How Badly Do You Want It?: Students Edition
Pilot - Meet The Cast: Editor's Edition
Sunday, June 5th, 2011
"I cannot believe you're doing this, Helga."
Helga grinned and slung her backpack over her shoulder, "Ten weeks with a bunch of wimps and football face? It's no sweat. I have this game in the bag."
Gerald glared at Helga before turning to his best friend. "I feel bad for your competition, Arnold. They have yet to meet the beast that is Helga Pataki." Helga stuck her tongue out at Gerald.
Arnold interrupted by physically stepping between the two, "We better get going, Helga, our flight is taking off soon."
Helga hugged Phoebe goodbye, promising to call her once they landed in Mexico.
"Be careful, okay?" Phoebe lowered her voice, "These shows always bring out the worst in people. I don't want you doing something you'll regret."
Helga casually glanced at Arnold out of the corner of her eye, "I have it all under control, Pheebs. I've been hiding my feelings for fifteen years, ten more weeks won't kill me."
"But Helga, you know they have confessional rooms. The producers are going to ask you a lot of questions. I'm sorry, but sometimes when you start talking you don't know when to quit."
Helga's eyes went wide with a realization that Phoebe was right. She could not not not get into a confessional booth. "Shit, Phoebe!"
"What, you're chickening out?" Gerald teased.
"No, Phoebe was just telling me about her other boyfriend and how great he is in bed."
"Helga!"
"Alright now we're leaving," Arnold pulled onto Helga's arm forcefully to prevent any bloodshed.
Helga tried really hard not to read into the fact that Arnold didn't let go of her arm until they got to the security line.
Helga was wearing her iPod headphones, not actually listening to anything but her own thoughts race. She was feeling nervous about the competition, especially since MTV was known for going overboard with the dramatics. For all she knew Helga was walking into a house full of guys and they were all incredibly athletic and she'd get knocked out first round.
Instead of asking Big Bob to pay for tuition to the University of Iowa - Helga was planning on going for creative writing - she figured that participating in this would be more fun. At least now if someone said something she didn't like she'd have the chance to beat them in a competition.
Arnold rocked back and forth on his heels, hands shoved into his pockets. He couldn't believe he was really going through with this. Out of all people he was going to be competing on a dangerous television show.
He didn't know why he was chosen. His audition tape was pretty terrible and he definitely wasn't as athletic as some of the other seniors at his school. He was tall and thin with very little muscle definition. He played baseball and basketball with the YMAA gym, but they didn't do intense weight lifting like the high school did. Gerald's theory was that the show chose Arnold because Helga was too evil to be trusted alone with strangers. After everything Arnold had seen today, that theory did seem slightly plausible.
Arnold really needed the money, though. He was so desperate for it he was willing to sacrifice his body, mind and potentially his life.
He had been accepted to Stanford to study psychology, but had absolutely no way to pay for the school. He was currently registered to start at Hillwood University in September, but deep down he knew he'd be unhappy there. Grandpa felt extremely guilty about not being able to pay for his school and had Arnold search for ways to earn money. The audition for MTV's new extreme reality show was the first thing that popped up on Google.
"Flight 179 to Cancún will now be boarding passengers traveling with children under the age of five."
Helga removed her headphones, turning to Arnold, "What?"
Arnold snapped out of his zone, "It was nothing. We still have a good ten minutes before we're called."
Helga rolled her eyes, "Great."
Fifteen minutes later Helga, Arnold and the rest of the passengers were finally delivered the bad news: the flight was delayed.
This was why Helga hated airports. She drove everywhere she could just to avoid it. Not only did security drive her insane, but shit like this always happened. It was as if she was as cursed as Eugene.
Helga was very irritated. This was her summer vacation and she had to wake up early for this. Stomping up to the ticket counter, she smacked her hand onto the tabletop. "It's a seven a.m. flight to Mexico! How the hell is it delayed?" Helga shrieked.
The stewardess' strained smile disappeared from her face, "I'm sorry, Miss, I do not appreciate you yelling at me."
"And I don't appreciate -"
Arnold stepped up to the counter, once again pulling Helga out of the way. "I apologize on my friend's behalf." Helga snorted before stepping back. "We'd just like to know why we are delayed. We have to be in Mexico by this afternoon in order to meet with the producers for a new television show."
"Right. Well, Sir, we have just received word that our pilot got caught on a delayed red eye flight from Tokyo. He should be landing within the hour."
Arnold smiled at the woman again, "Thank you."
Helga crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at Arnold. "Well?"
"It's going to be a while. Our pilot's stuck on another flight."
Helga groaned and collapsed into an empty pleather seat. "What are we supposed to do now?"
"I saw a burger place at the beginning of this terminal. Do you want to go eat with me?"
As a reflex, Helga's heart started beating faster.
It had crossed her mind a few dozen times since she found out that Arnold was another competitor on the show that they'd have to spend time together. Ten weeks together, if they both played their cards right.
But right now it was completely voluntary.
Calm yourself, ol' girl, Helga thought, you're jumping way too far ahead.
It was hard for her not to, though, considering the next few hours were going to be the longest time they'd spent together since middle school. Even though their best friends, Phoebe and Gerald, were in a serious relationship, Arnold and Helga hardly saw each other. If Arnold wasn't hanging out with Gerald, he was out with Lila and her cheerleader friends.
Little Miss Perfect Lila Sawyer with her red hair and doe eyes and cute freckles. Gag! She hadn't changed a bit since fourth grade.
Arnold and Lila constantly denied that any relationship had formed, always claiming they were just friends, but it was clear to everyone that they were secretly hooking up.
Helga and Arnold sat down in a booth at the back of the airport restaurant, sliding their suitcases under the table. Helga made sure her knees were subtly touching his.
After a waitress took their drink orders, Arnold decided to initiate conversation. "So, what do you expect the competition to be like?"
"I don't know. I hope it's not battle of the sexes, the guys always win because they're stronger."
"Are you already doubting your teammates?" Arnold teased.
Helga shrugged, "Let's be real Football Head, there are no girls tougher than Helga G. Pataki."
"That may be true, but there has to be a reason the other four girls got picked."
"Because they're going to create drama and hook up with everyone." Helga smirked, "Sluts love nice guys like you."
Arnold chuckled, "Alright, I'll be sure to be on my guard."
The waitress returned with drink refills and took Arnold's food order. Helga didn't order anything besides a water since she had no money. Big Bob only gave her money to go grocery shopping, and since she didn't have a summer job, money was tight. And Helga was definitely not going to ask Arnold to buy her food, or let him insist on it either.
The static intercom in the airport announced several gate changes. All of these distractions gave Helga the perfect amount of time to think of a new topic of conversation so there would be no awkward silences.
Helga toyed with her straw, running it around the rim of her glass. "What school are you fighting for again?"
"I want to go to Stanford to study psychology. And if I remember correctly, you want Iowa for writing, right?"
Helga's passive expression changed to one of curiosity. She tried to remain calm and stifle the beating butterflies in her stomach. "Yeah. Why would you ever remember that?"
"I did weeks worth of research to see how hard you'd work in the game."
Helga gasped, "What?"
Arnold laughed, "Relax, Helga. I just asked Phoebe this morning while you and Gerald fought about where to park."
Helga laughed nervously. Since when did Arnold feel confident enough to tease her back?
Glancing at his watch, Arnold realized it was time to go. "The stewardess said by the end of the hour. Come on," he dropped a pile of bills on the table and began his walk back towards the gate.
The intercom hissed to life again, "Attention passengers Flight 179 to Cancún is now delayed. There is also a gate change to B4."
Helga growled. "I fucking hate airports!"
Arnold nodded, turning around and heading towards the new gate, "We'll get there on time. Don't worry."
"Can't fucking wait," Helga mumbled under her breath.
Returning to an uncomfortable chair at the new departure gate, Helga finally turned her iPod on. She shut her eyes and tried to relax.
She felt Arnold suddenly shift beside her, his body lifting off the chair and pacing back and forth in front of her. Still keeping her eyes closed, Helga turned down her MP3 player's volume to listen.
"Hello?"
"I just wanted to say goodbye and wish you luck," Lila's sweet voice spoke softly over the phone.
Arnold couldn't deny the little jump his heart suffered every time he talked with Lila. It was a good and bad thing. Good because it meant their relationship was still strong and that he still loved her, and bad because, well, they had been practically dating for three years but never made it "official." Lila was not into labels, which basically meant she wanted the option to date other guys. But she never did.
Arnold had tried to convince her that they were in a relationship and that she was his girlfriend, but she didn't seem to agree with it.
Arnold continued to pace around the gate as he spoke, "Thanks, but I'll be home soon. Hopefully ten weeks instead of one."
Helga laughed inside her head. Like Arnold would last more than one week. More like he wouldn't last a day, she thought.
"You'll do fine, Arnold! You're strong and smart. I'm confident you'll win."
"Let's hope your confidence can replace my doubts."
Helga continued to half-listen to Arnold's phone call and her music. Her ears perked up at the end of the conversation, "Oh, you have to go? Okay. I'll call you from Mexico later. . . I love you."
Helga tried to hide her grunt of disgust. Obviously he was talking to Li-la, his secret girlfriend. Ugh.
Arnold sat down beside Helga again, accidentally knocking over her suitcase. Helga bolted up from her seat, glaring at Arnold. "Watch what you're doing, klutzo!"
Arnold picked up the suitcase and apologized.
There was no point in fighting with Helga because he'd always lose.
Except now in a physical competition, maybe Arnold would finally stand a chance against his former bully.
-HA!-
Three hours of delays and two hours of flying later, Helga and Arnold finally met with the dusky, humid air of Cancún.
A large smile was visible on Arnold's face. He couldn't believe he was actually going through with this!
Two men with cameras were moving immediately, following Arnold and Helga as they stepped outside. Both felt awkward but refused to actually acknowledge the lens in their faces or say anything. How were they supposed to act? Smile at the camera or ignore them? Why wasn't someone directing them yet?
A large white van was waiting at the baggage claim exit, a short Hispanic driver holding a sign that said MTV HOW BADLY. Arnold felt a huge sense of relief. He had been worried the van had left without them since they were insanely delayed.
Kip Daniels appeared out of nowhere holding two mikes. As he shook the teen's hands he handed over the sound devices. "Hey Arnold, Helga. It's such a pleasure to meet you." His voice had the faint hint of an accent. "I will be going over everything at the house. But I do need your cell phones as soon as possible. Make your calls quickly, okay? Great. Also, get on the bus. You two are the last ones so as soon as you're ready we can go."
An assistant appeared with duck tape and quickly snapped the microphones to the blondes.
Arnold felt incredibly overwhelmed, everything was go go go. Could he even stop to go to the bathroom?
Helga was glaring intensely at the ground, refusing to let her excitement bubble over just yet.
Helga's luggage was missing. Since there was a gate change, it was on a plane to New York. The employee at the Delta Help Desk said it would arrive within two days. Arnold had tried his hardest to calm her down, but every gesture or word seemed to push her even more on edge. So now that she finally had a moment of peace, she released a frustrated scream.
Everyone flinched. Arnold thought this would be the perfect moment to duck into the van.
"What the hell?" Kip asked.
"My luggage is missing!" Helga yelled again. The sound tech boy winced, removing his head phones, "I'm going deaf over here!"
"Okay," Kip glanced at his watch, "I'll wait with you. Let's see if we can figure this out." Kip smiled and tapped the side of the van. The bus engine purred to life and began driving off, one camera man sitting in Helga's seat.
"How was your flight?" Kip asked, flashing another grin at Helga. She remained unamused. She really hated flying and the day had been a complete disaster. She was not in the mood to make small talk with a producer.
"Fucking fabulous," she seethed, rolling her eyes before putting on her sunglasses.
-HA-
"So, tell us about your life, aside from Helga," a deep southern accent made Arnold turn around in the front seat.
"I want to go to Stanford for psychology-" there was a chorus of low whistles "-and, uh, I don't know. What else do you want to know?"
"We all shared quick little bios," a short African American girl said. She smiled brightly, bright white teeth beaming from behind thin lips. "We can do it again really quickly."
Everyone groaned.
"We'll have to do it again later for Helga too," a deep voice whined.
"Oh, she won't care," Arnold said. "She won't even want to know your names. She told me on the flight that she didn't want to make friends."
"Perfect. Well, I'm Sarah Washington. From Denver, wanting NYU for art. My parents are divorced and living in two different cities and between their constant divorce battles, they lost a lot of money."
Crushed between Sarah and the camera man, Drake shifted awkwardly. He tried to free his shoulders so he could adjust his faux-hawk. "I'm Drake Harrison from Boston, fighting for BC. My mom is a single mom and I have two younger brothers." He laughed, "Definitely not enough room at my house or enough money to go to BC, even though I have the right grades."
The Southern twin in the cowboy hat smiled widely, revealing a small gap between his two front teeth. "Mark Turner. That's my twin brother Jeffery." Jeff waved. "We both want to go to M.I.T. but our parents can barley afford to send one of us."
"Damn," Sarah muttered under her breath.
Squeezed tightly between a suitcase and the window, the red head waved, "Hi, I'm Kathy Collins. I'm from Pennsylvania and I want to go to Franklin and Marshall College."
A lean Asian boy removed his headphones, "Andrew Tomioka. I'm from Hartford, Connecticut and I want to go to Dartmouth."
"Jenna Marson. I'm from Manhattan but I really want to go to UCLA because I love the beach and California is awesome."
"I'm Megan Markey and I'm from Jacksonville, Florida. I also want to go to UCLA." The two girls giggled about it again.
"We're here guys!" the driver announced, his Mexican accent thick. The teens attention immediately shifted, eyes peering out the windows, staring at the bushes hiding the house as the van rolled up the hill.
MTV rented this house from a famous Australian producer who also invested a little money in the show. The house was three stories but spread wide over 20,000 square feet.
Although the house was very large, the bedrooms were kept small so the teens would spend more time hanging out in the larger rooms. They had a theater room, a game room with billiards and ping pong. The kitchen was incredibly large also, perfect for nights when the kids wanted to cook. It was easier to film the show with a lot of space for the camera and sound guys.
Sarah tipped her head back to gape at the enormous house, "Guys, this house is incredible!"
Jenna wheeled her suitcase to the open glass patio door, "I can't believe we're going to live here for ten weeks."
"Not all of us will," Mark reminded her.
The serious reality set in for the group at that moment. Someone would be leaving at the end of this week, and at the end of the next. . .until there were two.
"I so want to lay out!" Megan exclaimed, running into the home in her heels. Arnold and Jeff continued to help the driver unload the luggage, hanging them off to their proper owners.
"Shove it," Drake hissed, nudging Arnold out of the way. He reached up for his bag and smirked as Arnold fumbled on the dirt driveway.
"Clearly you two are best friends," Jeff observed, removing the final bag and steadying Arnold back on his feet.
"I don't know what his problem is." Arnold shrugged, "Whatever. Let's go inside!"
The final two ran into the patio door, gasping at the sheer size of the house. It was the biggest house Arnold had ever seen. It made Rhonda's place look like a shack!
"I can't believe we live here!" Jeff shouted, listening to his drawl echo off the walls.
"This is incredible!"
The clanging of flip flops as they hit the wooden staircase made Arnold spin around. The girls had already changed into their bikinis, cheering and shouting as they hit each step. Andrew, Drake, Jeff, Mark and Arnold all shared a pointed look. What are we doing here? the look said, hot babes in their bikinis! The boys then took off up the stairs, laughing and shoving each other as they raced to their bedroom to change.
Ten minutes later the pre-competition pool party was in full swing. Someone found the alcohol early and a blender and began mixing different drinks for everyone. The boys were doing tricks in the pool, like flips and crazy jumps in order to impress their future female teammates and competition.
Arnold felt bad that Helga was missing out on all the fun. Even if she would deny it, she liked to have fun. She could show up every single guy's stupid flip easily and make the girls feel insecure. Not that that was a good thing, but Helga had this intense air of confidence around her, and it seemed to be heightened any time she wore a bikini. It was almost like she knew she was, well...good looking, but too uninterested to mention it.
The party continued for almost two hours. The sun was beginning to descend slightly from the late afternoon sky and there was still no sign of Helga.
The assistant producer suddenly appeared, holding a cell phone to his ear. Kip was on the other end, telling him that Helga was still waiting on her luggage.
The nine eighteen year olds were all cheering as they jumped into the pool. A large chlorine wave crashed above the surface which almost hit him.
"Children!" No one stopped screaming. "Wild monkeys!" He finally grew irritated and blew a whistle.
The patio fell silent.
"I am George, the assistant producer of the show." George was just over five feet with a thin frame and deeply tanned skin. He wore glasses and had a few days worth of gray scruff growing on his face. "I have a few ground rules for you. One, if you break anything in the house, please tell us. It will be paid for, we just need to know so the owner doesn't get mad. Two, since you're all legal to drink in Mexico, there is alcohol in the fridge. Be responsible. Three, you will listen to Kip and I while we film the show. When we're not on camera, feel free to do whatever. That's all."
As soon as George left, everyone burst into laughter.
Jenna pulled her sunglasses away from her eyes, "What a control freak."
"He just wants us to be safe," Arnold replied from the lounge chair beside her.
"Oh, so you're one of those?" Jenna teased.
Arnold sat up, turning to face his future opponent, "One of what?"
She smirked as Megan handed her a fruity cocktail. Jenna took an overdrawn sip, keeping eye contact with Arnold the whole time she drank. She pulled back and licked her cold lips, "A good boy."
Arnold felt his heart dip in his chest. Was she coming onto him already? "Uh, I-I-" I have a girlfriend.
"I'm here!" Kip announced, pulling open the patio doors. Arnold jumped to his feet, secretly relieved that Helga was back. Maybe she'd be able to keep Jenna away from him.
The cameras began rolling again as Kip stepped off to the side. Helga replaced him in the doorway, now decked out in her new bikini and sunglasses.
Drew let out a low whistle as his eyes followed her walk across the patio. Mark removed his cowboy hat and fanned himself. The girls all rolled their eyes and glared.
Arnold smirked at everyone's reactions.
Only Helga could do that, silence an entire pool party by just showing up. It had happened more than a few times during the years. Helga had grown up well since she removed her monobrow and branched out in her outfit choices. She was still one of the tallest girls in the class, five eight, and still one of the skinniest. She wasn't too thin though, she had formed muscles from practicing different sports. Overall she just looked, well, good.
"You're Helga?" Andrew asked from the comfort of the shade created by the palm trees.
Helga nodded, "The one and only!" She turned her head to look at the view. The cliff-side view provided an incredible angle on the beach and ocean that were over two miles in the distance. The sand looked like cinnamon sugar being splashed by turquoise liquid. "I am so ready to relax before I kick your ass tomorrow."
Drew quickly crossed the patio, stumbling slightly over the lounge chairs. Helga watched, holding back her laugh only to keep her air of disinterest. Drew winked at her, "You're sofeisty." He handed her a half-spilled margarita, "Tonight is going to get fun!" Helga sniffed the drink before tossing it into the bushes. Andrew laughed, nodding in agreement with Helga's actions.
The gang swam for a few hours while intermittently drinking and enjoying Arnold's grilling.
As soon as the sun set, Kip called everyone inside to the living room.
The cameras began rolling as the kids filed inside, everyone wrapped in towels and wet t-shirts. Kip grinned at the camera, "Now that we're all here, I'd like to welcome everyone to How Badly Do You Want It?: Student Edition." The group shared a round of applause. "For the next ten weeks you will be competing as two teams in various challenges order to win points. These points keep you safe from elimination. Now, I'll go over rules tomorrow, so let's pick the teams."
Kip stepped aside and revealed the bike wheel. "Every person will stand up and spin this bike wheel. If you get a white spoke, you're on the white team. Same goes for the black spokes. We're going in age order, so Andrew, you're first!" Andrew was actually turning nineteen in a week.
The atmosphere in the room immediately switched from relaxed to tense. Arnold's mind became wracked with nerves. What if the teams became uneven? What if it was boys versus girls? What if Helga was on the other team? Oh, God. That thought scared him the most.
The bike wheel finally rolled to a stop on white.
Kip offered quiet applause, "Congrats, Andrew. You are our first white team member! Up next are Jeff and Mark, but since Jeff is older-"
Jeff stepped up and spun the wheel. It landed on black.
Mark was hoping to get on the opposite team so then he'd be able to fight his brother and prove that he was better. Mark didn't get as high of grades or do as well in sports as Jeffery did. Unfortunately, he received black also.
Kip waved up the next contestant, "Alright, Drake and Sarah, you guys share the same birthday. Who wants to go first?"
"Ladies first," Drake replied. The camera caught Helga as she rolled her eyes.
Sarah spun a white and earned a high five from Andrew.
Jenna and Megan hugged before each spinning opposite colors. Jenna got white and Megan black.
The only two left were Arnold and Helga. It didn't really matter who got what because they'd end up on opposite teams anyway. Helga was a little disappointed. Part of her had hoped that if Arnold was on her team they'd be forced to spend even more time together.
"Helga, you're up," Kip directed.
"Please be on black," Jeff begged.
Arnold took no offense. He completely understood Jeff's reasoning.
Helga spun the wheel. It was a lot less dramatic than how it appeared on television. There was no intense soundtrack or long moments of silence. It was a three second ordeal.
Helga was the final White Team player, making Arnold the last Black Team member.
"The White Team is now Andrew, Drake, Sarah, Helga and Jenna. The Black Team is Arnold, Jeffery, Mark, Kathy, and Megan. Tomorrow after the first challenge we will pick captains." Kip winked at the camera, "Have a good night guys. We're up at eight a.m. tomorrow."
The camera guys took a quick break and Kip left for his hotel.
Drake pointed to the kitchen, "I found some Dos Equis in the fridge downstairs. Anyone up for some pong?"
"I am!" Helga and Sarah shouted simultaneously.
The two girls burst into laughter.
"Let's get drunk!" Jenna cheered as she stood on the kitchen counter. Everyone, except Arnold, cheered and raided the cabinets for different alcohol.
First Night Party Soundtrack by MTV:
You Make Me Feel... by Cobra Starship
Buy U A Drank by T-Pain
Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO
An hour and a half later Sarah and Helga were playing a second round of beer pong against Drake and Andrew. The boys had a fan club - Kathy, Megan and Jenna were clinging to the boy's forearms every time Helga and Sarah shot.
Helga and Sarah dominated, easily sinking almost every ball.
After the game, Mark was sitting outside, drinking his liquor out of glasses attached to his cowboy hat and playing guitar. Megan found the situation completely hilarious and began devoting her attention to him.
Andrew could not hold his liquor very well. He acted out by flirting uncontrollably with any pair of breasts he could find. Fortunately for him, Kathy was just as smashed as he was. They were last seen making out in a bed somewhere.
It was just past midnight now, and Jenna was trying to flirt with Arnold.
Arnold was currently trapped in the kitchen, just outside the doors to the pantry. Jenna was backing him into a corner.
He felt the intense burn of the camera lens on him. How could Jenna do this while she was being filmed? Didn't she realize everyone would see this soon?
"I have a girlfriend, you know."
Jenna arched her eyebrow, "Oh, really? I don't see her anywhere."
"We've been together for three years."
Helga's ears perked up as she removed the bag of potato chips from the shelf. Her eyes set on the shadows moving around outside the door. It was clear that Jenna was pressing hard against Arnold. "That slut," Helga hissed under her breath. "She knows him for what, five minutes?"
"Who are you talking to?" Sarah asked as she emerged from the deep part of the pantry where emergency supplies were kept.
Helga covered her heart, biting down hard on her lip to keep from screaming. "Oh, my God, you scared me!" she whisper-hissed.
Sarah smirked as she sipped on her beer, "You were just talking to yourself, weren't you?" Helga didn't formally respond. Sarah continued, "Did you know it's a sign of genius to talk to yourself?"
Helga smiled and slung her arm around Sarah's shoulders, "I knew there was a reason I liked you."
"So, what's the deal?" Sarah glanced around for a camera. She continued speaking when she realized there wasn't one, "Do you like Arnold?"
Helga feigned surprise. "Football Head?" She fake gagged, "No way."
"You sure? Because it seems like Jenna's making a serious move on him. And if you - hypothetically speaking, of course - liked him, I could easily just drunkenly stumble out of this closet and shove you into his arms."
"I have a boyfriend back home, but he doesn't need to know-" Jenna's voice trailed off as Helga tried to think.
Could she really trust this stranger with the most important and best kept secret she ever had? But this stranger was also willing to help her by taking immediate action. And Helga could really use some help if she wanted something, anything, to happen with Arnold.
"Let's pretend, for enjoyments sake, that I say yes."
Sarah grinned mischievously. Her plan was already falling into action. "On the count of three," she whispered, "quickly run out after me, okay? You'll definitely end up in his arms. One. . .two. . ."
Sarah pushed open the pantry door, howling and fake laughing. The sudden burst of activity behind him made Arnold step to the side while Jenna screamed and jumped back a few feet.
Helga ran out after Sarah, calling her name. Helga turned slightly to her right as she left the pantry and immediately smacked into Arnold. His hands naturally fell around her bare waist, catching her before she could fall backwards.
With a surprising jolt of adrenaline, Helga shoved Arnold back into the wall forcefully.
Stunned, Arnold simply stared at her. Helga was panting incredibly hard and glaring at him from behind sapphire blue eyes. "Watch your step," she snapped. Arnold simply shifted his hands, gently trailing them down her sides before moving them off completely. Helga held in her swoon and turned away.
A loud crash from behind the two patio doors echoed throughout the house.
"SKINNY DIPPING!" Jeffery screamed, stripping down to his boxers before running through the doorway. He was still wearing his socks as he came running through the door and slipped on the hardwood floors. Jeff came into immediate contact with the couch, but his momentum had got him going so fast that he ended up flipping the couch and breaking the wooden coffee table. Arnold immediately rushed to his friend's aid, but Jeff was unscathed.
Everyone immediately began removing their clothes and running towards the hot tub. Mark did another front flip into the pool, losing his hat on the landing.
Helga quickly downed a shot of Tequila before stripping out of her bikini top. She settled into the hot tub between Sarah and Kathy, finally feeling the effects of the alcohol from earlier hitting her. She felt the jet's bubbles bursting in her stomach.
Jenna suddenly leaned over to her right and began kissing Drake hard on the mouth. Everyone cheered while Arnold simply looked away.
Arnold was used to being the only sober one in the house at parties. Sometimes he'd have Phoebe to talk to, but not anymore. He wondered if they would party every weekend.
"You don't like to drink?" Megan asked Arnold, words slurring.
Arnold dipped his feet into the edge of the hot tub, "No."
"You're crazy!" Drake shouted before returning to make out with Jenna.
It was almost three a.m. when Arnold and Helga finally decided to slip away from the gang. A camera immediately began following them while the group shared whispers. "They're so hooking up!" was followed by incessant giggling.
A camera caught the two blondes awkwardly navigating the narrow hallways from the patio to the living room up to the stairwell. It was clear that Helga being topless made this entire ordeal so much worse. Fortunately her hair was long enough to cover everything, but Helga still made an attempt to cover herself with her arms.
She was definitely buzzed enough to not care that she was going to be seen topless on television. It wasn't so much from XX, the beer wasn't that good, but more from the cups of rum and shots of Tequila she did. Of course MTV would edit and block out everything scandalous to avoid being sanctioned by the FCC, but still, topless on television wasn't something Helga wanted to accomplish.
As the two neared the stairs, Arnold slipped a discarded towel around her shoulders. Helga smiled gratefully, vision blurring slightly as she neared the steps. Helga's steps were hesitant and mostly aided by Arnold.
"I don't need help," Helga would say after moving up a step, only to feel her weight being forced into Arnold. She had to keep one hand wrapped around the towel, the other on the stair railing.
He said nothing, as he usually did when he helped drunk friends home. This time it was much easier than walking across Hillwood, it was only up one flight of stairs and past a bathroom. After reaching their destination, Helga happily collapsed onto her bed. She picked up her discarded t-shirt, put it on backwards, and curled under the covers.
She started laughing uncontrollably, which prompted Arnold to stand in the doorway. One of the two camera men had been walking backwards up the stairs the entire time and managed to be sitting on someone else's bed filming. The other was following behind, now standing just behind Arnold in the doorway.
"Something you'd like to share with the class?" Arnold teased.
Helga rocked back and forth, still cackling, "I just can't believe you are on a game show! It makes me laugh. You're going to looooose!"
Arnold smirked, crossing his arms over his chest, "What makes you think that?"
"I'm gonna win, Football Head! Just you wait 'n' see. Helga Geraldine Pataki will kick their asses!" Arnold couldn't help but laugh at that comment. She'd probably end up kicking his ass the most.
"Goodnight Helga, I'll see you bright and early for our first challenge."
Helga rolled over in bed, whispering as her eyes shut, "Goodnight my angel."
-HA-
Squeezing her eyes tightly against the sun, Helga tried to get comfortable standing on the beach. The early morning sun was blazing hot already and the sand was burning her feet through her flip flops. Who said white was the coolest color?
"Good morning everyone! I'm so happy to see you all, most of you looking well."
Everyone except Arnold, Helga and Sarah groaned. Helga was barley even drunk last night and Sarah was good about drinking lots of water throughout the night. Unfortunately, everyone else was pretty hungover.
Kip laughed at their reactions. "Today we're going to be starting our first challenge. When a team wins a challenge, they receive one point. At the end of each week the team with the lowest score must enter into the elimination challenge. The elimination will happen between the losing team, the winning color completely safe. The losing player will chose an opponent from their team. The chosen player will then spin a wheel to determine the challenge."
The teens stared at Kip, clearly too tired to focus.
"I'll go into that all later." He waved his hand to dismiss his previous statements, "Okay. So. . .every week the challenges will center around a theme, like heights, or water, or eating disgusting things." A few girls groaned at that. "But this week your theme will be. . ."