Out of Her League

Ever since senior prom, the days passed and the nights went by like seconds on a stopwatch. Harold was walking down the dirty streets of Hillwood on his way home from his part time job with Mr. Green, but the cold rain and wind was chilling to the bone. Harold walked into the old coffee shop by the high school to warm up. The bell rung as he opened the wooden door and the smell of fresh ground coffee was intoxicating and enthralled his senses. It made him really want a coffee, but he couldn't have one. He'd been on a diet for the last three years, and there was no way he was going back to coffee. Coffee was strictly forbidden.

"Hi Sir, welcome to Mary Anne's coffee, what can I get you?" said a familiar voice, waking him from his day dream. Harold looked for the voice coming behind the counter. "Our special today is the Carmel Cream Latte." Said Rhonda Wellington Lloyd, smiling sweetly.

"Oh, hi Rhonda, I didn't know you work here." He said and smiled sheepishly.

It had been a long time since they talked, maybe two years or so? It wasn't really his fault though. If Harold tried to talk to Rhonda, someone like Stinky or Sid would come up behind him and say something like, "Harold, we know you like Rhonda, but your boner is showing though your pants! Haha!" All the ridicule made him hate himself for even thinking they could be together. It was strange. A big, C-average student living in downtown falling for a perfect, smart, pretty girl like Rhonda? Harold felt completely out of her league. She was more than just a dream. He was out of her league. She made his heartbeat race every time they shared a glance. Besides, she had a boyfriend for most of High School, and for Senior Prom.

Harold could remember how wonderfully beautiful she looked that night. She shone like a star among the crowd with her elegant black dress, and her soft, friendly, caring smile. He desperately wanted to go up to her and say something, but he knew the whole class would be staring him down, watching his every move so they can crack a joke about how what an idiot Harold was for thinking they were compatible.

Besides, it's not like her parents would ever want her to fall in love with someone like Harold. They would want her to go for someone like Rex Smythe Higgins III or something. Someone with money. Someone glamorous. Someone whose parents pay for their son to go to school. Someone who doesn't work day and night to pay for his gas. Someone that isn't well…Harold.

"Yeah, I work here. I've gotta pay for my college tuition somehow." She said, still smiling and eyes twinkling. "You know Harold, it's a kind of cold outside, what were you doing outside on a night like this?"

"Well, my car broke down last week. I've had to walk everywhere." He said, surprised by her concern.

"Oh. Well you're lucky to have a car Harold. The only ride I have is my bike."

"Didn't your parents buy you a car?"

Her smile suddenly dropped, "No. They didn't, Harold." She pressed her lips together and sneered, "I moved out a long time ago. We didn't exactly see eye to eye. I can't stand the way they act. They stick their noses in the air, and think that they own the world just because they have money. And once I started to act like them, I realized I didn't want to be like that at all. So I left."

"Well, where do you live now?"

She smiled, "You know Harold, we should go get coffee sometime, and then I'll tell you."

"Wait, we should?"

"Yeah. It'd be fun. I've wanted to talk with you for a while now. Here's my number." She scrawled down the digits on a small piece of paper and handed it to him. "So would you like anything else to order?"

He laughed, "Uh, sure, I'll have a tea."

A/N: So this is just a short sweet story I was working on. I really wanted to show the good in Rhonda, because she is often seen as an antagonist in Hey Arnold fanfics, including my own, so I wanted to do something different where I could show a different side of her. I'm thinking of continuing this with a sequel where they do go out to coffee and talk about Rhonda living on her own. Thoughts? Please leave them in the reviews!