And now, it's time for a new chapter of this story! Only about a couple more chapters to go, at the very least! But for now, let's enjoy this chapter for everything it's got! Anyway, enjoy!
The next morning, as the sun rose up, Arnold opened his eyes as he got up and yawned. He then gave a warm smile as he looked over at the small clock hanging on the wall that showed '8:03 AM'. Today was going to be another beautiful day, no doubt about it. Of course, as he got up and got dressed, before heading downstairs to get a little breakfast.
However, as he got down, he had noticed that only Ernie and Mr. Hyunh were the only ones in the kitchen as they were finishing up their toast. Arnold blinked twice as he looked at the two. "Good morning, Mr. Potts, Mr. Hyunh. Where are the others?"
"Oh, good morning, Arnold." Mr. Hyunh said as he gave a yawn.
"Good morning." Mr. Potts nodded before giving a nod. "Last I heard, Oskar is being held in the jail for a little jewel thievery, his wife went off with a neighbor woman to get some… well, 'classes' with a handsome man, and your grandma just couldn't wait to surf."
"...and Grandpa?" Arnold asked as he raised his eyebrow. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen his grandfather the last couple of days.
"I assume he went out once more to fish on that island." Mr. Potts said. "I don't know, I haven't seen him since he left a couple mornings ago, so I assume he went back to the island once more."
"It is quite strange, though. I haven't seen hide nor hair of Phil since the last two days." Mr. Hyunh asked. "You don't suppose something happened to him, do you?"
Arnold paused as he looked out in concern, before closing his eyes as flashes of his grandfather showing his tough side went through his mind. "Even if it did, I know my grandpa. He's stubborn, so even if something were to happen to him, I'm sure he'll find his way back. Who knows? Maybe Grandma picked him up or something."
"Yeah, well, I'm sure the old coot is fine." Mr. Potts said as he checked his watch. "Well, Mr. Hyunh and I have to go down to the courthouse this morning."
Arnold raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why the courthouse?"
"To help pay Oskar's bail… and to make sure we stay with him at all costs, considering the bum can't be trusted with metal detectors or anybody's material possessions." Ernie grumbled in anger. "He tried to call his wife, but like I told you, she went with another girl to meet up with this aerobics teacher. Said something about 'enjoying a nice time' with the two of them."
Arnold scratched his head in confusion, before giving a shrug. "Well, I hope Mr. Kokoshka is okay…"
"Don't try to instill hope for him, Arnold. You know just as well as I do that-" Mr. Hyunh shook his head.
"Yeah, I know." Arnold sighed, before hearing a knock on the door. He looked up in curiosity. "Wonder who that could be?"
Arnold walked over to the door as he answered it, opening the door. To his pleasant surprise, he saw Rhonda standing outside wearing a nice dark blue vest over a light blue collared shirt, a white belt with a gold buckle, a dark blue skirt, and a blue beret to complete the look. She also had on her sandals instead of shoes for the moment as she gave a smile.
"Good morning, Arnold. Sleep well?" Rhonda asked.
"Morning, Rhonda." Arnold smiled. "Yeah, I slept great. You know, I think I remember seeing you in that uniform in school before. I never got a chance to get a good look at it, because Lila was here at the time, but… wow… you look really good in it."
Rhonda giggled as she held a pose. "Well, I don't have the black shoes to go with this ensemble, but if you'd like to come inside, I have a lot more uniforms I would LOVE you to judge. Anyway, I came here to see if you've had breakfast yet, and if not, then, I asked my parents and they said they would love to have you over for breakfast again… if you're up for it."
"Sure. I haven't eaten anything yet, so I wouldn't mind coming over." Arnold smiled. "Just give me a couple minutes."
Rhonda giggled before giving a warm smile. "Thanks, doll! I'll see you next door when you're ready to come over!"
With that, Rhonda turned around and started to skip back towards the house, giving a small laugh as Arnold stared at her, giving a lovesick smile. He was only brought out of it once he heard two familiar adults, who had heard the exchange, snickering.
Arnold frowned as he turned to the two men. Ernie chuckled as he said, "And here I was, thinking you weren't going to follow through on the whole 'summer' romance we brought up a couple days ago."
"You did say you weren't looking forward to making new friends." Mr. Hyunh responded, sporting a small grin himself.
"It's not like that, it's-" Arnold attempted to explain. "This is Rhonda from school. You know her. She's the richest girl in PS 118."
"The one that brags?" Ernie asked as he crossed his arms.
"She does do that, but it's a quirk of hers. She's a sweet person, very nice, and always willing to hang around with me whenever we get a chance to." Arnold explained.
"Doesn't look like that to me. That girl just invited you to breakfast over at her place… and you said yes." Mr. Hyunh smiled as he picked up an apple. "Do you deny it?"
"Well, no… I-" Arnold started to say as he gave a brief pause. "You two don't think I'm in love with one of my best friends, do you? Or that she's in love with me?"
"Kid, the girl just called ya 'doll', you seem to blush every time the two of you interact, you pull her back into reality when she needs it, and she certainly appreciates it when you do help her. Not only that, she says you're pretty cool." Ernie Potts laughed. "If that ain't love, I don't know what is."
Arnold looked at the two smirking men for a brief moment as he started to think about his growing relationship with Rhonda over the last couple of days… how he always helped her out when she needed it… how he always gave her a compliment, even on one of her moody days, she always felt better when he talked to her… and even in her selfish moments, she still found room for Arnold to help her out… all the times the two just had fun together… even for the last two days on the beach when they just hung out… the way she gave her cute smiles, the way, again, she laughed so happily…
"My goodness." Arnold paused. "I guess, in a way, I actually like Rhonda…"
"Not just like, kid." Ernie chuckled as he and Mr. Hyunh picked up their things. "Like like."
As the two departed, Arnold just stood there for about a minute and a half, as he contemplated the idea. Him and Rhonda DID go good together… but the main question was, would Rhonda be not just a 'spring break/summer' romance, but a potential 'lifetime-esque' romance?
About a couple minutes later, Arnold got over to the other side of the duplex and after greeting Rhonda's parents at the door, he sat down next to Rhonda as Buckley and Brooke came in with some fancy dishes as Brooke gave a giggle.
"It's been quite a while since I cooked up something fancy." Brooke giggled. "Usually, the maids would do the cooking, but I like to get my hands dirty once in a while."
"Mother, you cad." Rhonda gave a fake gasp, before giving a giggle. "No, but seriously, you're going to love Mom's homecooking. You're in for a good treat."
"I bet I am." Arnold chuckled nervously as Brooke set down the platters, which were covered in silver cloches. "So, what did you cook?"
"Well…" Brooke grinned as she lifted up one cloche to show some egg and ham on a biscuit, smothered in hollandaise sauce. "Eggs benedict is a true classic when it comes to fancy meals…"
She lifted up the next cloche, showing a pie made of eggs and vegetables. "A nice, little spinach quiche is always good for your health…"
Brooke then lifted another platter, showing a good array of fried bread, with a bottle of syrup on the side. "I had a good recipe for cinnamon French toast, so you'll enjoy it, I'm certain."
Rhonda's mother smiled as she noted Arnold and Rhonda looking at the dishes in pure interest, before lifting up the final cloche, showing four glasses full of strawberry and vanilla yogurt, with various sweet fruits and nuts mixed in. "And finally, some yogurt parfaits. It's not much, but I hope you enjoy my cooking, Arnold."
Arnold gave a nod as he helped himself to a plate of eggs benedict and spinach quiche. Rhonda picked out some cinnamon French Toast and eggs benedict, while her parents each had a slice of quiche and eggs benedict, with two pieces of cinnamon French Toast each.
The young football headed boy looked at the food as he put his fork through the spinach quiche and inserted the piece of quiche in his mouth as he closed his eyes and started to chew, letting the flavor caress his taste buds, losing himself to the food. As he swallowed the bite of quiche, he looked towards the eggs benedict and cut himself a piece of egg, ham and biscuit before inserting it in his mouth and chewed slowly as he let the flavor run through his mouth.
He had to admit, eggs benedict was a very unique tasting dish, and the quiche was perfect as is. It was then Arnold picked up another bite of quiche, before pausing as he looked towards the dripping hollandaise sauce from the eggs benedict. Getting an idea, he dipped some of the quiche on the hollandaise sauce and put it in his mouth to try it.
As he chewed elegantly, the taste buds exploded in his mouth as he felt a good combination of egg, spinach, and hollandaise sauce swarming around in his mouth… like a match made in heaven. After swallowing the food, he looked up to Rhonda's parents and said, with a big smile on his face, "Mrs. Lloyd, your dishes are very delicious."
"Well, I'm glad you love them, Arnold." Brooke giggled. "I don't mind having the maids cook, but there's just something about creating food with your own two hands that makes you accomplished, you know?"
"Indeed, dear." Buckley smiled as he took another bite from his French toast. "You always make the best French toast…"
"Oh, Buckley…" Brooke giggled as she kissed her husband's cheek.
Rhonda couldn't help but smile as she turned to Arnold with a smile. "Remind me to look up a few recipes… I wouldn't mind learning to cook myself…"
"Oh, Rhonda, darling, you'll be ready for your own food preparation as soon as you're allowed to go near the oven." Brooke smiled. "Don't worry, I'll teach you proper recipes when you're older…"
Rhonda gave a small sigh of disappointment, before shrugging as she ate another bite of her eggs benedict, before turning to Arnold. "You haven't forgotten our plans for today, have you?"
"I do seem to recall you wanting to show off your outfits for a fashion show." Arnold smirked.
Brooke, hearing this, gave a giggle. "Oh, so you're going to judge our daughter's outfits, eh, Arnold?"
"I have to say, my boy, you certainly have taken a shine to our daughter." Buckley gave a light chuckle, causing both Arnold and Rhonda to blush a bit.
"Uh, how so?" Arnold asked nervously.
"Daddy!" Rhonda shouted in embarrassment.
"Let's just say, we're seeing a lot more from you, Arnold, and I do believe you certainly are a good person." Buckley smiled. "The fact that you two seemed to have a lot of fun on the beach the past couple of days… it's nice to know you're finding ways to have fun."
"Oh, that. Yeah, we certainly are having a good time at the beach…" Arnold said. "Rhonda and I are also thinking about entering a sandcastle competition in the next couple of days."
"I think Rhonda did mention that." Brooke smiled. "Oh, that must be so exciting for you two."
"It is, believe me." Rhonda giggled. "So, what are you guys doing today?"
"Oh, your father and I are going out on the town once more… we hear there's an aerobics convention at the beach today, and… well, your father and I just couldn't resist. Are you two going to be building sandcastles after your little fashion show today?" Brooke asked as she looked between the two kids.
"That… is the initial plan, yes." Arnold nodded.
"Oh, wonderful." Brooke smiled as she and Buckley gave a smile towards the two kids, before leaning over and saying to Arnold. "I'm sure you'll be wowed by Rhonda's many dresses. They were pretty easy to get, some a little harder than others."
Arnold paused briefly before giving a slight blush.
After pleasant exchanges and finishing breakfast, Rhonda led Arnold to the living room as the air conditioner inside automatically turned on, blowing slightly in his face as he kept cool. Rhonda giggled as she backed up a little, before giving a nod. "Okay, Arnold, I'll tell you what I'm doing. I'll be cycling through different dresses that I packed for the trip. Some of them beach wear, a few of them just in case my parents and I wanted to go somewhere fancy, and a couple that are pretty much casual clothing. After all, I want to dress to impress."
Arnold smiled as he settled himself in the couch. "All right. Show me what you got."
"One second…" Rhonda grinned as she rushed out of the room. About a minute or two later, she had returned, switching the sandals she had on earlier with shoes. "There we go, now you're seeing the complete ensemble of Rhonda Wellington Lloyd's French clothes! It may not be handmade like Lila's, but it's a nice dress for impressing the older girls in the classroom. What do you think?"
Arnold gave a small whistle as he grinned. "You look rather sharp in that outfit."
Rhonda giggled as she posed for a brief moment.
A few moments later, Rhonda came back in the living room, this time in a teal shirt with green stripes on the sleeves and the bottom of the shirt, with her black pants and green bowling shoes on. Rhonda smirked as she presented the uniform in front of him. "You invited me as part of your bowling team, so I thought it fitting I bring this along, in case my parents and I had the urge to go bowling."
"I'm surprised that after everything you went through with the bowling team, you still have an interest." Arnold chuckled. "I thought after the time with Coach Wittenberg would have turned you off of it."
"Oh come on, you can't expect me to NOT bowl, especially since all of my favorite celebrities could bowl." Rhonda giggled. "Besides, if it's with you, I'd gladly bowl."
"Hm, well, remind me to do a one-on-one match if we find a bowling alley in this town. I think there might be one nearby if you'd like to go a round or two." Arnold offered.
"Arnold, doll, I am flattered." Rhonda giggled.
Another few minutes later, Rhonda came out wearing a strapless red dress that went right down to her thighs, with red heels to complete the look. She also had beautiful diamond earrings on her ears as she showed them off to Arnold, who looked rather amazed at the outfit she was wearing.
"This is considered my party or evening wear whenever I have to attend social gatherings. Mother always said that a young lady must dress nicely like this in order to get attention." Rhonda said as she noted Arnold was examining her. "My, my, it would seem I already got you in a bit of a trance."
"H-huh?" Arnold blinked twice as he looked up at Rhonda's eyes. "S-sorry, Rhonda. But… you look really good. Any man would be lucky to have you…"
"Oh, Arnold…" Rhonda giggled as she blushed heavily.
Another few minutes later, Rhonda came out wearing a white cropped tank top with a pink stripe, a pink miniskirt and red sneakers as she gave a pose.
Arnold paused as he looked Rhonda's outfit over. "Hmmm… there's something magical about your outfit that I can't seem to place… you wouldn't happen to have two aunts and a talking cat, would you?"
Rhonda paused slightly before giving a shrug.
Rhonda came out another few minutes later, this time, wearing a white collared blouse, a pink cardigan, a dark purple skirt, and dark purple sneakers. Rhonda paused as she looked herself over.
"I don't know why my parents got me this outfit, but it's pretty cute…" Rhonda said to herself.
"Hmmm… let me see if I can help with your hair for a bit." Arnold said. "Something tells me the look isn't quite finished."
"Okay, but be careful." Rhonda said as she sat down. "I try brushing my hair perfectly."
Arnold laughed as he went up and massaged her hair, as Rhonda handed him her brush. Arnold brushed it a couple of times before grabbing her hair gently and pulling it back, having a handful of hair. "Got some hair bands on you?"
Rhonda nodded as she dug in her pocket and handed her the hair bands. He put the hair band on the head of hair, before repeating the process, having her get two pigtails. Arnold then licked his fingers a bit before putting them in Rhonda's hair and pulling up one strand of it, making sure it stuck up. Arnold nodded as he told Rhonda to check her mirror. Rhonda pulled out her hand mirror as she looked at what Arnold done to it, not once, but twice. She paused as she stood up and posed, giving a small smile.
"...I don't get it." Rhonda blinked.
"Yeah, I don't either." Arnold paused. "Maybe this look and this dress was made for a specific person somewhere else…"
After fixing up her hair and everything, Rhonda came back down, this time, wearing a purple headband, purple sweater, white skirt and white go-go boots, causing Arnold to look at her with wide and curious eyes. Rhonda giggled as she said, "This is a classic outfit from Dimmsdale, last I heard. I just thought it looked really cool on me."
"Well… you look good in it." Arnold smiled. "I will say that for you."
Rhonda just giggled some more.
Rhonda came back to the room, this time, wearing a light pink crop-top with a dark red poncho-like layer, light pink baggy pants, a dark red split skirt, two red wrist bands and brown shoes. She also had her hair done once more, this time, in a long ponytail with a braid, with a red hair ribbon.
Arnold's mouth dropped as he looked her over. "Rhonda, what is it that you're wearing?"
"I don't know. This just appeared in my closet one day. I assumed that my parents got it for me, but I don't know why…" Rhonda shrugged as she showed off the braid. "I didn't even think I had long hair to do this braid, but whenever I put it on, I feel like I want to perform circus tricks and martial arts. Does that seem strange to you?"
Arnold shook her head. "I think you look great in it. I wouldn't mind you showing that outfit off for special occasions."
"Why thank you, doll! I'll remember to keep this for… special occasions." Rhonda giggled before turning around, jumping on her hands and using her hands to walk upstairs.
Arnold shook his head in shock as he rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had just seen what he thought he saw. He shook his head. Probably just his imagination…
Meanwhile, in another part of town, Brooke and Buckley were humming to themselves as they were walking alongside the town, on their way to the aerobics session on the beach as they passed by a building. However, this particular building just so happened to be a dance studio as the two of them heard giggling and laughing inside. They took their time to peer into the windows to see a dance instructor hugging two blondes (one of them wearing glasses and a blue swim bikini top and bottom, and the other in a red polka dot bathing suit) as they were both giggling happily.
"Look at those two." Brooke gave a small chuckle. "From what I can tell, they're stressed out females whose husbands don't give them enough attention, and want to take a small break with a younger, yet handsome man."
"You can tell that by just looking?" Buckley asked.
"Oh, certainly. We women just have that instinct, you know, they can tell just how a man treats them, depending on certain point of views." Brooke said as she and Buckley walked away from the window.
"Should I be worried?" Buckley asked in concern.
"Not at all, dear." Brooke giggled as she pulled him close and cuddled him. "You've always treated me right, no matter what happened. Even when we had our minor spats, we still work it out somehow."
The older man gave a small, relieved smile before laughing. "Well, remind me to never neglect you."
"Oh, sweetie, you would never." Brooke giggled as she held him close. "Now, come on, we're almost to our destination…"
With that, the two of them looked at each other with smiles as they clutched their hands together and walked off, eagerly walking to the beach in hopes to catch up to the aerobics class convention there.
Back with Arnold and Rhonda, Rhonda was panting a bit as she was now wearing a red swimsuit, causing Arnold to look over her as he gave a big grin. She giggled as she posed to him. "This must be your favorite suit for me so far…"
"It is perfect beach wear… and a perfect ten, as far as I'm concerned." Arnold smiled.
"Oh, Arnold, you're the only one who can appreciate a woman for what she wears… and how she looks." Rhonda giggled as she sat down. "You know, I sometimes wear a few different outfits for the last couple guys I tried to date, and they don't even notice! But you… you get it. You see my vision."
"I see more than that." Arnold laughed a bit as he got up. "But Rhonda, no matter how you dress up, you're always going to be my own lovely vision of beauty…"
Rhonda blushed at that remark, before giving a giggle. "Oh, Arnold, doll, you are just so sweet."
With that, Rhonda leaned in and kissed Arnold on the cheek as he started to blush a bit. Rhonda giggled as she said, "Well, considering I'm already in my swimsuit, why don't you put yours on and we can practice sandcastle building once more?"
"Uh… s-sure…" Arnold stammered, before smiling as he got up. "I'll be with you in a bit…"
With that, Arnold quickly got up and rushed off as Rhonda could only watch as he left the building to go around the other side. After a moment, Rhonda could only give a lovesick sigh as she felt her beating heart. There was no doubt in her mind now, she not only appreciated Arnold… but she was starting to fall in love with him…
And now, she felt a lot more determined to help him build the perfect sandcastle, more than ever…
And that is the sixth chapter done! How did you guys like it? For some of Rhonda's outfits, they're references to a few favorite female characters in other media that I enjoyed (Sabrina Spellman from the animated series, Penny Proud from the Proud Family and Trixie Tang from The Fairly Oddparents), and one of them was just a reference to Ty Lee from Avatar: The Last Airbender, who... fun fact, Rhonda and Ty Lee both share the same voice actor, Olivia Hack! And yes, Rhonda randomly walking on her hands is similar to how Ty Lee walked on her hands in Avatar: The Last Airbender. All right, that's enough references for the time being! Next time, the sandcastle competition is about to commence! How will Arnold and Rhonda fare, and will Curly do anything to ruin the moment? We'll have to wait and see, won't we? Anyway, read, review, criticize and suggest, folks!