[A/N: This is the first fanfiction I've written in about 8 years so have mercy! And also, enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or anything having to do with the show]
It was a quiet late summer morning in Hillwood City when Helga Pataki was getting ready for the first day of ninth grade. This was going to be her first year at Hillwood High School and a lot had changed over the years. Helga was right in the middle of puberty and her figure was beginning to resemble her mother's and sister's. She had kept her pigtails but wore them lower on her head with that same pink bow still on top. Once in a while she would pluck her unibrow but she didn't care enough to maintain it constantly. Even if she was becoming a woman, that didn't mean she had to be a girly-girl.
Helga's home life was significantly different. When she was in sixth grade, her mother, Miriam, had finally sobered up enough to leave Big Bob. Miriam was now living on the other side of the state with Olga, who had been especially torn up over the divorce. Helga took her parents splitting up the same way she took any negative news: she covered up her emotions and acted out. The divorce itself wasn't as bad as what came later.
When Helga was in seventh grade, Big Bob married a woman named Cathy. Cathy had two daughters, Alexis and Camille, and initially seemed very interested in getting to know Helga. Of course, Helga wasn't very interested in a relationship with Cathy. How could she be? She was used to having a more or less absent mother and now some strange woman and her kids were moving in and trying to take over. Who did this woman think she was, bossing Helga around?
Helga tried to pull some of the same tricks she used to get her old nanny, Inge, out of the house. They all backfired, however, when Alexis or Camille caught on to what Helga was up to and warned their mother. After a while, Helga gave up on the idea of getting rid of Cathy and instead just tried to deal with her. That was tricky, however, since they butted heads like no other. Helga and Cathy would get into heated arguments about everything from when Helga was allowed to go out to what she could eat to how she was to approach anyone in the house.
It got worse once Cathy stopped caring about being nice. Once she realized Big Bob wasn't concerned enough with his daughter's complaints to confront her, Cathy didn't hold back. The fights got more and more vicious as the months passed and by the time Helga was ready to start ninth grade, it had escalated to full-blown emotional abuse. Helga gave up fighting a while ago when Alexis and Camille started threatening to beat her up. They were both older (Alexis was 16 and Camille was 19) and bigger than Helga so she couldn't help but be a little intimidated. They also had a lot more actual fighting experience and with two against one, or rather, three against one, Helga tried to keep her mouth shut and vent through her writing.
Helga came down the stairs and into an empty kitchen. Big Bob and Camille had already left for their respective jobs and Cathy had driven Alexis to school without Helga. Helga sighed and looked around for her lunchbox. She found it in the cupboard, empty, and haphazardly threw together a makeshift lunch for the day. A bag of chips, a cola, and a Mr. Fudgie bar. That would have to do.
Helga grabbed her jacket in the hallway and walked out the door. The air was cool with a slight chill as the wind whipped past her face. A few leaves blew under her feet as she made her way down the sidewalk.
"Another perfect day…" Helga grumbled and sighed, pulling out her locket. "I wonder how Arnold's day is going. I'm sure his grandmother made him a heaping stack of pancakes, and his goofy grandpa probably sat at the table with him telling ridiculous stories that, as annoying as they may be, are undoubtedly a sign that he is loved. Oh Arnold, if only I could get the nerve to reveal my secret, at least without taking it back. You truly are the only breath of fresh air I have in this –"
At that moment, Helga came to the corner of the sidewalk and immediately collided with Arnold.
"Arnold!" Helga hastily put away her locket.
"Sorry, Helga," Arnold stood up, brushing himself off. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Football-head. You know, you could help me up though." Helga snapped.
"Sure, Helga."
Arnold offered his hand which Helga accepted. She brushed herself off while Arnold stared at her.
"What are you looking at?" Helga scowled.
"Nothing," Arnold's brow furrowed and he sighed. "Do you wanna walk to school together?"
"Whatever. Just don't try any funny business."
Arnold sighed again, looking up at the sky, before continuing on his way to school with Helga.
It was the final period of the day when Helga sat down in Mr. Payne's anatomy and physiology class. Helga was delighted to find that Arnold was in her science class since she hadn't seen him in her three previous classes. Among the other students in the class were Phoebe, Gerald, Rhonda, Nadine, and Sheena. The remaining members of the old gang were split up throughout the other periods.
"Alright, everyone," Mr. Payne began. "I know it's the first day of school but now is as good a time as any to tell you about your research projects that will be due in a few weeks. While you have a long time to work on them, I think it would be wise for everyone to find their partners today so you can exchange contact information and start coming up with ideas."
The students started moving around the classroom in search of partners. Helga almost made it to Phoebe's desk before catching sight of Gerald asking to be her partner, to which Phoebe giggled and agreed. Helga glared and turned around to see Arnold behind her.
"Hey Helga, do you want to be partners?"
Helga continued the act she'd put on for so many years. "Why on Earth would I want to be partners with you?"
"Everyone else already has a partner. I was going to work with Gerald but apparently he wants to work with Phoebe. So do you want to work with me or not?"
Helga looked around, seeing the rest of her classmates had already found partners and sat down, she looked back at Arnold.
You have no idea. Of course I do, you little football-headed lovegod. Helga swooned in her head.
"Helga? Hello?"
Helga snapped out of her trance. "Yeah, yeah. You and me, partners. Just don't think that makes us all buddy-buddy now.
"Whatever you say, Helga."