(A/N: Hello everyone, thank you for reading this fic and a special thank you to reviewers, I appreciate the comments. I hope you continue with me on this journey by staying tuned. Enjoy. Thanks! Ciao :)
Arnold's body shot up on his bed.
He was all covered with sweat still convulsing from shock.
His heart beat was rapid, and his breathing was quick yet shallow as he frantically looked around his room. He ran a hand through his unruly blonde hair as he saw he was safe and back in his room.
Taking a deep breath, he expired heavily, trying to calm himself down.
"That dream felt... so real" He thought as he continued to stare blankly into space. He sighed in relief as he looked down to see that the little pink book was still tightly clutched in his right hand.
His eyes stayed fixed on the object. "What was that about?" He outwardly spoke, his mind now befuddled from the after effects of the dream.
Unable to answer that question, Arnold decided to distract himself.
His eyes darted to his nightstand and he placed the book on it, aiming to shake off his nervousness.
He sat up, and planted his feet on the ground, his hands resting upon his knees. From the change in position as gravity set in, Arnold felt his stomach grumble. He realized that he hadn't eaten since he got back. Checking his digital clock, he saw it was close to 6:30 pm.
"I guess it's time for dinner. " He said to himself.
"And I still have an hour and half till I have go to Gerald and Phoebe's house" he said mindfully. He got off his bed and trekked downstairs towards the kitchen to grab a bite to eat.
With his mind still on overdrive from the dream, he couldn't keep his focus. He had to find out why he was feeling this way. Reaching the second floor of his home, he whispered, "There was something about that dream that tells me something's off, but what? It must have something to do with Helga somehow? Now, I have to know! I have to know if she's alright." He concluded as his facial expression showed concern and worry. His instincts were gnawing at him to check on her.
Entering the kitchen, he noticed the new boarders all gathered around the table for dinner.
"There you are, Arnold!" Mr. Hyunh said "I was just about to come and get you for dinner. You must be hungry!"He exclaimed, placing his arm around him.
"That I am, Mr. Hyunh" he mentioned with a boyish smile as he was led to his seat by his long time friend.
"Well, please take a seat Arnold" Mr. Hyunh stated. Arnold thanked the man and obliged.
As Arnold sat down at the table, Mr. Hyunh introduced him to the new tenants.
Going around the table in order, Mr. Hyunh introduced each boarder while Arnold nodded politely, shaking hands with those closer to him.
"Please to meet you!" he said, and the boarders greeted him courteously as well.
When all was said and done they all began to eat and converse with each other. The boarders took this opportunity to get to know the legend sitting before them. They inquired and listened to his adventures from his childhood days with admiration as well as his recent pursuits. Arnold spoke about his new found profession, and at times they asked for his advice. Arnold smiled thinking it was like the old days as he humbly offered his advice to their problems. Dinner proved to be a great distraction for him, that is...until it was over.
Soon after, that eerie feeling he had earlier, returned. Excusing himself from their company, he went upstairs to get ready to go to Gerald and Phoebe's house. He glanced at his clock, it was time to go.
Grabbing his keys and cell phone, he quickly made his way out of his room and down the stairs.
Stepping out of the house, a warm summer breeze hit his skin, enveloping him in warmth.
"Maybe some fresh air might help me clear my thoughts." He thought as he took a few steps down the stoop.
He opted to walk, since the house they lived in was not far away from his. The homes on the street they lived in were completely remodeled, he wouldn't recognize that they were still in Hillwood passing there. As he paced himself down the street, hands in his pockets and eyes to the ground, his mind returned to his so called dream.
"That dream was so vivid...I felt like i was really there" he thought as he continued his walk. "That little girl's profile was exactly like Helga Pataki's when she was young. What was it trying to tell me?" he asked himself, racking his brain for some sense. "Maybe it was a fluke? Maybe I was just too exhausted from my drive to Hillwood." He thought as he passed more homes and businesses, his anxiety overtaking his senses. All these thoughts weren't helping, it was only causing his heart to palpitate and rattle his nerves.
He muttered helplessly, "What is going on with me? Am I losing it?"
He paused, and then began walking again. This feeling he had kept nagging him. "I guess my mind won't rest till I know she's okay."
He sighed, "Well, I'm sure Phoebe knows where she is!" He uttered to himself as he walked on, but before he could go any further, he heard someone calling his name.
"Hey Arnold ... You missed my house, man!"
Arnold stopped in his tracks, and looked around. Then, he turned back noticing his best friend standing on the stoop of a dark blue brownstone holding on to the door frame while smiling at him.
Arnold's cheeks turned pink in embarrassment, he sheepishly smiled while his hand went up rubbing the back of his neck. He walked back towards his best friend.
"Mmm, mmm, mmm... guess after all these years your head's still in the clouds, huh Arnold?"
Shyly laughing, Arnold replied as he climbed the steps of the stoop to join his best friend. "Yeah.. heh,heh,heh... I guess".
"Come here, buddy" Gerald uttered as he hugged his best friend, patting him on the back while Arnold did the same. They both pulled back when Arnold spoke up. "What too old for our signature handshake?"
Gerald laughed in amusement. "Sure man, anything for you Arnold" he replied as they performed their accustomed handshake just for old time's sake. Quickly, Gerald urged Arnold into his home. "Well, come on in" he said with grin.
"The wife and I have been expecting you" He said coolly.
"Well, thanks Ger" Arnold voiced as he crossed the threshold of his friend's house, that eerie feeling from earlier still followed him. He decided to ignore it for the time being as he visited his friends.
"It's a nice house you got there."Arnold mentioned as he walked in. He glanced inside, taking notice of the lavish interior.
With pride, Gerald showed Arnold his place. "Oh the house…. yeah, I got it a few years ago at a pretty sw-eet price if I do say so myself. But... a year and a half ago though, I had to renovate it because it sustained some minor damage, but it was nothing serious really."
"Oh well, that's good Gerald, it looks...nice!" Arnold replied with a smile.
"Of course, Phoebe redesigned the interior." Arnold smiled at Gerald and Phoebe's beautifully remodeled place.
After the tour of the house, they all sat down in the living room, drinking beverages, remembering the olden days.
Soon after, Phoebe asked about Arnold plans in Hillwood.
"Well Arnold, what have you been up to?" she inquired
"Well, I'm sure Gerald told you that I passed the Psychiatry Board Certification exam and I've just been hired to work at a nearby Institution."
He beamed as he spoke further. "I start tomorrow morning"
"Wow, congratulations Arnold " she replied extremely happy for him.
"Thanks, it's no big deal really" Arnold replied sheepishly, rubbing his forearm in the process. He looked to Phoebe and added, "Oh congrats on making head cardiologist, Gerald gave me an earful on how happy he is for you."
"Why, thank you" she replied smiling at Gerald.
"Your welcome, I can tell that Gerald is very proud of you Phoebe" Arnold replied looking at Gerald, beaming at his wife's accomplishments.
Phoebe stated, "And I am proud of him too, did you know Gerald's radio show is #1 in Hillwood?"
"Yes, he informed me before I came to town. I'm glad the both of you are doing so well." Arnold stated sincerely.
Both replied in unison "Thanks, Arnold" as they looked to each other.
Gerald then, leaned in and pecked her on her forehead in a loving manner. Staring at the two of them made Arnold feel a tug at his heart, like...something he's missing or... was a moment of silence, in which, Arnold decided to break by inquiring about some of his former classmates whereabouts.
"So.."
"So..." Gerald replied looking from Arnold to Phoebe quizzically.
Trying to act casual, he began his inquiries about his fellow classmates. "What happened to...?"
And Gerald began dishing out info, "Well you know... Harold owns 2 Green meats butcher shops, and Curly dances for the Hillwood Ballet Company. By the way he's pretty darn good too!"
He continued. "Oh and Eugene went on Broadway."
Arnold jumped in, "Wow, did he!...that's great!"
Gerald interjected "But that didn't work out too well since he managed to fall off the stage too many times. So now he just works backstage, but he's happy about it".
Arnold smiled knowingly, Eugene thought he was the jinx."Yeah right!"
Gerald still continued, "My man Stinky, works for the farmers union protecting the interests of farmers in this country...Can you believe that Arnold?" Gerald exclaimed in disbelief. He never thought stinky would be a representative and speaker of a respected organization, but he is.
Arnold chuckled and smiled proudly for his friends' successes.
"What about the others?" He eagerly inquired.
Phoebe looked to Gerald once again and spoke up, "Well, Rhonda owns a fashion boutique in the downtown area, and Sheena's on the board of an environmentalist company." She looked to Arnold for a reaction, he nodded for her to continue, "Um...well..Oh..yeah Nadine is an entomologist she works at the Univ. of Hillwood doing research and I almost forgot, Lila's working for the Red Cross." And from that point on she stopped, indicating she was done.
Arnold anxious to hear of a certain someone's whereabouts blurted out, "What about Helga?" he mentioned with a smile. His eyes full of excitement and anticipation.
But avoiding Arnold's gaze, Phoebe replied. "I don't know what became of Helga."
Arnold was stunned. Instantly, he became disappointed and reacted disbelievingly. He stood up abruptly, towering over Phoebe and Gerald somewhat appalled. "What do you mean you don't know?" he asked slightly raising his voice.
Gerald interfered, "Hey Arnold, chill out she said she doesn't know. She's not Helga's keeper, you know!"
Arnold blinked a few times, unable to explain his outburst. He composed himself before speaking once more "I just...I just" he sighed, "I'm sorry Phoebe, it's just been a long day I-I didn't mean-"
"That's okay Arnold, I know you still care about her, we all do" she looked to him and softly smiled. She understood Arnold's sentiment when it came to Helga. She wished that there was something she could say about her that would put his mind at ease.
Arnold sat back down on the couch, his shoulders was slumped and his eyes was fixed downward on the carpet.
Phoebe spoke up, trying to offer him some news of her.
"Arnold...it's been almost two years since I've heard from her" she looked down to her hands on her lap as she continued. "We kept in touch all through college and when she graduated she told me she was moving to New York to pursue her writing career." On a side note she mentioned to him, "You know, not long after she left college she did manage to publish two best seller books." At the mention of this piece of information Arnold's head shot up.
"Really?" he said feeling some excitement returning.
Phoebe knowingly smiled and nodded. She replied, "Yeah, one was a book of poems and the other was a love story. It was a big deal in Hillwood; she even got invited on a local talk show. Critics loved her book and they were anticipating her next novel to solidify her as a genuine novelist."
Arnold's grin grew wider by the minute, he kept looking at Phoebe expecting more.
She pressed on with a frown upon her face. "But since then, I have no idea what became of her"
She sighed. "She was supposed to come to Hillwood a few years ago to visit, but I heard nothing from her. I asked Olga and even her parents of her whereabouts, but they heard nothing from her as well."
Phoebe then looked sympathetically at Arnold, she noticed the frustration on his face as he ran his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry Arnold, I didn't mean to make y-"
"No!" he sighed with despair, "I-It's okay Phoebe, I wanted to know."
Feeling exhausted, Arnold slowly rose to his feet and so did Phoebe and Gerald.
"I'm kind of tired and I... I start work tomorrow, I should get going."He said with a faltering smile on his face. He walked over and hugged Phoebe and shook hands with Gerald.
As he headed for the door, he addressed them. "Well, I appreciate the evening it's been great...really" he added "I'm sorry for pushing you too hard about Helga, I can see this is hard on you, as well"
"It's okay Arnold you deserved to know." Phoebe answered feeling somewhat concerned.
To lighten the mood Gerald changed the subject ."Hey Arnold, you know... when your free maybe we should get together and shoot some hoops like old times."
Arnold shone a light smile and replied, "Sure Ger, just like old times! I'll let you know, okay. Have a good night you guys! " He uttered as he waved to the couple.
"You too Arnold" Gerald replied as he stood by the door with an arm across Phoebe's shoulders, both them waving back to him.
Arnold stepped out onto the stoop, and made his way back to the boarding house.
He arrived home, walking straight up to his room. Exhausted from the day Arnold got ready for bed. As he lied on his bed, he momentarily looked up to his skylight and whispered, "Wherever you are Helga, I hope you're okay!"
And soon he went to sleep.
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