Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.

They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.

Title: "Roadside girl"

In the last chapter: Arnold and Helga went to Helga's old house in mostly silence. While talking about old times, Arnold also found out that Helga had been in far more plays than he had first thought. With very little perseverance, Arnold got to watch a couple of they plays Helga has been in and they all amazed him.

Helga had meant it when she said she would work Arnold to the bone. He was sure that once he would fall asleep that night, all he would hear was the names of the cast, vocal exercises and so on. His whole body ached once he and Helga decided to take a break and got something to eat. To his surprise, he was actually having a good time with Helga.

Author's 1st note: I don't know what to say! Enjoy! xD

[Please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes.]

Chapter 4: "Gag me with a spoon"

The sound of something Arnold believed should have belonged in a fitness center rather than at a theatre was booming in the hall as he walked inside. School had just finished and he had spent most of his recesses talking with the teachers, the principal and so on to tell them about the situation. In the end, they all told him the same: exam first, play later, which was fair enough. He just hoped that it was fair to the director too. He could see the actors, dancers and singers all stretching on the stage. A woman dressed in a tight jumpsuit stretched her arms high above her and the others in front of her did the same.

"Oh, there you are." A male voice next to Arnold suddenly said and he flinched in surprise before noticing that it was the director. "Oh, good afternoon. Um, I have been talking with my teachers in regards to the play…" Arnold said a little nervously. "And judging by how you are fidgeting, it didn't go well?" the director asked in disappointment. "I wouldn't say that, but… they did say that exam first and then they didn't care what I would do." He told him and the director nodded in understanding. "That is acceptable, but I will need you to come after school every day like you have done today and since you are a little behind, you'll need to work extra hours during the weekend."

The weekend? Do these people ever take breaks? Arnold wondered, but nodded in acceptance. The director smiled. "Good. Did you bring something you could exercise in?" he asked and looked at the bag in Arnold's hand, which he lifted at the director's question. "Yes. Helga told me to bring something." He answered with a smile. "You can go and change backstage. They are currently warming up with the dance captain." The director told him and turned to look at the actors again. The dance captain? Oh, right. The choreographer. Arnold thought as he remembered Helga's lessons last night that had included all the many, many titles of people who had something to do with the play. Arnold carefully crossed the stage and when the others noticed him, he waved tentatively. The actors waved back at him without stopping their other motions, but Arnold noticed that Helga barely noticed him. She's probably too focused on what she's doing to notice me… He thought a little more sullenly that he would like to admit and then proceeded to the backstage.

Unbeknownst to Arnold, Helga did in fact look at him as he disappeared. She turned her face back to the dance captain and did the exercises perfectly, but her head was somewhere else. What was I doing last night? Arnold and I were frolicking like cats in heat. Helga thought and in the back of her mind knew it was an overstatement, but she didn't care. I can't afford to have Arnold affect me. Arnold is the actor who plays Aiden. Nothing more… nothing less. She thought, but she knew she wasn't capable of forgetting the love and the hurt he had brought her. She wanted to believe that she had changed, but part of her was still that angry little girl who wasn't very good at being kind when she needed to be.

Once Arnold appeared again, changed into some looser clothing more fit to exercise in, he managed to squeeze in next to Helga. "Welcome to, Arnold." the dance captain said with a big smile, a smile bright enough to belong in a toothpaste commercial and then she leaned forward with her hands all the way to the floor. Arnold looked in slight horror when he noticed that most of the people around him could almost reach their feet, Helga being the only one capable of reaching the floor just like the dance captain. Arnold attempted the same, but he could barely get his hands across his knees. This is painful and humiliating… He thought as he caught himself wishing that he hadn't stopped the karate lessons once he had turned eighteen; he seemed a little stiff now. Then he noticed that they were all looking at their thighs rather than around them. I guess this isn't at all like gym in high school… No one is looking for something to laugh at.

Arnold turned to look at Helga who was currently holding her calves while her nose was touching her thighs. "Impressive…" he muttered to her. She flashed him a smile for a moment, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Thank you for the help yesterday." He whispered to her, desperate for something to take his mind off the pain in his calves. "Sure, but remember that I didn't do it for you." she pointed out and let her hands swing to her right foot like the dance captain did, thereby somewhat turning her back to Arnold. He frowned as he copied the action. "Well, yeah, but thank you anyway." He muttered and saw her sigh before she looked at him. "This is not the time for chit-chat, Arnold." she said, practically hissing his name as if it had tasted ugly on her tongue. "So if you would please stop distracting me and take this seriously."

"I am taking this - - "

"Shortman. Pataki. Is something the matter?" the dance captain asked and they all looked towards the blonde people. Helga shot Arnold a glare that could kill and he coughed awkwardly as he looked at the dance captain. "N-No, ma'am, I'm sorry." He told her and she looked at him in shock. "Ma'am?! Do I look that old?" she asked one of the actors who instantly shook her head. "Fantastic." Helga muttered to Arnold as the dance captain kept asking the other actors if she was losing her looks. Arnold looked at Helga who, while still stretching, was also continuing to give him a deathly glare. "Apparently my lessons yesterday didn't get through that thick, wide skull of yours because then you would have remembered that I told you that Ludmilla is one of those women who are insecure because of their age. In this world, 40 years old is code for that you're dying in this industry. Moron."

Arnold scowled deeply at Helga's words. We had fun last night. What changed? He wondered in the back of his head, but mostly he could feel his fingers clench into a fist. "Helga, I'm not sure what I ever did to you, but - - " he never got to finish his sentence before Helga snorted at his words and stopped stretching to look at him. "Arrogant, aren't we? Who says that anything you have ever done to me has affected me in any way?" she asked him. Ouch. Something in the back of Arnold's head said, but he continued to scowl at her. "Well, you're treating me like shit, Helga, which shouldn't surprise me. You've never done anything else than treat me like a torn in your eye." He said with a bit of a growl.

"Then maybe you should stop being so fucking good at pissing me off, Shortman!"

"I must be really good at it because all I ever try to do is be nice to you and yet I piss you off it seems! What am I doing wrong?"

"That list is too fucking long!"

"God, you haven't changed one bit!"

"Oh, I have changed, Arnold and the big difference now is that I can't see what I ever saw in - - "

"Helga!" David's voice boomed across the stage, causing Arnold to flinch. Helga though, the girl David's angry voice had been directed at, simply scowled at him as she crossed her arms. The actors, the director and even the dance captain all went quiet as they watched. "Time-out." He told her sternly. Arnold could see in the corner of his eye that Helga rolled her eyes, and even her whole head, at David's words. When he repeated them though, she walked past Arnold, flashing him a glare as she did so and then jumped off the stage. She went straight towards the corner of the wall and stopped. For a moment, everyone thought that she was in fact going to stand there to calm herself down, but then, out of the blue, jumped onto her hands and then let her legs rest almost casually against the wall. Everyone, except David, looked shocked as Helga closed her eyes and breathed slowly in this upside-down position.

"What is she doing?" one of the female actors asked David and Arnold approached them to hear the answer. "Taking a time-out." He answered nonchalantly. "Well, yeah, but… why in that position?" another actor asked, one of the male ones. If Arnold had understood Helga correctly, which he hoped he had, it was only he and David, who were important male characters. The rest of the actors, also the girls for that matter, where mostly there to either dance, throw in a few lines here and there or be extras. "It calms her down to do something physical, but when she tried with an actual punching bag, she… broke it." He told them and they all gasped in shock. "She was really angry that day."

"What happened?" Arnold asked curiously. David shot him a look, a look Arnold couldn't really decipher whether it was annoyed or resignedly. "You should know…" he seemed to mutter under his breath, but Arnold couldn't hear him. "Not telling. That's Helga's business. You can ask her if you're curious." He told him, still with that odd look on his face and Arnold wasn't sure what to make of it. If he had been a little less dense, he would probably have wondered if Helga had been angry because of him back then. "Uh… shall we continue?" the dance captain suggested in slight confusion and they all started to get back to their places. "In fact, Arnold and David, I was thinking that you two would take Red light district together privately while I instruct the extras for other scenes and the dancers go through the choreography for Flesh." The director interfered and then looked towards Helga. "Helga, once you are ready you can join the girls for Flesh."

Helga kept her eyes closed, but she managed to stay on one arm so that she could give him a thumbs-up, showing him that she had heard him. The thumbs-up had been a thumbs-down in her position, but she quickly turned her wrist so it was pointed in the right direction. Arnold was stunned at her strength, but he was more concerned with practicing alone with this David guy, whom he still didn't really know what he thought of. All he really knew about him was that he was an actor, had been for as long as Helga had and was… something to her, but he actually didn't know what. Now that he thought about, he really didn't know what they were at all. He supposed they were friends… He'd like to think that they were friends at least.

"Yes, sir." David responded and turned to smile at Arnold as he walked towards the edge of the stage. "Did Helga go through that song with you?" he asked as Arnold followed him off the stage, thereby getting closer to Helga. "Uh, yeah, she went through most of the manuscript with me, but we skipped the parts I weren't in because we didn't have a lot of time." He answered and felt his eyes turn towards Helga who still had her eyes closed. Her arms aren't even shaking… He observed with an impressed smile. "So you know Red light district?" David asked, forcing Arnold out of his reverie. "Uh, sorta. Helga hummed the melody and I attempted to sing it, but she seemed dissatisfied with the result." He muttered and heard Helga snort. When he turned to look at her, she was smirking, but her eyes were still closed. He frowned at her as he followed David out of the room.

"So you know the lyrics?"

"Barely."

"Do you have your script?"

"I… left it with my bag." Arnold admitted with embarrassment painted on his face. David snickered kindly. "Could you go get it?" he asked and Arnold instantly bolted straight into the auditorium again. He could see the girls dancing on the stage, but he was more focused on not being in the way as he snuck to the backstage and grabbed his script. He managed to sneak past them again, without disturbing them too much and went towards the door again. "Forgot your script?" he could hear Helga's voice say and when he looked at her, she had her eyes open and she was smirking. He frowned as he waved the script in his hand. "Nice observation." He muttered before walking out of the room again, hearing her snicker behind him.

"I can see on your face that Helga said something?" David asked, but it sounded more like a statement. Arnold sighed and flipped through the pages. "She… hates me." He muttered and the words stung more than he thought they would. "Naw, I don't think so… Not really at least." David muttered and flipped through his own manuscript. "You don't think so?" Arnold asked curiously and saw that David was smiling. "I just think Helga… remembers who she used to be when she's around you and… old habits die hard when they are staring you right in the face." He explained and looked at Arnold with that same look like before: something akin to annoyance and something akin to relinquishment and yet there was something else. They looked at each other for a moment before David made a gesture that indicated that he wanted to sing now. "I'll try singing the song by myself first and then we'll take it together. Make sure to read the lyrics so you can learn them."

Arnold did as told, but he still had this nagging feeling in his chest that David knew more about his and Helga's story than he led on. I've technically known Helga for seventeen years… but if you think about it, I've actually only known her for ten since I haven't seen her for the last seven years… Arnold thought and looked at David for the first time since he had started singing. His eyes widened at the expression and posture David had. He wasn't just singing, he was completely in character. "You look evil…" Arnold muttered in surprise. David looked at him for a second, but never stopped singing or even show that he cared. "You're supposed to. Sorry." Arnold continued and David stopped singing. "Arnold, you need to take this seriously." He said with a bit of a laugh. "Helga said the same thing…" Arnold sighed and looked at the script again. "Do I seem that… unprofessional, so to speak?"

"Well, that's a given. You're not a professional." David stated and Arnold exhaled. "Ouch." He said with a laugh before David sat down next to him on the floor. "Well, I know that, but I've always taken the things I do seriously. It's true that I tend to daydream a lot, but… I also don't really know much about this world the play takes place in." he said as he saw the words she'll give it up if you wanna pay up in the lyrics. "Well, that's also a bit of a problem. Aiden is kind of that character that doesn't know that world either, but he's thrown into it when he falls in love with Adrasteia so he gets to know it. When Helga and I got our roles, we had a movie marathon with almost every single movie we could find that had the same theme." David told him and Arnold looked at him in surprise. "How long did that take?" he asked. "So long that she spent the night at my place." He said with a laugh, but Arnold didn't feel like laughing. "Spent the night?" he repeated with his eyebrows twitching. "Yeah." David said with a grin. "There's so many movies with that theme, you won't believe it."

"So you just… watched movies?"

"Among other things…" David muttered with a knowing smile and Arnold's eyes widened. "I'm just screwing with you!" David said and nudged his elbow on Arnold's arm. Arnold sighed in relief, but the sound came out as more of a laugh. Why am I so relieved? He wondered for a moment, but David then turned to face him as he sat with his legs Indian style. "Want to go through the song now?" he asked. Arnold copied David's action, facing him and sitting Indian style and nodded. "Yeah… the blue ones are mine, right?" he asked to make sure. David quickly leaned over so that he could see the blue marker beneath the black letters. "Yes, the blue are yours." He confirmed and arched his back. He gave Arnold a look when he kept sitting hunched over. "Arch your back; actors can't afford bad posture." He told him and Arnold did so only to then give David a questioning look. "Yeah, yeah. It sounded gay, but it's the truth." David said with a smirk. "That's not what…" Arnold started, but then just laughed and looked at the lyrics again.

"Nine inch heels come marching in to please a black-tied dirty old man. Staring, sweating, barely caring. Slurring: break me in…" Arnold started in a slow voice and David quirked an eyebrow at him. "That was wrong, wasn't it?" Arnold asked upon seeing the look David gave him. "Not wrong…" he corrected. "But not right either." He added with a smile and Arnold sighed. "Look, you gotta think like Aiden. He's scared. He has fallen in love with a girl he doesn't even know the name of and he's followed her to the red light district of all places. He's afraid of who she is and what she's doing there. Try putting that emotion into your voice." He told him. "Don't you have some female friend you can think of? Someone you'd be really shocked to see walking into the red light district?"

Arnold thought about it for a second and then frowned deeply. "Phoebe." he stated and David laughed loudly. "Yeah, that would be the day when that girl would be in a place like that." he said. "You know her?" Arnold asked in surprise, but David waved his hand. "Not really, but Helga has told me about her." he answered and pointed at the script. "Try again. Imagine following Phoebe to the red light district." He told him and Arnold was about to sing, but then frowned. "It's not the same thing though… I'd be more disturbed on Gerald's behalf than my own if I saw Phoebe at the red light district." He pointed out. "Gerald's the boyfriend, right?" David asked and Arnold nodded. "Well… then how about one of your ex-girlfriends? Or current?" David suggested. "Uh, I'm single." Arnold muttered to the invisible questioned and then thought about his former girlfriends, noticing that David wasn't telling him whether he was single or not. "Uh… it's hard to feel shocked when I can actually imagine some of them going there."

"What kind of chicks did you date?"

"Bad ones, but I never notice until it's too late." Arnold admitted. "Just like Helga said?" David questioned and Arnold nodded. "Yeah… I tend to fall for girls that just use me." He said and wondered what that made Helga. "Sorry to hear that." David said and patted Arnold's shoulder for a moment. Ok, I definitely don't know what to think of David, but he seems like a nice guy. Arnold thought and smiled at him before looking at the script again. "But I guess… Lila would be pretty shocking." He muttered. "Lila?" David repeated with big eyes. "Yeah… we dated for about a year when I was sixteen years old." Arnold explained and looked curiously at David who showed him that unreadable expression again. "What happened?" he asked curiously and Arnold shrugged, deciding to give up on figuring out what that expression meant. "We grew apart, I guess. We were too alike and we got bored."

"… Did you know her for a long time?"

"Yeah, actually I've known her since we were nine. How… How did you know that?"

"I didn't know. If I had, I wouldn't have asked." David retorted, but something in his face told Arnold that he was lying or at least hiding something. "But she could work as enough shock?" he asked and Arnold nodded. He definitely knows something… Has Helga told him about her old classmates, Lila included? Well, she did hate Lila a lot so maybe she has… He thought and looked at the lyrics again. He imagined Lila going to the red light district, frowned and then sang the same part again. Once he was done, David smiled. "Better, but put more sadness into it." He told him and Arnold tried again. "Much better!" David declared and patted Arnold's back. Arnold forced a smile. He still couldn't help but wonder what their former conversation had meant. David definitely knew something… but what?

Arnold and David sang together and David smiled at him. "Way to go. That was really good." He said before standing up from the floor. "Really?" Arnold asked with a proud voice and looked at David's hand when he offered it. "Totally." David answered as Arnold took his hand and let him help him standing up. "I gotta ask though… The songs and the lines don't always seem like… uh…" Arnold said and wondered how he should phrase his question. "Like if they are from the same age?" David asked with a laugh and Arnold nodded. "Yeah, this is one of those plays that kinda ignores what is appropriate for the year it takes place in." David explained before opening the door into the auditorium. "I bet some of the outfits we are gonna wear are also going to ignore that."

Arnold nodded in understanding before walking inside and it wasn't until then he noticed the music. David stopped to look at the stage. "Oh, they are rehearsing Flesh." He observed and started to walk. It took Arnold a couple of seconds before he started to walk as well. He noticed that Helga was gone from her corner, which meant she must be on the stage. He looked around and when he finally saw her blonde hair, he stopped to sit down in the front row. The music was somewhat slow and sensual, but Helga's voice over the speakers had a mechanic ring to it, making the song sound a little rougher. "Tie me up and take me over till you're done. Till I'm done. You've got me fiending and I'm ready to blow."

The beat of a drum ricocheted about three times and the song got louder. One of the male dancers appeared behind each girl. That included Helga. The man behind Helga was muscular, wearing a pair of black slackers and a white undershirt. He had dark skin, even darker than Gerald's skin was and a bit of black hair on his head and dark stubbles on his chin. "His name is Damon." David whispered near Arnold's ear and he turned to look at him even though his eyes were still on the stage. "He's the guy who is Helga's dance partner through most of the play, right?" he asked and frowned at the way Damon was letting his hand slide up Helga's stomach. "Yeah, a lot of Adrasteia's scenes are of her performing at that club my character owns." David explained. "The other girls work for him too, but Adrasteia is kinda the star around there aka the most bought girl."

Most bought… Arnold thought and shivered at the meaning behind those words. This was a world he really didn't want to dig more into than necessary. "Push up to my body. Sink your teeth into my…" Helga sang and Damon let his mouth touch her pulse point. "Flesh." She ended with a rather amorous voice before turning her back to the audience, letting Damon swing her around by her hands. "Get undressed. Ta-Taste the flesh." She kept singing as the sensual dance continued. Arnold found himself on the edge of two very different feelings: aroused or annoyed. When Helga leaned back, her leg around Damon's waist to hold her up as she showed her chest and face to the audience, the arousal won. Arnold leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees to hide his waist just in case. He hadn't felt it yet, but he had a bad feeling about this situation.

"I don't blame you." David whispered, causing Arnold to flinch. "I-Is it that obvious?" he asked with an awkward laugh. "To another boy it is." David answered and copied Arnold's position. "Oh…" he muttered and snickered again. "And well Helga is…" David continued and waved at Helga who now had her hands on the floor, her legs wrapped securely around Damon. "Enough said…" he muttered, figuring that he didn't really need to describe her. Arnold had eyes in his head after all. Yeah… He thought and looked at her again. She is.

Before Arnold knew it, the song ended and so did the dancing. He sighed a bit in relief and heard David do something similar to that. They smiled knowingly at each other and then stood up from their seats. "Is it just me or did the mic sound weird?" Helga asked as she tapped on the mic, which caused a bit of a screeching noise. "Sorry!" she said immediately as people flinched. "Yes, I did notice it sounded somewhat off." David said as he walked up the stage. "Really? I thought it was supposed to sound like that." Arnold stated and Helga scowled at him. "That's a very pathetic attempt at insulting me, Arnold." She told him with a bit of spite in her voice and he looked at her in surprise. "N-No." he insisted and shook his head. "No, I wasn't trying to - - "

"Helga." A voice over the speakers boomed and they all looked towards the sound technician. "Would you try to sing as I readjust the sound? It's the mechanic effect that's off." He said and Helga nodded. "Bite into me harder. Push your teeth into my flesh." She sang with an unaffected expression, but Arnold couldn't help but blush at her words. She looked as if she either didn't understand her own words or had no shame. Knowing Helga, he figured it was the latter. "Pass the test. Ta-Taste the flesh." She continued and then her eyes widened for a moment. "That sounded more right." She said with a smile. "Continue to sing, Helga." The sound technician told her from his booth near the ceiling. "Hold me up against the wall. Give it till I beg. Give me some more. Make me bleed. I like it raw. Like it raw-raw-raw." She continued, closing her eyes in an attempt at focusing more on the sound of her voice, while Arnold took a step backwards. It felt way too weird to stand so close to her when she was talking… well, singing like that.

"I think we've got it." The sound technician declared and Helga turned to look at the director who nodded in confirmation. "It's a roll, people." She said dramatically into the mic, causing some of the actors to laugh. "Did you two get to rehearse Red light district?" Helga asked as she turned her mic off. "Yeah, and I'd say we've done a pretty decent job." David answered with a salute towards both Helga and the director. "Then let's hear it with the music." Helga suggested and took her headset off. "N-Now?" Arnold asked, but held his hands out to take it anyway. "Yes, n-now, Football Head." Helga said with an artificial stutter. Arnold frowned before she suddenly put the headset on his head rather than putting it in his hands. "You turn the volume by doing this." she said, took his fingers in her hand and led it to his left ear. He froze at the feeling of her warm, slightly moist skin against his cold fingers. "You turn it off by pushing this in." she continued and pushed against his fingers to demonstrate. "And also to turn it on." She told him and for a moment, he could have sworn that he felt the tip of her fingers caress the space between his fingers as her hand slid away from his.

Arnold gazed at Helga's eyes for a moment as he tried to steady his breath. "Thanks…" he mumbled a little absentmindedly. She seemed to either consider his words or be distracted herself for a moment before simply nodding at him. "Don't break it. We don't have a lot of spares." She told him as she patted his shoulder and walked off the stage. He looked at her as she headed towards the seats. "I would like for the extras to take this opportunity to rehearse themselves." The director said and Arnold was pulled out of whatever world he had gotten himself lost in. The extras gathered around on the stage, all taking random places. Well, they looked random to Arnold. "You two can just begin." The director said and went to sit down.

"Uh, sir, I don't know how to move around in this scene yet." Arnold said and heedlessly followed David towards the end of the stage. He saw Helga shut her eyes tightly in obvious pain for his comment, but the director simply smiled. "I didn't expect you to, Arnold. I just need for you to sing and nothing else." He told him patiently and flipped through the manuscript in his hands. "What am I supposed to do then?" one of the female extras asked and the director looked at her. "Just pretend Arnold is there, Maria" He told her and Arnold looked at the girl in confusion. "I'm supposed to approach you in this scene." She explained to him with a kind smile and readjusted herself at her spot.

Approach me? Arnold repeated in his mind. He really had a hard time remembering everything he had read in the script, but decided to ignore his curiosity for now. He looked towards Helga for a moment and noticed how casually she was sitting on the chair, her arms crossed and the sole of one of her feet on the soft fabric beneath her. He sighed a little before turning the mic on. "Uh… Red light district." He told the sound technician who gave him a thumbs-up. Arnold looked towards Helga and she seemed to find how awkwardly he had said that amusing. A light tone began that quickly made goose bumps appear on Arnold's skin. He began singing the first verse, feeling awkward as he did so. The words were so foreign on his lips, but he did his best to remember what David had told him. "Imagine seeing someone you know walk into the red light district." He had imagined Lila at first, but then his mind seemed to set on Helga and he frowned at the thought. If Helga actually worked as something like that… before he knew, he had shut his eyes tight and was singing his heart out.

When it was David's turn, Arnold opened his eyes again and caught sight of Helga who was gawking at him. He looked at her for a moment in silence before she cocked her head to the side and nodded, telling him that he had been better than she had expected. He couldn't help but grin a little proudly at that and she snickered at his boyishly proud reaction. Arnold waited for his turn for a bit and then David looked at him as if to give him a sign. Arnold nodded and then joined in. "Girls and boys in the Red light district. You can watch her spin round a pole just like a beauty queen. Boys and girls in the Red light district. Take you to her private room. She can make you dirty boys blush-blush-blush-blush. She'll make you dirty boys blush-blush-blush-blush."

Unbeknownst to Arnold, the girls and boys behind him were dancing and acting out to the song. If he had turned around, his face would probably have started to flush bright red. Helga's eyes seemed to switch between looking at him, at David and at the extras. She was sitting next to the director and he leaned to whisper something in her ear. She bit at her lower lip and then nodded. Arnold looked at them curiously, as he continued to sing. "She makes her way in to your pocket. With fake eyelashes that she flashes. Crawling to you on her bruised knees. Kind of makes me think that she'll give it up."

"Give it up, give it up. She'll give it up if you wanna pay up." David's voice rang over Arnold's and Arnold looked back at Helga who was making a gesture with her hand. She held it near her chin and waved her fingers up and down near it. Arnold knew she was trying to tell him something, but he couldn't figure out what. She then rolled her eyes and moved her mouth slowly. "Arch… your… back." She told him and he instantly did so. She smiled at him and nodded before leaning back in the seat. "Actors can't afford bad posture." He remembered and held back a sigh. All those rules… He thought and noticed David looking at him as he continued to sing. Arnold joined in immediately and felt something different in his voice when he did so. Is my voice… different? He wondered. His eyes caught sight of the director whispering at Helga again and she winked at Arnold. Did she… help me? He wondered and smiled for a moment, but forced it away to get back into character.

The sound of a female voice echoed through the speakers and Arnold couldn't help but turn to look towards her. "Hello. Hello, dear sir. I've got something for you." she sang artificially sweetly. "Pretend the pole is Arnold, Maria." The director suggested and she took a couple of quick steps towards the nearest post. Pretend it's me? Arnold thought and kept looking at her as she leaned her back against it and sliding down near the floor. "Look in my hand. I've got a couple of pills." She said and opened her hand as if she was actually holding pills in them. She then turned around quickly, standing up and facing the pole again. "Pop them." She sang seductively and pretended to offer the pills to the pole. I'm supposed to be that close to her? Arnold wondered and felt a little uncomfortable with the thought. He knew he was supposed to be very close to Helga through the play, but that the other girls, the other prostitutes, were supposed to get this close too? The thought made him shiver.

"I'll make you feel hot and your wife feel horrible. I'll make you wanna, make you wanna. I'll make you feel hot and I'll make you feel right. So I'll spread my legs and just let go." Maria sang and did indeed lift a leg around the pole as if about to hook it around it, thereby hooking it around Arnold's waist he presumed. When David started singing again, he watched Maria as she twirled away as if the pole had just pushed her away. So I'm supposed to push her away right there? He thought and couldn't help but feel the relief washing over him. "Arnold." the director said sternly and Arnold looked at him. Helga gave him an impatient look and tapped her finger on her mouth. Oh, crap! Arnold thought and listened to David for a moment before joining in on the song again.

Once the song had ended, Arnold sighed loudly in relief. Hearing his own voice like that in the speakers had felt weird and he turned it off immediately. "Well, Arnold, you forgot to join in on the singing at the last part." The director pointed out as he stood from his seat. "Actually, sir, if I may?" Maria asked and took a step forward. "Yes?" the director inquired. "I actually thought it seemed fitting. Aiden is supposed to be disgusted with the prostitute who approached him so I imagined that David sang the first part of the chorus and then Aiden would join in in the middle just like now?" she suggested with a small smile.

The director seemed unsure of her suggestion. "I agree." Helga said as she stood up from her seat. They all turned to look at her, watching her approach the director and cross her arms. "Yes?" the director inquired and Helga nodded. "Aiden seems like the sort of character that would be shocked at the approach from a hooker. It makes sense that he wouldn't be able to make any coherent thoughts until he was fully gone from her." She explained and the director hummed thoughtfully. "Very well. You have both made excellent points. Arnold, after Maria has approached you, David will sing the first Girls and boys part and you will join in at Boys and girls, understand?" he asked and Arnold nodded. "All right then. Take five." The director said before turning off his mic and start to walk towards the backstage.

"That was really good, Arnold!" one of the other girls said as all the extras approached him. "R-Really? I felt weird." He admitted shyly and then sat down on the stage. "It didn't sound weird at all! You really have the perfect Aiden going." Maria told him as she, along with the other extras, sat down as well. "That's because Aiden and Arnold resemble each other." Helga chimed in and sat in-between Arnold and David. Arnold looked at her in surprise. "Yeah?" he inquired though he wasn't sure if she had meant it in a bad way or a good way. "Yeah." She confirmed and smirked at him. "Both completely head over heels for a girl they can never have who does nothing but hurt them. They are also both shy and modest and constantly gets into trouble even though all they wanna do is the right thing."

Arnold had started frowning at Helga's first sentence. "Really? Arnold, who are you in love with?" Maria asked curiously and also a little worriedly. "No one. I'm single." He answered with a frown. "I was talking about in the past." Helga corrected and Maria turned to look at her and so did Arnold. Does she know? She couldn't know… How would she know? He thought with a bit of panic on his face. "Every single girl you've ever had feelings for her has either used you or hurt you. Your taste in girls are horrible." Helga continued and Arnold scowled again. "Indeed." He confirmed and looked away. He didn't see that Helga was gazing oddly at him. "What happened with you and Lila anyway?"

Arnold turned to look at her in surprise. "How did you know that we started dating?" he asked and Helga shrugged. "Phoebe told me." She answered casually. Arnold noticed the odd look on David's face, the same look he had made when he had told Arnold about that broken punching bag. "Well, we… we grew bored of each other, I guess. We were too alike." He answered indifferently, but inside his head, he wondered about that expression on David's face. What did it mean? "Oh, yuck! Yeah, you were both kind, helpful and generous, but don't say you were too alike! You were annoying, but not just as ever so annoying as her." she insisted and Arnold snickered at her flawless impersonation of Lila's sugary voice. "Yeah, she… still says ever so a lot." He mentioned and Helga pretended to throw up. "Oh, gag me with a spoon." She said and the others laughed.

"Oh, right! Some of us talked about that we should have a welcome party for Arnold." Maria said happily out of seemingly nowhere. Helga looked at her in slight surprise. "A welcome party? When are we supposed to have time for that?" she asked. "On Saturday! The director has to attend a wedding in his family so he leaves early. We could have the party at my place." Maria suggested and bounced happily even though she was sitting on her knees. "Oh, come on. Now's our only chance. We are only gonna get busier from next week so we should do it while we can."

Arnold couldn't help but notice that Maria seemed to mostly be begging Helga more than anyone else. Was she somehow the boss of the group? Well, it would make sense if she were, he guessed. She was the protagonist and was a leader by nature too. Helga slowly started to smile and then looked at Arnold. "What do you say, Football Head? Up for a party with your fellow actors?" she asked with a grin. He couldn't help but smile as well and then he nodded. "Count me in!"

Author's 2nd note:

Songs:

Simon Curtis – "Flesh"

Porcelain and the tramps – "Red light district"