, out the front door and down the street, laser focused on getting to her car so she could go the hell home. When she finally took refuge in her little black bimmer, she didn't immediately drive away like one would have thought, instead, she sat there for a second, body still flushed from her hurried exit, and bathroom affair, huffing in anger and panic and...

She screamed.

She screamed, and grabbed the steering wheel with both hands, white knuckling it tightly.

The drive home was not even a remember-able thing for her. Mindless. Gas, break, gas, break, turn...hopefully that light was green, rinse, wash, repeat until she finally pulled into the parking lot in front of her apartment building.

No, not hers...theirs.

All that she could think about, as she stared at their apartment building, was how she was going to go in there and crawl into bed next to her boyfriend of five years, having just spontaneously slept with another guy. How? How could she do that? She couldn't!

Well, she could stay in her car all night.

No. She couldn't sit in her car all night, and she really needed to go find out if they made water hot enough to vaporize the whore off of her.

And the worst part, above all else, was how fucking satisfied she was by what she'd gotten from Arnold. As cheap and slutty as it had been, she was still tingling from it, and it certainly couldn't erase the rest of the night.

Them totally fucking clicking. That shit.

She locked her car, walked in and caught the elevator up, the shame practically charring a hole through her by the time she walked through their front door. It was dark, except for the TV in their bedroom, that she could hear lightly playing. She strode into the room, expecting to see him laying in bed, expecting to try to avoid his gaze if he were still awake and scurry off to the shower to scrub the other guy off of her. What she wasn't expecting was an empty bed. He wasn't in the bathroom, it was pitch black. She flipped the light and pulled out her phone, texting him a quick, 'I'm home. Where are you?'

While she waited for a reply she began warming the shower, finding herself mindlessly staring at the water beating down on the tile shower floor. Jeremy finally sent her back a, 'Grocery store. Needed medicine. Be back soon.'

Helga sat the phone on the vanity, feeling even worse at that point. It being after midnight, she knew he would had to have run across town to one of the 24/7 stores, and he had to have been feeling pretty bad to have wanted to go out that late to get it.

All while she was out fucking another guy at a party.

She finally slipped out of her dress and stepped into the shower, and after hanging out in the rainfall of water for awhile, her earlier question was answered. No, they did not make water hot enough. There would be no cleansing away what she'd done, and it flat out disgusted her. What disgusted her the most was how easily she'd gotten-God she hated the word-seduced by Arnold. She wasn't the cheating type. Never had been. She'd never once thought about running around behind Jeremy's back, no matter how stale or how luke warm their relationship was or any kind of problems they may have had.

But Arnold obviously was the type, because he had had a girlfriend running around at that very party, none the wiser. A girlfriend he really didn't care about what so ever. And she thought he had been half joking.

Not her though. She actually loved Jeremy.

...right?

Much like how she couldn't hold up in her car forever, she wouldn't be able to hold up in the shower either. And the idea of several hours of unconscious sleep sounded very emotionally relieving to her at that moment. She left the stall, drying off, walking back into their bedroom to fish for some pajamas, thankful that Jeremy still wasn't back, before climbing into their bed and coming to lay on her side, facing her nightstand.

It seemed like she laid there for a little while, praying to fall asleep before he came back. She just couldn't deal with being aware of his presence. But that would have been too kind of a thing for the universe to offer her, because no sooner had she thought it, she heard him come walking into their room.

She didn't look at him. Couldn't really. She just laid there, eyes closed, pretending to already be asleep, knowing that he wouldn't bother her. She heard him sit his keys and his phone down on his night stand and the shift of him sitting down on the edge of the bed, clothes rustling and then the covers moving as he climbed in beside her.

Helga slept in late the following morning, and she would have probably slept until noon had it not been for Jeremy coming in and teasing her awake with a couple butterfly kisses on the back of her neck. He was obviously feeling better, way better, because that was the type of thing he did when he was hunting for a little bit of morning sex. The idea made her stomach churn and the shame ignite and continue its slow smoldering in the pit of her soul.

She blinked her eyes awake and cocked her head to look at him, "Good morning." He greeted sweetly. Helga grunted her reply, as he put his arm around her and kissed the side of her head.

"Not right now..." She finally kill switched his advancing. A disappointed groan whined out of his throat. "I've got headache," She lied, but knew that he'd buy it, hook, line and sinker, because it really wasn't often she turned him down.

"Drink too much last night?" He asked. She could hear the laughter in her voice, and it made her ill.

She didn't find it funny at all, but in a singular kernel of honesty, she shook her head and replied with, "No, but I didn't drink a whole lot of water yesterday," That part at least, was true, even if the headache wasn't.

Jeremy pulled away from her, "You really need to drink more water in general," He scolded and she watched him slide out of bed and head towards the door.

"Where you going?" She asked.

"To get you some water."

The entire rest of the day had been absolutely miserable for Her. Like just the most dreadful thing she'd ever gone through in her entire life. One hundred percent of it stemmed from her radiating with the shame of her one night stand, and then having to be around her boyfriend all damn day. Because he was home, all damn day and it was a damn chore to act normal around him, because she felt like she had the word 'whore' written in giant red letters on her forehead.

It was awful. Awful. The most awful thing about it was that she wasn't a cheater. She. Wasn't. A. Cheater!

But she was now, now wasn't she?

You. Bet.

The worst part was still the worst part from the night prior. She'd laid around the apartment, writhing in her hatred of it. Hooking up with Arnold should have felt like a mistake, but it didn't totally feel that way, despite her whirling self loathing. There was almost a relief to it than anything and she was beside herself about it.

She finally took her childhood crush to bed.

Goodie.

She supposed that maybe that was what the sense of relief was. Years she'd spent pinning after him. Years. Only having moved completely on with her life, does he decide to sex her up at a party like his life depended on in it.

Life. Was. A. Bitch.

The only other relief she got for the day was at 4:30, Jeremy headed out to his serving job at a local restaurant, which meant Helga, depending on how late she stayed up, technically didn't have to see him again until tomorrow morning. She absolutely hated that she was glad to see him go, but she just couldn't look at him. Couldn't stare him, couldn't look into those gorgeous chocolate brown eyes of his knowing what she had done.

She was a coward.

She had plugged herself to the couch, preparing for a night of netflix binging in an attempt to lighten the air in that place when the door bell rang. She couldn't imagine who it could be, other than possibly a neighbor wanting to know if they were having a problem with such and such-they never were. So when she yanked open their apartment door and saw Arnold standing there, looking a little timid, she nearly had a conniption.

"Hey Helga," He said in a very quiet voice, glancing up at the door frame.

Her face blackened in anger, furious that he'd have the audacity to show up there, "What the hell are you doing here?" She implored.

Arnold looked down and then exhaled a breath, reaching into his pocket, pulling out the underwear that she'd left behind in her abrupt departure from him, "To return these for one," He held them out and she snatched them away, beyond livid that he would risk ratting them out to return some crap like that.

"You've got a lot of fucking nerve coming here, you know that? You know I live with him right? What the hell would you have done if he'd answered the door?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I really don't know." His eyes seemed misty for some reason. "Is he home?

Helga could only stand there and stare at him, her heart missing a few pretty vital beats. No Jeremy wasn't home. And Arnold was there. And this was suddenly a really bad situation for her, "You need to go," She finally managed to get out, but he stuck his arm out to block her from even attempting to shut the door on him. Not that she was trying.

"Look, I just want you to know. I had a really good time with you last night." Helga rolled her eyes at him and he quickly continued with, "And not just the sex, but that was amazing."

She stood there for a minute glaring at him before choosing to look away and toss him a, "...yeah," not fully committing to a nod, unwilling to actually admit she agreed with him, so that was all he would get from her.

"Is he home?" He asked again, and she looked back at him, but this time he held her gaze with those gorgeous jade eyes of his. That's when she finally noticed the mistiness. They were foggy with burning want.

She felt her mouth zap dry as she stared up at him. He needed to leave. He needed to leave right then and there. He was a dangerous individual for her. Way to dangerous. Yet, her mouth opened and the breathiest, featheriest, "No," fluttered across her lips while she continued to hold his piercing gaze.

Much like the revolutionary first shot, neither of them was truly sure who lunged at the other first, but it was a collision of mouths and hands as he pushed her back into the apartment.

God he tasted so good too.

Like everything she liked.

A/N: That dance scene huh? Any of you 80s kids remember a movie called Fright Night? Not the wretched remake either! It has one of the sexiest dance scenes of any movie I've ever seen. Especially when Evelyn King's "Give it Up" drops. I couldn't get that scene out of my head when I was writing that. Lol.

So, this isn't going to be some story about them trying to figure out themselves together, I mean, it is but, there is something much more interesting in store! I hope you guys like it. If not, I'm sorry! Reviews are always cool? Cheers!