(A/N: So sorry again for like the super long wait for this chapter. After I wrote the last, I started on this one but then had a work trip which sorta... distracted me hardcore. When I got back to work, there was a lot of catching up and yatta yatta yatta etc you understand. I've been meaning to complete the darn thing but every moment I had to continue, something interrupted me. Very frustrating month. Anyhow, I know its a tad bit short but here it is!)

The jungle that surrounded Arnold was hot and lush with green vegetation and various noises from the local fauna that lived there. He was searching for something, but what? He already had found his lost parents so what was left in the jungle for him to find? He looked down to see that the Green Eyes emblem was still hanging around his chest but he had no journal to follow. Holding it up to his eye, he looked through its green glass. Nothing seemed to change in his view, which disappointed the young man and he placed it back down.

"What am I doing here?" He asked himself, looking around to find any sort of clue. "Mom? Dad?" No one responded and Arnold frowned. "Am I lost?"

"Lost? That's one way of putting it, bucko." replied a familiar voice.

Arnold spun around to see Helga standing there next to him with his father's journal. Overjoyed to know he wasn't alone, the boy ran up and hugged his companion tightly.

"Gross! Who said you could touch me, Hair boy?" The girl yelled before pushing him off of her and brushing off her already dirty clothes. "It's so damn hot and humid here, why on earth would you think it's okay to hug me?! Ugh!"

"I'm sorry, Helga." He replied with a smile. "Where's everyone else?"

Helga cocked an eyebrow and looked around. "Have you been eating the berries? There is no one else here but us now hurry up or we'll be late."

Her words confused him. "Late?" He asked but instead of getting a reply, he watched as she walked in front of him. "Late for what?"

Helga ignored him and pushed forward, causing him to follow curiously. There were many large bushes and vines in front of their path, but Helga pulled a machete out of her backpack and began to cut them all down. "It's only a little further…" She murmured to herself, quickly glancing at a page in the book.

"Helga, where are we going?" He asked, blocking every branch that happened to swing in his direction as he followed. "Why do you have my dad's journal? And where did you get that sword?"

"Geez do you ever shut up?" She hissed. "Maybe if you stop asking questions we would be there sooner!"

"Be… where?" He asked again before getting a bunch of leaves in the face. "Helga, slow down!"

Just as he finally got the brush out of the way, he noticed his companion had disappeared. "Helga?" He called out to her. "Helga you went too far ahead!"

Still there was no response and Arnold began to get nervous. He stopped and listened to his surroundings. There were no noises of her footsteps, only the chirping of exotic birds and the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. "Helga… Stop hiding, this isn't funny." He called out again, hoping she would pop out from behind a tree or something but sadly it didn't happen.

Pressing forward, he began to follow something that somewhat looked like a trail. Where did it come from? Had Helga made it beforehand? Just where was he going? Arnold's nerves began to attack him every step he took.

Just then, he took a step forward and pieces of the earth beneath him crumbled, causing him to trip and fall down a large slope. The slope seemed to go on forever as if he was being taken to the very middle of the earth itself. The further he went down, the hotter it got. Finally, the fall ended and Arnold crashed into something soft. Opening his eyes, he saw that Helga lay in front of him.

"Helga!" He shouted as he got a closer look at her. She seemed like she was asleep. "Helga, wake up!" He said as he shook her lightly; however nothing he did seemed to matter.

Laying his head down on her chest, he could hear that her heart was still beating and assumed she had just been knocked unconscious by the fall. "I gotta get us out of here…" He whispered as he looked around. They had fallen into some kind of underground cave. It was dark but there was a dim red light coming from somewhere. Hoping it was coming from someone's campsite; Arnold got up and followed the glow. "Hello?" He called out as he went further. "Is anyone there? I need help, my friend is hurt!"

Not wanting to go too far away from his fallen partner, Arnold glanced around a corner to see if there was anything in sight. "Nothing…" He said quietly, "Just where did we fall? What is this place?"

Suddenly, a loud banging of drums began to echo through the cave. Bam. Bam. Bam. Arnold back tracked to find Helga, but her body was no longer laying there. Fearing for the worst, the boy panicked and looked everywhere before deciding to go even further into the cave. Bam. Bam. Bam. The drumming got louder the further he went. He wanted to call out to her, but knew it would only be in vain. "Hello?" He called out again, hoping someone would show up.

Reaching the end of the tunnel, the room opened up into something vast. Arnold was on top of a cliff and could see everything. There were many people in ceremonial robes banging on drums, as well as dancing around a large bed with Helga at its center. "Helga!" Arnold called out; alarmed.

Searching around for a way down, Arnold finally gave up and decided that he would need to make his own path down. Gingerly, he placed his foot over the edge and slid down, hitting many bulging rocks as he went. When he finally reached the bottom, steam shot up from all different areas and the room got hotter. The drummers and dancers stopped to look at him. They were not the Green Eyes tribe he knew, but someone else. He wanted to rush over to his still sleeping girlfriend, but many of the tribesmen blocked his path with large spears.

"Please…" He begged them, "I need to get to her. She's hurt!"

"You need to get to her?" called out a voice that echoed around the room; it was male and familiar but Arnold couldn't quite place it. "It's a little late for that, isn't it?"

Arnold looked around but none of the tribesman moved. "I'm taking her back home!" He protested courageously despite being largely outnumbered.

A laugh echoed. "Home? She's already here!"

More steam rose up from around him and the tribesman all parted to the side of the room. Up on top of the ledge which Arnold once stood, a tall and thin hooded figure stood there.

Taking the opportunity, Arnold rushed over to her to look for signs that she was okay. She was still breathing and looked so peaceful. The scenario seemed oddly familiar. "Helga, you got to wake up!"

"Oh she doesn't need to wake up, boy. You do." The man said with another laugh. Suddenly the room of tribesman laughed with him and he could feel the floor beneath him begin to rumble.

"What did you do to her?!" Arnold demanded as he turned to look at the hooded figure.

"What have I done? I haven't done a thing. The real question is: what have you done?" The man asked him, his voice becoming sly and deeper. "It is your job to protect her, after all."

Arnold narrowed his eyes up at the man. Despite not being able to see his face, the body shape was familiar. "Who are you?"

The man let out another loud fit of laughter, and the ground began to shake once more. Fissures started to form all over the ground and sparks sizzled and popped all around him. Feeling as though he was in danger, Arnold climbed on the bed where Helga lay to get his feet off the ground. The bed was cushiony and nothing you would expect out in the middle of a jungle or inside a deep cavern. The man continued to laugh harder and sparks turned into flames until the entire floor was engulfed in them.

Turning to his damsel in distress, Arnold placed his hands on her shoulders. Peering into her sleeping face, Arnold could see himself becoming desperate as his brow became moist with sweat. "Helga, you have to wake up. Please wake up!" But she didn't budge. "Is this the sleeping sickness?" Arnold asked the man but not letting his eyes off of her.

His laughing stopped. "Is it? Why don't you tell me, Volcano boy? I would think this would be in your area of expertise."

"Volcano boy…?" He had been called that once before and the image of who the hooded man was came clear into his mind. "La Sombra!" Arnold shouted, turning angrily to the man.

The cracks on the floor became larger and Arnold could feel that things would end very soon. He was trapped. The man laughed again and pointed his finger out to the boy. "What can you do, right? You're powerless to save her and now you've only endangered both of you! What a stupid boy of prophecy you are!"

Arnold's mind triggered a thought at the man's last few words. "Boy of Prophecy…?" He whispered to himself before looking all around him. The floors surface was no longer visible as fire and ember slowly gave way to a hot red liquid. It oozed and spread up the walls and began to rise. Sweat began to pour down the young boy's body like a waterfall and he gulped. He watched helplessly as La Sombra's voice and silhouette slowly disappeared into the distance."

I have to do something… There has to be something I can do!" He cried out, looking around for something- anything to help his situation, but there was nothing. The lava rose higher and higher. Terror succumbed the boy and he embraced his sleeping partner. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" He said as tears formed in his eyes and he squeezed her tight, awaiting their imminent doom.

Just as Arnold thought the end was nigh, his eyes shot open as he awoke in a pool of his own sweat. His body was still in the illusion of his demise and his heart pounded vigorously in his chest. Doing his best to catch his breath and take in his real surroundings, Arnold noticed that it was still dark out and wondered just how long he had been asleep. Everything felt so… real… He thought as he sat up and took in a relieved breath. He turned to a small illuminated clock by his computer: it was a little past 3:00 am which meant he only had a few more hours of sleep before school. Dreading what the morning was going to feel like, the boy lay back down on his makeshift bed. He kicked off the blanket that he'd been using and felt the rooms cooler temperature hit his body. I must have had that dream because of how hot I was... He decided as he enjoyed the much cooler environment.

Everything was so silent, save for the soft breaths he could hear coming from the girl who lie across his room. Arnold turned his head to look upon her, wondering if she looked just as peaceful in that moment as she did in his dream. Why did he have that dream? Why wouldn't she wake up? Was La Sombra really behind it or was there another meaning to it all? Arnold groaned and rolled over to face the back of the sofa. He re-positioned his pillow to the cooler side and did his best to relax. He remembered his grandma's teachings of self control techniques and figured now would be a great time to utilize them. Concentrating on his heartbeat and breathing, Arnold gathered the world within his small body and pushed out all the negativity. So much had gone on; too much had gone on! He was very confident that tomorrow would be a much better day. All he could do was think calm thoughts and slowly drift back into dreamland.

Unfortunately for Arnold, his morning was just as dreadful as he could have anticipated. The bathroom was backed up and a line formed down the hall of boarders waiting to use the shower, his Grandma had decided to make pancakes that morning, which resulted in many burnt and the house smelling so badly that all of the stray animals ran for the hills, and Helga's mood was as sour as ever.

"School will be better…" He insisted to them both with an encouraging smile.

Helga gave the boy a scowl and stormed out his front door and in the direction of their school. After getting to their usual meeting place, she had been unexpectedly jumped on by her best friend with a very tight hug.

"Oh Helga! I'm so glad you're okay!" Phoebe cried into Helga's still dirty pink dress. "I heard what happened to the Beeper Emporium on the news and couldn't think of a way to contact you!"

Helga gave Arnold an 'I told you so' look before looking down at her small friend. "I'm fine Phoebe now get off me before you cause a scene." She said with a washed out voice. Despite her sleep being wonderful, the pills that had been offered to her that night seemed to have put her into a deeper sleep than she was used to and still felt groggy.

Phoebe did as she was told and let her best friend go. "What happened? Why did it catch fire? Are your parents okay?"

"Yeah yeah, everyone is fine and we don't know what happened yet, alright?" Helga responded dismissively with a wave of her hand. "Until my parents figure out what to do next, I'm shacking up with the Football head so don't worry."

After the words flew out of her mouth, Gerald shot a surprised look at the blond boy who pretended not to notice. "You serious?"

"What? Got a problem with it, Geraldo?" Helga asked coarsely, answering for the boy. "I don't see you offering me a place to stay in the meantime."

Placing his hands on his hips, Gerald looked between the two and cocked an eyebrow. "I'm just surprised that your parents allowed it; either of them." He replied.

Knowing just where the conversation was headed, Helga threw the extra backpack that Arnold had given her over her shoulder and began to walk in front of them all. "Come on you chuckle heads. If we stand here any longer birds will think we're statues and crap all over us! Let's go Phoebe."

"Following!" Phoebe chimed as she chased after the tall blonde girl who had hurried away.

Still puzzled by what Gerald had said, he turned to the boy. "Is it really all that strange?"

Gerald's mouth fell open and he turned to his best friend. "Let me put it this way for you, brother. If I'd ask to even stay a few hours extra at Phoebe's place, my parents would flip! Letting me sleep over? I'm just asking for my grave to be dug!" He explained before starting to follow the girls.

Arnold furrowed his brow and contemplated his friend's words for a moment, but came up empty handed. "But she's homeless right now, Gerald. If Phoebe was in that situation, surely your parents would allow it, right?"

A burst of laughter came out of the darker boy, "You gotta be kidding me, right? Are you nuts?" He asked; his face full of amazement. "The real question is why isn't Helga staying with Phoebe instead of you? Don't you think she would be a little more comfortable around a fellow girl?"

"I don't know…" Arnold spoke while placing a thoughtful hand on his chin. "I guess I really didn't think about that when I offered. Maybe I should ask her later if that would be better."

Gerald shook his head and sighed. "I know you're a bold kid Arnold, but I didn't think you were this bold! Her comfort ability aside, what about yours? How are you hanging in there with her sleeping over?"

Arnold tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean? Sure, she's cranky in the morning but it's nothing I've never dealt with before. If there should be anything that I'm used to- it's Helga with a bad attitude. Remember that bio project?" He said; turning his head and letting out a small smile in nostalgia. It was so long ago yet felt like just yesterday to the boy. "All we did was fight and become miserable but in the end, everything came out alright."

"That's not what I meant…" Gerald frowned, looking down at his oblivious friend. "You're a pretty sick boy, Arnold."

"Huh?"

Halting, Gerald grabbed the blond boy's shoulders and looked at him square in the face to analyze him. Had Arnold always been this dense? It was surprising enough that he had feelings for the hostile girl but to already be this comfortable with her? Just what was going on between them? He could see that Arnold seemed genuinely confused and Gerald felt defeated. "So you're gonna stand here and tell me that not only does being alone with Helga not make you nervous in the least bit, but you don't understand why it isn't a bright idea to have her sleeping over?"

Arnold took his friends hands off his shoulders and stiffened up a little at the question. He was once again in a situation where he was missing a big picture that seemed to be in front of him. "If it was fine for us to sleep in the same room back in fourth grade, then why should it be a problem now?"

"Arnold!" Gerald tipped his head back and cried. "She's sleeping in the same ROOM as you?!" His voice seemed to echo off the buildings and caused strangers to look their way.

Feeling a blush of embarrassment overcome his cheeks, Arnold placed his hand over his best friend's mouth and tugged on his arm to continue walking again. "Don't be so loud, Gerald." He warned in a hushed tone. "I don't need the whole city to know her business."

Once his mouth was free again, Gerald held back his frustrations and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just don't get it. Do you not feel anything when she's with you? And before you open your mouth and talk about the calm happiness she gives you, which kinda gives me a gagging feeling in the back of my throat, you know very well that's not what I mean, buddy."

Now realizing what he had meant, Arnold's blush became deeper and he felt uncomfortable. "I… I do, Gerald but it's something I'll have to deal with for her sake." He replied with a low shaky voice. "I can't let my feelings get in the way of what's really important."

"I admire your dedication but I sure don't envy you. Not only is Helga G. Pataki sleeping in your room with you but you have to ignore… that?" Gerald shook his head again and tried not to imagine the scene unfolding in his mind.

"It's not that bad, Gerald." Arnold said with a sigh. "I understand what you're saying but I do have plenty of discipline and self control."

"Whatever you say, man… Whatever you say." Gerald said, still internally worrying for his friend's sake.

"So what's it like?" Phoebe asked curiously; her eyes sparkling as she stared up at the tall pigtailed blonde girl.

Helga peered at her best friend from the corner of her eye before letting out a small smirk. She could see that since she had explained her misfortune to Phoebe that the girl had let her worries go and began to see the luck of it all. She shrugged and continued to walk, coming closer to the school doors. The boys were far out of sight so she knew she was safe. "It's alright."

The lackluster answer caused the gleam in Phoebe's eye to short out and she frowned. "Surely you have much more to report than just 'alright'?"

"Sure, it's pretty exciting to think that I'll be living with all the ice cream I can eat, however it's not like I've really had a chance." Helga admitted.

Phoebe nodded her head. "I suppose the shock of losing everything has probably… dampened the mood to indulge."

The two entered the school and rounded the corner towards their class. As they began passing familiar faces, Helga couldn't help but notice the stares and whispers that surrounded them. She felt like turning around and running back into Arnold's boarding house but knew that, that wasn't the answer. Helga G. Pataki was no coward.

"Although…" Phoebe continued quietly, "If I were in your situation… I think I would be much too nervous to stay with my own frozen treat, regardless of how delightful it would seem."

"Well luckily you don't have the bad luck of ending up in my family and having to deal with it." Helga replied simply, a little blandness on her tongue.

The small girl frowned. "I'm sorry Helga, I didn't mean to be insensitive."

"Don't sweat it, Pheebs." Helga shrugged as she placed her hand on the portal to the doom that awaited her. "Maybe the little twerp is rubbing off on me. I seem to be making the best out of a very horrible situation."

The comment forced a smile out of Phoebe and she nodded in agreement. If there was one trait in Arnold that she admired, it was always his ability to see the silver lining on even the darkest clouds. The thought of her best friend becoming even a little more joyous than usual made her hopeful. Maybe things do happen for a reason.

As soon as Helga opened her homeroom door, the gasps and whispers got louder and more deafening. She cringed and stomped into the room in the normal Helga Pataki manner and plopped down at her desk.

"Is it true?" The unavoidable first question was asked by Sid. "Did your place really burn down?"

"Did you really lose everything?" This one was from Harold.

"Are those your only pair of clothes left?" Next was Rhonda.

"Where are you gonna stay?" Eugene asked; his fingers entwined with each other as his sad eyes fell upon the girl.

"Has your family finally turned to their wild side, joined a savage clan of hobos and took to the streets?!" Curly cried out with his fists in the air with excitement.

Helga growled and opened the top of her desk to retrieve a notebook and pencil, doing best to ignore all the questions. It was only a matter of time before everyone had their fill and she could dismiss them all in one giant swoop.

"What started the blaze?" Stinky asked.

"Did anyone get hurt?" Sheena chimed in.

"What's gonna happen to your family's business?" Nadine asked as she pushed a few of them aside to get in on the questions.

Helga gripped her pencil and did her best to be patient and breathe calmly.

"Everyone… please sit down and give her some space, okay?" Phoebe asked politely in her meek voice, doing her best to get everyone's attention.

"Was it really an accident or did you guys do it on purpose for the insurance money?" Rhonda asked as she crossed her arms and eyed the girl. "Knowing your family, I wouldn't doubt it."

"What are you guys gonna do about food? Are you gonna eat out all the time because boy howdy that sounds pretty great!" Sid asked, pushing Rhonda out of the way and causing her to scoff.

As the questions continued, Arnold and Gerald entered the room and saw the spectacle. Instantly, Arnold looked to Helga and saw small veins popping out of her forehead as she restrained herself.

"Everyone… please… be respectful to her private business…" Phoebe pleaded some more but their voices all drowned the poor girl out. After a few of them began to shove her out of the way, the few ounces of tolerance the small Asian girl had crumbled away and her inner demon unleashed. "Everyone BACK UP and BE QUIET!" She shouted forcefully. The room quieted instantly and the others let Phoebe have the floor. She took in a deep breath and turned to them all. "I'm aware that all of you have questions for Helga but please, if you were in her situation would you really want to be paraded with questions like this? This is not this week's' scandal between celebrities and you are not the paparazzi. Helga is our friend and her family's personal business is their own so if you have questions for her out of concern and not curiosity, then please ask her in a more private and quiet manner."

"I bet the only reason you're telling us off is because you already know!" Sid suggested with a huff as he crossed his arms.

"Not at all, Sid." Phoebe clarified as she adjusted her glasses which had slid down a little due to her outburst. "I know just as much as you do and that is because I am respecting my best friend and letting her tell me when she is ready."

As the crowd mumbled to themselves in disappointment, a clear path was made and the boys who had just entered were allowed passage to their desks. Arnold looked at Helga with worry as he past but she did not look up to catch his eyes. He wanted to help her but he already knew that if he were to butt in now it would only had stirred the pot more and caused more chaos; as he wasn't sure how many of his classmates knew about his relationship with the girl.

"Thanks Phoebe…" Helga said through her teeth. She meant it, truly, however her body refused to distress after the scene. At least she didn't have to be the one to end it all for them.

Her best friend smiled and patted the tense girl on the shoulder. "Not a problem, Helga." Feeling proud of herself for being able to stand up for Helga a second time, Phoebe wandered over to her own seat to sit and wait for their teacher to show up.

Moments passed and Helga had finally managed to pry the nearly broken pencil from her hand. She couldn't remember what her original purpose for taking out the writing utensil and paper was, but she figured now would be a good time to utilize those supplies. Turning the cover, she began to sketch herself as a large monster stomping her classmates to smithereens. Why did they care what happened to her anyway? Since when did her well-being become something important to them? She knew the answer was obvious. They weren't actually concerned for her, but rather just nosey busybodies who wanted something to talk to their friends about. Coloring the lines darker and darker, Helga released as much negativity as she could into that one picture. Despite how she was feeling though, she knew she did well by Arnold by not hurting any of them. Oh my beloved, through pain and toil I have fought my deepest and darkest demons for you, my Angel. Are you proud of me? Do you see the light you have given me through your small favor? I am doing my best, my prince. You don't have to care for me, house me or feed me but you have! Helga rehearsed her monologue in her head as she began to draw her saint up in the sky above the destruction she wished she could rein upon the school. Do I dare indulge the thought of you longing for me as I have longed for you all these years? The words you spoke to me atop your roof; the kiss that was bestowed upon me, is it all true? Curse my wretched heart for hoping that maybe… maybe those words came from your heart and not just you wanting to comfort me. She began to detail Arnold further with angel wings and a halo. To share your room, even sleep in your bed? My wildest girl thoughts have wandered there many times but never considered it a true reality one day. The thought of you craving me as I crave you is too invigorating to bare! Is it too soon to test those waters? I have seen the daring look in your eyes before: The hunger. I know all too well the feeling, my dear sweet Arnold! Grace me with your gift of longing and take away all the pain!

The bell rang and signaled the students to be settled in their classrooms. The noise outside of their room quieted down and it seemed suspicious that Mr. Simmons hadn't burst into the room yet. Arnold rose from his seat and peered out of the classroom door window.

"Whatcha gandering at, Arnold?" Stinky asked curiously.

"Doesn't it seem strange that Mr. Simmons isn't here yet?" Arnold asked, turning around to face his friend as well as the class who also seemed to be looking at him- save for Helga who was still engrossed with her art.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem a little off that the bell has rung and he hasn't appeared." Phoebe replied.

"Maybe he ate too much Wambo Burger and is stuck on the toilet?" Harold shouted from across the room. "I know the feeling…" He finished, rubbing his stomach and giving a sickly look to the thought.

"I think that's only you, bubba." Gerald replied to the hefty boy with a shake of his head.

Arnold walked away from the door and around the student's desks to the large window with an open view of the front of the school. He wasn't there either.

"Oh no…" Sid gasped. "Do you think he's gotten sick of us and we'll be stuck with another teacher again?! I don't think I could handle another Lieutenant Major Goose…"

"Don't be absurd." Rhonda waved off with her hand to the boy who seemed to now be cowering. "I'm sure he is just running late or something. Adults do have their own agenda, after all."

"Rhonda is right, Sid. We're Mr. Simmons extra special students and he wouldn't give us up for the world!" Eugene encouraged warmly before giving himself a hug.

"Pipe down, you morons!" Helga called out to them before setting down her pencil loudly. "I'm sure Mister Sunshine and Rainbows will be here any minute. Instead of being like the Football head and worrying so much, why not, I don't know, DO something productive?!"

After her words, Curly jumped up on his desk, nearly pushing Brainy over in the process. "It is time I took over this class! Everyone! In formation! We will take down the school!" He shrieked with a fit of laughter that followed.

With much concern, Arnold went back to his seat and frowned. "I just hope nothing bad happened."

Turning around with a harsh squeak from her chair, Helga eyed the boy sharply. "What's the worst that could really happen to him, Arnoldo? His favorite T.V Drama get cancelled? His grocery store stopped selling his favorite brand of organic freshly pressed juice?!"

He could see that she was just putting on her usual display, but still felt the need to fight back. "Come on, Helga. How can you be like that? What if there was an accident? He could be seriously hurt."

The girl snorted and turned back around. "Then why don't you go search for him if you're worried so much? Scour the streets, for crying out loud! Do what you want just stop ruining my time with your annoying voice!"

Arnold pushed back his negative emotions and proceeded to make his way towards the door again. Maybe Principal Wartz knew where he was and if he was okay. "I'll be back guys." He said with a tone of exhaustion and left the room.

Stepping outside the classroom, he noticed no one in the halls. No teachers, no hall monitors. No one. A strange feeling tingled the boy's stomach as he walked towards the Principal's office. Once outside of it, he could hear a bit of talking between a few individuals and decided to politely knock. The talking abruptly stopped and he could hear someone making their way to the door. After a quick handle jiggle, the door slowly opened to reveal the man he was looking for.

"Arnold?" Mr. Simmons questioned the boy with a shocked look. "What brings you to Principal Wartz's office? Is everything alright?"

"Actually Mr. Simmons, I was looking for you." Arnold explained, eyeing the doorway a little to see who was inside the office.

The balding teacher quickly looked at the clock that had been hung over the doorway and gasped. "Oh my! Is it really that time already? Time sure flies…" The man cleared his throat and looked back at his student with an uncomfortable look. "Don't worry Arnold, I'll be in class in a few more moments. Principal Wartz and I are taking care of a few things."

Arnold couldn't help but notice that his teacher was hiding something, but knew it wasn't his place to pry. He nodded. "Okay."

"Great!" Mr. Simmons clapped his hands together in delight. "I'm pleased that you were concerned enough to come looking for me, but I assure you everything is A-Okay!" He finished before backing up and slowly closing the door. It was only a second, but Arnold was sure he saw something familiar right before the door shut completely.

Shrugging his suspicions off, he made his way back into the lively classroom where Curly had resulted in jumping from one desk to another and annoying the lot of them. Helga crumpled up her art and tossed it in the garbage angrily, nearly walking into Arnold as he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Watch where you're walking, geek bait!" She yelled before crossing her arms defiantly and sneering down at him. "Sooooo…. Did you find your precious teacher? Is everything okay again in the world of your weird shaped little head?"

Frowning again at her attitude, Arnold moved aside and looked at the class. "I did. He's in Principle Wartz's office taking care of some things. Said he would be here soon."

"Oh thank heavens!" Helga exhaled sarcastically, waving her arms around in a dramatic way. "I was actually beginning to think that we would be left alone forever to teach ourselves!" She cried out, wrapping her arms around herself and pretending that she was shivering. "I was so cold and afraid, Arnold! You saved us from having to join Curly and his band of idiots." She spat into the trash can next to her and followed Arnold with her eyes as he proceeded to walk away. A familiar feeling washed over her as she finished her charade for the class to see. No one suspected a thing, and even those who knew what was going on didn't make any indication that anything was different, including Arnold. She smiled as if her place was still where it should be and heaved a sigh of stale air.

Arnold wandered his way over to Gerald who finished up a conversation he was having with Nadine. "Hey buddy, you feeling better now that you found Mr. Simmons?"

The blond boy let out a solemn sigh and leaned his back up against the empty desk behind him which belonged to Curly, who was still rampaging around the classroom with his antics. "Yeah, I guess so but something still felt…. Off."

"Come on, Arnold. You're worrying about nothing! Just relax until he comes back." Gerald said, trying to ease his best friend.

Arnold looked around the room at the chaos that had ensued since the beginning of class. "We should probably clean all this up before he comes back. You know how chaos gets to him ever since San Lorenzo."

"True that." Gerald replied with a point of his finger. He stood up and took in a deep breath. "Everyone!" He called out to them, gaining all of their attention. "Mr. Simmons is on his way back to class right now so let's start cleaning all this up. Curly!" He called to the disturbed boy who was currently chewing on a wooden ruler crouched by the window. "This mess was your fault so get a grip and start picking up, man."

Curly straightened up his back until he was as straight as a pole. "Aye, Aye, captain!"

Smiling, Arnold started to pick up some fallen books and papers until the rest of the class joined in. Even in the craziest moments, they always could come together and act like a tribe.

It didn't take too long for the pre-teens to finish picking up the room and putting it back to the neat and tidy way their teacher liked things. About 15 minutes later, the classroom door opened and the awaited man stepped in.

"Hello Class!" He said in his usual cheery tone. He walked in front of the white board and became the center of attention. "Now I know all of you are eager to know where I've been…"

"As if…" Helga snarled from her seat.

"And I have great news for you all! I was finishing up some paperwork and tying up some loose ends with a very special person before class could start. I didn't want to miss a thing!" He said; his grin growing larger and larger as he spoke. "I have a surprise for you all! Are you ready?" The class cheered loudly, signaling the man to continue. "Very good! You may come in now…" He spoke, looking towards the door.

Slowly it opened up and a known figure entered the classroom. She had long brown hair that was braided behind her and a sweet look about her that everyone came to love, save for one classmate. Her long brown cowboy boots clicked as she stepped into place next to her teacher and she smiled for everyone.

"Welcome back, Lila!" Mr. Simmons cried out as he clapped his hands excitedly.

"I am ever so happy to be back." The girl replied, her warm smile entering the hearts of many. "I can't wait to hear about everything I have missed since I've been away!"

That was the final agitation for Helga as her pencil finally snapped in half. Lila Sawyer, the pretty little sweetheart of P.S 118, one of the girls who stole the heart of her beloved, one of the only few people who knew her deep affections for that very boy. Helga had not missed her one bit and, although she was happy that the class would now focus their attention on her instead of bothering Helga with questions about the fire to her family's business, she loathed the possibility of the little miss still holding a piece of Arnolds heart.