A/N: Hi. My name is Alex, and welcome to my first fan fic! Thank you for coming.

I'm pretty nervous about this, since I've never written before, and this idea just CAME to me. I felt a need to write it and, thus, my new little fan fic baby was born!

Just a note: The Jungle Movie never happened in this story.

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own Hey Arnold!


Chapter 1

New Boy

It's been eight years since the incident on the FTi rooftop, and things have changed.

Arnold and Helga are best friends. The most unlikely pairing, but it worked perfectly, like clockwork. After her confession, Helga opened up more to Arnold, and Arnold finally began to listen. He learned more about her, she learned even more about him, and they could read each other like a book. They understood when each other and seemed to have the perfect friendship.

Oh yes, it was hard on Helga. She feared unrequited love, and even after eight years, she still was left facing her fear, all while in close proximity to him. She loved him still – no, more. The more she got to know him, the further she fell, and it was so easy. He made her happy, just by being around him, and she had calmed during the years. She opened up and began showing her true, good side. She smiled, she laughed, she did not bully, she did not threaten, and she did not mock, or at least not so harshly. She learned to deal with her dysfunctional family with him. He gave her the best advice, the best hugs, and the best laughs. He made her feel human, feel worth something, feel free. The boy did wonders for her. But all the while, he did not love her in return.

Arnold had thought about the eight-year-old confession, sure, and he had concluded that he just did not feel for Helga that way. She was a wonderful person, great to be around, and he needed her in his life. But, he still felt that he didn't want her that way – only as his best friend. Their friendship was so easy-going, He learned to joke with her, to take a few more risks, and to stand up for himself. Sure, her strong personality and will could take a toll on him, but at the end of the day they would have a heart-felt discussion, apologize, and be good friends again. And that's exactly how he liked it. After all that time, all that close proximity to her, he could see her as no more than a sister. He felt somewhere that it broke her heart, but he convinced himself it was not so. She never let herself show any romantic affection towards him, and so he figured that what was said back on that rooftop really was "in the heat of the moment." He stayed oblivious, and he was satisfied.

Helga was not the same little nine-year old now. Puberty was a blessing for the girl. And after all she had been through in her life, it was well deserved. At seventeen, she truly looked like a woman now. The most noticeable change was her breast size. They were not modest, but not massive either. However, she did not wear low-cut tops often to show them off; she kept her look modest. She had gained other curves as well, but was still slim, and was a real looker. Ditching her old pink dress and undershirt, she now wore a pleated pink circle-skirt and a delicate white blouse with white flats to match. Although it seemed girly, she loved it. She had always loved pink, a very girly color, and was naturally into the more girly clothes. And, of course, she still donned her signature pink bow, but wore it to the side now. She wore her long, golden hair down, parted to the side with side-swept bangs next to her youthful pink bow. Looks can be deceiving however – she still knew how to throw a punch and remained a tomboy at heart. She grew into her bulbous nose and mouth and looked beautiful. She rid herself of the mono-brow back in the sixth grade, starting off middle school fresh. She rarely wore makeup, and hardly needed to. Her eyelashes were long and naturally curled; she also had a slight natural flush to her; she had the slight glow of a tan from being outside so much; she had beautiful, clear, sky-blue eyes. The only thing she wore was tinted, flavored chapstick. It tasted like raspberries and only had a slight pink tint. She was no ugly duckling anymore, and it did not go unnoticed. Sometimes, not even by Arnold, though he was so dense that he brushed off the slight awe he had for her looks.

Arnold had changed a lot too. He kept his usual blue hat, his trademark. He wore a red-and-yellow-plaid flannel shirt, slightly covered by an open teal-green hooded jacket, light blue, slightly baggy jeans, and plain black tennis. Puberty was kind to him as well. He sprouted to 5'10", finally towering over Helga who was 5'6". He had a slight tone and tan to his body from playing random sports for fun with his elementary and middle school friends as they kept up the tradition. His cornstalk hair had not changed a bit. It was short but still unkempt, though not by choice. His hair simply did not listen to him and often took on a mind of its own. It still spiked up in random directions and did not hide his light-green eyes. His football head had not changed. His body had not grown into it and everything was relatively the same proportion it was back when he was nine. Not that he looked to be a Greek god or anything, but girls definitely noticed and swooned, including one that he hardly ever suspected.


Arnold and Helga were in his room, watching a horror flick. They were both sharing a tub of popcorn as Helga lounged across the couch and Arnold sat on the floor, in front of her torso, with the bowl right beside him. Some years ago, his entire family at the boarding house had invested in a TV for him, complete with a VCR. It was modest, but Arnold still loved it, especially the gesture. Helga was laughing as she watched Arnold flinch at one of the more gory scenes.

"What's wrong with you, Football Head? We've already seen this movie six times. You already know what's coming. Can't stomach it?" she joked.

"It doesn't make it any less horrifying. How can so much blood come out from there? And who would want to do that to a person?" Arnold reasoned.

"Well, judging by the way that guy is drinking it, I'd say that he did it more out of hunger," she laughed. "Oh Arnold, looks like some things just don't change. You still can't stand to see something like that happen to a person can you?"

Arnold blanched. He realized at that moment, he never wanted anything to change. He always wanted to spend his Sunday nights spending some relaxation time with his best friend, always wanted to remain in the boarding house, always wanted to stay just the way he was, before adulthood. "Helga, I won't let things change. I don't want them to."

Helga raised an inquisitive eyebrow, curious as to the double-meaning she heard behind his voice. Of course he doesn't want things to change, not the way I do… Maybe it's just not meant to be. If I'm going to stay close to him, I'm just going to have to settle for being his best friend, she thought. "Don't worry, Arnold. I won't let anything change either. We'll keep things just the way we like it."

He turned around and grinned at her, satisfied with her answer, as he grabbed some more popcorn, plopping it into his mouth. She smiled back and did the same, looking at the clock. It read 10:30. Time to go. Seeing her look in the direction of his Arnold-potato alarm clock, he turned too and his thoughts turned to the same direction.

"Want me to walk you out to your car?" he asked.

She thought about and, having suffering enough mini-heartbreak that day, decided that it would be good for her to go out on her own and not have him watch her drive away.

"Nah, it's okay," she replied. "I've had just about enough of your football-headed face for one day," she added.

He rolled his eyes, chuckling at her, and grinned, "Sure. Night, Helga. See you tomorrow."

She returned the smile, saying, "Night, Arnold. Sweet dreams."


Monday morning began rather typically. Arnold met up with Helga at her house to catch some breakfast sausage sandwiches at Green Meats before heading off to Hillwood High. It was the same old routine, walking and laughing and joking on their way to school with Arnold carrying Helga's books. He did this as a friendly, gentlemanly gesture, nothing more. It was still enough to make Helga happy though, and she pretended that it meant more.

Geez, what kind of lovesick fool am I? What he's doing doesn't mean anything. It's the same old thing day after day after day. I need to stop deluding myself. He's known how I've felt for years and he's NEVER done anything about it to show me that he feels the same, even slightly. Sure he gives me hugs, sure he carries my books to class, and sure he talks to me more than any other girl at school, but that's just because we're friends! That's all he'll ever want to be. He even said so last night, he doesn't want things to change. I just need to face the facts and accept that the love felt here is only one-sided. But oh, how it breaks my heart to be so close to him! To have him touch me, even if only on the arm; to have him hug me, holding me close, making me feel complete; to have him peck me on the cheek when I please him. I live for those moments! And oh how it pains me to not have them all the time, just as I want. Maybe it's time to move on… oh be still my poor heart! Do not feel pain! I know how you desire Arnold to be your beloved, but you MUST settle for a dear friend. Maybe someday you will beat for another… maybe, she thought.

They walked onward to school and their shared homeroom, just as the bell began to ring. They sat down in their seats in the back of the room, next to each other, and continued to talk and laugh over the intercom. That's when it happened. It was ordinary, and then it was not. It was not all that surprising, but still bewildering. It was random, and it was also fate.

In through the door, came a tall boy. He looked to be about six feet tall and, well… he was very handsome. He had the most beautiful dark green eyes, the color of rich, dark grass. He was more on the darker side, very tan. He had silky, shiny, short brown locks which waved towards to nape of his neck. His smile was perfectly straight, milky white, and bright, but not falsely. He just… had a glow to him. He came in wearing a dark green shirt, which matched his eyes, and a blue and white letterman from a different school with a baseball patch on the side and a name in large script on the back that read "York", khaki pants, and white shoes. He stood there, talking to their homeroom teacher, with a slip in his hand. An ordinary thing. There was a new boy.

At the same time though, it was anything but ordinary. What's this? Who IS that boy? Why is my heart beating so fast..? This is…weird…

Arnold saw Helga's attention had become diverted and looked to the direction she faced, and saw the boy. Then he saw her face. She was giving him "the look" – that half-lidded, glossy eyed, shallow-breathing, opened-mouthed look, supporting her head with her hands as she let out a small sigh, full of… longing? And this time, it wasn't directed towards him, like on the few occasions he had caught her doing it. Huh? What's going on here? Why is she looking at him like that? It's just another boy. I've never seen her look at any other boy other than me like that. She's sighing? Why is she sighing? It sounds almost like a whimper. I've only ever heard girls sigh like that in movies when they're… he blanched, in LOVE…Whoa, whoa, whoa wait a second. That's not even possible. She just met the kid. Love takes time and growing and knowing a person. She doesn't know him yet. She CAN'T love him… yet.

Their teacher, Mrs. Paltro, turned towards the rest of the senior homeroom to introduce the newcomer. "Well, class, it seems we have gained a new student today! I am glad to introduce to you Ian Luther York," the teacher announced as Ian held a slight smile. He looked around the room and saw Helga looking at him, and his face stretched out into a full grin.

Helga blushed ever so slightly, sighing and smiling again. Ian Luther York… hmmm…

Arnold saw the exchange and was not happy one bit, though he couldn't reason why.