As Arnold walked off, I clasped my hands together, closed my eyes, and let out a soft sigh in adoration.

I headed back to the baggage claim where Olga was waiting for me. She was going to be driving me back home.

As I took my seat in the passenger seat of the car, Olga immediately started acting hyper.

"You need to tell me all of the details!" Olga loudly said in a chipper voice.

"It's too early for you to be this loud." I grouchy replied.

"I'll stop being loud when you give the details." Olga said.

"Okay fine. I got together with that guy I was talking about..." I bluntly told her.

Olga then started clapping at what I said.

"Olga, keep your hands on the damn steering wheel!" I called out.

"Sorry. I'm just happy for you, baby sis." Olga said as she put her hands back on the steering wheel.

"You could've just said so instead of putting us in danger."

"It was only for like one second. You're always so dramatic, baby sis."

"Yeah, okay. But I have something else to tell you."

"What is it?"

I let out an exasperated sigh. "I saw dad." I told her.

"Are you serious? What happened?" Olga asked.

"He told me to meet him and he apologized..."

"I can't believe you saw him! What did you say?"

"I can't fully let go of the past. I mean, he neglected me! But I do appreciate the apology..."

"I understand. I remember he put so much stress on me to be perfect. I would have mental breakdowns trying to get my studying and piano playing as perfect as can be. I got tired ot it because I wanted to please him. But I do wish him the best."

For the remainder of the car ride, I told Olga about what happened on the class trip. About fifteen minutes later, we arrived at our house.

We rushed in to our house to find my mother waiting in the living room. She looked pretty happy to see us walking in.

"Hi girls!" Miriam greeted us, holding her arms out for a hug. Her voice was more steady and lessed slurred.

Olga and I both walked over to hug our mother in reunion.

"Guess what guys? I'm clean!" Miriam said as she broke the hug.

"That's great mother! I'm so happy for you!" I exclaimed. And I really was happy for her. I'm glad she got the help she needed for her alcoholism. Maybe this fresh start really worked after all.

Two weeks later...

I spent a lot of the remaining winter break time with Arnold. And today, we were going back to school. We had decided to keep our new relationship a secret from the school for the time being, since neither of us were ready to be in the spotlight with it so early. Because at PS 118, the word about everything gets around as quick as lightning. We didn't want to keep our relationship a secret forever, but we didn't want the spotlight right when we returned from winter break.

I tried not to act too differently around Arnold in public for now. I tried to act like I normally did before we left for the break.

I met Phoebe by her locker after getting my stuff so I could talk to her before class started.

"Hi, Helga." Phoebe greeted.

"Good morning. I have something to tell you but you can't tell anyone." I told Phoebe.

"Is it what I think it is?" Phoebe asked excitedly.

"Yes, Arnold and I are dating." I said.

"Oh my god, congratulations!" Phoebe exclaimed eagerly.

"Please don't tell anyone. At least not now. It's a secret."

"I won't, but I just wanna know, why do you want it to be a secret?"

"I'm not comfortable with everyone knowing this soon. Neither is Arnold."

"Okay, I understand. Your secret is safe with me. Your awesome secret is safe with me."

The bell rang, indicating that we had five minutes to get to our first class of the day.

"Let's get to class, Phoebe." I said.

"Hurrying!" Phoebe said as she gave me a thumbs up sign.

During first period English class with Mr. Simmons, we just talked about the class trip and what we learned on it. I was kind of bored with hearing Mr. Simmons and everyone else talking about it, because all I really cared about was Arnold. I sneakily took my pink notebook and black pen out of my backpack, and started writing some poems instead of paying attention in class. I had trouble thinking of exactly what to write, so I glanced at Arnold from across the room. That made me notice that he was staring at me while smirking. It made me go crazy inside and I liked it when he smirked. I smiled back momentarily before mouthing to him "don't make this so obvious!" Arnold seemed to be able to read my lips so he looked back at the board with a smirk still on his face. For the rest of the period, I continued to write in my diary

A few hours later, it was time for lunch. Arnold, Phoebe, Gerald, and I sat down at a table with our food.

"You could think of this as a double date." Phoebe whispered to me.

"A double date in the school cafeteria, very romantic." I sarcastically said.

"It doesn't matter where you are, as long as you're with the people you care about."

"That sounds awfully sappy but you've got a point."

"What are you guys talking about?" Arnold asked.

"Oh, nothing, babe. I-I mean... bro! Nothing bro." I awkwardly stumbled.

"It's okay, Gerald knows. Hope you don't mind that." Arnold said.

"Okay. We weren't talking about anything important, babe." I said.

"You're not gonna act like that all the time around me, are you? I'm trying to eat." Gerald said jokingly.

"Chill, I just called him a pet name." I said.

Arnold, Phoebe, Gerald, and I just hung out for the remainder of the lunch period, goofing around and talking about random stuff. I was grateful to have a group of people I clicked naturally with.

About five minutes before lunch ended, Arnold and Gerald left our table to go throw away their trash.

"How did Arnold take it when you told him why you were expelled from your old school?" Phoebe asked.

I sat there silent, rolling my eyes to look around around the room in awkwardness, still keeping my head in the same place. I distatched my eye contact from Phoebe in realization that Arnold never knew why I was at PS 118 in the first place. I got into a physical fight with Olga's bully and was expelled.

"Earth to Helga!" Phoebe called out, snapping me back into the conversation.

"That did not come up..." I admitted.

"Helga... you have to tell him. You can't keep this big secret for him." Phoebe said.

"I'm scared to! What if it pushes him away?"

"I think he will understand. He seems like a very understanding person, and you are changing for the better. I'm not saying it was right of you to get into that fight, but it's in the past and I know you don't want to get in fights anymore. And if Arnold likes and trusts you, he will understand that."

"I'm going to the bathroom." I said, wanting to run away from the conversation. I left my pink notebook on the table and walked off to think about what Phoebe had said to me.

I walked into the girls bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror.

"Why did she have to remind me about my past? Why do I have to go through this trouble to tell Arnold that I was literally expelled from my old stinkin' high school? But I know that's she's right deep down, and I have to trust Arnold with this. And I do..." I pleaded while adjusting my blonde hair.

I told Arnold about my parents neglecting me and about Olga's bullying, but I never told him that I was expelled for fighting. Ever since my dad left my family and me, I became secretly utterly afraid of people leaving me.

I took a deep breath and stood still while eyeing myself in the bathroom mirror.

"I will find a time to tell Arnold the rest of my past. It'll be okay, Helga old girl." I said.

I then saw a black haired person in the mirror walk in behind me, and it was no other than Rhonda.

"Hello, Helga. How is your relationship with Arnold? Is you guys dating going well?" Rhonda asked.

I turned around to face her. "Um... Arnold and I aren't together." I lied.

Rhonda then sneezed, but it was obviously a forced fake sneeze.

"Sorry, I'm just allergic to bullshit." Rhonda said.

I let out an exasperated sigh. "How did you know?" I asked.

"Because I'm Rhonda Wellington Lloyd. I know everything." Rhonda pompously said as she whipped a side of her hair back.

"You can't tell anyone yet. It's a secret for now. We'll tell people, just not now." I explained.

"I'll keep your little secret... if you do something for me..." Rhonda said.

"Rhonda, stop this." I heard behind me.

"Patty, how long have you been here?" Rhonda asked.

"I just got here, but I heard your conversation outside the door." The girl behind me said.

"Why were you eavesdropping?" Rhonda said.

"Why are you trying to blackmail people again? Do I have to teach you a lesson?" The girl asked as she held out her fist.

"Okay, fine. Bye, Patty." Rhonda said as she exited the bathroom.

"Sorry about her. I'm Patty." The girl said.

"I'm used to girls like her, but thank you." I'm Helga.

"So, what's your next class?" Patty asked.

"Science." I said.

"Me too."

"Oh, I've seen you in there. My English class too."

"Do you wanna sit together in science?"

"Sure, why not?"

The bell rang, which meant lunch was over and we had five minutes until the next class. Patty and I both exited the girl's bathroom and I went back to where I was sitting to go get my pink diary.

The spot in the table was empty, and there was no book there. I started internally panicking. The book where I put all my secrets and poems in, was gone.

"Oh god, I'm such an idiot for just leaving it there." I mumbled to myself.

I then thought that maybe Phoebe was holding it for me. I found her walking to her next class, so I rushed over to her.

"Hey, Pheebs!" I called out.

"Yes, Helga?" Phoebe asked.

"Do you have my diary by any chance?" I asked.

"No, I'm afraid I don't..." Phoebe said.

Now was a time to panic. If Phoebe didn't have it, then who did? And what were they gonna be doing with it?

A/N: The scene where Rhonda says she's allergic to bullshit is inspired by one of my Instagram friends :)