SENIOR, HIGH SCHOOL

"Hey, Arnold." Without waiting for a reply, Olivia sat next to Arnold on the outside couch. She was drinking from a red cup, acting like she was cool because it was the same type of cups college kids drank alcohol out of, but they all knew it was just punch. Rhonda had a strict no alcohol policy at her parties not because she was a stick-in-the-mud, but because she refused to be sued by some idiot's parents who got a DUI or, worse, ended up killing someone. It was to the point where she hired bouncer dudes to watch over the refreshments after one particular spiking incident. Surprisingly, no one had brought in booze to pour into their own cups.

But, no alcohol allowed. Unless it was a private party among friends. But this was not one of those parties.

"Hey, Olivia, how's it going?" Arnold smiled at the blonde cheerleader. She just giggled.

"Great now that I've found you. How long have you been here?"

"Oh, we got here about twenty minutes ago, I think. So not too long. How was your week?" Olivia had transferred to Hillwood High at the beginning of the second semester last year. She had risen in popularity quickly, no doubt because she had a rockin' body, platinum-bleached hair, and was a rising favorite in the cheer squad.

Helga and Lila, who were sitting across from Arnold on a separate couch, shared a look. Lila leaned over and whispered in Helga's ear. "She's been talking about him non-stop all year. It's ever so annoying." She and Lila were on the cheer squad together and, at first, Lila had taken her under her wing. She knew what it was like to move to a new school in the middle of a year and not know anyone.

Helga rolled her eyes. "I'm not surprised. She's been coming up to the lunch table almost every day for the last two weeks."

Lila nodded. "Yeah, I've seen that. She's been getting ever so cocky lately. She's even told the squad that she'll be able to get a date out of him by the end of the week."

Helga raised a brow at her. "As in...this week? As in by the end of tonight?"

Lila smiled pleasantly and nodded. "She asked me to help since she knew that Arnold and I have been friends since the fourth grade. And I was ever so thrilled to oblige."

Helga narrowed her eyes at Lila, who simply smirked. Over the years Lila had shown, on multiple occasions, that she could have quite the sneaky and very manipulative streak. And it had never backfired on her, the little brat. Helga had always been in awe with how she did it, having been a victim once before and being completely blindsided by it. Mad props to the little weasel. "What did you do?"

Lila just continued to smile and patted her knee before standing up. "I'm going to see if I can find Emily. See ya guys, later. Bye, Oliva!"

Helga frowned, watching her leave. Great. Sighing, she put her foot up on Arnold's knee across from her and took out her cell phone to check the time. Typically the outside patio was quiet but there were a lot of people out now. It was no doubt because it was one of those rare, warm October nights and the senior and junior classes wanted to soak it up before Winter realized she was almost in season.

"You know, Helga," she looked up at Olivia when she heard her name, noting the snobbery in her voice, "it's really rude to put your feet onto other people."

Helga stared at her before over at Arnold. Here we go. Arnold didn't respond and just blinked at Helga. She frowned at him and his lack of response to her. "You got a problem with my foot on you, Football Head?"

She knew he didn't, which is why it was there in the first place. Besides, she was just wearing sandals. It wasn't like there was that much weight. Like her boots. He was about to respond, now looking at Olivia, but she cut him off.

"And it's extraordinarily rude to call people names!" Olivia's already-high voice pitched higher, taking Helga aback and drawing attention from the nearby kids. Was this chick for real?

"Look here sister, I know that you're still kind of new in town, but-"

Olivia laughed at her, effectively silencing a stunned Helga. "I may be new, but I know all about your dirty little secrets. I know that you've cheated on two midterms your Freshman year and that you stole from the cash register when you worked at Slausen's. And when you got caught, your daddy had to to pay the old man off to keep from suing you." Helga stared at her as if she grew a second head. What the fuck was she talking about? She'd never worked at Slausen's and she hadn't cheated since elementary school. Was she trying to spread rumors? About her? Seriously?

"And I know that you flashed Mr. Roberts to get the lead in the play Sophomore year, too." Olivia was smirking over at her and Helga wanted nothing more than to smash her smug face. That was it!

Helga stood, clenching her fists. "What hell are you talking about?"

Olivia laughed, putting her cup down on the floor next to her. "There's no use denying it."

Helga took a step towards the bitch the same time she noticed a flash of green metallic over her shoulder. Her eyes unconsciously went to the distraction, seeing Lila standing there, her arms folded over chest with one of the largest smirks Helga had ever seen the girl give. She glared at her before scowling back down at Olivia, holding her tongue. Obviously Lila had fed her these lies and knew what the outcome would be. It was the first time that she heard silence and knew that everyone was watching this confrontation intently.

Arnold cleared his throat, trying to break the tension, "Um, Olivia-"

"Arnold, why do you insist on associating yourself with such filth?" He frowned at her, sitting straighter. He knew that Helga hated it when he got in the middle of her problems, but this was directed at him too, and he wouldn't let anyone talk to her like that.

"Olivia, I don't know where you heard those things about Helga, but they're not true."

Olivia trilled, her laughter sending bolts of anger out of Helga. Lies or not, some of these people didn't know her very well and she was willing to bet that they were going to get spread, even if there was no Mr. Roberts that she knew of and that Mrs. Henderson had been the director of the play that year. "I can't believe you're defending her, Arnold. You're such a nice guy, but really there should be limits. I mean, the only reason why she's hanging around you is because she's been in love with you since sixth grade."

Up until that moment, whispers had spread throughout the group, but a pin could be dropped at that revelation. Helga could only stare at the girl in shock as she sat there, smirking up at her with a look of triumph.

There was snickering then, the crowd murmuring. Seniors who knew Helga and Arnold whispered to those who didn't. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could imagine.

Her fists clenched tighter and she saw red. Specifically Olivia's face covered in blood and bruises. But when she turned to Arnold, who was looking at her with a slight turn up of the left side of his lip, she kept herself from striking out.

He stood up when he saw her slightly relax, his eyes unusually wide. "Is that true, Helga?" She gaped at him. Of course he knew it was true! But then she saw it: that oh-so subtle twinkle in his eye and the twitch of a smirk. Fine. She wouldn't beat up the tramp and would play his game.

A large sigh was forced out and she turned from him, clasping her hands together over her heart in a dramatic flow, tossing her loose hair over her shoulder. "Oh, Arnold. I didn't want you to find out this way!" Olivia wavered at the over-theatrical delivery. "But yes, it's true. This eternal flame inside me grows for you with every moment you are near, with every sweet word that passes through your mesmerizing lips. Lips that I crave to taste in the night as I fall into Morpheus' embrace, dreaming of the day that you will hold me in your arms, whispering to me those three words I long to hear."

Lila rolled her eyes but couldn't help but grin at the display. Helga. If there was nothing else she was good for, and there was plenty, you could always count on her to be dramatic when it was called for. Or even uncalled for.

Arnold reached out for her, spinning her around to face him, countering Helga's overdramatic proclamation. "Wait no longer, my sweet, fair Juliet, for hear my true words! I, too, have loved you from afar since the sixth year of our education." He grinned at her, taking her hands into his. "Join our hands and with our hands, our hearts. Come! Let us celebrate our requited love."

"Oh, my sweet, adoring Romeo. Yes, let us go into that sweet sunset! The world is our oyster, our playground!"

"To the refreshment table!" Helga had been trying to hold back during their exchanged and couldn't help cracking up as he clenched her hand, dragging her back inside the house. As she was pulled away, she didn't resist smirking over at a completely flabbergasted Olivia.

"Oh, Olivia, I'm ever so sorry. You must have been mistaken. You see, I'm certain that Helga wasn't living here in the sixth grade, and I am most certain that we have never had a Mr. Roberts at Hillwood before. And didn't you know that they have been best friends for years and probably know everything there is to know about each other? I can't imagine that any of those things could be true about Helga."

Olivia's face flamed in fury and embarrassment. "You tricked me. You lied to me!" She was seething and Lila wished that Helga could see her face.

Lila's eyes widened. "I'm ever so sorry that you feel that way, sweetie. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Olivia stared at her for a moment before running back inside, unable to keep face any longer. Rhonda slipped up next to Lila, having seen most of it. "You know, Lila, I always thought you were the sweetest little thing."

Lila smiled at Rhonda and linked arms with her. "I just absolutely adore my friends and hate to see anyone talk bad about them behind their backs. If that makes someone sweet, then that most certainly is me."

Rhonda smiled and shook her head. "Remind me to come to you if I ever need any public display of revenge."

Lila giggled. "Oh, Rhonda. You just said yourself that I'm the sweetest. I would never want anyone to be embarrassed on my behalf."

Rhonda rolled her eyes and steered her friend to a group of juniors chittering about what they had just seen. She may have had no part in Lila's scheme, but she loved the gossip it caused. "No, no! You simply have it all wrong. Helga has never flashed anyone before and she most certainly is not a cheater. But you know, that Olivia Browne is. Why, it was not last week that I caught her looking at my pop quiz in Calculus."

Helga laughed again as the reached the punch table, grabbing a cup. "Oh my god, her face!"

Around laughed with her. "I had no idea you flashed Mr. Roberts to get the lead Sophomore year. In fact, I don't even remember you being in Mr. Roberts' play that year. Or even a Mr. Roberts at all!"

She laughed again and finished the punch, holding it out for the bouncer dude to fill it up. "I have to say I'm kind of impressed. I didn't realize that I had rubbed off on you so much in the theatrics department."

He chuckled. "What can I say? You're very influential." They moved away from the too-crowded table, sipping on their drinks. "So do you really think I have mesmerizing lips?"

She laughed, looking up at him. When had he gotten so tall? "Just roll with it, Football Head." Her name being called from the other side of the room caught her ear and she moved her attention there. Tons of people were hanging around in this particular room and it was super loud, so it was hard to pinpoint where it was coming from.

He smiled. "Just in the moment, right?"

She whipped her head back to him, frowning. "What did you say?" What did he say? She frowned deeper, wondering if he had said what she thought he had said and was insinuating something.

They had talked about the whole FTi fiasco a couple of times and she had revealed she had a little crush – ok so she admitted she had loved him as a nine-year-old could – at that time, but they hadn't talked about it in forever. And it had never been referenced before.

In fact, there had been little that they hadn't shared. Of course she didn't reveal everything about her past. She may have written a couple of poems about him, and she may have written it in a little pink book that he had found and been put away in a box in his closet for years, somewhat forgotten until she was helping him purge his stuff one day, but other than that, it was purely childish love.

"I said, it's Phoebe, over to the right." He was speaking louder and pointed over to where Phoebe was waving over to them.

She blinked and shook her head, wondering how she had missed her best gal pal. "Right! Thanks! Hey, do me a favor, would ya? Grab me some more of those bacon-venison bite things that I love?" She grinned. "You're the best!" She left him to grab some of the snacks as she made her way over to Phoebe. Yeesh, maybe she had a little too much punch too fast. Talk about a sugar high.

It was a good thing that she wasn't in love with him, or else that could have been really awkward.

AN:

This chapter is dedicated to "J" who PM'd me wanting to see Helga confronted with loving Arnold as a kid. A lot of chapters have already been written, but many are to be posted later on, so anyone is welcome to make suggestions.

Thanks for reading and for every who has reviewed!