Hiiiiiii… So, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say in an author's note that's been nearly 12 years in the making. To anyone who has been waiting for this story to continue over the years: I deeply apologize for keeping you all in suspense! I never intended to disappear entirely. Time, and life in general are a cruel mistress.
A few things to note about the continuation of this story: I've NEVER forgotten my plot/ideas! I'm only going to be shifting some plot points around (I've clearly had a lot of time to think about it).
Buckle up kiddos (and arthritic millennials like myself). The chaos bringer has returned! Prepare yourselves for mayhem!
Oh, and maybe some kinky stuff.
Arnold's POV:
After the chaotic evening and revelations from last night, sleep didn't come easily to either Helga or me. I could feel her tossing and turning the entire night, restless. Our conversation before bed didn't help matters. I wasn't trying to force my ideals onto her, nor was I insinuating I was eager to have kids anytime soon. My rambling has clearly gotten me into a deep hole. We're going to be moving in together, cohabitating, and being around each other 24/7. Why did I have to run my mouth like an idiot?
Helga tossed yet again; this time she was facing towards me. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Arnold? What time is it?"
"It's a little after six. The sun isn't even up yet." I pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "Go back to sleep baby."
She snuggled underneath my chin and sighed, "I don't think I can. I can't turn my stupid brain off." Her head popped up suddenly, as if she was having an epiphany. "Wait a minute. I'm supposed to be upset with you!" she shoved herself away from me and rolled over with a huff.
"Helga. Don't do this, please. I apologize for what I said last night- "
"Don't." she glanced over her shoulder. "You feel the way you feel. It's just a fact."
I scooted closer towards her, wrapping my arm around her. "You feel the way you feel, too. I respect that. I really do." I placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I have zero expectations about… that subject, okay? I was so caught up in my own thoughts last night that I ended up saying things the wrong way. I love you more than anything. Please don't forget that."
Helga slowly turned over towards me once again to reveal tear filled eyes. "Can I be enough for you?" several tears fell, dropping against the fabric of my shirt. I didn't know how much our conversation last night had affected her. A deep sense of guilt washed over me.
"You're everything to me, Helga. I couldn't ask for more." I placed another kiss on her forehead, and then her cheek, followed by her lips. "I love you." The two of us exchanged a few more kisses, sighing at the relief we were feeling. We were able to have an 'adult' conversation after a disagreement for the first time without incident. Our tension melted away, and Helga was finally able to fall into a peaceful sleep with her face buried in my chest. My own eyes began fluttering closed as well. These were the moments I lived for.
I didn't know what time it was when the banging against Helga's door started, but it burst the peaceful bubble we had created. Helga sat up, bleary eyed and confused. "The hell?" she growled, forcing herself to get out of bed and answer the door. Helga sputtered a few times in confusion, "What? W- Why?" I sat up to see what the commotion was about. In Helga's doorway stood a very despondent Louis. He had tears falling, and his eyes looked puffy, as if he had been crying for hours. "Louis? What's going on?" Helga ushered him inside and closed the door behind him.
"Louis?" I sprung out of bed, moving him to sit in Helga's computer chair. "Did something happen with Rhonda?" The last time I had seen Louis in this state, he was drunk and freshly broken up with. "Talk to us…"
He held his face in his palms, weeping. "I didn't know where else to go!" Helga and I sat on the bed across from him, sharing unsure glances. "I don't know what to do."
"Is it Rhonda?" I asked again. He furiously shook his head back and forth. "We can't help you unless you tell us what's going on, buddy."
Uncharacteristically for Helga, she reached out to him and gently rubbed his shoulder. Her voice was soft, gentle, "Tell us what's going on, Louis."
After a few minutes of silence, he seemed to somewhat pull himself together enough to speak. "I did something horrible." He finally raised his head to look at us. "Despicable." Neither of us spoke, silently encouraging him to elaborate. "After Danny passed out last night and everyone went home, I called Liz and told her what had happened. She came over right away to check on him, and to talk to me." He paused, tears welling up again. "We hadn't talked one on one in a while, so… so-" It was clear that he was having trouble getting the words out.
"Is Liz okay?" I leaned forward and gave him a reassuring pat. "The baby and everything?"
"She told me that… that- I'm most likely the father, but she isn't sure."
The room became eerily quiet. I could have sworn my heart dropped into my stomach. "What?" I whispered. "What do you mean? T-that's impossi-"
"It only happened once!" he wailed. "One time! It was wrong. We both knew that-"
"Wait…" Helga finally spoke out, startling us both. I could tell by the look on her face that the cogs in her head were already turning. "Yesterday… You said something. When Danny told us about the baby, the first thing you asked him was if he was the father." Her voice was shaky, scared, even. "Was that a Freudian slip?"
"I don't know, I mean, I don't think so! It hadn't really crossed my mind! I was in too much shock to realize…" he grabbed the sides of his head and leaned over his knees. "You have to understand something, this whole thing is really complicated!" he sat back up. "I dated Liz first! Back in high school, for almost three years."
My jaw dropped.
"WHAT?" Helga paled. "What the actual fuck! How did this never come up in conversation before?" she shook her head, "Ugh- That's beside the point! What's more important right now is how the hell did this happen, and why?" She grabbed his shoulder and gave him a pleading look. "Spill it, Louis. Help me understand."
"Danny and I have known each other since fourth grade. We're best friends." He choked back another sob. "For as long as I can remember we've always loved the same things, the same video games, music, food, sports, and… Her." Helga blindly reached for my hand, seemingly bracing herself. "I met Liz our freshman year of high school. We were in the photography club together, and eventually we started dating at the end of the school year. Danny never said anything while she and I were together, and he never indicated that he was attracted to her. We broke up just shy of our third anniversary, and not even three months later, Danny asked me if he could ask her out." He scoffed, "So kind of him to ask, right? I never actually gave him permission, but he took my shocked silence as confirmation to go for it. Apparently, Liz rejected him repeatedly, because she didn't want to ruin my friendship with Danny. He kept at it for months, and finally he begged me to tell Liz she had my 'blessing' to date him… and so I did it. I told her to go out with him if she wanted to. They became official during our freshman year in college."
"You weren't okay with it, were you?" I asked, watching his body language getting tense from recalling the memories. "Why did you do it?"
"Because he's my best friend. I just wanted all the drama to stop! Liz and I had already broken up- "
"That's such bullshit!" Helga looked completely disgusted. "Why in the hell would you let Danny do that? He's supposed to be your best friend, but what kind of friend does that to someone?"
"Please don't misunderstand. I could have stopped it, but I didn't. It's all my fault… "
"Stop doing that!" she roughly grabbed him by the arm and shook him. "Why do you always let yourself take the fall like that? Why didn't you just tell him NO!" her teeth were clenched tightly, clearly getting angrier by the second. Over the course of the last four years, Helga had developed a strong bond with Louis. I think in a way he was like the baby brother she never had. Seeing him like this had to be hard for her.
"Helga." I gave her hand a squeeze. "Let him finish telling us how all of this happened. We can worry about the other details later." She opened her mouth as if she was about to protest but settled on being quiet. "Why did you sleep with her, Louis? What happened exactly?" Asking him questions was the only way to keep myself from mentally imploding. This whole situation had my entire brain spinning. We were barely given a life changing bombshell the previous night, and now we're facing an even worse crisis by morning.
"It happened around two months ago, I think. You two had just gotten together. You were both keeping to yourselves at the time, and we hadn't been seeing you guys at the frat house." He sighed, resting his forehead in his palm. "Danny and Liz had been having some problems for a while, but neither one of them seemed to want to address them. He was partying too much, and she felt like he stopped caring about her in the process. It was super awkward watching it all happen from the sidelines while everyone else remained clueless. I played my usual role, being Danny's best friend, and Liz's food taste tester in the kitchen. I wasn't going to say anything… Until…" he trailed off. "Look, it's no secret that Danny loves a good party, and he loves the ladies. Well, he likes looking anyway. The guys had gone to a sorority party one night, and Danny hadn't told Liz he was going. She had showed up at the house- "
"Why didn't you go with them?" I elbowed Helga in the arm and gave her a stern look for interrupting him yet again.
"I was still working on an assignment for my music composition class. I figured it would be easier to work with the guys gone. I didn't even notice that Liz had shown up at first, until I heard her knocking on Danny's bedroom door. When I told her the guys were out for the night, all of the sudden she got really upset. She was crying." A look of guilt washed over him. "I should have sent her away. I don't know why I didn't. The two of us had made a conscious effort to just… keep our interaction platonic and peaceful for the most part. At least I did, anyway." He glanced at both of us briefly, building his courage. "When she told me that she felt like Danny was taking her for granted, we somehow ended up talking about us… Our past. She asked me why I encouraged her to date Danny when I wasn't comfortable with it… and… I told her it's because I love her, and all I ever wanted was for her to be happy. I never meant to admit it to her! It came out before I could stop myself. I don't… really know what happened next. Who kissed who, or why we were in my bed. As soon it was over, we were both mortified. I mean, we never even had sex the entire time we were dating!" fresh tears fell down his cheeks. "What did I do?"
"Louis." Helga got up from the bed and wrapped her arms around his trembling shoulders in a tight hug. "My God…" I could have sworn I saw tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Maybe in some weird way she felt for him with his unrequited love? But was it unrequited after what happened? I didn't know what to think anymore. None of this information had fully soaked in yet.
I awkwardly cleared my throat, "So I'm assuming you two didn't use any type of… protection?"
"She was on the pill. Everything happened so fast, we just… did it." He whispered. Helga's head immediately shot up, eyes wide. We exchanged the same equally disturbed glances at each other, remembering our last sexual escapade sans-condom. "She might have missed a few days though. She can't remember, because she was so distracted by her finals at the time, plus everything going on with Danny." Helga seemed to relax a little with this revelation. Birth control is considered 99% effective when used correctly. We both knew that much, and Helga was methodical about taking her medication at the same time every day, with an alarm on her phone and everything.
"And what about Danny?" Helga soothingly rubbed Louis' back.
Helga's words caused Louis to cry even harder. "Condoms."
"You said she wasn't sure if you're the father or not. Did one break or something?" Helga was reduced to grasping at straws at this point. The pit of despair that Louis currently found himself in was growing deeper by the second. It was no wonder he was such a wreck. There seemed to be no debate about the paternity of the baby. Louis Ross was going to be a father.
"No. There were no broken condoms. I think… she was trying to convince herself more than anything. Once this news gets out… oh GOD! Everyone is going to hate me. Danny, Gerald, the other frat brothers, MY PARENTS- "
"It takes two people to make a child, Louis. You're both equally at fault for what happened here. But…" Helga paused, trying to pick her next words carefully. "Nobody aside from Danny has the right to hate you for this. Disappointed in you? Maybe."
"Are you… disappointed in me?" The question was aimed solely at Helga. The heaviness behind those words weighed in the air.
"I'm in shock... I'm surprised, confused, worried. Disappointment hasn't crossed my mind." A single tear fell down her cheek. "It's just… You really love her, don't you?"
Louis whispered a soft 'yes', hanging his head. "What about you, Arnold?" I jumped at the mention of my name. So many thoughts were currently swirling in my mind, and I hadn't fully processed them. "You're an honest guy. You can tell me what you really think. If anyone was going to be honest with me from the start, it's you two."
They were both looking at me expectantly, curious to know where my head was at. "Well… I…" what did I think about all of this? One of my good friends slept with my other good friend's girlfriend, who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend. Now she's pregnant, and it's not just a matter of cheating or betrayal. There's an actual innocent child's life involved now. "I don't hate you, Louis. But I also think you shouldn't have done what you did. Danny deserves to know the truth. But right now, the baby needs to come first before any other grievances. Getting angry and upset at one another over something we can't change seems like unneeded stress on a person carrying a baby."
"I know that I have to tell Danny- well, we have to tell him." He groaned "We can't do it yet though. I can't tell him right before graduation! It's only a week away. If we tell him now, it's going to be a disaster!"
"There's no avoiding a disaster here, Lou. You fucked up to the umpteenth degree." And there is the usual response I expect from my girlfriend. She can only be sentimental for so long. "He believes that's his baby. If you give him time to get used to the idea of being a father, it's only going to make breaking the news to him that much harder. He's going to have a lot to deal with anyway… Ya know, emotionally and shit."
"I know." He sighed, dejected and defeated. "I'll talk to Liz about it today. We'll decide when we want to tell him."
Louis and Helga continued talking about ways to break the news to Danny, but I was suddenly struck by an important detail that none of us had spoken about yet. "Louis." I interrupted them without warning, my face grim. "… You're going to have to tell Rhonda."
Louis' face turned pale, realizing he completely forgot about his current fling. "SHIT!"
** Two days later**
The frat house had become like a second home to me over the last four years of my life. I had come and gone so many times without a second thought. But today was different. Today I was here to talk to Gerald. I had been debating for a while whether I wanted to do this before graduation or not, but after hearing Louis' woes and realizing he was more than likely about to lose his best friend, it made me stop and think about my own best friend. Was I being too hard on him? Did our friendship really need to end over this? Can I truly forgive him for what he did to Helga and me?
"Why am I doing this again?" I muttered under my breath, hesitantly knocking on the door. I was greeted by the second to last person I wanted to see right now: Danny.
"Hey Arnold. What's up?" The smile on his face was indicative that he hadn't been told anything yet. "Uh, just a heads-up though, Gerald is home right now. So, if you're here to hang out- "
"I'm here to see him, actually." I felt like I was rapidly losing my nerve to do this. Get it together.
"Oh!" He welcomed me inside. "He's up in his room." I bowed my head towards him in thanks and made my way towards the staircase. "Good luck!" he called out.
I think you're the one who needs luck right now.
With a heavy sigh, I was faced with yet another door I had to force myself to knock on. There was rustling behind the door before it cracked open. Gerald met my gaze with wide eyes, mystified. "Hey… Arnold." His words came out so tentatively, like he was expecting me to punch him again. Both of us looked away awkwardly after a few seconds.
"Can we talk?" I supplied. He wordlessly opened the door, gesturing. I sat down at the end of his bed without saying anything else. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, keeping as much distance between us as possible. Seeing Gerald retreat in fear because of me was such a strange feeling. We used to be comfortable telling each other everything, and I always came to him for advice when I needed it. Time to rip off the Band-Aid. "Gerald, you betrayed my trust for years." His eyes met mine. "I don't know how to deal with this. How am I supposed to react when the one person I trusted has been lying to and deceiving me? How do you expect me to ever be able to trust you again? And on top of it all, you played a part in breaking Helga's heart… and you broke mine, too." There was an ache in my chest. The feelings of betrayal constantly lingered, but also the loss of someone I care for. It's in my nature to be forgiving, Helga says I forgive too easily. So why haven't I gotten past this whole thing with Gerald?
"I don't expect you to trust me. I know I wouldn't." He slid against the door until he was sitting on the floor, his knees pressed to his chest. "No amount of apologizing or begging for forgiveness would be enough. I've accepted that." I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't imagining the tears coming down his cheeks. "I thought I would never get to talk to you again." He wiped his eyes with the back of his hands in an attempt to conceal the tears I had already seen. "I never meant for any of this to go so far. I didn't want to hurt you! I got so caught up in my own bullshit that I lost sight of everything else. I knew you were in love with her and I still- "
"I know."
"I wish I could take it all back, Arnold. I would give anything to make this right!"
There was still an uncomfortable tension buzzing around us. I kept wondering why I came here today. What good was this conversation? We've already said what needed to be said. Shouldn't that be enough? But I'm also reminded of our friend downstairs, and the absolutely life changing news looming over him that he remained clueless about. He was going to have his heart torn in half and stomped on by the two people he cares about the most. It makes fighting with your best friend about their shady dealings in your love life seem so trivial in comparison. The man sitting across from me didn't sleep with my girlfriend (an image too horrifying for me to conjure), but he did spend an exorbitant amount of time trying to sabotage my relationship with the love of my life. After everything that has transpired over the last few months, I was tired. So many emotions and problems were hitting me all at once. I needed an escape. I was missing something, or rather, someone in my life to keep me balanced. I'm just… so, so tired.
I laid down at the foot of his bed, staring at the ceiling. "My new co-worker is Helga's former fuck buddy." The silence that followed was almost deafening.
"What?"
"Yeah. Apparently the two of them used to do all kinds of kinky things. He was just using her, of course. But I want to punch him every time I see his stupid, smug face." I glanced toward Gerald, gauging his reaction and hoping he would take the hint and follow my lead.
"I… What the fuck?" Gerald's shoulders were no longer tensed up, his legs now crossed in front of him. "How in the hell did that happen?"
"The sex or the co-worker?" I laughed. "Helga met him at the campus coffee shop, they hooked up for a while and broke it off. Apparently that asshat is quite astute in his anthropology studies. He's tall, handsome, muscled." I cringed at the thought of Helga touching him. "And now I get to work alongside him for the foreseeable future with Professor Marsden. Nothing says, 'fun times' quite like being locked in the museum archives with a guy who had meaningless sex with my girlfriend."
"Man, how the hell do you manage to get yourself into such deep shit? Maybe you really do need a babysitter!" my eyes narrowed at him in contempt as he cackled. "But for real though, that's fucked up! What does Helga think about it?"
"Helga and I keep having arguments about Jason. It's so uncomfortable that he's just… There, in my life! She thinks he's the greatest person ever. I can't stand him. He never deserved her." I grumbled, clenching my hands into fists. "I swear I'm going to punch him someday."
"I have no doubt you will. You've got a mean right hook!" We both exchanged glances before falling into a fit of laughter. It felt nice to have a real conversation with him again. It may have only been a few months, but it felt like an eternity. "So…" he cleared his throat, "I don't know if you and Helga were planning on it or not, but you're both welcome to come to the graduation party we're having here. The guys are going all out this year!"
"Yeah, I think we'll be coming by. Helga was looking forward to it." My thoughts immediately went to the situation with Danny. When were they going to tell him the truth? I can't imagine a very harmonious party with that kind of news coming out. I sat back up at the foot of the bed, "By the way, have you talked to Danny lately?" he nodded with a pained expression. "So, he told you about it too."
"Yeah, I wasn't expecting it. It's got him all bent out of shape. I can't say I blame him! Imagining him becoming someone's father is just… Unreal." There was so much I was dying to say in response to that, but it wasn't my place to talk about it, no matter how much it was eating away at me. Everyone else was going to have to find out about it through Danny and Louis.
Good luck Gerald. The trainwreck isn't over yet, buddy.
"Hey Gerald?"
"Yeah?"
I got up from the bed and moved over towards him, crouching down to his level. Despite offering Gerald the proverbial olive branch, there was still something I had to say to him and make it very clear. "In case you haven't figured it out, we're cool now." My eyes narrowed. "But if you ever fuck with my relationship again, I'm going to do more than punch the shit out of you like last time." I offered him a much too cheery smile compared to the threatening words that just left my mouth. "Kay?" Gerald simply nodded, wide eyed. The stress of everything happening at once was finally making me snap. I felt manic. "Good. Now that we've cleared that up, how about we get some lunch? I'll invite Helga!"
He shakily stood back up on his feet, his eyes never leaving me. "What happened to you these last few months?"
It was a loaded question, that's for sure. I wouldn't know where to begin. "A lot." My teeth were tightly clenched together, forcing a smile. "I need a vacation."
Gerald seemed to understand that I was highly strung right now and on edge. Instead of a barrage of questions, he playfully put his arm around my shoulders and ruffled my hair. "I'll buy you a ticket, man! Just say the word."
Anywhere but here.
** Graduation Night **
Anyone who says that college graduation ceremonies are exciting is lying. The pomp and circumstance of it all was agonizing and lengthy. We sat amongst our peers in the college concert hall for a whopping four hours for the ceremony. Everyone looked ridiculous in our black and silver robes and hats. The only fun to be had was walking across the stage and accepting our diploma. It signified the completion of a lot of hard work and sleepless nights. I officially had my bachelor's degree in Anthropology, just like how my father started out. My grandparents kept telling me how proud they were, and of course they took a million pictures of me and Helga holding our diplomas. Gerald and I posed for some pictures for his parents, and that was it: college was officially over. I wanted to feel excited about graduating, but I still had so much on my mind; my new job, moving out of the dorms and into our new apartment next month, and trying to figure out what comes next. It made me almost forget about the party going on tonight.
"What do you think?" Helga emerged from her closet wearing a blue button-up shirt and a short black skirt I had never seen before. Her butt really did look good in everything. "I take your lip biting as a good sign?" she straddled my lap with ease in the skirt. "We could always stay here tonight instead, celebrating one last time in this old dorm room." She sensually ground her hips down on mine in slow circles. Blood was already starting to rush to my lower half.
"Mmm." I held her in place so I could concentrate. "As tempting as that sounds, we promised we'd go." I kissed her briefly, removing her from my lap. "And I like the skirt." My mouth curved upwards as my hand skated up her thigh and between her legs, making her yelp. "Easy access." I teased, pulling my hand away. "Now let's go!"
Helga let out a loud groan, "You're gonna regret that, Arnold!"
There were more people at the frat house tonight than I had ever seen before. It was bustling with activity, and there were already plenty of drunk dudes among the masses by the time we arrived. As soon as we walked in, Danny greeted Helga with an enthusiastic hug that lifted her off her feet. I'm pretty sure he had already partaken in a few beverages. After everything Louis had told us before, Helga wasn't exactly pleased with receiving one of Danny's signature bone crushing hugs.
"Put me down, you moron!" she thrashed around in his arms until he set her down. Once she was safely back on the ground, she straightened her clothing. "Where's Louis?"
"I dunno. The kitchen, maybe? Liz was feeling nauseous, so he offered to get her some tea." His words came out slower than usual. Clearly, he was buzzed. Under any other circumstances I would imagine Danny would wonder why Louis was being attentive to his girlfriend.
Helga and I shared a knowing glance. "Have a good time tonight, Danny." She patted his shoulder. He gave us a thumbs up and turned back towards the party. "That poor idiot." She muttered before turning her attention back on me, "I need to check on him, and then I promise we can enjoy the party after that. Okay?" her eyes were pleading.
"I told you before, it's fine." I kissed her temple and gave her butt smack. "Lead the way!"
We found Louis in the kitchen, just as Danny had suggested. He was standing in front of the stove and watching a tea kettle over the flame, staring pensively at it. "Hey Louis." Helga ran up to him for a hug. He seemed surprised that we had decided to show up.
"It's fine, me and Gerald are good now." I smiled. "How are you doing?"
"I'm alright. I'm just making Liz some of this tea I ordered online. I read that it's supposed to help with morning sickness. Hey, did you know that it's not just in the morning? Like, damn." He trailed off. Oh god, I hope his baby inherits their mother's intelligence.
"You're being obvious, Lou." Helga examined the box of tea labeled 'Pinkstork'. "Danny might be drunk already, but it doesn't mean he can't notice when something's off."
"I know." He glanced around the room to make sure nobody was paying attention to us before whispering, "We're going to tell him tomorrow." Helga and I both winced "He'll be less combative when he's hungover."
"Just… be careful." I patted his shoulder. I could tell that he was stressed out just thinking about what was going to happen. His world as he knows it will change forever, and there was no going back. And also, Danny's body was pure muscle compared to Louis', one punch and he was done for. "Call us if you need anything."
Just as Helga had promised, once we finished talking with Louis, we left the drama and uncertainty behind in the kitchen. We went down to the basement to join up with Gerald and Phoebe like we had planned. Gerald greeted us with shots of whiskey at the ready. "Here's to the future!" He held his glass up and we all met in the middle before taking the shot. Phoebe's face scrunched up as soon as she swallowed. Partying was not something she regularly did, but tonight was a celebration after all. We deserved a night of debauchery! After several shots and beers, the four of us were playing pool… well, attempting to. The alcohol had made us a little foggy. Phoebe in particular was quite loopy. She went to take her shot with the cue stick and crawled up on the table to do it. We all fell into a drunken fit of laughter.
"Phoebe, I think it's time for you to start hitting the water bottle." Helga tossed her water bottle towards her.
"Are you done already, Helga? I thought for sure you'd get hammered tonight!" Gerald took his cue stick and tapped it against the side of the table, contemplating his next move.
"Nah, I need my wits tonight." Helga looked at me and winked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to hit the restroom!" she took off towards the stairs, looking over her shoulder at me as she walked. The sway in her hips had me gulping. What was she up to?
"So, Helga told me that you two signed your lease for the new apartment?" Phoebe leaned back and forth slightly in her inebriated state. It was kind of fun to see Phoebe let loose for once. "Are you excited?"
"Yeah! But we won't be able to move in officially until next month. So, I'll be staying with my grandparents until then. It's going to be a lot of packing and unpacking until we can get settled." I attempted to aim at my next shot, missing the ball entirely. "Ah… I guess I need to start hitting the water too." I chuckled. Nearly 10 minutes had gone by since Helga had left to go upstairs, and she hadn't come back yet. Gerald was texting on his phone, zoning out, and Phoebe was still trying to fruitlessly hit the cueball. My phone suddenly went off in my pocket.
Helga: 'Come upstairs. I'm in the hallway.' Followed by the 'shush' emoji.
I looked across the table at Gerald and Phoebe, neither one looked up. "Bathroom break!" I announced. Gerald glanced up from his phone with an eyebrow raised quizzically but nodded in acknowledgement at me.
Once I got upstairs, I scanned the hallway for her. Maybe the second floor? As soon as I rounded the corner, there she was, leaning against the wall and checking her phone. "Hey handsome." She wrapped her arms around my waist. "Are you having fun?"
"Of course… but… why did you come up here? Is everything okay?" She didn't look like she was feeling sick or anything. My thoughts were cut off by her lips pressing against mine.
She looked both ways down the hallway before giving me a devilish grin. "Come on." Before I could say anything else, I was pulled into the upstairs linen closet. The force of her pulling me inside so quickly caused my back to hit the wall, Helga running into me shortly after. The closet was too dark for me to see anything more than her vague silhouette pressed against me.
"What are you?- " a finger pressed against my lips.
"Shhh. Quiet." She pulled her finger away and replaced it with her lips. I was utterly confused why Helga suddenly wanted to make out during a party. Ah, screw it. I've done enough thinking lately. I wrapped an arm around her waist, threading my fingers in her hair with the other hand. She pulled away from our kiss, cupping my face in her hands. "Tonight is our last night as college students." She whispered breathlessly, her voice suddenly dripping with desire. "You get to redeem yourself tonight, Arnold." I couldn't see her face due to the intense darkness, but I felt her hand cupping my crotch. I opened my mouth to protest- "Like you said before, 'Never do it in front of a door' right?" her tongue slipped back into my mouth, eliciting a moan from me. She continued to do amazing things with her tongue, distracting me entirely. Meanwhile, her left hand made deft work undoing the button and fly of my jeans. It wasn't until I felt her hand wrap around my cock that I realized my pants and underwear were around my ankles.
"Helga!" I gasped. "Are you serious?" Though I couldn't fully see, I had a sneaking suspicion that she had a wicked smile on her face. She dropped to her knees without ceremony, licking me agonizingly slow from base to tip. I threw my head back against the wall with a loud thud. "Mmm- AGH!" I nearly collapsed when she gripped me tightly around the base.
"You need to be quiet, football head! Do you want to have another viewing party for your dick, hm?" her hand loosened up, stroking me with a more pleasurable pressure. I pressed my lips tightly together. "That's it, good boy."
When she took me in her mouth I nearly screamed. I had to force myself to bite my fist to hold back my cries. "Shit!" Her hand blindly reached for mine against the wall. When she finally got ahold of it, she placed it on the back of her head. My fingers curled in her hair, involuntarily bucking my hips into her mouth. She growled against my cock, which was currently pressing at the back of her throat. The sensation alone almost made me come. I could only imagine what her face looked like right now. I pulled out of her mouth enough for her to breathe properly, but moments later she was gripping my ass and pushing me further into her mouth again. Was she wanting me to do… that? I gave a soft, experimental thrust into her throat. The moan she let out was strong enough to vibrate against my entire lower half. My head fell back against the wall, much quieter this time around. I was losing my mind. How did I get so lucky? She continued to grasp my backside, guiding me and giving me cues when she needed to breathe. "Helga!" I let out a high, keening cry. I was so close.
She let go of my ass, pulling back and removing my erection from her mouth. I was about to voice my frustration when she popped back up in front of me again. "Fuck me." Her voice was hoarse. After some shuffling sounds, her hand gripped mine and guided it between her legs. She had taken off her underwear. My fingers instantly became soaking wet, sliding between her folds. "You pointed it out earlier, football head. My skirt is easy access." We switched positions before I had time to respond. Her hands were against the wall, back arched, waiting to receive me. "Fuck me, Arnold. As hard as you can." Her moan came out muffled as I slipped a finger inside of her. "Please!"
I added another finger inside her pussy, thrusting them into her harder and faster than I normally would. The sound it was making was downright obscene. Helga clearly didn't want me to make love to her right now. This was fucking. "Does it hurt?" I whispered against her ear, nibbling on her lobe. She shook her head with fervor. I was losing all sense of control. She really wanted me to fuck the living daylights out of her in a dark closet. "Okay. Are you ready?" I removed my fingers, her arousal dripping off my fingers and on the floor in the process. Fuuuuck.
"Yes." She backed up against me, rubbing her warmth over my dick. "Don't hold back- AHH!" I placed my hands next to hers on the wall and thrust myself inside her completely, my hips making contact against her ass with a wet slap. "FUCK!" her head flew back against my shoulder. I shushed her, thrusting shallowly until she calmed down. She held her hand over her mouth, signaling me to continue. All my self-control was completely thrown out the window. I gripped her hips and fucked her hard, just like she asked me to do. She pulled my mouth to hers, moaning along with each thrust. A yelp escaped her lips, her knees almost giving out beneath her. She leaned her hands against the wall again for support. I was starting to lose focus. If I didn't get ahold of myself soon, I would come before she did. I made myself start counting in my head; once, twice, and on the third I held my position deep inside of her, reaching between her legs and circling her clit. "ARNOLD!" she contracted around me so intensely that both of us lost our footing. I was almost completely pulled out of her once our knees hit the ground. "Don't. Fucking. Stop!" She was bent over on all fours, desperately grasping my hip and trying to pull me back inside her. "I'm so close." She whispered. My fingers returned to their previous position between her legs as I sunk back inside her.
"Helga, w- wait I can't! You're tightening up!- Ah, AH!" she intentionally tightened her muscles around me, almost as if she was daring me to stop again. "Naughty girl." I gave one harsh thrust and an open-handed smack on her ass before leaning over her, "On your back. Now." We separated briefly while she obeyed, sprawling herself against the hardwood floor with her legs spread and waiting for me. I thrust my fingers into her entrance, making her whine. "Can I come inside?"
"I believe I ordered a creampie, not a facial." She quipped. My eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness, and I saw the vague outline of a shit-eating grin on her face. She wasn't laughing anymore when I pressed back inside her. "Ah! Fuck." She moaned into the crook of her elbow to suppress the sound. My hands gripped her hips hard enough to pull them off the floor, my thrusts were starting to become more erratic. I knew the end was near. My thumb pressed and circled her clit with vigor. I wanted to feel her come. She lifted her hips even higher, grinding down on me harder than before… and that's when I felt it. Those delicious telltale contractions on my cock, milking me into my own orgasm. I collapsed on top of her, thrusting sporadically with the tremors of my release.
We laid in that position for what felt like forever. Both of us were panting, sweaty messes. "Holy shit." I concluded, unable to describe the absolute earth-shattering sex we just had in the middle of the frat house linen closet.
She hummed in contentment, running her fingers through my hair and kissing my neck. "I think…" she placed a kiss on my lips, "You finally got your closet blowjob redemption."
"And then some." We both laughed quietly, finally separating ourselves. Helga made a face as she sat up. "What's wrong?"
"We're going to have to find a way to clean up in here later." She reached between her legs, holding up her index and middle fingers covered with my come. "It's leaking like crazy." My dick was already at full mast when she put her fingers in her mouth, sucking them. She got a mischievous look in her eyes and crawled over towards me with her tongue stuck out, presenting my come dripping precariously from the tip.
"You're so kinky." I stuck my own tongue out, swirling my tip against hers before sucking on it and pulling her into a kiss. "I've tasted mine before, you know. Idle curiosity."
She straddled my lap, lowering herself onto me once again with a deep sigh. "I think you're the kinky one here."
I bit my lip to contain a moan. "We're never getting out of this closet, are we?"
I think I've changed my mind. I love graduation.
I've known Helga for most of my life, and I've seen many of her different moods. Today was something new on her emotional spectrum. Despite us not getting back to Helga's dorm until nearly 4 in the morning due to our… escapades, she was wide awake by 8 o'clock and humming to herself while she finished packing the last of her belongings into boxes. Dare I say, but I think this was some sort of sexual satiety. I've never seen her more chipper and livelier, especially first thing in the morning after a night of partying.
We spent nearly two hours in the closet last night, and by the time we pulled ourselves together enough to take turns leaving, Helga saw that Phoebe had been trying to call and text her nearly the entire time. Luckily the party had wound down, and most people had already left or passed out. We had almost made it out the front door before Gerald caught us. He took one look at our state of disarray, and he knew exactly what we had been doing for the last two hours. I was only slightly mortified, but also kind of proud of myself.
Yep. I did THAT.
"Arnollllld." Helga crawled onto the bed, perching herself on top of me.
"I seriously can't do it again, baby. I'm so tired." I threw my arm over my eyes. "You drained me dry."
"Ya big wuss." She leaned over and placed a kiss on my chest. "You loved every second of it football head!"
"How are you not tired?" I moved my arm to study her face. "You're awfully bright eyed and bushy tailed for someone who, as you put it: 'got railed' last night."
"You know how much I love it when you talk dirty." She whispered, gently laying herself on top of me. "But for the record, I'm not quite ready to get fucked again just yet. You really did a number on me, ya know? My back is freakin' killing me!" I placed my hands against her back, massaging along her spine with the tips of my fingers. She practically melted into my touch, "Mmm, do it harder." My fingers stilled. "Sorry." She sat back up, chuckling at my wide-eyed stare. "I'll stop teasing you, Arnoldo." She got off the bed and stretched her arms over her head with a loud groan. "I promise my intentions really were innocent! I was just going to ask if you wanted to go get breakfast together. I'm starving!"
"Sure. I can take some boxes down to your car, too." I forced myself to finally sit up, still feeling way too groggy and sore. Helga continued to hum a happy tune to herself as she got dressed, oblivious that I was watching her intently. How could someone so wild and sexy also be so cute? She was an enigma. No doubt. But she was so precious to me, every part of her. Any time I even thought about her I felt a warmth in my heart. "I love you so much."
She dropped the shoe that was currently in her hand and whipped her head around "Wh-… What?" a hint of a blush had spread across her cheeks.
"I love you." I repeated, "I've just been thinking how lucky I am, that's all." She sat next to me on the bed. Her beautiful blue eyes softened, almost near tears. "I can't wait to wake up with you like this every day. In our home." I grabbed her hand, bringing it to my lips. "Thank you… for choosing me."
A single tear rolled down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away. "This is by far the weirdest 'thanks for the sex' speech I've ever gotten." She laughed.
"That too."
"Arnold!" she playfully slapped my arm. "But really…" her gaze fell to her lap. "I'm the one who should be thanking you. We both know I'm not exactly the easiest person to tolerate. I'm irrevocably screwed up-" I hushed her with a kiss, stroking her cheeks with my thumbs. It seemed to break her out of whatever downward spiral she was experiencing. "I don't just love you, Arnold; I need you. My heart is incomplete without you."
"I'm right here." I kissed her forehead, "I'm yours."
Her body shuddered at my words. "You're killing me, football head."
"I'm sorry. I can't help it!" I finally made my move to get up from the bed, pulling her up with me. "Look, let's go get breakfast. Afterwards we can go for a walk to clear our heads. We'll start moving your stuff later."
"Sounds good." She picked her shoe up off the ground and popped me on the behind with it. "And that's for making me cry first thing in the morning, you yutz!"
Needless to say, it took us another hour and two orgasms before we finally left her dorm.
After breakfast we walked through the park we visited on our first date. It was quite lively despite being a Thursday morning. School was out for the summer, and kids were roaming around Hillwood with their friends. Helga nearly refused to hold my hand in front of 'the little shits', but I persisted. Holding her hand helped me feel grounded. It was refreshing to leave all my worries behind, even if it was only for a few hours. I've been so on edge lately with everything going on in our social circle, and within my personal life. The people around me were starting to see the metaphorical cracks in my armor. I didn't always have the perfect solution for everyone, and I often doubt myself. I suppose life had slowly robbed me of my blind optimism.
"I can't believe we graduated college." Helga lamented. "It seems like just yesterday I was chasing you around the school yard and trying to put mud in your hair. Now here we are…" she held our conjoined hands up. "We're moving in together, starting our jobs… We're… Grownups." Her face contorted to a grimace. "We have to file taxes!"
"You're cute, you know that?" I kissed the back of her hand. "If younger me had been told that I would be here right now, holding your hand, living a dream I never knew I had. I think I might have been… Happy about it. As weird as that sounds."
"You were always a strange child." she teased. "But hey, at least Mr. Perfect finally has his perfect life!"
I stopped walking, a chill running up my spine. "Helga… I need to admit something. I've been having a really hard time lately, dealing with all these changes. I feel like I'm being pulled in 50 different directions sometimes. My family, college, Gerald, Jason, us, our friends, my future job… Some days I just want to scream. There are days when I can't find a bright side to save my life, and it scares me. I've never felt like this before. It's like I'm not me-"
She reached out, touching my cheek. "Arnold."
"I'm not perfect. I never was."
"I'm sorry. I was only kidding." She wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me close. "You've always been a beacon of light for so many people. But that doesn't mean you're immune to stress or feeling scared. No matter what happens, you'll always be you. And you don't always have to be the hero with all the answers." She smiled softly, "Your heart deserves a safe haven, just like the rest of us."
"You're my safe haven, Helga." I pressed my forehead against hers, sighing. "I should have talked to you sooner. I'm already feeling better." Our lips met, and I could literally feel the stress melting away.
"EWWWW! They're kissing!" We broke apart to find two young boys walking the opposite direction from us, pointing and laughing at our public display of affection.
"Little shits."
"Helga!" I laughed. "We probably would have done the same thing at their age."
"They're still little shits." She pouted. "I was enjoying our moment!-" Helga's phone began ringing. She pulled it from her pocket to check the caller ID before answering. "Hey Lou. How's it going?" her brow furrowed "What? Why? Are you serious?... Okay. Just hold on. See you soon. Bye." Helga took a deep breath, craning her head back with a frustrated groan. "Danny knows. They told him."
Oh no…
(That last line made me think of that monkey meme going around right now. "OH NOOOO")
But anyway, Y'ALLLLLL
I knew all along that Danny wasn't going to be the father (there are VERY subtle hints if you check the first three chapters hard enough). Dropping this nuclear bomb about the baby, and the OC's past on you guys after 12 years feels a little evil. Lol. I'm sorrrry!
Also, note to self: never listen to Nine Inch Nails – "Closer" while writing smut. JESUS CHRIST. I'm going straight to hell for that one. But at least my boy got his closet blowjob redemption! (a call back from Behind the Mask)