Chapter #9: You can't always play Jesus.

"So … you two are together now huh Shortman?." Grandpa Phil asked his 7th grader grandson rather nervously as he sat on his armchair.

"Yeah." Arnold replied shyly.

"How long?."

"Since September."

"Ok well, you two be good to each other." His voice was void of any enthusiasm.

Arnold gave him one of those innocent smiles and left.

Grandpa found out about them when he caught them almost kissing that night outside the boarding house doorstep, it wasn't that he disapproved of their relationship heck he always knew it would happen. The problem was that Stella and Miles would be leaving to another state in a couple of months, they still hadn't told Arnold about it. The news came so fast and his budding romance with the former school bully (still toughy) made it harder for them to break to him the news of their re-location … Their little son would be torn between choosing his parents and his new girlfriend.

"I guess history repeats itself in a different kind of way." He sighed to himself as he grabbed one of his photo albums and opened it to a picture of his old school picture.

I just hope it repeats itself for the better…

"Hey, it's Joey." Harold greeted as Joey joined him and the rest of the boys at Mighty Pete.

"Yo." He merely grumbled as he set his backpack down on the floor and flumped beside it.

"Three day detention wore you down already?." Sid smirked.

"Yeah some of us haven't yet developed an immunity against this kind of punishment like you did." Joey replied bitterly.

"Well you wanted it." Sid casually shrugged.

"Who on God's green earth would wan'ta get detahnshin?." Stinky wrinkled his nose.

"Yeah what's up with that?." Harold wondered.

"He says it's his only chance of escaping his aunt's visit."

"What are you Sid? His spokesperson now?." Harold asked annoyed.

"Sorry."

Meanwhile, Arnold was looking at Sid, contemplating whether he should his friend about what he saw the other day.

"Hey Arnold what's wrong? It's like you seen a ghost or something." Gerald asked his best friend who just came out of the grocery store.

Arnold's face was pale as he looked around nervously and pulled Gerald aside to an empty alley.

"I just saw Ruth." He whispered to which Gerald replied with a raised eyebrow and a hand over his hip. "No! no! that's not what I meant! I just saw her with another guy!."

"So, he could be a friend."

"Not from the way I saw it. She was latched onto his arm, what friends do that?."

"Maybe it's a ninth grader thing?."

"Come on Gerald."

"So you're implyin' that she's cheating on our man Sid?."

Arnold's brows furrowed sadly at the possible fact.

"Fellow brethren! I have an announcement to make." Curly stood in the middle of his friends circle.

"You're hopefully going to a boot camp?." Harold asked mockingly.

"Even better, tomorrow, I plan to ask Rhonda out for the junior prom."

"But the prom's in two weeks." Stinky said.

"You gotta ask a girl out during this time just to be sure no one takes her from you." Park told him.

"And plus, two weeks will be enough time to woo her into my loving arms and make her feel like the queen that she is."

"Guess I'll be missing out on this junior prom of yours and be hanging out with the real high school kids." Sid smiled as he put his arms over his head and relaxed on the couch.

"Gee Sid that would ever-so break our hearts." Harold rolled his eyes.

"Jealous much?." Sid taunted.

"I'll show you jealous!." Harold lunged over the little boy and the rest of the boys tried to break him away from Sid.

"Still thinkin' of tellin' him Arnold?." Gerald asked as they both stood at a safe distance watching the madness.

"It's for the better Gerald."

"I'm tellin' you man, I think it's better if he figured it out himself! What if all this turns out to be a mistake? Huh?."

Arnold looked at Gerald and then at Sid who was gasping for air once Harold let go and sighed, "Fine."

"You can't always play Jesus Arnold," Gerald put his hand over the blonde's shoulder. "we only grow when we make mistakes."

"So? Who got asked to the prom?." Rhonda asked with a cheeky grin as she placed down the bowl of microwave popcorn and sat with her friends on her bedroom's pink carpeted floor.

"I got asked out by Park today." Nadine blushed.

"Why didn't you tell me!." Rhonda asked astonished.

"I wanted to make it a surprise." The black blonde innocently said.

"Till when? The prom?."

"No! today! We were gonna meet up at your place anyway."

"So this is why we're having a slumber party at your place tonight Rhonda? To discuss about who's going with who to the prom?." Phoebe asked.

"Yeah Rhonda, or is there another reason for you wanting us at your place every weekend?." Helga smirked knowingly.

"What's so suspicious about a bunch of junior high girls having a slumber party?." Rhonda was clearly unmoved by the taunt question thrown at her.

"Every week?." Helga raised a brow maintaining that smirk.

"Pataki, I'm Rhonda-Wellington-Lloyd, I do anything but ordinary."

"Oh ok, see I thought it was because you're parents are probably not always around at this day and being all alone in this mansion seems so boring and lonely."

"No Helga, you thought wrong." The raven haired princess justified with a victorious smirk despite the obviousness that the blonde had her figured.

(MUSIC: MAE-ANYTHING)

Author's Note: The first part of this chapter is an excerpt from an original oneshot in my memories fic collection. The chapter is called 'Look where those three words got us', it described my POV on how Grandpa and Granma ended up together. Give it a read if you're interested.