A word to the readers: if you HAVEN'T read "Behind The Mask" before partaking in this story, there will most likely be some elements that may not make much sense as this IS a sequel. It's not needed I suppose… but for an all around better experience I highly recommend reading BTM first. Everything will tie together! (especially since my OC's will have a much bigger role this time around)
To those who have read it; welcome! I'm super stoked to be back with this sequel and I hope everyone enjoys it! I have my reservations when it comes to this whole 'sequel' thing, I'm just hoping everything comes out the way I want it to. But mostly I hope I don't let you guys down!
ALSO… after an intense debate and a lot of coaxing from PinkLotus27 (aka BrokenRose24) I've decided to throw in some lemons for ya'll… mainly because keeping their 'relations' T-rated at this point would be difficult. (ESPECIALLY if you've read the M-rated scene from Behind The Mask.) lol… anyway, this story does earn it's M-rating at some points in this thing!
Okay…..
*deep breath*
HERE WE GO!
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold!
Helga's POV:
…Buzz…
…Buzz…
…Buzz…
…Buzz…
My phone continued to make an irritatingly annoying buzzing sound despite my loud groan of irritation at the intrusion of my peaceful state of relaxation. Keeping my eyes closed, my fingers blindly felt around the surface of my nightstand before finding the offending object. I craned an eyelid open to scan the screen.
'U fell asleep in the middle of the day AGAIN, didn't u? GET UR ASS UP WOMAN! Class in 30. - Lou.'
At the conclusion of Louis' text message both of my eyes shot open, "Oh holy CRAP!" I threw my blanket off my waist and hopped up in preparation for my inevitable scrambling before class. "SHIT-!" my feet got tangled in a mass of clothes that had been gathering on my floor for the past few months, which in turn caused me to meet the floor with an embarrassing thud. Despite the dull ache I now had in my elbow I managed to slip on a pair of jeans and an old pair of Converse. I put on the closest clean shirt and paused at my mirror to at least fix my hair. I ran the comb through my hair several times before putting all of it up in a high ponytail. "Good enough," I muttered. A rustling sound coming from behind me suddenly caught my attention. From the reflection in the mirror I saw a half naked and very bleary eyed football head slowly sit up from my bed, hair sticking up all willy-nilly and an adorable look of innocence written across his face.
-no time for his cuteness. Class in 30... Keep it together!
"Baby?" his eyes began focusing a little better as he realized my state of urgency as I flailed around the room in search of my bag.
"I'm not telling you again! For the billionth time Arnoldo, I don't do pet names. Helga G. Pataki is NOBODY'S 'baby'. Capiche?" After several moments of angrily looking I found my bag on the hook Arnold had installed on my wall a few days ago that was intended for avoiding this very situation. I myself never put my bag on the hook, it was always Arnold doing it when I wasn't looking.
As I was hastily stuffing my books into my bag a pair of arms wrapped around my waist from behind. I almost instantly melted into his embrace. "You need to relax a little sometimes." he murmured against the back of my neck, followed by a soft open mouthed kiss against the sensitive flesh.
"We gotta stop it with the midday quickies football head… they lead to prolonged sleep! Now I really gotta go. I'm running late!" I pulled away from him entirely and slung my bag over my shoulder. "And you've gotta get to class in a little less than an hour too, remember?"
Before I could take two steps away he pulled me back into him until we were face to face. His half lidded gaze remained unfazed by my crabbiness. The tips of his fingers slipped underneath the hem of my shirt, gently stroking my lower back before linking his fingers together around me. Needless to say he was making it very difficult for me to stay crabby. He gazed lovingly at my face for several moments before leaning forward and pressing his lips to mine. He pulls away just far enough to whisper, "We'll set an alarm next time." and he dives in for another kiss that lasts a little longer.
Remembering I have a class on the other side of campus in less than 20 minutes I reluctantly pull away from him. "You are one giant distraction! Who knew you were such a bad influence football head?" I smirked.
"If I recall correctly, you were the one who dragged us in here this afternoon Miss Pataki." he grabbed me by my chin, "But if you'd like me to… influence you…" in the blink of an eye he managed to get his hands on me yet again, this time he went directly for my jean clad butt as he drove us back into the wall so he could efficiently grind his hips into mine.
"We really don't have time for this Ar-… Arnold!" his teeth softly sunk into my shoulder. A loud, sexy growl escaped him when I shied away from his advances.
Arnold was typically a reserved and enigmatic type of person to the public eye. He was always well composed and gentlemanly. I was quickly discovering since we've been sleeping together that behind closed doors he wasn't always so well behaved. Some days he would take it slow and be extremely sweet, yet days like today he pulled out the big guns and a creature I like to call "dark Arnold" makes his appearance.
Without warning he pulled away completely, a gigantic smirk etched on his face. His cheeks were flushed and lips slightly swollen. "Class… You should probably go."
"You're… evil!" I slapped his bare chest. "Ugh!"
"But you love me." he chuckled, subtly running his hand over the new red spot on his chest. "Now get going! I'll call you later, okay?" he pushed me out the door with a final slap to the butt.
"Payback will be a bitch!" I called over my shoulder.
"Well well well… Look who decided to show?" Louis glanced away from his computer screen to study me as I plopped down next to him for our English class. "Class started 15 minutes ago. What took you so long?"
I began taking out my notebook and scribbling down whatever was on the overhead projector, "I had more pressing matters to attend to."
He took one look at me and narrowed his eyes, "Arnold."
"We fell asleep, okay? I never remember to set an alarm." I defended. "Either way it's not a big deal."
"You've been late five times this semester Helga! We're only a month into class. Think about it, you've only been with Arnold two weeks. Four out of the five times you were late was after you two started dating… It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together-"
"Don't." I snapped. "Don't blame our relationship. Arnold has nothing to do with my tardiness."
"You do realize you two are currently in your 'honeymoon' phase, right?" his eyebrow raised slightly. "Every relationship starts out with rainbows and sunshine until you have your first real fight."
"I'm well aware of the infamous honeymoon phase, Louis." our professor began talking up front, changing the slide on the overhead projector. "But luckily for me and Arnold we bicker and fight all the time. So there's no element of surprise between us."
"I'm not talking about arguing over hanging a hook on the wall. I'm talking about a real fight… the kind of fight that shakes your relationship to the core and makes you question everything." he gave me a pointed look, "You'll know when it happens."
"Why are you trying to give me advice anyway? You haven't had a girlfriend since I've known you, so forgive me for not finding your opinion valid."
He frowned slightly, turning back towards the front of the class, "Ouch."
I almost instantly began feeling guilty. Despite Louis' boyish good looks he always seemed to have terrible luck with the ladies. It was something Danny loved teasing him about and I knew it was one of his biggest insecurities. Why must I always hone in on people's weaknesses?
"I'm sorry Louis… I didn't mean it like that." I sighed. "I'm just a little cranky and I shouldn't take it out on you."
Instead of looking over at me he nodded his head and began typing more notes on his laptop, "It's fine."
After our class ended Louis and I walked over to Rider's to meet up with Danny for dinner since Arnold had class and couldn't make it. Louis was still being uncharacteristically quiet, and I knew it was because of me. Everyone in the frat house loved giving Louis a hard time, and for the most part it never really seemed to get to him. But then there were moments like right now when I saw how truly bummed out he felt when it came to his misfortunes.
Danny of course couldn't help himself, "So what's up your ass tonight Louis? You look more pitiful than usual."
"Oh crimeny, shove it Daniel!" I spat.
"Are you his bodyguard now or what? Geez Pataki. Calm down!" he took a swig of his milkshake.
"I'm fine guys, really… I think I'm just tired. It was a long weekend after all." Louis absentmindedly stuck a fry in his mouth. "That party was crazy and I hardly got any sleep."
"Party? You guys had a party?" I frowned. "I didn't know…" Ever since the blowout in the frat house basement me and Arnold haven't been back. For now we were reduced to meeting at the local eating establishments when everyone was free, and Arnold always made it a point to keep Gerald out of it. I wasn't too keen on bringing Gerald around either, but something about the way Arnold was acting when it came to Gerald was… disturbing. It was so unlike him to be this angry at someone.
Danny ran a hand through his blonde hair, leaning back in his chair. "We called Arnold and text him a few times, but he said you two were busy." a smile spread across his face, "You must have had a tiring weekend too."
"You are such a pig." my eyes rolled. "He didn't even tell me-" my sentence was cut off by a set of hands covering my eyes. The others fell silent and I found myself unsure who exactly had the nerve to actually touch me. "Listen bucko, I'm spoken for. If you don't get your filthy hands off of me my boyfriend is going to-"
"He's gonna what, exactly?" Arnold's voice filled my ears.
"Football head?" he removed his hands and pulled a chair close to mine and sat down. I glanced at my phone and looked at the time, "You're supposed to be in class."
"The teacher didn't show, so here I am!" unbeknownst to the others his left hand snaked up from my knee to my upper thigh and gave me a squeeze, followed by a stroke of his thumb. I was hoping and praying neither of the guys could see the distressed look on my face.
"Good to see you, man!" Danny offered his fist, which was met by Arnold's other hand.
"Hey Louis," Arnold smiled at him but received nothing in return. "You okay?"
"It seems Lou is having some issues this evening." Danny supplied.
"Danny…" I viciously tossed a fry at him across the table. "Just stop it!"
"Hey! Watch it Pataki! I have a date in an hour with Liz! I can't show up looking like a bum!" his inner Italian began showing as his hands shot in the air, followed by a few curse words none of us knew as he dabbed at his shirt with a napkin. You knew Danny was mad when he busted out the Italian curse words.
"Oh calm down you yutz!" I threw a ketchup covered fry that landed directly on his face. Arnold went into 'mama mode' and grabbed my hand, setting it back on the table as if punishing a petulant child.
After sulking for the past few hours Louis finally cracked a smile at the sight of Danny turning purple and livid. "This is beautiful… you've managed to turn him into Barney the dinosaur just by pelting him with fries." Danny's fist shot out and connected with Louis' shoulder. "OUCH!" he whimpered.
"Lay off, Danny…" Arnold's voice hardened as his fingers tightened against my thigh, causing me to squeak in surprise. "There's no need to get so worked up. Everyone is just messing around." he removed his hand from my thigh so he could wrap his arm around my shoulders and lean closer to my face. "No more throwing fries at the metrosexual across the table from us, okay baby?" a smirk slowly rose on his lips before leaning in for a kiss.
Danny scoffed at the 'metrosexual' comment while Louis gagged at our public display of affection. When Arnold's mouth disconnected from mine we both glanced over at the guys. Louis was wistfully looking off in the distance with a deep frown. Danny on the other hand was still wiping the ketchup off his face. Suddenly Louis scooted away from the table and stood up, "I'm gonna get another milkshake… be back in a sec."
Once Louis was out of earshot Arnold gave me a pointed look, "What's up with him today? Is he alright?"
I let out an indignant scoff "Why are you asking me Arnoldo? It's not my fault…" my eyes shifted back and forth.
"Babe…" he glared. "What happened?"
"I guess… I sort of… I don't know, insulted him earlier? I told him I didn't value his opinion when it came to relationships because he hasn't been in one since I've known him-"
"Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrn!" Danny lifted his finger and imitated a hissing noise.
Both of us slowly turned our heads to glare at him, "Not the time Danny…. Not the time." Arnold sighed. "so anyway, that's what's bothering him so much? The whole girlfriend thing?" a look of realization hit him "We just kissed in front of him! Ugh… now he must feel awkward!"
"He's a grown boy… I'm sure Louis is fine Arnold. Seeing us kiss wont make his eyes shrivel up and fall out." my fingers reached up to gently touch his cheek.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Danny watched us in disdain, "It was bad enough watching you two get all hot and bothered by each other when you were friends… Now we're subjected to watching you molesting her under the table while we pretend to not notice."
"How did you see-?" Arnold turned a bright red.
"I've perfected the art of publicly discreet dirty business." he smirked. "You on the other hand have a long way to go."
"Oh shut up!" I huffed, "anyway… I apologized to Louis but he's still acting all depressed."
Arnold set his chin in his palm and quirked his lips, obviously in deep thought. "Danny, when was the last time Louis went on an actual date?" my eyes traveled over to Danny only to discover he was running a comb through his hair. Oh crimeny…
"Uh… let's see…" he stared off into space momentarily with the comb tapping against his chin. "Freshman year?" An embarrassing amount of milkshake escaped my lips and landed all over our table. "Now that's just gross Pataki." he pushed his basket of milkshake covered fries away from him.
"His last date was with his ex?" my palms slapped against the table. "I've seen him with girls though… during parties and stuff."
"Louis somehow always manages to scare girls away. None of us really know how he does it.." Danny shrugged.
From the corner of my eye I could see a smile creeping on to Arnold's face. "Maybe what Louis needs is to go on a date! To get him out of this funk? We could set him up with someone, and-"
"NO." my hand slapped over his mouth. "No WAY Arnoldo! You're always trying to play cupid and meddle in other peoples lives! It rarely turns out well."
"That's actually a pretty wicked idea." Danny set his elbows on the table, "If he gets some confidence back then maybe he wouldn't feel so bad… And maybe he wouldn't spend his Saturday nights listening to me and Liz getting busy in the next room while he plays his guitar all by himself."
"Too much info bucko." I grimaced. "and if 'plays his guitar' is some sort of euphemism for spanking his monkey I'm gonna hurl. Anyway-I'm putting my foot down! There's no way I'm letting you two mess with Louis-"
"Mess with me how?" he sat back down next to Danny as he took a sip of his milkshake.
"So Louis, how would you like to go on a date?" Danny's elbow nudged him in the arm.
Louis narrowed his eyes before smirking, "That's very sweet of you Stockton, but I'm just not into you that way. I hope we can still be friends though?" he snickered.
"Very funny." he deadpanned. "But I'm talking about a real date! With a girl… you know… with one that doesn't find you weird?"
"DANNY!" me and Arnold shouted in unison.
"You mean like a blind date?" when the other two nodded his frown returned. "I don't need you to set me up… and I don't need anyone's pity." he grabbed his milkshake and began to stand up again.
"We don't pity you Louis, not at all." Arnold coaxed, "You just seem so down lately. Maybe hanging out with… you know… a girl might be refreshing?"
Louis' frown deepened, "Am I the fifth wheel now or what? Why do I need a girlfriend all of the sudden?"
"Don't listen to these bozo's Lou," I stood up with him and grabbed his arm. "I was wrong earlier, okay? I was only irritated that a boy was offering me relationship advice." my hand reached up to playfully ruffle his raven locks. "You're kind of a dork… and yeah, some girls are turned off by that. But, not ALL girls are. But remember you're also sweet, funny…" I paused "And your whole constant 'sex hair' thing is pretty darn hot." I could hear Arnold scoff from behind me.
Louis' soft brown eyes fell to the floor in defeat before pulling away from my grasp and plopping back down in his seat. "Okay guys… I'll do it-"
"WHAT?" I roared.
Does NOBODY listen to me?
"Awesome!" Danny grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him excitedly. "I know the perfect girl!"
"No hookers." Louis glared.
"Well, fuck." he pouted.
"Leave the girl to me!" Arnold grinned from ear to ear. "I know who to ask."
"How many girls do you know Arnoldo?" I slapped him over the shoulder.
Arnold reached out and took my hand, "Think about it Helga… who do we know that has a taste for… different guys?" his eyebrows raised. I could feel my heart dropping into my stomach at the realization of which girl he meant.
"Lila." I seethed.
The day after Louis stupidly agreed to go on the blind date with Lila, Arnold immediately sought out little miss perfect to ask her. He was totally disregarding my feelings towards the subject and needless to say I was pissed at him. Neither Arnold or Danny were considering what possible implications it could lead to if Louis got his heart broken. It was bad enough when Danny wanted to set him up with a hooker, but Lila was a whole different ballgame. She had become an infamously unintentional heartbreaker over the years. She compared nearly every man to Arnold's freakish cousin Arnie. He was undoubtedly 'the one that got away' in her eyes. When Arnold came back to my dorm room later that day, ecstatic and shouting; "She said yes! Can you believe it? This is too perfect!" I had finally snapped.
I shoved my idiot boyfriend through the doorway and slammed the door in his face and I haven't spoken to him since. How could I be the only one thinking this is a terrible idea? Sure, Louis was in a funk, but that didn't mean he needed to go out with a girl to feel like he was worth something! I spent far too much of my life in Louis' position, feeling awkward and unwanted. I didn't want him to be put through the ringer just to be let down at the end of the day, and I wasn't about to show support in Arnold's misguided endeavor. We hadn't gone this long incommunicado since our last major fight, but it wasn't like Arnold didn't try and contact me. I got several daily phone calls and text messages begging me to speak to him, and he even waited for me outside a few of my classes so he could follow me and continue to beg. He even sent Danny to my dorm one day to ask for forgiveness. I knew Arnold was desperate when he sent that dunderhead to do his biddings; "So um… Arnold is like, sorry and stuff. He won't quit whining! Can't you just get over it?"… Danny undoubtedly went home with a limp in his step that day.
I had barely gotten back from my classes for the day when Arnold showed up at my door yet again, pounding away like there was no tomorrow. "Baby, PLEASE! I'm begging you! No more of the silent treatment. Can't we at least try and talk?" As he stood outside my door and whined I sat at the end of my bed holding the photo of us from Saint Patrick's day in my hand, staring at the puncture I had made through his left eye. Maybe it was time to let the little idiot plead his case. It wasn't like he was intentionally trying to upset me…
I tossed the photo on the mattress and swung the door open. It took me a moment to realize Arnold was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. Laying at his side was a bouquet of white tulips tied together with a red bow. When our eyes met he almost instantly shot up to his feet to brush himself off. "Hey…" he nervously ran his hand across the back of his neck. "Um… these are for you!" the bouquet was thrust into my line of vision.
I slowly pushed his hand and the bouquet away. "You got me… flowers?"
"Grandpa always told me when I was younger that when a lady is upset with you it's best to show up at her doorstep to bring her flowers and a smile." he got down on one knee and held the bouquet up as an offering, smiling hopefully at me. "I love you Helga, and I'm sorry I didn't listen when you asked me to. I need to consider your feelings as well now that we're together, and I need to remember that my actions can and will affect more than myself now." his other hand reached out and took mine, "Can you forgive me?"
Who was I to deny that guy?
"Yes football head… I suppose I can." I took the flowers and motioned for him to stand up. I was almost instantly pulled into his arms and lifted off my feet as he twirled me in a circle. He carried me inside my dorm and pressed me up against the door as it closed, "You know Arnold… You're actually kind of cute when you act desperate." my legs inched higher and higher until they were wrapped firmly around his waist.
His lips brushed against my neck, "I missed you."
Remembering the reason behind our argument, I began tugging on his hair until he was no longer kissing my neck and he was looking at me, "He's still going out with her tomorrow, isn't he?" Arnold dropped his head onto my shoulder and groaned, setting me back on my feet and releasing me. "Do you really think Lila is gonna go for a guy like Louis? She likes simple minded boys who snort their mucus like it's cocaine. Louis isn't any of those things."
"Sometimes the most unlikely people end up together, baby." his arms snaked around my waist, "We're practically the poster children for abnormality."
I tossed the bouquet over on my desk so I could wrap my arms around him. "If you really believe this is what he needs… then I guess I'm gonna have to trust you football head."
"I explained the situation to Lila and she still seemed interested in getting to know him. We have to give her a chance to at least meet him and make a judgment for herself." his hands reached up to cup my face in his palms. "Everything will be okay," he leaned in and kissed me briefly. "Now… we have another matter to attend to. I was hoping to ask you something."
"Like what?" I grinned, "And if this is about wanting to try that… thing you've been dying to try, I'm still against it!"
"No," he chuckled. "It's not that… I was actually supposed to invite you to the frat house tonight for poker."
"What?" my eyes widened "But- but I thought…"
"He won't be there." Arnold scowled. "He has a date… and we all know how his dates usually go-"
"At the Motel 6 with a cheap six pack of beer and a fistful of Trojans." I chuckled at the memory of Gerald regaling the frat with the many tales of his infamous dates. "So you're really okay with going there? It won't be too weird?"
"As long as he stays far away from me, I'll be fine." he reassuringly rubbed my arm. "So do you want to go?"
"Of course I do! We haven't played poker in forever. I've kinda missed it."
"Awesome!" he grinned, "but first…" before I could ask what he meant he grabbed me by the waist and tossed me on the bed, following quickly after and landing in between my legs. He sat up and unbuttoned my jeans and began pulling them down with a mischievous look on his face, his fingers skated across my bare thighs. "What good is making up without a little more…." his fingers teasingly dipped between my legs and grazed my core over my underwear "… making up?"
I took a sharp breath and met his lustful gaze "Fuck," I sat up and pulled my shirt over my head in one swoop, "Let's fight more often."
Arnold's fist rapidly knocked on the front door of the frat house, a look of apprehension was still etched on his face. He said that he was okay with being at the place where Gerald lived, but I was getting a strong feeling that wasn't the case. During our walk to the frat house he was eerily silent and detached. I didn't like seeing him like this at all.
"Are you sure you're okay with this Arnold? Because we can always-"
"I'm fine Helga!" his lips curled into a smirk as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "I promise-"
The front door swung open revealing Liz. Arnold and I both jumped back in surprise, "Hey you two!" she beamed. "It's been a while…"
"Hey Liz!" Arnold held his arms open for a hug, which she affectionately leaned in to. There was nothing weirder than watching my boyfriend hugging a five foot eleven auburn haired woman in an apron that says 'blow the cook' with a gigantic arrow pointing down to a cut out hole in the crotch. The apron obviously belonged to the frat house.
Before I could slip past her without incident she managed to pull me in for a hug as well. "Okay, OKAY!" I pushed myself free from her grasp and went inside. "Enough of the love fest, we came here to play cards am I right?"
"Still feisty as ever I see." her fists landed on her hips. "Danny is in the living room working on a demo for atmospheric dispersion modeling in his environmental chemistry class." both of us stared blankly at her, mouths agape. "Anyway, Louis is in his room. He's been kind of quiet this evening. Usually he joins me in the kitchen when I bake cookies so he can eat the dough." she absentmindedly brushed off some of the flour that had accumulated on the apron. "Speaking of which, I need to go check on them!"
As Liz bolted off to the kitchen I grabbed Arnold's hand and dragged him into the living room to round up the boys for poker. "DANNY!" I screeched.
"Hold your horses Pataki! GEEZ. Some of us actually have homework to do!" Danny was bent over the edge of the couch cushion and hovering in front of his laptop with a look of utter concentration. Danny was always a completely different person when it came to school work. The total airhead everyone knew in the frat house was actually extremely intelligent in a classroom setting. His major was in environmental engineering… needless to say most of his classes went way over our heads.
"Whatever bucko. Is Louis still in his room?" he simply nodded in response. Arnold and I shared a look before he covered his ears in preparation, "LOUIS!" I roared. Danny jumped in surprise and fell off the cushion and immediately began cursing in Italian, glaring heavily at me. However, there was no response from Louis. "I'll go get him.." I pointed towards the poker table, "Arnold go set up and I'll meet you in there."
"Yes ma'am!" he saluted me and took off into the other room.
As I got closer to Louis' bedroom I could hear that he was playing his guitar with the door open. "Lou?" I stopped in the doorway to observe him. He was sitting on the edge of his bed with the guitar resting against his thigh as he idly plucked at the strings, moving his fingers along the neck of the guitar. He was so focused that he hadn't even noticed I was there yet. I cleared my throat and knocked on the doorframe.
He finally glanced up from his guitar, "Oh… Helga, hey! I didn't realize it was 9 already. You ready for poker?" he set his guitar in the stand on the floor at the end of the bed and rubbed his eyes with vigor in an attempt to wake himself up. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that Louis obviously hadn't slept well for the past few days, given he had bloodshot eyes with bags underneath them, plus his hair had completely lost its luster and was hanging limply in front of his eyes.
"Can I come in?" I pointed to the spot next to him on the bed. He nodded slowly and patted the mattress. "What's going on with you Louis? You look like a washed out crack head. The last time I checked your drug of choice was a pixie stick."
"I'm alright Helga… a little stressed out, but alright." his eyes darted around the room to avoid my gaze. Taking the advice I learned from Arnold over the years I hesitantly reached out and cupped his shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze, hoping he would realize my welcoming intentions. He glanced at my hand and let out a heavy sigh of defeat, "Look, I-… I appreciate the fact that Arnold and Danny want to help… even if it's a little misguided… But-" his brown eyes finally met mine, "I'm never going to live up to the expectations others have of me, I never have and never will."
I've never been good at comforting people or being extra sensitive, but if I've learned anything from Arnold in my lifetime it's that encouragement can do wonders for a person. "You may not believe it Louis, but I think you're one of the most normal guys I've met since starting college." when he began to protest I held my hand up to silence him, "You view yourself so negatively and now it's been starting to reflect in your personal relationships, mainly with girls. Maybe what you need isn't this date… but who's to say Lila won't help you in some other way? She's a little bit of a do-gooder who gets on my nerves… but she's pretty wise when she wants to be. Give her a chance, and most importantly-" I grabbed him by the shoulders "Give yourself a break, man! Have fun! Enjoy the companionship for a night.."
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he enveloped me in a hug, squeezing my shoulders. "Thank you."
The sound of someone clearing their throat broke us apart. Liz was leaning against the doorframe and watching us in amusement, "The table is set up and snacks are on the way." she gestured for us to follow.
"Ready to whoop Danny's ass?" I stood up and took him by the hand and pulled him to his feet. He gave me a playful nudge and slung his arms over my shoulders as we walked down the hall, it seemed like he was going to be okay for now. As we approached the poker table I noticed Liz was seated next to Danny with her elbows on the table. "Wait… She's playing too?" I plopped down in my chair next to Arnold with a frown, "Liz, do you even know how to play poker?"
Danny and Liz shared a knowing look "Well…" she picked up the deck of cards and fanned them in an effortless backwards shuffle without a single card out of place. "When your dad is a professional poker player you tend to pick up a few tricks."
Danny excitedly wiggled around in his seat and pointed at his girlfriend with exaggerated enthusiasm, "I love this woman!"
It didn't take long for Liz to start robbing us blind and serving us our heads on a platter. Out of the many talents she possessed, I never figured a card shark was one of them. "So why didn't you ever join us for poker before?" Arnold tossed one of his chips in the pot that was inevitably going to end up in Liz's possession.
"It would feel like I was interrupting boys night!" she met my gaze as if saying 'sorry'. "But anyway, I always figured we could use some time by ourselves sometime. Spending too much time with him could drive a person nuts!-"
"Hey!" he chuckled "Like you're always a ray of sunshine-" The sound of the front door opening caused all of us to wordlessly turn our heads in that direction.
Oh no… please let it be ANYONE but Gerald… Rapists? A murderer? Cannibals? JUSTIN BIEBER?
"You guys would not believe the night I had-" Gerald walked into the foyer with a disgruntled look towards his frat brothers. All color drained from his face at the sight of me and Arnold. "What the-?" his eyes scanned the contents of the table. "… I'm guessing I came home a little early…"
The tension in the air was unbearable. Arnold was snarling under his breath and gripping the edge of the table so harshly that his knuckles had turned bone white, while Danny and Louis were at a loss for words at Gerald's much earlier arrival than anticipated. I hesitantly reached under the table until my hand made contact with Arnold's thigh, he almost instantly smacked it away with the back of his hand. I turned towards him with a glare on my face and my teeth clenched, "Calm… down…"
"Care to join us for some poker, Gerald?" Liz suddenly jumped in. Everyone turned to give her a seething glare. "What?" she held her hands up defensively.
Arnold turned back towards Gerald and finally made eye contact with him. His eyes narrowed in disgust. "I'm out." he pushed himself away from the table and got up in a hurry.
"Arnold!" I called out to no avail. Before I could get to my feet he had pushed past Gerald and offered him an unsettling glare before storming out, closing the front door with a loud bang that caused a picture frame to fall off the wall. Everyone winced at the sound of shattering glass scattering across the wood floor. For the first time since Gerald came in our eyes met, there was no spark left in him at all anymore. He looked downtrodden at Arnold's refusal to even be in the same room as him.
"Bro-" Danny cleared his throat, "I'm sorry we didn't tell you about inviting them over while you were out. That's my fault-"
"Forget about it." he gazed down at his shoes, "I'm gonna go."
"You don't have to do that Gerald." I walked over towards him only to see him retreat a few steps back from me. "This is your home… I'll leave." I reached for the door handle but Gerald was quicker. He nudged me out of the way and left without another word.
A wave of guilt began washing over me. If I hadn't been so mean and nasty to Gerald and Arnold when we were growing up none of this would have ever happened. Gerald wouldn't have tried to protect Arnold from me for so many years and the two of them would still be best friends. Everyone's lives would have turned out differently…
"Shit…" I groaned. "Way to go Helga…"
"-and thus concludes my presentation on the evolution of Shakespearian works. Thank you." I held my stack of index cards in front of me with my other hand outstretched. After a moment of silence I tossed a few of the cards over my shoulder and on to my bed, "Shit… that's too corny even for me." I began scribbling down several notes in a vain attempt to better my upcoming presentation. "Let's see… 'in conclusion', ugh no! Too stiff-"
"What was wrong with the original ending again? I liked it!" Arnold glanced up from his geography book with his eyebrow raised.
My body dramatically collapsed next to his "I have to make this perfect football head! All of these distractions the past few months caught up with me. Big Bob will rip my head off if my GPA falls below a 2.5"
He tossed his book to the side of the bed and wrapped one of his arms around my waist. "Speaking of which… have you told your parents about us yet?"
"No…" I frowned. "It's not like they really care who I fornicate with anyway. Bob would probably stuff condoms and money into your pocket and beg you to take me far away."
Arnold sighed and sat up on his elbow, tightening his grip on my waist before leaning down for a kiss. "We should tell them, together. It would mean a lot to me if your parents knew about our relationship."
"What about your family Arnold?" my eyes narrowed at him, "if I recall correctly your family was under the assumption we were strictly friends." my bottom lip protruded slightly with a pout.
"We'll tell my family in time. But I'm warning you now that my grandma is probably going to start planning a wedding and calling you Mrs.-" his sentence was cut off by the shrill ring of my phone.
'Can u meet me at Rider's? 20 minutes? - Lou'
It was only 9 o'clock and Louis' date with Lila had only started an hour ago, "Oh no…" my eyes widened. "Oh NO! I knew it! Shit!-" I scrambled off the bed to slip my shoes on.
"Whoa, baby what happened?" Arnold swung his legs off the bed and stood up so he could hold me still and get some answers. I thrust my phone in his face so he could see the message. His eyes widened exponentially, "B-but…. how? How do you screw up a date with Lila Sawyer? She nearly drowned during my date with her at the cheese festival all those years ago and she still had nothing but nice things to say to me! Ugh!-" he pulled away from me and began pacing.
"I have to go see if he's okay, Arnold… I encouraged him to go for this yesterday, and now I… I feel like-"
He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him, "It's my fault Helga. I'm the one who got him to agree in the first place. Don't blame yourself, okay?" his lips lingered on the crown of my head as his hands rubbed my shoulders reassuringly. "But you should go see if he's okay…" he sighed "I've gotta be heading back to my dorm anyway. Eugene is out on the town tonight with his drama club friends, so I'll have the place to myself. I should enjoy the peace and quiet while I can."
"I'll call you later." I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled his mouth down to mine for a brief kiss.
During my walk to Rider's my mind was racing with things I could say to Louis. I was hoping things didn't go TOO badly for the poor guy. I was inadvertently involved with this whole debacle even though I was completely against it from the start, but it didn't stop me from feeling guilty. Something obviously happened that caused Louis and Lila's date to end very early. But what? As I got closer to Rider's I picked up my pace, rushing towards the glass door to peek inside and look for Louis. It didn't take long to spot him in the corner of the room, hunched over with his head in his palm. Several empty milkshake cups lay scattered around his table. Taking a deep breath I opened the door and made my way over towards the disheartened mans table. I grabbed the seat next to his and cautiously sat down, "Hey…" I offered lamely.
The only emotion registering on his face right now was one of frustration, "Hey…" he mimicked.
"Do I need to ask? Or are you gonna tell me?"
He seemed to ponder something for several moments, "Everyone teases Arnold's roommate for being a jinx. But really? I'm starting to think I'm the jinx." his fingers tightened around his milkshake cup.
"Tell me what happened, dude…" I took the cup from his hands and moved it away from him.
"I picked her up for dinner, and to start off the night I banged her elbow with the car door. Of course she said that was fine and we went to dinner in good spirits." his facial expression darkened, "So tell me… How does one person manage to spill red wine all over his dates powder blue dress, break her dead mothers necklace, and oh yeah; I caught the end of her hair on fire with the candle that was sitting on our table!" he slammed his fist on the our table.
"You… lit Lila on fire?" the pitch of my voice heightened. He groaned into his palms and nodded, "Well, shit!" I began cackling uncontrollably. Louis on the other hand didn't find this funny at all, he sent me a very angry glare in response. After a moment my laughter subsided, I wiped a few stray tears from my eyes before slinging my arm over his shoulders. "You had a terrible date, sure… but that doesn't mean you're a jinx. Eugene has managed to barbeque his hand in a toaster, fall down an open manhole, and get his testicle bit by a piranha. Eugene somehow always finds the good in every situation! And that means you can't let this experience get to you!"
"Maybe I'm just meant to be a bachelor for the rest of my life." he sighed.
"Aw come on Lou!" I gave him a little shake, "The right girl for you is somewhere out there! Look on the bright side-…. Or some crap like that, I don't know. Positivity is Arnold's forte." I muttered. "Either way, you need to brush this off! Get back up on the saddle-"
"Helga? Oh thank GOD!" an irritating voice called out in the distance. I didn't have to look to know who it was.
"Rhonda." I turned my head towards the annoying sound of her voice. She was pushing her way through the crowds of people at Rider's. "Get lost princess. I have no time for your crap tonight, or ever for that matter."
She shimmied through the crowd until she was at our table. Her hair and clothes were slightly rumpled and she was panting, "I've been avoiding Curly all night! He followed me and my friends to the club and wouldn't leave me alone!" she flicked her wrist in the air "The nerve of that man, I swear! Does he not know when he isn't wanted?"
"I was kind of wondering the same thing." I removed my arm from Louis' shoulder and crossed my arms in front of me. "Now go away!"
"RHONDA MY LOVE! You can run, but you can't hide!" Curly's baritone voice singsonged through Rider's.
"Oh Cuuuuurly!" I hollered.
The top of Curly's head popped up. He began getting closer to us, "Shit!" Rhonda frantically scanned the room before setting her sights on Louis, her lips curved to the side in contemplation.
"My love!" Curly appeared a few feet away from our table.
"Oh, darling!" Rhonda suddenly sprung on Louis, sitting directly in his lap and startling the hell out of him. Her fingers raked through his raven locks before pulling his mouth to hers in a searing kiss for everyone to see.
"WHAT THE FUCK?" I screeched.
Louis remained wide eyed and paralyzed in Rhonda's grasp. Everyone in the room could see her slipping him the tongue. I was physically unable to rip her off of him, I was frozen in shock and horrified all at the same time. My stomach lurched as Louis slowly closed his eyes and began returning her kiss, setting his hands at her waist and angling his head. Curly stood there in horror, mouth agape at the sight of his dream girl making out with another guy. He let out a dramatic 'humph!' and began pushing his way through the crowds again. When I looked back at Louis and Rhonda they were both really getting into that disgusting kiss.
"He's gone Rhonda!" I growled, but the two of them didn't flinch. "I SAID HE'S GONE!" my hand reached over and slapped Louis' arm, finally causing them to break apart. Both of them were panting heavily and giving each other an awkward stare.
"Hi." Louis finally spoke up, still a little breathless. "Louis Ross." he removed his hand from her waist and held it out to her for a handshake. If that wasn't the worst pickup line I've ever heard after making out with a strange girl you haven't known for longer than 2.5 seconds, then I'll be damned.
"Rhonda Wellington Lloyd." she smirked, taking his hand and shaking it softly. "Louis Ross, huh? You're the guy everyone calls 'ass fire', am I right?" All color drained from his face and his mouth hung open slightly.
"Low blow Rhonda… especially since he just made out with you to get rid of Curly. Do us a favor and get lost, okay?" I stood up and pulled her off of Louis' lap. "You used him for your dirty work, now go."
"Why Helga, what kind of person would I be if I didn't compensate such a… handsome gentleman for helping me in my moment of need?"
"Don't even think about it princess." both of us glared at one another, leaning in until we were almost nose to nose. "The only compensation he'll need is money to pay for his insanely expensive herpes treatment after swapping spit with the likes of you."
"Whoa," Louis stood between us with a hand on each of our shoulders. "I can make my own choices Helga. I'm a big boy, I can handle it. But thank you for your concern."
"B-but!"
Rhonda held her hand in front of my face, shushing me. "You heard him Helga." she focused back on Louis with a sugary sweet smile, "Care to join me for drinks? My treat." her eyelids fell into a sultry half lidded gaze. "It's the least I could do."
"Oh crimeny." I growled. "Do you know how many guys she's probably 'taken for drinks'? Come on dude! She's like that first piece of bread in the loaf; everyone puts their hands all over it but nobody really wants it!" Rhonda let out an appalled gasp.
"You're being way harsh Helga." he frowned. "All she's done is ask me to join her for a drink. There's no harm in that."
"You know what? Fine… go out with her for drinks if that's what you want. Just don't come crying to me when she leaves you for someone with a better head of hair, or a better 401-K plan. And oh yeah Lou, keep her away from any open flames!" I grabbed my bag off the table and stormed out.
During my trek back to campus I pulled out my phone and dialed Arnold's number, "Hey baby." he answered enthusiastically. "Is Louis alright? Do you need backup?"
"He's fine Arnoldo." I muttered into the receiver, "Anyway, is Eugene out of the dorm still?"
"Yes…" he paused. "Why? Helga are you SURE everything is okay? You sound irritated."
"I'm peachy. Just fine. Anyway, I'm coming over right now, so put away your dirty magazines and lube."
"WHAT? Helga… I don't do…. That." he took an exponentially long pause after I scoffed at him. "… Well, since we started dating."
"You know what? Change of plans Arnoldo, keep the lube handy. We'll try that… thing." I smiled to myself while trying to picture the look on his face right now. I'd imagine he was thrusting his fist into the air with a large grin plastered all over his face.
He took a deep breath on his end to compose himself, "… See you in a few."
Too bad he didn't know I was kidding.
"I can't believe you're that upset about this Arnoldo." I playfully bounced up and down on Arnold's bed with a grin on my face. His bottom lip was protruding in an obviously disapproving pout and comically bouncing up and down unwillingly with my every jump against the mattress he was currently sitting on. I stopped jumping and knelt down in front of him until he would look at me. My voice took a softer tone, "Arnold, you knew already that I really don't want to do… that." I set my hands on his knees and leaned in for a kiss, plunging my tongue between his perfectly pouted lips. He moved his head away and continued to brood. I was absentmindedly rubbing his kneecaps when I was suddenly struck with an idea. My grin reappeared and I gave his knees a squeeze and slowly began moving my hands towards his upper thighs, kneading the flesh that was hidden underneath his pajama pants as I went. "How about I make it up to you?" My hand brazenly cupped his crotch and gave him a gentle palming.
"I'm not in the mood anymore Helga, stop it." he firmly grabbed my wrist and pulled it away from his groin.
"Are you sure I can't… sway you football head?" I sat up on my knees again and slipped my shirt over my head in one fluid motion. Despite being perturbed with me his eyes raked over the newly exposed skin before looking away quickly with a huff. "Come on Arnold…" I cupped him again with more purpose, running my fingers along his semi hardened shaft. He was desperately trying shy away from my demanding touch. I leaned over him until my lips brushed against his ear "Let me take care of you.." His face contorted in frustration, he was obviously trying to fight his urges. Several of my fingers slipped inside the hole of his pajama bottoms and boxers and sought out his cock, wrapping my fingers around the velvety skin and sending a pleasurable jolt through his body.
"Helga…" he whimpered, followed by a sigh mixed with relief and protest as my fingers released him. I flicked open the button of his pajamas and stuck my whole hand in there to seek out my intended target. I tugged his manhood through the hole and gave him a few gentle strokes, his head flew back against his pillows and his hips arched up off the bed. "B-but… Eugene-… ugh… Eugene could be back any minute Helga."
I continued pumping him at a steady pace and never took my eyes off of him, watching him react to my touch was one of the hottest things I could ever experience. "It isn't like the world hasn't gotten a good look at your junk before, Arnold…" his head snapped up, a weak glare was etched across his face but he was having a hard time keeping up the front while my hands were on him. I released him and laid down between his legs, propping myself up with my elbows on either side of his hips so my face was directly in front of his now fully hardened dick. "So what was that about not being 'in the mood', huh?" I placed a wet kiss against the underside of his shaft, causing him to whimper and twitch helplessly as his hips instinctively thrust towards the warmth of my lips.
His left hand tenderly touched the side of my face, stroking my cheekbone with his thumb as he gazed down at me with half lidded eyes. "I love you, you know that?"
"I know." my lips quirked to the side with a smirk, wrapping my hand around him once again and giving a none too gentle tug and swiftly enveloped him between my lips and teasingly swirling my tongue around him. His hips arched clear off the bed again as his fingers weaved into my hair. I released him with a satisfying pop and smirked at him, "I love you too." his other hand sought mine and laced our fingers together, bringing them to his lips and kissing them. In my eyes he looked absolutely beautiful from this angle, sweat was gathering at his forehead, his chest rising and falling heavily from the stimulation I was giving him.
My right hand splayed across his abdomen, playing with the trail of hairs leading down to his most private area and caressing the powerful muscles that were underneath. His breath began picking up when my lips pressed against the base of his cock and placing open mouthed kisses, purposefully nudging his arousal with my nose and encouraging his uncontrollable breathing and spasms. Arnold sat up on his elbows to get a better look at me, "Baby.." he murmured. With our eyes locked on one another I placed him in my mouth again, slowly taking him in bit by bit. His teeth harshly raked across his lower lip as his eyebrows knitted together, his body tense with concentration. "Shit." he fell back again and covered his mouth with his pillow so he could moan louder without it alerting his neighbors that he was getting some. My fist was back to being wrapped snugly around his erection and moving with the tempo of my mouth, creating the first drops of his orgasm. I pulled my mouth away to collect the clear liquid from the tip and make my hand move with ease at the now slick base. "Oh- OH." his voice was still muffled behind the pillow before he moved it away from his face and tapped the top of my head "I'm close- Mmm… Helga!" he was thrashing wildly at the approach of his impending orgasm.
Knock knock knock knock
"Arnold? HEY ARNOLD!" a familiar voice called from the other side of the door.
Danny…
Arnold's eyes went wide, glancing at the door before glancing at me. Without thinking I stopped and removed myself from his nether regions to sit up. He looked absolutely horrified that I had stopped. "We should answer the door." I whispered.
"But-… what about…" he gestured downward, "We were in the middle of something!"
"Calm down Arnoldo." I held his chin between my thumb and index finger. "I'll get rid of Danny and then…" my hand grasped around his still very much erect penis, eliciting a squeak from him. Danny knocked against the cheap dormitory door with more vigor, "HOLD ON." I threw a pillow over Arnold's erection and stomped over towards the door, unlocking it and swinging the door open.
"HELGA, NO!-" Arnold gasped in horror.
Danny's eyes widened at the sight of me in the doorway. A fox-like grin adorned his face, "Well shit… it's not even my birthday."
"Huh?-" I followed his unwavering lustful gaze only to discover I had answered the door without a shirt on.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Arnold appeared in the doorway and stood between me and Danny so my partial nudity was hidden from him. Arnold had tucked himself back into his pajama bottoms, but his erection was still painfully obvious.
Danny caught sight of it instantly, "I see I've interrupted your freakish sexy time." his eyebrow quirked.
"Not now Danny… Please!" Arnold mouthed something else to him and gestured, but I couldn't tell what exactly he said.
"I'd gladly leave and forget I ever saw your boner again in this lifetime." he held his hand up to keep Arnold's lower region hidden from his peripheral vision. Arnold's hands cupped over himself and subdued the strain in his pants so it was less visible. "Look, I know you might not want to hear this right now… But Gerald never came home after that incident yesterday. I've been calling and texting him all day and haven't heard a word back-"
"What does this have to do with me?" he seethed. The very mention of Gerald's name sent him into a subtle rage. "I'm not his keeper, and I can't help you." he began closing the door but was halted by Danny's strong arms and Converse-clad foot.
"I'm worried about him Arnold. Genuinely worried." He pushed the door open until he could see Arnold's face again. "Things haven't been the same with him since that day in the basement. He feels like Satan's apprentice or something. He can't forgive himself-"
"GOOD." Arnold huffed. "He sabotaged every chance I had with the girl of my dreams for well over a decade. Why should I care-?"
"Because he's your best friend." I finally spoke up, tugging my shirt over my head and stood next to Arnold in the doorway with my arms crossed. "He's been your best friend since you were three years old, Arnold… You do care."
"Helga-" he touched my shoulder, "I don't want to talk about thi-"
"No!" I snapped. "I'm tired of seeing you like this! You're cold and detached when it comes to Gerald. GERALD! The guy who's been by your side all along… how can you just turn a blind eye when there's a possibility that he might need you?" my hand shot out and roughly grabbed his chin, "The Arnold I know and love wouldn't give up on someone regardless of how badly they screwed up."
He gave me a challenging glare before staring down at the ground with a frown. He knew that I was right. "I can't… I just can't Helga. Gerald made his choice all those years ago, and now he has to accept that I won't come back to him with open arms and a smile. He'll have learned nothing at all if I did."
A realization came over me suddenly, "This is about making him feel guilty isn't it Arnold? You WANT him to feel bad!… The way he made you feel after you found out what he did. You're getting revenge!" I turned towards Danny with my hands planted on my hips, "You know what Danny? I'm going to find him. It's about time me and Gerald had our little 'showdown' anyway."
"WHAT?" Arnold grabbed my arm "No. Helga! Why would you do that?"
"Because if you aren't going to step up and be a friend, I will. He may not be my biggest fan, but it doesn't mean I'm not willing to at least try and make amends." I slipped on my shoes and went over to his dresser to find his bottle of mouthwash, taking a large swig and swishing it around in my mouth before spitting it in his trashcan. "Good night Arnold." I pushed him out of the way and stood next to Danny.
"Baby…" his eyes softened. "I don't want you to get yourself tangled up in this mess any more than you already are. Everything is complicated between me and Gerald-"
"Good. Night. Arnold." I said a little harsher and grabbed Danny by his wrist, dragging him towards the staircase in a hasty exit.
"Are you sure that was a smart move Pataki? He's gonna think you chose Gerald over him-"
"Now's not the time to play love doctor, Daniel!" my thoughts were still reeling from the potentially bad situation I just put my relationship into, and another part of me was wondering what happened to Gerald after he left the frat house last night. Where would he go? And why didn't he want to come home? "Danny, you should check the bars around the area just to make sure he isn't on a 24 hour pub crawl or something." I glanced at my watch, it was almost one in the morning. "Hmm…" I glanced up at the scattered stars visible in the sky, "Where would Geraldo go?"
"If we cant find him by morning…" he trailed off "I'm… gonna have to call his… parents."
"Ugh." we both cringed. "Check the bars… I have a few places in mind to look for him. I'll text you if I find him."
My first instinct was to look for Gerald at Mighty Pete, but the more I thought about it I realized there would be only one place in Hillwood that would remind him of simpler, better times. For the first time in well over a month I had to take my car out of its parking space to drive to the other side of town in hopes of finding the tall haired jerk. "Gerald Field." I muttered to myself as I pulled up to our old childhood hangout. After our generation grew up the lot became unkempt again. The trash was kept at a minimum but the grass was overgrown and weeds were running rampant. It was a pitiful sight indeed. "Gerald?" I called out into the dastardly remains of our old vacant lot. Several seconds of silence went by and no sounds could be heard.
As I was walking back to my car I heard a faint "What are YOU doing here?"
I turned on my heels back towards the field, "Gerald?"
"Go away." he growled from somewhere in the overgrown grass, still out of my sight. I forced myself to enter the waist high weeds and grass to try and look for him. I soon realized there was already a path from someone else. It didn't take me long to find Gerald hunched over against the brick wall and looking like he hadn't slept at all. He didn't even bother lifting his head to acknowledge my presence as I drew closer to him, "Why are you here Helga?"
"Because I was the only one besides Arnold who knew where you'd be." I hesitantly sat down next to him against the wall, waiting for him to protest but the protest never came. "Why are you here?"
"I thought maybe I'd waste away in here along with my childhood memories." he muttered darkly.
"Okay, you've been reading too many of those teen romance books Geraldo." I nudged him with my shoulder. "Rotting away wont make you or Arnold feel any better-"
"Is that why you're here? To speak on Arnold's behalf?" he finally turned his head to glare at me. "You should have nothing but unpleasantries to say to me right now anyway Helga. Isn't it what I deserve?"
"No… it isn't… I actually came here for my own reasons if you can believe that."
"Are you gonna knock me unconscious with a random sucker punch to the face like your boyfriend did?" his fingertips brushed against his now healed eye, wincing at the memory of Arnold's fist colliding with it.
"When you first told me, I seriously thought I hated you for what you had done." I waited for him to make eye contact with me before continuing. I wanted to know he was listening to what I had to say, and lets face it… men aren't always the best listeners. His eyes slowly traveled back to mine and I continued, "I was a terrible person towards a lot of people for many years… including you and Arnold. I terrorized you unfairly and in turn it made you resent me to the point of hatred. I grew up to regret being so harsh, and I'd like to think I've made progress towards becoming a better person. I'm not perfect and I'm still a bitch-" I chuckled, "But I've come to realize that second chances can make all the difference for a person... If actually given that chance."
"I don't deserve a second chance." his voice wavered, "And for the record, you're not a bitch. I was wrong to treat you the way I did, and I'm ashamed of the things that happened now that I've had the chance to look back at the way everything went down. You're everything Arnold always wanted and yet I made it my mission to keep both of us away from you for as long as possible." he leaned closer, "I'm genuinely sorry for what I did… to both of you."
"If I can get a second chance in this world, anyone can Gerald. I'm willing to try being friends for real this time around and work things out if you are… And I accept your apology." I offered my hand to him, "So what do you say… friends?" He stared at my hand for a moment before bypassing it completely, holding me loosely in a hug. It was strange for Gerald to be 'touchy feely' with any female whom he wasn't sleeping with, I don't think we had ever hugged since we've known each other. Throwing all logic out the window I returned his hug. Intuition told me he needed the contact with another human being. The past few months have been anything but easy for all of us, and even someone as pompous as Gerald needed a hug sometimes.
We slowly leaned out of the hug and stared at each other awkwardly, "Sorry." a faint blush was visible on his cheeks under the glow of the moonlight.
"Come on," I pushed myself back up to my feet and brushed the dirt off my jeans. "I'll take you home." I could vaguely hear Gerald rustling behind me as he got up to follow.
We got to my car and took off back towards Hillwood U in the dead of night. The car ride was mostly silent up until the moment I was dropping him off in front of the frat house. He leaned against the headrest for several moments with his brow furrowed in contemplation. "Why are you being so nice to me Helga?"
His question caught me off guard. It was a valid question; Why? The first image that came to my mind was Arnold's face from a few weeks back, standing in the rain and holding an umbrella over my head and offering me forgiveness. "I'm paying it forward." Gerald seemed to understand exactly what I meant. With a final nod of his head he exited the car and went back into the frat house. The clock on the dashboard of my car read 2:45, and it was only then that I realized how truly tired I was. It had been a long and emotionally draining day. All I wanted was to crawl into my bed and sleep for three days and forget this nightmare of a day ever happened, forget the image of Louis and Rhonda sucking face, forget the inevitable argument that would ensue with Arnold in the days to come, everything. I parked my car in its usual spot and greeted the campus security guard as I made my way towards Brennan Hall. I trudged upstairs to my dorm with my eyes barely open to slits. You knew you were up late when nobody in my dorm hall was awake. It was eerily silent.
"Home sweet home." I mumbled to myself, swinging my front door open and blearily tumbling inside. I let out an instinctual shriek when I realized I wasn't alone. Arnold flinched at the sound of my scream, "What are you doing here football head? Crimeny!"
Something seemed off about him as he sat perched at the end of my bed, but I couldn't quite place what it was. "It's the middle of the night, Helga. I wanted to make sure you came home safe." he stood up and came over to me and pulled me into an embrace. I snuggled into him and closed my eyes as his nose pressed into my neck and nuzzled me softly. "Did you find him?" he murmured.
For all the denial and 'hatred' Arnold had been showing for Gerald, his question only proved to me that he did care about him somewhere deep down inside, even if he didn't realize it now. "He was at Gerald Field." I pulled my head away from his neck and stroked his cheek with the back of my fingers, "Will you stay with me tonight?… Please?" He nodded, wordlessly walking us hand in hand towards the bed and crawling under the covers. I didn't even care that I was still in my jeans. All I wanted was for Arnold to hold me in his arms and help me forget about today. I laid on my side with my back towards him and used his bicep as my pillow while he spooned me. I was surrounded by his comforting scent and warmth, finally in the place I loved the most. Tomorrow we could deal with all the drama and hysteria of our day to day lives, but for now, this was all that mattered. I leaned into his body and let out a dreamy sigh, he moved almost robotically in response to accommodate my cuddling, tightening his grip at my waist. "I love you." I whispered into the silence of my dorm room. As I began drifting off to sleep, it suddenly hit me…
He didn't say anything back.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnd, end scene!
Holy freakin CRAPPOLA. I have been working on this thing pretty much daily ever since I made the announcement of the sequel. That being said; my brain is now a splattered mess on the floor. (haha)
As for what you just read: I do not blame anyone for saying "what the hell just happened right now?" There was A LOT to take in while reading this chapter. Every character has something going on at the moment, and its kind of all up in the air as to where they might land. Needless to say, I DO have a plan for everyone.
The OC's (Danny, Louis) have a bigger role this time around. But I assure you their storylines all weave into the Arnold/Helga storyline in some way. And also: Phoebe WILL be coming along shortly, because you know our favorite Japanese American will have something to say about Gerald being a naughty bastard. And as for Jason? You'll just have to wait and see…. Muahahahahaha!
Anyway, I'd love to hear from everyone! (positivity if possible! Haha) I don't think my heart could take blatant hate right now. A lot of my time went into this and I want to make it the best I can for you! This sequel is only being made because so many of you wanted it! I hope I did it some justice so far ;)
PS: I've skimmed over this thing the entire time I wrote it, but knowing me there's tons of mistakes. (hehe)... don't hold it against me!