Hellooo all! Ok my mind was apparently in the gutter writing that last chapter lol. I promise they won't just be partying all the time, but I am trying to establish their shitty habits and quirks, if that makes sense. This chapter we will see a little more Gerald and Phoebe so I hope that was something that was on your radar. I absolutely love these two characters, they were probably among my favorites from the show even as a kid. Very dialogue-y content in this one. Anyway, hope you liked the last chapter and that you will enjoy this one as well! All cast and characters of Hey Arnold! belong to creator Craig Bartlett.

Chapter 8: Night moves

"Gerald I might have fucked up but I don't know yet," Arnold said on the phone with his backpack slung over his shoulder, making his way back home from Helga's house.

Gerald slapped a hand to his forehead, "Of course you did. Alright, the fuck you do this time?"

"Shit, I don't even know where to start," Arnold muttered.

"Is it really that bad? Is that why you sound so wound up?"

Arnold sighed, "So I kinda convinced Helga to ditch school with me for the rest of the day-"

"Wait a minute, I thought she was sick?"

"Nah she just pretended and got Bob to excuse her," Arnold explained.

"Jesus okay, keep going."

"Well we only really left to begin with because she uh, well," Arnold hesitated. "She kinda wanted to do some blow."

"What? Oh god Arnold, Phoebe's gonna flip her lid at you two if she finds out, ya know that right?" Gerald warned. "You know how protective she is of Pataki."

"Yeah, yeah I know okay? We can deal with Phoebe later. I get it though, why Phoebe is always on the defensive around her. Helga told me about her ex Tyler," he chuckled wearily. "I might be a horrible influence Gerald, I dunno."

"Oh you think? You're taking the girl outta school and feeding her drugs," Gerald replied with disapproval. "You still all coked out? That why you sound so weird?"

Arnold inadvertently started blushing. "Uhh-" he started with his voice seemingly climbing several octaves. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Kinda. I mean, yeah I definitely still am."

"Arnold. Spill it already," his friend commanded. "You're freaking me the fuck out."

"We sort of slept together," Arnold muttered.

"Hold up. When you say slept together, like y'all had a little nap or?"

"...No."

The other end of the line fell silent. Arnold waited for a reply but when one didn't come he thought maybe the call had been dropped. He checked his screen and verified he was still indeed connected to his friend.

"Uh, Geral-"

Laughter erupted from the other end of the line, Arnold was certain he was as red as an overripe tomato at the cacophony of howls coming through the receiver. God does he really have to laugh like that? he thought in embarrassment and annoyance.

"Holy SHIT Arnold. You're tellin' me you and Pataki, who you ain't even with, in case you've forgotten-"

"I haven't forgotten," Arnold muttered through gritted teeth.

"You skipped school, did drugs and fucked?"

"Ugh. Yes, okay? To all of that."

"Oh man Phoebe is gonna kill you bro," Gerald said very matter-of-factly.

"You really don't have to keep reminding me of that."

"Damn you two are twisted. Well, may I just say welcome to the club. It's about time your mopey ass got laid. I gotta hand it to ya, though. You sealed the deal quick. It took me like three years to get that far with Phoebe. So how was it?"

"How was what?"

"The coke of course," Gerald said sarcastically. "God, the sex you idiot."

"Oh god, dude," Arnold gushed.

"That good, huh?"

"I-I mean, I guess I don't really have anything to compare it to," he admitted.

"Trust me, you'd know if it was bad," Gerald said with a chuckle.

"So what do I do now?"

"HA. The fuck if I know. You've dug yourself into a hole, my friend. You even figure out if she wants to be with you? Why she asking you for drugs anyway?"

Arnold groaned, "I didn't really ask. She told me she liked me, that's a good sign right? And I honestly don't know, I was as shocked as you were when she asked me."

He had decided to take the bus for the last stretch home and thoughtlessly scanned his bus pass before taking a seat in the back. He still had some energy from his drug-fueled afternoon, but his legs were like Jell-O at this point and he was getting winded trying to talk to Gerald and walk at the same time.

"Well I think it was pretty obvious that she likes you after everything that went down at Rhonda's party," Gerald remarked.

"Yeah, that was pretty awesome," Arnold replied dreamily, his thoughts taking him back to the night in his bedroom.

Gerald sighed and rubbed his eyes, "At the party. Not after, lover boy. Okay, okay so she said she liked you, you said it back I'm guessing?"

"Yeah definitely. I mean, I don't think I've been being very subtle even before I said it, anyway."

"You could say that again," his friend muttered. "Forgive me for pointing out the obvious here, but Arnold have you ever thought about just asking her out? Like a normal person?"

"Yeah but it's...complicated," he admitted.

"Of course it is," Gerald's eye roll was almost audible at that point. "Look, I dunno what to tell you. There isn't ever going to be a one hundred percent ideal time for you to get back together with this girl. Uh, no offense or anything. But c'mon, you really think she's gonna say no?"

"That's not the problem. I'm pretty sure she'd say yes, but there's a whole mess of shit that I'm pretty sure she would not be cool with."

"Christ, what exactly are you talking about? The fuck you get yourself into now?"

Arnold got off at his stop and walked down the block, arriving at the steps of the boarding house. He sat at the top of the stoop, his head resting on his hand and took a deep breath. This was stuff he was really hoping he wouldn't have to ever tell Gerald about, but he was feeling lost and needed his friend's guidance. He would have to tell him.

"Alright. Let me start from the beginning."

No, this wouldn't be cool. It's a major invasion of privacy, I can't just go through his shit like that, Helga thought, putting the curious canister on her bedside table. Someone should teach his ass that.

She paced around her room in discontent. It had been a strange day, to say the least. She wanted to talk to Phoebe and decided to check the time; 5:15. She would likely be doing homework but knowing Phoebe she was probably already close to finishing it. Her family ate dinner like clockwork at 7:00 and she knew her friend liked to have her school work finished before then. She took her phone out and selected Phoebe from her contacts, the line trilled a few times before her friend answered.

"Hello Helga. I heard you had taken ill this afternoon, are you feeling any bette-"

"Yeah, yeah hi Pheebs. Look, I wasn't actually sick, okay? I uh," her voice lowered before finishing her sentence. "Kinda skipped school with Arnold."

"Oh Helga, you didn't," Phoebe said with a slight intonation of disappointment. "Surely you'll be punished for an unexcused absence?"

"Nah I worked it all out, Bob had called me out for the afternoon. Okay look, you know how I didn't sit with you at lunch today?"

"Certainly I noticed, I just figured it was because you were sick. Clearly that was not the case. So what did you and Arnold do, exactly?" Phoebe asked suspiciously.

Helga hesitated and sucked in a sharp breath, "Well, we kinda...got high and had sex at my house." There was a long pause on the other end of the line.

"One moment Helga, I think something is wrong with our connection. Surely you didn't just say what I think you said."

"Pheebs, we did a bunch of cocaine and fucked," Helga said seriously.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Helga winced at her friend's language. She was expecting a reaction like this, but regardless of how Phoebe may feel personally about the matter she knew that her friend would always give her sound advice. No matter what. Phoebe had the longest relationship of any of her peers, and never hesitated in giving honest and sensible advice. Why did she even ask Arnold about that? What the hell was she thinking? It's not like it was her first rodeo playing around with something like that, but was she that desperate to understand this strange side of him?

"Look, I get it. It was really stupid of me."

"He's a bad influence," her friend stated.

"It was kinda my idea," Helga admitted. She knew that Arnold had a hand in it sure, but he didn't force her to do anything. She was the one who stupidly asked him for drugs and set the whole thing in motion. Phoebe growled into the phone.

"I'm struggling to form a response, quite honestly. And I can't believe you asked him for drugs." The girl sighed and forced her eyes shut, trying to figure out how to navigate the conversation. "Where exactly did you get...that anyway? And why?"

"C'mon Pheebs, you can't act so surprised, you know I've done it before. And he just had it on him I guess," Helga replied.

"I understand your...illicit inclinations, from time-to-time, but usually you're smart enough to only feed them during more appropriate occasions. And he had it at school? You don't find that the least bit strange?"

Helga paused for a moment, "Okay sure, yeah it's kinda strange I guess."

"Helga I understand how strongly you feel about him, but doesn't this all seem a little unhealthy?"

"What do you mean?"

Phoebe adjusted her glasses before speaking, "I just can't help but feel like history may be repeating itself."

Helga frowned, "I'm not following."

"You have a certain proclivity towards...damaged goods, so to speak. You went down a similar path with Tyler."

"Arnold is nothing like Tyler. I never skipped school to hang out with him. And I sure as hell never slept with him. Plus I've always had a thing for Arnold, that's never changed. He hasn't always been damaged."

Phoebe's voice softened, "I'm not directly comparing Arnold to Tyler. I'm very much aware that Arnold genuinely cares about you, truly. But your impulsivity concerns me. It's like you get so wrapped up in your emotions that your normally rational self becomes overshadowed by your need to fulfill something in you that clearly seeks validation. I'm not faulting you for sleeping with him, though I do think it unwise to act on your more carnal instincts without establishing boundaries regarding your relationship. And let's not forget that Arnold wasn't exactly wholly intact when you first dated, either."

"Alright, alright I get it. So what do you think I should do?"

"It's hard to say. Arnold's current destructive behavior is clearly a coping mechanism of sorts. What I'm worried about is you immersing yourself into this so deeply that you may set yourself up to have your heart broken. You both need to do the work and you need to be proactive and hold Arnold accountable. So you need to overcome the ideal that he belongs on a pedestal. It isn't your job to fix him, only he can do that. The good news is that I believe you can still assist him, but you can't become complacent to his behavior. He also needs to actively seek some change."

"I dunno Pheebs," Helga started. "It's not that I want to change him or anything like that. I don't even mind if he parties or whatever. I'm just not on board with him fucking up his life by choosing to drink or whatever all the time. I could do without him missing school every other freaking day, too."

"Don't misinterpret. I'm not saying he has to change everything about himself or somehow regress into his former ten year old self, he just needs to stop the self destructive behavior. Or he threatens to destroy you along with him," Phoebe explained.

Helga thought about Gertie's words from a few weeks ago. Was this what she was trying to warn her about? Helga personally thought that everyone was taking things a little too seriously, or maybe she just was desensitized to everyone's negative personality traits. She was hoping that Phoebe would tell her to go for it and that things will work out, but she knew the reason she wanted to talk with her was because she knew she wouldn't just sugar coat everything.

"Well, that does make sense. More than anything, I just want him to be happy. As happy as he can be anyway. And I don't suppose happy people do what he does, huh?"

"Precisely. This isn't something that should be done for you solely. His best interests must also be considered. He seems to be doing well now, keep him on that path but encourage him to continue to strive to do better. And take care that he doesn't revert back to how he was a year or two ago."

Helga frowned, "What was he like then? I mean, I know you told me some of it but it's still hard for me to imagine. I mean shit, the blonde idiot who was just in my bed is hard to imagine."

Phoebe sighed, "It varied, he was like a shell of a person a lot of the time. Sometimes he would come to school visibly under the influence of something. Occasionally he was an angry or downtrodden mess and would have fits or outbursts, sometimes resulting in fights with classmates."

"I mean that doesn't sound too off base from where he is now, to be honest."

"True, but he's mellowed out a bit. I'm guessing your presence may be influencing that. Or possibly the absence of his parents. Maybe both. Just don't forget to keep your own self safe, and try to encourage Arnold to continue bettering himself. That's really all you can do."

Helga sat on her bed, she did feel a bit better. "How should I go about it?"

"Distractions might be the key. Ask him to take you somewhere. Try and get him to throw the ball with you. Things like that may be enough for him to realize that while it's fun to party and drink on occasion, there are better ways to handle the darker times in life," her friend explained.

"So just...spend more time with him? Doing normal shit? Damn do I need to quit partying? Cause I mean, I'll do it, but that kind of sucks for me ya know?" Helga's eyes fell to the floor. Her football headed friend was clearly going to be a lot of responsibility.

"I don't think so. I think he needs to understand that there is more to life than that. He may be emotionally dependent on these substances and school may be a tough place for him right now, but I don't think he is physically or mentally addicted. He needs to find better outlets when he is upset. Party favors should be just that, not something to use as a crutch."

"Okay," Helga said. "I think I get it. You're amazing as always Pheebs. Thanks."

"Of course, I'm always happy to assist you," Phoebe replied warmly. "But I admit I am curious...how was it?"

"The sex? Freaking fantastic. Maybe it was the coke or maybe it's just cause he's a little twisted fuck. But god damn."

Phoebe giggled, "It's about time."

"I'm with ya there, Pheebs," Helga checked the time and remembered what she told Arnold before he left. "Listen, I got something I gotta do. See you tomorrow in orchestra?"

"Certainly! Have a good night Helga."

"You too."

Helga hung up and sucked in a breath. Fuck it, she thought and tapped on Arnold in her contact list.

"Fuck, dude. What are you supposed to do?" Gerald asked.

"That's the thing, I have no idea."

"You gotta tell her," Gerald decided.

"I know that already. I decided today I would tell her everything. I need to be smart about this though. I don't want Helga getting involved," Arnold said.

"I get that," Gerald responded. "Well I dunno what to tell you about all that. You've really fucked yourself bad this time, my friend."

Arnold rolled his eyes, "Gee thanks for all the moral support here." Suddenly he heard a little beep from the receiver, and realized he had another call coming in. His heart fluttered when he read the name. "Uh, hey I gotta go. Helga's calling."

"Oh man I never thought I'd hear you say that again. Only difference is that your balls've dropped now."

"Gerald."

"Alright, alright. Catch you later dude," Gerald said and clicked end. Arnold answered the other end, suddenly nervous.

"H-hello?"

"Evenin' Football Head," Helga said plainly.

How the fuck is she always so casual? It drives me nuts, he thought.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Sure, texting just seemed kinda silly after the afternoon we had, ya know?"

That made Arnold smile, "Yeah I get it. Well, what's up?"

"Not much, just got off the phone with Pheebs. What about you?" Arnold inadvertently cringed at the mention of their friend.

"Oh uh, how was that? She probably hates me right? And nothing, just talked to Gerald actually."

"I mean, she was pretty pissed but it was kinda funny, really. Phoebe isn't really into partying like that though, ya know? She thinks you're a bad influence, by the way," she said casually and Arnold choked a little in surprise. "How's ol' Geraldo?"

"Wait did she say that?"

"Well doi how else is she supposed to tell me that? Telegraph?" She said with a smirk.

"No, I just meant like, did she say those exact words?"

Helga answered him simply, "Yep. We made her curse too. Pretty priceless."

What the hell, it was her idea! Arnold thought in frustration.

"I even told her it was my idea. Can you believe it?" She added.

"Yeah. Great," he answered.

"Phoebe'll be fine, I wouldn't worry about it. You never answered my question though, how's Gerald? I'm guessing you and him had a similar conversation."

"Uh yeah we did. I mean, he always thinks I'm an idiot so the conversation was basically just that," Arnold lied.

"Figures. What'd he think about me swiping your v-card?" She asked mischievously.

"Do we really need to talk about this?" Arnold replied, pink tinging his cheeks.

"Why not? You embarrassed of me or something?"

"Hell no I'm not embarrassed," he grumbled. "I told him it was amazing, okay? That what you wanna hear?"

"That's exactly what I want to hear," Helga said, a smile painted her face as she spoke. She grabbed her old baseball from a drawer and laid on her bed, casually using one hand to toss it into the air.

"Oh? Well it was, you were," Flirtation clung to his words. Helga caught the ball and held it tightly above her.

"Is that so? Well we'll have to do it again sometime," she replied.

"Oh, we will."

"Mm, confident aren't we?"

"Of course. You like me, remember?"

Her heart did something of a flip-flop. Of course she liked him, she always liked him. But still, it was kind of adorable how he repeated her words back to her. Like it was the best news he had and was eager to tell anyone who would listen.

"And you like me too, right?"

"It's like I told you earlier, dangerously so," he said.

"Dangerous how?"

"Come over and find out," he said, his sly crooked smile spreading across his face.

"You'll just have to show me another time, because I'm fucking beat," she admitted with a chuckle.

He laughed along with her, "Yeah, me too. Well what are you doing now?"

"Hanging out in my room, tossing a ball around," she answered.

"Oh for real? Sounds nice," Arnold answered, and his brain quickly flicked back to a simpler time, when he and Helga would laugh and play ball together for hours, just the two of them. It was their own little world, when the two of them were playing catch. He missed it.

"We should play some time," she offered, thinking about what Phoebe said.

"That would be awesome, I haven't hit the field in too long. My throwing arm is probably pretty shitty now," he admitted.

Helga smiled, "Well that sounds about right, you always were a lousy pitcher."

"Whatever you say, Helga. Wanna go tomorrow after school?" He asked.

"Seriously? You're for real?" She sat up suddenly in excitement.

"Yeah! I think it would be fun. Plus I get to see you all fired up on the field, huge turn-on," he smiled when her laughter carried through the receiver.

"Alright Arnold, let's do it. Tomorrow after school, then?"

"It's a date," he answered.

"Well I should probably get going, I got math homework to get started on," she walked across the room to retrieve her backpack and noticed the can on her bedside table. "That reminds me, you left something here."

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure, some kind of weird plastic can looking thing," she replied and his heart sank into his stomach, Fuck.

"O-oh. Cool thanks for letting me know. Did you uh, open it by chance?" He asked nervously, hoping she wouldn't notice his agitation. Unfortunately she did.

"No I have a little more integrity than you do apparently. Why, should I?"

"NO- I-I mean, please don't. It's got some...personal stuff inside," he answered sheepishly.

"You're acting pretty fucking weird about this. Personal how, exactly?" She asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at the plastic tube.

He sighed heavily and sat on his bed, his head falling to his palm. "It just is. Just please don't open it, okay?"

She heard the desperation in his voice and shook her head. "Criminy you weeb I was never gonna open it. Calm down. I'll bring it to school tomorrow, cool?"

"Y-yeah that sounds cool," he said, unconvinced by her words.

"Arnold, I'm not gonna open your weird fucking can, okay? Now try and do your homework for a change, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow," he said. The call ended and he groaned.

Helga looked at the can again, Just what the fuck is in this thing, anyway? She was curious, but her word was important, especially when given to Arnold. She knew that she should stop "putting him on a pedestal," in the words of Phoebe, but she wouldn't go against a promise. She couldn't help but speculate what might be inside. There were a handful of possibilities.

Was it a weird porn stash he brought to school? Did he have a bunch of human fingers or some shit in there? Drugs, perhaps? Or it could have even been something pretty normal, some keepsakes from his childhood or his parents or good luck charms or something. Helga didn't plan on opening it, that much was certain, it felt too shady. She was just going to have to make him open it, instead.

Helga was unlocking her locker Tuesday afternoon. School had just let out, she managed to have a very normal day which she was thankful for. She was looking forward to her creative writing assignment, to describe a person who made an impact on your life, good or bad, but names or direct identifiers could not be incorporated. So while you could describe your mother, you couldn't use her name or call her "mom" in the piece. Of course she thought about Arnold, but that seemed like it would be too obvious, too cheesy. When the teacher said that they were able to write about someone who made a poor impact on their lives, that opened the door as well.

There were several negative people she could write about. Tyler and her family came to mind, but she still wasn't sold on that concept either. Should she give any of these people a platform for her creativity? Thankfully she had until Thursday to think about it.

Helga grabbed her math book and binder and stuffed her backpack with the necessary materials for her homework for the night. She saw the plastic canister of Arnold's sitting on the top shelf of her locker and stashed that into her backpack as well. They had plans to meet sometime after school, and it dawned on her she hadn't even established the details of their meet-up. She took her phone out of her pocket when she suddenly felt hands on her hips that slowly crept into a hug. The sudden touch surprised and gave her a little jump, eliciting a chuckle from the perpetrator behind her. A voice close to her ear whispered gently to her.

"Thanks for not punching me," the familiar voice said.

"I seriously thought about it, Hair Boy," she said, her tone clearly reflecting that she was indeed startled.

"I might like it," his lips were touching her ear now. Her heart pounded within her chest, and her breathing turned ragged.

"Careful what you ask for," she managed to utter back.

"I think I'll manage," he replied before pulling her hips close to him, and sighed into the crook of her neck while planting kisses on her skin.

"HEY, at least get outta the halls before you two start horsin' around like that," a stern voice called out. Helga could hear Arnold growl in frustration in her ear. He quickly whipped around to face the intrusive man.

"Sure thing, Mr. Clancy," Arnold replied in feigned subordinance. Helga had to snap herself back to reality, she almost heard nine year old Arnold in those words.

The teacher nodded his reply and watched the two teens as Helga grabbed her things and walked out of the school with Arnold by her side. She had brought her old baseball and mitt along in her backpack just for the occasion of playing catch with Arnold at the old vacant lot. She was so excited, this was exactly what she needed. She didn't realize how terribly she missed playing with Arnold until his absence at Gerald Field last week. A smile was plastered on her face that Arnold was very keenly aware of.

"You excited?" He asked.

"Of course I am! I played with the guys last week and it just wasn't the same without you there, you know? Those dolts can barely catch a ball let alone pitch," she muttered, making Arnold laugh.

"Well are you surprised? Gerald was the only other decent one, although Stinky had a pretty good arm. And Nadine actually, she was a hell of a hitter."

"Yeah she was! Great first baseman too. She still play?" Helga asked.

Arnold shrugged, "Beats me. I don't play either."

"Oh yeah," she answered a bit sadly. "Why is that?"

Arnold had his hands in his pockets and kicked a rock in front of them as they walked together.

"I guess I just don't like it anymore."

Helga found that hard to believe. She remembered how his face brightened when getting a new pack of baseball cards or seeing his favorite player Mickey Kakine come up to bat. He lived and breathed baseball, that was part of why she loved playing with him. They were the two who always took their silly neighborhood games the most seriously.

"Don't like it? Since when?" She asked.

"Since my favorite part of it disappeared," he answered.

"You talking about when Kaline finally retired?"

Arnold didn't answer and Helga decided not to press him. Obviously this was more complicated than him just growing out of the sport or choosing alcohol and delinquency over it like Phoebe had implied. She felt a bit gutted, she couldn't imagine giving up writing, how could he just give up playing ball?

They walked in silence for a bit, and finally arrived at Gerald Field together. Helga still couldn't believe how much it looked very much like she remembered as a child. It almost felt silly, playing there with the grown up versions of her childhood friends while this little chunk of nostalgia retained the same bases, the same gravel, the same everything. Her heart warmed instantly as they crossed the field.

"This place really is the shit. I can't believe how all us fucking street rats made something out of this old dump," she remarked. Arnold smiled fondly.

"Yeah it's pretty crazy. You know Vitello bought it right? The city was talking about rezoning and the field was up for grabs. She bought it so we could keep it. Said this field was the best thing to come to the neighborhood. Guessing because she hasn't had a fly ball come through that front window in years," Arnold explained.

"Oh man we fucked up so many buildings playing our old street games. I can't believe we didn't get our parents sued," Helga said with a chuckle. "Well, you ready to toss the ball around?"

"Of course. Let's go kinda easy to start, I need to warm up my arm," he said and Helga nodded.

They tossed the ball pretty gently back and forth. Helga immediately noticed that Arnold's form was certainly off from what she figured it would be like had he continued playing, but still a bit better than she thought. Arnold could feel it as well, and watching Helga with her almost perfect throws made him a little envious. So he continuously tried to improve his every toss of the ball.

After they had warmed up, they were throwing hard and quick at eachother. Arnold struggled to catch the first couple of fast balls Helga lobbed at him, but again after a bit of back-and-forth he was improving tremendously. She was proud of him for picking up seemingly right where he left off, but couldn't help wondering just how good he might be if he hadn't have stopped.

Helga didn't play a whole lot back in California, not nearly as much as she did in Hillwood, but she did join a co-ed softball team for fun the summer after eighth grade. Most of the kids she played with were older, and she was happy to not have known a single one of them. They all played fairly well together and even won a few games, but softball just wasn't the same. She liked being able to make more complex plays and stealing bases. Aside from that she usually just went to the local batting cages by herself or got together to play catch with one of the girls from the softball team.

Arnold couldn't believe how tight her throwing arm was. She always had a killer throw, but now it was so precise and quick. It was amazing how effortlessly she threw, he thought that maybe if they ever played another game together he should be the one catching her pitches. He didn't realize how much he actually missed this. It was like the two of them were home on that field together, and his heart swelled at the sight of her hair messily pulled back into a bun with sweat on her brow while clad in an oversized pink t-shirt and a mitt on her hand. This is why he fell out of love with the sport, it was something that connected them together even before they were romantically involved as kids. It was like losing a limb or some other equally devastating extremity when she left. He couldn't bear to play like that, it wasn't fun for him anymore.

Arnold then realized just how silly that line of thinking was. Sure it was painful to play without her, but now he could see it was a disservice to her not to. He loved baseball as a child, even when he wasn't playing the sport. It dawned on him just how ridiculous it was to allow something or someone to taint one of the better parts of himself. Not that Helga herself tainted anything, but the memories of being out on the field together did. He should have cherished the good times, not allowed them to morph into something grotesque and unrecognizable. He always dreamed of getting a baseball scholarship to get into a decent college and now he would be lucky to graduate highschool.

Helga could care less about scholarships. She wanted good grades, and sure accolades were nice. But she certainly didn't need the help financially and school teams weren't exactly her thing, she would rather be recognized as an individual anyway. She would love to do something with English or writing, of course but she also had some reservations about making a job out of something she liked. She didn't want her passions to become lackluster when attached to a paycheck and a nine-to-five. She liked the idea of higher education as she had always enjoyed school. She honestly wouldn't mind attending Hillwood College, there was something about leaving her hometown again that felt wrong.

The two blondes continued tossing the ball back and forth, laughing when Arnold fumbled trying to catch Helga's powerful throws. They weren't talking much but didn't have to, just being in that moment was enough for them. Before they knew it, an orange glow encapsulated the atmosphere around them and a chill caught the air. Helga took out her phone to check the time, it was nearly 6:00 and she had homework to do still. They decided to call it a night.

"Can I walk you home?" Arnold asked.

"Sure," she said warmly. "I'd like that."

Without warning he grabbed her hand and they marched down the sidewalk towards her house.

"Thanks for coming out with me tonight, it was fun. You really stink but you were still better than the guys," Helga said with a chuckle.

"I wasn't that bad. It's just been a while."

"I know. Really though, I'm glad you came," she said.

Arnold smiled a sweet crooked smile, "Yeah, me too. Course I'll use any excuse to see you."

She chuckled, "You don't need an excuse, ya know. I like spending time together."

He thought his heart might burst open. Was this the time? Should he ask her out? Sure he had all that other bullshit to deal with, but what if this was the only chance he got? No. It wouldn't be, he would make sure of that. She interrupted his thoughts as they meandered down the concrete path, approaching her house.

"Oh shit I almost forgot," she said and pulled her backpack to her chest. She fished around for a moment before taking out the plastic stash canister. "I believe this belongs to you?"

"Oh uh, yeah thanks for bringing it to me. Sorry about all the trouble last night," he said awkwardly. She wasn't acting any different so he was sure that she hadn't looked at it's contents. He reached out to grab it before she suddenly pulled it away from him.

"What's inside?" She asked seriously.

Arnold was suddenly very nervous. They had just had such a wonderful evening together, he really didn't want to ruin it now.

"Oh nothing, really. Just some stuff, I guess," he answered.

"Some stuff, huh? Open it," she commanded and his anxiety kicked into full force.

"Why?"

"Why shouldn't you? Something you don't want me to see?"

"Well sorta, yeah," he answered honestly.

Helga frowned. The fuck, dude? She didn't understand what he could possibly have to hide, yet as he danced around revealing the innards of the can she felt herself growing suspicious of him. It only made her more agitated, if he was hiding whatever this was, what else could he be keeping from her? He was such an enigma, she never knew what to expect from him. While it was sometimes exciting, she was starting to realize how frustrating that side of him was at the same time. With an eyebrow raised she wordlessly handed the can back to him. He quickly took it and placed it in his backpack. He felt the air growing tense and suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

"Th-thanks. Maybe I'll show you another time."

"Sure. Whatever you say," she replied.

Her demeanor was absolutely frigid and his heart sank at her tone. She didn't trust him, that much they could both be certain of. She felt a fissure tear through her chest, why was he like this? She stared fiercely into his eyes, it took everything he had not to avert his gaze from hers.

Finally, she tore her azure eyes from his mossy ones and turned to go inside. He couldn't bear to let the night end like this. He could come clean about this one thing, right? Of course her possible reaction terrified him, but more than anything he didn't want to pull Helga into the darker recesses of his world. He wanted them to keep playing together in the light. He didn't want to ruin anything. But that look that she gave him just now, one of fury, disappointment, and distrust with a touch of sadness pulled at his heartstrings.

"Helga wait," he said and she stopped dead in her tracks, turning to face him curiously. "I'll show you, but you have to promise not to freak out, okay?"

"I can't promise that," she said honestly.

"Helga please," he pleaded with her. "It really fucks me up when you're upset with me. I'm really struggling here… I-I can show you, if you want to know."

Helga looked into his eyes and something about the somber and defeated energy they reflected hurt her. She suddenly felt like a giant asshole. How could she make him so uncomfortable, for something that really wasn't any of her business? It wasn't fair. He started to unscrew the bottom and she stopped him.

"Arnold, no," she said to him and he looked at her, confused. "I-I shouldn't be making you do anything you don't want to do, that's not cool. I'm sorry, okay? Just...just promise you'll show me one day? When you're ready?"

He offered a wry smile as he tucked the canister into his backpack, "Sure, I promise."

"I'm holdin' you to that promise, bucko," she said with a smile and turned once more to walk away. "Goodnight Arnol-"

Helga felt a hand clasp around her wrist and she was quickly pulled into Arnold's arms. He put his other hand to her cheek and kissed her deeply, she let her eyes close and melted into him. God damnit, she thought as she wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands fell to her bottom and he gave a gentle squeeze.

"Aren't you going to invite me up?" He said quietly in her ear. She had to catch her breath, her brain felt like someone was playing television static.

"I would, but I have bio homework. Plus I gotta do that creative writing assignment."

He chuckled softly, "Do me first."

It was mighty tempting. Bob's SUV was nowhere in sight and Miriam was probably three sheets to the wind by now.

"Seriously Casanova, I've gotta get this stuff done. Plus who knows what other weird shit you might lose on my floor. We can fuck later," she said, eliciting a very pouty look from Arnold.

"Promise?" He asked.

"Oh Jesus chri- Yes, I promise," she said with a very exaggerated eye roll.

"Good," he said with a cheeky grin. "Cause I can't stop thinking about you. I'll lose my mind here soon."

"Oh lord you're a fuckin' piece of work. I've created a monster," she said and gave him a tender kiss before stepping back to retreat inside. "See you tomorrow?"

"You better," he replied and waved her off as she walked up the steps and entered the front door.

Helga finished her dinner of chicken and potatoes then stared at the blank notebook pages. She had hoped food would jump start her brain, but it was to no avail. She hated writer's block, it was especially frustrating now since she essentially had complete freedom to write whatever about whomever she wanted. Of course the first person she wanted to pick was Arnold, but that seemed too obvious and a little cliché for her liking. But it wasn't like she had a ton of options, either. She could pick a family member, but why dedicate time to people who had never done the same for her? It didn't feel right. She could write about Tyler, but that would require thinking about his dumb ass which was the last thing she wanted to do. Of course, she could always write about Phoebe or Rhonda, but unfortunately those two didn't exactly spark any inspiration in her.

Helga still had tomorrow night to finish up if needed, but she usually needed to allow herself a day or two to write anyway. She was afraid if she waited that long she wouldn't be able to present her best piece. Considering this was her favorite class, she wasn't about to let that happen. She was competitive when it came to writing, she wanted to be the best.

She finally came to her final option, herself. That would just have to do. It wasn't a terrible idea, but she didn't want it to come across as self-serving or arrogant. She wanted something honest and raw. The more she thought about it, the more she actually liked the idea. Now to take the pen to paper. Once she started she could usually find her flow, but getting started was the part that was always the most challenging.

A few lines were written on the page, but she furrowed her brows at the words and crumpled it up. Then she tried again, and again. Soon there was a small mountain of paper boulders near her wastebasket, and her frustration quickly climbed. She sighed and laid her forehead onto a clean page of her notebook. Just fuckin' write something, for pete's sake!

Helga sighed and held her pen tentatively before writing a few lines, followed by a few more. Soon she had a paragraph, then two. She looked at the completed assignment and smiled, Not bad. She could finish the rest tomorrow in class during work time, for now the bulk was done and for that she was thankful. She felt her phone buzz beside her on her bed, and saw that Arnold had sent her a message. She smiled to herself and opened the text.

"Hey beautiful how's the paper coming?"

She quickly tapped out a reply, "Good just finished most of it. How about you?"

Her phone quickly lit up from his reply, "Haven't even started lol"

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, unsurprised by the response. Another message quickly followed that one.

"So what are you doing now?"

"Texting you obviously football head."

"Wanna hang out?"

Helga looked at the time on her phone, "Uh it's kinda late"

"I'm not hearing a no"

"NO"

"Damn I really thought that would work"

She chuckled, What a freaking dope. Her fingers typed out a response, "We can hang out tomorrow Romeo."

"Speaking of Romeo…"

Helga could suddenly hear a soft pelting sound coming from her window. Are you kidding me? she thought, and went to the window. She peered out and sure enough, a blonde headed boy wearing a black hoodie was smiling from the little strip of grass behind her house. She growled and pushed up on the frame.

"You look like a fucking criminal," she said, and rested her elbow on the sill, her head in her hand.

"Come down!" He replied excitedly.

"It's like nine o'clock, Arnoldo. I'm not coming down there."

"Then let me come up!"

Her eyes widened at him, "No freaking way! Go home before my dad hears you and loses his shit. You want Bob to see you dressed in all black trying to sneak in his daughter's window?"

Arnold put his hand on his chin, as if he was very seriously debating the scenario.

"Arnold!" She hissed and he chuckled back at her.

"Alright, alright I get it. I'll get going," he said.

"Hold up, what are you doing out so late anyway?"

"Just wanted to go for a walk, I guess," he said.

"That's bullshit."

"If you woulda came down I could've shown you. Too bad," he replied, teasing her.

"That's not gonna work, but nice try. Goodnight Arnold."

"Goodnight, beautiful."

Helga smiled and closed the window. She couldn't help but wonder as she watched him skulk off into the night. Considering the time they had spent together already, she had a feeling that he only stopped there in passing. Something done out of spontaneity, like he was perhaps already in that neighborhood for something else. Was she reading too much into this? Maybe he really did walk all the way up town to see her, but her gut told her that was a naive consideration. And she knew that even if she had come down as he suggested, there was no way he would actually take her along if he was up to something sketchy. Just what are you doing, Arnold?

A thought suddenly hit her and she couldn't decide if it was brilliant or totally insane. She pulled a black sweatshirt and beanie from her closet and quickly put them on along with a pair of sneakers. She would have to be quick if she was going to tail him. This wasn't something that should be too difficult, she had made a habit as a child of following him all over town without detection. Fingers crossed he was still as dense as he was back then. She crept down the stairs and quietly closed the back door behind her. She had a general idea of the direction he had taken off in and ran in near silence after him, determined to uncover at least one of his secrets.