Hey Arnold! is not mine

Chapter Thirteen

Running in Circles

Saturday, 8:09 am

"Sid, honey, I think your frog is okay now. You should set him free on the nearby pond."

Sid jerked awake and briefly faced his mother then Sidney. His mother was right; Sidney was happily croaking in his little portable pond that Sid built himself.

After much verbal abuse from Nadine, Sid was worried that Sidney was hurt. There appeared to be nothing wrong but Sid wanted to be sure so he placed Sidney on his low-cut aquarium that he only uses whenever his pet frog is sick. And now, judging from the frequency of Sidney's croaks, he could set it free. Sid knew he would always come back.

Sid gingerly took Sidney and walked towards the pond, the same pond that started all this mess. He didn't know how it started. The only thing he knew was that he was just watching Sidney at the pond. It always fascinated him to watch his pet frog especially when he tries to catch his food. It was a wonder that something as small and tough as a frog's tongue can stretch out like that and be able to catch a small insect and then quickly retract into its mouth.

He sighed. The next thing he knew was Nadine was screaming in his ear about Sidney being a cannibal. Didn't she know that that was the way Nature intended? Okay, so maybe his words didn't come out to the way he wanted but wasn't the idea the same? Well, maybe not exactly the same. Maybe he should have phrased it a little differently so as not to hurt her feelings.

Sid frowned. Well, who could blame him for saying that it was the bug's life to be eaten? She was the first one to make an insensitive comment about Sidney. How can he be considerate of her feelings when she wasn't about his? Why was he even thinking about bowing out to her when she insulted him and all the frogs in the world? That was the last straw. He won't let Nadine walk all over him anymore. Gone is the man who always comes to her beck and call. Starting right now he will say 'No' to whatever she will ask of him.

"Sid?"

"NO!"

"What?"

Okay, maybe I shouldn't be so enthusiastic about it. He schooled his features to a serious expression and slowly turned around. She was standing a few ways behind him, looking very dejected. Sid was used to her confident and strong personality that it took him a couple of minutes to take in her present expression. When it finally registered that yes she feeling very low feelings of worry and concern overpowered him and he immediately went to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm FINE!" He was surprised at the vehemence of her voice but her angry tone was quickly gone as she continued, "Look, just let me talk first okay?"

Everything was a surprise today so Sid did the only thing he can do, nod.

Nadine crossed her arms then changed her mind as she just clasped it behind her back. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I-I was in a bad mood and I took it out on you and Sidney."

He wanted to say that it was okay but he knew that this was hard for her to express. Nadine was always strong but she didn't like to look weak. Ever since her fight with Rhonda during high school she became assertive. The new Nadine didn't faze Rhonda a bit. In fact it served to deepen their friendship. There were a lot more fights but they always get back together.

"I'm spilling my guts to you and all you do is let your brain wander off. Geez!"

He started and then sheepishly grinned at her. "Sorry."

Nadine looked at him for a moment and then sighed. "It's okay." She clenched her hands and really looked at Sid in the eyes. "I was in a bad mood because you were with Arnold's friend. I guess, I got jealous."

Sid raised an eyebrow. Jealous? "I'm flattered, Nadine but you know Alicia's only a friend. Besides, Patrick's her boyfriend."

Her jaw dropped. Did he say something surprising?

"How can you be so... so calm about everything?"

"I don't understand."

"I already told you that I l... I implied that I have deep feelings for you and you just calmly say that you're flattered!"

Sid smiled her. "Oh, it's because I know you love me."

Again, her jaw dropped. Sid tilted his head. It seems that she does have something in common with frogs, he thought with a hidden smile. Nadine's shocked expression didn't last for long. She then became outraged. "That's not fair!"

His good humor vanished. Nadine is very temperamental today. More so than usual. "Maybe we should talk about this later," he suggested.

It seems that she didn't here him. "I wanted to tell you 'I love you' myself!" she wailed.

Sid smiled, went to her and grasped both her hands. "I love you too."

Nadine was apparently much more distressed than what he thought of first. "No! This wasn't at all what I imagine it would be. It's up to me to make it come true then..."

He was very much lost. To his surprise Nadine gripped his hands and pulled him towards her. When their faces were inches apart she kissed him. All thoughts vanished in his head as he deepened the kiss.

Helga held back a giggle as she turned away from the clearing. She really didn't mean to spy on them but she was concerned about the sudden rift between the two. Helga wanted to talk to Sid about Nadine but it seems that Nadine herself saved their relationship. 'Now if I can summon the same strength that she used to save mine.'

A collision with a warm body brought her back to reality. Her lips quivered as she saw Arnold. It looked like he saw what she saw earlier due to the presence of a playful grin on his lips. She couldn't really help but also follow his example. "Quite unlike any romance author would dream up."

His smile grew. "Quite." They both laughed.

Helga tilted her head a little. "But not unlike ours, don't you think? I seem to recall you trespassing and later I was serenading you with a Walt Disney song."

Arnold did smile for a moment but then he sobered. "Then their relationship is doomed to failure like ours." A sardonic smile appeared. "Especially if either has chosen to be unfaithful."

She gasped. Finally, he mentioned it. It was out in open and the pain should have been lessened. Instead, it was as if it never occurred to her; as if this was the first betrayal she felt. It wasn't but…

Helga pushed back the tears as she glared at him. "Thank you for finally saying that!" she snapped.

She cried because of the pain but mainly due to her realization. Deep within her there was the belief that they would get back together. After all, it was just a misunderstanding that can easily be remedied but now… The sadness was then overpowered by real anger. Oh, she was angry at him before but now something in her snapped.

He was so callous when he finally said what he thought of her. He could have just said that she was lying but accusing her of… of THAT! She thought him the world! He was her sun and the moon. Arnold was her universe and now that was what he thought of her. Granted, she never told him of her childhood love for him but she showed her love for him through her actions. She was always there for him even though it was hard to juggle work, him and family. She was…

She would never think about him that way again. He was human now in her eyes, a human who she now felt extreme hatred. Helga wanted to punch him then and there but stopped herself.

"I bet you feel a WHOLE lot better saying that to my face." She gave him a sarcastic grin. "Again, thank you so much. I was waiting for you to tell me so I could finally tell you in your face that you Arnold are a first-class jerk who thinks he's all-high-and-mighty because he is married to a sinner."

She only gave him a brief glance as she walked out on him.

Helga was only a few feet away from him when she saw Patrick walking towards her. "Did you see Nadine? Phoebe thought she saw her head this way." He really looked at her. "Are you okay?"

She glared at him and grunted. Her face then softened. "Watch Katey for me, please?" Without waiting for his response she continued her trek at the edge of the trees, out the park.

Helga skimmed the crowd for Stinky. She finally saw him talking with Torvald. She walked briskly towards them. "Ahem."

Both men looked at her. Stinky was smiling but Torvald who was seemed to be much more sensitive to her feelings nodded and left. "I'll talk to you later," he told Stinky.

The lanky man nodded although confused. He faced Helga.

She felt a certain relief that both men did not ask what was wrong with her. "What's the earliest time that I can use the rink today?"

Stinky frowned. "Today's Saturday and we usually close late but I could close it early, say around 6:00 pm." He paused. "I have been meaning to study the status of the rink for the oncoming inspection."

She nodded. "Thanks. I'll be there." Helga finally headed out the park. She continued walking until she reached her home. Her former home.

Helga held her breath. It was crazy. She was trying to forget Arnold and now she was in the one place that achingly reminded her of him. But wait? Was she really trying to forget about him or was it something else that drove her away from him? Of course, it had to be something else.

She bit her lip as the feeling of sadness and betrayal bubbled in her chest. The emotions were too much. Helga couldn't even stand being with anyone today.

Helga closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself. Her thoughts, feelings, everything in her were in chaos.

Warm arms enveloped her. Instinctively Helga pushed those arms away but instead it wrapped even more tightly. "Hush, baby sister. I'm here."

Under normal circumstances she would have sarcastically replied 'Oh sure' but now Helga just let Olga hug her. She didn't even know that she was kneeling on the sidewalk until Olga gently made her stand up and led her inside the house.

After Olga closed the door she slowly led Helga on the sofa. "Let it out, Helga."

Helga muttered something incomprehensible.

"You need to. Right now you must be feeling lost and… and… trapped. You need to release everything right now or it will eat you. It has been eating you for a while now and look where it has gotten you."

The elder blonde hugged her again. "Scream or hit something, Helga. The release is good. You are a passionate person yet you have denied yourself to release the feelings of sadness or anger. That is not a good thing."

Helga tried to force her sobs away as she asked, "H-how do you k-know all of t-this?"

Olga gave a small smile. "In between my scenes of selfishness I do notice you, you know."

She heard Helga laugh which became choked crying. Olga frowned and continued hugging her.

Olga looked at her sister throwing another tissue to the growing pile at the floor. If it weren't for the fact that Helga was crying… actually weeping she would have laughed. She remembered Calvin teasing her after she lamented a brown leaf that had fallen from one of their trees in the backyard. 'He knew I would be extremely emotional while I still carried Brianna in me but he didn't have to tease me that much.'

She looked at Helga grabbing another tissue and she sobered. 'No, I should not laugh. I think it has been a long time since my baby sister cried. She needs it.' Silently, Olga wound one of her arms around her baby sister's shoulders and softly told her she is there.

No sarcastic remarks. Instead Helga leaned towards her and continued crying. Olga was deeply worried.

Her sobs slowly dwindled to a few sniffles after a few minutes. In reality, Olga was worried since it seemed that Helga was crying for an awful long time. Had she ever cried that long? She shook her head and continued to pat Helga. "I'm here. I'm here."

No answer. Not even a sob. Worried, Olga relaxed her arms and looked at her sister. She was asleep but despite that there were still a couple tears trailing her cheeks. Olga's heart pinched. She was determined to go over to Arnold and reintroduce him to the cold Olga that he first met in Canada. For what he did to her baby sister he deserved a severe tongue-lashing!

She changed her mind. He wasn't going anywhere but right now her dearest baby sister needed her. She felt something drip one of her arms that embraced Helga. A little confused she wondered the source until she saw another tear. Oh. She was crying.

Olga wiped her eyes. Oh dear. This did not bode well. Helga needed someone strong for her. She couldn't cry. She took a deep breath and slowly disengaged herself. Instantly Helga's arms shot out to grab Olga. Helga murmured something and tightly gripped her hold on Olga's blouse.

The whole situation finally became clear. Olga wasn't very intuitive and smart about relationships but somehow in that single gesture it all fell into place. She sighed and looked at her baby sister. Olga then gently removed Helga's hold on her and left the living room for a minute. She came back carrying a worn-out book and resumed her position. It was difficult turning the page with her sister on her lap while she was smoothing out Helga's hair but Olga did read Shakespeare's sonnets to her nevertheless.

Someone cocooned her in a soft, warm blanket. Helga sighed as she tried to find a much more comfortable position. A feather was lightly sweeping on top of her hair and Helga sighed again.

A slightly muted sound came to her ears and its volume grew. It felt and sounded familiar but she couldn't figure out what it was. There was rhyme and meter in it but what could it be?

A sonnet. Of course. It sounded like its Shakespeare.

"Mom, you don't--" Her jaw dropped as she opened her eyes and saw Olga. Helga looked around and saw that she was sleeping on her lap. She wondered for a second where the blanket was but then she gazed at Olga again this time a bit scared. "Am I going to die?"

Olga laughed. Helga was slightly annoyed but she just contented herself by frowning. "Silly," Olga said in between laughs.

Helga raised an eyebrow. "Why am I silly?"

Olga stopped laughing and just gave her a small smile. "I'm worried about you, sister." She sighed. "I'm worried about and for you."

"Why… oh yeah." Helga looked down. She remembered where she was and immediately scooted at the other end of the sofa.

Olga sighed and pulled her closer to her but not as close as before. "I don't use mascara anymore, sis."

Helga looked at her in shock. Was Olga actually joking?

"So do you want me to sock your husband for you?"

It was just too much. Helga laughed so hard she was crying again. Olga watched her with a small smile and waited for her to calm down. "So?"

Helga shook her head. "Jeez, Olga, what did you eat?"

Olga placed a finger on her chin and assumed a thinking position. "Well, just some eggs, sunny-side up of course. Then there's my especially homemade coffee but I've been drinking it for quite some time so I don't think that's the cause."

She was actually serious. "It's not Arnold so lay off him." Helga looked around the living room. Her parents must be at the park.

"It's that deep."

Helga looked at Olga in confusion. Olga took both of her hands. "Sis, listen to yourself. Arnold hurt you and here you are defending him."

The younger blonde was ready to stand up and yell at Olga but she stopped. She looked down and then at Olga. Her hands which were clenched, just relaxed. Helga opened her mouth and then closed it again. She then stood up and walked around the room. Olga watched her, a bit worried and hopeful.

Olga tightly grabbed the lapels of her coat as she left the house. Time went by so fast. She was still worried about Helga but she believed that Helga was on the way to healing. Her sister finally knew part of the reason why their marriage was broken. She treated him like a deity, perfect and never wrong.

She in turn learned that her mistakes in belittling and ignoring her sister made Helga starve for affection. It was her fault. She shivered again.

Olga promised then and there that she would love and support her sister for the remainder of her life. She just hoped that it would make up for the hurt she had given her.

She recalled watching Helga pace at the living room floor. Helga's face showed no emotion, no surprise there since she always had a poker face ever since they moved to Canada. But her movements and the air around her seemed to say that Helga was feeling a combination of feelings.

Olga deduced that she might be angry, hurt and sad. Then she saw her stop and her eyes would then hold a glazed look. Helga held that position for a few minutes and pretty soon Olga began to get worried again.

She finally opened her mouth but her voice had a detach quality to it. "Tell Katey to stay with her father." And then she resumed pacing again.

So here she was walking in the late afternoon going to the person she would rather not see right now but for her sister she would do it.

When she arrived at the park it looked like the games were finished for the day. Only a few people were milling around. Some were talking but most were cleaning up. She looked around for Arnold. Her eyes widened when she saw the familiar group of people near him. So they were vacationing too.

Now where were her parents? Oh well, she will search for them later.

Olga walked towards the group who was now cleaning. When she heard their lively chatter Olga became angry. Her baby sister just cried her heart out and here they are laughing and having fun. What kind of friends were they?

She shook her head. No, focus on your priorities. Olga straightened up and schooled her face into seriousness. "Excuse me for interrupting but may I speak to Arnold?"

As if they had practiced together, all turned at the same time to face Olga. She frowned but did not say anything as waiting for his response. He was confused but then he smiled. "Olga, it has been a long time since I've seen you. How are Calvin and Brianna?"

'Deceitful man.' "They're fine," Olga smoothly answered.

He looked at Olga again and nodded. He turned to what Olga thought was Logan (she could never decide which one was which) and asked him to take over what he was doing. Arnold walked towards the older woman and led her a little ways away from the group.

"Is there anything wrong with Lizi?"

Olga was stunned for a moment and shook her head. "Ma is fine and has fully assumed the role of the doting grandmother. I have come bearing message from my sister."

She was watching his face as she said those words. Olga was rewarded by a brief darkening of an expression but it was completely gone as what she deduced was a nonchalant mask came to his face. "Oh."

Olga did not know if he was angry or sad. 'It seems not only my sister had learned how to disguise her feelings. How interesting.' "She told me that you should take care of Katey for today and probably tomorrow."

No expression. "Okay."

Now that she was done Olga nodded farewell to Arnold and left. As she passed by the assembly Olga heard the same droll voice that she heard after delivering her wedding invitation to Lizi and Helga all those years before say, "Man, she always know how to give the cold shoulder."

Helga gazed at the wooden sign in front of her door. The painted doll still looked as if it was only a few years old. Time reversed back and she was half-expecting to hear her father yelling and the roar of her mother's blender. She opened the door and went in.

From the look of the… her room her mother often cleaned her room. Her books were on her shelves, her clothes in the drawers and closets. The walls still had the same color but it was repainted. As for the carpet, it was the new edition of her old carpet.

'Jeez! I feel like my room will be showcased in a museum or something.' She walked around and took in all the sites. 'My mom had plenty of time in her hands and my dad money.'

Helga sat down in her bad with a plop and continued looking around. Whenever she visited the house she never went inside her room. In her mind's eye she could picture a nine-year old version of herself lounging on her bed or on the floor. And more often than not, she would get a chair beside her window and write poetry about Arnold…

No.

Helga faced away from the window. 'You have to forget about him.' She shook her head. 'Stop that. You're doing it again. Holding it in didn't help you in anyway, remember.'

She sighed, fell back and closed her eyes. The realization of what she was doing for most of her life was hard to take in and the hours Helga spent thinking about it was proof enough. She was a dunce, a complete airhead to do that. Helga shook her head again. 'Hel-lo! I don't think becoming a lawyer was completely for him. You yourself were happy at being a cold, calculated woman.'

Her life did not entirely revolve around him. She had to find out when and where it did not.

It was wrong. That was not the right way to go. She sounded like she was aiming to prove something wrong. 'And it's not just that. There's more to this than showing proof. Whatever is my value cannot just be handled like a mathematical case.'

She clenched her hands. 'Gods above, I'm a basket case. My thoughts… I'm running in circles here.' Helga grabbed one of her pillows and hugged it. 'How do I get out of this?'

He was known to be a cool and prepossessing man who had a good career in politics. In reality, he was silent because he didn't know what to say and if he was among his friends it was because they were much witty and had so much more to say than him. As for his good-looks, he couldn't say anything about it. He was just blessed with good genes. Politics? His job right now was in advertising.

Maybe it was his role as a mostly silent friend that enabled him to see the undercurrents of the situation. Or maybe it was just his luck. It was only him who had the fortune (no idea if it can be considered good or bad) to encounter a very mad Helga earlier. And now, he was the only one who went to Helga's old home.

Arnold and Helga's situation was unanimously decided to be left alone. They would just be there as support but the incidents that happened today urged him to do something. With that mission, he marched towards Helga's place (courtesy of Tish's information).

Patrick stopped in front of the stoop. He hoped he got it right. Now that he was here what should he do?

Footsteps could be heard pounding near. In his panic, Patrick jumped to the side of the stoop as the door opened. The footsteps became lighter as whoever went out closed the door and trudged away.

He rubbed his offended knee and stood up. Patrick watched the figure who was leaving and noticed it was a female carrying a medium-sized duffel bag. Was that Helga?

It was around 5:30 pm. Despite the dim lightning he could see the way she was walking. Whoever she was walked as if she was on a death march or she could probably just be bone-tired. It wasn't the usual way Helga walked so he should just try to figure out her identity quickly.

Did Olga ever walk that way?

"Let me save you some time, whoever you are. Yes, that's Helga."

Patrick jumped up and looked at the source of the voice. It was Mr. Pataki in a dark green bathrobe. "Err, good after—I mean good evening, sir."

He peered at him. To Patrick he felt like he was narrowing his eyes and looking at his soul as if he was analyzing his entire being to decide if he was worthy for being Helga's friend. 'Jeez, I wonder how Arnold faced him when he asked Mr. Pataki's permission to marry Helga?'

When the older man removed his gaze Patrick felt like he can breathe again. "Follow her but try not to goof up." Then the door slammed.

Patrick blinked. And blinked again as he looked at the door. 'What just happened?'

He followed Helga as she entered a dark building. Because of the dim lighting Patrick couldn't make out the name of the building but since Helga was there he figured it was safe. He saw her stop at the door. Patrick went further near her. 'I guess that's the end of that. The door's locked.' But to his surprise he saw Helga took out something from her coat pocket. 'Dang! She has the keys to the place?! What is she? Some kind of secretive tycoon? That place is huge!'

Helga went in and Patrick quickly followed her hoping the door wouldn't be closed. He was greeted by darkness but it was a good thing his hearing was excellent. A grin slipped in his lips. 'If it was Alicia who was following Helga she would have complained loudly by now.' He paused as he tried to search for Helga. Since he couldn't wait any longer he just blindly walked forward and second later was met by something hard. "Shoot!" he muttered.

After rubbing his offended nose, Patrick groped the thing that stopped him. It was a double door. He tried to look for the metallic opener and slowly pushed. A blast of cold air and soft light met him. 'That's a relief! I thought I would end up encountering another wall. Hmm, how come it's so cold in here?'

After letting his eyes adjust to the light, Patrick saw that he was in a local hockey stadium and someone turned on the lights on top pf the rink. 'Helga's an athlete?' Well, that question wouldn't be answered if he just stood around so he resumed walking, still making his actions as discreet as possible.

He just walked through a couple of rows when he saw someone entering the ice rink. Someone attired in black tank top, black tights, a gauzy pink skirt and a pair of ice skates. That someone then gracefully skated on the ice performed a layback, a sit spin and a triple axel. Even though he knew who the figure was Patrick was unable to accept the sight before him. So he went further down the rink until he was beside the rink itself, by then he could hear soft music playing. She was skating with the song!

Patrick noticed that the song didn't play one soft tune all the time. It would first start out slow which would slowly pick up speed until it became a heart-pounding tune. And all throughout the tempo change Helga would shift her performance to match the tune. Nevertheless he was awe-struck throughout the whole performance. He never once thought she was capable of doing something like this because right now she was lithe and elegant. She was graceful and agile… Okay so they were synonyms but it does describe what she is right now. Her face showed no emotion; in fact her eyes were closed as she skated around the ice, as if she knew and memorized the whole rink.

CRASH! But it was only as if.

Patrick quickly jumped over the small wall and went to Helga, who was in a crumpled heap on the far side of the rink. But he forgot where he was which resulted in another…

CRASH!

Helga looked up at him with annoyance and was about to shout. But then her face changed to one of that with guilt and nervousness. "Umm, what are you doing here, Patrick? I thought you'd be at Sunset Arms."

Patrick tried to dig his heels at the ice and stood up. He then offered Helga his hand, which she hesitantly accepted. "You should be too. At home, I mean" He quickly amended seeing a bleak look in her face.

She then adjusted the thin skirt. "Well…umm I felt claustrophobic."

Patrick looked at Helga. I mean, really looked. He was used to her being aloof, confident and… well, sarcastic but seeing her figure skate and now stammer… It all seemed too unreal. He always knew that there was more to a person but seeing Helga like this… It was stretching that saying to a mile.

He then noticed that Helga was looking down and fiddling with her skirt. Patrick pushed his shock and smiled at her. "You were great, Helga! I mean, before the fall that is."

She looked at him, surprised but was obviously pleased. "Do you really think so? I mean, I never took a lesson. Someone did teach me how to ice skate but the tricks… I learned from watching TV and videos."

Helga was softly smiling and talking so much Patrick had to smile at her. He nodded. "Yeah, I meant it! I'm just slightly peeved that you and Arnold didn't say anything to us."

Her soft smile quickly vanished and her eyes dulled. "Thanks for helping me, Patrick but could you leave now?"

'Ouch! She's back to her old self again.' He sighed and nodded. "As you say so, Helga." Patrick then began to walk carefully back out of the rink. He was about to step on the floor when Patrick turned around and grinned. "You know, Helga…"

She looked back at him with an emotionless face.

"You really should show other people. You have a talent for it."

Helga looked at him first with irritation and then disbelief.

"You do! Forgive me for saying this but you do give an impression as a tough guy err girl. But after you show them what you can do in those skate of yours well, you'll shock them! And I speak from personal experience."

Finally, Helga gave him a genuine smile. "Thanks, Patrick."

He grinned at her. "You're welcome."

They looked at each other in silence. Then Patrick gave her one last smile and turned away. He was on the third row seats when Helga called out to him.

"Oh, Patrick!"

Patrick turned around and noticed she was on the spot where he was before, on the edge of the rink. "If you really want that to happen you have to forget what you saw right now."

He nodded. "Forgetting."

Today, Patrick had seen a different side to one of his best friends. Supposedly, he should understand Helga more but as he was exiting he couldn't understand why after his final words Helga burst into laughter.

Laughter. Arnold tuned out that annoying sound and focused on his environment. There was cold air but it was a good thing he was wearing a jacket. He could see a few lights on the streets below and heard very little noise. Well, except his house that is.

He left them as soon as heard his grandpa telling stories of when he was young, which his friends and not to mention Lila, was soaking up like a sponge.

It was a good thing that Katey was already asleep in their bed but then she always was a light sleeper. Hopefully, the day's events wore her out so she wouldn't wake up until morning.

'So here I am, again, escaping their company.' Arnold groaned. 'I sound like I hate to be with them.'

'What happened to me?' He shook his head. 'I always was an optimist and could mostly make good decisions. Now… now, my life is unraveling.' Arnold emitted another groan. 'Where did it begin?'

He walked towards the left corner of the roof and leaned forward. Arnold had to since his knees buckled then. The corner spot was the best place to hide from uninvited guests.

It was his fault.

Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn.

The truce proved that he and Helga still loved each other or if not they still have feelings for each other. And then today when she gazed at him that way…

Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn.

Better stop that. He had this insensible promise to himself to never curse because of his daughter but now…

Why were his thoughts trailing?

And why was he even thinking about that now?

He still loved her. There was no doubt about that but then she had to go and 'see' other people.

Damn it.

He had no proof.

But then again she didn't refute any of his accusations.

"I can see now that she doesn't deserve you."

She doesn't. Oh no, she does not.

"You don't deserve her."

She was the one who fooled around. It was she who didn't deserve him.

Arnold paused. 'What am I saying?' His thoughts were running in circles. He took a deep breath and tried to sort out his thoughts.

'Point one: There's no proof that Helga's seeing other people behind my back. Point two: I also don't have a reason what she was really doing. Why keep it a secret unless it is something she doesn't want me to know? That brings me with point three: What is the secret she's keeping from me?'

He stopped. 'Okay, that's the basic idea what do I do now?' Arnold turned his back against the wall of the roof and sat down. 'I guess, tackle each points. Fine, point one… I didn't see any proof. It was just her secretiveness and point three that made me arrive at that decision.'

Arnold curled his hands. 'She doesn't have any new stuff that might belong to a man nor is she missing anything.' The curled hands became clenched. 'I can be sure because I checked the entire house for anything belonging to a despicable, pitiful, &$#, $.'

'If I ever see that man I'm going to throttle his miserable neck and then thrash his sorry carcass to the ground for taking Helga away from me! No, I better torture him first like pull out his nails then pound him and then wring his neck.' He punched the concrete in front of him.

A sharp pain caused him to wince. He shook his hand. 'Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!'

What was wrong with him? He never was this violent before.

He breathed in again. Okay, he was getting somewhere. He learned that he becomes aggressive whenever he thinks about the (#)#& she was meeting. So, he was jealous. Hence, he loves her and that means…

That means…

That means that his anger… all the yelling and insults was because he's hurt.

'So, it's all pain. I berated her because I was grieving that she didn't love me anymore. I was wallowing so much in my own pain that I acted like a complete jerk to her.'

"Hey, Patrick! Where have you been?" Alicia voice broke through his thoughts.

"Uh, just out." Something in his answer tugged in Arnold's mind.

'He sounded like he's hiding something. Could it be that it was him and H— Damn it! I have to stop thinking about that.'

Arnold folded his legs and arms, placed his arms on his knees and laid his head on top of his arms.

Helga raised her head from the confines of her arms. Well, it was confirmed now: She was the biggest dunderhead in history.

She promised herself just a few hours ago that she wouldn't hide her weaknesses anymore, yet here she was sitting on the cold ice and experiencing severe pain. The crash from before not only bruised her ego but also her ankle.

Helga slowly moved her legs and held back a scream as she felt a sharp throbbing through her left ankle. Okay, she was more than bruised— she had sprained her ankle.

'Although it felt like I broke it.'

She gingerly touched the ankle and sighed. 'George already left and Stinky won't be visiting. I wonder if someone could die by just sitting overnight in an ice-skating rink.' Helga groaned.

Slowly and surely, she raised herself so as not to put too much pressure on the injured ankle. As she was half-dragging, half-sliding towards her things she bit her lips so as not to scream the sharp jolts of pain she felt.

A lopsided grin formed when she was only a few feet from the seats. 'Hah! I did it!' She stretched out her right arm to open the gate and stepped outside of the rink. Helga was about to put the last of her two feet on the rubber floor when that foot slipped on the ice.

'Darn!'

AN: I just realized that the 3 chapters I finished coincides to the years that I haven't posted. Hmm…

Thanks for reading.