I had a fever for a few days and today was the first time I felt somewhat normal. Still feeling weak, not eating enough since feeling nauseous.
Anyway, next chapter is a mix of many events.
Enjoy reading and... keep a pillow at hand... just to be on the safe side. If you want to throw or something...
After school Gerald, Phoebe and Stinky came over. Arnie came later since he was busy with a project. Arnold was sitting downstairs in the living room, Helga next to him. Arnold's leg was up, with his foot on a stool. Gerald said that everyone was shocked by the spontaneous fight and that Hilton had actually pulled out a knife.
After Arnold and Hilton were taken away and Arnold's friends didn't think they heard anything anymore, they came across Belle and Daryll who were upset.
It turned out that after Hilton was taken to the principal and given a severe scolding, he could no longer get up.
That the ambulance finally took him away after he was interrogated by the police.
"Posture if you ask me." said Helga.
"We thought so too. But according to Hilton's mentor, Hilton cannot come to school for the first 3 weeks." said Stinky.
''The first 3 weeks? How hard did you hit him?'' Stella asked when she came in with Gertie with drinks and snacks.
"Kimba, what exactly did you do to him?" asked Gertie sweet.
"First a punch to the chin so his body was open and then an inverted hammerfist to the stomach," Arnold said.
''Fully? Half your strength?'' Gertie asked again with a growing smile.
''I think a quarter? I didn't go all the way, then he would have been in the ICU.'' Arnold said and his friends looked at him in horror.
In return, Gertie laughed and put an arm around Stella.
''You two have made Arnold a real guy. Karate and living in the jungle really did him good!'' Gertie said proudly.
"Mom, Arnold might have broken a few ribs at Hilton..." Stella said worriedly.
"No, it's Kimba, he knows what he's doing," said Gertie.
In the end, Helga had gone home when Arnie arrived. Arnie started asking questions to the irritation that everyone left quickly.
As a result, Arnold and Helga also made the choice not to tell Arnie that they were in a relationship.
With a new day dawning, Arnold and Gerald walked to school. Arnie had gone to school earlier, Arnold didn't know why, but he was happy that he could go to school with Gerald.
Until he got to the entrance of school and an angry Belle rushed towards him.
''You bastard!'' Belle scolded.
''...''
Arnold said nothing. Of course she was angry, everyone knew she was madly in love with Hilton, like most girls, but Belle was like a toy to Hilton.
"Because of you he can't play basketball anymore!" Belle raised her voice as she said that.
"You're acting like he's dead, just act healthy up there in your brain room." Helga said, standing next to Arnold. ''Good morning Football Head.''
"Good morning Helga." Arnold said as he turned his focus to Belle.
''Belle, Hilton went too far, way too far. He has been warned several times by the school.'' Gerald said.
Before Belle could say anything else, she was stopped by the principal.
"Miss Price, I ask you to stop before there is another escalation."
Belle turned to defend herself but saw Hilton's parents standing behind him and two more people they didn't know.
"Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?" Arnold asked.
"Mr. Shortman, Miss Pataki, would you like to come with us?" said the headmaster and Arnold and Helga walked towards the headmaster.
What was going to happen? Everyone immediately started thinking about what could be going on.
Rhonda had been quiet for some time, but now she had to ask.
"Phoebe, can we just talk for a moment?" Rhonda asked. ''As women among each other?''
Phoebe looked at Gerald who gave a nod and a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you on break." He said and walked away.
"Come on, I know a quiet place." Phoebe said and Rhonda followed her.
Arnold and Helga were sitting in his office with Stella, Miles, the principal. The other couple was Mr. and Mrs. Lewis.
Arnold and Helga didn't know what to expect. But what they didn't understand was why Hilton was like that.
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis were nice people, or at least that's how they came across at the moment.
"Helga Pataki, right?" Mrs. Lewis asked and Helga shook her head yes.
Helga was careful, you never know what could happen.
''I'm here to apologize for Hilton being so difficult with you. I certainly didn't raise Hilton that way, nor did his father.'' Mrs. Lewis said gently.
Helga didn't know what to say.
''Arnold, I also apologize that Hilton harassed you so much. I understand why it turned into a fight.'' said Mr. Lewis.
"I don't get it, aren't you guys mad at me?" Arnold asked.
'' Angry? No, rather disappointed that it happened this way. We have had several calls from school, tried to talk to him but he is so rebellious.'' said Mr. Lewis.
''He is so different from his other 2 brothers who are model students.'' said Mrs. Lewis.
Arnold suddenly felt Helga straining next to him and automatically, without thinking, he placed his hand on hers and Helga relaxed a bit.
He knew exactly what she was thinking about and would explain a lot about Hilton's behavior.
But Arnold didn't respond to that, not yet.
''I heard Hilton had to rest for at least 3 weeks. May I ask why?'' Arnold asked.
''He's in the hospital. He has 3 severely bruised ribs. He is on an IV for pain relief," said Mr. Lewis.
''Arnold! Now I understand why Gertie asked you that. You have to learn to control yourself!'' Stella said angrily.
''But mom, I held back. All those months that he bothered me or Helga, you don't know how much anger was inside me.'' Arnold said.
''Mr. and Mrs. Shortman. Our sons both made mistakes. And I certainly don't want to justify it because Hilton had a knife with him. But-..'' began Mr. Lewis, but the principal intervened.
''The police have been there, they have questioned both of you. They questioned school. The police want you to report it.'' said the rector.
After that sentence, Arnold's parents and Hilton's parents started talking to the principal, focus away from Arnold and Helga.
"Helga, I have an idea." Arnold said softly and Helga leaned closer to listen to what Arnold had to say. When he finished she looked at him in surprise.
"What do you think?" Arnold asked.
''I think it's a nice compromise. But really Arnold, you are and remain a good guy, with everything.'' Helga smiled and Arnold smiled back.
That did not go unnoticed by Mrs. Lewis.
''Excuse me, Rector, am I seeing correctly? Do you two have anything together?'' she asked and Stella and Miles stopped talking and looked at the two young adults with a look like: What now?
Arnold took Helga's hand in his and placed it on his leg and with the same look he had when he convinced Bob, he spoke to Mr. and Mrs. Lewis.
''Me and Helga have been together as a couple secretly for more than 8 years. We have our reasons for that. And with this statement, I have a proposal that will ensure that Hilton will not have a criminal record but will continue to face serious hardship until the end of the school year," Arnold said.
"Let us hear this proposal," said Mr. Lewis.
Meanwhile, Phoebe and Rhonda sat down on the roof of an university café.
There were hardly any students around at this time, and when they were, they sat with their earphones listening to music.
"It's very quiet here." Rhonda said as she looked around.
"That seemed like an appropriate place for the conversation we're going to have," Phoebe said.
"You think you already know what I'm going to talk about?" Rhonda asked with a grin.
''Maybe, maybe not.'' Phoebe said.
Rhonda looked at Phoebe who was wary.
Why would Rhonda want to talk to Phoebe?
Phoebe could only think of one thing, they wanted to talk about Helga.
Rhonda sighed deeply and picked up the spoon to stir the coffee.
"Do you know why Hilton and Arnold are having such a big fight?" Rhonda asked.
Phoebe continued to look at Rhonda with a look of astonishment. Rhonda was actually there with the whole poem fight and then not wanting to understand it?
"Rhonda, they had an argument about a poem that escalated," Phoebe said.
''That's something like that too. Did you know Arnold had a girlfriend?'' Rhonda asked and Phoebe now had to answer very carefully.
Fortunately, when she was visiting Arnold, she had asked him what to answer if they were going to ask such questions.
"Arnold told me and Gerald when he's ready to tell what's going on he'll get everyone involved," Phoebe said.
''So you guys know? What is he keeping secret?'' Rhonda said.
''For over 8 years, Rhonda.'' Phoebe said. That was the only thing she was allowed to say, a tip of the veil.
"Then Pataki probably knows too since you 4 are inseparable." Rhonda said jealously.
'' Helga knows it too, that's right Rhonda.'' said Phoebe. ''Are we done with this conversation? I have to go to class soon."
'' 1 more question. Are Arnold and Helga dating?'' Rhonda asked.
Phoebe looked straight at Rhonda.
"Do you see them being crazy together like I am with Gerald?" Phoebe asked.
Rhonda pondered that question.
'' No actually not. Knowing about Arnold, he will follow Helga like a puppy in love. No okay, stupid question. Although I still don't understand that kiss at camp.'' Rhonda said.
"Rhonda have you ever kissed a boy randomly?" Phoebe asked with a grin and Rhonda sighed and answered yes.
"Are you ready?" Arnold asked Helga softly as they stood in front of the door of Hilton's room in the hospital.
"Yes, I'm ready." Helga said softly.
Arnold knocked on the door a few times and waited for an answer.
'' Come on in...''
Arnold opened the door and walked in with Helga and closed the door again.
Hilton was alone in the room, it was a private room. Hilton was engrossed in a basketball magazine and therefore did not see Arnold and Helga enter.
Arnold and Helga stood at the foot of the bed and looked at Hilton who still didn't notice anything.
"Must be an exciting article, shouldn't it, Helga?" Arnold suddenly asked, making Hilton startle himself.
'' What are you doing here?! Don't you have school? '' Hilton said. What were those two doing here?
''We've been excused for today to discuss some things, the three of us. So that you don't get a criminal record if you keep the promise. By order of the principal and our parents.'' Arnold said.
''Our parents, do you mean my parents? Hilton asked as he closed his magazine and put it away.
'' Yes. your parents.'' Arnold said.
''My parents only went along with it so that I wouldn't get a criminal record. That's the only thing. I'm not interesting to them.'' Hilton said.
Arnold and Helga looked at each other and then back at Hilton.
''Exactly as I thought. Your two brothers are everything and no one really cares about you no matter what you do.'' Helga said.
"How do you know that?" Hilton asked.
''Because Helga has also had to compete for attention from her parents since Helga has an older sister who used to be a saint.'' Arnold said.
''Oooh... And so what? I have often asked them to volunteer on school outings or sports days, but they never came.'' Hilton said uncomfortably.
''I managed to change it. Now we both get the attention, me and my sister.'' Helga said.
'' How? And what does that have to do with that promise?'' Hilton said.
"Hilton, if you can keep the promise until the end of this school year, I and Helga will make sure that your parents and brothers look after you and you will not get a criminal record," said Arnold.
Hilton looked at Arnold and Helga before taking a deep sigh.
"To get to the bottom of it, what's your proposal?" Hilton asked.
Arnold pulled out a contract signed by the principal, Arnold's parents, Hilton's parents, Arnold and Helga.
Only 1 box was still empty, but Hilton's name was indicated above the box.
''This is a contract that if you keep the promise you will not get a criminal record. You sign this. But then you also sign up if you break the promise and that means a criminal record.'' Arnold said.
''Okay, I get it now, Shortman. Can I read it?'' Hilton asked and Helga handed the contract to Hilton who started to read it loudly.
''I, Hilton Lewis, hereby declare that I will keep my promise until the end of this school year. If I break my promise, Arnold P. Shortman will report assault with a knife. The promise is: To keep a secret.'' Hilton said and had to think for a moment before looking at Arnold and Helga.
Hilton saw a page left behind and was planning to read it until Helga said stop and Hilton looked at her.
"The secret is on that sheet, but I don't think you will believe it when you read it. But first your signature," Helga said.
"We will destroy that page after you have read it before it falls into the wrong hands .''
Hilton looked back, picked up a pen and signed the page, then calmly tore off the signed page and gave it to Arnold.
There Hilton took the sheet with the secret and began to read aloud again. The text was short:
''Arnold P. Shortman and Helga G. Pataki have been together as a couple for over 8 years. No one knows about this relationship except Gerald Johanssen and Phoebe Heyerdahl."
Phoebe, thank you! You are an angel...
Now I'm very curious what you think of this chapter, let me know!
( I am also curious were that pillow went if you were holding that)