Here it is! My final chapter (though there is an epilogue coming). This was actually the first part of the story I imagined, then I had to work backwards. I've had a lot of fun with this story, and I'm so thankful to all of you who have given me such positive encouragement with it. So Enjoy guys. As per normal now, there are a few song suggestions as the end if you like to read to music.

Alright: For those of you unfamiliar with the Cinderella ballet, here's a great clip of the dance between Cinderella and the Prince.

watch?v=echtb6K4qk0&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLBB37D968DB3182DC

Here it was. Friday night. I thought that Helga's obvious distaste when she even looked at me would make my decision feel more justified, but it did nothing to quell the nervousness in my stomach as I stood on the steps. But either way, I fully intended to go through with my decision. I kept telling myself it was the obvious best decision of the two; the one that seemed the most logical, of course. Helga had not bothered to speak to me again at all, and I took that as the final sign. My resolve had been based on her telling me she still wanted me.

Honestly, I was a little hurt it never came. But I deserved it.

But as I stood there outside the door, I couldn't help but feel that what was 'logical' didn't equal right. David's words had been following me around as I got dressed, and I couldn't shake them from my head. They followed me as I got ready, as I headed downstairs, and even the entire ride to Lila's. They beat against my skull like a drum, and nothing I did seemed to shake them.

I'd made anther decision the night I sat alone at the diner, sort of picking at my food and taking some to evaluate my actions as well as myself. Maybe if I just sat back gracefully, she'd end up David. It seemed obvious in my mind that he was the better of the two of us. Helga deserved that, after all. A guy that wasn't afraid to tell her how he felt, and someone who was willing to drive half an hour to stick up for her.

I felt my fists clench at my sides as I remembered that was also part of my driving force for even getting out of the bed today. She deserved someone better than me. I would not let her make a choice she would regret. I sighed deeply, trying to bolster my resolve. Knock on the door, don't be pathetic. I took one more deep breath as I knocked hesitantly. I took a step back as it opened a moment later to reveal Lila, looking as radiant as ever. I thought I would be blinded by her as I so often was, but I felt nothing as she smiled at me. I just felt…empty.

"You look ever so nice," she said pleasantly, and I think I muttered a 'thank you' or something similar as I made my way to the truck to open the door for her. She stepped up gently, smoothing out the creases in her dress as she adjusted herself in the seat. I plodded around to the other side, jerking open the door and jumping up in the cab. I went to turn on the ignition, but something kept me from actually turning the key. My hand hovered for a moment, and Lila seemed to notice my hesitation, asking softly "Is something wrong, Arnold?"

"No," I finally managed through gritted teeth, quickly switching to my CD player so I wouldn't have to look at the time on the screen. I knew it was 5:45 by now, but I also knew that if I continued to watch the time I'd just be slowly counting down the time until it was time for Helga's show. Tonight was supposed to be about my date with Lila. I just needed to shift my focus. "I'm alright, sorry."

She nodded, smiling at me from across the seat. Meaningless conversation filled the air as we drove to the restaurant, and I just hoped I was nodding in the right places.

"So what's Helga been up to?"

My focus snapped back to Lila when I heard the statement, and I stammered for a minute before forming a coherent reply. "Ah, I'm sure just normal stuff. She had a ballet show tonight, so I know she's just been practicing really hard for that. She…she was really excited," I sighed. Shit. I passed a stop sign.

"Ah, okay," Lila nodded in reply, thankfully not noticing my mistake. "I know you two had been hanging out together, so I was just oh so curious. You didn't want to go to her show?" she asked curiously, pulling down the visor mirror to dab at her lips.

"She said she didn't want me to go," I said honestly, though leaving out this date was the reason why. She didn't need to know that.

"Oh, well that's ever so odd. Was there a reason?"

"Ah, come on. Let's get inside," I blurted, ignoring her question and quickly escaping from the cab. I went around and opened her door, helping her down gently. The parking lot was packed and the noise when we entered was an energetic hum. It was a nice place, but my heart just wasn't in it as I relayed our reservation to the waitress. She nodded as she led us to a table. I managed to glimpse a clock on the wall as we walked. 6:03.

"Here are your menus. Do you have an idea of what you'd like to drink? Our specials are listed on the smaller menu here," the waitress recited, handing us two smaller menus on top of the others.

"Tea please," Lila ordered, and I ordered my normal coke. The waitress nodded and was off in a blur of black and white.

"So, anything you'd like to talk about?" Lila asked sweetly as she flipped open her menu. "This stuff looks oh so delicious; I wouldn't know where to start."

Crap, I was supposed to look at the menu. I fumbled to get mine open. "Ah, no, not particularly," I replied, trying to look for something that I felt like I could stomach. I had no appetite whatsoever, it seemed.

We scanned in silence, saying appropriate thanks as our waitresses arrived back a few minutes later. She places our drinks down along with a bread basket. "You need some more time?"

"Oh, yes please," Lila said with a smile, and the waitress was off again. As soon as she was out of sight, Lila closed the menu in a demure manner and placed it on the table. I could tell by the look on her face that I had done something wrong.

"…Yes?" I said nervously, drumming my fingers against the pleather fabric of my side of the booth.

"Arnold, something is ever so wrong tonight. You want to talk about it?"

"What do you mean? Ha, nothing…nothing is wrong," I lied, almost knocking over my drink as I was suddenly over taken with butterfingers syndrome.

"Arnold," she said in a stern voice, reaching out and taking my hand that was on the table in hers. "I can tell. So, please."

"It's nothing. I just…I'm fine," I mumbled, dropping my gaze down to the table.

"You don't want to be here," she said quietly, and I dared a glance up to find her staring at my face in concern.

"What? Of course I do! I waited…months!…to get a date with you. I even had Helga tutor me on girls. I tried really, really hard to get you to say yes. I even didn't go to her show for you," I suddenly blurted out in an embarrassing spray of word vomit, my cheeks burning furiously as I admitted the whole situation.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and then a look of understanding washed over her face. I blinked, confused. "I understand now. It's ever so clear now that I think about it," she said in a knowing tone. She pulled her hands back to her lap, sitting up straight and giving me a smug look.

"What? Is there something on my face?" I quickly brought my hands to my chin, worried I'd missed something while shaving. I wouldn't have been surprised; I had almost cut myself numerous times.

"In a oh so metaphorical way," she said with a somewhat disappointed sigh. "But it's alright."

"What is?" I was feeling more confused by the moment.

"You have a crush on Helga."

I felt my face heat up furiously once more. My mouth switched to overdrive again and I babbled, "What? No, of course not. I mean…she's just my friend, we hang out. I've known her forever, why would I-?"

At that moment our waitress stepped back in, but Lila politely decline and asked for just a few more minutes. She turned her attention back to me, shaking her head. "You don't have to be embarrassed," she assured me with a smile. "She's not a bad person. She had such a crush on you in grade school. I was honestly surprised she never said anything to you about it."

Wait, what? "Excuse me?"

"Oh yeah, she told me in fourth grade. You remember, during Romeo and Juliet? She really wanted to get to kiss you, so she talked me out of being Juliet. I agreed to let her have the role."

My mind had just been blown. Romeo and Juliet seemed to play such weird parts in my life. That play had been my first kiss –and with Helga, no less – and it was studying that play that had made me seek out Helga for help. If we'd never had to write those sonnets during the unit, I never would have even though to ask her. "She…never told me that," I said, a smile creeping onto my face despite my efforts.

"Oh yes, she liked you for such a long time. Gosh, I think she still does."

"What?"

"Mhm. I can tell by the way she looks at you. Sometimes you're just oh so blind to that stuff."

"I don't-!"

"What time is the show?"

I paused. "At seven, why?"

"You know, I'd be ever so okay with the idea of you going," she said with a shrug. "You don't have to sit here with me. I think it'd be an oh so romantic gesture if you surprised her."

"But our date," I protested, shaking my head. I had meant to say 'I can't just leave you', but instead the words, "I can't stay here" burst from my mouth instead.

"Oh Arnold, don't worry about it. It's ever so alright. I promise. Go see the show."

I could feel a shift in my mood instantly, which was strange. Lila was alright with me going. I wasn't going to hurt anyone. In fact, the only person who had any chance of getting hurt from this was me, and that was something I was ready to handle. "Seriously? Uh, here," I rambled, pulling my wallet from my pocket and pulling out the forty-five dollars I'd saved for the date. I pressed it in Lila's hands as she looked at me in surprise. "I saved this for our date anyway. Go ahead, order whatever you want to. If you want to call some other guy or someone, that's fine. That's enough for them too. You should even have enough for bus money if you need it." I sprang up from the seat, but paused for a moment to bend down and give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Lila. For understanding. I didn't want to hurt you by cancelling. I thought at the time it was you, but-"

"Arnold," she interrupted me with a laugh. "Go."

"Right!" A gave her a quick hug before weaving out of the restaurant. One more quick glance at the clock showed it was now 6:20. I would even make it with time to spare. I ran to my truck like I was running a marathon, flinging myself into the cab and praising Jesus that it started up with no trouble. I tried to drive as carefully as I could, which was bit hard considering how my legs were wanting to wiggle in restless nervousness. I was going to make it.

I was not going to make it. I groaned in aggravation as I threw myself back against the seat. It seemed like the universe was determined that I was not going to make it to the show. It had started raining again ten minutes out of town, and then I had come across a traffic jam due to a rain induced accident with no more than ten minutes to get to the theatre. I had been sitting here for close to ten minutes already waiting on some indication I could move. My legs were twitching excessively now, and I peered around in the near darkness trying to figure out my next course of action. I brightened when I noticed a small gas station just ahead. I was on the outer lane, so I could get over to it without much hassle. I maneuvered my truck over to the parking lot, jamming my keys into my pocket and heading inside. It was empty except for the girl out the service desk.

"Excuse me," I said as I walked over. "Could you tell me how to get to the Lucretia's performance? I'm stuck in traffic and-"

"Oh yeah, no problem," she interrupted me, popping her gum. "My boyfriend's sister is in the show, ya know? They always do, like, super awesome. Last year they did this awesome show, what was it? It had like, pirates and-"

"That's great, really, but I'm going to be late," I prompted, trying to not sound as frustrated as I was feeling.

"Oh yeah, right, okay. So if you keep going down this road, you'll end up at a stop light. If you take a right, you'll end up on Martin street, kay? So follow it down about two blocks and you'll see the theatre. It'll have, like, big lights and everything. It's like, a mile and a half from here."

I blanched. Oh good Lord. Thankfully I'd jogged the other day, so I wouldn't totally collapse and die in the street. Hopefully. "Thanks so much," I called, rushing out the door. I was grateful the rain was only a slight drizzle by this point. I took a moment to try and psyche myself up before taking a deep breath and shooting off down the sidewalk.

I felt like my legs were going to burst into flames as the theatre came into view. I was so out of shape, it was pathetic. The rain had decided to pick up substantially as I had turned onto Martin Street, but I could still see the bright lights in the distance. I put on my last burst of speed to go the two short blocks, panting as I took a moment to double over and pant in front of the door. I could hear the gong to sound seven o'clock from a clock tower off in the distance, and I quickly let myself in.

There was a young woman just exiting the back of the ticket booth. Shoot, I'd forgotten the ticket window. She looked at me curiously, and then frowned as she noted the puddle my clothes were making on the floor.

"I'm sorry, sir, we're sold out," she said calmly, turning to walk off.

"No, no, wait!" I hissed frantically, trying to get the words out between my wheezing breaths. "I should have a reserved ticket."

"Sir, the show is about to start and-"

"Please."

There must have been something in my face that made her stop and take pity on me. "What was it under?" she said in a defeated tone, flipping open the laptop in her hands and pressing a few buttons.

"I..uh..I'm not sure." She glared. "No, I mean, Helga Pataki reserved it for me. I don't remember what she put it under."

Her eyes widened as she continued to type. "Oh, so you're Arnold. I was afraid you weren't going to show up. David and I placed a bet."

I frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, on whether you would actually come." She stepped back into the booth to collect a ticket from the printer.

"So I guess he owes you some money," I said a bit scathingly. Show him to place bets on me like that. And to think I was going to not put a fight against him.

"Naah. He said he had a feeling you'd show up. Here's your ticket." I blinked in surprise. "Now go take your seat so I can go backstage and tell them everyone's in place to start. Just…try not to get anyone all wet. You're in the fifth row, aisle seat, center," she explained, pointing to the only empty seat. "No go! Shoo!"

I bolted forward, quickly sinking down into the seat heavily. An unceremonious squelch arose as I sat down.

"Arnold?"

I looked over in surprise. "Mr. Simmons?" I squeaked.

"I didn't know you enjoyed ballet," he whispered, and I could just make out his smile as the lights dimmed.

"Oh, uh, I've never been," I admitted, squirming in my chair. "I'm here for...uh, Helga."

His eyes widened, and I felt my cheeks grow warm under his smile. Thankfully the curtains opened at that point and the awkward conversation was cut short.

I honestly didn't know what I was expecting, not being familiar with ballet, but I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting I found it. It was sort of like watching a silent movie, since there was no dialogue, but everyone did a good job with their dancing. The step sisters were hysterical, and the step mom as well.

And then there was Helga. When she did her first solo dance, I knew what David had meant when he said she danced based on her emotions. She put everything into this, and I could tell. It was definitely something to behold, and I found myself clapping harder than everyone else whenever she was on stage. Wow. I even had to hand it to David; he certainly knew how to dance. Not that I didn't still have a few words left to say to him, but I wasn't going to begrudge him on this part. He had certainly earned it.

When the lights came up halfway through, I found Mr. Simmons's gaze trained back on me.

"What do you think so far?" he asked curiously.

"It's…it's amazing," I said honestly, taking a moment to stand up and adjust my clothing.

"Sorry to be nosy, but why are you all wet?"

"I…ran in the rain," I said sheepishly. "There was a road block, and I didn't want to miss anything."

"Come on," he said with a laugh, gesturing for me to follow him outside. "We've got about fifteen minutes for intermission. I keep a spare change of clothes in my car. I can at least lend you a shirt."

"That'd be great, thanks Mr. Simmons," I said sincerely, following him out past the crowd of other people who had stepped out to stretch their legs. The rain had officially stopped by this point, and the air had a pleasant chill to it.

"Here," he instructed, handing me a plain green shirt from the back of his car. I was thankful that he was a relatively small guy still, and it wasn't a bad fit. I quickly stripped out of my old one and into the dry one, wringing the water onto the pavement.

"You come here a lot?" I asked, trying to spark some sort of conversation. I didn't want to just be standing here awkwardly trying to dry out my clothes.

"Oh yes, I try and see all the performances. My…uh, friend has a niece that does them. He wasn't able to make it tonight, but I still promised her I'd come."

"Oh," I said lamely as we headed back inside to take our seats.

"So, are you and Helga…exclusive?" he asked in a careful tone as we adjusted back to our seats. "I know I'm not supposed to butt in on my student's personal affairs as some of you tend to be nervous with expressing your feelings," he shot me a pointed look, "but it doesn't hurt to ask."

"Ah, no, not exactly," I explained, shifting awkwardly again. This was not a conversation I wanted to have with him at the moment. "Maybe…maybe later on?"

"Wonderful!" he said loudly, nodding excitedly. "I always liked the idea of Helga finding someone nice. I've had such a joy working with her poetry and writings over the years. She's such a gifted writer and she's got such a spot for romance. I couldn't think of a nicer person for her."

"Ah..thanks?" I made a mental note as the lights went down to make sure and dart off once the show was over. No more of this conversation.

When the show did finally end and people started to mill around the stage, I weaved my way back stage after getting directions from one of the parents in the audience. I almost jumped out of my skin when a voice said in a smug tone, "I had a feeling you'd show up."

I spun around to find David behind me, his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

"Yeah," I said with a grin, shrugging. "I was lucky enough to have someone remind me that I'm not exempt from doing the right thing."

"Just doing my job. She's in her dressing room, by the way," he added, scuffing his foot against the wood floor. "You can catch her before she leaves. You're lucky she likes you as much as she does."

"I know," was all I could think to say in return, and he shook his head before pointing to the last door on the left.

I gave him a sort of salute of parting before jogging my way to the door. I knocked loudly, stepping back as I heard her say in a grumpy voice, "I already told you I don't-! Arnold?"

"You were amazing," I said in a breathy voice, bouncing back on the balls of my feet. "Really."

He face immediately recovered from her shock as she grumbled, "Well I guess you brought Lila. I'll let you two get back to your date."

"I didn't go through with the date."

"What?" she said in a surprised whisper. "I mean, come on. You spent months trying to get that date. Why would you-?"

"It wasn't what felt…right," I explained, shoving my hands down in the pockets of my pants. "I figured out a little too late what was most important to me. I made a mistake, and I'm sorry. I was stupid, and I should have told you about it in the first place. I should have cancelled it after the banquet when I realized I didn't like her anymore anyway."

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked incredulously, grabbing my wrist and jerking me into the dressing room. She closed the door behind her, pinching the bridge of her nose in her fingers. "You mean you went through all my lessons for nothing? What a waste!"

"It wasn't a waste," I mumbled, fiddling with the assortment of make up on the small vanity.

"What do you mean it wasn't a waste? You didn't even go through with the stupid date! You are just so…infuriating sometimes!" she grumbled, flopping down on the tiny sofa by the door. She crossed her arms over her chest with a sour look on her face. I could see her reflection in the mirror.

"It wasn't a waste because…," I took a deep breath, slumping forward as I closed my eyes. "I got to spend time with you."

For a moment there was a silence so thick I thought I was going to suffocate. Why wasn't she saying anything?

Then I heard her response, in a voice so meek I almost didn't hear it. "What?"

"I just…okay, see, it didn't start out like that," I tried to explain, turning around to face her, though still leaning against the vanity. I wanted to look at her, but I was so embarrassed that my gaze kept dropping to the floor. "I mean, I don't know. It just happened."

"I'm sorry, you'll have to explain what 'it' is?" she pressed. She was just going to make me say it. I fidgeted against the vanity, biting my lip.

"Me… I kind of….gah," I groaned, covering my face with hands for a moment as I tried to compose myself. "Okay, so maybe I have feelings that aren't just platonic," I said stiffly, boring a whole into floor with my gaze.

"When did this happen?" she asked, her voice high pitched and shaky.

"I don't know when it happened, it just did. I was just stupid about it. I… I didn't want to tell you because what if you just flat out rejected me? I was a wimp, and I used your anger at me as an excuse to not have to bring it up. But I had to come. Knowing you were unhappy with me was driving me insane," I rushed, taking a deep breath as I finished. "David also may have taken a shot at my manhood," I added with a forced laugh.

"I told him to leave you alone," she grumbled, shaking her head. "He doesn't listen."

"No, it was a good thing he did. Or I would have missed this. I would have missed you. I would have missed…everything," I explained as I made my way to sit down stiffly on the couch.

"Why are you wet?" she inquired, poking at my pants leg. "Whose shirt is that?"

"I may have run close to two miles in the rain and I may have borrowed Mr. Simmons's shirt."

"You ran in the rain…to come see me?" she breathed, fumbling with her hands in her lap. "No one's ever done anything like that for me. I just…thanks. For coming. I really hoped you would. I wanted you to be here," she said in a soft tone, and I was surprised she was allowing herself to be this vulnerable to me. "I just got upset and said things I didn't mean. I should have been happy you got your date with Lila. I was just…jealous, I guess."

"Jealous?"

She picked at the dress she was wearing, biting her lip before answering, "I just. Criminy, I mean you had to know already how I felt about you."

"What?"

"I mean, come on Arnoldo. I rearranged my schedule for you. I went home and spent hours trying to pretend I even knew what I was talking about just so I could spend time with you. You just…you ignored me for me so long, I couldn't just pass that up."

"To be fair, threatening to emasculate me with dull scissors was kind of off putting," I tried to joke.

"Shut up," she growled darkly.

"So…ah, I was noticing that there was a lesson you forgot to teach me," I said in a half joking tone.

"What? I taught you more than enough lessons. I'm sure there's nothing left to confuse you," she chided, shaking her head at me.

"No, it was pretty important. And you didn't teach it to me," I pressed, shaking my head in defiance.

"Okay, so what was this so called important lesson I forgot to give you? Like it matters now anyway," she said in a jokingly annoyed tone. "Make it quick, I'm a busy girl here."

"How do you know when's the right time to kiss someone?" I said, and this time I did not allow my gaze to fall to the floor. I watched as her eyes widened, her cheeks tinting beneath the make-up.

"Why does that lesson matter? You don't want to kiss Lila, I assume-"

"No, but I do want to kiss you," I murmured softly, and I couldn't stop myself from running my thumb across her cheek softly.

"Well damn, it's about time," she said with a mischievous grin.

I laughed slightly, moving to give her a tentative kiss. But I should have known she wasn't going to accept anything less than perfect, and she broke whatever boundaries I had harbored in my mind the moment her hand locked into my hair.

And that was perfectly alright with me.

Alright! Here's the tiny playlist for this chapter.

First start with "Waiting outside the Lines" by Greyson Chance.

"Little Wonders" By Rob Thomas for the drive/run/ watching the show.

"Wanted" by Hunter Hayes for the the Dressing Room

With "Ho Hey" by the Lumineers for 'the credits'. ;D