Guest - sorry about the switching back and forth between first person and third person. I had originally written the whole chapter in the first person but then I got annoyed with that & decided to change it, but I guess I overlooked some sentences. I have a habit of typing very quickly, I apologize for any errors that I've overlooked. Ty for reviewing. I wish I could actually see the other two:(

Arnold is sitting in a small room across from an older teacher assigned to keep an eye on students taken to detention. For the first few minutes, he was just angry, angry at that Brendan guy for the things he said about Helga and the things he's said in the past. But slowly Arnold started thinking about the question he asked.

That asshole kind of has a point, why haven't you asked out Helga? You've liked -liked her since San Lorenzo and been in love with her for too long! Are you ashamed or scared of what people would think? Are you scared that she's moved on and is no longer in love with you like she said she was back in fourth grade? A very long sigh came out of his mouth. You continue to let those rumors of you sleeping with Lila fly around… no that's not true because I've told people over and over again that's not true and they insist on continuing to spread them… so what can I do? People are going to keep making false statements… I try to keep our interactions to a minimal. But I don't want to be rude to her. Why doesn't she seem more disturbed about those rumors?

Arnold puts his head in his hands and stays that way. He knows that getting into a physical fight will have some kind of negative effect on his status or position on the team. But he also has a clean record and has never been in a fight prior, therefore, he is hoping that his coach will take it easy on him.

His thoughts find their way back to Helga but that is nothing new at all, his thoughts are often centered on her. He knew now that really he wasn't that much better than Brendan and the other's who put her down or people similar to her.

Curly and Helga were too far away to have actually seen the fight, but of course, they got word of it.

"Did you hear about Arnold?" Curly asked Helga. "He actually got into a physical accusation with Brendan Sanders."

Helga frowned immediately when hearing that Arnold fought someone. "Brendan Sanders… isn't he also on the basketball team with Arnold?"

"Yep, he is."

"So what was the fight about? I couldn't imagine it would be over something petty because Arnold is too—"

He touches her arm. "That my friend depends on your definition of petty because I heard through the grapevine that it was all over a girl."

Helga slumps down in her seat. "Oh. Lila probably." She begins to shake her head. "But anyway…" She leaned closer to Curly. "Don't you ever let me hear about you fighting over some chick unless that girl is actually someone very special and dear to your heart." She opens her mouth to grin widely. "Like myself."

Her grin must be contagious because he mimics her expression. He reaches over with his hand and shakes hers with a crazy laugh. "You got yourself a deal babe."

Lila, Rhonda along with other girls walked into another one of Helga's classes, she chooses to sit in the front row. Her eyes were fixed on her notebook, but she could feel their judgmental stares. Eventually, she sat up to glare at each of them but cackled when she saw them look away quickly.

"Ugh, where does she get her clothes at the flea market? All that damn tacky pink is giving me a headache." One of them stated and she could hear the other girls laughing. Instead of retaliating like she used to in the past; which gained her the reputation of being a tough no nonsense cookie... she decided to just avoid the drama.

Since the teacher was very low key and not strict at all, Helga decided to get up and change her seat. She goes to the back and sat down next to Nadine; who she considered a friend as well.

"Do you notice that the hyenas only make noise when they know you're surrounded by them or when you're not looking. Don't get me wrong I can handle all of them by myself, I just chose not to, but they definitely seem to only talk shit when they see that their target is alone."

Nadine looked up from her book. She had become very studious and more on the introverted side. People made fun of hobbies and fascination with all sorts of bugs. Helga along with a few people didn't and accepted her for who she was. She looked over directly at the girls Helga was referring to. "Yes I've noticed, they do it to me all the time, but Rhonda... she's not like that she just has let herself become a follower."

Helga made an uncaring face and shrugged. "We all have choices in the social decisions we make, no one put a gun to that girl's head and said you better follow my rules of popularity or else." She looked at Nadine and felt a tad more sympathy because she and Rhonda use to be very close. "I know you miss her but thank God high school is almost over and all this bullshit and cliques might be over with. You think people would want to let it go since this is our last year but... OH well." She just shakes her head and goes back to sketching an outfit.

OXOXO

In the locker room changing for gym class she sighed and groaned loudly because she didn't expect to have to take physical education her senior year, but the school decided to make it mandatory for seniors as well.

The girl that made the comment before in class kept staring at her while they were in the locker room as she whispered to her friends and that continued until they got inside the gym area.

The students were all lined up to do a practice game of volleyball. The instructor went to each student and showed them how to serve the ball and also how to hold their hands to hit it back. The girl that kept whispering and glaring at Helga took her serve and instead of during a mock one like everyone else she literally hit the ball and purposely hit Helga. She put on her best performance and acted as though it was an accident and the teacher believed her.

When it was Helga's turn she kept her eyes on her target and spiked the ball; which hit the girl right in her nose. In response as the girl's nose started to bleed a little and she cried out in an over the top matter, Helga imitated the girl's bad acting. "Obviously, I'm not sorry for that and neither were you." She moved closer to the girl; who was now surrounded by people sympathizing with her and glaring daggers at Helga; with her hands on her hips knelt down to say one last thing. "You phony bitch."

"That's enough Pataki! You're out of here!" Her female gym teacher demanded and walked her out.

She was sent to the principal and because she wasn't at all remorseful and even argued back to the principal telling her that she hated how some people have clearly favored. A profane word even slipped out of her mouth and for that she was assigned detention.

Being lead to the detention office, she saw Curly speed walking down the stairs and towards her in a nearly frantic fashion. "Helga, Helga, are you alright? I heard you were taken to the principal's office. Are you in trouble still?"

He looked at the big male security guard giving him an impatient look. "Oh, well I guess you are. Call me and tell me later." Once he got further away he started to chant "Free Helga." a few times but a teacher came out and yelled at him to get out of the halls or he would be in trouble. Helga couldn't hold in a laugh but her expression vanished once she walked into the small room to see Arnold seating there now staring at her as if she was some kind of ghost.

Great now I'm in here with Mr. Goody two shoes himself, but hey he can't judge me and give me one of his moral lectures when he's in here himself.

She sat down with her arms crossed still fuming about everything that just took place. Arnold kept taking sneak peeks at her out of the corner of his eye. "Helga what happened why are you in here?"

The nonchalant teacher looked up from his newspaper with his prescription glasses down at the tip of his nose. "Hey, no talking."

Helga wasn't planning on responding anyway but after a few minutes, she saw a folded paper tossed to her desk. She peeked at him and with a quick eye roll she opened the paper. You look upset what happened?

Helga gave him a slanted look and picked up her pen reluctantly. Criminy I'm in detention what do you fucking think? I got in trouble. She wasn't necessarily upset at him but more so at the situation of getting in trouble. Disappointed in herself for letting someone she despised bring out the more vicious side of her and she was being punished for it. She also was annoyed that she ending up locked in a room with the boy she had been pining after for years and years. With a swift flick of her wrist, she tossed it back to land on his desk.

He opened it and immediately cringed at the harsh tone of her words as he read them but he took notice of the purple ink she still used and admired how beautiful her penmanship still was. Arnold was still the type to find the good in a lot of situations if possible. He ended up smiling because of the memory of her the poetry he read years ago, poetry he still takes out and reads every now and then; which he had later found out the little pink book belong to her. But he frowned while rereading her words on the paper, because he remembered that one reason why he never confronted Helga about his desires for her was also because of her standoffish behavior; which started once he came back to Hillwood at the start of his freshmen year. He didn't understand why she had never written back to him while he was gone but he figured she was trying to move on since he had been too chicken to officially tell her that he 'liked - liked' her at that time. He didn't completely blame her since he did begin dating Lila not too long after he returned because she had been one of the few people aside from Gerald who had written him back.

At the time he clung to his past feelings for her in order to distract him from his increasing and much deeper fondness for Helga. Eventually, after dating her for a while he realized that he was simply using her and he felt incredibly bad and confessed to Lila about everything regarding Helga and how he no longer felt the same attraction for her. He broke things off with her at the time as well; that was a sophomore year to be exact. He was angry at himself for taking nearly a year to break it off with Lila and that currently, he hadn't spilled out anything to the girl he loved. She had no idea and that was killing him inside that he hadn't made her his girlfriend.

He peeked again at Helga and wrote something else. Did you hit someone? Is that why you're here?

Her eyes narrowed at the question. Of course. Helga G. Pataki gets in trouble it just has to be for hitting someone. As in I initiated things. Right? It would have to have been totally my fault. It couldn't have been in self-defense. She tossed it to him more aggressively, she loved and hated her reputation of being both quick to throw up her fist and to assault people with her tongue had followed her throughout the years.

He frowned at her response and shook his head as he started to write. Helga, I didn't say any of that. I'm sure you know by now that I got into a fight and that's why I'm here. A fight I started by the way. I'm in no position to judge you if that's what you think I'm doing. I don't think everything is totally your fault. I know and have witnessed people picking at you waiting for you to explode. I'm positive you being here wasn't completely your fault. I wish you didn't allow those people to get to you but I can't talk because I did... But at the end of the day, I hope you never allow them to break you.

Helga read and didn't respond to that nor did she look at him but luckily for her, she was released from detention while unluckily - Arnold had to stay because his actions were considered much more extreme.

Now happily getting away from the school building she walked to her car to see a certain familiar guy leaning up against it. She would have been happy if he were Arnold even if she never showed it on the outside. But unfortunately, even though he too had blonde hair and green eyes this guy wasn't Arnold. He was a guy she thought of as a pretentious jerk who had been hitting on her since their freshmen year. Helga had distanced herself so far from the 'in crowd' that she hadn't learned of him being Arnold's teammate until a few months prior.

"Can you get your flat ass off my car?"

He was smoking a cigar and pulled it out with arrogance. "You've been turning me down year after year. Do you know who I am and how many girls would kill to be the object of my eye?"

"I know exactly who you are and what you're all about."

He grinned and she looked disgusted at that because she could see his true colors behind his good looks and supposed charm. "I'm not just talking about popping your cherry. I want more than that with you. Stop playing hard to get. Give in to your deep dark passions."

"I'm not playing, I just have taste because you're a piece of shit that's all about getting laid."

"You're a bitch and if you don't let me help you - your little problem will only get worse."

With a look of disgust, she pushed him off her car. "You're just a pig, go sleep with one of those blind girls that chase after you because you'll never ever lay a finger on me. If you do you'll find that finger broke in half and maybe something else will get broken in the process. And that's no threat. Do you want a matching black eye? If not then I suggest you piss off."

With a pointed look directed at him she climbed into her car to start it up and because she was heading to her part-time job she was Phoebe-less; who got a ride with her boyfriend Gerald instead. As she pulled off with him still standing nearby watching, she's unaware that her aggressive behavior and insults only turned him on even more.