So sorry for not updating, everyone. I finally got this chapter finished. The next won't take as long. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Read and Review.

8.) Home

As August gave way to September, Arnold and Helga became increasingly pensive and the other students noticed. Rumors quickly began to circulate that their relationship was going south, but neither paid the talk much attention. Phoebe and Gerald however, did pay attention and decided to ask their friends what, if anything, was going on.

On Friday of the first week of September, as the bell rang for lunch period, Phoebe and Gerald caught up with Helga and Arnold as they were walking toward the cafeteria.

"Helga, Arnold, we need to talk to the two of you," Phoebe said.

"What is it this time Phoebe?" Helga asked.

"Not here, outside on the playground. That way, we'll have more privacy," she said.

As they got their plates and moved through the line, the four heard the other students talking in low voices.

"You think they'll break up?" Eugene asked Sheena.

"Honestly, I'm surprised they lasted this long. I expected them to last maybe a week or two, but they've kept this going for nearly four months," Rhonda said softly, glancing at the pair.

"Well, I think it proves that they were telling the truth when they said they loved each other," Sheena said.

"I don't know. Why have they been looking so downcast lately?" Nadine asked.

"Maybe they're just getting tired of each other," Curly whispered.

"Let's hope they work out whatever issues they're having. I hate to see couples break up ever so much," Lila said.

"Maybe they're not having any issues. If they were, we would've heard them arguing," Harold said.

"Harold's actually got a point. Helga's not one to pull punches. If she were upset with Arnold, everyone would know," Rhonda said.

"Well something is going on with those two and whatever it is, let's just hope it doesn't blow up and we start hearing them having lover's quarrels every day," Sid said.

"Amen to that. The last thing I wanna see is them bickering with each other over petty nonsense," Rhonda said.

The couple walked with their best friends out of the cafeteria without showing any reaction.

"Are they any issues in your relationship that you want to tell us about?" Phoebe asked.

"No, things are going fine," Helga said.

"Then what's with the melancholy attitude all of a sudden?" Gerald asked.

"Neither of us are melancholy," Arnold insisted.

"Arnold, I've seen the two of you exchange sad smiles every day for the past two weeks. You sigh constantly and Helga's a lot quieter than she usually is," Gerald said.

Arnold and Helga looked at each other and smiled sheepishly.

"I guess we were a little bit too obvious," Arnold said.

"What's up guys?" Gerald asked.

Arnold sighed and looked at Gerald and Phoebe.

"When Helga and I agreed that she would move into the boarding house, it was under the condition that none of her family was able to take care of her."

"So it was a last resort kind of thing?" Gerald asked.

"Yeah," Arnold said.

"How long was this arrangement going to be for?" Phoebe asked.

"Since my mom was going to be in rehab for four months, we assumed that's how long I'd be staying," Helga said.

"What about your sister Olga? Doesn't she usually come home for the summer?" Phoebe asked.

"Normally yes, but she said that with Bob incarcerated and Miriam in rehab, she wouldn't have enough money to support me and pay the bills because she wouldn't be working so she figured she'd just stay in Alaska."

"Couldn't she get a summer job?" Gerald asked.

"What summer job do you know that pays all the costs of living?" Helga asked.

"Point taken."

"So, what exactly is the problem?" Phoebe asked.

"Helga's mom is going to be getting out of rehab in the next couple of weeks and that means Helga is going to have to go home as soon as her mom gets a steady job. To be blunt, I kinda don't want her to go," Arnold said.

"And I don't really want to leave either," Helga said.

"You've probably just gotten used to living there," Gerald said.

"It's not just that, Gerald."

Gerald, Phoebe and Arnold all looked at Helga in surprise.

"You actually called me by my name," Gerald said.

"Well, since you're Arnold's best friend, I thought I'd better start calling you by your name since I don't think the football head would appreciate me calling you tall hair boy all the time."

Gerald looked at Arnold. "Arnold, are you sure this is the real Helga?"

"Yes."

"What? Would you prefer I go back to your old name?" Helga asked.

"No. I was just taken aback; that's all. Although now that you mention it, how come you still call Arnold 'football head'?"

"It's more of a pet name than an insult now," Arnold said.

"Anyway, living with Arnold is a hell of a lot better than living with my trainwreck of a family," Helga said, her eyes downcast and her expression crestfallen.

"But with your mom sober, things will get better right? At least as far as your relationship with her goes," Arnold said.

"I hope so. The whole reason Miriam drank was to cope with her unhappiness in being married to Big Bob so with him out of the picture, maybe she'll actually stay sober."

"Come on Helga, I know your mom being drunk probably didn't make life easy, but it wouldn't make your house unlivable," Gerald said.

"You have to remember Gerald, that Helga was also being beaten by her father last semester as well," Phoebe said.

"Okay, so I take back what I said. But you Arnold, you don't want her to leave because you like having your girlfriend so close, right?" Gerald was smirking.

"Pretty much. I like being able to spend time with her so easily."

"Well, you can still spend time together, even if she's not living in your house. You go to the same school," Phoebe said.

"Yeah."

Arnold and Helga spent the rest of September enjoying each other's company like they had been. The only differences were that Helga didn't go over to Phoebe's and Arnold finally got Helga to sleep in the bed with him as a favor, though they got funny looks from Phil in the morning. In the final week of the month, Miriam was discharged from rehab and was to pick up Helga on Friday.

When Friday morning came, the two greeted each other smiling like always, but they were the melancholy smiles that Gerald had been observing recently.

"So…are you ready?" Arnold asked.

She nodded.

"You got everything packed?" he asked.

"Yep," she said.

"Good…"

"I guess we should get dressed and go eat breakfast," Helga said.

"Yeah."

Each waited outside the door while the other got dressed and then they headed to the kitchen.

"Morning, short man," Phil said when he saw them.

"Morning, grandpa," Arnold said.

Helga said nothing as she poured herself a bowl of Fruit Loops.

"Good morning Arnold," Gertrude said as she walked in.

"Morning, grandma," he said with a smile.

"Pookie, you're late. What took you?" Phil asked.

"I saw a huge roach crawl out from under the bed and I had to chase it around the room before I finally nailed the sucker."

"You didn't break anything, did you?"

"Of course not. The only thing broken is that disgusting bug's carcass."

Gertrude looked to her left and noticed Helga. "Good morning dear," she said.

"Good morning," Helga said, forcing a smile.

Gertrude walked over to the refrigerator and got out an apple before sitting down at the end of the table. Helga and Arnold ate their cereal in silence before strapping their backpacks on and walking out of the kitchen.

"Arnold seemed quieter than usual this morning," Gertrude said to Phil once she was sure the kids were out of earshot.

"It's probably cause today is the last day his girlfriend is going to be staying with us," Phil said.

"I see. He wants her to stick around, huh?"

"Yep. I feel kinda bad for her actually, what with her family situation."

"Well, with a sober mother, hopefully, her situation will improve."

Arnold and Helga's walk to school was just as silent as their breakfast had been. They occasionally glanced at each other, but never said anything. Both were fully aware of how awkward it was between them since neither wanted to bring up the subject of Helga leaving. When he saw PS 118 come into view, Arnold stopped and turned to his girlfriend.

"Why are we stopping?" Helga asked.

"Before we go in, let's put on a happy façade for everyone so at least we won't have to hear the other kids constantly whispering about us breaking up," Arnold said.

"I thought we didn't care what the other kids said about our relationship."

"We don't, but after enduring a whole month of gossiping, it'd be nice to shut them up for one day."

"Good point," she said with a smirk.

Arnold held out his right hand to her and she took it. Smiling at each other, they walked the remaining distance to the school grounds and into the building. The other kids stared as the couple walked down the hall. When they reached their respective lockers, Phoebe walked up to Helga.

"Well, you and Arnold seem to be in better spirits," she said.

"Yeah. We realized there's no point in dwelling on me leaving so we just decided to enjoy the time we still have together in Arnold's house."

"That's a good attitude Helga."

It's also a complete crock.

Once Helga finished putting the supplies she didn't need in her locker, she, Phoebe and Arnold went to class. When Gerald saw Arnold and Helga, he immediately noticed the difference in their countenance.

"So, it looks like you got over your melancholy spell," Gerald said to Arnold when he sat down at his desk.

"Yep. Phoebe was right; we can still visit each other and as long as I have a way to be close to her, I'm happy."

"Man, when did you get so mushy?" Gerald asked, giving Arnold a disapproving look.

"Hey, it's what love does to you."

Mr. Simons walked in a few seconds later.

"Alright class, take out your notebooks. We'll be discussing the chapters of Pride & Prejudice you were supposed to read from Wednesday."

As she got her notebook out, Phoebe looked over at Helga. "You know Helga, as I was reading the chapters, I couldn't help but compare your relationship with Arnold to the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy. Do you see any similarities?"

"Not really Phoebe. I see a lot of similarities between Elizabeth and myself, but the dynamic she has with Darcy is really different from what Arnold and I share."

"How so?"

"Those two are always dancing around each other, both literally and figuratively. Constantly flirting with each other in a teasing and sometimes insulting manner. And that's before they get together. Nothing like Arnold and me."

"I assume you mean before you two became a couple," Phoebe said.

"Right."

"Today, we're going to split off into pairs. I want each pair of students to discuss a particular topic from the novel from what we've read so far. I'll be supplying the topics for each pair."

"Can we pick our own partners?" Sid asked.

"Of course," Mr. Simmons said, smiling.

Arnold and Helga smiled at each other knowingly. Phoebe giggled and Gerald rolled his eyes. Arnold moved his desk next to Helga's while Gerald moved his next to Phoebe.

"Hey Rhonda, you want to be my partner?" Harold asked.

"Forget it fatty, she's going to my partner!" Curly said.

"Excuse me?" Rhonda said, glaring at the shorter boy.

"Back off you crazy midget! I asked her first!" Harold said.

"She's mine!" Curly stepped on top of his desk and pointed a finger accusingly at Harold. "Foolish mortal! You have no idea of the wrath with which you trifle!"

"Curly, sit down!" Rhonda said firmly.

"But my sweet, I was merely-"

"SIT DOWN." Rhonda's voice was almost a shout and her glare had intensified.

Curly hung his head dejectedly and did as he was told.

Still glaring, Rhonda lowered her gaze to Curly's face. "Now, listen carefully. Harold did ask me to be his partner first. I might have considered being your partner had you done me the same courtesy instead of being presumptuous and behaving like a deranged lunatic. The next time you want to me to do something with you, be a little more considerate and act a little more sane."

She turned her attention to Harold and smiled. "As to your request Harold, I would love to be your partner."

Harold smiled back at her and moved his desk next to hers.

"Seems like Rhonda is the only one that can control Curly," Gerald said.

"What do you expect? The little freak is head over heels for her," Helga said.

"Oh you mean like you're head over heels for Arnold?" Gerald asked her with a smirk.

Helga scowled at him. "Watch it bucko. Just because you're Arnold's best friend, don't think I won't hesitate to clock you if you step out of line."

Gerald put his hands up defensively. "Sheesh girl, I was just teasing. Lighten up."

Helga gave him another death glare before turning her attention to Arnold. Sheena and Eugene had paired up and Nadine decided to be partners with Lila since Rhonda was unavailable. Sid and Stinky had paired up as well. Curly was partners with the only other student who wore glasses, Iggy.

Mr. Simmons surveyed the students and once he was satisfied, he gave out the topics. Arnold and Helga's topic was the significance of the title of Pride & Prejudice to the relationship between Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy.

"Well, this should be easy. Elizabeth has a bad impression of Darcy when she first meets him and that first impression colors her view of him and what others tell her about him," Helga said.

"Right, and she's unwilling to see anything other than the bad things about him because of her stubbornness so she interprets everything she hears about him in a negative light to reinforce her initial judgment of his character," Arnold added.

Suddenly, Helga chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Arnold asked.

"I was just thinking, you were the exact opposite of Elizabeth when it came to me. Whereas she insists on only seeing the bad in Darcy, you always insisted on seeing the good in me."

Arnold smiled. "Well, my first impression of you was completely different from Elizabeth's first impression of Darcy. When I first met you, I saw a cute girl who was a little shy, but nice as far as I could tell."

Helga's expression changed to one of surprise. "You thought I was cute?" she asked.

"Yeah. In fact, I still do."

"Alright you two, you're supposed to be working, not flirting," Gerald said.

Arnold gave his best friend a playful glare. "You're not exactly one to talk Gerald. I've heard you doing some flirting of your own with Phoebe."

"I can multitask," Gerald said.

"Well so can I," Arnold said.

"Fair enough. Carry on."

"What's with his teasing all of a sudden?" Helga asked.

"He just likes giving me a hard time since he never thought we'd be together. Don't pay it any attention." Arnold said. "Anyway, we've covered Elizabeth; what about Darcy?"

"Well, Darcy is obviously trying to convince himself that he doesn't love Elizabeth because to marry her would reflect badly on his family's reputation. So his pride would come from not wanting to admit that he has feelings for her."

"But I don't see where prejudice comes in with him," Arnold said.

"I don't think there has to necessarily be prejudice on his side since Elizabeth has shown it. As long as both are present in one party, it's fine," Helga said.

"I guess you're right."

Ten minutes after they went to work, Mr. Simmons stopped his class.

"Alright class, does everyone have a response to their topic?" he asked.

Everyone answered in the affirmative so he continued.

"Good. We'll start with Rhonda and Harold. Which one would like to speak?"

"Rhonda. She's better at this than me," Harold said.

Rhonda picked up a piece of notebook paper with written notes on it.

"Our topic was the economic factor in marriage in the time period that the novel was set in. Back in the late 1700s and early 1800s, marriage wasn't based on love, but economic benefit and status. If a woman of marriageable age wanted to find a suitable husband, she needed to be wealthy in land or actual money or she had to come from a prestigious family. Men were governed by the same expectations. Good looks didn't hurt either. The goal of marriage in those days was to find someone who would give you financial security and reasonable social status. Love was secondary, if it was present at all. Charlotte and Elizabeth talk about that in the early part of the novel. Thankfully, love is a prerequisite for marriage for most in this day and age."

"Very good job Rhonda and Harold," Mr. Simmons said. "Arnold and Helga, how about you go next?"

"You can handle this one Arnoldo," Helga said.

"Alright." He cleared his throat before speaking again. "Our topic was how the title of the novel applied to the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy. Pride is an attribute both display though it manifests in different ways. With Darcy, he has a lot of pride in his family name and in his own reputation so falling in love with Elizabeth is something he can't admit to. Elizabeth's pride takes the form of stubbornness in insisting on seeing only the negative in Darcy rather than the positive as well as confidence in her own judgment. Elizabeth's prejudice against Darcy comes from her first impression of him at the beginning of the book."

"Very nice, Arnold and Helga. Phoebe and Gerald, you're next," Mr. Simmons said. "Which one of you will speak?"

"I'll be the speaker, Mr. Simmons," Phoebe said.

"Alright Phoebe; whenever you're ready."

"Our topic was the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett. Their relationship is one which speaks of a failed marriage. Mr. Bennett seems to take a rather sadistic enjoyment of frazzling his wife and doesn't feel any sympathy for her easily frayed nerves. Ms. Bennett is a worry wart when it comes to marrying off her daughters and doesn't seem to be a very good mother to them, having an obsessive focus on the marriage of her daughters. This obsession is in stark contrast to Mr. Bennett who values wit and education in a daughter, which is why he prefers Elizabeth to his four other daughters. The difference between the two in personality illustrates why Mr. Bennett is unhappy in the marriage. He fell for his wife solely because of her looks and really didn't know anything about the person and once he realized how vapid and shallow she was, it was too late. The lesson is to make sure you know a person well before entering into a relationship."

"Excellent as usual Phoebe. You and Gerald did very well." Mr. Simmons said.

When lunch period came around, Arnold, Helga, Gerald and Phoebe sat together as had been the custom since Arnold and Helga became a couple. They ate mostly in silence, occasionally making small talk. Once Arnold and Helga finished eating and disposed of their trays, they walked out of the cafeteria, leaving Gerald and Phoebe to themselves.

"So, how do you think you'll adjust to having only one parent in the house instead of two?" Arnold asked as he and Helga walked toward their lockers.

"It'll be jarring at first since I'll expect to hear Bob yelling at Miriam about something or see him in that big recliner once I get home, but honestly, I'll prefer having just Miriam there, provided she stays sober and starts acting like a real mother."

"I was thinking that your mom could run the Beeper Emporium again while your dad's away but since the vice-president is already filling that position, what kind of job do you think she could get?"

"I'm sure she could get a position in the company or failing that, she could become a swimming instructor since she was an Olympic-class swimmer in her youth."

It was a few moments before Arnold spoke again. "…Do you think you'll be able to forgive her?" he asked.

Helga looked at Arnold in surprise for a second, but her expression quickly turned somber. "I already have. It's not her fault, at least not entirely. She neglected me, it's true, but I blame Bob more than Miriam since he's the reason she turned to drinking as a coping mechanism. I'm actually more worried about how she'll react to me."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm indirectly responsible for putting Bob in jail. He may be a selfish, violent bastard but he's still her husband and I'm sure she at least still cares about him. I just hope she doesn't take any negative feelings she has about the situation out on me."

"Helga, you said yourself that she was unhappy in her marriage to Bob so I'm sure a part of her is just as happy as you are to be rid of him."

"You're probably right."

Having gathered the supplies they needed for the remainder of the day, the two headed back towards Mr. Simmons' classroom.

After History class, the bell for Recess rang and the class filed out and went to the courtyard/playground.

"I'm gonna go play basketball. You wanna play?" Arnold asked Helga.

"Nah. I'm going to practice my Jujitsu," she said.

Arnold gave his girlfriend a curious look. "You're going to practice martial arts during recess?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"No; it's just a little strange."

"Well, don't you practice your karate?" Helga asked.

"Yeah, but I do it at home with my grandma," he answered.

"I usually practice whenever I have enough free time, but I've slacking off for the last four months."

"How come?" Arnold asked.

"Because you took up all my time, in a good way," she said with a smile.

"Maybe you and I could practice together some time," Arnold said, smiling as well.

"Sure. I'd be open to that."

Arnold went over to the basketball court and Helga went to a corner of the playground and began practicing her basic moves.

Halfway through Recess, Phoebe came over to where Helga was practicing.

"Helga, can I ask you something?"

Helga stopped and looked at her best friend. "What is it, Phoebe?"

"Well, since you and Arnold are a couple now, I was wondering if you could help me out with Gerald," she said with a blush.

Helga smiled. "I knew you had a thing for him. Well, he obviously likes you so what do you need help with?"

"I agree that he probably likes me, but he hasn't made a move yet. How do I coax him into it?"

"Who says you have to coax him into asking you out? Ask him out," Helga said.

"I guess I could do that…thanks Helga."

"No problem."

Toward the end of the period, Helga ceased her practice and sat down at one of the tables. Arnold came over soon after and sat next to her.

"Did you get in a good practice?" he asked.

"Yeah. Apparently, Phoebe wants to get with Gerald and she's going to ask him out in the near future."

"How do you know?"

"She came over and asked me how to get Gerald to ask her out. I told her to make the first move."

"Well I know Gerald likes her, so I suppose this will be a welcome surprise to him."

At the end of the school day, Arnold and Helga's walk to the boarding house was silent, just as their walk to school had been. That awkwardness had set in again. Once they reached the house and Helga saw that her mother's car wasn't there, she inwardly sighed in relief.

Once in Arnold's room, Helga made sure she had everything she needed and then sat next to Arnold on the bed.

"I guess all I can do now is wait," Helga said.

"Yeah…" Arnold said softly. He paused before speaking again. "Helga, I want you to promise me something."

"What is it?"

"Keep me updated on how things go at home. Call me or come over when you can. I wanna know if you're happy."

"I'll let you know how things are going, one way or another. Don't worry yourself, football head."

"Helga, you should know by now that it's useless to tell me not to worry because I'm gonna do it anyway."

"I know, but I thought I might give it another try."

"If things get bad, the boarding house is always open."

Helga smiled at him. "I know. Thanks Arnold."

Seconds later, Phil struck his head in the door. "Arnold, the girl's mom is here," he said.

"Alright grandpa." He turned to Helga. "I guess you'd better get going."

"Right…will you walk me to the door?"

"Of course. Before we go though, can you do something for me?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Kiss me goodbye."

"Shouldn't that be done at the door?" Helga asked.

"I want to do it now. If I wait and do it at the door, it's gonna be that much harder to see you go."

"Alright."

The two leaned in and their lips touched. The kiss was long but not deep. When it ended, Arnold had to force himself to pull away from her. He helped carry her things to the front door where Miriam was waiting.

After getting her luggage in the car, Helga went back and hugged Arnold before getting into the passenger's seat. As the car drove away, Helga was looking at Arnold and he watched her until he couldn't her face anymore. His grandfather came out a few moments after the car had driven out of sight.

"I know it's hard to see her go short man, but she needs to be in her own home."

"I know. I just hope that it starts to feel like a real home to her."

"I'm sure it will."