WRITER'S NOTE: I hope that the perspectives don't get confusing! When I thought of this story plot I hadn't considered how difficult it would be to write about someone in someone else's body in a way that would make sense to the readers. So bare with me but still be honest if I've lost you guys. I'm hoping you guys enjoy reading because I live to write. I feed off your reviews so if you like then review people!

CHAPTER 2

SONG ABOUT A FRIEND

"I'm starting to figure him out. I know he isn't what I should care about. But whenever he reveals something about himself to me; I know we're meant to be."- Francine Chare

Helga sat on the bus doing what she did best under pressure; running away. She was still wrapping her head around the fact that her body was no longer her own. Everything responded late to her thought process. Almost as if Arnold's body still continued to function separate from her. Yet, though his body appeared to think separately from Helga with focus she could control it.

It was his feelings that were a whirl. She would feel his emotions instantaneously it was out of her control. Often times a memory would latch its self on to the feeling. The images reflected like a film before Helga and it intrigued her to spy on Arnold's memories through his perspective. She couldn't quite describe what switching a body with someone was like; it was a phenomenon that was indescribable and barely tolerable to her.

She wouldn't be able to manage seeing herself and acknowledging that Arnold inhabited the one thing that had solely belonged to her, her body. Suddenly Lila stepped on the bus and Helga braced herself for the flood of love that she knew would wash over her new body. The flood did not come; there was nothing. Just the platonic affection you feel for a dear friend.

Helga wondered whom he did want. An image began to appear and then: "Wow!" Helga heard Arnold's low voice respond to her secondary feelings. His mind had shut down completely! Completely and utterly fought off the intruder, intruder being Helga. She felt like she was trapped with the enemy. Almost as if Arnold's mind saw Helga's soul as a parasite or virus to counter off. His body knew that Helga was not the usual soul inhabiting it. His body was much like his heart. Arnold's body hadn't tried to purge Helga out from it yet. Simply when his mind had no desire to share something with her she'd see a flickering glimpse and then the image would close off completely. By the feelings seeping towards Helga from the almost vision of Arnold's crush, she could tell it was a big secret by the way his brain responded. The way Arnold's heart had began to hammer just at the thought of possibly thinking of the girl indicated that it was perhaps his biggest secret. It made the Nancy Drew in Helga even more curious to crack the case and discover whom this mystery girl was.

Helga sighed, a deep gravelly grunt as she returned to glaring out the window so that Lila would know not to start conversation. She dug through the pockets of his faded slightly baggy skinny jeans. She had to admit Arnold had his own unique "swag" as Gerald called it. She pulled out an I-pod from his pocket and curiosity enticed her. She knew that Arnold, Gerald, Patty, Stinky, and Sid played in a band. They did a lot of local shows and were popular in the area. They did verities of music to include all the members tastes which made them even more popular amongst all genre of music listeners. They made CD's the works. Helga hoped that maybe their new releases would be inside the contents of the music player.

She took the red earplugs and slipped them in her ears. She pressed the button turning the device on and was taken aback. It was all Arnold's own music but not from the band as she had anticipated. Just like Helga had her little pink book of poetry it appeared Arnold created songs. Admittedly over the years her books had become fewer and farther in between as she dated other people. Whoever this mystery girl was she was obviously the love of his life. Thousands of songs like diary entries were downloaded inside to vent his feelings for her.

They seemed to feature some of the band members but as Helga pried into his memories it was apparent only he and now she too knew about this I-pod diary. She picked the last song he'd written before the peculiar body swap. She felt naughty knowing she was about to pry into his deepest thoughts but Helga was a bad girl she knew this and could not resist. She'd always wanted to know who he was underneath the calm facade and now Helga could. He'd entitled it a song about a friend that featured Patty in the beginning. She stretched out Arnold's long legs tilting his head out the window as she pressed play. She smirked as he began to play piano music with a tinge of modern, yet jazz type beats shut the rest of the world out and sucked her into the song.

"I didn't say nothing." –Arnold "Yes you did what?"-Patty

"I didn't say nothing."

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't!"

"No, you didn't say nothing, you just looked at me funny like I'm some kind of freak!"

"No I.. I didn't say nothing!" pause, "I didn't look at you.."

"Yeah you looked at me.."

"No."

"Yeah you did."

"What do you mean freak?" another pause, "Whose this one about?"

Helga glared as the buildings moved further back from her. She was hesitant now. Obviously these lyrics would be more impacting then she'd anticipated. How many layers could one boy's soul have? By the sound of his intro many. She was trapped inside his body and still felt his inner workings were that of an absolute stranger.

"These headphones keep me from rememberin' (rememberin')Also guilty of letting me not forget (also guilty)What type of harvest will September bring? (beckoning)Everyone to put him to that test (Somebody please kill me)I've got a sickness, it feels like love. It's not contagious, take off the gloves. Drop your defenses, apply a coat of perfect. I'll form the sentences you try to interpret. It'd all be so simple if I was rich (But I'm not)But I'm not so I compensate with thought (I got a lot)I got a lot of nothin' that you need to know (Ay yo)You would think he wasn't aware of the glow (Where'd you go?)Swimmin' in a bottle of imposters.

Losin' my ground in the name of takin' it farther. We can thumb wrestle or we can make a daughter, I thought it was supposed to get easier when you worked harder. Stole the city, I still feel helpless

Baited the hook and caught me a shellfish (selfish?)I'm gonna gut it, clean it, cook it, feed it to a she

And see if I can get her to need me."

Helga took a deep breath. His mind flowed in and out of thought. His mind continuously fluttering in and out of poetic concepts. He was a walking artist and it reflected in the flow of his rap. Who would have thought that though with several different methods were both poets? Now Helga could understand why Arnold's mind wandered into a dream like state often times. His daydreams numbed him from his grievances in reality. Helga was beginning to hate this anonymous girl as Arnold's depression began to suffocate her. She brought quite a deal of pain to his already strained life. Yet Helga could not bring herself to pull the headphones out from her ears. He spoke with flamboyance as he told his warped love story.

"And now I'm standin' at the bottom of the steps,

And if I tilt my head a little I can look up her dress,

And I'm willin' to bet that she'd move if she knew,

So I'ma tap her on the shoulder, I'ma give her a clue."

Arnold's mind flickered to a memory of silk black boy shorts with frilly lace. The girl had to be a local around here because those panties were only sold at one of the upper scale shops in Hillwood. Rhonda had forced Helga along many times. He was curious about what laid underneath mystery girl's underwear. Being the gentleman that he was he nudged her leg so that she would tilt her body in a way that concealed her from him. Her dignity meant more then his desire.

"All it takes is a stroll down the street. A pro and he greets and he sold the life to me. Showed you the meaning of the artery he keeps on the end of his sleeve. As he pretends he can breathe, Lend me a piece of your superiority. I feel alone on this mission, I'm wishin' there was more of me. A pair of me, apparently I'm a parasite caught inside a paradox, A paradise, a parody, the hair police have got what you need For you to get over me and move on with Godspeed. I'd let it all go and break eggs for a livin'If I wasn't so conditioned to just take what I'm given. Get it, got it, catch it, caught it, and lost it, Yet I can't stop it, it's embedded in my optics."

"Plus the frustration is a product of the gossip. If you can't walk away can you at least change the topic? Overextended the amount of time allotted. Broke the engine, I don't know, cracked the block.

Now I'm standin' at this gravel roadside festival. And I ain't tryin' to move cause this view is incredible; Standin' at the bottom of the steps. And if I tilt my head a little I can look up her dress And I'm willin' to bet that she'd move if she knew, So I'ma tap her on the shoulder, I'ma give her a clue."

Helga was astounded. Arnold spent his everyday life a walking glowing bask of sunshine. Everyone adored Arnold. Arnold was cheerful, persevering, and the eternal optimist, for everyone who knew him. It bothered Helga that he could so easily sacrifice himself with his heart on his sleeve for everyone else; everyone except himself. Her eyes pooled at the corners and she exhaled deeply. The last thing she wanted to do was ball like a baby with a grown man's body.

"Fall in love with all of she (Fall in love with all of she).Hasn't stopped callin' me (Hasn't stopped callin' me). Message in a bottle (There's a message in a bottle).And I stepped inside a pothole (I stepped inside a pothole).Somehow forgot my name (Somehow forgot my name).Blew out the flame (She blew out the flame).

A means to an end (A means to an end).Can't even be friends, it's a song about a friend!

She's still in my dreams (She steals all my dreams).Angel spread your wings (Angel spread your wings).

Tryin' to comprehend (I'm still tryin' to comprehend).Can't even be friends, it's a song about a friend!"

The piano and drum beat carried out with the faint sound of background noise a t.v. maybe? Helga tugged at the blue sock cap she had placed over his head. Arnold's cornflower hair wrapping around the beanie. She wasn't sure where her runaway destination was. She'd chosen to follow her new body's instincts. She took the bus that her long legs carried her towards. She stumbled clumsily still unadjusted to Arnold's rather large feet. She Glanced uncomfortably at his red high top Converse. She didn't play another song letting the static seep into her eardrums as knots twisted in her stomach. They were secretly two peas in a tragic pod.

The bus stopped and Helga stuffed the I-pod into her back pocket to hide for safekeeping. She would brave to venture it further later. She found herself across the way from a man made lake. She waltzed towards a willow tree that Arnold preferred to sit under well pondering the philosophies of life. She thought she was deep, well, Arnold's inner thoughts made Helga feel like her emotions were a kid pool; and she had yet to dive into more then one written song. She wasn't sure what to do but the last thing she was ready for was to face her reflected in his eyes.

A part of Helga feared what Arnold considered her to be like. No one knew who Helga really was and she'd set it up to be that way intentionally. Yet, the thought of Arnold seeing her in a bad light devastated Helga. Helga thought she'd moved on from Arnold for the most part as the years had passed. Apparently she would always be imprisoned to her unwanted emotions for him. She realized she was imprisoned by love being quite literately trapped with her long pined for lover. She wanted her body back but could not face the reality of it all in order to get to the point of return.

She unbuttoned her red plaid shirt as the sun beat down on her. She began to sweat slightly and it was strange to not smell her cherry blossom deodorant. Instead she was wafted in a fresh masculine musk with a hint of delightful citrus. What was that smell? Arnold always smelt clean and crisp setting her senses on edge every time she caught a whiff of him. Maybe she would find out given her bizarre predicament of becoming him. She pulled at the blue wife beater hoping to create a slight breeze. She'd kept his boxers from last night on changing into random clean comfortable clothes. She'd been tempted examine him further but hadn't had the time in her rush to escape Gerald's puzzled stare.

She lost her jumble of thoughts as Arnold's heart clutched. Helga snapped her head up as she approached the tree. She saw herself already standing underneath the lowly curved branches of the willow tree. His heart was hammering and Helga was sure it was do to the fact that her nerves were sending his body terrified signals. She backed up ready to run for it the mixture of her thoughts and his thoughts too much. Helga was only one person that the universe had somehow now forced to be two. Just as she was about to bolt for it she heard her own voice only in a more timid demeanor.

"Helga come sit with me it seems like we have a lot to talk about, and a lot to figure out fast." The world seemed to be on Helga's shoulders and as Arnold spoke in her own raspy female voice she sighed dragging his feet towards herself. There was no escaping it. The lyrics from his lament still buzzing around in her

thoughts: I feel alone on this mission, I'm wishin' there was more of me. A pair of me, apparently I'm a parasite caught inside a paradox, A paradise, a parody. Helga shivered shoving an unwelcome thought to the back of her head. How long could their physical being handle two separate souls inhabiting them? What if they never went back to normalcy? What if they were trapped as each other forever? She braced herself for the inevitable conversation that was about to come with Arnold; or should Helga actually be saying in literal terms the conversation coming from her?