Once again thanks for the reviews. Anyone want a Yahoo soda? ;)

Helga loved this party far more than Rhonda's. It was eclectic and fun with a mixture of the boarders and their friends. The music was pretty varied even with the boarders performing. She was either talking, snacking, dancing, or even performing herself when Gertie requested her to join her up there as they performed. It was the most she ever smiled in her whole life.

Going downstairs to grab something to bring up, Helga was followed by Lila and Phoebe to help her carry some beverages up when Lila wanted to ask them a question.

"When is it time to make love? I'm ever so curious." Lila asked with her head down.

Gathering some of the drinks on a tray Helga could imagine Phoebe's expression the second she made her 'Oh' sound and she could imagine Lila with her face red as she continued with her head down just continuing to put stuff on the other two trays. Lila was still mostly shy.

"It all depends if you are ready." Helga spared her a brief glance. "Do you think your ready?"

Lila was practically screwing one foot into the ground in her bashfulness. "We've been together for a few years now and I'm ever so happy with Stinky and even though he says he wants to wait till he's married I just can't help think it."

"Has he been hinting at anything?" Phoebe inquired softly.

"Not really, but he is such a gentleman to me that I know he won't." Lila's smile changed that looked to be a secret she was holding before she gathered Helga and Phoebe close to her. "When we kiss lately it is more passionate and more... Well you know."

Helga raised her eyebrow up as both Phoebe and her shared a silent conversation together. "You are speaking to the virgin club here and I know that I plan on making love to someone that I'm deeply in love with and whom I trust." Helga admitted. "Someone who loves me just as much and who is a romantic at times." A dreamy look was reflected on her face. "I have a feeling that is something all of us share in this room right now."

"Yessssss." LIla and Phoebe both said dreamily too.

"I'm crazy about Gerald, but I'm waiting further down the line. Thankfully he doesn't pressure me because I know he respects me." Phoebe volunteered. "Stinky respects you so even if he does think it I know he won't pressure you."

"Stinky never pressures me into anything because he loves to talk to me about how I would feel about things." Lila sighed with contentment.

Finishing up with gathering stuff to bring up, Helga placed her hand on her hip. "You have a guy who is crazy about you. My suggestion is to talk to him in private about this stuff if you are seriously considering it. No one else can tell you to do it except for yourself."

"Oh I know, but I don't want him to think ill of me."

Helga put her hand on Lila's shoulder. "He won't. Stinky is one of the good ones, Lila."

"Helga is correct in this. Stinky thinks the world of you so he won't disrespect you in the slightest when you share what you are thinking lately." Phoebe added in as she lifted up a tray.

Taking a tray herself, Lila took a deep breath vowing that she will talk to Stinky in private about this new revelation.

"Alright now let's get up there to continue our fun." Helga announced as they went back upstairs.

During the whole time at the party, Arnold realized he never danced with Helga while she seemed to dance with everyone else. She was a good dancer by what he can judge, but still she was being good about matching up with her partners so as never to upstage them. When she danced with Gerald, he spotted the true dancer she can be. Phoebe informed him that she not only studied ballet, but modern dance, tap, belly dancing, and some other dances simply because Helga just liked expanding herself and try different things.

Arnold knew he was scared with taking his chance with dancing with her. He has danced with plenty of his female friends without fear, but with her he did. Crazy how he always took the opportunity to hold her in his arms, but with dancing he feared it. He did know that when he danced with past girlfriends that the girl would always end up dancing too intimately with him, and yes he would try to take the chance to be intimate in that way with them before he thought it felt wrong and pulled away. He knew the second he danced with Helga he wouldn't pull away from her. Arnold had the strongest feeling there. Fear is still what kept him at arms length from her. He will not jeopardize their friendship still.

Little that Arnold knew was that Helga was feeling the same thing as well.

Soon the party ended with so many dragging themselves out of there. Arnold spotted that even the boarders and his grandparents looked about to drop so he told them all to go to sleep and he'll clean up. When they objected, Helga helped push them practically to their rooms. Arnold thought the funniest was Gerald and Phoebe volunteering to help, but the way they were leaning against each another's almost falling asleep made him push them out of there. At least they didn't live far.

"So you are awake enough to help me?" Arnold was looking around the mess up on the roof.

"Yep." Helga was chipper. "I'll clean up in the kitchen and once I'm done I'll come back up here." With that she grabbed what she could for downstairs and left.

Arnold grabbed the chairs to put them away first before he can start with the rest. When he was done, he was sitting down near the piano just looking up at the sky when Helga sat down next to him. "Thanks."

"Sure thing. Now that fridge needs to be stocked up since I believe Oskar raided it during the party. I say this because he disappeared for a long time during the middle of it." Helga rested back on her elbows.

"Ugh. We just stocked it."

"How does that sweet woman stand being married to him?" Helga groaned out.

Leaning back himself, Arnold sighed. "I gave up trying to figure it out a long time ago."

Yawning, Helga groaned. "I should get back to jail."

Helga always referred to her home as jail and the boarding house as home and Phoebe's mom as her second mom with Arnold's grandparents as her own.

"You can always stay here."

"As much as I would love that I already told my mom I would be home." Helga smiled at him. "Good night Arnold. I know my little boyfriend is in your room now so give him a hug good night for me."

"I'll hug Abner for you. Also I'm driving you home." Standing up he offered his hand to her. "I won't let you walk home this late at night alone, madam."

Taking his hand, Helga got to her feet batting her eyes. "My dear sir how very gallant of you, but what will my gentleman caller think of that the very moment he catches wind of it?"

Chuckling softly at her humor, Arnold took it as his queue to act noble. "I will fight for your honor and cut down that knave for ever believing I would ever belittle his lady love."

Waving her hand in front of her face, Helga mockingly fainted into his arms. "Ohhhhhhhh you slay me with your beautiful words."

Arnold really never got a chance to talk this way to anyone before. "You are pretty amazing, Helga."

"Yeah yeah." Waving him off she went downstairs so they can leave.

When Helga arrived home she went through the door quietly to smell the alcohol thick in the air making her stomach quell. It was double the amount. Sighing she turned to start up the stairs only pausing when she sensed something very dark approaching her making her look up at her father with obvious seething eyes glaring into her very soul. She backed up feeling the strike about to happen and tried to prepare herself to duck or dodge the attack. When he spoke his breath nearly blacked her out. He was drinking too and it wasn't just beer. It was something far more stronger making her fear. Last time he drank like that she almost died.

"Dad." Her voice was soft. She knew it was pleading to him. She hoped that nothing will happen to her.

Helga was wrong.