Hey guys, guess whose back to writing Arnold x Rhonda stories! Hint, your friendly neighborhood Arnda shipper! Okay, to be clear, this was a request on Deviantart for a friend, but I was more than happy to do this pairing again. Plus, it does give me another chance to try out the whole 'Married AU' thing since the multi-chaptered one didn't work out the first time. Now, this is only primarily on Arnold's point-of-view, since I didn't want to focus on Rhonda's dream... and yes, I am well aware of a certain character not being here. Like I said, I love Helga and her backstory, but this is mainly going to focus more on Arnold and Rhonda. So please, keep that in mind as you read this. Well, no use further delaying it, this goes out to Indigo81 on Deviantart who requested this fic! Anyway, enjoy!
It all began on another school day in Hillwood… or rather, after school. It was during that particular day that Rhonda Wellington Lloyd had decided to show off a little paper fortune teller she created herself, and decided to have fun with her fellow students and friends of PS 118. Of course, instead of telling fortunes, she'd have the names of all her friends and herself inside to show who that person would get married off to… for example, Sheena got paired off with Eugene, her best friend Nadine got paired up with Peapod Kid AKA Joe… basically, it was like this for almost the whole day.
However, as mentioned, that particular hour, Rhonda invited Arnold to try out the fortune teller himself, of course, tempting him with the idea that he could get Lila. Of course, Arnold decided, just for fun, he'd take the test as he sat down next to her.
"All right, Arnold." Rhonda said as she prepared the origami fortune teller in her hand. "Pick your favorite number."
Arnold paused for a brief moment, before giving a nod. "Five."
Rhonda counted up as she folded the marriage predictor five times. "Now, pick your favorite color."
"Blue."
Rhonda easily spelled it out while folding the marriage predictor four times. "And now, for the final question… what day of the month were you born?"
"The seventh."
Rhonda folded the marriage predictor seven times and gave a nod. "Now for the result…" She unfolded the panel… before her eyes widened in shock. "Oh my gosh…"
"What?" Arnold raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Well… this is… uh… interesting…" Rhonda paused as she examined the panel.
"What, what?" Arnold asked, now looking rather curious as to who he got.
"Well… you're not going to believe this… but… you're going to marry…" Rhonda paused as she showed the name printed behind the panel she lifted. Gerald peered over Arnold's shoulder as their eyes widened in surprise.
"Rhonda?" Gerald read, before shaking his head in surprise. "Wait, Arnold is going to marry you?"
Arnold's eyes paled in shock for a moment as Rhonda gave a smile. "Well, what do you know? I was wondering if my own name was ever going to pop up at one point. I was worried I'd have to test it on myself or something. But… I guess there's no doubt about it. You're destined to marry me."
Arnold was still looking rather shocked, before shaking his head as he looked over towards Rhonda as he was pondering what to say. Should he demand to take the test again? But… it does seem like Rhonda looked a little happy with the result, so… a million thoughts started to go through his head as he tried to think and think…
"Arnold? ARNOLD!"
"H-huh?" Arnold blinked twice as he shook his head, noting Rhonda was getting up and waving her hand in front of his face.
"Oh good! You're back to reality." Rhonda smiled. "I was just asking if you like the idea… you know, of us together?"
The football headed kid paused for a brief moment, before giving a small, fake smile. "Uh, sure. I can live with that result."
Gerald raised an eyebrow in surprise as in the background, a loud yell was heard, before a loud yelp of pain was heard, as if somebody had punched a wall in anger. Nobody else had noticed this as Rhonda gave a smile. "Oh, how simply wonderful…" She then paused as she looked at her watch, before giving a yelp. "Oops, I really should be catching up with Nadine. I sort of promised her I'd treat her to a special treatment at the spa today. I'll see you tomorrow…" She winked at Arnold. "Handsome."
Arnold blushed furiously as Rhonda got up and put the origami marriage predictor in her school bag before going off. Arnold bit his lip nervously before walking off, Gerald following close behind.
"Wow, man. I'm pretty surprised you told Rhonda you wouldn't mind going out with her." Gerald said as he walked beside his friend down the streets.
Arnold gave a sigh. "I only told her that to be nice. I… Gerald, I… didn't actually LIKE what Rhonda predicted in that marriage predictor of hers."
Gerald's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, why not? You and her are always nice to each other. You often hang out with her at times. And hey, you help her in planned parties at times."
"Well, yes, but only because I feel she needs my help. Being married to her… that's just another factor all together. Don't get me wrong, Gerald, Rhonda can be a VERY good friend… at times. Other times, she's often snobbish and way too spoiled. I'm not sure if these can be qualities in a girl that I want to like-like, if you know what I mean." Arnold gave a sigh.
"Arnold, it's true that Rhonda Lloyd can be quite the spoiled brat, but to be fair, I think she's been getting better." Gerald noted.
"I guess so, but sometimes, it feels like I have to repeat a few lessons with her when it comes to finding this new thing she likes and has to have." Arnold said. "I guess I'm just in awe that… the idea of marrying her? I don't know, if that were to happen, she'd probably just flaunt me off as some sort of trophy husband."
"Is that what you truly think of Rhonda now?" Gerald asked, causing Arnold to take pause. "Look man, I know you're worried, but it's just as you said. It's just a silly little game. It's not meant to be taken seriously."
Arnold looked over at his friend, still looking a little unsure. Gerald paused before giving a smile. "Look, why don't you think it over… think about your status with Rhonda? If you still think she's not perfect for you, then I think maybe you should be honest with her next time you see her."
This put Arnold deep in thought…
Later that night, Arnold was currently getting ready for bed for the night, his mind was still on Rhonda. In fact, he couldn't help but have the idea of him marrying Rhonda still lingering on his mind.
"Me and Rhonda… me and Rhonda…" Arnold said to himself as he sat down on his bed in thought. He tried to picture the idea in his mind, but gave a sigh. "Would it even work between us?"
He thought about it for the longest time, as he turned off the light and tried to go to sleep. And as he started to relax and sleep… he began to dream…
ARNOLD'S DREAM SEQUENCE
Arnold was slowly starting to come to reality as he was looking around, wondering where he was. He noticed he was standing on an alter somewhere, his old friends from elementary school, seemingly all grown up, with his grandparents sitting in the pews, looking rather proud of their grandson. Arnold then noticed his best friend, Gerald, standing next to him, and the minister in front of him.
"Wh-what's happening?" Arnold whispered to his friend.
Gerald gave a laugh to his best friend. "Man, don't tell me you already got the wedding jitters. You're about to be married!"
"Married?" Arnold said in surprise as he was about to protest… before looking around again, noticing everyone (save for his grandparents) were… he wanted to say, around sixteen years older than they were originally. He quickly looked at himself at a nearby mirror stationed in front of him, to see he was standing in a nice tuxedo, all aged up as well. So, Arnold, in his right mind, knew this was a dream, and decided to run with it. "Uh… y-yeah, of course I know that. I guess it is the nerves… uh, talking."
"Hey, nobody says that getting married to the girl you fell in love with and proposed to was easy." Gerald smirked. "It's the type of girl I'm surprised you ultimately went with, but hey, to each his own, I suppose."
"The… type of girl?" Arnold asked… but then kept silent as the song "Here Comes the Bride" played on the giant organ Ernie was playing. All attention turned towards a bride walking down the aisles, whose face was hidden behind the veil. The young football-headed man couldn't help but watch in interest as she came closer. For a brief moment, he wondered if the bride was Lila… but that would have been wishful thinking.
As the bride approached the altar and stood next to Arnold, Arnold turned to the tall woman with a smile. "You look… quite beautiful…"
"Oh, I do, do I?" The bride giggled as she pulled over her veil to reveal a smiling Rhonda's face. Arnold's eyes widened in shock, looking rather worried.
"Rhonda? I-I-" Arnold stammered for a moment, looking at Rhonda in shock. "This… this can't be happening!"
"Oh, it's happening, all right." Rhonda smirked. "I pulled out all the stops, Arnold. Got the best wedding of the century, the dress is the most wonderful dress that you've ever seen… why, I bet it even trumps the likes of Princess Diana!"
Arnold couldn't deny that it was a rather ravaging dress for Rhonda, but he shook his head defiantly. "B-but… is this for… real?"
"For real? Why, of course. You remember my old foolproof origami marriage predictor! It says you were destined to marry me…" Rhonda smirked before blowing her nails. "And I have a wonderful feeling we'll be the best couple, darling… especially when I get to flaunt you around."
"Flaunt me… around?" Arnold said in concern as he tried to look for a way out, only to see a few people guarding the doors. "Who are those guys?"
"Them? Oh, just some bodyguards that I personally hired to make sure nothing went wrong at our wedding day. I wouldn't step too close, they're VERY trigger happy." Rhonda whispered, causing Arnold to gulp.
The minister coughed as all attention turned towards him as he looked over at Rhonda. "Do you, Rhonda, take Arnold to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, honor and cherish till death do you part?"
Rhonda rolled her eyes before grinning. "I do, do, do, do, do!"
"And do you, Arnold, take Rhonda to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love, honor and cherish till death do you part?" The minister asked, turning to Arnold.
Arnold looked extremely nervous. On the one hand, if he said yes, he was agreeing to be a trophy husband. But if he said no, Rhonda would probably take it all over the top… it would be all over the news… and he'd probably be blacklisted as one of the world's worst men. Was he willing to risk a no?
"Well?" Rhonda asked, snapping Arnold back to the dream-reality.
"Uh, uh… y-yes! I do!" Arnold stammered… before realizing what he had just done. He looked over towards Gerald, who seemed to shrug with his face telling him 'good luck with the rest of your life'.
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." The minister said as he closed up his book.
Rhonda gave a small smile as she slipped the finger on his ring before slipping hers on as she admired it. "Ain't she a beaut, Arnold? You know, when you first proposed to me with this, I thought it looked a little gaudy, but now that I'm looking at it… yeah, yeah sapphire certainly matches the feel of my dress, doesn't it?"
Arnold said nothing as the rich woman pulled the football-headed man in for a large kiss, having no choice but to accept it… though, he had to admit, she wasn't such a bad kisser…
The next thing he knew, a flash of white came before his eyes as the scenery started to change. He was now standing in front of the Lloyd household as he looked around, looking rather surprised at the crowd before him. It seemed he was in a small social gathering as he was sitting next to his now-wife, Rhonda as she seemed to be chatting with her friends. He seemed to recognize at least Nadine and Peapod Kid, both of whom looked like they just came across a well-earned fortune, but otherwise, they were no other people that he recognized. And Rhonda just kept… talking in a vain sort of voice and showing a rather vivid green dress.
"And you know, when you hear that a new seaweed colored dress is in town, you just know that I have to go out and buy it. One of a kind, nothing that money couldn't buy." Rhonda giggled as Arnold looked around in confusion. "But hey, it's nothing compared to this wonderful new expensive phone that I just got."
With that, Rhonda fished out a large cellular phone from her pocket as she gave a grin. "New model. Just came fresh from the electronics store. Comes with a pretty nifty camera function, so we won't have to worry about buying unnecessary cameras, wouldn't you agree, sweetheart?"
Arnold realized that Rhonda was directly talking to him now as he looked concern, before giving a nod. "Yes, dear. It's a beautiful dress and a great phone."
Rhonda smirked as she crossed her arms before turning to the group of friends. "You see? HE likes it."
"Ooooo… ahhhh…" The friends stared in awe as Arnold tried to get up, only to stop short as he noticed something chained to his leg. Arnold's eyes widened as he noted a large jail ball linked to his ankle. The boy gave a small yelp as he tried to reach for the ankle lock, before Rhonda called to him.
He immediately snapped to attention as he turned to his rich wife. "Y-yes?"
"Be a dear, sweetheart and tell my dear friends just how much being rich means to the both of us?" Rhonda asked as she crossed her legs before sipping on a cool Yahoo soda.
Arnold looked rather nervous, but gave a small smile as he felt himself saying something that didn't feel like him at all. "Why, yes, my dear, being rich certainly has changed us in the last few years. Why, I don't think we've ever come to a point where we have run out of money…"
Rhonda laughed as she turned to the friends. "See? And it's true, too! We're a rich couple, leading a very, VERY rich life…"
Arnold laughed a bit as he looked over to his rather beautiful wife and whispered, "Hey, uh, Rhonda? I, uh, can't seem to move anywhere with this ball and chain on me."
Rhonda giggled. "Oh, how funny you are, Arnold. The ball and chain are quite necessary so that you won't run off on your own."
Arnold wanted to protest, shout in outrage, but that feeling never came. Instead, Arnold could only give a haughty laugh. "Oh, that is quite true. I don't know WHAT I was thinking…"
Arnold laughed a bit before sipping from his cool soda as his mind started to shout at him from within. What was all this? Was this married life with Rhonda? Why would he ever agree to just be seen as eye candy or a trophy? This wasn't… this wasn't what love should feel like! And so long he wanted to protest this, but nothing could come out of Arnold, nor could he say anything worthwhile.
"Well, well, isn't it time already?" Rhonda laughed as she looked at her watch before turning to Arnold. "I believe it's time for us to retire for the night, sweetheart. Thank you all for coming, but we really need this time alone."
"Yes, of course, dear." Arnold said in a rather monotone voice as he blinked twice.
Upon doing so, all of a sudden, everything around him had disappeared, save for his wife and an empty room in his new home. Deep within, Arnold was looking a bit dead inside, and Rhonda… was looking rather exhausted?
Arnold, from outside and inside, looked rather confused as Rhonda held her chest tightly. "Oh GOD, this is so stressful! I mean, I don't mind throwing the occasional party and whatnot, but keeping an image isn't easy!"
Arnold looked a bit confused as he asked, "Are you feeling okay, darling?"
Rhonda groaned as she held her head. "No, no, I'm NOT feeling okay at the moment. And do you know why? I don't mind the get-togethers, I don't mind hanging out with the rich folk, but… GOD, I just want to relax, you know? I know I have an image to maintain, but… it's been getting difficult lately, you know?"
Arnold could only watch as Rhonda held her head. "I can't help but wonder, ever since I grew up, am I doing the right thing, am I following so hard in my family's footsteps? And not only that, I'm not even sure how much money we spent on the last party. Granted, there were a few benefits to being poor back when I first lived in your family's boarding house, Arnold."
Arnold said nothing as Rhonda looked up at him expectantly, before sighing. "Ugh, I don't know. It's just… I want to actually make this work, you're always this amazing person…"
The young woman sighed as she stared out the window, Arnold just casually watching her as she continued, "And yet, I get constantly pressured by society sometimes, you know? Sure, it's fine getting a new thing that I constantly have to get… if it's in style… but in my mind, I know that eventually, something else will grow OUT of style, so by the time I finally get what I want, it's good for a few months, then… I just put it aside."
She turned and noticed the look on Arnold's eyes… the vapid look that looked curious, yet still trapped. She looked down. "I don't know, Arnold, do you think I'm taking this too far?"
Arnold paused for a bit as he noted his wife looking rather worried… before taking a deep breath. "Yes, Rhonda. You ARE taking this a little far. Look, it's okay to be rich, but you don't have to flaunt it off to everyone you see! I know you, Rhonda. I know you can be quite a sweet person, and I've seen you when you were younger actually attempting to be humble and nice…"
"You taught me how to be that way." Rhonda smiled a little, before giving a sigh. "Although, I guess since we married, we don't seem to be… seeing eye-to-eye. Oh my goodness, am I putting too much pressure on you?"
Arnold frowned. "I hate to say it, but yes. Sometimes, I think you only see me as some sort of trophy husband you want to flaunt or something… and the fact you have me in this chain is just… well, it's not becoming of a husband and wife, is it?"
Rhonda chuckled nervously as she gave a sigh. "I suppose the ball and chain was a little too far… I'm sorry, Arnold."
With that, she pulled out a key and unlocked the chain from the young man as he looked up at her. "I don't know HOW to convey my feelings as such, but I really DO appreciate you, I appreciate everything you've done… and look at me now. Reverting back to when I was young… I don't deserve you…"
Arnold looked over at Rhonda's long face as he couldn't help but feel his heart beat for her. After a moment, on his own volition, he walked over and pulled Rhonda into an embrace. Rhonda looked rather surprised as she looked over to Arnold. Arnold looked up to her as he said, "Rhonda… I was a little hesitant on the marriage, but… I know we can make it work. You're not just the richest girl I know, you're also independent, wonderful… and I'm not just saying that as some sort of trophy husband… speaking of which, I don't want to be treated as such."
Rhonda looked over to Arnold, before giving a small smile. "That's fair, Arnold. No more of this trophy husband business, you and I are equals! All right?"
Arnold finally looked at Rhonda for the first time, without all the frivolities, and saw not only her beautiful outside, but the rather sweet inside of her as well. Rhonda smiled as she clutched his hand, saying, "What do you want to do, Arnold? Anything you want, anything you desire, I'll be with you."
"And I with you." Arnold said, slowly coming around to the idea as the dream started to dissolve, the loud sounds of his alarm clock shouting in his ear.
END DREAM SEQUENCE
Arnold quickly woke up from his dream, the morning light shining through as he rubbed his head. "Man, what an odd dream, but…"
The boy paused before giving a small smile as he stretched his arms. As he started to get up and get dressed for the day, he couldn't help but think back to the last bits of his dream, about how sweet and rational Rhonda was. Maybe… perhaps…
Trying to hurry as fast as he could, he had ONE particular stop in mind…
Outside Rhonda's home, the young girl was pacing around, wondering how to break the news to everyone about the origami marriage predictor. Of course, she didn't want to reveal that she tried it on herself, and got a result that she PARTICULARLY didn't like. In fact, she felt rather outraged about this choice, refusing to believe that, out of all the people in her school, the marriage predictor gave Curly not once, not twice, but over a hundred times. This annoyed her to no end as she tried so hard to think about it… of course, she hated to be the bearer of bad news, but it had to be done.
And so, there she was, still waiting for the bus as she was counting in her head on HOW hard to break the news, when she heard a voice.
"Hey, Rhonda."
The black haired girl jumped as she turned to see Arnold approaching. She immediately calmed down a bit as she gave a smile. "Oh, good morning, Arnold. How are you?"
"Feeling a little good." Arnold smiled as he walked over to her. "Hey, uh, I was wanting to talk to you about the marriage predictor and the results."
"Oh… right…" Rhonda said. "Actually, I have a little something I wanted to say about the results, I'm sorry to say this, but-"
"Wait, before you say anything else, I'd like to have my say." Arnold said as he held up his hand. Rhonda felt a bit surprised and frowned, but she waved her hands to Arnold, permitting him to finish. "When you first gave the marriage predictor my result, about you marrying me, I wasn't… quite honest with myself. I had nothing against you, Rhonda, you're a wonderful girl, but I always thought you would be too…"
"Vain? Snobbish?" Rhonda frowned a bit, rolling her eyes… before sighing. "I guess I can be a little bit, but you know I can't help that. They're quirks. Endearing quirks!"
Arnold chuckled nervously, before shaking his head. "Well, I couldn't get the thought out of my head, and… I actually had a dream that I ended up marrying you."
Rhonda's eyes widened in surprise as she leaned over to him curiously. "Oh, so you dreamt about me? And we were… actually married? How was it?"
Arnold paused, trying to figure out the right words to say. "Well… I wouldn't say it was bad, but…" He noticed Rhonda wincing a bit before explaining, "But it wasn't the worse thing. Actually, you became rather… sweet in the end."
"I was? Awww…" Rhonda said, her shoulders feeling a bit relaxed.
"And… I was thinking. I guess we won't know about our futures unless we try it out for ourselves, right?" Arnold paused as he took a deep breath. "So… I guess what I'm trying to say is… I was wondering if… well…"
Rhonda raised an eyebrow in curiosity as Arnold tried to find the right words… before finally stumbling on them. "...Rhonda, would you like to… hang out this weekend? Just the two of us out on the town?"
The young girl looked rather surprised at the football-headed boy's offer as she looked at him with pure surprise… before a small smile grew on her face. "So… like on a date?"
Arnold blushed a bit as he gave a nervous chuckle. "I suppose you could say that…"
Rhonda paused as she looked over at him, then over at her origami fortune teller, realizing that Arnold had a point that nobody really knew about their futures… and if Arnold was more than interested in trying to see if a future with her would work… who was she to deny a gentleman's request? Especially if it came from Arnold himself.
Discarding the fortune teller in her bag, she gave a smile. "Sure, Arnold. I would love to hang out with you this weekend."
"Great!" Arnold smiled as he noted the bus coming. "Mind if we sit together and we can make some arrangements?"
"Sure." Rhonda smiled as the bus stopped in front of the two friends… as they both got on, with them talking about how to plan out their first date.
It was like Arnold had said, futures may not be set in stone, BUT it's only through actions and trying things out if something potential could work out. And in Arnold and Rhonda's case, it was about to be the beginning of a very beautiful relationship…
Well, that's this one-shot done and out! How did you guys like it? Well, my final thoughts on this... overall, I did what I could with the suggestion I was given, and it was interesting to write up a new way present Arnold and Rhonda, with Arnold slowly coming to terms on his feelings for Rhonda, and the pressures on an adult Rhonda... with her realizing that she can be pushed too far... still, this was a fun one, and I'm glad I was able to pull this off. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me, but otherwise, this was a rather fun AU one-shot! And to Indigo81, I hope you enjoyed your request! Anyway, thank you all for reading, and have a VERY wonderful day!
