Sorry this took so long, but I just got back to college, and the work load was killer! But, I'm still here, and let's get this show on the road!

Spring Break (Part 2)

"This is going to be great!" Arnold said to himself as he passed a rosebush on the side of the road. When Arnold was out of earshot, three preteen boys jumped out of it.

"Owww! Why did the only plant near this place have to be covered in thorns?!" Sid complained as he picked thorns out of his arm.

"I don't know, but it sure ain't nice for sittin'." Stinky chimed in while he also picked away.

"It was worth it guys. We just found out that Helga G. Pataki's house is now a beeper store! AHAHAHAHA!" Harold laughed.

"Not only that, but there's definitely something going on between Arnold and Helga! Boy howdy, this is good stuff!" Sid chuckled.

"You two don't reckon they're dating or nothin' do ya'?" Stinky asked.

"Well, they have been acting goofy since the San Lorenzo trip. Maybe something happened." Sid suggested.

"Yeah, and Helga's not pushing him around like she used to. Oh, they'll be so embarrassed when they get back!" Harold snickered.

"You're not planning to tell the whole school, are ya'?" Stinky asked, looking concerned.

"Of course we are! Helga's been picking on us our whole lives! Why should we give her any freebees?" Sid asked.

"I know, but Arnold's a good pal, and a decent feller'. Why don't we just keep it to ourselves for his sake?" Stinky suggested with sad eyes.

"Well, we maybe able to get something out of him to keep quite about this." Sid smirked.

"Huh?" Stinky and Harold snapped with the same confused look.

"I don't know about you guys, but I miss my Beetle boots a lot. These tennis shoes are nice and all, but my boots were a part of who I am. I can't afford them myself, but with Arnold's help…" Sid smiled.

"Well, I could use a new computer, my other one crashed and I need to…" Harold got cut off by Stinky's declaration.

"I don't believe what I'm hearing! You two would ransom Arnold like that?! The sweetest guy in the city?! If you two do this to my pal, I don't want anything more to do with you!" Stinky turned and walked away.

"Stinky, wait!" Sid cried.

"Come on Sid, we don't need him. We'll find a new tall guy." Harold said.

"Harold, Stinky has been my best friend for years. He's very important to me. If you want to blackmail Arnold fine, but do it without me. It was a stupid idea anyway." Sid then ran off after Stinky.

Harold stood on the side walk, alone as the clouds for a spring shower started to gather.

0o0

Arnold quickened his pace as he saw the rain clouds gather, and he arrived at the boarding house stoop. He walked in and turned his attention to the umbrella holder. Arnold paused.

"Does Helga have an umbrella?" Arnold thought out loud. He grabbed one, and started back towards the beeper store, when he turned a corner, and ran into the signature green shirt of Stinky Peterson.

"Oh, sorry about that Arnold!" Stinky said, as he extended his hand towards his shorter classmate.

"Oh, it's no problem Stinky, I should've been wat…" Arnold stopped when Stinky grabbed Arnold's arms.

"Listen to me Arnold, I have to warn you about Sid and Harold!" Stinky said with wide eyes.

"What? What about Sid and Harold?" Arnold asked.

"Here's the thing, they…"

"STINKY!" Sid yelled from across the street. Stinky looked towards him with concerned eyes. Sid ran across the street and jumped to hug Stinky.

"I'm sorry Stinky! You were right! It was a horrible thought, and I feel so bad to have even thought of it! Oh please forgive me, please!" Sid said as he cried into Stinky's shirt.

"Well, gosh Sid, I'm glad you saw the error of your ways." Stinky said, as he put the shorter boy back down on the sidewalk.

"Oh, boy howdy did I." Sid said, he then turned his gaze at Arnold, "Arnold, I have to warn you about Harold, he's planning to…"

"SID! STINKY!" Harold said, as he ran across the street towards them, and held his arms out like he was going to hug them.

"NO NONONONONONO!" Sid and Stinky said together as Harold came at them like a bulldozer, pushed them down to the ground, and hugged them tightly.

"Oh guys, I could never do anything without you! We're a team! And teams stick together!" Harold told them.

Sid and Stinky smiled at him.

"Oh, good. We were hoping you wouldn't go through with it." Sid said with a grin.

"Go through with what?" Arnold asked, a little shocked at what had just transpired.

"Oh! Well, you see, umm, we, ummm, we saw… we didn't really see… it was just." This general dialogue consumed the three as they tried to form a united excuse for their odd behavior.

"Well, if you guys can't tell me, that's fine, but I need to get somewhere before the rain starts." Arnold said.

"Oh yeah, sure. Whatever you say." Sid said, as he pushed the other two boys back against the brick wall to clear a path for Arnold.

"Ummm, thanks." Arnold began to walk away. The other three boys let out the breath they didn't know they were holding until just now. They then held it in again when Arnold spoke again, "Oh yeah. I'm going to be gone for a week, so be sure to get someone to fill my spot for the baseball game tomorrow."

"No problem Arnold! I hope you have fun!" Sid said, after realizing the other two weren't going to talk.

"Thanks! You too!" He said to the three of them. Once again, Arnold was out of earshot, the boys relaxed.

"We are never listening to your plans again Sid." Harold told him.

"You got that right!" Stinky agreed.

"Oh come on guys, why don't we go to the park? It's a nice warm…" The rain started. Sid looked up as his hat and jacket became drenched, "Yeah, just don't listen to me."

0o0

Arnold knocked on the beeper store door once again.

Big Bob then quickly answered.

"Hey kid! You sick of… oh, it's you again. OLGA, YOUR LITTLE BOYFRIEND'S BACK!"

Arnold blushed at this. That's the first time anyone had said that he was Helga's boyfriend.

Helga popped out from under one of the sales desks.

"Oh! Hi Arnold!" Helga said excitedly.

"Hey Helga! I just dropped by so when you're ready, you don't have to walk in the rain." Arnold held out the umbrella.

"Oh football head, I'm sure it's not going to rain that…" The rain started pouring down in sheets.

"Oh no! The roof's not all patched yet! Olga, I need you to go up on the roof with some plywood and nails and patch…" Big Bob continued, but Helga raced back to her room, threw some essentials in a suitcase, ran back out to the store front, grabbed Arnold, and ran out by the time Big Bob finished 'patch'.

"Get that umbrella over my head hair-boy, this outfit is dry clean only!" Helga said.

"And the bow?" Arnold asked as he opened the umbrella and ran alongside Helga.

"The bow? It'll be fine. Why?" Helga asked.

"Oh, nothing, it's just… I wouldn't want anything to happen to your bow." Arnold blushed.

"Why?" Helga asked again, not really paying attention.

"Because it's pink." Helga stopped dead in her tracks and Arnold halted alongside her.

"Huh?" Helga asked.

"I like pink." Arnold said, blushing like crazy, and trying to keep the umbrella over Helga's head, "It's one of my favori…" Arnold couldn't finish before Helga kissed him with tremendous passion and energy. Arnold closed his eyes, as Helga's filled with tears.

This was all she ever wanted.

0o0

Arnold and Helga arrived back at the boarding house, remarkably not drenched from the storm.

"Helga dear, so nice to see you again." Stella hugged Helga with great warmth.

"You too Stella." Helga hugged back. When they broke it, Pookie entered the room.

"Eleanor, so pleased to see you! How are Franklin and the kids?" Pookie asked.

"Oh, they're fine." Helga said, smiling.

"Eleanor?" Arnold asked under his breath.

"Oh Kiba! You must prepare an extra place for our guest of honor tonight! It's not everyday you host the first lady!" Pookie suggested to her grandson.

"Oh, yeah. Sure Grandma. Helga, make yourself at home." Arnold said.

"Sure Kiba!" Helga teased Arnold. Arnold just shock his head and smiled.

"I'll take this up to the guest room Helga. I'll get everything ready for you to spend the night." Stella said.

"Thanks Stella." Helga beamed.

She then walked into the living room. All the boarders were in their own rooms minding their own business, so the boarding house wasn't as crazy as Helga was used to.

"There's no need to pull out the fine china mom!" Helga heard Miles say from the kitchen.

"Oh, but we mush show the first lady our best!" Pookie answered.

"Oh, Pookie how could she be the first lady?! She's eleven!" Phil joined in.

"I am not going to judge the Roosevelt's lifestyle, and neither should you." Pookie answered.

"That is wrong on so many levels." Miles stated.

Helga laughed behind her hands, trying to contain herself, when Arnold walked in.

"Hey Helga." Arnold saw Helga's fit of laughter continuing, as she tried to contain it, "I guess you heard what we were talking about."

Helga nodded.

"Well, Grandma has her moments. Anyway, you excited?!" Arnold asked.

Helga calmed down enough to talk. "Oh, yeah. It should be a blast."

"Yeah. Helga? I was wondering if I could talk to you about something?" Arnold asked, as he sat next to Helga and the couch.

"Yeah football head, anything." Helga said, straightening up, as she had fallen over during her laughing fit.

"So, um, I hate to ask this, especially since we're going to leave and everything, and I don't want to make you angry or anything, but, it's just, I mean." Arnold rambled.

"Arnold, what do you need to ask me. I promise I won't get mad." Helga said.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Arnold asked.

Helga's eyes went wide, then went back to neutral. She crossed her arms and sat back, looking at Arnold with a blank stare.

"Helga?" She said nothing, "The only reason I asked was because your dad shouted that I was your 'boyfriend' today, and that got me thinking about it, and, I don't want things to be so confusing, because…" Arnold took a breath, "I really do like you. A lot. And, I know most kids our age don't think about this stuff, and I get that, but I can't deny my feelings for you."

Helga just stared at him, then smiled, "Oh football head. I thought I already was."

Arnold's eyes widened, but then became half-lidded, as he leaned forward for another kiss. When they broke it, Helga laughed.

"Wow, two in the same hour, we must be boyfriend-girlfriend!" Helga snickered.

Arnold laughed, "I'm just glad that's cleared up. There's just one thing that still bothers me." Arnold began.

"Hey you two love birds, dinner's ready." Miles told them.

"Oh good, I'm starved! Could you tell me after dinner Arnold?" Helga asked.

Arnold lost his smile, then picked it back up again, "Nah, it's not important. It was just a joke."

"Oh, okay, if you say so." Helga got up from the couch, and walked towards the kitchen, but then noticed Arnold wasn't near her, "Arnold?"

"Oh, you go ahead, I'll be there in a second." Arnold said.

Helga walked off, as Arnold went over to the window, and looked out at the rain.

What I was going to ask was, 'when can they see us for who we are? When can I stop treating you as a bully around our friends? When will it be okay to be seen?'

Okay, there's part 2! Part 3 will be coming soon! I hope to see you all there! I was going to have Arnold and Helga leave for France in this part, but the stuff with Sid, Stinky, and Harold was too fun for me to write, so I focused on them! So, review and let me know any ideas you guys have for future episodes or plots and characters you would like to see in the future once I'm done with this story. I promise the next part will just be Arnold and Helga kiss kiss hug hug stuff that we all love!

Until then!

R&R