"Helga?" I asked as she sat outside in the pouring rain that hadn't let up all day.

Shaking, she rose her head up to look at me and frowned. "O-oh. H-he-hey there Arn-Arn-Arnold. What's shak-shaking?" She responded through stutters from the chill of the rain completely soaking her to the bone.

"Looks like you are. What are you doing outside? It's pouring…" I remarked while moving to sit next to her on the stoop of her house. Casually, I adjusted my umbrella to my other hand so I could hold it up over Helga's head.

"Mi-Miriam locked m-m-me ou-out again. Figu-figures." She said while wrapping her arms around each other in an effort to keep her near-convulsing body warm.

"Helga, I told you if that ever happened again, you could come over to the boarding house. That's still true. Just because we're-"

"Le-let me gu-gu-guess," she said as her jaw struggled to stop it's chattering. "Ju-just be-be-because we ar-aren't together any-any-anymore, doesn't m-mean you do-do-don't still care about m-me." She turned to look at me and shook her head with a small laugh. "Y-you're… you're still th-th-the same foot-footballhead-head-ed y-yutz e-even n-now."

With a sigh, I turned to face her and offered a small shrug. "Guess that makes two of us, huh Helga?"

A bright flash of light lit up the sky followed by ear-shattering thunder. The storm that the weather guy predicted would be here soon- and Helga would be outside for all of it.

Not if I had anything to do about it.

"Helga, the storm is getting bad, could you just humor me and come to the boarding house?"

As I expected, she only laughed and shook her head. "Na-nah. Thanks bu-but I'll pa-pass."

"Why? You're going to get sick. And they said the storm would be really bad- it could flood again and-"

"What? You're w-worried about m-m-me? Hmm-mm-mm?" She snapped while turning to face me completely.

"As a matter of fact, Helga, yes- yes I am. Is that so hard to believe?" I countered at a louder volume than I had anticipated.

Another flash of lightening danced through the sky- almost too close to us. The storm was on its way and there was no stopping it. Kind of like the storm that was developing between Helga and I.

"As-as-as a matter o-of f-fact," Helga copied with her usual mocking tone, "It-it is. Seein-seeing as it w-w-was YOU-u-u who b-broke up wi-wi-with m-m-ME. R-r-remem-remember THAT, Sho-shortman?"

I sighed and turned away from her to look out at the empty street ahead. "It isn't like that, Helga. I still love you."

"Sti-sti-still LO-LO-LOVE ME?!" She shouted though I only shut my eyes and refused to look at her. "Yo-you n-n-NE-NEVER loved me l-like I lo-love-loved YOU. You ne-never co-could."

Rain slammed on the umbrella making it hard to keep steady above us. The wind blew drops onto my shoulder making my right side almost as soaked as Helga.

"You're right. I never could. I was never up to your expectations. You made me something I wasn't and-"

"Save it. We-we've ha-had this co-conversation al-already. I do-don't ev-eve-even care anymore any-any-anyway."

"Helga…" I tried as the door behind us opened slowly to reveal her mom looking half-awake.

"Honey what…what are you doing outside? It's raining." Helga's mom slurred as if she'd just woken from a nap.

With a roll of her eyes, Helga turned over her shoulder to call out, "R-re-really? Thanks f-for th-the update, Miri-miriam. I wou-wouldn't have gu-guessed."

She twisted back to me and sighed. "You and y-you co-conscience can b-be on th-th-they're way now, Arnoldo."

With no other option but to nod, she moved from under my umbrella to her mother who was still standing in the doorway. Just as I stood up to leave, she called out after me once more as thunder sounded in the sky once again.

"Hey Arnold," she said, her words soft but stern.

"Yeah Helga?"

"Do me a f-favor and st-stop worrying abou-about me. Okay?"

As if that was something I could just do.

"I…"

"Just try, alright? I'm just fine without you."

She shut the door to leave me in the rain the way I'd found her; my umbrella soon dropping worthlessly to my side.

I'm just fine without you, she'd said. The words rang in my ears louder than the storm that was only growing more violent with each minute I stood in it's grip. The rain above pelted down on me making small welts on my skin as I stood frozen in front of Helga's door.

Maybe she was fine without me, but the pang in my heart was telling me that maybe it was ME who wasn't fine without her.