The Pontoon:

"I can't believe how hot it is," Phoebe said, looking out at the waves crashing on the shore.

"Summer, babe," Gerald said, putting an arm around her shoulder and kissing her cheek. They both looked back to the two blondes getting out of the car. It was so hot even Helga and Arnold weren't bickering.

"Waaaaaaaterrrrrrrrr!" Helga groaned, grabbing Phoebe by the arm and dragging her down to the water. She then let go of her and flopped down face first into the water.

"Graceful, Helga, real lady-like!" Arnold shouted at her.

Helga rolled over onto her back and gave him the finger.

"I can't believe she didn't take her clothes off, at least," Lila said, frowning as Phoebe and Helga started splashing each other.

"I can't believe everyone managed to make it!" Rhonda said, snapping her make up mirror shut. "And so much for water proof mascara."

"Is Mr. Simmons coming?" Harold asked, holding Patty's hand. Patty watched Helga and Phoebe running around like loons kicking water at each other. Phoebe was such a serious student, but when you took her away from school and her parents, and paired her with Helga, she was a completely different person. It was nice. Patty had made it into Helga's little, okay, miniscule, circle, which consisted of her and Phoebe. Harold was only allowed to hang around because he was Helga's companion to Wrestle Mania, a tradition they'd kept up since fourth grade apparently. Great story behind it.

"Yeah," Rhonda said, undoing her sarong and digging her hat out of her beach bag. "Sid and Stinky are bringing him."

After she finished that sentence she heard the music before she saw the car. They all turned to see a black Honda pull up, Metellica blasting loudly. It stopped abruptly as Sid turned off his car, and got out. Mr. Simmon's. looking a little greyer than they remembered, practically fell out of the back.

"Oh my God," Nadine gasped. "What did they do to him?"

Mr. Simmons looked nervous and shocked.

"Mr. S is fine, right?" Stinky asked, slapping him on the back. He jumped and nodded.

"What!?" he yelled.

"See, fine."

Nadine and Rhonda looked at each other and shook their heads. They should have known better.

…

…

The bonfire was burning, everyone had had something to eat from the bbq, and now everyone was sitting around catching up. Although they mostly went to the same high school as each other, they had drifted apart enough to not know what everyone was up to. Sid and Stinky, Phoebe and Helga, and Arnold and Gerald were the only original best friend twosomes left. Rhonda and Nadine had a falling out in eighth grade over a boy. Although they started talking to each other again, things had been said and done that could not be taken back. The damage had been done.

Lila and Arnold had dated for a bit, but Arnold had ended it. Everyone was shocked. They thought they were perfect, both being nice, kind and considerate.

But that wasn't what Arnold wanted.

Lila bored him. She was too safe. He was too safe. Together, they were just boring.

Helga. Now Helga he wanted. At a party one night, he and Helga had gotten locked in the basement, after a prank gone wrong. Helga was gone enough to be friendly, and they had had a good conversation, and it was during that time that he truly realised Lila wasn't right for him. Lila wanted to get married and have kids, be a domestic housewife, with a career on the side.

Arnold wanted to travel and have adventures.

Exactly what Helga wanted.

So he broke up with Lila, and started to chase Helga. But she hadn't shown any interest in him. Something that annoyed him to no end, and he was sure she knew it and was doing it on purpose. And Lila didn't help, always interfering. She would try hanging around. Like on the trip here. She had just shown up, hopped in the car, between Arnold and Helga, and chatted the whole way. At one point he was pretty sure Helga was going to demand Gerald to stop the car so she could throw Lila out, judging by the look on her face. However, after a quick break to grab snacks and use the loo, Helga seemed to calm down and Lila survived the trip.

"Pretty cool reunion," Arnold said, sitting down next to Helga. She looked over at him.

"Yeah, it's alright," she said, taking a bite of toasted marshmallow. "Feels like we're little kids again though."

Arnold agreed. Mr. Simmons couldn't turn off his Teacher-Mode with them, even though they were long past being his students.

"Helga, we should swim out to the pontoon tomorrow!" Phoebe said excitedly.

"Definitely!" Helga agreed, turning to face Phoebe. Arnold resisted the urge to sigh, and looked back at the fire. Why was Helga doing this? Why was she ignoring him?

"Here you are," Lila's sweet voice rang out. Arnold cringed. As cute as Lila's voice had been when they were children, now it was just plain annoying. She was too old to be talking like a five year old.

"Yep, here I am," he said, digging in the sand with his stick.

"You can barely see it though, Helga," Phoebe said a little too loud.

"See what?" he asked.

"The pontoon," Helga told him. "And you tots can, Pheeb's. Full moon!"

"It's not safe, there could be sharks. Have you never watched Jaws? The woman swimming along in the sea in the dark when the shark gets her?" Phoebe demanded. Helga laughed.

"Who hasn't seen Jaws?" Helga asked.

"Me," Lila piped up.

Everyone kind of just stared at her a moment. Then Sid and Stinky snickered, and everyone else kind of giggled.

"No surprises there," Rhonda said. "If it's not set in Enchanted Bunny Land, it's not suitable for her!"

Everyone laughed at this, and even Arnold snorted, before containing himself to just a smile. He felt bad though, when he saw the hurt look on Lila's face.

"Well, maybe we could rent it and play it when we get back to Hillwood," he said.

"Oh, Arnold, that would be ever so nice," she fawned, touching his arm.

"Yeah, we could allocate plates now," he said, Lila's face dropping.

"Dibs on chips and dip!" Helga called out.

"I can bring the soda," Gerald added.

"Finger sandwiches!" Rhonda said. "You can't have a get together without finger sandwiches."

"Great, it's a party!" Arnold said. "Rooftop of the Sunset Arms!"

A small cheer rose up from the group.

"Maybe with some booze this time," Sid whispered to Stinky, while glaring at Mr. Simmons.

"Now, Sid, I explained that it's not safe to mix alcohol and water . . ."

Arnold switched off Mr. Simmons lecture, and looked to where Helga was a moment ago, but she was gone.

"She's going to her tent," Phoebe said.

"Alone? That's not safe!" Arnold said, getting up. "What way?"

Phoebe pointed, and Arnold marched off that way. A little bit later he saw Helga lying down on the sand.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Helga shot up and practically snapped her head off to look at him.

"Shit, Arnold, don't do that!"

"Sorry, I was just wondering if you were okay?"

"I'm fine. Just getting a little hot around the fire, you know?" she said, laying back down. "Needed to cool down."

Arnold was quiet a moment, then looked back to where the bonfire was. His heart was pounding as the idea formed in his head.

"So where is this pontoon?" he asked.

Helga sat up and looked at him.

"Why? Thinking of risking Jaws and taking a swim?" she asked. "Cause I'm down with that."

"Race?" he challenged. He knew from her smile that he'd got her attention.

…...

…...

"First!" Helga yelled out triumphantly, after scrambling up onto the pontoon. She watched as Arnold climbed up just after her.

"What are you, a fish?" he demanded. Helga just laughed and sat down, catching her breath.

"I prefer the term Mermaid," she said haughtily. Arnold sat down next to her.

"Just out of the ocean and still not cool," he said.

"It's hot alright," Helga agreed. "Perfect for SHARKS!"

Arnold took his chance. He had her alone, and kind of isolated and trapped. He reached over, pushed her onto her back and made munching noises.

"What a delicious mermaid you are, um nom nom!" he said, while lightly nipping her neck and running his hands over her ribs. Then he latched onto her neck and kissed and sucked the spot. She stopped laughing and gasped, then tried to move away.

"Arnold, what - ?"

His lips covering hers stopped her sentence. Arnold could feel her pulse quicken when he grasped her wrists. Goosebumps formed on her body. She tasted salty.

"Arnold, stop!" she gasped again. Arnold pulled back and looked down at her.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I don't want to be doing this with you," she snapped.

Arnold looked at her annoyed.

"What's this about, Helga?" he demanded.

"Your big blabber mouth, that's what!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Arnold, you can't do this to me. It's not fair," she said. Arnold wasn't sure if it was just sea water, or if tears had formed.

"Do what?" he asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew. Oh boy, did he know. He had been taking advantage of Helga's feelings for him for a while now. Twice when she had decided to try to move on he had sabotaged it. But he was free to date who he liked. He knew it hurt Helga, but she had never avoided him before after he'd broken up with the girl. Lila was just the latest in a list of five. He'd never slept with any of them. He'd never been interested in them to that degree. The only one he wanted like that was Helga.

"Running to me whenever your relationships flop," she said. "And then picking yourself up from that and moving on, leaving me behind picking up the mess that is my heart."

"Helga -"

"No. your not doing it this time, Arnold," she said, getting up. "I refuse to let you."

"I love you," he said reaching out and grabbing her hand. "You know that!"

"No I don't," she sighed. "I really don't, Arnold. And I'm tired of trying to figure out if you do or not."

Arnold got up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and kissing her. She struggled, but he just tightened his grip. He wasn't going to let her go. He felt her stop fighting.

"What's it really about?" he asked. Helga sighed.

"Like I said, your blabber mouth," she told him. "Lila wasn't interfering because she still wants you, Arnold. I asked her to." Arnold pulled away from her.

"What? Why?" he asked.

"Because you hurt my feelings, Arnold, a lot," Helga confessed. "Not with Lila, but when you were with Alysha. You told her about my family life. She in turn told her friends. It's horrible having people you don't know, knowing such personal stuff about you."

"You broke her nose," Arnolds said.

"Playing hockey!" she defended.

"Yeah, but I kind of went and assumed you'd hit her," he admitted. "After I told her she explained how it happened. She gave me a good strong lecture on how I shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"God, that poor girl would give a crocodile the benefit of the doubt," Helga said. "She's nice, and I know she didn't mean for her friends to know. But still, I wish she had kept it to herself."

"She was defending you," he told her.

"I don't need people defending me," Helga snapped.

They both stood quietly, looking towards the shoreline.

"Lila thinks I'm being stupid, holding onto that," she told him. "But, although we're not best friends, we still look out for each other. She told me she only started dating you because she heard Adele was gunning for you. No offence. She hates Adele."

"None taken, and Lila hates someone?" he asked, moving closer and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I know," Helga said laughing. "I'm scared too."

They were really quiet for a while.

"We should head back," Helga finally said, standing up. She held a hand out to Arnold, who took it. "Race ya!"

She dived into the water and disappeared into the dark water.

"Cheater!" Arnold yelled into the darkness. He had just enough time to hear her cackle before his head went under water.

….

Lila closed the door behind her, yawning. She was exhausted. She'd lost Helga, which she knew Helga would hassle her about tomorrow. Great. Just what she needed. She'd been trying all day to keep Helga and Arnold separated, per Helga's begging, and now she had lost both of them.

"Dang it all to heck," she mumbled. Finally opening the door to the bedroom she was going to be sharing with Helga and Phoebe she flicked on the lights, gasped, flicked them off again, slammed the door close and ran back outside, suddenly not so tired.

"Oh, hey Lila, are you going up to bed?" Phoebe asked her, making her way into the beach house.

"No!" she cried out, grabbing Phoebe's arm. "Don't go in there!"

"Why? What's wrong?" Phoebe asked with concern.

"Arnold . . . Helga . . . Oh, my God!" she yelled. "I'm never going to be able to look at them again."

"You mean?" Phoebe asked, covering her mouth with her hand. Lila just nodded.

"But . . . but I have to sleep in that bed too!"

…..

END