Chapter 45

Agreement

WHAM!

Helga collided with something hard and fell backwards. She sat up quickly, fearing the worst.

"Arnold?!" she gasped in surprise.

"Helga? Wow! I've been looking everywhere for you! I couldn't find my way back to the beach."

"The beach? Whatever happened to the resort?"

"I gave up. I doubt there's a resort here anyway. There would have been some kind of civilization if there was one. But there's nothing."

"So…what now? We're trapped on a deserted island thousands of miles away from human life, being stalked by some psychopathic creep?"
"What psychopathic creep?" Arnold asked, confused.

"There's something following me! It's been following me this whole time!"

"I don't see anything."

"Doi! You think it would just come out in the open? 'Oh, hi, I'm a homicidal freak, who's gonna follow you around until it's the right time to strike! But don't worry about me, just go around doing whatever you normally do, and I'll keep out of your way.'"

"I think your imagination's just running away with you."

"Yeah, right! Believe it or not, football head, I do have ears, and they do work. I know what I heard!"

"What did you hear?"

"Things moving around. Twigs breaking, leaves rustling, junk like that."

"Did it ever cross your mind that maybe it's just an animal?"

Helga stopped for a second. "No…"

"Then again, I wouldn't want an animal following me either," Arnold said uncertainly.

"Exactly! I hate this whole stupid jungle! It's giving me the creeps! I should have just stayed on the beach."
"Why didn't you?"

"Because I was worried something might have happened to you!" Helga blurted out.

"You were worried about me?"

"Um…" She stared at the ground and softly whispered, "Yes."

"But…I thought you hated me. Why were you worried?"

Helga looked him straight in the eye. "Listen Arnold, I do hate you, got it?" Her voice sounded like she wasn't too supportive of what she had said.

"Then why were you worried?

"B-because…because, I-I don't know. I guess cause I just couldn't really survive out here by myself," she said, shrugging.

"Sure you could-"

"No, I couldn't! I-I need you. I have no clue why, but if I were on my own on this stupid island, I think I'd go insane."

"Then why didn't you just go with me in the first place?"

"You wouldn't let me."

"You didn't ask."

"I didn't think you'd want me to come."

"Well…I didn't. But I would have let you."

"I wouldn't want to be there if I wasn't wanted," Helga said, crossing her arms.

"It was just because I was mad at you…"

"That's no surprise. You're always mad at me."

"That's cause you're always making me mad!" Arnold shouted. He saw a hurt look pass over her face and immediately regretted what he had said. "Look, Helga, I'm sorry. I never should have left you in the first place. You're right, we do need to stay together to make it through this. Let's just promise each other that from now on there's gonna be no more running away. From now on we're gonna stick together. Okay?"

Helga shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat, football head."