Well, let's have a couple days, and then bring the weirdo in! Don't forget, it's Thursday for Nicole. Thanks for reviewing again, xFilms and Beth (I didn't quite understand what you were saying...).

Lila wasn't as excited as I thought she would be when I told her Arnie was visiting. "I don't know if he'll want to hang out with me." she mused. "I'd like him to, just ever so much, but he dumped me last time and then told Helga he was in love with her."

"It's been nearly a year, Lila." I said. "People change. And I'm sure he won't go after Helga if I tell him that she's taken. But it would be great if you would try to hang out with him, because I don't really want to see him more than I have to. Besides, he doesn't know me yet."

Lila's unsure look gave way for her sugar-sweet smile. "I hope so. I'll try, Nicole." A smirk appeared on her face. "Now that we've talked about my boy situation, why don't we talk about yours?"

"Lila!" I exclaimed. "Is there even anything to say?"

"What? I think it's oh too cute that you and Sid have made it official. I find it ever so adorable when I see you two exchanging glances, or even holding hands. Especially since when Nadine first said he was showing an interest in you, you made it clear you didn't even like him."

I shrugged, lowering my voice. "Well, back when I watched the show, his spotlight episodes always had him freaking out about something or getting too deep into some problem. Like the time he thought he killed Principal Wartz, and then there was the time he joined the kid version of the Mafia, and there was that time he developed a fear of germs...need I go on? But really, he's a sweet guy. And I find it very special that once I made it clear that I wanted him to keep it real, he admitted some of those things to me. It shows he knows that trying to impress me would make me less impressed."

"I think you're actually ever so good for him." Lila smiled. "He's better than he was before you two started dating – like I can't remember the last time he had one of those paranoia problems."

I shook my head. "He still has them – you just don't notice. I've seen it – he usually goes to Arnold, but doesn't tell anyone else. I mean, yeah, he's probably done some of that freaking out stuff or believing things behind the scenes, but last summer, he told me that he suspected Helga was a ninja." I giggled. "He'd seen her buying ropes and saw there was a bulge inbetween her T-shirt and dress – probably just her locket – but he obviously thought it was some kind of weapon. I just told him that the ropes were to play a prank on her sister..." (Olga had moved home over the summer) "...and that she's growing up and if he kept looking at that bulge, she'd slap him so hard he wouldn't get to sixth grade."

Lila burst out laughing, understanding the innuendo. "So what did he say then?"

"Said I was right about the slap and her skills at violence were proof that she was definitely a ninja." I grinned.

"So what did you say then?"

"I said that if Helga started dating anyone by the end of fifth grade then he was definitely wrong. He dropped the subject after that, but I think he's still trying to catch her out."

By the time we reached school, the two of us couldn't stop laughing. Once Rhonda saw us, she immediately wanted to know what we were laughing at, but I nudged Lila and said "Just something I heard on TV last night. By the way, guess whose creepy cousin is coming over next week. He called Arnold last night."

That diverted Rhonda's attention. "Arnold's cousin Arnie?" She shuddered. "That boy is weirder than Curly. Not much to choose between them, really."

I laughed. "Rhonda, Arnie's not a nutcase – he's just plain weird."

I told Sid about Arnie coming, too, and he showed about as much enthusiasm as anyone else, which is to say very little. "I'm hoping I can get him to spend most of his time around Lila." I confided. "You know, because she actually can stand to be around him for a few hours."

"Well, she's welcome to him." Sid muttered. "That guy's just really weird."

Well, that shows how much I knew. When Arnie arrived that Sunday, I was In my room, wondering if he'd changed at all from the show.

Finally, there was a knock on my door. "Nicole?" called Arnold's voice. "He's here."

I opened the door to find my housemate and his off-model doppelganger standing there. Arnie looked exactly as he had in the show.

I smiled politely and stuck out my hand. "Hi. You must be Arnie. I'm Nicole."

Arnie didn't even look at my hand. "Hey." he greeted me in his monotone and gave his trademark snort. He had the same boyish voice he had in his first episode, rather than the rather adult voice in the second. Yep, just as I imagined.

That evening, everything I heard from the boarders was, similarly, talking about how Arnie was just as creepy and weird as he was last time he'd visited. But as I looked at him, I couldn't help wondering if the screen hadn't shown me an all-encompassing version of him. After all, it had been nearly a year, and despite outward appearances, he might've changed. After all, I'd changed. Spending time around people like Lila and Arnold had definitely done something that made me act nicer (although I still had a sadistic streak). So I decided to make some effort.

After dinner that night, I started asking Arnie some questions. "So. You got any interests?"

I waited to see if I got the answer I remembered. Partially. "I used to like reading the ingredients on food packages. Now I prefer reading textbooks. Math textbooks."

I fought the urge to laugh. Math textbooks? Quickly, I said, "So, you like math?"

Snort. "Yeah. I used to count things a lot. Now I count and then multiply or divide. It's kind of my hobby."

I nodded, trying to take him seriously. "Soooo...you ever dated?"

"Yeah. A couple times." Blink. "I like city girls better than country girls. They're not that interesting."

I found two things that were wrong with that. First, he was stereotyping all city girls and all country girls. If he found Hillwood's girls more interesting than the girls at his home, sure, fine. But that didn't mean all of them were alike. Two, "not that interesting"? So what was interesting? Math textbooks, the most boring books on the face of the planet? Multiplying and dividing as a hobby? I mean, no offense to anyone who enjoys math, but I, Nicole Kidston, believe that there is nothing more boring than that. So how could the "country girls" Arnie knew be any more bland than him?

"Is that the reason you broke up with Lila?" I blurted out. "Because she's a country girl at heart?"

Arnie still seemed to have no emotion. Did he ever break his monotone? "Lila's still around, huh?"

I nodded. "She's my best friend. She really hoped you'd hang out with her. Don't you like her at all?"

"She's OK, I guess." Blink. Snort. "Nothing special. I like the city-born girls in this town more."

I sighed. "Let's get things straight. Do you still have a thing for Helga? In case you're wondering, she told me." (That was a lie, but it was better than telling him the truth).

"Not really." Arnie said. "I liked her, but it was obvious she liked Arnold better."

I blinked. "Wait, what?"

"It was obvious." Arnie repeated. "I don't suppose she told you she and Arnold were acting like a couple before that. I know he was going along with it because he wanted to make Lila jealous, but she was doing it because she liked him."

I eyed the creepy kid warily. How did he work that out? I immediately pretended to look at the nearest clock and say "Oh wow, is that the time? Sorry, gotta cut this short. There's something I forgot to do. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight." With that, I went into my room and locked the door. I needed to think.

Arnie was definitely not completely who I'd imagined him to be. He was, in a lot of ways, the same person from the show – but he was a lot more observant than I thought. I wondered if that would change anything.

Did I write Arnie OK? Putting him in here was a spur-of-the-moment thing. He may seem a little bit OOC, but I purposely made him different to a point. Please review!