Arnold got up from his computer chair. He'd lost track of time, but from the rumbling of his stomach, he must have been working on his paper for a while. It was time for a snack.

God, what a draining few days it had been...

Wait a minute; what was that? He doubled back to his window to see blond hair and a pink bow disappear behind a trash can across the street. So that had been Helga he saw. He stared in wonder for a moment; he could just see her side sticking out from her hiding place. Then he sighed and continued on his way downstairs.

"Heya, Shortman," called his grandpa as he passed the kitchen. "Want a snack?"

"Thanks Grandpa, in a minute," he replied.

He didn't understand Helga's stalking thing. Like, at all. He didn't understand much of anything she'd confessed on the roof of FTI, or her behaviour before or since. In fact, he was coming to think that, in spite of the years he had known her, he didn't understand her very well full stop.

But what he had come to understand this year was that, in some way, Helga cared about him. Deeply. Enough to put her own happiness and her family's fortune behind his own. Enough to, apparently, keep watch on him in secret because she knew his pet was sick.

How that squared with her treating him like dirt all the time, he wasn't sure.

He opened the front door and walked down the steps, into the street. "Hey, Helga," he called.

Silence.

"Helga, I know you're behind there. You might as well come out."

There was another few moments of silence, until suddenly, Helga stood. "Found it!" she exclaimed, holding up a dollar. She frowned at his blank expression. "What, did you think I was hiding from you? Get over yourself, loser." She snorted, and began to walk away.

She was so convincing, Arnold almost believed her. Almost. "Helga," he called again.

She didn't stop.

"Do you want to come in?"

That stopped her. She turned and glared at him. "And why would I want to do that?"

He shrugged, deciding to try to play off her feelings for him, and as usual, feeling a little guilty about it. "I dunno. I'd kinda like the company," he said, trying to sound slightly sad.

She didn't respond straight away, and he could see her warring with herself. Defensive, jerk Helga against the Helga who...loved him? It was still so odd to think that.

Finally, she groaned. "Okay, fine," she said, turning around. "But don't say I never did any favours for yeh."

AN: Sorry it's a very short first chapter; just seemed like the right place to cut it.