Right. Next up...thanks for reviewing, The J.A.M a.k.a Numbuh i and Beth (I got all of them from one website).

I cornered Gerald the next day to ask my question. "Hey, Gerald, do you still get information from Fuzzy Slippers, whoever they are?" I asked.

Gerald gave me a suspicious look. "How did you – oh, yeah."

I groaned. "I'm not a spy! Hasn't Arnold told you that? I live in the same house as him. If I was a spy before moving in, he would've been the first to know. I don't know if it's a good idea to explain to you right now. Point is, I don't know who Fuzzy Slippers is, but would the information I have be explained if I was to have gotten it from the person in question? Oh, and another thing. Why did everyone listen to a stupid rumour started by a kid who is only semi-grounded in reality?"

Gerald shrugged. "Just cause Curly said it doesn't make it implausible. You seem familiar – maybe some of us saw but didn't register you hanging around. That's legit. Face it – the evidence is stacked against you."

I groaned. "Gerald Johanssen, just one simple question: Can I have gotten the information from Fuzzy Slippers? If you can help me, I might explain what the real story is – as long as you won't tell anyone."

Gerald paused. Then he nodded. "I'll ask him. But," he said, "If you can't back up your real story with true proof, then don't expect me to take that for an answer."

Later on, I asked Arnold if I'd done the right thing in agreeing to let Gerald in on the secret. "I mean, he's your best friend. Can he keep a secret?"

Arnold nodded. "I trust him. He may not always act like it, but he's loyal and trustworthy deep down. We wouldn't be best friends if he wasn't."

"So you'll hang around and back me up?" I asked. "No offence to Gerald, but I think he'll need backup as well as proof before he'll believe it."

Arnold nodded. "Sure, Nicole. You may be right."

Which is how I ended up proving things to Gerald a day later. First, I just gave in a few things I remembered. "Let's see...you moved into the boarding house for a short time. You only learned how to ride a bike a year ago because you had a bad experience when you were younger. Your little sister pretended her stuffed doll was stolen because she wanted you to play detective with her. Your voice changed permanently when you had your tonsils taken out. You told your older brother his girlfriend was just using him because of how frazzled he was doing stuff for her, even though it meant he'd stop being nice to you. At one point, you were obsessed with a game – you were the King. Oh," I added, "And when you and Arnold were saving the neighbourhood, you were using the walkie-talkie while Arnold was on the roof of Fti, and all you got was someone that wasn't Arnold saying 'not now'." I giggled.

Gerald was all wide-eyed, just like everyone else had been. "Wow." he said. "Either you were a really good spy...or all this is true."

"It is true." Arnold said. "She knew about our trip to San Lorenzo before we went on it. It was going to be a movie in her world, but they cancelled its release. And she kind of knew about me and Helga..." he blushed.

I grinned. "Test my quoting ability if you want, Gerald. I memorized half the episodes."

Gerald paused, then said "OK. When Phoebe was hall monitor, I got six detention tickets in a morning from her. What were they?"

I smiled. "Walking too fast, walking too slow, turning a corner too sharply, turning too wide, squeaky shoes, suspiciously quiet shoes...then when you dropped them, Phoebe gave you another ticket for littering." My grin widened. "That episode was called Hall Monitor. Phoebe was a terror then – I couldn't believe she could be so...well, it probably was because Helga told her what to do."

"Wow." was all Gerald could say.

"So?" I said. "Your turn. Can we get this lie cleared up without blowing my cover? I don't need everyone asking questions. I don't trust people like Rhonda with this information – and what if the press got wind of it? They would if Rhonda got hold of it, the way she talks. Seven people knowing is quite enough."

"Eight." Gerald corrected. "I talked to Fuzzy Slippers, and when I mentioned you, he said 'the cartoon-watcher'. I didn't understand it then, but I guess I get it now. But he says it's cool with him if you want to say he's where you get all your information."

I grinned. "Tell him thanks a lot. And thanks to you too!" I smiled slyly. "May I also ask a question? On the show, I kept seeing you and Phoebe holding hands, or just hanging out. Why don't you just take the plunge and ask her out? I know for a fact that she likes you. I asked her last year and she said she did."

I couldn't really tell if Gerald blushed or not, but I thought I could see a faint red tinge underneath his dark skin. "Uh...she's a really cool girl." he admitted. "I kind of like her, I guess, but I don't really know if I should tell her or not. Especially since Helga's her best friend. Me and Helga – we can't stand each other."

"Better get used to it." I laughed, asking Arnold "You did tell him about you and Helga, right?"

"Well...no." Arnold admitted. "It's different with you, since you...know."

"What?" Gerald said. "Arnold, is there something going on between you and Helga?"

"I should really have told you." Arnold told him. "You see, Helga and I have been talking about...what happened back in the jungle. And...well...we decided to try being friends at school for a few weeks. That's why we talk more and she doesn't pick on me any more. And then once everyone's used to that...we'll admit it that we're...well, dating."

Gerald started laughing, and only stopped when he realized we weren't. "What? You're kidding, right?"

"Nope." I said. "Trust me, Helga's wanted Arnold for years. Haven't you heard, at our age, it's natural to pick on the boy you like. I can't believe no one's picked up on it." OK, so maybe Patty had suspected (only after Arnold decided to try to persuade her not to beat up Helga), and I have a suspicion that Lila and maybe Dr Bliss got it before Helga told them, but that was it.

"You're not serious?" Gerald exclaimed. "That's why she was always picking on him? That's crazy!"

"Love makes you crazy." I said seriously. "It started so long ago, and trust me, Gerald, you don't know the half of it."

I probably shouldn't have said that, because Gerald immediately asked "So how much do you know about it?"

My eyes flickered around while I tried to think of an excuse, any excuse. Finally, I said quickly, "You know, I don't think it's really my place to tell you all Helga's secrets. If you really need to know anything, I'm sure Arnold can explain the important stuff. If you really want to know more, try the source." And with that, I made a hasty getaway.

I haven't really written Gerald much before, so I hope he was in-character. Please review!