A/N: Gah! Sorry again for not updating! I was having writers block again. But I hope you like this chapter anyways!
Freshly cleaned black combat boots made their way down the shiny tiled floor of the hospital, until they met the entrance. Their owner sighed, pushing open the glass-like door and stepping out into the crisp, cold air. It was then she wished her jacket hadn't been ruined.
Through the small specks of white snow, the young woman saw her football headed savior, standing by the main parking lot, now fully clothed in baggy blue jeans and a red hoodie. His eyes were currently glued to a small, electronic device; a phone. She walked up to him tiredly, her arms now baring goosebumps from the cold weather. He didn't seem to notice her though, since he was still staring at his phone with amusement. Folding her arms, Helga's face twisted into a scowl as she let out a phony cough, wishing to make her presence known.
The football headed man snapped out of his little 'trance', slowly lifting his head with an eyebrow quirked. The expression quickly faded when his eyes met the face of a not-to-amused blonde girl. "Oh, sorry."
Rolling her eyes, Helga tried to stop her teeth from chattering. "Yah yah, whatever. Can we go now? If you didn't notice, I'm freezing out here."
"Yeah, of course." He then shoved the phone into his hoodies pocket, leading her over to an old, navy green packard. She didn't notice though, because she was too busy looking over his wardrobe. "You shouldn't be wearing stuff like that out here, Arnoldo." She muttered, shaking her head slightly.
"What; why not?" He asked, looking down at his attire. What the in the world was she talking about? They were the only warm clothes he had. What, did she want him to prance around in a frilly dress as if it were summer?
"It's just not-" She stopped herself. Why did she care? She didn't, obviously. "Never mind. Let's just get in the damn car already."
"Well someone's in a bad mood." The blonde man said teasingly, unlocking the car doors. "Not like its unnatural for you, though." He added, opening his door and slipping into the warm Packard. It was amazing that it still ran so smoothly after all those years of use.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Helga asked sourly, feeling the warmth consume her as she moved into the passenger seat. It felt so much better than the freezing cold winter air.
"I dunno. Its just that your always angry for some reason. Can't you learn to relax for once? Enjoy the holiday; maybe?" He replied while putting the keys in the ignition, almost ready to take off.
"No thanks. According to you, I don't enjoy anything." She then folded her arms, looking out the foggy window.
"Cmon, you know I was just kidding." Arnold stated, slowly backing out of his parking spot. "But really, I mean- its Christmas. A time for everyone to get along."
Helga huffed, starting to become irritated. "I don't get along with just anyone, football head. If you haven't noticed, I was shot yesterday. I'd rather just be alone."
Arnold then furrowed his brow, also trying to keep his eyes on the road. "Well you know what, I don't want to be alone. But it's pretty difficult, because last time I checked, my family members are all gone."
Her ocean blue eyes widened at this. Way to go, knuckle head. Indirectly insulting the orphan boy. Criminy, can't you think?
Growling to herself, she shooed the thoughts away, turning her head slightly and seeing the angered expression on the drivers face. Sighing, she let her arms drop. "Look, I'm... sorry. I just, forgot... you know?" It was the truth. She never really thought about how lonely the young man actually was.
Arnold continued to focus on the road, but nodded in understanding. "It's fine. Let's just... forget about it, alright?"
Helga nodded silently as well, turning her attention to the window again. The buildings went by in blurs while specks of white snow whirled around, making it seem as if everything was spinning. Yet, it didn't bother her. Instead, it took her focus away from her aching arm, which just felt worse and worse as time progressed. She hoped the painkillers would kick in soon.
And they stayed silent for the rest of the ride, only to be clouded in their own thoughts.
...
Helga's breath caught in her throat for a few seconds as she gazed at the old building in front of her. It was exactly as she remembered it from her childhood; minus the chipped paint. But this time, it didn't make her heart beat fast, or send her into lovey dovey monologues. All of that was now replaced with emptiness, anger, and regret. She now held hatred for a place that she once had loved.
"Are you coming in, or..." Arnold asked awkwardly, holding the door open. He had been standing there for a while, watching her facial expressions turn from sad, to normal, to hateful. Obviously, something was on her mind.
The blonde girl nodded, slowly heading towards the doorway. She couldn't believe that she was actually coming into his house. It kind of scared her; but then again, what didn't scare her nowadays? Shivering slightly, she dissed the thoughts and walked past Arnold, remembering the actual reason she was there in the first place. "Where is it?" She asked, looking around the room.
"Where's what?" He counter-asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"My gun, doi!"
"O-oh! Oh yah..." He was about to go and grab it for her, but stopped himself. "Wait, why do you need it right now? I thought you wouldn't be leaving until tomorrow."
"Yes, but I want to keep it with me, just in case. What? Do you think I'd murder you in your sleep or something?" Helga asked jokingly.
"Huh? N-no... I was just curious, geez. It's in that cabinet over there." He said while pointing to said wooden cabinet. The blue eyed woman headed over, opening the drawer and pulling out her prized weapon. She inspected it for a few minutes, before stuffing it in her jean's front pocket. She slowly turned her head in the direction of the young man, "So, where's my room?"
He blinked. "What?"
"My room. You know, the place where I'm supposed to sleep." She answered in an impatient tone.
He almost smacked himself for being so forgetful. "I-I knew that." He then made a motion for her to follow him with his hand, leading her up the steps. She walked behind him cautiously, grasping the railing tight with her good hand. Dusty, tilted photographs were hung on the walls in frames, some of them cracked. Actually, when she thought about it, it sort of surprised her. She never thought Arnold would be the type who didn't... clean.
"So, how long have you been living here by yourself? If you don't mind me asking." Helga asked, half because she was curious, and half because she wanted to avoid the silence.
"About 8 years or so, why?"
"Oh... I just wanted to know." She paused, "How come you don't have any boarders?" They came to a stop, with Arnold in the hallway and Helga on the last step.
"I can't control a whole boarding house, Helga. I'm just one person. I'd have to pay for groceries, bills, everything. Believe me, if I could handle it, I would. But I can't."
She sighed, going up the last step and standing next to her 'savior'. "Your capable of a lot of things, Arnold." She said, trying to look at anything but him. "I should know." The last part was muttered, only audible for her to hear. Arnold, meanwhile, knit his brow in confusion. Was that some sort of... compliment? Whatever it was, he decided not to question it.
He started to lead her again, this time down the hallway. "Your room is gonna be right next to mine. That way, you can come and get me if you need anything." She nodded, folding her arms. It was many years ago that she walked in the same hallway, only that time she was a stranger. This time, she was actually allowed, but didn't seem very welcomed.
He opened the door to a rather small room, which had a bed, two windows, a dresser, a closet, and a desk. Unlike the rest of the house, it wasn't very messy. "I decided to clean it up a bit before I went to pick you up." He said sheepishly, moving out of the way to let her step in. "It would've been rude not to."
"See, this is what I'm talking about." She said with a small smile, "You really can do anything, football head. It's because of that huge heart you've got.
This, he was taken aback by. So she really did compliment me. Grinning, he took a step towards her. "And I guess I was right as well. Looks like you care about me more than I thought, eh?"
Helga flushed deep red, scowling at him. "Don't take it too personal, Arnoldo! I still hate your guts."
He laughed, giving her a small pat on the shoulder. "Whatever you say, Helga."
"That's right hairboy, whatever I say." She tried to hold in a laugh, remembering how their old conversations used to go. Things really did change, didn't they?
"Well, I'm gonna let you settle down. I need to get some rest." Arnold said tiredly, after his laughter had died down. The past 24 hours had been... quite eventful, to say the least.
"I guess I'll hit the hay too, then. My stomach is-" He gave her a confused look. "I-I mean my arm. My arm is killing me, heh." She said nervously, rubbing said arm with her good hand.
Nodding with a hint of suspicion on his face, Arnold headed towards the door, "I'll see you later then..., Helga."
"Yeah, see ya."
The door then closed, leaving the blonde woman alone in the room. She let out a long, tired breath, collapsing onto the bed behind her. That was way too freakin' close. She thought, covering her face with her hands. Then the words he had said kicked in.
'Looks like you care about me more than I thought, eh?'
Growling, she pulled tightly on her short locks of hair.
You have no idea.
A/N: Short, I know. Again, I'm sooo sorry for not updating. Like I said, writers block is a pain in the ass.
But I really wanted to get a chapter out. I hope it's okay, cause I don't really like it that much. It's kind of a snore fest.
Ill try and update more often! I'm still debating on how I want this story to go. Hopefully, the next chapter won't be as horribly dull as this one.
ALSO, Thank you so, so much for the reviews! They are very motivating!