He viewed her from behind as she wrote in her pink journal as she sat with her back against the chain link fence in deep concentration. He prayed for that gentle breeze to come his way so he could smell her fragrance. How he loved watching the sunlight dance in her golden locks. Her hair was so shiny. So healthy. So beautiful. Her beautiful sapphire eyes that have such a range of emotions with one emotion he wish she would grant him one day.

The look of love instead of annoyance.

He knew what she wrote in that journal. Knew her secret. He wondered if she'll be brave enough to act on it.

"Brainy what the hell?"

He loved that peeved tone to her voice as he saw those angry blue eyes flash at him. "Uh... Hi."

Helga had an idea that he had an inner monologue inside his head each time he stalked her. "You really want to be punched, don't you?"

It was his chance for her attention so he always smiled shyly at her. He loved her. She was everything he never saw in other girls.

Helga felt she won't be getting any privacy right now from him so she slammed her journal shut to make her way far from Brainy soon finding Gerald, Arnold and Phoebe. Getting on the half bleachers stand, Helga sat next to Arnold.

"Finish your writing?" Phoebe wondered.

"Brainy was behind me breathing down my neck, so no." Helga answered reaching into Arnold's bag of chips to grab one to snack on.

"Ehhh why don't you just go out with the boy and call it a day." Gerald suggested.

Arnold and Phoebe looked at him like he flipped a lid while Helga just rolled her eyes. "Sure let me go out with my stalker. Let me encourage him more."

Gerald put out his lower lip in thought. "All right. How about go out with Sid instead."

"Uh no."

Gerald studied his female friend for some time trying to get a gage on her. "Will you ever say yes to any guy?"

Smiling sweetly at him, Helga almost touched, Arnold. "I'm sick of the forced kisses. The next guy I kiss I want him to be someone that I have been feeling things for. You know how you taste your favorite flavor of ice cream. That is the feeling I want to experience."

Phoebe had a loving gaze when she looked at Gerald. "Oh I know what you mean, Helga."

"She found her favorite flavor." In the past Helga would of stuck her tongue out at such affections but that was the past. "Oh yeah Arnold you remember about us meeting those committee people after school, correct?"

"Yep. You don't think they'll mind about a guy coming with you won't they?" Arnold curiously wondered as he gave her the rest of his chips she kept on sneaking bites of.

"Sheesh as if and if so I know they'll provide a chaperone." Helga made a face at the very thought of it. "You are one of the most trustworthy guys around so it isn't like you are going to throw me onto a bed and have your way with me without a condom."

Phoebe giggled, Gerald's eyes opened up wide at the visual, and Arnold almost spit out his water at how she spit that out the end of that sentence. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Helga." Arnold sputtered as he started coughing more.

Hitting his back gently, Helga couldn't help herself. "Not unless you wanted to tear my clothes off and do that."

"Helga!"

Laughing hard she winked at Phoebe and Gerald. "Oh come on! I just got a prescription of birth control at the ready for the trip so I'm ready to go."

Covering his face over, Arnold just had too many visuals in his head with thinking of her already in the shower naked when he knew she was in there and now she was just plain killing him.

"Ok Helga don't kill my man here." Gerald warned with a slight evil glint to his face. "He is an innocent little boy scout who probably hasn't pulled his own cord yet."

"GERALD!" Arnold was horrified as he removed his hands to look at his friend who was laying down on the bench stifling his laughs.

Helga just rubbed his back to help ease his tension. "Think of the trip, Arnold."

Back at the boarding house and after speaking of the trip and all the details along when they would leave and come back, Arnold looked over to his grandparents from time to time still curious if he should really go at this time, but seeing he had such an opportunity presented to him he knew he would be a fool to take it. Seeming to understand how he was feeling he felt Helga's hand reach over to take his in a comforting way. Only after the people left she told him to talk to his grandparents to ease himself.

"What's on your mind?" Phil inquired as he sat down in the chair across from him.

Arnold had been wringing his hands together for a bit. "I really want to go."

"But are afraid of leaving us here. Is that correct, Arnold?" Gertie asked as she went to sit next to her grandson. At his nod she wrapped a comforting arm around him. "Oh Arnold that girl up there has given you an amazing gift. A gift you have been wanting to do for some time now."

"But grandma I do understand that, but I'm afraid of leaving you here when..." Arnold dropped it there. "You are really the only family I know."

"Arnold." Phil leaned a bit forward hoping he can reach through to his head. "We understand fear and we understand love. You have so many people who love you. That girl love and respects you to give you this amazing gift. A gift that I hope you don't decline due to some fear." Getting up he crossed over to sit on the other side of Arnold. "If we could do this trip ourselves we would. You don't think we wouldn't want to know what happened to our son and daughter-in-law?"

"With this gift you are also helping us fulfill our own wish Kimba." Gertie added gently. "Don't toss this gift back for anything. As for that chaperone that is going with you I want you to ditch them as soon as you can."

Arnold knew that Helga was planning on that already making him lean back against the sofa. "You absolutely sure?"

"Yes we are. Go with our love and blessings." Gertie told him.

"Just remember not to eat any raspberries." Phil added rubbing his belly as he rumbled.

A little later Arnold went to her room to knock on her door. Hearing her say to come in he went inside to see her put her phone aside and looked at him expectantly. She changed her clothes since he had been downstairs and was now in a pair of yoga pants and a long sleeve V-neck pink shirt. Sitting on the bed next to her he rested his back against her wall.

"Changing your mind?" Her voice was quiet.

"No I'm still going. Just afraid since they are getting up there in age." His voice was equally quiet.

Moving closer to him so her shoulder was against his they both were staring almost blankly at her bookshelf. "I know you are."

"They raised me and each day I become more afraid that one day it will be that day I dread the most. I know they miss my parents too. I see it in their eyes. They would come if they could themselves."

"I know it sucks to be without your parents for this long but in a way you are so lucky to have all this love surround you each day. Your grandparents love you. The boarders love you. Your friends love you. So many respect you." Turning a bit so she can face him, Helga placed her hand on the side of his face gently. "In a very big way you are very lucky when most others can only dream of it. I want this trip for you because you are that special, Arnold, and you deserve it."

"I was taught to be selfless. It is hard to be a little selfish."

Kissing his cheek she smiled. "I wonder how I would be if I ended up sticking around Hillwood longer than originally before. I thought it was pretty cool to see Phoebe again and again and again. I also wonder how it would be if my family was normal instead of what they ended up being." Turning red faced she leaned back. "Holy crap I was such a bully before right up until 7th grade. Chip on my shoulder and that ugly unibrow. All that to hide who I really was. I mean I can still throw an attitude, but at least it isn't as bad as before."

"You still weren't ugly though. You showed me another picture of yourself when you were 9. Yeah you were unhappy, but I still saw someone very cute." He grinned.

"You wouldn't think that before."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Swan, but I thought you were when we were young kids too."

Helga's heart almost burst. She almost kicked him out of her room so she can write another sonnet dedicated to him. She also wanted to know what those lips would feel like against hers. Instead she pointed to her phone. "I was talking to Frank and a certain favor about our chaperone. I won't say more but I hope we get this particular person."

"Why?"

"Because I want us to go unhindered and I know Frank is grateful to you and your grandparents for treating me good."

Seeing an envelope on her nightstand, Arnold noticed where it came from. "When did that arrive?"

Sighing her mind wandered to the possibility of destroying the letter again. "Last monday." She replied sullenly. "Wants me to visit him. I say that is a big no to that."

"Are you sure?" The glare she sent him as she quickly got up to rip that letter apart made her leave her room so fast he almost felt like he got whiplash. Looking down at the ripped letter, Arnold thought out loud. "It was just a question."

Getting up he left her room hearing the door that led to the second access to the roof. Sighing he went up there to find her already playing on the piano with a tune that was both angered and beautiful. Approaching her, Arnold noticed how she gave him the briefest of glances before turning her attention to the keys. He knew fully well she didn't need to look down, but she did in her own thought process.

"I'll sooner talk to Olga again before ever deciding to speak to Bob. Bob isn't a father. Phil is more of a dad to me than he will ever be. Frank is even like a father to me for some guy who is in his 30's. It will be a very long time before I will speak to him again. As for Olga I am just giving her some time till I know when it is time to. I know her pretty well." Helga stated as she suddenly hit the keyboard incredibly hard to match the song she was playing.

"I know that and I asked to make sure of how you were thinking. That is all." Arnold stood near her taking in her beauty even as troubled as she was right now. "I hate what happened to you. What happened to your mother." Sitting down suddenly next to her he stopped her from playing to bring her into his arms. "I know you can protect yourself but even I want to. Even if you wanted to see him at some point I don't mind you asking me to join you because I will to support you."

Helga's heart started to pump more at those words. That stupid long ago crush wasn't so stupid it felt like. She knew he was special the first moment he covered her over with his umbrella and he still remained like that. Normally she didn't think it was possible, but knowing his grandparents she now knew it. Arnold was more special than even he even knew about.

I believe I love having Arnold teased. ;)