Hi all! Sorry again about the time it took to get that last chapter out to you. Hopefully the length made the wait worth it? Also hoping you guys are liking where things are headed (but maybe not, so don't hate me lol). Don't fret, we still have fluff and lemons to look forward to in this story though I know the last chapter might have felt a little heavy. I want to thank all you guys for coming along on this journey with me! I have been thinking about a possible "open ending", where I can continue with another installment when I finish this story up. Let me know what you guys think! OKAY ENOUGH TALKING LOL. All cast and characters of Hey Arnold! belong to creator Craig Bartlett.
Chapter 6: Night in the woods
Come on, 3:15!
Helga was finally nearing the end of her first day of school at Hillwood Highschool. It didn't exactly play out the way she expected, she couldn't have guessed she would have broken down crying during her favorite class or had to deal with Sid so soon. All things considered, the day actually played out with relative ease in comparison to the last high school she attended. She carefully snuck her phone out of her pocket, careful so as not to catch the eye of her English teacher Ms. Morin. Only three minutes left until freedom. It was while checking the time that she noticed a text message from a number she didn't recognize.
"Hey Pataki it's Gerald I got your number from Phoebe. We were gonna play catch at Gerald Field after school, you want in?"
Helga tried to keep her happiness at bay as she read the text message, she didn't want to blow her cover to the teacher.
"Sure sounds good I'll meet you guys there!" She pressed send and her thoughts distracted her from the last few minutes of remaining class time.
I wonder if Football Head's coming? Shit I shoulda asked where his locker was earlier so I could find out. Should I text him, would that be weird? Although if everyone else is going I'm sure he'll be there. Her eyes widened and then narrowed into a loathsome glare, Is Sid going?
The bell chimed indicating that class had finally ended and Helga quickly went to her locker to retrieve any textbooks or supplies needed for her homework load. She didn't want to lose any time spent with her old classmates so she decided against stopping off at home first. She had dreamed of the day her and her friends could play catch again since the day she left Hillwood.
Helga figured she would be able to navigate there on her own. Gerald Field was relatively close to Slausen's where she had met with Phoebe just a few days prior. It was a little bit of a trek but the weather was decent enough she didn't mind. She slammed her locker shut and began her journey, almost giddy at the thought of reconnecting with her old classmates, and pushing the thought of Sid as far out of her mind as possible.
She only made it about ten minutes from the school when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.
"Hey Helga wait up!"
She turned to see a tall, gangly boy behind her, jogging to catch up. The boy finally closed the distance between them, his hands on his knees once he was finally caught up to her, panting heavily.
"Stinky, you're a sight for sore eyes. You heading to the lot?"
"Yeah," he talked between breaths. "Gerald said he'd be invitin' ya of course. You wanna walk together?"
"Sure what the hell, since we're both heading that way," she responded and gave him a hearty clap on the back.
Stinky smiled at her, finally erected to a standing position and the two teens headed towards their childhood playground.
"Aw man, I can't wait to play some catch! It's been a while, ya know?" She said, winding her arm and shoulder, stretching out the joints. "I can't wait to see Arnold's crappy throwing arm again."
Stinky raised an eyebrow at her, a puzzled expression painted his face.
"Uh, ya know that this ain't exactly Arnold's thing anymore, don'tcha?"
"Oh, uh I guess I didn't realize…"
She didn't know what else to say to that. Certainly she did in the back of her mind remember Phoebe mentioning something about Arnold quitting all of his previous normal activities - baseball being one of them. She couldn't help feeling a little disappointed, half of the fun when they were kids was Helga playing catcher for Arnold. When they got a little older they even worked on some pretty awesome calls and were dynamite as a team.
That's right. He isn't exactly that person anymore.
Stinky could sense Helga's sudden morose demeanor and offered a small smile.
"But I mean, ya never know right? Maybe he changed his mind," he said.
Helga felt in her heart of hearts that that would not be the case, but it felt better to play along than it did to wallow in her sadness.
"Y-yeah sure. I mean why the heck wouldn't he, this is like a family reunion for cripes sakes!"
The two teens smiled their fake smiles at each other and walked silently for a bit. Helga remembered Phoebe indicating that Stinky along with Harold had managed to better themselves after a couple years of living on the edge, sans Sid and Arnold. Everyone still seemed to have remained friends though, considering but that offered her little solace. She felt a bit strange, knowing that Stinky and Harold were a few notches above do-good Arnold on the morality totem. That's something she never would have expected. Stinky pulled her from her thoughts with a question.
"Hey Helga, what d'you think of Sid?"
She frowned at him, not exactly a fan of the question. "Uh I guess I don't think about him, Stinky. Why?"
"Well I just thought it was mighty strange that he and Arnold came to blows at Rhonda's. Sid wasn't exactly fittin' to tell us everything that happened, neither. I thought maybe you two had some kinda problem, not sayin' it's your fault or nothin'," he responded.
"The only one who has a problem is Sid. He's lucky that it was Arnold who hit him and not me," she muttered.
She hoped this conversation wasn't one that would come back to bite her. She always genuinely liked Stinky, he had a good heart even if he wasn't exactly the brightest kid. However she didn't expect to come home to a totally different Arnold Shortman or an obnoxious childhood friend either. Clearly she needed to reassess her preconceived notions about any of her old circle of friends. Stinky had something of a punk rock edge to him now, but the way he talked was still absolutely and authentically him.
"Helga about Sid, he say somethin' to ya? Somethin' fuckin' stupid? That why Arnold clocked him?"
Helga almost laughed at how perceptive Stinky was.
"Nothing gets past you, does it? Yeah, he was being a total creep as a matter of fact. Arnold was just trying to teach him a lesson, he didn't do anything wrong."
"I think I get what ya mean and I reckon it sounds like he deserved it," he said, shaking his head in disapproval. "Can't say it's the first time he's acted less than civilized around a pretty lady. Ain't the first time he's been knocked around for it, neither."
"Well do you know why? Has anyone tried talking to him?" She asked.
"All of us, probably. Harold and I for sure, anyway. He got jumped by some upperclassmen at the beginning of the summer after Wolfgang found out he was makin' some kinda pass at his girl at a party. He's got a bit of a reputation, really. The kid chases pussy like it's going outta style and then wonders why that doesn't sit well with some people," Stinky smiled a little awkwardly. "Sorry I uh, probably shouldn't talk like that in front of a lady."
Helga erupted in ferocious laughter, "Christ Stinky it's me you're taking to, not Mother Theresa. Well what ended up happening after that? Clearly he hasn't figured it out yet."
"Y'ain't wrong there. And basically nothin', he just laughed it off. But he did seem like he was toning it down some. At least I thought he was…" Stinky trailed off a little at the end as he spoke.
Helga could hear the disappointment in his words. She knew there was probably a lot he was keeping in but she didn't have the heart to pry that information from him. Sid was his friend, they'd been friends since before preschool just like her and Phoebe. And while it was clear he didn't care for his friend's actions, he still cared about him as a person. Really it said a lot about Stinky that he obviously wanted his friend to make good choices and be a better person. It was like Gerald and Arnold or her and Phoebe.
They finally approached Gerald Field and saw their friends had already gathered. All of them were boys which came as no surprise to her. Nadine and Sheena used to come along sometimes but Helga figured that they were busy with extracurriculars. Rhonda wouldn't be caught dead playing in the dirt and Phoebe wasn't exactly athletically gifted. Gerald and Harold were there, and even Iggy and Lorenzo had shown up. She smiled and gave Stinky a playful punch to the shoulder.
"You still got that killer throwing arm, Stinky?" She asked.
He smiled, "Depends. You still the best catcher in Hillwood?"
The two waved at their friends and found an old ball to toss around to each other, reliving the hay-day of their childhood. For even just this moment, they were all able to laugh, play and joke around. Just like they used to, before everything had gotten so complicated.
The remainder of the school week went by fairly routinely. Despite a rough first day, Helga was content with the way the rest of the week turned out. She sat with Phoebe, Gerald, Rhonda and Nadine pretty regularly for lunch time with Harold and Patty joining them on one occasion. She hadn't seen or heard from Arnold much even outside of lunchtime. It's not that she was necessarily avoiding him, but she needed to settle into school and felt obligated to tend to her old friendships.
Not only that, but even if she wanted to talk to Arnold, he wasn't exactly the easiest person to find. He might have also been a bit annoyed at her after she briefly called him out for skipping creative writing class on Wednesday. She noticed how he made a point to not only show up for the remainder of the week, but he was even coming in early. Despite their one class together, they were either working on their haiku assignment or their teacher was lecturing them on the history and applications of haiku poetry in Japan, and Friday was the day they were to present their pieces. That didn't give them a lot of time to speak to one another.
Sid was acting fairly benign, which gave Helga some relief. Thankfully, she only had to deal with him for 45 minutes of her day anyway. He seemed to be paying her no mind during gym class, which was the best scenario she could hope for. She wondered if maybe Stinky had said something to him regarding their conversation, or perhaps he had simply grown bored with teasing her.
Phoebe, Rhonda, Nadine and herself had even made a trip to the library after school on Thursday. That had been mostly at Nadine and Phoebe's suggestion, but regardless Helga was happy to be included. Though Rhonda was a bit of a distraction with her never-ending gossip and storytelling.
The final bell rang Friday afternoon, indicating the week had finally come to an end. Helga hummed to herself as she swapped out the necessary books and supplies for her weekend homework. She closed her locker and gasped as she turned around, and her body clenched up against her locker door. A blonde-headed boy gave a mischievous smirk and a chuckle at her reaction.
"For fuck's sake wear a bell or something around your neck Hair Boy," she growled.
"Sorry!" He replied as he laughed. "I just saw you by your locker and thought I'd come say hi. We haven't really been able to talk much this week."
Helga scoffed and gave him a smug smile, "Aw what? You miss me or something?"
Arnold leaned his shoulder against the locker, crossing his arms. His face was almost touching Helga's, she could feel his warm breath on her. Her heart was pounding against the back of her rib cage and she had to force herself not to look so surprised at his sudden closeness to her.
"Maybe I did, that a problem?" He said, his smile growing larger.
He advanced his face ever so slightly towards hers. Their lips were almost touching and she could feel herself being pulled to him, like a powerful static cling.
"God damn, can you two get a fuckin' room?" Gerald asked, his face contorted in disgust.
"Yeah, criminy Arnold," Helga exclaimed and gave him a quick shove. Her face was clearly flushed and she couldn't disguise her small smile. She was both relieved and disheartened that Gerald had approached them when he did. She could still feel the sparks popping from her lips like a faulty outlet. She glanced over to see the faintest hint of annoyance on Arnold's face. Clearly whatever he was trying to do had been thwarted by the approach of his friend.
"I wanted to see what you guys were up to tonight. Phoebe heard from Nadine who heard from Rhonda who heard from Katrinka that there's supposed to be a bonfire up Elk Mountain later. Kind of an end-of-summer bash. You guys in?" Gerald asked.
"Hell yeah I'll go!" Helga answered excitedly.
"Yeah I'm down," Arnold said. "How are you and Phoebe gonna get there?"
"I can drive all of us, I can't drink too much tonight anyway. Jamie-O is visiting from college this weekend so I can't really be hungover."
Helga felt a buzz in her pocket and took out her phone. She had a message from Phoebe asking if she wanted to meet her and Rhonda in the foyer to walk home together.
"Uh listen I gotta get going. Pheebs and Rhonda are waiting for me in the front of the school. I'll catch you guys later tonight!" She waved and gave a smile before quickly departing down the hallway. The two boys watched her until she quickly disappeared into the crowd. Arnold looked over and saw a smirk on Gerald's lips.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing man," Gerald said. "Hey I've been meaning to ask you, where you been during lunch? Haven't seen you all week."
"Oh uh, ya know. Around," Arnold answered, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.
"Uh-huh. Listen man, I know you like to go off and...do whatever it is you do sometimes. But it doesn't have anything to do with Pataki, does it?"
Arnold frowned at the accusation, "Of course not. I just figured that Helga would want to spend some time with Phoebe. Plus I kind of get the feeling she's been avoiding me this week, I kinda pissed her off Wednesday. Why? Have you guys all been eating lunch together this whole time?"
Gerald slapped a hand to his forehead, "My god Arnold, you really are dense. Of course we are. I'm guessing I've seen more of her in the last week than you have. Helga and Phoebe aren't exactly demanding to eat alone all the time."
Arnold groaned, "Look I get what you're trying to say. I guess I didn't even think to ask if she wanted to have lunch together."
"Arnold man, you know you can't lie to me. We've known each other for fourteen years, so don't try to start now," Gerald said firmly.
"Alright fine, whatever. She kinda figured out Tuesday during creative writing that I was a little stoned. She seemed pretty annoyed, which shouldn't've surprised me because she's always annoyed with me. Then Wednesday I kinda bailed on class and she got real pissy about it. I just thought I'd give her a little space, is all. I haven't even smoked during lunch since Tuesday. But honestly asking her to eat lunch with me seemed like a risky move."
Gerald sighed, "Was what I just saw right now 'a little space?' I get it, okay? You're fucking obsessed with the girl. But you're going about this all wrong. You can't ghost her for days and then suddenly trap at her locker at her after school."
Arnold knew Gerald was right. But his intention was never to confuse Helga by disappearing on her. He meant to talk to her in creative writing but she was always so focused he didn't dare disturb her. Sure, he could have sent her a text or something, but it seemed better to have her come to him when she wasn't upset. Now he was questioning whether that was all appropriate or if she instead thought he was pushing her away.
"Yeah you're right. I would really prefer not to fuck this all up. What do I do?"
Gerald smiled at him, "Well let me just say if there's one thing I'm good at it's charming the ladies. So you're in good hands. Now Pataki is a whole different breed of woman, so it's gonna take a different breed of man to win her over, you feel me?"
"Uh s-sure yeah," Arnold answered but obvious confusion painted his face.
"You're fucking hopeless I swear," Gerald said, clapping a hand to his forehead. "Okay so I think it's safe to say you're definitely a different breed of man. Now she used to be into you because you were the Casanova of a cliché love story, right? So your weird ass just has to show her that you still have some of that in you! Now - you've got the dark and mysterious thing down pat. It's time to show her you've got a sensitive side."
"I mean, she saw me cry the other day. That's pretty sensitive right?" Arnold asked.
"Oh god you cried?! Arnold, no one wants to be around a crying person. Tears ain't sexy, bro!"
Arnold was clearly battling himself inside as realization washed over him, "Shit! Well what do I do now? Ah fuck Gerald! I cried in front of her! Why did I do that?!'
Arnold slid down the lockers he was leaning against to the ground in defeat.
"Dude, this is hopeless."
"Don't fret, my stupid friend," Gerald said with a confident smirk. "Cause I got a plan to win her over."
Helga finished dropping off all of her school related items and was now walking to Rhonda's mansion. She didn't bother to change ahead of time but did apply a miniscule amount of makeup. She wanted to look good, but a bonfire wasn't exactly the type of scene where she needed to glam up or anything. She wore a white scoop-neck shirt that was stuffed into the front of her olive-drab joggers in a French tuck, and she wore a pair of gray Vans. The temperature had fallen a bit, so she made sure to wear in her black and gray flannel. She had a feeling that Rhonda's quick departure from Helga's house after their walk home meant she probably had a different idea of how she was going to present herself for the evening.
Rhonda had sent her the address and she was following the map app on her phone to get there. Thankfully the walk wasn't anything too crazy, and she had remembered enough of the car ride home with Gerald that she was fairly confident she wouldn't get lost. She found Rhonda's street and turned, eyeing the end of the driveway she had just been with Arnold less than a week ago.
God what a shit show that was, she thought but couldn't help reminiscing over the good parts of that night.
Helga buzzed the gate and though heard no response on the other side it swung open, none-the-less. She made her way up to the estate and knocked on the door. Rhonda immediately opened the door and frowned when she saw her blonde friend on the other side of the threshold.
"Seriously? You didn't even change!"
"Rhonda, it's a bonfire for crying out loud, not a gala," she retorted.
Rhonda sighed hopelessly and ushered Helga inside. They advanced up the large staircase and retreated to Rhonda's room. Helga was not wrong in assuming that her friend was overdressing for the occasion..
Rhonda wore a short sleeved, black lacy blouse with a matching black bandeau underneath. Her stomach was tastefully revealed behind the sheet of intricate lace and a Peter pan collar framed her slender neck. She had chosen to don a pair of white skinny jeans and back and white oxfords with a small heel. Her makeup was done with a subtle smokey eye and her shoulder length hair was styled pin straight.
"Princess you're gonna freeze in that thing," Helga remarked and pointed at her barely-there shirt.
Rhonda looked at her with a smirk and raised an eyebrow, "I'm fairly certain I won't, Pataki. You see I've got something even better than a jacket."
She held up an intricate silver and gold flask up to Helga's face and gave it a hearty shake back and forth. Helga took the flask from her friend, gave it a sniff and took a pull of the burning liquid. Her face contorted into a grimace at the taste.
"Aw yuck! Seriously Lloyd, you're bringing scotch to a fucking bonfire?"
Rhonda smiled, retrieved the flask and took a drink. "So Phoebe is Gerald on his way?" She asked. "It's almost 8:30 so we'll want to hit the road soon."
Phoebe wore a midnight blue v-neck shirt with a gray A-line skirt and black leggings. She had an oatmeal colored cardigan over her and wasawas wearing aga beanie along with some black flats. She took her phone out to see her boyfriend's ETA.
"He's only a few blocks away. Did everyone gather everything they need for the evening?"
Rhonda and Helga double checked they had all the essentials before nodding their reply. The three girls sat on Rhonda's bed sharing sips of the raven-haired girl's flask as they awaited Gerald's arrival. Phoebe's phone soon pinged indicating he was there and the three girls descended Rhonda's staircase together.
Helga felt her heart leap when she saw Arnold sitting in the passenger seat of Gerald's Subaru. He was wearing a red and blue flannel underneath a slate colored sweater. Just the site of the top half of him propelled her back in time. The outfit absolutely suited him and she couldn't help feeling an immediate attraction to him. The three girls approached the car and Arnold immediately exited from the passenger seat, offering it to Phoebe before joining Helga and Rhonda in the back.
Helga sat on the middle hump of the rear seat and Arnold's leg made very unavoidable contact with her thigh. She struggled between relishing the feeling of his leg against hers or ripping her own lower limb off and beating herself with it. She decided it best to stick with the former, nothing wrong with enjoying their roadtrip, right?
Arnold could smell Helga being so close to her in the cramped backseat of his friend's car. Gerald kept saying something to him about "easing in" with some light contact. However he was feeling very cowardly at that moment and he couldn't even begin to understand it. Last weekend they were all over each other, this shouldn't be any different. If anything, the gesture was much less implicative compared to the other things they had been doing, so why was this so hard? He was starting to regret rehearsing this stuff with Gerald, it added an extremely dense layer of pressure that he hated.
Helga suddenly felt a warm hand clap the top of her knee. She looked over with wide eyes at Arnold. He was staring out of the window, watching the scenery passing them as they winded their way up the mountain road. She chose to focus on the music coming from the speakers at the front of the vehicle. She recognized the artist immediately as Kehlani and wasn't surprised, Phoebe and Gerald had really started getting into her music after they saw her in concert about a year ago. R & B wasn't necessarily Helga's favorite genre, but she could certainly appreciate a talented musician no matter the style of music. The music succeeded in easing a bit of the tension she felt at this point.
Ah what the hell, she thought and clapped her right hand over the back of Arnold's and felt practically his entire body jolt at the action. She smirked to herself, knowing that she could still evoke that kind of reaction from him. Their fingers naturally interlaced and she could feel his eyes on her. She had her face gently resting on the fist of her left hand and cocked her head up slightly to meet his gaze. He gave her a warm, crooked smile and squeezed her hand in response. He was so handsome and she found it hard to make her eyes move away from him.
Helga was so beautiful bathed in the encroaching orange and violet twilight. Had she always been this attractive? Arnold remembered a few classmates discussing the "hot new girl" when she had joined their class. He couldn't help thinking that those words were so meaningless, so poorly descriptive. It was clear to him that he wasn't the only one looking at her, and even though he didn't appreciate the looks coming from boys with impure intentions he wanted the world to know just how fucking gorgeous, intelligent and strong she actually was. However she had always been an extremely polarizing person and this still held true. Most of the boys and girls from their school didn't appreciate someone so outspoken and blunt, and the whisperings expressing interest quickly turned less positive.
The girls called her a bitch and the guys called her an ice queen but Arnold knew she was neither of those things. He had always respected the tough side of her, but was also fortunate enough to experience her soft and caring side. No one was more fiercely loyal, nor did they harbor an ounce of the conviction to their beliefs that she did. With Helga what you see is what you get, and he always admired her madly for that. Not a lot of people were willing to fuck with that kind of energy whereas he actually craved it.
Helga felt a very light nudge from her left side, so light in fact that she thought it was maybe an accident. When the sensation happened again she turned her head to look at Rhonda who had an eyebrow raised and was giving her friend a smug half-smile as she sipped from her ornate flask. Helga rolled her eyes, trying her best to conceal her smile from Rhonda's prying eyes. Arnold and Helga never dared to let go of the others' hand, letting this sweet moment envelop them as Gerald's old Subaru followed the winding road of Elk Mountain.
A few cars had already beat them to the top and Helga felt much more comfortable here than at Rhonda's as she now could recognize those around her. She even remembered a few of their names which she thought was miraculous considering how little she actually cared about these people. Most everyone had a can of beer or a red solo cup in their hands, standing close to the roaring fire, chatting and laughing amongst themselves.
Gerald had come prepared which Helga very much appreciated. He brought along enough foldable camping chairs for everyone to sit in as well as some blankets just in case. Helga was unsurprised to see Rhonda lay claim to one of the blankets shortly after arriving there, wrapping it around her shoulders before sauntering off to socialize with their peers. Arnold and Gerald had disappeared for a short while, and when they returned had brought two extra cans of beer for Helga and Phoebe. Arnold grabbed a chair and pulled it up beside Helga, offering her the unopened beer.
"Here, figured you might be wanting one of these," Arnold offered with a smile.
Helga took the can and popped the top open, "Yeah I do, thanks Arnoldo."
They both stared wordlessly into the roaring fire for a bit. Thankfully neither was feeling too awkward after their silent hand holding in the car. Finally Arnold broke the silence. "Say uh, I really like what you did with your hair," he said.
"Seriously? Well thanks I guess," she said.
The truth was her hair was in a rather high and hastily made ponytail with a pink scrunchie fastened around it. Surely it wasn't anything special, still she appreciated the gesture.
She opened her mouth to continue speaking, "I really like your outfit, actually. I know this probably sounds dumb but it kinda reminds me of the stuff you used to rock when we were kids."
"In a good way, I hope?"
"Yeah bucko, in a good way," she said smiling.
It was actually Gerald's idea to wear this. His advice was to try to plant little reminders throughout the night to invoke feelings of romance. It was strange really, Arnold hadn't explicitly told Gerald that he wanted to really pursue her, yet here his friend was, shelling out tips and plotting to win her over. Normally Arnold might find this annoying, he pulled the same stunt right before Arnold and Lila started dating. But given the circumstances and who the girl was, he supposed he could tolerate it and even appreciate his friend's actions.
Helga sipped her beer as she watched the orange flames lick the logs in front of her. She hadn't been to something like this since the first week of freshman year when she was in California. The teens there usually liked to party at the beach homes of their pretentious classmates. She was lucky she had attended a different highschool than all her former junior high classmates or she probably wouldn't have been invited at all. Of course, her freshman year didn't end up being such a walk in the park either and was never invited to another party after that one.
"Listen Helga," Arnold said suddenly, making her jump a bit. "I feel kinda bad about the other day in class."
"Oh that? Well quit skipping class and just don't be an idiot about how high you are and it won't be a probl-"
"I'm not talking about that," he said sternly. "I'm talking about the memory piece I wrote. I swear if I had any idea you were gonna be in that class I would have picked something else.
Helga's eyes flitted to the ground giving her a downcasted expression. The horrible feeling of guilt built up inside her once again.
"It's not something you need to be sorry for, okay? It's not your fault that it upset me or whatever, it's my fault."
"I don't get it, how is it your fault? You didn't make me write it," he said with confusion.
"I mean that it's my own fault that I got upset. It's me who upset me, not you. And I might as well have made you write that, it's because of me that you wrote it like that to begin with."
"I'm not following."
"Oh for crying out loud, Arnold! Don't you ever wonder about what might have happened if I'd never left? If I hadn't decided to just fucking ignore you for five years?" She paused to let out a sigh. "Did...did I ruin your life?"
Arnold was surprised by the question. In a way, he certainly thought that she did. He remembered Gerald coming over after school when he had been refusing to attend classes. He remembered countless nights where he was angry and depressed. He remembered (or rather didn't remember) drinking until he was blacked out and having panic attacks recalled to him by his friends the next day. He really hated her for a long time, he hated everything about her. Yet all it took was one stupid look at her in a skin-tight, satin dress and all of that hatred evaporated.
The truth though was that had they stayed together things may not have panned out for the best. Would they have been able to survive a long distance relationship, and as middle schoolers no less? And even if the move had never taken place, they may not have stayed together anyway. Even Gerald and Phoebe have broken up before, but they were able to reconcile. Would Helga and Arnold have been so lucky?
Arnold also knew he couldn't place the blame on her solely, a lot of this was his own doing. He never tried to better himself, never tried to find a healthy outlet for his misery. His parents were really the catalyst for the way he is today. If anything, they were more to blame than anyone.
"Did you ruin my life? No. Did you make me fucking miserable for a long time? Absolutely," he said with little hesitation.
Helga had mixed feelings about his answer, on one hand she was relieved that he didn't say something worse, but on the other hand it's not like she was totally vindicated here. Not that she expected to be, this was probably the best this conversation could have gone, all things considered.
"Really Arnold," she said after they sat in silence for a brief time. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I hate that I did that and I hate that I hurt you so badly. That I hurt myself so badly. If I could take it back…" she trailed off, finding it difficult to finish that last sentence. Arnold took her hand in his and smiled a very soft and understanding smile.
"That means a lot. Really," he said.
"Alright, enough of this sappy shit though. My beer is almost empty, you want one?"
"Oh uh, why don't you let me go and-"
"I'm not crippled, Football Head. You want another beer or not?"
He smiled and nodded and with that she disappeared into the dark to track down more alcohol. She certainly had a knack for thwarting all of his attempts at chivalry, but he didn't expect anything less. Helga walked past Stinky and Harold who said their hellos and gave a wave as she walked by. She saw Patty holding Rhonda up by her ankles to do a keg stand and laughed, shaking her head at the sight. Clearly someone had decided to downgrade from their expensive scotch after a certain threshold of drunkenness had been breached. She found a red cooler with the top open full of the beer her and Arnold had just been drinking. Helga reached down and grabbed two out of the ice.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a boy in a black leather vest talking in close contact to a short brunette girl who wore a very unflattering amount of makeup. The girl had slightly disheveled hair, and whatever he said must have been pretty hilarious because she was laughing obnoxious at everything he was saying. Either that or she was an idiot, and once Helga confirmed it was indeed Sid the girl was talking to she knew that the latter was the most likely. His eyes caught her gaze and he stared back at her for a moment before refocusing on the girl in front of him, completely uninterested in Helga's presence.
She was relieved he chose to ignore her as she approached Arnold with their drinks. She saw Harold and Stinky talking and laughing with him. The three of them were passing around a bottle of Jack Daniels and they all turned to wave at her as she approached.
"Oh hey Helga!" Harold said. "You wanna get in on this bottle?"
"Ah what the hell, why not? I can't turn down whiskey," she said as she took the bottle from Harold. Stinky offered her the bottle of Coca Cola he was holding. She took a pull off the bottle and chased the burning libation with some of the soda. She felt her body give an involuntary tremor as she handed the whiskey to Arnold.
He put the bottle to his lips and took noticeably generous swigs, not bothering to chase it down.
"Jesus Hair Boy, slow down a little. We haven't even been here an hour yet."
"Yeah I guess you're right," he said before taking another smaller drink and passing the bottle along to Stinky.
"Who'd y'all come up with?" Stinky asked.
"Arnold, Pheebs, Rhonda and I all rode up with Gerald. What about you guys, you're not driving are ya?" Helga asked.
"Nah we caught a ride with Patty. She's not drinking on account of some project she's gotta start tomorrow," Harold said and motioned to his girlfriend on the other side of the bonfire talking with Rhonda and another one of their classmates.
"So what's the deal with you two anyway?" Harold asked suddenly. "You guys dating now or what?"
Both blondes looked at each other nervously and clearly neither one knew how to answer that question. Helga was still trying the "take-it-slow" route, she didn't want to jump into something neither of them were ready for. Though when she was actually in his presence, that got harder and harder for her to uphold.
Arnold was trying to better at least parts of himself, he wanted to be as sweet and kind as he could. If they ended up together, he certainly welcomed it, but he knew it wasn't something that would happen overnight. He also had a feeling they would be in for a bit of an interesting ride if she ever decided she wanted to pursue things.
"Bottle," Helga commanded, holding out her hand. Stinky obliged by handing her the Jack Daniels with the bottle of Coke. She took a long pull, tilting her head back as the contents of the bottle slowly waned. Arnold's eyes widened, Impressive, he thought. She finally pulled the bottle from her lips and immediately followed it with the soda, her face wincing from the burning alcohol. She sighed and handed both bottles to Arnold, who casually took a few drinks himself.
"Okay, that's better," she said. "No we're not dating Pink Boy, we're just friends."
"Well damn, I guess I kinda thought y'all were going steady," Stinky said.
"Yeah me too," said Harold, his tone indicated he wasn't buying what they were selling. "You don't exactly seem like the 'just friends' type. So prove it, prove that you don't like each other."
"Prove it? What the fuck do you mean pro-"
Arnold suddenly grabbed Helga and pressed his mouth against hers. Lust bubbled up inside of her at the contact, and his hands were entangled in her hair as he cradled the back of her head. His tongue found its way into her mouth, and she reciprocated, tasting alcohol but not caring. She heard someone clear their throat, and she soon fell back into reality, pulling herself away from Arnold.
"We don't have to prove a fucking thing," Arnold said.
Stinky and Harold both had mixed looks of intrigue, confusion and something like disgust painted on their faces. Everyone passed the bottle around a few more times silently until Harold and Stinky were pulled away by Patty calling them over to give her a shot.
As soon as they were out of ear shot, Helga whipped her head to face Arnold.
"What the hell Football Head," she hissed. "What kind of 'friends' do shit like that?!"
Arnold shrugged, clearly uninterested in her fury. "I dunno? What kind of 'friends' hold hands in the car, what kind of a 'friend' gives you a hand jo-"
Helga clapped a hand over his mouth. "Fine, point taken. I shouldn't have said that, I just panicked." She could feel a smile against her palm and she pulled her hand away.
"I know," he said. "It was kinda funny, really. And I figured messing with those two idiots would be even funnier."
Helga gave a chuckle but rolled her eyes. She could feel a bit of a fuzziness in her head and a warmth spreading from within her. She hadn't drank like that in a while and probably could have gone without the whiskey but it was a bit late for that now. She had only had a few drinks at Rhonda's and had gotten pretty drunk, she shuddered to think what her hangover tomorrow may entail. At least she wasn't drinking sugary punch this time.
She took her phone out to check the time, 10:18. Gerald made it clear they all leave at a quarter to midnight so he could drive everyone home and make it to his house by his midnight curfew. The effects of the alcohol were strengthening and she barely realized Arnold told her he would be right back until disappeared behind a few people. She quickly found herself becoming very lonesome, and was very happy when he returned to her.
"Arnoooold you're back thank goodness," she said, her speech a bit slurred.
"What do you mean? I was gone for like three seconds."
"Three seconds too long! Where'd you go, anyway?" She asked.
"To bum one of these from Harold," he replied and lit the cigarette he just placed in his mouth.
"Wait d'you smoke?"
"Sometimes. Usually only if I'm kinda buzzed," he said.
"Wait you're drunk?"
"A little bit. You definitely are though," he said with a chuckle and flicked her forehead.
"Am not!" She protested and used her arms to swat his hand away, causing her chair to tip at her clumsy actions. Arnold caught her chair by the arm and righted it, giving her a smirk. "Alright alright, maybe a little," she admitted. "Where'd Pheebs and Gerald head off to?"
Arnold flicked the end of his cigarette and used his thumb to motion to Gerald's car. Helga's eyes got wide as she erupted into laughter.
"Aw gross what the fuuuck," she said. Arnold laughed and shook his head.
"They're not doing that you weirdo. Uh, I overheard them having an argument when you went to grab those beers for us."
"Oh," Helga replied and her laughter suddenly ceased. "Wait, why are they fighting?"
Arnold shrugged and took a drag off his cigarette, but the truth was he knew exactly why. Gerald had made a comment to Arnold about remembering to act cool and to be a gentleman and that Helga would be putty in his hands. Phoebe overheard and did not appreciate their secrecy, nor the implications of Gerald's statement. Gerald tried to insist that it was a good thing, that Arnold just wanted Helga to see him the way that she used to and that she could be really great for him. He tried to remind Phoebe of the former relationship between their two friends, and how much fun they all used to have. Meanwhile she reminded Gerald how Helga is a person and not some prize to be won. She made it clear that she didn't feel like Helga's feelings were being considered amidst their plotting. They had retreated to the car and had been sitting inside ever since.
Oops, Arnold thought and remembered the spontaneous kiss they displayed to half of the party. So much for acting courtly.
He peered over at Helga, she took tentative sips from her can and stared at the fire with a distinct vacancy behind her eyes, her torso swaying side to side a bit as she sat. She was obviously intoxicated and he couldn't help being amused by the sight of her like that. But he couldn't just let her get too hammered, that wouldn't be fun for her. He looked around before putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey don't go anywhere, I'll be right back okay?" He said and flicked his cigarette butt into the fire.
"W-what no where're you going?!"
"I said I'll be right back, just hang tight okay?"
Her lips formed a very distinct pout and her eyebrows knitted together over two blue puppy dog eyes. The sight of her like that melted him. He crouched down and got very close to her face.
"Look I'm going to grab you some water, okay? And Gerald put the blankets back in his car, aren't you a little chilly?" He asked. She nodded but her face retained the same pleading expression. "Okay, so just wait here I'll be right back," he paused and leaned towards her ear. "And please stop looking at me like that or I'll do to you what I did the last time you had that look on your face."
Helga shivered as he pulled away, his hair sweeping across her cheek. His body heat disappeared with him as he walked to Gerald's car. He wasn't wrong, it was starting to get a bit cold and she could feel nausea taunting her insides. The others must have thought so as well as they piled a few more logs on the fire. She thought about what he just said to her, it dawned on her the last time she pleaded like that with him was when he was pleasuring her in his bed. Her cheeks suddenly reddened, Wait, where does he get off telling me that? He's not the only one who can play this game.
She smiled a sinister smile and he soon rejoined her. She took the bottle of water from him and drank it generously. He handed her the blanket, holding one for himself under his arm and an idea formed in her head.
"Well they seemed like they were ready to get back to the party, so that's good," he quipped.
"Hand me that," Helga said. He raised a confused eyebrow at her but obeyed and handed her his blanket. She laid it on the ground near the fire and beckoned him to her. "Well don't just stand there Football Head, come sit with me."
Arnold did as Helga said and sat on the blanket to the left of her. She took the large microfiber blanket in her hand and put it over her right shoulder, offering him the other half. He did the same, wrapping himself up alongside her. The blanket was large enough to easily envelop them both and Helga snaked her arms around him, hugging him closely to her. She hesitated for a moment, This is probably such a stupid fucking idea.
Still, she gently worked one of her hands up the bottom of his shirt and lightly traced her fingers along his spine. She looked up at him and he caught her gaze.
"Remind me again," she said in a low voice that made this heart skip a beat. "What was it you said you'd do to me?"
Helga continued tracing shapes along the middle of Arnold's back, making goosebumps rise across his skin.
"Oh uh, I dunno I was just being stupid," he lied, and his head was suddenly very clouded with a certain action he performed and had reimagined at least a hundred times. He froze as lips gently peppered his neck with kisses.
Arnold tried to steady his breathing, but it was in vain and he inhaled sharply when Helga started suckling his neck. He could feel himself growing between his legs and had to stifle a moan when her teeth sank into his earlobe. She snickered quietly.
"You like that?" She asked in a teasing voice.
God yes, he thought and planted his lips on hers, wasting no time in slipping his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues danced for a moment and it took him a few seconds to realize her mouth had abruptly left his own. His eyes slowly opened and he saw her looking at him with an amused smile.
"Don't look at me like that," she said in a low, sultry voice. "Or I'll do to you what I did the last time you had that look on your face."
Arnold was nervous as Helga held his hand, leading him away from the party into the woods. He clutched the blankets tightly under his free arm, his eyes darting all around him as they struggled to adjust to the darkness. To his relief she seemed to be traipsing around rather well through the thicket, and hoped this meant she had managed to sober up a little.
Helga smiled to herself despite the small voice in the back of her mind telling to stop whatever the fuck she was doing and turn around. The truth was in that moment she no longer cared about the notion of doing the right thing. They could create a mess together, a beautiful mess that didn't need any sort of validation or approval from anyone. She was already too invested, too attached to stop herself from half-hazardly plowing into his heart. She was feeling much better by now, having sucked down the contents of the water bottle with vigor. The nauseousness that was permeating through her had disappeared, though she would be lying if she said she had become magically sober.
They were far enough from the party now that the voices of everyone were muffled to near inaudibility, and the roaring bonfire was now a small orange glow in the distance. She took the blanket from Arnold and laid it down on a small clearing. She grabbed him by the collar of his flannel and pulled his face to hers, her tongue immediately seeking his. Her breath was ragged and hungry, and Arnold's heart was pounding so hard at her voracity that it threatened to explode.
Her hands grasped at his hair and her teeth pulled at his bottom lip. There was a passion igniting between them that had begun as a small spark between their tangled hands in the car, but now progressed to a raging fire that burned hot and wild. She pushed him down onto the blanket, letting herself gently fall on top of him. She could feel how hard he was against her pelvis, which only fed her hunger for him.
Arnold's mind was stuck somewhere between confusion, lust and elation. Helga was so fiercely engaged with him he barely had time to process what was happening. Everything about this was exactly what Gerald advised him not to do, and everything Phoebe had inferred from the boys' conversations earlier in the night. He never was one to take advice from others', even well-meaning advice that he would be wise to follow, so why start now? None of that mattered when the most beautiful girl in the world was rubbing against you and quite literally breathing life back into you. Never had Arnold ever felt more alive than he did right now in the forest with Helga.
They grinded their bodies against one another so forcefully it was truly a miracle that they hadn't worn holes into their clothes. It was clear kissing wasn't going to be enough as Helga fiddled with Arnold's belt and started unbuttoning his jeans. Suddenly a thought struck Arnold and he grabbed her wrists firmly. She pulled her lips from his and scowled at him.
"There a problem?" She asked.
"W-well it's just, we've had a lot to drink, I don't want you doing anything you regret."
Helga was a bit touched by that, There's the shy, noble idiot I adore.
"You don't have to worry. I'm not going to do anything I wouldn't do sober," she said with a wicked smile. "Do you trust me?"
Arnold nodded and with that Helga kissed his lips and touched her tongue to his so gently he thought he might melt into a puddle beneath her. She finished unbuttoning his pants and slowly moved her mouth down, showering him with kisses down his neck. She lifted his shirt and peppered his chest and stomach with her gentle, wet kisses as she continued her descent down his body. He anticipated what might be going to happen and had to keep himself calm. Only in his wildest dreams did he ever think this might happen. Helga pulled his pants down to his thighs and he felt sweaty and almost shaky all of a sudden, but he knew it wasn't from the whiskey.
Arnold felt Helga's hand grab him while her soft lips teased the tip of his shaft, followed by her warm, wet tongue tracing circles around him. He thought he might lose it right then and there until her mouth descended upon him, he groaned so loudly he was sure someone could probably hear him but he didn't care in the least if they did. His hands fell to the back of her head and he had to force himself not to thrust into her mouth as her head bobbed up and down.
Oh fuck, he thought as she used her tongue to applied pressure to various parts of his member. She frequently changed her rhythm and speed between hard and fast to slow and sensual and he moaned in sync to her movements. The sensation was unreal, the feeling of her mouth around him was something he had envisioned countless times but was unparalleled to how wonderful it actually felt. He tried to contain himself to prolong the pleasure she was bringing him. It didn't take long for the ecstasy to build and his hands balled up and he yanked at her hair. Helga read his body language, tightening her lips and pressing her tongue into his length.
Arnold thought for a moment he saw a light in the distance but ignored it as his member released overwhelming pleasure. Helga continued her motions, taking his cum into her mouth as he moaned wildly. Once his body relaxed, she took her mouth from him and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. She gave him a satisfied smile that abruptly disappeared at the sound of footsteps and the sight of a white light flitting around through the trees.
"I thought I heard someone," a girl's voice said very near to them. Helga quickly tried to untangle and smooth down the hair on the back of her head. Arnold was panicking and pulled his pants up hurriedly, fumbling with his belt. He winced when a bright light spotlighted the two teens and their implicative position.
"Well, well, well," Sid said with a sneer, holding the bright flashlight so the light stayed fixed on them. "What are you two doing?"