Hey everyone, I apologize for the really long wait. And I mean reallllllly long lol. A lot of stuff has happened in the last few years, life getting in the way as usual. A few notes, no, I haven't given up writing "Hey Helga", in fact, its done. It just needed to be uploaded. For those of you that have waited this long, I'm eternally grateful. I appreciate your guys' patients like no other. I know how long its been, but as I said, between life getting in the way, a few moves, break ups, death of family members, and new jobs, writing stories kinda gets put on the back burner. Believe I know. . To all of those who have given up on the story, I deeply apologize, and I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me, and hopefully give the story another chance. But if not, I understand. There's nothing worse than keeping someone waiting for a story just to feel as if the writer has given up on it. Sadly, I fear I have become one of those. Lol…but not anymore. I'm back baby, and with more stories than ever before. So strap on your seatbelts boys and girls, cuz you guys are in for a ride. .
Hopefully the "Hey Helga" story should be finished sometime this week. So, without further adieu, here is another little addition to the Hey Arnold fandom. Hope you guys enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold, or the characters associated. But the wonderful Mr. Bartlett does. And for those who read till the end, there's a surprise in it for ya. Happy reading!
Letters From A Bold Warrior
'I think you're cute.'
She read the note over and over again in her mind, staring at the small folded up piece of paper, silently questioning any listening being above her, if this was a cruel idea of a joke.
It has to be, she thought.
It must be…there's no way this was meant for me. Who in their right mind thinks, I'm cute, let alone has the guts to tell me?
She sneered at it in response, crumbling up the message and tossing it carelessly over her shoulder and into the empty hallway. Slamming her locker shut, she marched off to her next class, forgetting the entire thing, even happened.
American History and Biology II went by quicker than usual. Mostly because the blonde vixen tried her best not to doze off in the middle of class again. She really couldn't afford another detention, she mentally scolded herself. It wasn't her fault they decided to show really boring documentaries practically back to back in each class. Any teen would fall asleep, if they weren't interested. Or weren't Phoebe.
Chuckling at this thought, she went back to her locker to put her books away, when she stopped in horror at the sight before her.
There, at her locker, taped to the front of the door, was another note. Not just any note. But the same crumply piece of paper from that previous morning.
Her eyes glued to the message, she snatched the wrinkled piece off of her locker door, and hastily opened it. She read, in the same scribbly handwriting:
'I see you got my message. Hope I didn't upset you…
Something tells me that's a little too late.' ;)
She glared at the wink face next to his comments. Who did this guy think he was anyway?
'Anyway, just thought I'd tell you how I felt. I'll be in touch.
See ya' later…cutie…' ;)
Another wink face.
He couldn't be serious?
Fumbling for a pen through her bag, she decided to respond in her fit of sudden rage.
"I'll show you cutie," she mumbled through gritted teeth.
Scribbling back, she fumed, "Let's get this straight, you weirdo. I don't know who you are, and frankly I don't care. But call me 'cutie' again, and you're gonna regret it! Oh, and I'd think twice about leaving notes on my locker again. Unless you wanna talk it out with Ol' Betsey!" She drew an angry face, with a dash, signing it, - "An Angry Fist".
Folding it up, she stuck it back on her locker under the same piece of tape. Hoping the idiot would be smart enough to comply with her instructions, this should be the last she heard from him. With a huff of satisfaction, she stomped away to meet her little Asian friend for lunch.
The rest of the day went on smoothly, feeling a sense of relief from this morning, dealing with her anonymous letter writer. She went made it through Math and English with such a good mood in fact, she completely forgot about the incident all together. It wasn't until she reached her locker that afternoon to go home, that everything changed. She was relieved to find no note hanging off of her door this time, smiling to herself that whoever the poor little twisted freak was, seemed to get the picture.
But the second she opened her locker…
A clean, pressed piece of paper fluttered out of her locker, next to feet, and on to the ground.
She grumbled in annoyance.
"No. Way." She angrily ripped the paper off of the floor, and tore into it immediately. Her eyes widened with rage instantly at his words.
'Dear, Angry Fist,
While I respect your privacy and your wishes, to be fair, you never said anything about not leaving stuff in your locker.' ;)
That same stupid wink face.
'Anyway, I hope you're having a good day. Again, I'm sorry if I was a little forward this morning. I figured I'd be the one to say something since…you wont…
Either way, hope to hear from you soon.
See ya',
Bold Warrior'
"Bold Warrior?" She laughed out loud.
Okay, she had to admit, that was clever. But it didn't take away from the fact that she was still angry about his stupid notes, the fact that he clearly disobeyed her command, the fact that—
Her train of thought stopped dead in it's tracks. Derailing herself from her own thoughts, her eyes skipped ahead to the very line, "say something since…you wont."…
You wont.
I wont? She thought.
I wont what? She screamed at herself mentally.
What…wait…did this mean…
This was someone that knew her… And from the sound of it, pretty well.
The blonde girl scoffed, "Stupid note." She grumbled, flipping over the letter to scribble her response once more.
'Dear Mr. Bold Idiot,
You'd have to be bold to continue writing to me, after I clearly told you to scram. So. Let's make this clear. No more notes, letters, drawings, pictures, or whatever stupid thing you come up with, inside, outside, or even around my locker ever again! I swear I will kill you! I still may not know who you are, but you obviously know me. So. If ya' got somethin' to say to me, bucko, say it to my face! Don't waste my time with these silly, juvenile notes. They're annoying as crap, and are about to cost you your life! Meet me outside in front of the school tomorrow, before the first bell rings.
This is your final warning!
-An Even Angrier Fist'
Perfect, she fumed over her own words.
"Now, I can end this nightmare once and for all." She murmured to her locker, sticking the note on to the front of her door once more. She gathered her belongings, and hurried out though the double doors. She huffed and puffed her way to the bus stop, just in time to see the bus pulling away down the street.
Without her.
She slowed down her pace, watching the bus drive away, growing more and more irritated with her 'Bold Warrior', silently cursing him out for causing her to miss the bus.
The blonde girl huffed in annoyance, adjusted her backpack strap, and headed down the street, all the way back to her house, alone.
~~H/A~~H/A~~H/A~~H/A~~
When she got off the bus the next morning, she planted herself next to the long stoop of the high school, waiting for 'Bold Warrior' to show up.
This should be interesting, she wondered, sarcastically.
So she waited. And waited.
And waited…
But her never came.
"Coward," she mumbled aloud.
Not to say, she was disappointed. But just the satisfaction of cursing him out in person, would have been at most, gratifying.
As if on queue, the first bell rang, and she slowly picked up her belongings and resentfully made her way to first period. She took a quick glance around before entering the school. But she knew he wasn't there.
Passing her locker, she was almost surprised to see no note.
At lunch, she was equally shocked to not find anything inside.
Even pushing around her other books, she was still at awe to find, nothing.
Maybe, he got the message after all…
Guilt started to swell up inside of her.
Okay, maybe she didn't have to be that hostile. So he was some lame kid with a crush. Albeit, slightly creepy.
But still, a kid with feelings, nonetheless.
Perhaps, shouldn't she have been grateful that at least someone was admiring her? Even if it wasn't someone she hoped it would be…even if those days of hoping were long gone…
"If he didn't get it by now…" She trailed off sadly, still staring through her note-less locker.
Oh well.
At least it wouldn't be a problem anymore.
She closed her locker and made her way to Math class.
Saying she couldn't focus in either of her last classes was an understatement if she ever heard one. She was too busy racking her brain about her 'Bold Warrior' and who he was, and why he decided to just run away? She did scare him, didn't she? But that was the point. Right?
And how exactly did he know her? As if they already knew each other? But she couldn't have known him. No one in their right mind, at least, no one that she knew personally, would write her some complete and utter nonsense like that. No guy in her grade even remotely asked her what time it was, let alone thought she was 'cute'.
Maybe, it was all a prank.
Maybe she was worrying for nothing, and it didn't even matter now, because he was gone.
After the last bell of the day, she made her way back to her locker to put away her books when suddenly—
Her heart stopped.
There, on the outside of the locker, was another letter.
Could it be?
Ignoring her anger about disobeying her instructions again, she made her way slowly to her locker, plucking the perfectly folded piece of paper carefully off of the door. She unfolded the note softly, curious as to what it could have said.
'Dear, Angrier Fist,
I'm really sorry about this morning. Something came up, and I ended up being late for school. If I upset you even more, I'm really sorry about that.'
A sad face.
She rolled her eyes with a scoff.
This guy's over the top cheesy, she noted.
'Anyway, I just wanted to tell you, that you're right. I was being bold. Mostly because well…I guess I was kinda too nervous to say it in person. I guess you could say…well, I guess I am a coward.'
"Hmm…ya' think?" She commented aloud.
'But no more games. You deserve my honesty and that much, I can give you. No more letters, no more notes.
If you wanna know who I am, so we can finally talk, meet me at Slausen's after school. There's a chocolate milkshake involved for ya'. My treat.
See ya' then,
-An Even Bolder Warrior'
She glanced at the bottom of the note, her mouth agape in shock.
'P.S.
Do me a favor, Helga? Don't bring Ol' Betsey with you, okay? That doesn't exactly work on me anymore.' ;)
Wink face. A stupid wink face.
It was like he was taunting her with it now.
She crinkled the letter in her fists, before shoving it into her backpack.
How dare he assume she wouldn't follow through with her threat?
And how dare she carry on after him with this stupid ritual, with their stupid notes, and his stupid wink faces.
She stomped all the way to the bus stop. But once again, she found herself fuming in anger on the way home, having missed the bus once more, due to her wonderful 'Bold Warrior'.
"I'll be there at Slausen's, alright." She growled down the sidewalk, kicking a can in her wake.
"I'll bring O'l Betsey and her reinforcements." She snarled to herself, angrily making the trek back home, once again, alone.
It only took an hour and a half of her time, and a thirty-five minute phone call from Phoebe to figure out what she had to do next.
She would go.
She would show up.
And she would agree to speak calmly, as Phoebe endearingly reminded her.
It wasn't until she was on her way to the Ice Cream shop, that panic started to build up inside her.
What if Phoebe was wrong, and it was a sick, twisted joke? What if this whole time, 'Bold Warrior' was just pranking her, or trying to win some twisted bet? Or worse, some freak who tried to kidnap her and take her to the circus?!
…Okay, so maybe that was a little melodramatic, but hey, that's what happened in the movies, let alone what could happen in real life…
But when she reached the corner of Slausen's, she'd seen a sight through the front window, that made everything in her freeze. She was immobilized.
Her eyes were fixated in the very window, that a certain football headed boy just happened to be sitting on the other side of.
Great, she panicked.
Just great! Not only, will I completely humiliate myself, but I get to do it in front of the one person, the only person who's ever really, truly, mattered.
If only, she dreamed. He could have been her 'Bold Warrior'.
But that was impossible, and she knew that.
And now, she'd have to deal with this and him being here all at once.
Maybe he would leave soon.
Maybe, she could sneak in and he wouldn't even notice…
She walked inside the shop, the bell ringing loudly as ever, betraying her desire to remain unnoticed.
Maybe, he didn't hear—
"Helga?" That sweet voice rooted her to her very spot.
She slowly turned, trying her best to keep calm, making sure she had a clear eye on the door, in case 'Bold Warrior' decided to show up.
"Uh, h-hey, Arnoldo, how's tricks?" She laughed nervously.
Get it together, Helga! She scolded herself.
"Uh, fine," He laughed with her.
That same sweet little chuckle of his that she thought was so adorable.
"I'm surprised to see you here," He said with an edge to his voice that she couldn't pinpoint.
Was he nervous?
Probably waiting for his hot date. She internally rolled her eyes.
"I mean, does it matter to you why I'm here, footballhead?" She made her way over to him, folding her arms over her chest.
"It's a free country, ya' know, I can come and get a milkshake anywhere I want. Slausen's just," She fumbled with her hands looking for an excuse.
"Happens to be on the way home." She confidently added.
"Yeah," He chuckled again. "And it just so happens to be the only Ice Cream shop in town." He looked up at her with a smirk.
She was going to lose it.
"W-well," She stammered. "Since you're so inquisitive to know, I'm meetin' someone here. Not that it's any of your business, footballhead." She snarled back.
He paused for a second, before he looked up at her simply and said, "I know."
"Good, so if you'll excuse me—."
"I'm actually waiting for someone too." His tone. It was all too mysterious. Also, it was incredibly annoying.
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you want a medal or somethin'?"
So he was here on a date.
"No, but I do want you to sit down." He offered with another smirk.
"Isn't your date gonna be jealous?" She snarked back at him.
His smile faded.
"What date?"
"I dunno, whoever you're waiting for," She crossed her arms in a pout.
She heard him snort.
She looked up in astonishment.
This boy was laughing at her.
Full blown, laughing at her.
She suddenly growled, dove across the table, and grabbed a fist-full of Arnold's flannel shirt.
"Care to share what's so funny, before Ol' Betsey makes you?" She snarled at him as menacingly as she could muster.
But he was still laughing.
"I already told you, Helga," He removed her fist from his collar, gently.
But…
His hand was still clasped in hers as he continued.
"Ol' Betsey doesn't work on me anymore." He lowered his eyelids at her, with that same tantalizing look that could make her insides swoon. That same look she dreamed one day he would give her when, he confessed his undying love to her. The same look he gave to other girls when—
Suddenly, she couldn't breathe.
Her heart was in her throat.
He was still gently holding her hand, staring at her ever so lovingly, with his beautiful green eyes and his warm, beautiful, footballheaded smile.
Her insides told her to run away, far away, until she was locked away in her room, and she could fully process just exactly what the heck was happening.
"W-what did you say?" She finally croaked out, peeling her hand out of his carefully.
Her hands were on fire.
His face slightly fell.
"Helga, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Of course his on-going, overly protective, stupid good nature would kick in.
"I don't understand…Did Gerald…Did Phoebe…Arnold, what are you saying?!" She looked at him with wide eyes, preparing herself for a response, she wasn't sure she was ready to hear.
Surely, he couldn't be…
He closed his eyes and sighed.
Suddenly, he reached over into his backpack, and one by one…dumped out every, single one, of 'Bold Warrior's' notes.
This couldn't be happening.
"So…how 'bout that milkshake?" He sheepishly asked, with that stupid cheesy grin, and that stupid cheesy wink.
That stupid, ridiculous wink.
It would be the death of her.
And yet, somehow…
She couldn't help but feel ecstatic, confused, nauseas and…anxious.
She folded her arms, trying to keep her cool as best as she could.
"So…w-why the notes, footballhead?" She asked as casually as ever.
But it was his response, that made her look up at him.
"How else was I gonna ask you out?" He said it almost so sheepishly…it was…cute.
She couldn't help but blush extreme crimson at his words.
She noticed suddenly, his cheeks matched hers.
It was strange.
But she could definitely get used to it.
"Ya' know, I'll think I'll take that milkshake now." She couldn't help but smirk at him, his eyes closed tight in a happy laugh.
He was happy.
With her.
She made him happy.
"Be right back," he replied with a blushing smirk of his own.
As he waited by the counter bar to order, her mind was replaying everything over and over from the last two days in her mind. Every word she read. Every word she memorized. It threw her for a loop, how everything they had written together, came from him. Arnold.
It was almost like a dream come true.
She looked back at the blonde boy and sighed to herself happily.
She still had a million and one questions to ask, no doubt he'd hopefully have all the answers.
But if there was one thing she did know, it was he truly was, a Bold Warrior.
~~THE END~~
So how did everyone like it? Lol Good? Bad? As always, thanks again for reading, hope you guys enjoyed it! Leave your comments and thoughts in the box below, and be ready for more!
Hopefully, I can get the rest of "Hey Helga" up this coming week, along with more stories I've written. And believe me, there's a LOT of them. Lol
For those of you who made it till the end, first of all, congrats, lol secondly, I can tell you the surprise.
As I mentioned in the beginning, Craig Bartlett is the amazing mastermind behind Hey Arnold, and for those of you who haven't heard by now, he announced sometime around last year, in July, that he was finally moving forward with Nickelodeon and their production of The Jungle Movie.
We are getting THE JUNGLE MOVIE!
When I tell you, I was beyond excited, I was BEYOND excited. To most people, this is probably old news, but I thought I'd help spread the word to those who somehow haven't heard of this awesome news, and all I can say, is that its coming, I'm ready, and I hope you guys are ready too!
Thanks again for reading! Have a great week, and I hope to hear from you guys soon!