XVI

Escaping the inevitable

"Are you sure about this?", a certain red headed girl asked through her cellphone, while she was walking inside the hospital. "I mean, I'm ever so certain Arnold won't fall for me anymore. Besides, he's got Helga".

An exasperated sigh came from the other side. "Just do it! I'll pay you enough and you will have all the men you want at your feet!".

"How… incredibly… rude! I just want Arnold to like me, and be friends with me!", she answered, angrily as she reached the counter.

"Fine! Do it and I'll pay you enough to buy a house of your own!", the offer came through the other side of the phone. "You know what… I'll pay you and I don't even care what you'll do with the money, okay?".

Lila just sighed. "Whatever…". She hung up the phone, as she waited in line for the receptionist to give her the room.

Arnold paced back and forth waiting for the doctors to tell him what was wrong with Helga. It made him a nervous wreck to not to know how she was doing. Now the realization came to his mind that Gerald was indeed a dangerous guy, and angrily stated he would not be his friend anymore, despite all the time they spent together. Once he would find the problem with Helga, he would indeed deal with the responsible bastard. But again, he wondered if Gerald was the culprit or if he was a puppet of the circumstances and there was someone else pulling the strings. He didn't have any time to wonder, because someone wrapped her arms around him and tackled him to the ground. He struggled, his eyes were closed, but he was suddenly caught in with emotions thinking that was Helga trying to kiss him. He opened his eyes to discover Lila instead.

He jumped in horror, clinging to the nearest ventilator.

"Lila! What the heck are you doing here?", Arnold asked.

"Who? Me? I was oh so sure I was going to just visit a friend of mine. Helga of course", Lila replied, innocently.

He rolled his eyes, and groaned. Of course, they were trying to compete with each other over him, Helga was jealous of Lila and Lila of Helga, and so on. He climbed down before the roof fell along with him.

"You can't visit her, neither do I, because she's at intensive care with a bullet in her leg thanks to my good friend Gerald", Arnold said.

Crocodile tears escaped through Lila's eyes. "That's… that's ever so awful!". She tried to hug him, but he pushed away.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Look, it's not like I don't want to see you but because of the circumstances-", Arnold started but he was cut off by a scream.

"OW! Criminy! Fuck! Shit! What the hell is this thing! It hurts!".

Arnold suddenly shot his head at the door of the room Helga was in, and rushed like a tornado to check up on her. Helga was connected to a serum, her leg was attached to a cast and her temperament was rising because she was in pain.

"Damn it! Now I remember! That stupid, shitty friend of yours!", she said through gritted teeth before Arnold were going to ask her if she was alright.

"I'm glad you're OK", he said, with a sheepish smile.

"Thanks, Football Head. Now go fetch me a doctor 'cause this damn cast is killing me!", she shouted at him.

Arnold rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Helga".

"Yeah and please get me some food, 'cause I'm also starving, alright?", she asked, now politely.

"Fine, wait me right here", Arnold said.

Helga blinked for a few seconds. "Like I'm going to go anywhere, buck-o", she said with a sarcastic tone, as she put her arms crossed over her chest.

Arnold didn't reply, but instead closed the door behind him. Luckily a doctor passed by, who also heard all the commotion. While the doctor was checking on Helga's status, Arnold dragged his foot to the cafeteria, followed by Lila.

"So, how's your little girlfriend doing?", she asked.

Arnold sighed heavily. "She's fine, Lila, now please, go. I'm kinda busy".

"But Arnold, I'm ever so certain I wanted to stay with you for a little chit chat", she said, as she smiled at him.

"But I'm not in the mood, can you comprehend that, Lila?", he said.

"I don't know what gives? What is the matter? Whatever did I do to you?", she asked, politely.

Arnold groaned, stopped and stared at Lila with a glare. "You just simply, didn't care a shit about me! When we were dating, you were in your own little world, thinking only about you! While I was an egoistical jerk thinking you could ever like me for who I was, and when you saw the opportunity you broke my heart by saying I deserved my grandma's death! Since then I found no explanation to keep our relationship going!".

Lila looked pale and horrified, but recovered slightly. "I'm ever so certain I did not say such disgusting things!", she said, shaking her head.

"You were high, that's why you don't even remember!", Arnold said.

"I was not!", she replied, unsure, and nervous, looking to both sides.

"You had high levels of cocaine everyday with me not knowing, thanks to Sid, and that suddenly caused one day and everyday to make you get up from bed at 2 am in the morning and going to the streets in your pajamas. You wouldn't even let me sleep, you would take the keys of the boarding house with you and I would have to catch you and return you to my bed!", he explained.

"Was not!", she replied, again nervous.

He slapped his forehead and sighed. "Look, can we drop this? I'm seeing Helga and she needs me, and she needs now my attention. Either you help me or you go the fuck away!".

"How rude! I should call security!", Lila replied.

"You what?", he asked, suddenly aware of her real intentions.

"I-I… what did I say?", she asked.

"You said you were going to call security. Whatever that means, I didn't do anything to you", Arnold replied. "Goodbye".

He turned around and walked to the cafeteria. But Lila followed him and tackled him to the ground again.

"Look at me! Look!", she said.

"Lila, stop it!", he tried to pull away, through gritted teeth. "Help! Help me!".

She grabbed him firmly, scooted close to him and pouted. "You can't escape from me now, hunk!".

"Hel-MMM", he couldn't finish because she kissed him.

Even if he struggled, he couldn't get off her grip so easily. He suddenly started to feel all his hormones raising, his manhood raising and a sudden feeling that he wanted to do her in so many ways he couldn't possibly imagine.

But then, there was Helga, his Helga, and he couldn't bare to break her heart. He loved her so much. Her laugh, her smile, her scent, her nicknames, the feeling to be in the right place with the right woman everyday. With a sudden unknown force, he pushed Lila away with all his might and, with the opportunity in hand, he ran away as fast as he could. Lila just stood there, astounded. She ran after him.

"Wait for me, Arnold, my love!", she said, as she laughed like a maniac and snorted.

To be continued...