Dear Everyone! I already have a ready-made story in my head that I really enjoy writing, and I thought I'd share it with you. I'm curious wether you like it or not or wether it's worth continouing. :) So enjoy!

Chapter 1

A blow from the past

This wasn't the first college party organised by Gerald in which Arnold had no choice but to take part in just to attract more girls. Especially Amy, who was a perfect target for Gerald with her simplicity. After their breakup with Phoebe, he wanted nothing more than to let off some steam.

It was Tuesday night, and as usual, the fridge in their small apartment was full of beer thanks to Gerald. Actually, Arnold should have been preparing for his next classes because the architecture faculty is no game, as he soon realized during the first few weeks of the semester. That night he was trying to read his notes bending over his desk, but the volume of the music made it harder and harder to concentrate. Since the breakup, weeks unfolded in a strikingly similar fashion, and it didn't take long for him to realize that Gerald wasn't the only one affected by that. The endless parties and the random unfamiliar faces in the apartment were particularly exhausting for Arnold. At the same time, he felt sorry for his friend and tried to be patient when it came to parties. At least he's not lurking in his room all day long anymore, because Gerald didn't come out from there for the first few days after Phoebe sent him off, and since then he hasn't even mentioned her name.

Besides, now he's a college student... A little party wouldn't hurt him either.

'Arnold, my man, could you mention to Amy today that we're having a party then? She didn't respond to my message.' Gerald prodded over his coffee that morning, even though Arnold had no idea where he was at the moment because he has just gotten up and was desperately trying to put together some makeshift, spicy, cheesy sandwich from whatever odds and ends he could find in the fridge, as neither of them had been to the grocery store.

'Oh, we're having a party?' Arnold asked rather cynically than surprised. Amy was his classmate, although they weren't particularly close. However, in the current situation, he didn't mind that his friend was using him as a chick magnet.

'Didn't I mention?' said Gerald innocently, finishing his coffee 'then I am saying it now. I hope you don't mind… But I thought a little team building couldn't hurt. I have already invited a few people over...'

'Okay, don't worry. I'll ask Amy. But tomorrow I need a day off. I'm a little left behind with my studies…'

'Yes, sure, man.' Sometimes Arnold felt like Gerald didn't necessarily understand what it was like to fall behind already in the first few weeks. He was in sports faculty, which is still great, but his friend had much more time for fun than him. And sometimes his 'sure, man's' meant 'Who cares?'.

So, that's how they ended up having a party tonight, where ultimately Amy and a few of her friends were also present. The apartment was buzzing with the crowd, Gerald was already having a great time, dancing with people Arnold had never seen in his life before. But he wasn't sure if even Gerald did. Amy returned to Arnold with her third glass of beer, and she was starting to wear on him quite a bit. Her mouth just wouldn't stop running... Nevertheless, he tried to maintain a normal conversation with her between two yawns.

'…so, I told him that we should meet on Friday, right? And he just looked at me, and I felt like maybe he didn't understand or perhaps he didn't hear me properly, so I repeated it, and then he smiled, or maybe he would have smiled, or perhaps he was just pondering something, but then he agreed, or at least it seemed that way…' Arnold was so zooning out by listening to Amy, didn't understand what he was doing at this party, and what the point of the whole university life was. Or, for that matter, the point of existence at all.

'Oh my God!' the girl suddenly exclaimed staring at her phone screen, which jolted Arnold out of his thinking. 'One of my friends is going on a date today!'

'Well, that's great,' he replied.

'Oh, come on! Don't be like that! I just met this girl not long ago, she is actually my roommate in the dorm, and she's really, really cool! Have you had a date in college?' she raised an eyebrow at Arnold.

'Not really... I mean, I haven't met anyone I'd be interested in,' he casually replied.

'Oh, that's not a problem! This girl also found a date through a dating app. Well... actually, I convinced her to use it. And she only lost a bet that forced her to use the dating app. Haha. But you see, it turned out well in the end.'

Arnold scratched his head, gazing at Amy. He still couldn't fathom how one could talk so much.

'Uh, I know now! You should use this app too.'

'Listen, Amy. Dating isn't really my thing right now. I haven't even settled into college yet. Besides, I don't want to force anything. It'll come when it's supposed to come.'

Although Arnold had long stopped thinking about getting into a new relationship, his last girlfriend was towards the end of high school, and she wasn't the right one for him either. He wasn't even in love with her. She would constantly throw tantrums and try to control him, which took him a long way to realize. After that, he felt like he'd had enough for a while. When the topic of relationships came up, which was quite rare, he usually thought about his first girlfriend, Helga G. Pataki. But when they were together, they were practically kids. Then, when they 'broke up' at the age of 15, their relationship gradually faded away. Arnold missed her for a long time, but the girl simply refused to talk to him after the incident. They went to the same high school, but she didn't even acknowledge him. So no, relationships weren't Arnold's favourite cup of tea.

'Oh, right, Mr. Traditional... It'll come when it's supposed to come, blah blah blah,' Amy said, half-engrossed in her phone. 'So, can I at least let my friend come over to pregame before her date? I'd give her a little pep talk too... She hates talking about relationships.'

'Do I have to allow it? Whoever wants can come over as far as I'm concerned' Arnold sighed.

'Woohoo, then I'll invite her!' said Amy, and started texting desperately.

And with that, Arnold flashed a half-smile at Amy, and the fact that Gerald hopped down between them was a good excuse for him to leave them on the couch. Afterward, he paced around for a while, chatting with some guy named Danny about brewing beer, who turned out to be pretty cool. But when the conversation started to steer more towards the topic of how to easily score drugs on campus, thankfully, the doorbell rang, and Arnold, playing the role of a gracious host, immediately jumped up from beside him.

He hurried to the door, but when he opened it, he saw something he was not at all prepared for: the most beautiful woman. Her semi-curly blonde hair fell on her bare shoulders, she was wearing a black dress, and she had a strong flower scent that immediately caught Arnold's nose.

'Hi' he greeted her, but when he looked into the woman's eyes, it's familiarity made him realize that it wasn't just any woman standing before him; it was Helga G. Pataki herself.

Arnold suddenly couldn't even recall when the last time was, they had seen each other up close. Sometimes, even saying a simple 'hi' was difficult for them if they happened to cross paths on the street or school.

'Oh, hello, Football-head' she said 'What a surprise…'

And for a few moments, they just stood there, staring at each other in the doorway.

If Amy was right about one thing, it was that Helga is cool. Or at least, she looked like someone who wasn't surprised at all that they bumped into each other in a totally different city other than Hillwood. Arnold never grasped the idea that he would see Helga again after high school or not, but now, as she was standing in front of him at the door, it was as if for a fleeting moment, he thought about how glad he was to see her again.

'How... how are you here?' Arnold finally gasped in surprise.

'Well, I got a text about half an hour ago, saying there's supposedly a great party here with a lot of cool people...' Helga replied, showing her phone 'but I might as well leave, if it's a problem...'

'No, no... I'm glad you're here! I'm sorry, come on in. So, you must be the roommate of Amy… I was just surprised, it's been so long since I've seen you,' he replied with a warm smile.

He welcomed her inside, took her coat, and couldn't help himself sizing her up without drawing attention. Arnold couldn't quite understand what had come over him in that moment. The power of surprise? Memories of a long-lost friend? He couldn't put it into words, but a very strange, nostalgic feeling washed over him.

Suddenly Gerald appeared at the door, slightly tipsy, with a wide grin on his face. When he saw Helga, his eyes widened.

'Pataki? What are you doing here!?'

'Don't get too excited, Geraldo... I only came for the drink, as Amy had promised, so I won't stay long.'

'Of course, come on in.' Gerald suddenly swung his right arm over the girl's shoulder, trying to play it off as friendly, but it looked more like he was using her for support.

Arnold was quite surprised to see Gerald so thrilled about Helga's presence. His last memories of Gerald involving Helga too was that he tried to cheer him up after their breakup and supported him through tough times, which also involved shittalking Helga, of course…

Gerald led Helga straight into the kitchen, poured three shots, and handed them out as they gathered around the kitchen counter with Arnold.

'Let's drink to this big reunion!' he said and drank his shot. 'And to Pataki, who I must say, looks damn good!'

Helga casually did as him, but in her surprise nearly spilled the whole shot on herself.

'I meant that you seem very well put together, you know, Pataki' he clarified, only making it worse.

'I don't remember seeing you in any of the classes.' Arnold turned to her interrupting Gerald who clearly put the girl in an uncomfortable position. 'I guess you're not studying architecture'.

'I just ended up being roommates with Amy in college by chance. There wasn't much space left elsewhere, and her room had an empty bed. But no, I'm definitely not studying architecture…' she replied.

'Oh, so you're Amy's roommate?! I had no idea! Pataki, I'm so glad to meet you, come over more often!' Gerald's reaction surprised Helga quite a bit. Especially since their breakup with Phoebe was a relatively new information to her. Phoebe had won a scholarship to study in Australia, which was quite the reason for their breakup, but she knew she'd be back next semester. Keeping contact with her is quite hard with the different time zones, however they face timing every two weeks. It seemed that Gerald had moved on by then...

Speaking of Amy, she appeared in the kitchen and jumped on Helga with loud cheers. She looked like she didn't need more alcohol...

'I see you've already met the guys! I'm sure you'll be great friends. They're so niceee!'

'This one here is Arnoold' Amy showed it, pressing her index finger against Arnold's nose.

'We're actually way ahead of you, Amy. The truth is, we've known each other since childhood... We grew up together,' Helga clarified, brushing off Amy. For a moment, their eyes met with Arnold, but as he tried to smile at the girl, she quickly moved her gaze.

'Oh, I see... well, let's give Helga some advice for her date tonight!'

'I think another shot should do the trick too...' Helga added with a grin.

'Oh, I know you don't like talking about this stuff. You're quite the mysterious, though woman.' Amy laughed hysterically 'and were you good friends with the guys back in the days?'

'Amy, that's too many questions. I think it's better if I go...' Helga suddenly appeared frustrated.

Arnold, perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, gently touched the girl's arm. Now he finally got the chance to talk to Helga, he didn't want her to leave. 'Stay a bit longer, we haven't seen each other in so long. Let's sit somewhere quieter and grab a bite before your... date,' he smiled hoping he didn't piss the girl off with touching her.

'Alright, maybe a few bites wouldn't hurt,' Helga agreed, but she couldn't quite explain why.

That morning, Helga expected many things, but perhaps least of all did she expect to come face to face with one of the painful memories from her childhood: Arnold.

He was now just a blurry memory for her, from a time when she was passionately in love with him as a little girl. But having him as a blurry memory was just perfect for her. When they started 'dating' as kids, she was incredibly happy. They held hands everywhere they went, and Arnold even sometimes took her up to the rooftop over the boarding house, watching stars. Despite Helga's efforts to suppress her bully side, she occasionally threw insults at the boy. Arnold tried to brush off the girl's taunts. He had been to the Patakis' house only once in his entire life, but that one occasion spoke volumes. He had always found it difficult to converse with Mr. Pataki, but after they started dating, he became even more unpleasant. He seemed to disdain their childhood love. But Helga didn't care about that much as it seemed. Arnold was so aware that she had a lot on her plate concerning her family…

Despite, for a few years, they did everything together and shared their deepest secrets. But then high school began, and it all went downhill... Yes, that period was so painful for the girl that she doesn't even remember what happened. At the same time, their relationship started to deteriorate. Maybe there were too many new people, too many new distractions, and they simply grew apart. Since then, five years have passed with no contact between them whatsoever… This was the part that Helga consciously tried to shut him out from her life and thoughts. For months, she was like a zombie. She laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling, losing all motivation for anything. Nothing was the same anymore. Up until the point she developed the perfect defense mechanism: she acted as if the whole Arnold thing had never happened.

Of course, this was after she could pretend as if the boy never existed. After many painful months had passed, she made a kind of pact with herself: she would no longer concern herself with Arnold. She felt that maybe it wasn't quite right, and perhaps this wasn't the best solution, but she began to feel better. From that point on, she decided that one day she would break free, both from Hillwood and the Pataki family. Perhaps she needed this terrible life experience that served as a catalyst for her to be here now, at the university, as a psychology student, finally feeling that she had achieved something in life… Finally feeling that she found herself after long years of suffering.

'Sorry about Gerald' said Arnold immediately after they occupied the big couch in the middle of the living room with two beers and some biscuits. 'You might have heard that they broke up with Phoebe, or I don't know if you're still in contact with her… So since then, he is kind of… like this. Even if he looks as if over her, he's not.'

'Don't worry, Football-head, I don't think he looks like he is over her…' she smiled wryly, as if she was a relationships' expert, 'and yes, we're still in contact with Phoebs. She's just kind of… occupied these days. But who doesn't?'

'Oh, and there's no need to apologize... I've seen people being in worse shapes after a breakup.' she remarked taking a sip.

Helga looked around and spotted a few familiar faces from campus, but they were all so drunk that they were practically shouting at each other, even though the music wasn't incredibly loud. She scanned the crowd, hoping to spot Amy, just so she could give her a piece of her mind for setting up this stupid date. But she had disappeared...

'By the way, earlier you didn't even tell me what you're studying…' said Arnold.

'Psychology'.

'Oh' his eyes widened 'Well, Helga, congratulations! That's really noble of you, and now that I think about it, it suits you perfectly. I'm truly impressed…'

Helga was taken aback by his words. Since starting university, no one had congratulated her, especially since she was still far from her goal. (And of course because her family was not that congratulating type...) She wasn't yet a psychologist, and university had proven to be quite challenging so far.

Of course, it was a different question why Arnold thought she had chosen the perfect career when they hadn't even spoken for five years.

Sitting next to Arnold, a sudden thought struck her: what on earth is she doing right there? The encounter had been a big surprise, but it felt so out-of-body that she hadn't really comprehended what was happening to her. Out of a hundred parties, she ends up at the one where Arnold is. And among all the partygoers, she's chatting with the one who had hurt her so bad in the past and promised not to talk to him ever again.

For a moment, she glanced at Arnold. She hadn't seen him in a long time either... His face had become more mature, and he started to have some facial hair as well. She didn't want to admit it, but he looked quite handsome. But his eyes were the same, the familiar green ones that gave the girl an inexplicable comfort.

As they sat there side by side, Helga perked up when she heard a melody. It was The Ramones' song 'Sheena Is a Punk Rocker.'

'Oh, I love this song,' she said.

'I didn't know you were a Ramones fan. But since we're on the subject, I actually found one of their records at Vinyl Groove this week,' Arnold said as he reached for another cookie.

'You don't say!' Helga exclaimed which even surprised herself. Vintage records had been her passion for years, and a Ramones record would be a real treasure.

'If you want, I can show it to you...'

She couldn't quite understand what had come over her when she instantly replied, 'Yeah, I'd love that.' Perhaps it was the beer?

'Hey, Arnold! Where are you taking the sexy blondie?' an unknown voice asked as they headed toward Arnold's records. Helga found herself facing a rather drunk guy when she turned around angrily. It was unbelievable how shameless someone could be...

'The blondie has a name, Helga. Helga, this is Archie. My classmate, he often hangs out here,' Arnold explained rolling his eyes.

'Hi, Helga! Haven't seen you around here before' he extended his hand, which was a little sticky from dried beer. 'I swear, I'm not usually like this, just had a bit too much to drink...'

'Oh, no wonder…'

'Yes, Archie sometimes can be a nice guy…' Arnold added with a smile.

From then on, Archie stuck with them, and Helga didn't mind that much, she even didn't mind his hungry look going up and down her body, especially since she was in ecstasy from the record that Arnold had pulled out from a massive collection.

'Unfortunately, I can't play it here... But I have a record player at home in Hillwood,' he said.

Afterward, Arnold played a Ramones song from YouTube, then Helga played another, and then Arnold again while analyzing how good the songs are. It went on up until a point where they completely lost their track of time.

'I love girls with good taste! You probably have a boyfriend...' said Archie, which hit Helga like a lightning bolt.

She suddenly remembered that she actually supposed to be on a date right now.

'Oh fuck! I gotta go!' she jumped up.

'Oh right, you have a date...' Arnold noted calmly. Maybe it was just Helga's imagination, but it felt like there was a hint of mockery in his tone. She checked her watch and realized they had arranged the meeting with her date twenty minutes ago.

'Then let me walk you out,' Arnold said.

'I'm glad I got to know you, Blondie!' Helga realized that Archie was one of those people she could instantly punch in the face.

'The dorm isn't far from here... Gerald has a point, now that things have turned out this way, you really could come more often,' said Arnold with a smile. Helga couldn't quite make sense of his kindness. They hadn't spoken for years, and she thought she had made it clear to Arnold that she wasn't interested in his existence, at all. Maybe it was a mistake to come here. From the moment she saw him standing at the door, she should have turned around and walked away.

'I'll see Football-head…' or maybe 'never, thank you', she thought.

There was something awkward in the air while Helga collected her coat and put on her shoes.

As she stepped out the door, Arnold quickly added, 'I had so much fun… I'm really happy that I saw you.'

'Shut up, Arnold! You don't have the right to tell me you're having fun with me!' This is what Helga from five years ago would have said if she had been standing at the door. But it wasn't her standing there; it was a different, twenty-year-old woman who had mostly set aside her issues. Mostly…

'Yea, me too…' she replied politely. And as she walked away from the apartment into the night, a few minutes later, she realized she didn't lie much.