Hello guys, my name is Hanna. I'm new at making fanfiction, especially in english. So before you guys read this, I apologize if there are any grammar mistake. This is Hey Arnold! fanfiction. I love this cartoon so much. I hope you guys enjoy this.

Chapter 1. Insomniac

It was a cold and silent night in Hillwood. The sound of dog barking could be heard, but it was the only sound out there. There was no moon tonight and the stars were not very clear. Helga Pataki sat on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was another sleepless night for her. She couldn't sleep well lately. She had tried to do anything so that she could sleep. She read a lot of non-fictional books, she counted sheep, she banged her head to the pillow, but nothing worked. Of course, she became an insomniac for a reason. She had a lot of things in mind lately. And one of them, and the most important, and that bugged her a lot, was her one and only love, Arnold.

She had been in love with Arnold since pre-school. You might think that a five year old girl was impossible to fall in love. Maybe you would say that it was not love, it was a puppy love. But Helga was sure that it was love at a first sight when she saw Arnold for the first time. It was raining pretty hard that day. He held a yellow umbrella and shared it with her. "I like your bow because it's pink like your pants." He said with a smile. Just a simple thing like that and it touched Helga's heart gently, yet deeply. It was the sweetest thing one had ever said to her, even until now when she was fourteen. And she wouldn't ever forget that blessed day.

Loving someone was a very pleasant feeling. It made you woke up with a smile on your face. It helped you went through hard days. It brought happiness, hopes, and inspirations to your life. But when you had to hide that feeling, and when your feeling was not returned, when you saw your loved one with someone else, it could hurt you to the bone. And that's exactly how Helga felt.

Arnold had been dating Lila Sawyer since 7th grade. They were so famous. Everyone saw them as the icon of perfect couple. Arnold the do-gooder and Lila the Little Miss Perfect, no one could beat their perfection as a couple. They both were smart and sweet. Every couple at school wanted to be like them. And it was not a secret that Arnold had had a crush on her since 4th grade. When finally Lila said yes to him, the school cheered for Arnold.

Helga remembered that day as if it was just yesterday. It was on lunch time when Arnold decided to ask her to be her girlfriend. Lila was with her girl friends buying lunch, when Arnold shouted her name. It caught the student's attention on cafeteria, Helga's as well. Everyone paid attention to Arnold and Lila. Lila asked him what's wrong and then Arnold said shortly yet sweetly "Be my girlfriend."

That was when Helga's world came crushed and burned. No words could describe her feeling the second he said it. She always thought that Arnold would stop chasing after her and just admired her from afar. She thought that maybe Arnold had given up. But no, he still had strong feelings for Lila. He still kept on trying. Helga stared blankly at them. She fought so hard not to blink, or the tears would fall and wet her cheeks.

The kids were waiting for Lila's answer. Some of them cheered and whistled for Arnold. The girls were like "Aw, that's so sweet!" Helga still stared at them, waiting for Lila to say something. She hoped that she would say no. But Helga's wrong. Lila said yes.

Helga remembered his happy with a hint of disbelief laugh. She remembered how he hugged Lila that day. She remembered how everyone came to them and congratulated them. She remembered how the girls told Lila how sweet Arnold was. Maybe she was the only human being at cafeteria that felt miserable.

She tried to tell herself that Arnold was happy being with Lila, that Arnold finally had his dream came true. It calmed her a bit, but it still hurt her every time she saw the couple walked by. How Arnold would wait for her after school finished so they could go home together. How Lila would tell the girls how her date with Arnold went. It was just killing her. Jealousy killed her. She thought that it was just not fair for her. She was the one that admire him since pre-school. She was the one that always prayed for him in the night. She was the one that helping him every time he and Gerald got into trouble in their adventures. She was the one that loved him, unconditionally. Even though Arnold was happy, she couldn't help but being selfish and blame it to him. He was so blind, so dense! Couldn't he see that she was the right girl for him?

That day when Arnold confessed his feelings for Lila, Helga walked home with a very sorrowful face. It's good that no one notice this, except Phoebe─ her best friend. Everyone's too busy cheering for the new couple. Phoebe asked Helga if she was okay and if she wanted to walk home with her. Helga said to her that she would be okay and that she wanted to be alone right now. Helga couldn't help but dropped a tear. She cried silently that no one noticed. She finally arrived at home and cried so hard in her room that people downstairs might hear it. But she didn't really care. Arnold and Lila was an item now, how could things get worse? That day she threw her poetry books all around her room. She destroyed the Arnold shrine. She got all crazy and lost control. She almost cut her pink bow with a scissor, but her hand couldn't do that. Her heart forbade her to cut it. She dropped the scissors then cried hard, again. She cried herself to sleep.

Since that day, Helga had tried to forget him. She tried to tell herself that her feelings for him were just a silly little crush that not real and will faded away. But she couldn't. It only made her sure that her feeling for Arnold was love, genuine love. And it killed her. She faked a smile, she masked her broken heart. She even congratulated Arnold.

"Congrats Arnold." She said shortly to him before class. He seemed a bit taken a back. But finally he smiled.

"Thanks Helga. I thought you wouldn't say that," he said jokingly, "I am so happy. It feels like─"

"I know. I know you're happy. I'm happy for you." Helga cut him. She couldn't stand hearing Arnold talked about her new girlfriend. He looked at her with a shocked expression.

"Helga, are you okay?" he asked her.

"Huh? What?"

"Are you okay? I mean…you don't make fun of me and…you don't call me Football Head. And you said you're happy for me…I-it's not that I don't like it but uh…you seemed different…uh you know. Are you okay?" he said with hesitation.

"What? O-of course I'm alright Arnoldo! It's just…I don't want to ruin your lovey-dovey mood that's all! Ugh such a Football Head!" she said defensively. She pushed him a bit then walked quickly to class, leaving Arnold confused.

Since that day too, Helga tried not to pay all her attention to Arnold. She didn't completely ignore him. She just rarely making fun of him and calling him names. He seemed enjoyed it. He got Lila as a girlfriend and now Helga didn't make fun of him that much. Life's great for him now she thought. Why did she stop annoying him? Helga was tired, tired of unrequited love. She didn't see the point why she should continue bothering him. It was not like he would break up with Lila if Helga made fun of him. So she didn't pay much attention to him a lot like she used to do. And Arnold didn't complain.

With that final thought in her mind, she drifted off to sleep.

Ps. This is not a one-shot obviously. I'll continue as fast as I can. Please review!