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Helga G. Pataki was your average preteen.She was kind, polite, paid attention in school, always wanted to look cute and do her best. Known in her school as the class goodie-two-shoes, she never went out of her to stand out, but never truly blended in either. There wasn't really anything at her surface that made her extraordinary in any way.At least, that's what most people would say, Arnold Shortman saw something completely different.To Arnold, Helga was the loveliest girl he'd ever laid eyes on, her long golden hair that seemed to glow when the light hit it right, her crystalline blue eyes that pierced into you like a sword when she looked at you, even her unibrow, as awkward as it could look sometimes, gave her a somewhat humble and cute charm. He found her love of the color pink endearing, admired her work ethic, how she always put in effort in her classes and never settled for less, how she tried to help those she felt needed it at any given time, how she wore her heart on her sleeve and dreamed of finding a perfect love one day despite being so young. She was like a fairytale princess come to life in his eyes, and what he would give to be her prince charming.Though naturally, he'd never say this out loud.You see, Arnold Shortman, despite living up to his last name, had a fierce reputation at PS 118. Nobody messed with him, he was a bully with fists of steel and a kick that could send the strongest man to his knees. Slick with his words and his presence as intimidating as it was, he couldn't ruin his image by expressing his borderline crippling love for his classmate, vulnerability got you nowhere in life. Plus, he was sure that she didn't feel the same way, and would rather her never find out as opposed to risk getting his heart broken by the girl that took over his mind almost 24/7.So that is why he bullied her. To Arnold, calling it bullying was a bit of a stretch, sure he picked on her a lot, and often made her the butt of the joke, but he didn't believe that things he would do were that mean. Sometimes he wasn't even fully there when he did it, and would be overtaken by strong guilt and anguish over his actions shortly after. It was just his way of hiding his emotions, all his life showing how he truly felt only lead to problems, and he knew this would end the same way, Helga Pataki could never find out how he felt about her, ever.Hence why he threw a crumpled sheet of paper at her."Hey!" she squealed, it took Arnold a lot of strength not to gush at how cute she sounded, "who did that?""Who do ya think Unibrow!" he cackled in response, smirking when she turned to face him with a pout.Helga huffed "gosh, what is your problem? I don't even do anything to you!"The blond boy shrugged, "eh, I personally think being in the same room as a one-brow freak is enough"Helga's face turned a bright red at the comment, mostly because half of the class began to laugh at it, and turned around with a cross of her arms. Their teacher, Mr. Simmons, was quick to settle the class before going on with his lesson. As she began to calm down, Arnold was forced to inwardly swoon, careful to not express it in public. Even when angry Helga was so positively cute! He wanted to just go over there and give her a thousand kisses just as an apology for what he said.Once the class was over, Arnold was quick to leave the classroom, not even acknowledging his best friend Gerald as he left. Practically running down the halls, he finally found his favorite secluded staircase, and hid underneath it. Once sure that there was no one around, he searched through his pocket and brought out a golden, heart shaped locket. Once opening it, the inside had a cropped picture of the girl of his dreams, smiling blissfully without a care in the world. Lovingly stroking the picture with his thumb, Arnold smiled happily, before he suddenly felt the suppressed guilt from earlier begin to seep into him. He held the locket close to his chest, and let out a heavy sigh."Oh Helga, my sweetest rose, why must I hurt you so?" he began, his face donning a look of grief and regret, "you make me feel so warm inside, yet all you feel from me is strife... your eyes of blue like the bird of sake fill me with love and joy I can't shake, how I wish to hold you close and proudly say you were my own" he then stood up, staring intensely at nothing in particular, "yet we are star-crossed, never to be, that is while I continue to mean! But I cannot tell you, at least not now, my heart too tender, lacking safe and sound... however one day we shall be together, our lives so bright and filled with splender! But until that day comes, my most beautiful love, please just put up with me, if only for just once...""Uh... dude?"The blond awkwardly perked up with a yelp, quickly stuffing the locket back into his pocket before looking behind, "w-what the heck do you want?" he snapped, quickly adopting his usual gruff persona.The intruder, who he quickly identified as Gerald, snorted, "calm down big fella, it's just me" he chuckled, walking over, "you for real gotta stop that monologue nonsense, one day Helga's gonna catch you and it'll be all over for ya"Arnold softened considerably when he realized it was just his friend, he then slumped back beside the staircase and sighed, "I know, it's probably a stupid idea, but it's the only way I can get my emotions out without having to... actually express them to people"Gerald nodded, he knew Arnold was a complicated individual, and that he wasn't as mean and heartless as his classmates made him out to be, it was just his way of coping with things, as weird as it may be, "well, there's no use moping, might as well get some lunch aye? I heard it's burgers today"His friend scoffed, "you say that like it's a good thing, school lunches suck""Aye, don't be dissin' Ol' Bessie's lunches now!"The two boys shared a laugh, before making their way to the lunch hall."I just don't get it, why does he always go after me?"Helga was sat at a lunch table beside her best friend, Phoebe, as well as a few other girls in her class. Miserable and still peeved at being picked on in class earlier, the blonde poked at her food reluctantly; not like she would have been to eager to eat it if she was in a good mood anyway, the burger patty jiggled jelly and had something green looking sticking out of it. Yuck, the lunches here really did suck.As usual, she was upset with Arnold, she just didn't understand, why was he so mean to her all the time? Had she upset him once? Helga always tried to be nice to people, even her father, as brutish and neglectful as he was, never received a verbal lashing from her, though he probably deserved it in hindsight. Arnold however always made sure to push her buttons and ruin her day, even though she rarely if ever even spoke to him! At first she tried to just brush it off as run of the mill classroom teasing, but it was getting to the point where she was beginning to really dislike him, though she hated disliking people.Helga was soon brought from her thoughts when a dark haired girl at the table cleared her throat. Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd, the ever so rich and (apparently) popular fashionista, always sure to speak her mind no matter what, "well, my mommy always told be that when boys are really mean to you it means they like you"Another girl, Lila Sawyer, gasped, "what? You can't possibly think Arnold likes Helga, right? I thought he was just a fiendish brute that liked picking on helpless maidens!"Helga held back a chuckle, she'd always liked Lila, something about her overtly old-fashioned and ladylike demeanor as well as speech pattern was always a treat to listen to. In a way, she kinda aspired to be like her, especially considering how popular she was with the boys in school.Rhonda sat back and held up her nose "even if he does, she totally shouldn't go for him, she's too pretty for that thing" she said casually, "though, to be honest I think you'd be so much prettier if you plucked that hideous unibrow of yours"Helga bitterly looked to the ground, "gee, thanks Princess, really boosting my ego here" she had wanted to try and get rid of it, but she was too scared of messing it up my doing it herself, and her dad claimed she was too young to worry about cosmetics and such (which was weird considering how obsessed he was with her keeping up appearances). Helga then felt herself flustering at the prospect of Arnold liking her, she highly doubted it though, "I don't think he does... I mean, when you like someone, aren't you gonna try and be as nice as possible to them? Arnold just picks on me..."Phoebe hummed, leaning forward, "in defence of Rhonda, it's pretty common for people who aren't used to expressing their emotions to do it negative ways, a lot of boys show their crushes through teasing because they don't know what else to do, y'know how people treat sensitive boys"Helga found herself frowning, "and I think it's stupid, boys can be sensitive and emotional too... still, I really don't think he... likes me..." her voice began to trail off as she quickly found herself being distracted by something – or more so someone – else.Another girl at the table, a dark skinned blonde named Nadine, raised a brow at Helga's sudden strange behavior, "what's got her head in the clouds?""Wouldn't you know about heads in clouds?" Rhonda giggled, before then rolling her eyes, "but duh, she's staring at that Lucas kid"Ah, Lucas Sanders, the boy that Helga couldn't help but stare at whenever he walked by. He was everything she was sure she ever wanted in a boy; handsome, polite, chivalrous, artistic, never joined in the other boys' vulgarity and ickyness. He had short and curly ginger hair, just a few shades lighter than Lila's dark red, his skin had a soft tan, smooth and blemish free, and his dark brown eyes were enough to make Helga swoon. Plus he was tall, which Helga liked considering she herself was a pretty tall girl. He wore a white hoodie, with grey jeans and a pair of red converses.Seeing her friend's dreamy expression, Phoebe giggled, "if you like him so much, why not just ask him out?""I could say the same for you and that Gerald kid" she retorted, giggling when she saw her usually calm and collected friend suddenly become rather bashful, "I'm not sure though... I do really like him, but you know I've never been good with boys...""That's 'cause you fall for 'em too easily, remember what happened with that dude you met at the beach, Sammy?" Rhonda was quick to point out, which made Helga pout, she'd rather not remember the time she fell for a guy at a beach only to find out he had a girlfriend and was just using her to build the best sandcastle, "Lucas only transferred here a few weeks ago, give it some time"Helga thought for a second, before nodding, "you're right, but for now I'll just look at him a little..."Phoebe grinned, "well, he is nice to look at"Though trying not to express it, Arnold was seething.He was forced to sit and watch as the love of his life stared lovingly at Lucas Sanders. God, he couldn't stand him and his stupid hair and his stupid good looks and his stupid artistic talent and his stupid effect on girls (including his Helga), he just didn't see the big deal around him, he wasn't even all that, yet Helga was staring at him with those beautiful diamond eyes as though he were the only person in the room.
Oh how I wish you would stare at me that way...
Arnold slid his hands into his pocket, caressing his locket to calm himself down. One day, Helga would be his, he would confess his feelings to her and they could finally be lovers, but until then, he was forced to yearn from afar.Although it made his heart ache to do so.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Not so surprisingly, Helga had always had a love for Valentine's day.Everything about it just made her little heart sing, from the letters, to the chocolate, to the whole romance element, she would probably go as far as to say it was one of her favorite holidays. The only problem with that however was that she rarely if ever had a valentine of her own, often opting to fantasizing about a handsome and valiant prince swooping her off her feet on February 14th. She didn't mind though, and enjoyed spending her Valentine's day writing stories and poems inspired by the spirit of the holiday. She was fully convinced that this was how she was going to spend this years Valentine's day too, that was until she was approached and asked out by an older boy just a day before.This older boy was named Rowan, since they weren't in the same grade Helga didn't actually know much about him, but upon first laying eyes on him she more than eagerly agreed to the preposition. Rowan was naturally taller than her, considering the age difference, and had a head full of thick brown locs that were styled into an upward cowlick, his face was dotted with dark brown freckles and his eyes were a bright emerald. When he asked her out, he had been wearing a simple white polo shirt and black pants, followed up by white sneakers. He had made his way over to where she was sitting at her usual lunch table with her friends when he slipped beside her and grinned."So, I got a reservation at Chez Paris on the 14th and was wondering if you wanted to come with me," it was a simple enough request, yet it was enough to make Helga's heart flutter; she had only ever been asked out once before in her life, and sadly the date didn't go so well that time, so for this good-looking older boy to find interest in her it made her feel really, really good.She could feel her face heating up, inwardly cursing at the now evident blush that had made its way onto her cheeks, she always hated how easily she flushed, "oh, w-well, of course, I-I'd love to go to Chez Paris with you!" she squeaked out soon enough, placing a hand onto one of her cheeks.The boy grinned, standing up straight, "cool, I'll meet you there at 6 tomorrow, okay?""O-Okay!"He chuckled once more, before then turning around, probably to go meet up with his friends. Helga's table, which only had Phoebe and Rhonda on it for the time being had gone virtually silent, with the only sound being the occasional dreamy sigh from Helga; Phoebe watched as her best friend seemed to doze off into a daydream, gently twirling her finger on the table below."Helga...?" she cautiously ask, "did you seriously just agree to that date? You don't even know him" she then looked to the ground with a frown, "you know, older boys never have the best intentions when they go for younger girls, that's what my mom told me"The blonde shook her head, "aw, but he seems quite nice, plus he's awfully cute, I think I–" just as she was about to swoon over her Valentine's date, Rhonda cleared her throat, obviously in an attempt to cut her off."Urgh, seriously? All it takes is some nice eyes and a cute face for you to fall head-over-heels huh?" the noirette snorted.Helga was the pretty known for how quickly she 'fell in love', most attributing it to her borderline obsession with romantic literature and media; sometimes it worried her friends, the girl wanted to be a part of the perfect love story so bad that sometimes she'd find herself with not-so-respectable guys in hopes of finding it, like the time she actually had a temporary crush on Wolfgang of all people. Rhonda was kind of tired of it, every few days it seemed to be a new boy that made her heart sing and her cheeks flush and a lot of times they weren't even all that in her eyes.Sensing her friends annoyance, the blush on Helga's cheeks became more embarrassment than flattered, "you guys are being unnecessarily critical," she said with a huff, "he asked me out on a date, it's not like we're gonna go off and get married any time soon...""And we're happy for you," Phoebe quickly said, intercepting anything Rhonda may have said to ruin the blonde's mood any further, "but do be careful, like I said older boys don't always have the best intentions, so make sure to call one of us if you feel uncomfortable or unsafe at any point, okay?"Rhonda then sighed, nodding in agreement with Phoebe, "you know, I only say that stuff 'cause I care about you, I hope the date goes well though"Helga soon found herself smiling, it's not like she had ever gotten seriously mad at them, and deep down she knew it was only because they worried, but Helga could fend for herself. Despite this, she appreciated the concern, they were her closest friends after all.As the three girls continued to converse, they failed to notice a certain Arnold Shortman had actually been listening in on their conversation, and was gritting his teeth with rage the entire time. When he first realized his deep feelings for Helga, he took comfort in the fact that she wasn't one of the girls the boys in school chased, though he believed it would be deserved, they were often too busy swooning over Rhonda and Lila to care about the other girls, including Helga. Sure she had many, many crushes, but those were mostly short lived and fizzled out for some time (except her crush on that stupid Lucas Sanders, which seemed to be a lot deeper than the others). However, he noticed lately it seemed a couple of guys were expressing interest in her, and though many didn't choose to pursue it, to see some attractive older boy take his chance with her was making his blood boil.Nobody else in this school deserved Helga, they were all ignorant and stupid, saw her for what she gave on the surface, and didn't understand her like Arnold did. They probably didn't know that her favorite author was Jane Austen, that her favorite songs were 'Go Wild' and 'Forgotten Heroes' by 3rd Silhouette, that she actually really enjoyed wrestling and would go to shows when she could and had a mock WWE championship belt in her bedroom, that she was allergic to strawberries and loved writing original novels and poems, that she had a little pink book she carried everywhere filled with drafts for poems, stories and even love letter directed to nobody in particular. These people didn't even scratch the surface when it came to understanding Helga Pataki, so Arnold couldn't stand them now suddenly showing interest in being more than friends with her."Woah there Arnold, that chicken ain't do nothin' to ya!"Arnold snapped out of his hate fuelled daze when he heard the voice of his best friend call out to him, upon looking down, the blond saw that he had been violently stabbing his chicken leg out of aggression, the piece of meet now left a pile of sliced up white. Yuck, it didn't look cooked at all, he definitely wasn't going to eat it regardless. He then sighed and slumped forward, an agitated yet defeated sigh escaping through his nose.Gerald raised his brows, a look of sympathy soon gracing his face, "this about Helga's date?""Yeah..." Arnold reluctantly admitted, deep down inside he knew that he didn't have a real reason to be mad at Helga, the two were certainly not friends and she didn't owe him anything at all, but seeing her go out on a date with some loser was still a huge sting to his ego; she was probably going to go all out, dress up and look as pretty as possible for stupid Rowan..."Then why don't you just go instead of acting like some scorned lover?"Arnold then sat up, giving Gerald a perplexed expression, "why would I do that? She already hates me, crashing her perfect little Valentine's date would probably just make her hate me even more..."The dark skinned boy smirked, "that ain't what I mean Arnold, listen here..." he then leaned in close, "Helga probably don't know this, but that Rowan kid is infamous for his on again off again relationship with this older girl called Hailey, they were just together yesterday, but now he's asking Helga out? In front of the whole cafeteria for everyone to see?"Cautiously, Arnold himself leaned in and raised a brow, "where are you going with this?""I think he probably just asked her to make Hailey jealous or something, especially since she did the same thing to him a while back, he probably hasn't even made that Chez Paris reservation, why would he make one in advance knowing she might say no? And you know what happens when guys as girls out and don't follow through with it..."Are you saying Helga's gonna get stood up?" when Gerald nodded, Arnold felt his fist clench under the table. Helga didn't deserve this! How dare that no good loser use her as some sort of tool to get back at his loser girlfriend as if she didn't have feelings? Helga seemed so excited too, it was taking everything inside not to find Rowan and pummel him with the Green eyes fists of justice.Seeing his friend's worsening mood, Gerald sat back with a shrug, "all I'm saying is pull up to Chez Paris maybe 5 or 10 minutes after they were supposed to arrive, and if you see Helga loitering the area, you know she's been ditched, and you can go and be her shoulder to cry on"Arnold thought about it for a second, that did sound like a pretty good idea, plus he needed to build some sort of positive relationship with Helga, especially considering how he'd already ruined what ever friendship could have been there. Who knows, maybe that kind gesture was all it took for her to focus her affections to... him...
Wishful thinking.
Even though he wasn't even going on a date, Arnold still spent hours trying to make sure he looked as presentable as possible, if he was going to play the role of Helga's guardian angel that night he needed to look the part. He had cleaned, dried, and ironed his best suit, took no less than five showers, and had even attempted to switch up his hair by using his grandma's old volumizer spray, the only problem was he had applied to much, so instead of just having more defined hair, he now had a large mass of blond sitting atop his head that covered his eyes a lot of the time. He checked the clock, it had been about ten minutes since it hit 6, meaning either Helga was on a wonderful date with Rowan, or she was sitting on a bench somewhere heartbroken that her supposed date had stood her up. As much as he hated to say it, he hoped it was option one, preferring her happy with the brunette nobody that upset.Before he left the house, he brought out his locket, lifting a huge chunk off hair out of his eyes as he smiled, "oh Helga, how I hope your heart is full, how I pray your face dons a smile that could shatter the strongest of glass, how I wish your mind flashes with thoughts that fill your body with laughter, I do not wish to see a tear running down your porcelain pure face, nor do I wish to hear the gut-wrenching sound of your heart shattering into thousands of pieces because of scoundrels and leeches, you are a princess, an angel hearted maiden, and I would give my all for you; I love you, I love you, I a thousand times love you! And deep down, I hope you love me too...""Shortman?""ACK-!" Arnold quickly stuffed his locket into his back pocket and turned to face his Grandpa, who seemed to find amusement in the boy's appearance."Since when were you an 80's rocker, aye boy?" he heartily laughed, before then asking, "what on earth were you doing just now?"Arnold looked around awkwardly, which was hard to even do because of his now oversized hair, "I was... uh... practicing! You see – um – they're hosting auditions for a school play soon, so I just wanna practice my monologuing!"Phil put a hand to his chin, as if considering Arnold's excuse, before then nodding, "you always had a knack for acting, I'm sure you'll get whichever role you're aiming for" he then raised a brow, "but that doesn't explain your outfit Shortman""I... I'm going to this place that gives free acting lessons to kids under 15, and today we were gonna be tackling popular ball and dance scenes from media and how we can utilize the tropes from them to improve our skills, the teacher said we should dress fancy"Wow, Arnold was impressed by his own ability to lie on the spot like that, it seemed his Grandpa had accepted the excuse, because the old man then turned around and made his way out of the room, saying something about never eating raspberries. Once the coast was fully clear, Arnold slipped out of the boarding house as quickly as he could and pretty much ran to Chez Paris, though his hair was making it difficult to see, so he ended up bumping into things a little more often than he would have liked.Once he arrived, he scanned the inside of the restaurant from the outside, yet saw absolutely no trace of his love, he continued to look around, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of her. That was when he heard something he dreaded, it sounded like sobbing. Following the sound like a curious puppy, it was then when he saw the one thing he hoped not to see that night, a dolled up Helga, sitting on a bench with her head in her hands, crying. Seeing her in that state ignited a flame inside of him, even stronger than what the thought of seeing her like this had done; his fists twitched, desperately wanting to find Rowan and leave with at least 7 knots to the forehead, but he knew that wasn't what mattered at the moment, what mattered was making sure she was okay.So, Arnold made his way to the bench and sat beside her, realizing just how close he physically was to his crush, he began to panic, but knew he had to be the calm one, what Helga needed as a shoulder, not to be the shoulder. He then took in a breath and then spoke, wanting to punch himself once he had done so, "how are ya, m'lady? It's rare we ever see a dressed up gal cryin' on a bench around here"The blond cringed, where on earth had that southern accent come from! Arnold had one job, and that was to comfort Helga and show her that he wasn't just some heartless bully and he couldn't even do that! His inner self beratement came to halt when Helga brought her head up, and though her clearly heartbroken expression was doing nothing to calm him down, he couldn't help but take in how stunning she looked. Helga had clearly tried to look extra special for her Valentine's date, she had put on some makeup, which was now running along with her tears, and had curled her usually straight hair into bouncy waves that flowed with the breeze, she wore a pair of pink heart shaped gemstone earrings and a heart shaped necklace clearly from the same collection; her dress was a knee length pastel pink that had a large skirt with many white layers underneath, resembling a princess gown, it was sleeveless, with a ribbon in the center that tied into a boy at the back and a lace trimming at the neck and arm holes. Helga had a white sash wrapped around her arms, a pair of white stockings on, and finally a pair of pretty pink mock ballet slippers. She looked straight out of a fairytale, he was so enamored, he wished he could just lift her into a gorgeous princess carriage and carry her away into a world where no one would ever hurt her again.To know she had done all this for someone to just ditch her made him angrier than he thought he had ever been.Helga sniffled, using a tissue to cover her nose, "it seems my valentine isn't actually my valentine..." she said softly, trying her best not to start another fit of crying."What do ya mean by that?" he said, keeping up the accent, he'd already gotten this far."My date didn't actually want to date me at all, he got back with his girlfriend today and stood me up, and I only found out because one of my friends messaged me saying she saw him out shopping with her" her voice began shaking and Arnold seethed, how could someone do that to her?He watched as she silently began sobbing again, thinking of what on earth to do about this. After a few minutes, the blond stood up, then offering the crying girl an arm, "while I can't exactly afford a Chez Paris, may I interest the princess in a trip to Slausens?""Princess?" she said, smiling subtly at the comment, "I'm hardly a princess, and I fear I may be a little too overdressed for that..."
You're more than a princess, you're an angel!
Arnold snorted, "nonsense! I think the other customers would love to see a real pretty princess walk in, what do ya say?"Helga put a hand to her cheek, before then taking his hand and managing a smile, "well, I suppose it would be a good way to end an awful evening, thank you a lot for this...?"Oh, she needed his name. He actually liked the fact that she didn't recognize him thanks to the accent and his hair covering most of his face, so he was quick to respond with "Adam, call me Adam""Alright Adam, thank you so much"God, she was so... words couldn't even describe the feeling that was building up inside him, and to make things better, Helga was holding on to his arm; he hated Rowan for making his love cry, but he also kind of had to thank him, because if he wasn't such an asshole this would have never happened. The two talked the entire way there, Arnold beaming when he saw Helga's mood begin to improve little by little, by the time they had arrived the two were laughing and grinning as if nothing ever happened, the only remnant of Helga's sadness being the black tear stains on her cheeks. People stared of course, you had a girl and boy in formal clothing entering Slausens, they most definitely looked out of place, but where too busy having a good time to care.Once they had received the orders, the two were then seated near the windows, and that was when Arnold leaned forward, "so, Helga was it? Tell me a lil' about yaself" he already knew her of course, but he didn't want to creep her out by relaying information a supposed stranger should not know.Helga hummed, "well, I like to write, I live with my mom and dad, I get okay grades in school... speaking of school, you actually remind me of someone I go to school with" she giggled, "your heads are really similar, his name's Arnold"The blond could have sworn his heart exploded, she was mentioning him to who she thought was a stranger? Desperate for more, he leaned forward, "Arnold you say? What do ya think of him?"Helga rubbed her arm, her face adopting a small frown, "to be honest? He kinda bugs me..."
Ouch, well I'm not exactly surprised, but ouch.
"Why? I mean is there a reason for this?"His companion shrugged, "it's just... he's always picking on me and I don't understand why, it's not like I do anything to him... but I don't think he's all bad, he might be really nice on the inside, but he's terrible at showing it" she then sighed, "I just wish I didn't have to deal with having spitballs thrown at me and being called Unibrow and one-brow freak all the time..."Arnold winced, though he wasn't surprised she felt this way, hearing her actually say it was making him feel... really bad, he was beginning to wish he had just been himself from the jump instead of this stupid Adam character, "well, maybe it's his way of showing a... different emotion""Huh?""Um, from what you told me he seems to have quite the rough reputation, maybe being mean to you is all he knows to show he cares? Maybe he feels like he can't be honest and vulnerable with you because of who he is and what he may have went through, so he instead chooses to channel it into teasing, maybe he... likes you..."The two stayed silent, with Arnold's breath hitching the whole time, he had said too much, she was probably going to completely brush him off or, even worse, figure him out then and there! He should have never said anything, he should have-"Maybe you're right...""Wait, I am?"Helga nodded, "I have a friend called Rhonda who's kinda like that, not nearly as mean though, she can hurt my feelings sometimes but it's just 'cause she calls it how she sees it, and it's her way of looking out for me and making sure I don't do something stupid, so maybe Arnold doesn't hate me, maybe he does like me..."
You're wrong, I don't like you, I love you, I love you more than words can describe!
Helga then checked the time on her phone and got up, "though I'd love to stay, it's getting quite late and my dad won't be very happy if I come home late, thank you for everything Adam," she began to walk of, but then stopped, turning back around to approach, "also, since you insist that I'm a princess, I might as well give you a princess' thanks" she then leaned forward, placing a very soft and quick kiss on Arnold's cheek, before then turning around and walking off with a wave, "goodbye!"Arnold was in shock, his eyes wide, his jaw agape. The girl of his dreams had just kissed him, sure it was more so a playful kiss than a romantic one, it was still a kiss, on his cheek no less. God, he could feel her gloss lingering on his cheek, and the kiss was all he thought of on his way home, when he went to bed, and even the next day of school. When he had told Gerald, the boy had no qualms in teasing Arnold about Helga kissing him without even realizing it, whilst also congratulating him for landing the kiss in the first place.Also, just a quick side note; Rowan ended up being absent from school for a week due to a really bad stomach ache, something both Helga and Arnold attribute to cold and bitter Karma.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Seriously Helga?"Rhonda raised a brow, most definitely judging her blonde friend as much as she could, whilst Phoebe simply giggled. After the incident with Rowan, she hoped that hopefully Helga would be smarter when it came to boys, but perhaps she was being too hopeful."Come on Rhonda, you can't be too mad this time," Phoebe interjected with a giggle, "he's a nice boy-""He's a creep Phoebe, let's not defend it" Rhonda scoffed.After her failed date was saved by the handsome stranger Adam, Helga had spent the next few days fantasizing about him, the southern hero had captured her heart and she was sure she had found the one that night. However, as did many of Helga's crushes, this one was quickly erased when another came into her sights fairly quickly. One day Arnold has tried to pick on her, this time though Helga didn't have any of her friends around; intimidated and defeated, the young girl ran off into a stairwell and felt her frustration boil into tears. In that moment, she was joined by a boy; she knew this boy, he was in her class and many of her classmates called him 'Brainy', he was friendly, offering Helga a tissue and a shoulder to cry on. Once she had calmed down, he had promised to be there when she had no one else to talk to, and swore he's defend her when he had the chance. He barely knew her as far as she was concerned, but he was already doing so much for her.In that moment, Helga had become smitten.Now, Brainy was nothing like the other boys Helga had fallen for in the past, sure he was tall, but he was hardly the most handsome boy in class, he was smart but in the nerdy way that made people pick on him, he was lanky and awkward and breathed funny because he had asthma. It was these traits however that she found so endearing, he was so... different, and now she couldn't help but stare at him."You were just fawning over Rowan last week, gosh if I had dime for every time you switched crushes I'd be a billionaire" her friend then grimaced, "and Brainy of all people... could be worse I suppose, could have been Harold"Helga chuckled, "well, Harold can be quite nice when he wants to be, though I doubt I'll ever like him like that""Which is exactly what you said before you fell for Wolfgang a few months ago" Phoebe interjected with a swift cough, feigning ignorance seconds later.The blonde found herself pouting, "Brainy is kind to me and is there when I need him, and he's really nice to talk to... I'm thinking of asking him on a date"Knowing Rhonda's response already, Phoebe quickly cut in and smiled, "Brainy's a nice boy, albeit a tad socially awkward — scratch that, very socially awkward — I actually trust him, and I'll support you if you choose to ask him out"It was very rare that any of Helga's crushes extended any further than her longingly staring from afar until she eventually got over them, but Rhonda and Phoebe still worried. Helga's heart being so quick to get attached also meant it was very prone to being broke fairly easily, it was why her wealthy friend was so hostile to these boys, she was tired of having to comfort her friend every time a crude preteen male hurt her feelings — again.Helga smiled putting a hand to her chest, "thanks Phoebe," she said before sighing dreamily, "I know this may not mean much, but I actually think I like like Brainy"The second she said that, Rhonda dropped her glass, Phoebe adjusted her glasses, and the cafeteria conveniently suffered an awkward silence. Helga blinked, "was it something I said?""Did you just say... like like?" Rhonda was barely able to say it, her shock being most evident.Phoebe cleared her throat, "forgive us Helga, but all these other boys had only ever been like, so it's quite shocking to hear you claim to like like one""Especially Brainy of all people!" Rhonda quickly interjected.Helga quickly put her hands to her cheeks, just knowing she was turning red as she spoke, "I know but he makes me feel so different! I've been feeling butterflies in my stomach and I start stuttering when I'm around him now!" she then exhaled, "he held my arm once and I almost passed out on the spot, I think I really like like him!"Luckily, the cafeteria seemed to start bustling again, so it didn't seem anyone would be listening in, "he's been my muse for all my writing lately, I... really, really like him..."Phoebe and Rhonda gave each other a quick look, this was... new. They'd never seen Helga this serious about a boy before, and though said boy being the class loser Brainy was quite the hard pill to swallow, it was clear that whatever Helga was feeling wasn't going to go away so quickly as her crushes usually did.Rhonda sighed, "fine, at least it's not one of the ickier boys, even if it is Brainy..."Helga giggled, "geez Rhonda, you act like this is the 1800's, and you're my dad I need approval from before I go off and get married"Now it was the rich girl's turn to blush, "w-whatever, you're my friend and I just wanna look out for you""I know you do, why do you think I'm never really mad at you?" she then looked up with a smile, "anyway, I think I'm gonna ask him out soon, I hope he says yes...""He better," Rhonda snorted, "it's not like any other girl wants him — hey!"She flinched and turned only to see Phoebe had swatted her on the arm, "don't be mean!" she huffed.With a laugh, Helga watched as her friends began to playfully bicker, before her mind drifted off, images of her newfound love taking over instead."Brainy? Oh yeah, you lost brotha, mmm mmm MMM"Gerald watched as Arnold paced back and forth pathetically, reeling over what he had just heard. After totally-not-stalking Helga, he had overheard her talking about not only like liking Brainy, but also wanting to ask him out! Helga G. Pataki, his sweet beautiful love wanted the wheezing nobody BRAINY!Arnold could handle her falling for Wolfgang, and Lucas, and Rowan, because at the end of the day she was just crushing on them. However, never had Helga like liked anyone before, whatever she was feeling for Brainy was much stronger than anything she had ever felt before and he absolutely hated it and wanted it to just stop."I dunno why you decided to fall for the one girl known for fallin' fo' any and everybody" Gerald yawned, at this point, Arnold seething over some guy Helga apparently liked was a weekly occurrence, and as funny as it could be sometimes, it could get real old, "she's had a thing for so many boys and none of 'em have been you bro, I say just let it go""I can't do that Gerald, you don't understand," Arnold then stopped pacing and sat down, sighing, "when I went out with her on Valentine's day — when I was Adam — we had a connection! I think she... she fell for me dude, she was always talking about Adam and how he was one of the sweetest guys she's ever met! I could have gone and told her that I was Adam, I was the nice southern boy that had taken her heart, and we could have had something; but then here comes Brainy the Hero, ruining it all for me..."Gerald rested his head on his hand, "listen Arnold, you can't make her like you brotha, if she don't like you she don't, clearly she's like likes Brainy now, and you just gon' have to deal with it" he simply said, he hated not being able to give hopeful advice to his friend but he was speaking the truth, Arnold couldn't be too upset, he had no control over Helga's feelings, and he just had to accept them as they were, whether he liked them or not.Arnold didn't have any more time to mope on his own about the loss of his love because just as Gerald had finished speaking, the two boys were joined by a couple of classmates, "hey y'all" Gerald greeted, always being the friendlier out of the two.Stinky was the first to wave back, "hey" he waved, his hands then going back into his pockets.Sid then spun on his heels, taking a spot beside Gerald before sighing, "you guys won't believe what we just heard!"Arnold scoffed, his rough persona returning the second they were joined by other people, "what did you losers hear?"Stinky leaned on a wall, watching as Harold scoffed down the final piece of his cookie before responding, "apparently Miss Helga has a thing for Brainy, said she wants to ask him on a date" he then found himself smiling "I think he's mighty luckily, she's very nice, pretty too"Harold shrugged, "eh, she's alright, the unibrow totally ruins it though" he responded, taking a sip of his water seconds later.Arnold felt his fists clench in rage at what Harold had said, however he knew that retaliating was the last thing he should do if he wanted to keep his feelings a secret, so he instead shrugged, running a hand through his hair "like I care about unibrow's love life, and here I thought you bozos heard something cool" he swiftly responded.Ignoring Arnold's cynicism, Harold then looked at Stinky with a smirk, "y'know, you're really flattering when it comes to her, if I didn't know any better I'd think you liked her too!"Stinky bashfully found himself looking away, playing with his sleeves, "I just think Miss Helga's a lovely gal, kinda like Miss Lila – I guess I wouldn't spending some time with her I suppose – but it's no deeper than that"Arnold internally screamed, great, someone else to worry about.Curly, who had actually been there the whole time eerily enough, smirked, "she hasn't got anything on my Rhonda though"Harold rolled his eyes, "shut up man, she can't even stand you""Yet, we're destined for each other, just watch"As the group began to bicker, Sid stood up. He bid farewell to Gerald before joining them before they walked away. Arnold groaned, he missed when no one really noticed Helga, when he could love her from afar in peace knowing nobody was pursuing her, but now he actually had competition for her.Competition that, frankly, he had no chance against.Brainy couldn't believe it.Helga Pataki, the girl he had fallen for, the girl he often followed just so he could hopefully smell her hair, the girl he felt he never had a chance with, was stood in front of him, blushing as she played with her fingers, asking him on a date.
Helga was asking him on a date!
"It's just... I really like you Brainy, I'm always thinking about you, I always write about you, and you make me feel... special" she then sighed, "I understand if you don't feel the same way as me, but I just wanted to tell you"Brainy quickly perked up, "no!" he snapped, shoot, his wheezing always got worse when he was overwhelmed, "the truth is... I like you too Helga, always have, I'm just... a little shocked, I never thought you'd feel the same way"It was then when Helga huffed, "why not? To me you're the nicest, kindest, most tender, amazing boy in school, of course I like you!"The boy blinked, not used to being called any of that, he was still caught relatively off guard. He then took in a deep breath, fiddling with his glasses a little bit before then smiling, "a d-date with you sounds splendid" he said, "however, I wanna be the one to take you out if you don't mind"Helga did the bold move of clasping her hands with his, returning the smile with a dreamy sigh, "I would love whatever you plan"The two stayed like that for a while, Brainy loved the feeling of her hands on his, hers were warm and soft, and he couldn't help but use his thumbs to gently caress them for a few seconds. Helga then let go – much to Brainy's disappointment – but kept a smile no less "well, I have to get going or my dad will get on my back, I'll see you tomorrow" she began to leave, but not until she planted a very quick, very gentle kiss on his cheek, "bye!"Brainy stood there, shell-shocked. Not only had his long time crush claimed she liked him, and agreed to a date, but she also kissed him on the cheek willingly. He could feel his asthma already beginning to act up, so he whipped out his inhaler and quickly used it. As he turned to walk off, he was greeted by none other than Hillwood's resident menace, Arnold Shortman, who was smirking at him with glare in his eyes."So, you and unibrow huh?"Brainy immediately got defensive, "yup, and there's nothing you can do about it"Arnold's glare intensified, "why would I care to do anything? I could care less about what Wheezy kid and unibrow do-""I know you like her"The short blonde was caught off guard by the statement, before then raising a fist at him, "I should sock you for even implying I would ever crush on that one-brow freak-""I know you write poetry about her, how you have a shrine in your bedroom dedicated to her with a paper mache replica of her from the shoulders up, I know how you monologue about her behind trash cans and stairwells about her, professing your love to her; don't bother hiding it, I already know"Arnold grimaced, how!? The only person who knew he liked her was Gerald, and even he didn't know about the shrine! He took a step back, stuffing his hands in his pockets, he refused to fold in front of Brainy, "so if you know I like her so much, why would you pursue her like I can't just beat ya head in right now?" he hissed."Because you don't deserve her" Brainy retorted quickly."I – um – what?""Helga's a sweet, beautiful, talented girl; she treats everyone with respect and care, and has it in her to go far, she doesn't deserve a brute like you that claims to love her but hurts her any chance he gets, nor a coward like you that'll hide your feelings away behind anger and aggression because you care about public opinion" he then took in a heavy breath, "she needs someone who will love and appreciate her every day, someone who will shower her in affection and show her how to be loved, someone who'd never leave her side... someone like me"He then uncharacteristically glared, "Helga's mine, I like her and she likes me, leave us alone now, she doesn't like you"Arnold didn't know what he hated more, the fact that Brainy was being so assertive or the fact that he was kind of right. A part of him wanted to push him to the ground and beat his head in, but he knew he'd get into serious trouble if he did. The green eyes blonde then stomped passed him, but not before pushing Brainy hard enough for him to hit the ground, his glasses falling off in the process."Watch your mouth, Brian" was all he said, before storming off to go wail in his bedroom.
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"What's got you giggling so much Helga?"Although it had been a year since her father swore to himself to be better to her, Helga still wasn't used to hearing him use her actual name.It all started when Miriam Pataki filed for divorce from Bob, she was beginning to work on her sobriety and had finally had enough of his behavior; the divorce would have been relatively smooth, had it not been for the fact that they still had a young child, meaning a dreaded custody battle. As both of her parents fought in court for full custody, Helga stayed with her older sister; Miriam believed Bob was an emotionally unstable failure of a father who can and would hurt Helga if put in his care, and Bob believed Miriam was a neglectful alcoholic who would be far too busy getting drunk off her ass to look after her. Though Miriam was improving, her past alcoholism proved to work against her too well, and Bob received full custody of Helga, with Miriam only being allowed to visit with permission from BobAt first, Helga was devastated, in all fairness she didn't want to be in the care of either of her parents, but Bob intimidated her, he was always loud and cursing and though he had never actually touched her she feared he would one day. Bob realized this one day after he saw his daughter flinch when he yelled at her over making a mess of the kitchen. Seeing Helga cower in terror, genuinely believing in that moment that he was going to harm her, it sort of... awakened something within him. He ended up calling his eldest daughter that night, asking her why on earth his youngest was so scared of him, to which he remembered her saying:"You know I love you daddy, truly I do, but you've never really been that nice to Helga... I don't come over often but whenever I did I remember you always yelling at her and berating her; she would always cry to me about how mean you could get, how she thought you hated her because you always called her Olga and never had anything to say about or to her, face it father, you were a great dad to me, but a terrible dad to Helga"That night, Bob Pataki did a lot of reflecting.When Miriam initially got pregnant with Helga, it was completely accidental, Olga was already near adulthood the Pataki's simply didn't want to raise another child, but Miriam was against terminating the pregnancy, so they went through with it. Bob had wanted a son, he didn't see the use of having another daughter, he already had Olga after all. Miriam's pregnancy with Helga was significantly more difficult, for whatever reason this second child seemed determined to die, with the woman being hospital bound multiple times during those eight and a half months she held her. So when Bob found out he and his wife went through all of that just for him not to get the son he always wanted, he couldn't deny it, he was angry.Everything about Helga seemed wrong to him at the time, as if she was supposed to be his son but the universe did a last minute switch just to spite him. She had his nose, his eyes, his eyebrows even; her features weren't soft and dainty like Olga and Miriam's; when Helga was a toddler, she seemed obsessed with Bob, always following him around and trying to copy him, Miriam and Olga found it cute, Bob found it annoying. However, he never hated her, he just didn't understand her, he didn't understand why his daughter looked just like him, why Miriam's pregnancy was so rough, why she wasn't the son he wanted, why she was nothing like Olga; and because of this, he ended up taking it all out on her.Bob Pataki was an awful father.He never wanted to admit it or acknowledge it, but the fact that his own child thought he was going to hit her made him realize he couldn't run from it any further, he needed to do better. He remembered when he sat her down and made the promise, apologizing for his ways and swearing he would try and be better; Helga looked doubtful, she didn't believe him, but she still smiled and thanked him for trying, which made his stomach churn in guilt, she didn't even believe him when he said he wanted to do better, that was how bad he had been.He started by toning down his yelling, instead he'd try to explain to her calmly why he was upset, sometimes he slipped up, but he would always apologize right after. He then tried to get into the habit of actually calling her Helga, which was quite the big deal as mundane as it sounded, she liked hearing him call her by her actual name, it made her feel happy. He also made it a habit to go to all her events, school officials and other parents were beyond shocked when they saw him at a show she was performing in, since he never went. That was a nice day, she even ran up and hugged him once the show was over, something she hadn't done since she was small enough to fit in his arms."You came, you came," he remembered her saying through tears, "I can't believe you actually came!"Sure, things weren't perfect, and he was sure Helga still preferred the company of her mother and sister to his, but things were getting better, and they both hoped they would continue to improve.Helga looked to him, hoping she wouldn't blush or anything; she had been messaging Brainy, who was showering her with compliments as usual, she didn't know how Bob would react to a boy being in the picture, so she wasn't sure if she should tell him about it just yet, "oh it's — um — it's nothing"It didn't take a genius to know that Helga was lying, Olga used to always tell her dad things and rarely if ever kept secrets, he wanted to reach that point in his relationship with Helga, "doesn't seem like nothing to me, in fact that's the hardest I've seen you smile in a long time, c'mon, you can tell me,"Can I though? Helga thought, she didn't think she could, but she figured there wasn't much to lose, so she sighed and finally said, "well, there's this — um — there's this boy..."In the moment, Bob felt a fist clench, though he was sure to hide it from Helga's view. Had this been the old Bob, he would have furiously yelled at her, telling her she was too young and that he doubted she had the taste to bring home a boy worthy that wouldn't besmirch the great Pataki name, and forcing her to cut all ties with him.But Bob wasn't that man anymore, he promised her that he wouldn't be that man anymore.So instead, he sat back, "what's his name?" he simply asked.Helga found his calm disposition oddly threatening, she was sure he would throw a tantrum over it, yet here he was, Bob Pataki, being calm and mature, "um, everyone calls his Brainy, but his actual name is Brian, he's in my class,""Brainy huh? Must be pretty smart if that's his nickname"Once he said that, he noticed Helga had a sort of glimmer in her eyes, it was adorable, "he is! He's the second top of the class, Phoebe being first and me being third; he's really nice, always checking up and me and making sure I'm okay, he even said he wanted to take me out and-" Helga then paused, oh, she didn't want to tell Bob about the date.Bob was clearly caught off guard if his confused expression was anything to go by, this Brainy kid wanted to take his daughter out? As in a date?He leaned forward, but instead of expressing any sort of anger or hostility, he sighed, "listen, I don't deny for a second that you would associate yourself with a good boy, and I'm sure Brian over here is a nice guy, but... try not to get too attached, okay?"Helga tilted her head, "why?""At the end of the day, you're both young, I doubt you both know the... complexities that come with a real relationship, I don't want... I don't want you getting hurt, be careful, alright?"The two stayed quiet, both in an equal amount of shock. Helga never thought she's ever see the day her father would sound so... tender, caring, genuinely loving, it wasn't like those other times when he was just trying to hold back anger, nor was it like those times where he didn't actually care but he pretended that he did. Bob did care, and he showed it, and it made her happy.In response, Helga smiled, it wasn't forced, it was a genuine, warm smile, "I'll be careful dad, promise"With that, the two sat quietly on the couch and watched TV, content, and for the first time in a while, at peace."Really, he was cool with it?"Helga was sat in Slausens, it was a Sunday and Brainy agreed to meet with her there, the conversation having landed on her and Bob's conversation the day before."Yeah, I was surprised too," Helga nodded, "he was really cool about it, he just wanted me to make sure I was careful about it, he didn't want me to get hurt""Wow," he began, "never thought I'd see the day Bob Pataki shows compassion"Helga giggled, though it was gonna take a lot of getting used to, and a long time for her to fully trust him, she was glad that her father was genuinely trying to be better. She then smiled and leaned forward, "but enough about that, you promised you'd take me out before we entered fifth grade, and summer break's starting in just a few weeks or so, do you have a plan?"Brainy was quick to nod, "I, um, I don't have the budget for a super fancy date, but I've been saving up so we can go to the yearly summer carnival together, the rides and snacks cost a lot so I've been skipping out on after school stuff just so I'd have enough for it, if that's okay with you of course"The blonde smiled, resting her head on her hand and sighing happily, "that sounds absolutely lovely Brian"Brainy loved the fact that she called him by his actual name, it was one of the many things he loved about her, like her beautiful blue eyes, and her pretty blonde hair that always smelt like mango shampoo, and the pretty rose perfume she'd use every day. He could spend all day admiring her, and knowing that she wouldn't have a problem with it, knowing that she liked him back, it was absolutely euphoric.All his life, Brainy had never been admired or appreciated for anything, with the only people in the world who seemed to care about him being his parents. When he started school, people picked on him a lot; he had really bad asthma and would breathe and wheeze heavily, he was awkwardly tall and incredibly skinny, he wore large oversized glasses and was rather nerdy, he wasn't attractive and in fact was quite used to being called ugly by people he crossed, most of them being girls.It was when he laid eyes upon Helga Pataki that he finally found a reason to come to school, if he missed a day of school, he missed a day of seeing her, if he flunked class and got placed in a different one, that just meant he couldn't see Helga anymore, to him she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen, she was like him in a away, awkwardly tall and skinny, socially awkward, with facial features that people made fun of (hers being her prominent unibrow), but she somehow made it work. Unlike him, who was a school nobody with a hint of punching bag, people liked Helga, they wanted to be around her, and whenever she was picked on, people stood up for her. She was what he wished he was, and it only made him fall for her even more.He would follow her sometimes to the point where the average person would call it creepy, he's sometimes smell her hair, steal her least important items and keep them as mementos, he studied her, learned all he could about her, and that was when he discovered Arnold Shortman's crush on her.He didn't like Arnold.Brainy thought he was pathetic, he claimed to love her so deeply but was always so mean to her, just to turn around and say it was because he didn't want to ruin his reputation, Brainy found it laughable. If he really loved Helga, he wouldn't care what anyone thought, but clearly he loved his reputation more than he loved her. He looked up at her, she was looking out the window, having caught sight of a particularly cute dog; Brainy was sure he loved her, he didn't like her, nor like like her, he loved her. Though they were still young, and he wasn't sure if her feelings ran as deep as his, so he'd keep it to himself, not wanting to ruin what they had now.He wasn't going to to lose her to anyone, not Lucas, not Rowan, and especially not Arnold.
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Arnold couldn't believe itWhen Helga and Brainy became an official couple towards the beginning of 5th grade, nobody saw it lasting. Though she wasn't considered one of prettiest girls at the time, everyone thought she was way out of his league, and she would eventually break up with him for someone more suited for her. However, that didn't happened, it was almost two years now and the two were still going strong, how and why was completely beyond himOver the years, Helga had began changing. She was the early bloomer of the group, going through growth spurts, starting her period first, having to replace undervests with bras, and at 13-years-old, she already looked a lot older than her peers. She didn't look like an adult at all, and was still very much kidlike in appearance, but beside her friends she could have easily passed herself off as 15 as opposed to 13. Bob must have cooled off over the years, because after summer break Helga returned with now shaven eyebrows — still thick, yet shaped — and was wearing clothes from the teen section, something the other girls (particularly Rhonda) thought was so scandalous and cool. Nobody was really surprised that she was getting really pretty, even though they never talked about her being pretty very often before, they all kind of knew it was eventually going to happen; her mom was pretty in her prime, her sister was beautiful, and most of the Pataki-Henderson women were known for their looks, so it was only a matter of time before Helga started growing into her features and becoming quite the looker herself.It was funny when Arnold wasn't seething over it, how the rough and tough Harold was suddenly being a lot more polite to her than he'd ever been before, how Stinky and Sid (the latter never having really cared for Helga before) would stare for a bit when she was close by, it seemed the only people not affected by her metamorphosis were Arnold, who always loved her, Gerald, who has attempting (and failing) to pursue her best friend Phoebe, and Curly, who was too busy trying to woo Rhonda to care.Sadly, this change was not exclusive to the fairer of the couple.From what Arnold heard, Bob really liked Brainy, something he didn't expect at all. Something about him being a nice boy and good influence, whatever it was made the patriarch Pataki adopt a somewhat fatherly role to Brainy; he didn't know the details, all he knew was that he and Miriam were now friendly with the Louis family and Brainy spent most of his summer at Helga's house doing God knows what. Well, whatever it was did him a lot of good, so much so that he was almost unrecognizable.When 7th grade started, Brainy's difference stuck out like a sore thumb. Apparently, Bob found out about Brainy's unhealthy habits and pretty much forced him out of them, saying 'you wanna date a Pataki you gotta eat like a Pataki!', the boy was now eating more, as well as exercising more all due to the rigorous training from Bob (and a little bit from Helga). When he returned, he looked overall... healthier. His skin was more vibrant, he wasn't as stick thin as he used to be, though still asthmatic, he didn't wheeze as heavily as he used to and he only needed his inhaler occasionally. He'd cleaned up a lot too, he began wearing more presentable clothes, got into the habit of cutting his hair, and even got a new pair of less awkward looking glasses. Sure, he wasn't some Adonis now, and he didn't look like a Greek God per say, but healthy looked good on Brainy, something everyone seemed to always point out.Arnold hated this.Now, as the days went by, Brainy was starting to match Helga, and he didn't like it. He missed when he was out of her league, when they didn't look good together at all. He now had to deal with Rhonda, who used to call Brainy a creep 24/7, gush about how cute he and her friend looked together, he couldn't pick on him anymore because people were actually standing up for him now, and even worse, it seemed to validate his relationship with Helga even more.As Arnold reached his teens, he wasn't necessarily a bully anymore, though still never crossed, he didn't go out of his way to pick on people anymore. In a way, he was kind of... jealous of Brainy, as much as he hated to admit it. Arnold hadn't really had a metamorphosis over the summer, and aside from being a few inches taller, he still looked exactly the same as he did when he was 9. He realized that Brainy was beginning to be better than him, he looked better, was more liked, and had Helga.He was letting Brainy win.Arnold clenched his fist, he was in the cafeteria, so he tried not to be too angry. He hated that his love was in a relationship so committed, and reminisced on the days when she would just have temporary crushes that faded after a short amount of time. Middle school had changed everything, the whole dynamic, the social hierarchy, and knowing that Brainy was currently above him in that made his blood boil."Arnold? Hey Arnold!"The blonde perked up, noticing he was surrounded by the boys he knew. As Arnold's bullying ways began to tone down, he found himself becoming closer with the other guys, not necessarily best friends, but close enough to hang out with them in school. When he focused on them fully, he noticed they were all giving him confused looks, shoot, he probably had that 'don't talk to me am angy!' look he adopted a lot."Everythin' aight?" Gerald asked, finding his friend's sour mood to be quite strange, even for him.Arnold sighed, not wanting his friend asking too many questions, "I'm good, just in a mood"As he had said that, Rhonda burst through the doors to the cafeteria in a huff, with her only one closest friends following behind; Arnold made sure to turn his head to look at Helga, she wore a simple pink long sleeved shirt that had darker pink stripes on them, a denim skirt that reached just above her knees that had a lace frilling and flower patterns sewn on it, a black belt with a heart shaped golden buckle holding it up, a pair of white knee high socks and a pair of soft pink pumps. She wore her hair in curly pigtails that day, both held up by pink ribbons, though he noticed some of her hair was rather loose, almost covering half of her face. She looked pretty, then again she always looked pretty.Sadly, he hadn't been the only one to notice, as Stinky leaned forward and grinned, "ah, Helga looks mighty pretty today," he said, letting off a dreamy sigh, "Brainy's real lucky"It took all of Arnold's energy not to sock him then and there, only he was allowed to gawk at Helga from afar in admiration and envy. It seemed the universe understood this, because Harold was quick to flick him on the head and snort."Like she'd ever want you, loser!" the larger boy cackled, making the victim of the flick huff of annoyance and embarrassment.Arnold chuckled at this, before looking back at the two girls; Rhonda slumped on a seat and crossed her arms, saying something he couldn't hear due to the distance, but whatever it was made Helga giggle, Arnold held back a soft smile, he wished he could have heard that..."Where do ya think Phoebe is? I don't think I've ever seen them sit without her" Gerald asked, something that made Arnold shrug."She's probably sick or something..." Arnold trailed off towards the end when he noticed something. Both Rhonda and Helga were staring at their table, for a moment he thought they were looking at him, but it only took a few seconds for him to realize that they weren't looking at him, nor were they looking at Harold, they weren't even looking at Sid.No, they were looking at Gerald.Helga broke the stare first, a wide grin growing on her face before she pulled Rhonda in to whisper something to, with both girls laughing soon after, and Helga giddily bouncing in her seat. Something about seeing his love giggle and hop around in excitement right after staring at his best friend made Arnold feel... strange, but he chose not to let it get to him too much. This was made stranger when he noticed Helga coyly twirl her hair, yet again whispering something to Rhonda that made the two laugh.What was it about Gerald that they liked discussing so much?His confusion didn't end, as right after that happened, he saw Helga stand up, pat down her outfit, and skip toward their table.Wait...
Helga was coming to their table!
Arnold began involuntarily spluttering, something he blamed on his juice box, desperately trying to maintain his cool and unbothered appearance, the other guys looked up when Helga approached, wide eyed with an equally wide smile, "hey! May I take a seat here?"Stinky was the first to speak up, "um, o-of course ya can" he said nervously, clearly overwhelmed by her presence; Arnold snorted, Helga would never have him stuttering like that. Maybe.She nodded, her blonde pigtails bouncing softly as she did so, before then sitting down. Though greeting everyone equally, it was clear who she was here, if her intent glare on him was anything to go by, "hey Gerald! If you don't mind, could I ask you something?"The teen scratched the back of his head, despite crushing on her best friend, Gerald rarely if ever crossed paths with Helga, which meant he never really interacted with her, so this was odd, "uh, sure, wassup?"Helga rested her head on her had, her gleeful grin becoming much softer and more welcoming, "this may be a little out of the blue, so I'm sorry about that, but are you free this weekend?"This question clearly shocked the entire table, but Gerald was quick to respond, "yeah, why?""Well, I was wondering if-" Before Helga could finished, a seemingly panicked Rhonda came up behind her and began pulling at her arm."Helgs, we gotta go!" she said, her eyes cautiously navigating the room they were in.Helga frowned, "but I was gonna ask Gerald if he wanted to-"Rhonda quickly glared, "you can do that later! It's a code RED Helga!"Immediately, Helga's disposition changed, "code red? But I thought she wasn't gonna be here to day...""I did too, but she said she's gonna be here for 4th period, we gotta abort mission!"The blonde then stood up, before sighing, she looked back at Gerald, waving at him with a smile, "well, I'll try to discuss this another time, see ya!" was all she was able to get out before her rich companion pretty much dragged her out of the cafeteria.When the two girls left, the boys' table was left in complete silence; this went on for a few minutes, nobody saying anything before Harold and Sid broke the silence with loud cheers, trying to give Gerald high fives and fist bumps.Gerald accepted these, but not without voicing confusion, "um, what are we celebrating exactly?""Duh!" Sid laughed, "you becoming one of the cool kids!"Gerald rolled his eyes, "I'm already a cool kid actually, but seriously what do you mean?""Isn't it obvious dude? Helga was totally gonna ask you out!"Had you been listening carefully, one could have heard the very moment Arnold's psyche snapped, he kept his cool, opting to clench his fist under the table. Already knowing how the accusation was probably making his best friend feel, Gerald waved a dismissive hand, "no she wasn't guys, plus, have you guys forgotten she'd dating Brainy?""In all fairness, none of us are friends with Brainy or the girls, and their both kinda quiet and private, so if they ever broke up it's not like we'd know," Stinky hummed."Why else would she ask if you're free this weekend, she wants to go out bro!" Harold cackled.Sid nodded, "and the 'she' they were talking about was totally Phoebe, I mean it doesn't take a genius to know she likes Gerald-"Gerald was alert once more, "she does?""You didn't know?" Sid retorted, before continuing, "aw, poor gal didn't want to ask him out when she was here because she didn't want to hurt her best friend, what a sweetheart"Harold leaned back, "I just can't believe Gerald managed to bag Helga, but y'know what they say, once you go bl-""HELGA LIKES GERALD!?"The whole cafeteria went silent, only staring at the shocked Lila who stood beside the table. The redhead was going to ask Arnold if she could borrow his copy of the math homework and make a few copies for herself and a few other classmates, but ended up hearing a little more of the boys' conversation than she had intended to.Arnold and Gerald gave each other a look, despite being pretty and ever-so-sweet, Lila's large mouth and habit of overreacting was a menace to those around her.The second Lila's accusation had sunk in, the entire cafeteria began talking. Arnold could hear different names being thrown around, such as 'Gerald', 'Helga', 'Brian', and even 'Phoebe'. Some people were gushing about how cute the two would allegedly be together, some people were hoping for some sort of fight between Gerald and Brainy, some people were even hoping Helga and Phoebe would fight (apparently the latter liking Gerald was surprisingly common knowledge). Other, more negative people were expressing jealousy towards either Gerald or Helga, claiming both could do better than the other, some were bad mouthing Helga, calling her names for apparently going after her best friend's crush whilst having her own boyfriend. Some people were even praising Gerald, hollering their congratulations to him, which almost made him sink into his seat."Gee, thanks Lila," the dark skinned boy muttered, glaring as the redhead sheepishly giggled, scooting away from the table."So... what're ya gonna do about it?" Stinky asked, making Gerald huff."Nothin' as far as I'm concerned I'm not gonna say Helga likes me when all she did was ask if I'm free this weekend, it's not like I'm even interested in her anyway," he said, which made Sid groan."If this is about that lil' nerd girl then I'm gonna need you to give it a rest! You're really gonna give up your chance to have Helga Pataki under your arm for some short, barely cute geek with no curves or anything? Really?"Gerald, "yeah, I am, 'cause unlike you I don't only see girls for their bodies, perv" he scoffed, he then felt his arm being tugged by none other than Arnold."Yo, let's ditch this snoozefest, like I care what used-to-brow and her two attendants got goin' on"Gerlad nodded and stood up, knowing that was code for 'I'm losing my shit and I really need to talk to you'. He bid his friends goodbye before walking with Arnold out of the cafeteria and into some empty classroom, preparing himself for the eventual wailfest he was going to have to endure.
Damn you Lila.
Phoebe couldn't believe what she was hearing.Earlier that day she had to go to an eye appointment, and was under the impression that she was going to get to spend the rest of the day at home, however her father had changed his mind last minute and decided she was going to have to go to school whether she liked it or not. When she arrived, she noticed how her best friends were kind of... avoiding her. They would speak to her, but would always find an excuse to wonder off without her. It upset her a bit, but she was sure it was for a good reason. It wasn't until lunch that she found out why the two were being so secretive.She was on her way to the cafeteria when it happened, annoyed at having to stay in extra time just because some kids at the back couldn't stop talking in class, but was stopped in her tracks when she heard a certain conversation:"I totally feel bad for Phoebe, did you see the way she was smiling in her face earlier like nothing happened? She's so totally fake""I agree, gosh, I expected better from Helga, can't believe she'd do something so low""I can't stand girls like her, they think just because they're pretty and have boys under their spell that they can act like they're better than everyone, like, who does that to their own best friend?""Yeah, I mean, you know Phoebe likes Gerald and now you're trying to ask him out? That's so grimy!""Exactly! Doesn't she already have Brian anyway?""Please, he probably found out who she really was behind all the sweet shit and dumped her, Lord knows I would""Still, she doesn't need to ask out her best friend's crush, especially since half the male population in this school would give up their first born to date her""You know girls like that always need claimed material, I bet after Gerald she's gonna go after Cindy's boyfriend!"The two girls laughed, unbeknownst to them Phoebe had been listening the whole time. The petite girl stood there, eyes wide, fists clenched and shaking. She could feel her breath getting heavier and heavier as the seconds went by.It wasn't until they reached Middle School that Phoebe realized that she was no longer in the same social placing as her friends. Upon entering their teen years, both Helga and Rhonda had gotten taller, curvier and prettier. The difference being the most significant on Helga, since Rhonda had always been considered one of the pretty girls. Both girls were gaining more admirers, with boys slipping notes into their lockers when neither were around, Helga, being the more mature looking out of the three, was often stopped by older boys in the street who wanted her number or asked if she was single. Boys on the basketball team desperately tried to get Rhonda's attention, inviting her to parties and showing off their designer sneakers as they played, whilst boys in the art or literature club always tried to read their best works to Helga or impress her with their artwork. Though not being the schools' it girls just yet, they were still freshman after all, they were definitely up there when it came to the schools' most admired and sought after girls.Phoebe simply couldn't relate.Phoebe hadn't gotten taller, curvier nor prettier, she had yet to outgrow her elementary school clothing and the only real sign of puberty on her was the severe acne she now had on her face. Nobody ever mentioned Phoebe when it came to pretty girls, the only time she was really spoke of was when someone needed help on their homework, and by help they meant convince her to do it for them. Phoebe had no admirers, she didn't turn heads when she walked down the hall, nobody ever asked her for her number or slipped lovenotes into her locker, if anything, people spoke of her in a piteous manner. She was too sweet to be mean to, so they'd say things like, 'I'd be so insecure if I were her', or, 'Helga and Rhonda are such good friends for not abandoning her', it was the sort of condescending, 'aw, you poor ugly thing', talk that made her honestly feel even more insecure. She was so ugly compared to her friends that people felt sorry for her, it made her feel sort of jealous. She wished she was like Rhonda and Helga, she wished she had grown five inches and wore a bra bigger than an A-Cup, that her skin was clear and she had hips and long, toned legs, she wished she turned heads when she walked past, with boys fawning at her feet and begging for her to give them the time of day. Maybe she'd be happier if she did.Maybe Gerald would like her.Deep down inside, Phoebe knew she had little to know chance with Gerald. He was one of the more popular kids in school, he was a new yet promising prospect on the school basketball team, and had already made quite a few friends despite still being a middle school first year. When people spoke of Gerald, they spoke in admiration, he was so cool, friendly, likeable, and girls thought he was cute. He was everything you'd expect from a popular kid.
If Helga asked him out, he'd totally say yes.
That was what made Phoebe the most upset, she already knew Helga was hotter than her, everyone knew, so why did she have to rub it in her face by asking out her crush? Gerald would be a madman to pick sickly skinny unattractive Phoebe over tall hot blonde Helga! It was fine when Helga wasn't interested, but to know that she was willing to steal her crush and destroy what little confidence she had that swiftly was so... mind-numbing. It made Phoebe see red, friends don't do that to each other, if Helga was willing to betray Phoebe like this, was she ever her friend to begin with?In a fit of uncharacteristic rage, Phoebe stomped to the cafeteria, her anger only being doubled when she saw Helga sitting at a table with Gerald and his friends, giggling away as if she had done nothing wrong. Some people noticed this and began whispering amongst themselves, some even bringing out their phones in hopes to catch something. If they wanted a show, then Phoebe was going to give them one, she was sick of feeling lesser than the two perfect princesses at that table.She made her way to the table and slammed her hands on it, immediately getting everyone's attention. Helga, who had yet to notice the girl's anger, grinned, "Pheebs! You've gotta meet me after school, I've got the best surprise for you!""Lemme guess, your surprise is gonna be you breaking the news to me that you're going out with Gerald!?" she snapped, the people now watching gasped, whilst Helga tilted her head."Uh... no...?" she was then cut off by a sound and a feeling. It was a sharp sting to her cheek that was followed by a loud clap sound, Phoebe had just hit her.Rhonda was quick to get between the two, with Helga staring at her spectacled friend in horror and mortification, "alright, that's enou-""Stay out of this Rhonda, this has nothing to do with you!" Phoebe yelled before returning her glare to Helga, "I can't believe you'd do this to me! I thought we were friends, but no, you must think you're so much better than me, huh!?"Helga sat still, he hand holding the cheek Phoebe had hit, as she began tearing up, "I-I don't know what you're talking about..." she sniffled, which only made Phoebe angrier."Save me the crocodile tears and stop trying to act innocent! How could you Helga!? You know I like him yet you wanna go and ask him out!? Who do you think you are!" Phoebe herself could feel hot tears running down her face, though she was too angry and hurt to try and sort it out, "look at me, I'm Helga Pataki, I'm so pretty and perfect and I wear a 36c bra and buy my clothes from the grown up section, boys love me but I'm gonna ask out my best friends long term crush because I'm a fake and phony spoilt brat that thinks I'm better than her!" she stomped, "how do you think I feel!? You always made me feel like I was lesser than you, I hated the fact that I could never be like you, a-and now you go and ask him out knowing he's never pick me over you...? I know you're better than me! You're prettier and more popular than I'll ever be, but you didn't have to rub it in! You didn't have to go and... go and..."In just a few minutes, Phoebe's angry screaming became pained sobs, Helga leaned forward and attempted to grab her hand, saying, "but Pheebs, you've got it all wrong! I don't like Gerald at all, and I never tried to ask him out!""Whatever, you can have him, it's not like he'd want me now anyway," she grumbled, turning around, "just leave me alone..." and with that, Phoebe ran out of the cafeteria, the embarrassment of it all finally beginning to sink in. Helga shot up, unable to stop herself from crying as she grabbed Rhonda's arm."Rhonda, I can't believe she thinks I'd do that! I-I never wanted to ask Gerald out, oh gosh, everything's going wrong!"Rhonda was quick to use a napkin to wipe her friend's tears, "calm down Helga, we can talk to her about it when she's calmed down a little bit-""Actually, I'll talk to her" Gerald suddenly said, standing up, "it'll be a bit awkward though"Oddly enough, Rhonda smiled at the proposal, "I'm sure she'd love that, be quick though, this all needs to be fixed by the end of school!"Chuckled, Gerald nodded, before making his way out of the cafeteria. Now to find Phoebe Heyerdahl.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Gerald liked a lot of things about PhoebeHe liked her hair, straight and black, dark as the black dahlia's he remembered his father gifting his mother a long time ago, he liked her eyes, a dark brown, reminiscent of chocolate and oak, he liked the way she dressed, cozy and humble, it was adorable. The only thing he didn't like about her, which was something he began to notice as he observed her more, was her uncanny ability to disappear.Phoebe could slip in and out of the background effortlessly, most of the school believed she was incredibly plain anyway, especially in comparison to her cuter, more conventionally attractive best friends, so whenever she did sneak off nobody seemed to noticed. She did this a lot, mostly whenever Helga and Rhonda were surrounded by their doting classmates, Phoebe would get overwhelmed and anxious, feeling her presence was dampening the mood, so she would slip away and it would only be acknowledged when one of the girls asked, "hey, where did Phoebe go?"Gerald disliked this for a few reasons, the main being the obvious fact that it made it incredibly hard to find her when he needed to, but that wasn't it. He hated it because he hated how she felt like she had to do it. He hated how it seemed no one else in school appreciated her presence or wanted her around; so what if she didn't have Helga's body or Rhonda's pretty looks? She didn't have to! He couldn't stand the way some of the girls leered at her when they approached the trio to talk to Helga and Rhonda, he had to hold back fits of violence whenever he heard the boys in the locker room make fun of her unprovoked, he despised the fact that she felt so insecure that being around her own best friends made her feel bad.Phoebe might not have been the school's beauty queen, but she was his beauty queen, and as he sped around the school in search of the spectacled girl, he promised himself that he would remind her that as much as possible.Gerald soon came to a stop when he saw a girl from his science class, he didn't know anything about her aside from that she spoke to Phoebe sometimes, but he rand up to anything, "uh, hey! Katie right?""Oh, hey Gerald! What's up?"He couldn't believe he got her name right, "you seen Phoebe around?"Katie's face fell, "yeah, she just ran into the old math classroom, she was crying a whole bunch too... I tried to ask her what was wrong but she just pushed passed me!"Gerald nodded, before walking passed her, "thanks, I'll talk to you later!" he said, pretty much ignoring the rest of what she said.Eventually, Gerald found it, the abandoned math classroom. Nobody knew why the school didn't use it anymore, but now it was the go to room for hangout or anyone who just needed a time out. As expected, once Gerald walked up to the door he could hear faint, yet unmistakeable crying. The boy took in a deep breath, thinking of things he could say to calm her down or cheer her up, before then opening the door."Go away, I don't want to talk" Phoebe spat almost instantly, not even looking to the door, her voice sounded horse and raspy, it was rather painful to listen to.Gerald cleared his throat, "it's just me, I wanna talk"Phoebe looked up at him, and for a split second she looked almost scared, before she soon found herself sneering at him, "if you're here to get mad about me embarrassing you or hurting your girlfriend then please save it"He sighed, "Helga isn't my girlfriend"Phoebe didn't respond, so Gerald took that as an excuse to keep talking, "she was never my girlfriend-""Please," Phoebe scoffed, "like any sane boy would reject Helga"Much to Phoebe's initial surprise, he took a seat beside her at the desk she was sitting at, only to then nonchalantly shrug, "guess I'm insane then - or I would be, had she ever asked me out""Did she put you up to this? I've seen how Brainy acts when she asks for stuff, you don't have to-""She asked me if I was willing to go on a surprise date with you this Saturday"Gerald watched her as she stayed completely still; he wasn't lying, Helga (with the help of Rhonda) wanted to plan a surprise for Phoebe, said surprise being a date with Gerald, the plan was that she was to arrive at the local park where she'd be surprised by his presence, and the two could then spend the day together. Eventually, the petite girl raised her head back up to look at him, her eyes widened in shock, probably not believing what he was saying."Really...?" Phoebe asked gently, which received a nod from him."Yes — and before you ask, I agreed"Phoebe faced the floor, shrugging, "whatever, what's done is done anyway, Helga and Rhonda probably hate me now so who cares...""What was... that?" Gerald suddenly asked, "you've never been like that before, and maybe I'm too humble but I doubt it was solely because of how you feel for me"The girl stayed quiet, swinging her legs back and forth before sighing, "you're right, it's not just you," she began, "It's just... Helga's so pretty now and I hate it... I remember back in elementary, when Rhonda was the prettiest and me and Helga sorta had this solidarity in that nobody really called us pretty — sure, some guys like Stinky and Brainy thought she was pretty — but we understood each other on that front," Phoebe then sniffled, "then out of nowhere Helga became this... this... absolute blonde bombshell and I didn't know what to do! It seemed that everywhere she went boys fawned at her feet and everyone wanted to be her friend, she was just like Rhonda and nothing like me... I started feeling like I didn't deserve to be their friend, I'm not tall or pretty or curvy, I'm short and skinny with ugly, ugly pimples... then I heard she apparently liked you and I...""Broke down?"Phoebe nodded, "you and Helga just... makes so much sense, she's so pretty and you're so..." she could feel herself turning a little pink at the notion, unable to bring herself to finish the sentence, "I just knew I couldn't compete, I could never compete with Helga"Gerald watched as the smaller girl began to quietly sob yet again. Phoebe was insecure, this much was obvious, but he hadn't realized just how insecure she was. She needed Helga to be like her, that way she could feel deserving of their friendship, but when Helga became one of the pretty girls, something Rhonda always had been, Phoebe felt like she had no one left, that neither of her friends could understand her. She could barely stand being beside them in public settings, which was why she slipped away from them whenever their peers started to bombard them. Phoebe thought she was ugly, something that Gerald didn't agree with at all."You don't have to compete with Helga," Gerald simply said, continuing when Phoebe wiped her eyes with a sleeve and turned to face him, "or Rhonda, or Lila, or any other of those girls, all you have to be is Phoebe""But nobody likes Phoebe!" she blurted, "nobody wants to be around Phoebe, nobody wants to talk to Phoebe, nobody wants to look at Phoebe! How can you tell me all I have to be is Phoebe when Phoebe is the worst thing I can be...?""Because who cares what they have to say! None of their opinions should matter, they're not your friends, they're not the people that love and care about you!"Phoebe scoffed, "that's easy for you to say, you haven't been uncool a day in your life," she then exhaled, it was a heavy, shaking exhale, "you don't know what it's like to be surrounded by looks of pity and disgust for simply walking alongside your best friends, having people treat you like chopped liver for having the gaul to exist around their perfect goddesses, you don't know what it's like to look in the mirror every single day wondering what the hell went wrong when your genetics were forming you, asking why your body isn't changing or growing, begging to look just like the girls you call your best friends"Gerald blinked, she wasn't really wrong, was she? Gerald had never really been picked on, or bullied, or even targeted for his appearance. Phoebe had, and it seemed to have gotten worse once they started middle school. He decided to try a different approach, and instead turned to fully face her, before saying with a gentle smile."I like you"She didn't say anything, "I'm not just saying it, I really do like you — um — I've liked you since elementary, I never had a chance to tell you though because honestly I didn't think you'd be interested in someone like me," he chuckled, "I mean, I ain't studious or anythin', I just play sports and hope for the best! When Helga told me you had a thing for me, I was over the moon! I guess I always liked the fact that you were totally smart, it's like you know everything and never settled for any less, and — uh — I always thought you were really cute, though you probably don't believe me 'cause... yeah, but I really do mean it! I like you hair, I like your eyes, I like that you always wear glasses that are sorta too big for you, I like how you always dress in poofy sweaters and long skirts and-""Alright, I get it...!" as Gerald had gone on his tangent, Phoebe's face had gotten redder and redder until it she seemed to closer resemble a tomato rather than a girl, chuckling at her reaction, the boy found a way to slide his hand on top of hers, and if her face could get any redder it surely was at that very moment."I'm telling the truth though, I like you, and I'm pretty sure you like me, Helga and Rhonda care more about you than anyone else here, we all love you Phoebe, please stop thinking of what those nobodies say about you"Deep down inside, Gerald knew it wasn't that easy, he couldn't just tell her to stop caring, but maybe if she knew that he, as well as all her other friends, were there for her, she'd realize that she wasn't as alone as she thought she was."Also, I think you're gorgeous"With that, Phoebe leaned into his shoulder; Gerald cuddled her closer, letting her get out those last few sobs."I'm so sorry!""Phoebe, it's all fine-""I completely humiliated you for no reason!""Look, Pheebz, it's okay-""They're calling you names all around school and it's all my fault!""Phoebe please-""I'm the worst friend ever!"Rhonda, Brainy, Gerald and even Arnold watched in amusement as Phoebe grabbed onto her taller friend's leg, wailing for forgiveness as the blonde nervously looked around. Arnold knew it all, how Gerald and Phoebe were now a thing, how Helga had defused the situation before it got any bigger than it already was, and in all honesty... he was jealous.He was jealous of Gerald for being brave enough to tell his crush his true feelings; a part of him wished the situation had escalated, so that Brainy would break up with Helga and he could sweep her into his arms, where she was supposed to be. He watched in envy as Gerald pulled the distraught Phoebe off of her best friend, hugging her as Brainy made sure to put an arm around Helga (probably to taunt him, stupid fuck), inwardly ashamed at how he hadn't been brave enough to do the same thing.The blonde sighed, he'd have Helga eventually, they were destined to be, he just had to be patient.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"For goodness sake Arnold!"With a scowl on his face and an angered huff out of his nose, Arnold glared at the ground as his mother screamed at the top of her lungs. He thought he'd be used to it by now, especially considering he could practically predict what was going to happen next. As he expected, Stella went on a rant about how he scared his father out of the house again, implying that it was somehow his fault that the unemployed man was probably fucking a streetwalker in that very moment, "that's your problem! You selfish ass! You never think of anyone but yourself, why would he want to share a house with such an inconsiderate brat!""I could become the sweetest boy in the world," Arnold muttered, "it's not gonna stop Miles from fucking XYZ Stella,"Her eyes widened, she gasped; clearly offended by what he had to say. He practically zoned out as she screamed at him for being insolent and rude, and how she'd be in a perfect little marriage living in a perfect little hut somewhere in San Lorenzo had she just never had him. Arnold couldn't care less, he was honestly over the two of them at this pointMiles and Stella Shortman were far from the most respectable duo, both had big dreams of being world renowned adventurers, so much so that they both made the stupid decision to drop out of high school and pursue that, only to realize the hard way that life was not an Indiana Jones movie and you couldn't just wake up and decide to play Dora the Explorer. The nail in the coffin that was their dreams was hammered when Stella got suddenly pregnant with Arnold, and it was so sudden she couldn't do anything about it. The pair struggled, lacking the qualifications they needed they could never get well paying jobs, and often spent long periods of time unemployed, it got so bad that they had to move into Miles' parents' boarding house just to survive, all they had to do was pay rent as they stayed, but they couldn't even do that. The boarding house itself wasn't the most financially stable source of income anyway, so Phil couldn't afford them mooching off of him the way they were. However, he loved his grandson, and the last thing he wanted was Arnold living on the streets because his parents were overachieving screw-ups.It seemed the older he got, the worse their marriage got. They argued twenty-four-seven, and Miles was far from faithful. In fact, rumor had it he had a side-child, but that had yet to be confirmed. In his head, not only was Miles a good, moral man, but still had a shot at being a world famous adventurer, and when he wasn't sleeping with anyone with a decently large cup-size, he was supposedly preparing to enter the ravenous forests of San Lorenzo. He was nothing like Stella, who had fully accepted that they had no hope and was instead trying to get a half decent job. That was why — despite hating them both — he had more respect for Stella than Miles, at least she wasn't an unrealistic dreamer who tried to pretend they were the perfect all american man they never had the chance to become.However, respect didn't equal love, and he knew for a fact he didn't love either. He had more to hate about Stella, mostly because she was always there. Somehow, despite the fact that THEY were the ones who dropped out of school and THEY were the ones who hastily decided to chase an unrealistic dream and THEY were the wrecks who couldn't keep a job, Stella had managed to convince herself it was all Arnold's fault that their lives were a mess. It was Arnold's bad attitude that made Miles run from the house and cheat on her with multiple women, it was Arnold's inability to take care of himself that made it so she couldn't get a full time job, it was Arnold's antisocial behavior that got them kicked out of their previous homes, it was Arnold's sudden conception that destroyed their hopes of ever achieving their adventurer dreams.None of it was their fault, no, it was all Arnold's.It used to hurt him, it used to make him crawl into a ball under his duvet and cry, it used to make him ask why he was the way he was, and if it truly was his fault that the Shortman's had it so rough. That was no longer the case. Whenever Miles wasn't home and Stella went on a screaming tangent about how she wished she never had him, Arnold couldn't feel sadness. Instead, he felt rage, pure, unadulterated rage. How dare these grown adults pin the blame on him as if they hadn't had over thirty years to get their act together? How was it his fault that they really thought that they could just drop out of high school and actually become famous high-earning adventurers? How was it his fault that Miles couldn't keep it in his pants? None of this had anything to do with him! He didn't ask to be here! And even if he did, he would have certainly asked for different parents!He could feel his blood boiling with every sentence Stella spoke, until he finally reached his breaking point and screamed, "WILL YOU SHUT UP!?"Arnold didn't even give her the chance to reply, before he hopped off of the couch and made a dash for the front door, he couldn't stay in the house, especially not when she was still in it. Once he was out, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him, he needed to hide somewhere just in case the witch chose to follow him. He eventually found himself an alleyway he could sneak into, and rested against the wall with a heavy exhale.His breathing was still heavy from anger, he just couldn't take it anymore. The only thing keeping the home completely sane where his grandparents, but they were old and ailing, they wouldn't be there forever, they couldn't always be the mediators. Reaching into his pocket, Arnold brought out his locket and took a look at the picture he had of Helga, still glowing, still beautiful. He smiled, wondering what she was doing; she was probably at her dad's house considering he had full custody. It made his heart sting a little, Helga's parents didn't like each other much, but they didn't take it out on her or blame it on her, no, they did the smart adult thing and got a divorce, understanding that it wasn't her fault they had their own issues. Why couldn't his parents do the same thing? Why did they insist on being miserable and bringing the whole family down with them?He held the locket close to his chest, just the thought of the angelic blonde being enough to fill his heart with joy and warmth, "Helga..." he said softly, she was his saving grace. Whenever he wanted to scream or cry or freak out, he just thought of Helga, her silky golden hair, her shining blue eyes, her beautiful, breath-taking smile, it was all enough to make him a grinning ball of giggles, "my Aphrodite... how I love you so..."He stayed seated in the ally, closing his eyes as his mind became filled with images of his angel in pink, before he soon heard a voice, "Hey Arnold! You okay?""Ah!" he jumped, quickly stuffing his locket in his pocket. He looked up to see none other than his love; she wore a white shirt with pink overalls and a pair of fluffy pink slides, her hair had been tied into their usual two pigtails, and on her face she wore her signature ethereal smile, "what the hell Unibrow? You scared the crap outta me!"Helga bashfully put a finger to her cheek, a soft blush overcoming, "aw, I'm sorry Arnold, I was just wondering how you were doing 'cause you were just sitting here all pitiful and stuff""Well I'm fine, so you can go away now, one-brow freak" he spat. He expected her to shrug and walk away, but he should have known better by now, when Helga felt something was wrong she wouldn't just leave it be, even if it was Arnold."I have a feeling you're not" she said softly, he found himself almost melting at her words, "what's the matter? I don't think Hillwood's most feared would just randomly choose to chill in a stinky alley, you can tell me what's up, I promise I won't tell anybody""I said I'm fine Unibrow! Now go away—""Is it Stella again?"The two suddenly went silent, with Arnold glaring at her and not saying a single word. The situation with the Shortman's wasn't very secretive, everyone knew about how volatile Arnold's relationship with his parents were, especially his mother. Everyone also knew about how irritable Stella was, with Helga being a first hand witness, but that was a story for another day.Helga scooted beside him, "so she had a go at you again?""What's to ya?" Arnold spat, "if you're gonna go on about how sorry you feel for me then you can save it for someone who cares"Helga shook her head, and when she put her hand on his shoulder, he could have sworn he went to heaven and back, "I know that's the last thing you want, so I'm not gonna do that, all I'm gonna say is your parents suck," she then frowned, "and whatever your mom said isn't true""How do you know? You weren't even there," he scoffed."Because she's nasty," she said simply, "nasty people say nasty things because they want to hurt you, so whatever she says is just an attempt to make you feel bad about yourself,""Well what hurts more than the truth huh?""A lie framed as such"Arnold didn't look at her. All his life, his parents had made him feel like a failure, like he was a stain they just couldn't get rid of. He wasn't the kid they wanted, he didn't have the grades they wanted, he didn't have the personality nor the looks they wanted. He wasn't allowed to just be Arnold the kid, he was Arnold the problem, Arnold the mistake, Arnold the thorn in their side. What if Helga was right? What if they were just lying to hurt his feelings?"Arnold..." Helga began, "I know we don't really get along, but I don't think you're bad," she then chuckled, "yeah, you can be a little mean, but I think you're just shut off, but I'm not gonna force you to open up to me... basically, no matter what your parents say, there's nothing wrong with you, don't let them make you feel like there is," she then smiled softly, looking the ground, "believe me, I know what it's like to feel unwanted, but even if they don't see your worth, there's someone out there who will"Arnold found himself staring at her, through all the name-calling, insults and heckling, Helga still found it in her to be kind and considerate towards him. Arnold didn't deserve it, he knew he didn't deserve it, he knew he didn't. Helga was just that benevolent, she couldn't bring herself to hate people. A part of him, that cowardice part of him that always wanted to shut people off and look strong desperately wanted to berate her, but for once he was able to overpower it and simply said, "thanks Helga I... really appreciate it,"In that moment, Helga let out a soft, barely audible gasp. Arnold had just called her by her actual name. Not Unibrow, not one-brow freak, not even the occasional fuzzy forehead, no, he called her Helga. For whatever reason, this made Helga feel funny, really funny. Something about Arnold calling her Helga made her a special sort of happy, though she knew if Phoebe or Rhonda were here they'd probably criticize her for getting to bubbly over it. Helga then stood back up, "if I could I'd stay, but I was supposed to be running errands and my dad probably wants me home now, you gonna be okay?""I'll be fine Unibrow," he quickly retorted, she should have known it wasn't going to last, "now get lost, don't overstay your welcome"Helga sighed, but still gave him a polite smile and a wave before skipping off. Arnold stayed seated in the alleyway, his anger from earlier having almost completely dissipated, who cared what Stella thought of him? She didn't matter, she was just some bitter, out of her prime single married woman who felt she needed to blame something other than herself, nothing she said was true. He knew this because Helga said so, and Helga was never wrong.Arnold felt his cheeks donning a deep red, if he could fall any deeper for her, he knew that in that moment her certainly had, so much so he felt he was going to explode.He then got up himself, preparing to go home. He could face another day, week, month and even year with Stella, because nothing she said was true, Helga said so.And Helga never lied.