A/N: Hey guys. Sorry for such a poorly revised chapter- I'm really busy with assignments! Stupid university. Getting close to the end now. I just want to thank all the people who reviewed after the last chapter. Apparently promises of virtual cake work wonders. This time if you review, I'll give you virtual puppies. VIRTUAL PUPPIES, GUYS. Enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! NOTHING!

Arnold sat on Lila's bed, watching the ceiling. She had photographs glue-tacked to the plaster, pictures of friends from her home who she was anxious to return to. The corner of one of the pictures, a picture of a Lila and a girl with big teeth, had broken away from the glue-tack and hung loosely, threatening to take the rest of the photograph with it.

It made Arnold incredibly angry. A part of him wanted to take down the photograph altogether and shred it.

The toilet in the next room flushed, bringing Arnold out from his trance. He looked away from the annoying photograph and listened to the sound of Lila washing her hands, waiting for her to appear from around the corner. When she did, she smiled sweetly and sat on the bed with him, intertwining her hands with his.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked, and Arnold sighed heavily, taking his hand from hers and running them through his hair.

"Nothing. Everything is fine,"

"Come on, Arnold. Tell me what's wrong,"

Arnold sighed and flopped back on the bed. "Uh… well, it's Helga. She…"

"Is pregnant, I heard. Why is that bothering you?"

"She's not pregnant!" Arnold snapped angrily, and then lowered his defences. "I mean, it was just a rumour. I asked her about it, and she said she bought a pregnancy test, but that she wasn't pregnant. She won't talk to me, Lila. I don't know what to do," he muttered. Lila looked away and rolled her eyes, not intending for Arnold to see, but he did.

"Well, Arnold, have you considered minding your own business?" she said delicately, and Arnold frowned.

"Uh…"

"Look. Helga is obviously going through some personal stuff, and if she doesn't want you helping her through it, there's nothing you can do. If she asks for help, of course you should do what you can. Otherwise, I'd just leave her alone. Who knows? Maybe when she's done going through all this stuff, you and her can be friends again. Just give her time," Lila said, and Arnold sighed heavily. He had to admit she was probably right, he didn't know what was going on in her life.

"You're right, Lila. I just… you don't understand. I don't know why she would suddenly shut me out like that," he said sadly, and Lila brushed a stray hair from his face.

"Well… there is something I do understand…" she murmured, and before Arnold had any idea what she was talking about her eyes were closed and she was kissing him. And not a peck, like Arnold was used to. Lila deepened the kiss, and as Arnold kissed her back Helga slipped from his mind. Butterflies took off in his stomach as he enjoyed one of his first real kisses. His hand gently grasped the back of her head and he propped himself up on his spare arm, kissing her further. Eventually he found himself on top of her, and she, while still kissing him, was taking his hand and placing it on her breast. Just when he was about to ask if she was sure it was okay, she said it. Her lips parted from his, breaking the kiss only slightly as she spoke the words that caused Arnold to tear away from her, raise his voice, listen, heartbroken as she explained what happened. Arnold left the hotel in a huff, his eyes puffy and red. He walked away from the hotel in a slump, his shoulders slouched as he walked, his mind whirring. Helga, Lila, it didn't matter. It seemed like there was nothing right at the moment. He thought about whether or not to call Gerald, or go home and seek advice from Grandpa, but instead he found himself just continuing to walk, to nowhere in particular. And then he was running. Running from everything. And, for a moment, he stopped caring. Stopped caring about what Lila had said, about why Helga was angry. His mind emptied as his mind focused on making his body move, faster and faster, until the world was just a blur, and he didn't hear Mr. Green call out to say hello, and he didn't see the pot plant that he aggressively kicked over. He didn't see the road come up before him, and he didn't hear the truck as it hit the breaks to avoid him. He didn't see Helga, crouched behind the bushes in the park. He didn't notice Gerald, who called out for him to slow down. He didn't see Grandpa and Mr Hyunh's checker table, or the sidewalk near Gerald field that snagged his shoe, and sent him flying face first into the pavement.

His heart pounding, and head throbbing, it was all Arnold could do to drag himself off the pavement and onto the grassy field, where he laid his head in the grass and listened to the wind rush past his face. If he cried, no one saw him.

Helga stood motionless for a while, watching the spot where Arnold had just been. He was there and gone so fast, but it hadn't stopped her from seeing his eyes, red and bloodshot. She had crawled out from behind the bush and watched as Gerald called out to his best friend to stop, only to have Arnold keep on racing past. Both Helga and Gerald stood, only a few meters apart, watching as Arnold kept speeding past and out of their sight. Gerald seemed to sigh after a while, and turned around to resume whatever he was doing. He spotted her, and Helga sighed. She hadn't really wanted to be seen, not even by the speedy Arnold. The school week had been incredibly painful, what with glares, yells across classrooms, people throwing things at her, and, of course, avoiding Arnold at all costs, so much that she wagged History class a couple times just so she wouldn't have to risk meeting his gaze. It hurt her too much. Being at home was no good, either. Of course, her parents didn't know about the test or the rumours, but she didn't like it there either. She just wanted some time alone in the park to write in her two books, both the blue and the pink.

Gerald was making his way over to her. Helga found herself tossing up between the options- should she stay and listen to whatever he wanted to say to her, or risk making a run for it? Incredibly tempted to do the latter, Helga decided she may as well stand her ground. No matter what Gerald could say, it couldn't hurt her any more than her conversation with Arnold had a few days previous.

"Hey Helga,"

"Hey, Tall-hair boy. What can I do for ya?"

"I was just going to ask if you knew what that was all about?" Gerald asked, jerking his thumb in the direction Arnold had run off in. Helga shook her head.

"No. No idea. Is that all?" Helga spat, wondering if he was just going to hurry up and ask her the question that was on everyone's mind- are you pregnant?

"Well, no," Gerald answered, taking a step closer and straightening himself up, so that he towered over her.

"Well, this is it! My home," Ryan said cheerfully, and Helga looked around. She had sobered up from the walk and the run, but only a little. Had she really agreed to go to his house? She must have, or why else would she be there?

"It's… nice," she guessed, and Ryan laughed.

"Yeah, it's not much, but it'll do. Come on, let me show you inside. I have a bathroom?" Ryan suggested, and Helga realised that she did need to pee, quite badly. She made it to his doorway before he did, and as soon as the key turned the lock she was inside and in his bathroom. As she urinated she realised properly how drunk she was. Bathroom toilets weren't very comfortable. She finished her business, took note of how unclean the bathroom was as she washed her hands, and wandered back into the living room, taking in for the first time his living/bedroom/kitchen. It was an incredibly small place, but still, it was alright for a college student.

"Let me give you the grand tour… okay done!" Ryan joked, and Helga laughed, accepting the drink he handed her without question. Not that she needed more to drink, but she figured she may as well. She'd gone this far. She had barely managed to finish the drink when Ryan was pushing her up against the wall, kissing her ferociously. She kissed him back, until she realised his hand had moved to her breast.

"Whoa, back up," she said, wanting to back up herself but being against the wall and not having much choice but to stand still. "We don't want things to get out hand, right?"

Ryan stood up tall, his charming smile still planted on his lips as he towered over her, looking down, a gentle hand moving a piece of hair from her face.

"You're right, sorry; I guess the alcohol took over a little. Want another drink?" he offered, and was already at the bench making her one. She swayed a little, and started edging towards the door. Something about this was starting to feel funny, like how drunk she was, and, she only just realised, how not-drunk Ryan was.

"Uh… I think that's probably enough. I should probably…" her hand fell on the doorknob when he towered over her again, his structure tall and broad. He took her hand from the doorknob and placed the drink in her hand.

"Come on, I'm sorry. Just stay for one more drink, and I'll show you that TV show I was telling you about. Just one episode, what's the worst that could happen?"

Helga's flashback was there and over so quickly, Gerald was still trying to choose the right words by the time it was done. She desperately clutched the books in her hand to her chest, and tried to breathe deeply. She just had to wait through Gerald, and then she could deal with the memory on her own.

"Listen, Helga," Gerald finally came up with, and Helga shook her head slightly to clear it. "I want to talk to you about Arnold, actually. Now, I know it's none of my business, but don't you think you're acting a little rashly by shutting him, let alone everyone, out of your life like that? I mean, he just wants to help you, Helga," Gerald said, and Helga scoffed. So it wasn't about being pregnant, which was a relief, at least.

"You're right Gerald; it is none of your business. Arnold and I are much more complicated than you could understand. You wouldn't understand why…"

"I know you like him," Gerald interrupted, and Helga froze mid speech. Suddenly she had no words, and even Ryan and the flashback were temporarily gone. Gerald knew. Phoebe told him? No, she wouldn't risk the friendship. Then how did he…? "No, I haven't told him, and no, he doesn't know. No one told me, if that's what that face is about. When you're best friends with someone, you notice when people like them. I bet you noticed when I liked Phoebe?" Gerald suggested, and Helga gulped. Take it easy, Helga…

"Uh… I guess so…"

"Now, I don't know what the deal about this pregnancy thing is, and I know it's not Arnold's doing. But why don't I ask you something? Do you really think you're going to get closer to Arnold by pushing him away? Arnold doesn't care… okay, well, maybe he does," Gerald looked behind him to where Arnold had been, his face growing sadder with concern. "But, he wouldn't let that stand between anything you and him might one day have. I think you and Arnold would be great, and I'm not just being nice or a bad friend when I tell you that I think you have a chance," Gerald told her, and Helga felt her heart suddenly soar. Through the trees, over the mountains, into the waterfalls. A chance with Arnold, as told by Arnold's best friend.

"…but you won't have a chance if you keep this up. I know he's with Lila, but she's not right for him! And you! You're making him so mopey all the time!" Gerald was yelling now, and Helga felt herself wanting to retreat. Tall, yelling men was something she had more than enough of. "You're making the kid miserable, and all he wants to do is be your friend! If you don't want to talk to him about being pregnant or not being pregnant or whatever, then that's fine! Just… stop shutting him out, alright? You're hurting him!" Gerald snapped, and turned to stomp off. Just as he was almost out of earshot, he turned to face her.

"Oh, and stop avoiding Phoebe, too! She misses her best friend," he snapped, and stomped off. Helga stood awkwardly for a while, books still tight to her chest, and she exhaled deeply.

Guess she was wrong about what Gerald said not upsetting her like Arnold did. She had never taken the time to consider what her actions might be doing to him. She, for some reason, imagined him angry, or maybe even sad for just a little while, when she stormed off on him. But the way Gerald described it; it made it sound like she was really getting to the kid. She didn't want that. She bit her lip as rainclouds threatened overhead, and sighed, beginning to walk in the same direction as Arnold had. She let her thoughts swim on the walk over to him, the memory of Ryan, everything Gerald had said. She even managed to send a text message to Phoebe, apologising for acting so distant, to which Phoebe forgave instantly and asked her around for a movie the next night. She only made it a few blocks when the rain started, not heavily, but enough to dampen her clothes considerably and send a chill straight to the bone by the time she got to Gerald field.

Arnold was no longer lying down, but rather standing, and aimlessly throwing the ball at the wall opposite him. Helga gulped and made her way over to him, the mud squelching beneath her shoes as she stepped. She approached Arnold and stood a few feet behind him, biting her lip anxiously.

"What're you doing in the rain, Arnold?" she asked him, wondering if he had even noticed she was there.

"I could ask you the same question," is all he answered back with, and Helga sighed.

"Uh… what's wrong?" she ventured, not really knowing what else to say.

"Why do you care?" the ball smacked the wall with a thud, sending droplets spraying from it, before it bounced straight back into Arnold's hand. He seemed angry. Helga wanted to run away, but she had to apologise, at least.

"Um… I'm sorry for treating you how I did. I just… I'm not sure how to deal with things right now," she said awkwardly, and Arnold threw the ball so hard that it bounced off the wall and landed behind them somewhere. He turned to face her, frowning.

"So instead of treating me like a friend you treated me like a nemesis? Come on Helga, what did I do wrong?" he asked, and Helga sighed, looking at her feet.

"You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who did everything wrong," she muttered, and Arnold rearranged his cap to keep the water from splashing directly into his eyes. Helga wished she had something; she was blinking like crazy trying to keep the water out. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a bad person,"

"Well, then do you want to tell me what's been bothering you for weeks?"

Helga bit her lip and turned her face away from him.

"I… I can't,"

"Yet you have to nerve to ask me what's wrong?"

"I was just worried about you,"

"Exactly what I've been doing about you," Arnold wandered off, supposedly looking for the ball. Helga trailed along behind him, pretending to look but not really doing it. In her mind she was trying to think of something to say, something that might make it all right, but only one thing came to mind. The truth. But she couldn't do it, not right now...

"His name was Ryan," she spat out, and Arnold turned to look at her. She felt her voice catching in her throat, but she struggled to continue. "I met him at a club that I used my fake ID to sneak me into. I told my parents I would be at Phoebes, but really I just wanted to get away from them, and their shouting. It… he…" Helga couldn't continue. Tears threatened at her eyes, and she only hoped Arnold would think it was the raindrops. No such luck, of course. Arnold's arms were around her within moments, and Helga sniffed and hugged him back, letting the rain wash any stray tears away. She still hadn't cried since the moment in the shower the morning after the incident, and she didn't want to give Ryan the satisfaction of any more than that.

"Come on," Arnold said, breaking the hug at last. "I have hot chocolate at home. Let's go warm up," he said, and Helga nodded timidly. Suddenly she was so afraid. The idea of telling Arnold- only telling Arnold half of it- was far less scary in the rain, in the outside. The idea of being inside, being able to see and hear everything clearly… it was almost too much to bear. Arnold's hand in hers as they crossed the street calmed her almost to the point of happiness.

Arnold's house was surprisingly quiet for once, the rain being the only sound that entered through the walls. As Arnold made them hot chocolate Helga dried her hair and tried to dry her shirt- she really had gotten soaked- Helga built up the courage to ask the question.

"So… how are things with Lila?"

"Over," Arnold replied flatly, and Helga resisted dancing right there in the chair behind him.

"Oh, why?" she did her best to sound convincing. But, truthfully, it was by far the best news she'd heard all day. "Is that why you were out in the rain?"

"Yeah, it was. And… well, if I'm honest, she and I were making out…" Yuck. Thanks for that, Helga thought bitterly "and… she said Arnie's name,"

Helga's mouth dropped open.

"She what!"

"You know my cousin. The weird one who quite liked you, and lint,"

"Yeah, I remember him… so; she was just using you because she thought she could pass you off for him? That freak?"

Arnold laughed a little. "Yeah, I guess so. I don't think she realised she was doing it until she said the name either. I just… I don't really know what to think about it,"

"Well, hurt for one," Helga suggested, and Arnold laughed.

"Yeah, that's for sure. Come on, let's take these upstairs," he handed her the hot chocolate and the two of them made their way to the bedroom in silence. One they were in and the door was closed, Helga sat herself on the edge of Arnold's bed and drank the warm liquid gratefully. It sure warmed her up.

"You know, even though I liked Lila…" Arnold said, taking off his wet jumper and his soaked through shirt. "I think I mostly just liked the memory of her. I mean, I definitely liked her, but, now we've broken up, I don't think I liked her as much as I thought I did. I think I was more upset about how you'd been treating me than her saying my cousins name," Arnold pulled on a dry shirt and pulled on a jacket over the top, and that's when Helga realised she hadn't really been listening. Arnold had never changed like that in front of her, and she'd remember if he did, and she couldn't help but stare. She swore, every time she saw him without a shirt on he only got more attractive.

"Well… that's odd," was all she could come up with, and Arnold looked at her shivering on the bed.

"Here," he dug into his cupboard and threw a jumper at her. "I think that's the smallest I have. Put it on and I'll go dry our clothes. Here, I won't look," Arnold turned around and Helga looked at the jumper, hugging it briefly before stripping her own jumper and shirt and pulling it on. It smelled just like Arnold, she wished she could keep it forever.

"Decent," she said when she was sure she was, and Arnold caught the clothes she threw at him and went downstairs to dry them. Alone in Arnold's room for a few moments, Helga laid down on his bed and let another choke escape her lips before sighing heavily and smiling. Even now, after being in Arnold's room a number of times, Helga still relished it. As soon as she heard his footsteps on the stairs Helga sat back upright and pretended like she had never moved.

"Shouldn't take long," Arnold said and sat on the bed beside her. For a while, they sat in silence and sipped their drinks, letting themselves get warm. "So…" Arnold finally asked, "Is it okay if I ask about this Ryan guy?"

Helga hesitated. For a moment she wanted to throw the hot beverage on the floor and tell him to mind his own business. But instead she just nodded.

"Well… was he a boyfriend of yours I didn't know about?"

"No, he wasn't,"

"So it was a one night stand?"

"In a way,"

"Have you heard from him since?"

"No,"

"Do you wish you would?"

"No,"

They sat in silence for a moment longer. Helga sipped her drink, wishing Arnold would be done already, but knowing there were probably a lot more questions to come. Questions she would either answer, or act calmly about. It was like Gerald said. You don't have to talk; you just have to be friends.

"So, um… why'd you do it?"

The question caught Helga off guard. While she tried to think of an answer she realised it was a question she had been avoiding herself. Why had she let everything happen, happen? Why did she let him get her drunk, take her to his house, upstairs and give her more drinks?

"I guess… I guess…"

"You don't have to answer if you don't have one,"

"No, Arnold, I do. I just…" she sighed and bit her lip. "I guess I just wanted… something. Guys never pay any attention to me, at least not in that way, and my family is always fighting and you…" Helga stopped short. She had almost told Arnold that she was upset about getting nowhere with him! "You were someone I didn't think I could talk to about it," she covered, and Arnold put his cup down on the bedside table.

"But Helga, any guy would be lucky to have you! Why did you feel the need to go so far? Did it at least make you feel better?" he asked, as if not really knowing what questions to ask himself.

"No. It made me feel worse than I've ever felt before," Helga answered, and Arnold fell silent. Helga downed the rest of her chocolate and turned to face him, crossing her legs on the bed.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Sure,"

"The night at Rhonda's, you kissed me. Why?" she asked, and Arnold blushed a deep red.

"I told you, because I was drunk,"

"I know that, but even in your drunken brain there must have been a reason of some sort,"

"I guess… I guess I wanted to," he answered, and Helga nodded, realising this was the best possible answer she could get from the question. "I have another one," Arnold said, and finished his own drink before asking. "Was he kind to you?"

"What?"

"You know… did he make sure it wouldn't hurt and that you were comfortable?" Trust Arnold to ask a question like that.

"No, it wasn't like that at all,"

"So it did hurt then?"

"More than anything,"

"Why didn't you tell him to stop?"

Suddenly the conversation was out of hand. Helga fought away the tears and shook her head. "I think I'm done talking about it, Arnold,"

"Helga… you know, no matter what, I'll never judge you on what you did,"

"How come you're so inquisitive?"

"I guess… I don't know. It hurt me when I found out it'd happened, I suppose. Maybe it was finding out through hearing you were pregnant. I don't know, something about it stung me," Arnold sighed and tried to lay backwards on the bed, but instead whacked his head on the shelves behind him. Helga had to laugh.

"I remember when I was small enough to do that and have bed room to spare," he grumbled, rubbing the sore spot, and Helga smiled.

"Arnold?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry again for being so terrible,"

"That's okay. I just don't understand one thing,"

"What's that?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why be mean to me, act like I was an enemy of yours? You said I did nothing wrong and that it was all you- but if what you said about it being before Rhonda's party is true then it can't have been about that," he twisted his face a little in confusion. "Why were you being mean?"

Helga bit her lip. It's okay, Helga. You can do this. "I guess…" she started. "I guess… I mean … I guess I was angry, jealous maybe. Of you and Lila, and that I couldn't have something like that," she stammered, and Arnold smiled sadly.

"Helga, you should never think things like that. You'll find the perfect guy one day, and he'll treat you how you should be treated. The next time you do it, it'll be special… and hopefully you won't have a scare," he said a little awkwardly, and Helga forced an obviously fake laugh. They sat awkwardly as the rain became heavier on Arnold's roof, and Helga smiled a little inside herself at the sound.

"So, can we be friends again?" Helga asked, still looking at the ceiling. "I didn't realise how much I missed having you around until today,"

"I did. I missed you every day. Every day I tried to think of something that would make you like me again, but nothing ever came. You can be a cold person when you want to be,"

"I know, I'm sorry,"

"You've said that a few times, and I told you its okay. I'd love to be friends with you again, but on one condition,"

"Yeah?"

"Don't ever shut me out again like that. No matter what,"

"It's a deal, Arnold," Helga answered, smiling, and laid down on the bed next to Arnold to watch the rain hit the ceiling. For a long time neither of them said or did anything, just watched the rain fall onto the glass paned roof, finally smiling as Arnold slipped his hand into hers.

A/N: As promised, here is cake. *Virtual cake*