Heading into work, Helga walked briskly along with some pep in her step. She slept with Arnold in her own bed. They didn't make love in the traditional sense, but enjoyed laying naked. Their bodies molded together. How it felt to have his hand brush slowly against her skin was such an intimate sensation that it made her almost squeal out just then. In the morning she worried about how it would look for, Hailie. Would she hate it? What happened was that she greeted him as if he had been living there all that time. She accepted it. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, Helga made breakfast for them before he left to an early morning class, and her dropping off Hailie. Her daughter was actually happy he was there this morning. It made her almost tear up. Arnold was the second positive male role model she knew personally.
It was a triumph.
As she continued walking, Helga pursed her lips at the sight of Rhonda ahead of her. The girl probably didn't wear anything casual in her life. Hearing from Arnold that she used to play baseball and football with them when they were younger had her scoffing. She probably did it just to try to fit in or to gain the attention of more male admirers.
"If you are here for another stunt then I have news for you: It didn't work." Helga told her as she walked steadily past her. "I love Arnold and I trust him. My daughter trusts him. I don't have any time for your high school antics."
Rhonda tried to keep up with the woman while she continued to walk. While they matched in height she certainly spotted some strength from those legs of hers. "I'm not here to cause any trouble."
"You call me a sham artist and yet what you tried to do in his room was something i call in its own form of bad taste." Taking a second to consider what she wore, Helga brought her head back forward. "Guess the pretty wrapping hides something full of cobwebs."
She couldn't have this marathon conversation right now as she started to pant. "I'm aware now that it is in bad taste." Seeing her continue to walk away, Rhonda tried. "He won't be my friend if I don't straighten myself out!"
Helga stopped just rolling her eyes at the brazen woman. Turning on her heel she walked back at the out of shape woman. She almost laughed at how she was breathing hard. "So is this the only reason why you are doing this? Arnold?" Hearing no answer she shook her head. "Figures. No remorse for what you tried to do. No remorse to what you said about me. This is only about Arnold. This is you not wanting to look bad to him. Do you want him to accept you back just so you can do that shit again? Save your breath, Princess."
Rhonda blinked at that last part. While some have called her that, she had never been called that in such bitterness. "I don't expect you to forgive me. You have what I wanted to have."
Stepping closer to her, Helga made sure to pierce Rhonda's eyes with her own. "Do you have feelings for him in that way, Princess?"
She wanted to not waver in front of her, but those damn piercing blues were hard to keep focus. "Maybe I do." Hand on her hip, Rhonda put her nose up in the air.
Helga almost laughed harshly at that answer. "Not what I was going for. Do I have to repeat this question with much more feeling?"
Rhonda heard bones making a horrible cracking sound. She cringed till she looked down to see Helga form a fist. "No I don't."
Quirking her eyebrow up, Helga began to back Rhonda backwards. "See that makes it worse. I bet you did this with all the guys. I bet you wanted that challenge of getting that one guy's attention. I bet the second you got it you dumped him for it. Used him for your purpose. You did this with Arnold for years and he always said he wasn't interested. I bet when he was with others you didn't do the same thing you did to us. Am I correct?" Rhonda nodded. "What you accused me of is sickening. I didn't kill my husband. Brainy was your former classmate and you insult him like that. He was a very good man. I was in a committed relationship with him since I was in the 7th grade. A man I married and gave me a daughter that fills me up with pride each and every day. You besmirched his name. By insulting me and my daughter you insult him."
Rhonda tried to look away from the truth. It was so hard to. Hitting the tree with her back she was literally cornered.
"This is my second chance. I'm deeply in love with Arnold. I want to make him happy. I want to support him. My daughter is already smitten by him. He's incredible and I want to spend every moment with him. I want to be with him. What I don't want is someone to come in and spread a bunch of hurtful lies." Backing away, Helga sneered at her. "Time for you to grow up. You are twenty-three years old. You aren't seven."
She watched Helga walk away. Rhonda came to apologize just to satisfy Arnold into coming back. Helga was correct in what she said to her. She treated men like they were disposable. She tried to talk to Curly about her behavior but what did she do? She used him for the night and told him to leave after she was done. She hurt her best friend by stealing a guy from her. Hurt Arnold after all he has done for her. Perhaps it was time to sort herself out.
Much later Helga was in one section of the library nearest to Arnold. Placing books away she heard that voice. The voice that irritated her when she was nine. The voice that made her always grit her teeth to the point of almost breaking them from the pressure.
"Darling, you are even more spectacular looking now then when you were a unibrow little child."
Johnny. The bane of her former existence.
Rolling her eyes while gritting her teeth, Helga stepped down from the ladder she was on to fix him with a steely glare. "We are in a library so whisper. Did they not teach you that in England?" Cursing under her breath she walked off to the next row just to fix Arnold with a comforting smile.
Johnny came around the corner to once again take her in. "You are far more graceful than when you were a kid. I still see the bite is still there."
"I also have a mean right hook too." She reminded him trying to remain professional still. It was quite hard when this man absolutely didn't give a fig about anyone but himself. "Leave. I did get your message, but I'm not interested."
"Ah, but you have a child. I did my research. I do apologize for losing your husband in such a dreadful way." Johnny decided to soften his voice to appease her.
Leaving the aisle to move back to her desk, Helga decided to take a glimpse of Arnold while his eyes remained vigilantly on her. His concern was abundant. Her heart soared again at his amount of caring for her. Did he know that he was her source of sanity in this crazy world. Her daughter and him offered this home when for so long before she was once alone in the storm. Now she had shelter.
"This isn't going to soften my heart." Helga informed him as she walked upstairs to perform the duty of separating the horny students once more.
Following her upstairs, Johnny couldn't help but love how graceful she was. How she glided up those steps. If he managed to get her to participate in this show he might convince her to model a bikini. Oh he hoped she didn't have stretch marks from having a kid.
Helga was lucky enough not to have that much trouble upstairs. "You can stop following me."
"One show. Just one. I'll even draw up a contract for that one night. I'm offering you $10,000." Spotting her pausing just for a slight second, Johnny smirked. "It is guaranteed. The It Girl back for one night. People will love it."
Helga had to consider this. "Leave me alone so I can think."
"I will. Call me within 24 hours for the answer." Handing her his card, Johnny took off while lifting his phone up to speak to his assistant. "Oh she is more perfect then ever. One night is just not enough with this creature. Once people see how the It Girl grew up, they'll be clamoring for more."
Arnold was walking past him just hearing his end of the conversation. The man wants her to model again. Going upstairs he located her towards the end just leaning against the books. Wandering up to her, Arnold found her lips on his. "Is this wise when you are always chasing students out of here for doing the same thing?"
"No. First Rhonda this morning and now Johnny Stitches."
"Rhonda was here?" Arnold will kill her if she started trouble with Helga again.
"Yeah as I was heading into work. She only wanted to apologize only to get you back. She would of tried to get you back. She didn't care about me and what she did. I told her that she needed to grow up and stop using men for her own amusement. Now Johnny wants me back for one night to walk in a show." Placing her back against the books felt comforting to feel the spines of those books hitting her own back. "$10,000 is a lot of money. I could tuck that away for Hailie."
"Are you sure you want to do that? Is it guaranteed?"
"With Johnny." She tried to search for something else to say, but ended up saying her standard about him. "With Johnny you never know."
"I can't make this decision for you. I will say to be careful."
Knowing how often they have to chase others down there from doing this sort of thing, Helga brought him forward to kiss him. What always started off as innocent always ended up with them deeply getting into it. "I love you. You know this?" She whispered into his ear.
"I do. I also love you."
Helga wanted to do so much more with him, but she had to keep putting food on the table. "I should get downstairs now."
"Same here." He kissed her cheeks, nose, lips, and neck. "I guess I'll leave before you."
Smiling at his sweetness, Helga enjoyed the sight of him walking away. Raising her eyebrow up she just wanted to take his clothes off again.
When John met Eugene during his dinner break he had no clue that this sweet guy was capable of such bold behavior like this. Sure he saw him already singing gaily in front of a crowd or dance. John drove him back to the theater he was rehearsing his show at and while they were making out, Eugene suddenly felt embolden. It wasn't as if he didn't mind, but just surprised.
Eugene had gone out with guys before. All sweet, but they reminded him in a way of going out with himself. It held no spark. With John he was sweet, but he was also bold. Very smart with good looks to match. When John kissed him after their first date he wanted even more from him. He hoped that he felt the same. "Is this too much?" He whispered as his lips began to kiss and nibble his neck.
John's eyes went that way and that hoping no one can see them even through his tinted windows. Closing his eyes from a particular area Eugene reached, John brought his hand up into his hair to silently let him know that it felt good. Eugene wasn't like most guys he went out with. They were called douches who didn't think twice about their attitude. Eugene was so sweet and thoughtful. Someone he never went out with before that he had to know if it was a fluke or not on the first date. He wanted to kiss him to test out the waters, and what he got was satisfaction.
"I've never been this way before." Eugene mentioned as he started to unbutton his shirt.
"Are you sure you don't want to wait?" He moaned at his hand brushing against his chest. "I want to keep seeing you, Eugene."
Repositioning himself to straddle him on his seat, Eugene kissed him. "You make me want to sing."
Chuckling softly at that, John tapped the tip of nose lightly. "I'm glad." Moving his hands down his sides, John had the displeasure at looking at the time. "I have to get back to the library, Eugene. I hope I can hear your voice later on tonight." Kissing him softly he let himself separate very slowly just to feel the lingering touch of his mouth.
"You can. If you want you can stop by later. No one else will be home but me." Eugene wanted to be bold with him. Leaving his happy area, Eugene straightened himself out in the passenger seat.
John was so tempted. "I thought you wanted to wait till a little later."
Eugene hoped this doesn't backfire on him as he looked at that chiseled face. "I know this will work out between us. I really like you. I'm inviting you over tonight." Opening up the door he took another gander at his man. "We can just cuddle if that is all you want."
John watched in awe as this curly haired red head left him gaping and desiring more. He knew so many would probably think of Eugene as nothing but a wuss, but that was incorrect. Studying how he went back through the side door of the theater, John let out a low whistle. "Glad I called you." Grinning he turned his car on to head back to the library.
A/N: Yes Rhonda wanted to make nice just to get Arnold back just to play her games on him once more. Is she OOC? Possibly. Will I keep this up with her to let her redeem herself? You will have to wait and see there.
I wanted to include Eugene in there with my OC character. He plays such a sweet guy on the show so I imagine if he is with someone he truly is crazy about he'll become a little more of a tiger. ;)
I needed to get my mind off of something. My friend Everclear70, her daughter is really sick and in the hospital. We know she'll be fine, but it sucks when a kid is sick. My friend knows I'm doing this and appreciates the kindness she has seen on here. Thank you.