Disclaimer: If I owned Hey Arnold! there would be a Jungle Movie and Helga and Arnold would have started dating. But I don't own Hey Arnold and therefore there is no Jungle Movie and Helga and Arnold are not together. 'sigh'
The Therapy Session
It was five years after Hillwood High School's graduation.
The gang was now out of college and entering the post-school phase. Helga became a psychiatrist and Phoebe got engaged to Gerald. Arnold decided that he would continue his parents' work in San Lorenzo, coming back to Hillwood every summer. Arnold and Helga had become closer during the twelfth grade and were now just good friends to Helga's dismay. Only time would tell when that would change.
Now, it was a blistering summer day. It was the kind where you stay in and eat ice cream with your AC on high. Helga couldn't do this for she had to wait for some mysterious person that wanted a session with her. She frowned as she kept glaring at the clock.
"If he isn't here soon, then I'm leaving," she sighed. Come to think of it, who had called? Josephine, the secretary, wouldn't even give his name.
No information but that he was an old friend. "Let's see, is it Curly? No he's in Hawaii. It's not Brainy or Gerald. I just saw them. Who is it?" She looked again at the clock. "I'll just take a nap while I wait for him." Yawn
Flashback: Three days ago at noon
Arnold walked into the Hillwood Therapy Clinic. He spotted a brunette secretary and smiled. This was the perfect place to make confessions and he knew. He walked up to the gray desk.
"Um, excuse me Ms…. Josephine," He said.
"Yes, please hold. Can I help you, sir?" Her eyes still focused on the computer monitor.
"Well, I want to book a session."
"Do you have a specific therapist you wish to see?"
"Yes, her name is Helga Pataki."
"Sir, your name please."
"Arnold Parker…but don't tell her it's me. I want her to be surprised. Tell her that it's an old friend. She'll know who you are talking about."
"Yes Mr. Parker. Your session is at five on the 15th of August."
"Thank you!" He shouted as he ran out the door.
"Miss Pataki has strange friends…" Josephine murmured as she typed away.
End Flashback
Now, it was 5:05 when Arnold rushed in panting. "Is she still here?"
"Oh, she's waiting for you. She might have fallen asleep. You can go in, though." Josephine grabbed her bag and ran out the door.
He paused and walked to a pink door. She must like the color pink a lot. He tiptoed over to a sleeping Helga, lightly tapping on her shoulder. "Helga…Helga. Wake up, sleeping beauty…Helga!"
"Who, what, when, where, why!"
Arnold chuckled, "Good afternoon, sleepy head. I thought you'd never get up."
She glanced at the clock and rubbed her eyes. "You're late." Then she looked closer at her new client. "Oh my god, it's you! Why'd you call and why wouldn't you give your name?" Now her hands were on her hips.
"One, I called because I had a problem and two, I wanted to surprise you."
"Okay, what is your problem?"
"There's this girl…"
Helga was astonished. He made her stay for a dating problem. "You made me stay for that! Isn't that a problem to talk about with Gerald or Sid or Stinky!"
"Well, I thought a girl would have better advice, so I came to talk with you."
"Fine, as long as I get my forty, I don't care. Sit in the red chair and start talking."
"As I was saying, there's this girl that is really pretty. I mean hot and I want to ask her out, but I don't know how."
Helga scowled, "Will you tell me who she is?"
"Nope, but I'll describe her if you want me to."
"Okay, continue with your story."
"Now, she has blond hair and blue eyes and I think she likes the color pink because she uses that color a lot.
"Okay, anything else, other likes…? Any dislikes?"
"Well, she enjoys wrestling and sports and she hates girly girls. You know the ones that go around saying 'totally' all the time and act cute. Other than that, she's like a mystery to me that I want to solve."
"So you know little about her?"
"Yeah, but she's so interesting."
"Sure… Do I know her and is she still in Hillwood?"
"You should know her very well and yeah, she's here."
Helga paused, thinking hard about her client's love interest. Who the hell could it be? Rhonda was out of town and Sheena, she believed, had brown hair. Lila…ugh…she had reddish-orange. Right? Unless she dyed her hair.
Arnold smiled. He could almost see the vein on Helga's head throbbing. She's thinking hard and she looks so cute. He looked at the clock. I have to get this over with soon or I'll cancel everything.
"Helga…Helga? Are you hooommme?" He waved a hand in her face.
"I'm still here Arnoldo. I was just thinking." She frowned. She couldn't think of anyone besides herself that had blond hair, liked the color pink and was still in town. She would have said something, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. (A/N: Helga's kind of dense here)
"Any ideas yet?"
"Nope, none so far. Hey, how long have you known her?"
"Since Pre-K."
"Okay, this is getting us nowhere. I'll try guessing. Is it Sheena?
"Definitely not her."
"Is it Nadine, Patty or Rhonda?
"I'm not talking about any of them and isn't Rhonda out of town."
"Gloria?
"No, she's with Stinky."
"Tania?"
"The new girl that had a crush on Gerald in junior high."
"Yeah, her."
"Nope."
"Okay, wait, is it…Lila." Helga still had to drag her name as she said it.
"No I got over her by sophomore year."
"Oh…."
"What's with the huge smile?"
"Oh, nothing. Hey how old is she?"
"Same age."
"Okay, so it's not Timberly…"
"Oh, no! That just sounds so wrong…"
"Okay, what about, yeah she has blond hair, Harriet?"
"Nope…you're not even close."
Helga frowned. "Oh, screw this. Arnold, who the hell is this person? I can't help you if you don't tell me."
He looked down, "I can't tell you for…good reasons."
She sighed. "Isn't this a place for confessions? No one can listen in and I'm bound by law not to tell anyone. You can tell me."
Arnold began to rub his hands. He had to tell her, but what would her reaction be? Would she beat him to a pulp, avoid him forever, or let him down gently with the 'Let's just be friends' line? He would rather have the first one.
"Are you cold? I'll turn down the AC." She got up but stopped at Arnold's call.
"Wait, no Helga. I'm not cold. I'm ready to tell you." He sighed.
"Good, what is her name?" She flopped back in her chair.
"You have to promise me one thing."
"Anything."
"You won't do or say anything for a full minute."
"Fine, whatever, just tell me."
He took a deep breath. "Helga, it's you."
She froze, the seconds seemingly ticking slower than usual. Arnold shifted in his seat, his heart pounding with more time. He glanced at the clock and then to her. "Time's up." He sighed.
"How…l..long have…you…felt this way?" She asked after gaining her composure.
"Since twelfth grade."
"Oh…"
"I'll leave. I've wasted enough of your time. Good-bye Helga." He got up and walked towards the door.
"Wait, Arnold. Don't leave. It's time I made a certain confession myself." She stood up.
"What?" That got his attention just as his hand touched the pink doorknob.
"You're really brave. You did something I couldn't do for years." she faintly smiled.
He turned around to stare at her, "What are you talking about Helga?"
"I'm saying that…that…I…I liked you since…since…well, it was a long time ago." She couldn't believe that this was still hard for her, even after he confessed.
Arnold's face sure did brighten up, "You mean…you like me like me."
"You sound like we're back in fourth grade." She giggled.
"This is great!" He twirled her around and then stopped to look into her blue eyes. "Do you wanna go out, tonight?"
"Sure, I'm off tomorrow."
"Great, let's go."
"Wait let me lock up the building." She dashed out of the door.
Arnold grinned. Therapy's not so bad. It's the perfect place to make confessions.
"Arnold! Are you coming!" Helga cried.
"Yeah, hold on!" He sprinted out the room to the brown door where Helga stood, purse in hand.
"Ready?" she inquired.
"Yup, let's go."
"So where are we going?"
"Your pick."
"Okay, how about Chez Paris?"
He chuckled. "Fine by me."
Their voices filled the air with laughter as they walked farther away from the big brown therapy-building arm in arm. A look closer and you can see a big smile on both their faces. Only time would tell until that too changed to something better.
I finally finished my first one-shot ever. I hope you enjoyed it and those five pages were long enough. Now click that purple button and fulfill the writer's wish. Review!