The last two weeks had been hard. Harder than most he remembers.

She has someone else. Worse, she isn't afraid to be around him in public. It never bothered him that she was shy when it came to being affectionate in public when they were dating back in high school. When it was just them and she'd be sitting curled into his side with her notebook open in her lap, scribbling away stanzas of poems she thought he never read, she let him see a side of her that made him fall for her with a quickness.

But now, with Roy, they seem all over each other. He would always grab her hand, or have his hand on her hip when they were standing next to each other. He didn't think anything of it until he saw Roy pull her into his side a little too forcefully to be playful. That was four days ago when he ran into them just before writing class. Now, he's looked for them, watched for behavioral ticks that would affirm his suspicions.

It's hard for him to watch though. Pains him on a level that he hasn't felt in a long time. The way she smiles at him, the way her laugh fills him when she laughs at Roy's stupid jokes. Roy doesn't even seem her type. Then again, to him, Helga's type was always just him. Roy on the other hand, always wears button up dress shirts, dress shoes, slacks. He hasn't bothered to figure out what he does for a living. It would take talking to him to do that, and he doesn't trust himself enough to do that with out destroying his currently fragile relationship with Helga. She doesn't know it, but he's on the verge of running.

But now, he's just stepping out of his car and is making his way through the quad to writing class. He's hung over again. He knows he shouldn't drink during the week but it hurts too damn much. And Eddy was right. Thinking of Helga, of that night they shared at their graduation party, that's what stopped him from following through with it. He's gotten close, but never done it. He would just imagine how hurt she might have been if she found out that he had ended his own life, didn't want her blaming herself if she ever did find out.

He's walking up the quad, his head still throbbing and his focus down on his shoes. "Hey Arnold." Her voice says softly, but happily.

His only response is a lift of the head and a small smile, no words, and a turn to head into the building.

"Something wrong, Arnold? You look sick." She says, putting a hand on his shoulder.

His breath catches briefly at the human contact. "Just didn't get much sleep last night." He says, still not looking at her and practically shoves her off and heads inside. He takes a seat in the back, nursing his head in his hands, and class comes and goes. Two hours later, the professor dismisses them and he puts his text book back in his bag very lethargically and heaves it back over his shoulder. Not as heavy as the ones the Rangers made him carry, but he wasn't hungover then.

"Arnold?" He knows that voice, but he doesn't trust himself enough to talk to her. Especially in his current state.

"Hey Helga." He says in a tired voice.

"Is something wrong?" She asks, sounding like she wants a serious answer. He looks over to her and she has an arched brow, her text book hugged against her chest almost protectively, and with the look in her big blue eyes, he can't shake her off this time.

He lets out a long breath and starts walking towards the door, and she starts following next to him. "I've just been having a hard time with..." He stops when he looks over to her and his eye catches that of someone glaring at him from outside in the hall. He has his arms crossed and a flaming look in his eyes at the sight of Arnold talking to her. He looks Roy dead in the eye and smirks. "With adjusting back into civilian life. Bad memories is all." Not completely lying.

"Oh..." She says and looks down to the small space between them. It's just then that he notices that they no more than a foot apart from each other. "Well, if you ever need to talk, Arnold, you have my number. You can always call me, any time."

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Roy quickly shove off the wall and make his way toward the door way. "Can I?" He asks in a way that says he's telling her.

"Of-" She's stopped by Roy coming up next to her and putting his arm around her and his hand gripping her shoulder a little too tight to be a sign of affection. "Roy... Hey, sorry, um..." She looks back over to Arnold shakes her head a bit. "I'll talk to you later, okay Arnold?"

He just smiles and nods. He looks Roy in the eye when he turns Helga toward the door, giving him a look that says he's not buying into whoever it is he's trying to act like. Writing was his only class today, and the past minute just proved to him that he needs to do something. He makes his way outside and takes out the address of someone whom he hopes can help. After all, she owes him a favor or two.

Getting to her apartment takes about ten minutes, she doesn't live that far from where he does. Nicer part of town though. He parks on the street and steps out, looking at the building that has the address in gold letters above the door. This must be it. He walks in, going up to the doorman he sees sitting behind a desk. "Hey, I'm looking to get up to the pent house."

"Is Ms. Lloyd expecting you?"

"I'm an old friend from P.S. 120, we graduated together. Do you mind if I just go up myself? I kind of want to surprise her."

The doorman smiles and takes his keys, walking around the desk and over to the elevator against the wall. "Take this up and go down the hall, door on the left."

"Thanks." He says and steps inside. He takes the elevator up four floors and stops at a hallway. Leave it to her to end up in a pent house with her own private elevator. He stops at the door at the end of the short hallway and knocks on the door. He hears someone approaching the door, and he's a little exited to see her. They had a lot of fun in high school.

The door opens and she stands a gasp when she meets his eye. "Arnold..."

"Hey Rhonda."

A smile explodes onto her face and in the next second, he's stumbling back from her jumping on him.

Him and Rhonda dated for almost a year in their junior year of high school. Despite a difference in social cliques, class, he thought that they made a pretty good couple. And he did count himself lucky to be dating the girl who was considered the hottest girl in school. The guys would constantly hound him for details. Sure, he had them, but he was a gentleman in a past life. She's still very pretty. Great body, but he's just not attracted to her. From the research he's done, she went to business school right after high school and now is a day trader, doing very well at it. He doesn't know what kept her in Hillwood. She's not married, single as far as he knows. Probably just family.

"Mmm, oh my god." She says and steps back down. "I had heard you were back in town, but I didn't think you'd actually come to see me."

I'm sorry to say I didn't stop by for a social visit." He says, surprised by the fact that his hands took so long to pry themselves off her hips. Maybe he does find her just a little attractive. He always did have a thing for short hair. And the one thing Rhonda has kept over the years is her hair due.

She smiles and turns back inside. "Well, come on in. Can I get you something?"

He makes his way inside, scanning her apartment as he follows her. High ceilings, picture windows, white leather sofa and two matching chairs. Pulpury everywhere. Not that many pictures around. But still, it's a very nice apartment. "Nice place, Rhonda."

"Yeah, I like it." She says and pours a cup of coffee and hands it to him. "So last I heard, you were on some top secret government hush hush."

He takes a sip of his coffee, surprised at how good it tastes. He shouldn't be surprised that she knows what he's been doing with his time, after all, that's why he came over in the first place. "You can say that."

He looks up after a minute of not getting a response and finds her looking at him with a bitten bottom lip. She shakes her head and hums. "Why did I ever let you go?" She says, still looking him up and down.

"You didn't. I dumped you after you started cheating on me with the Goodyear blimp."

She laughs once, but quickly swallows it and starts defending herself. "Hey, you know I had a thing for Harold since we were kids."

"The guy picked on me more than Helga did." He argues. "And besides, you owe me after what happened with you and him."

Rhonda sighs and looks down. "I suppose I do. You know, you spoiled me Arnold." She says and walks past him just like the old Rhonda he used to know would do and into the living room. "So, what is it you need, sweetie?" She says and sits down on the couch."

"It's about Helga."

"Ahhh..." She says, lifting her head and smiling a cheshire smile. "So that's who it is. You need help with the girl who stole you away from me?"

"Rhonda..." He warns her.

"I'm kidding!" She defends herself, and he can tell that she's being honest. He could always tell when she was lying. "What has she been up to, anyway?" She says over another sip of her coffee.

"Right after graduation, she joined the Peace Corps, and they flew her over to Tanzania for four years, then to Ethiopia for one." He doesn't trust his tone of voice, and fears Rhonda picked up on it.

"Mhm, and what aren't you telling me?" She says, not bothering to look at him, knowing she can get it out of him.

Tensing up, he picks the best way to tell her. "Suffice to say, I might have been on the squad that rescued her from Ethiopian rebels trying to ransom her off and sell her into slavery."

Rhonda audibly gasps, and she's probably being honest.

"I'm not allowed to say anymore than that." That he's being honest about. Part of him thinks that it's a relief to not have any restrictions with someone, but most of him wishes it was with Helga. Why she has this hold on him, he will probably never know. But with Rhonda, he feels like he can tell her everything, probably because she can find out anyway even if he were to keep it to himself. She was always able to get word on something. She always knew who to talk to. He hopes she still has that ability. "But it's not her I need you help with. It's her boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?!" She says, surprised that Helga could take anyone's arm but his. She knew how much I meant to Helga back in the day. "Helga Pataki is dating someone that isn't you?"

"Please don't remind me, Rhonda." He says in a low vice.

"Well, what is it you need? Want me to beat him up for you?" She says cheekily.

"I just need you to find out who he really is. Helga said that she met him during her last year in Tanzania, but guys like him don't join the Peace Corps for a tax write off. And the way he is with her... he's always on her. Like, just this morning. I was talking to Helga after a class we had together, and he storms in and puts his arm around her and pulls her into him. And I don't need as a sign of affection. And she didn't even argue with him. She just gave in." He stops himself before he gets too deep in memories. "Anyway, I need you to get what you can on him."

Rhonda smiles and nods. "For you, sweetie, I can do that."

He smiles back and stands up. "Thanks Rhonda."

"What's this guys name?" She asks, picking up a small pad of paper and a pen.

"Roy Connell."

"Connell, Connell... why does that sound familiar?" She says to herself as she writes down the name. "Well, I'll see what I can get." She says and puts the pad down, and walks over to the door to see him out. She steps up to him and hugs him again, and he responds in kind. "You know," She starts and leans back, "you were always the one I let get away." She says with some serious emotion behind it.

"She's the one I let get away, Rhonda."

"Ha, then Sargent was like, 'Pvt. Shortman! What the hell are you doing?'" He says, laughing and lifting his beer up to his lips again.

"Ha, and I was sitting in my bunk trying to sleep, and you're over there trying to do pull ups on the tent supports."

Eddy met Arnold at the bar later that night. He hasn't had the chance to catch up with his partner since he got out. Now, they've spent the last two hours just drinking and telling stories of what they've been through together. It's the first time Arnold's felt content. Just laughing and drinking with his friend. He left Rhonda's about eleven, on the promise that she would do some digging. But now, he has some time to kill until tomorrow afternoon when he stops by her place again. He stopped by Eddy's place about two hours ago and invited him out to the bar and they've been here ever since, a chance to get his mind off everything.

"Man, I'm glad I'm out though." Arnold says.

"You don't miss it?" Eddy says, motioning Ricky for another beer.

"Hell no. Why, do you?"

"All I'm saying is that you don't seem to happy to be out."

"It's just-" He's cut off by the door to the bar opening and an all too familiar face walk in. He follows close behind her and she looks forward, seeing him with Eddy at the bar. "Helga..." He says, not at all excited to see her right now.

"Arnold. Hey, I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight." She says and stops next to him, not sitting down in the empty stool next to him.

He's drunk, irritated that she's here when he's trying to get his mind off of her, and pissed off that she brought her new boyfriend to fly in his face. "I practically live here." He says and takes the last, long swig of his beer and motions Ricky for another one.

"Roy, can you give us a minute?" She asks him, as if asking his permission. He looks over to Roy and sees him eyeing him, as if warning him of something. Arnold audibly chuckles at him and shakes his head, turning back to the bar as Roy walks away. "Arnold, you're starting to worry me. This isn't you." She says, sounding as if she's honestly worried about him. But he's not buying it. "What's really going on, Arnold?" She asks and puts a hand on his shoulder.

He looks at her hand and turns back to the bar, lifting his bottle up to his lips again. "Sorry Helga, but I don't date girls who leave me lying in bed and disappear for five years." He says bitterly. He even hears Eddy 'ooo' next to him.

Her hand is off his shoulder in a flash. "Arnold, I-"

"Save it, Helga." He says, whipping over to glare at her. "You say this isn't me? Look in the mirror and ask yourself if you recognize yourself before you say that. The Helga I loved would have told that ass hole to get his hands off her the minute he tried anything."

"Is that what this is about?" She says, anger starting to seep into her voice.

"I've been waiting for you ever since you ran away, Helga. I guess I can't expect the same respect. So do me a favor and the next time you run away, have the guts to say goodbye to my face."

The next thing he's aware of, he's watching her storm out the bar and a sharp pain in his jaw. What did he just do? She just had to come in here tonight when he's seven beers in. He shakes it off, pretending that it doesn't bother him and picks up his bottle off the bar and chugs it.

"You cool, Brightside?" Eddy asks cautiously.

"Just get me another beer."

If she wants to run off with some other guy to show off, then he doesn't care anymore. Screw her. He's wasted the last five years of his life waiting to hear from her. Well he's done now. He's done with her.

The elevator door opens and he stumbles out. He puts his hand against the wall to steady himself, his legs feeling like they're on their own. He leans against the wall and knocks on the door, hard.

A few minutes later, the door opens and he stumbles forward, slamming his lips on hers.

To even his drunken surprise, she responds.

A/N: I always pictured Arnold and Rhonda dating in high school, as kind of a precursor to him and Helga. To mature him in relationship terms and such. And since I put Rhonda in the last version, and in msot other stories I've written (Except for When the Sun Rises if I'm correct), I thought I'd continue the trend.