16 Candles
Author's Notes: I just rediscovered my love for Hey Arnold and this is my first Hey Arnold fanfic! Please enjoy!
Chapter 1
Saturday March 25th. The weather seemed to be making fun of Helga Pataki as she sat on a bench getting drenched in Lark Park in the pouring rain. At this point she just didn't care. All of the frustration she felt throughout the day turned to anger and eventually her anger turned to sadness as she finally released everything that was building inside her. Helga covered her face as an overflow of tears poured out of her in the same way the downpour of rain suddenly fell on her. This was officially the worst birthday of her life.
All of a sudden the rain stopped. Helga looked up and saw that it was still raining yet she was no longer getting wet. She looked around and saw a blue umbrella covering her. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the owner of the umbrella, the last person she expected to see today. "Arnold!" she exclaimed. She cleared her throat and regained her composure. "I mean, what are you doing here Football Head?"
He took a seat beside her continuing to hold the umbrella over her. He was getting wet despite the hooded jacket he was wearing, but he didn't seem to mind. "You shouldn't be sitting in the rain like this. You might get sick." He looked at her carefully. "Actually your eyes are puffy and your nose is a little red."
"Well I'm not sick, Arnoldo, so get lost!"
He gave her a look. "It seems kinda strange to me that you're sitting all alone in the pouring rain on your 16th birthday."
Helga looked at him in surprise. "Y-you remembered my birthday?"
"I don't forget important dates," he said with a smile. "Anyway, how come you're not celebrating?"
She scoffed. "I am celebrating," she said sarcastically. "My parents left town without telling me, there's no food in my house and I can't buy any because my last paycheck went to paying my cell phone bill, my boss wouldn't let me get any extra hours because he's afraid I'm gonna scare off his best customers on the busiest day of the week, a bird just pooped on my head, and I just got stuck in this downpour." Her voice wavered as she finished her tirade. "I'm having a great day."
Arnold frowned. "So great that you've been crying tears of joy, right?" Helga looked away. Arnold stood up and continued to hold the umbrella over her head. He reached his hand out to her. "Come on, Helga. Let's celebrate your birthday the right way."
Helga crossed her arms. "Who says this isn't celebrating the right way?" She sighed. "You probably think I deserve this anyway."
"Don't be stubborn, Helga. Yeah you can be a bit intense, but you're still a girl who deserves a proper birthday celebration. Your life is important and we should enjoy that."
Helga thought about it and sighed. She didn't really have much to lose and doing anything with Arnold would be better than this. "Ok, Football Head. I'll go with you as long as I don't have to listen to any more of that self-help mumbo jumbo." She stood up. "But it's only because you offered and not because I particularly want to go anywhere with you or anything."
Arnold smiled. "Whatever you say, Helga."
Helga walked with Arnold and he continued to hold the umbrella over her the whole time. She didn't really say much because she had so many things running through her mind. She felt like she was having a major case of déjà vu with Arnold holding an umbrella over her head in the rain the same way he did on their first day of preschool. Only this time it was much longer than 10 seconds and they were much older now. After elementary and middle school, Helga didn't have many classes with Arnold or the old gang since other students in the area were integrated into one large high school. Her best and only friend Phoebe Heyerdahl moved away 2 years ago and Helga eventually drifted apart from all of her other classmates as they made new friends in their own social circles. Helga never fit into a particular clique and kept to herself since everyone else avoided her because they were either afraid of her or had their noses turned up at her. Even though Arnold was basically friends with everyone and was usually surrounded by his many admirers he was still cordial to her in passing, but she either ignored him or pretended to be hateful towards him. She still had a crush on him after all these years, but it hadn't been easy on her.
After confessing her feelings for him on top of the Future Tech Industries building before they saved the neighborhood, she took it all back when they agreed that it was in the heat of the moment. She remembered the conversation like it was yesterday.
After watching Murray and Mona embrace, Arnold looked at Helga. "Pretty crazy day," he said stepping away from her.
Helga's heart sank. She was sure by now that Arnold didn't return her feelings. "Yeah," she said embarrassedly. "We said a lot of nutty things up there."
"Yeah," he said looking away.
"Yeah." Helga looked down and sighed. She knew what she needed to do. "Uhm. About all that stuff I said, Arnold, I... I mean... It was crazy back there..."
"Yeah, with all the excitement we just... kinda..."
"Got carried away?" Helga finished for him.
Arnold gave her a look. "You didn't really mean all that, did you? You don't really love me, right?"
No! her mind said. I do love you! I really, really do. "Right," she said.
"You were caught up in the heat of the moment, right?"
"Right!" Helga said with false hopefulness in her voice.
"You actually hate me, don't you?"
Helga paused. I could never hate you she thought to herself. I just hate that you don't love me. "Of course I hate you, you stupid football head, and don't you ever forget it! Ever!"
Arnold shrugged. "Okay."
Helga was heartbroken after that conversation and cried herself to sleep that night. She decided that the best thing to do was to let her crush on him go and went as far as burning all of her Arnold memorabilia. However she soon realized that she couldn't fully let Arnold go; after going on a few dates with a couple of guys in middle school she found herself comparing them to him and it didn't help matters as Arnold grew more attractive over the years. After working with him on a science project in 8th grade, she decided to be content loving him from a distance only this time she kept it more subtle. She bought herself a smaller locket with his picture in it and picked up poetry writing again without explicitly mentioning him in her poems. Those were her only companions.
The rain suddenly stopped and Arnold closed his umbrella. "How did you know to bring an umbrella anyway, Football Head?" she asked him.
"I checked the weather this morning," he replied pulling his hood down. "It's become a habit since Grandpa always says to be prepared for anything." They arrived at the boarding house Arnold's grandparents owned. "You're gonna want to step aside, Helga."
Helga raised an eyebrow and did what he said. When Arnold opened the door, multiple cats, dogs, and his pet pig Abner ran outside." Criminy, Arnold, you guys still have a zoo in there?"
"Sometimes it feels that way." He allowed her to go inside first before following her.
As Arnold closed the door his grandmother Gertie came into the hallway with an oversized cowboy hat on. "Oh give me a home," she sang. "Where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope..." she caught sight of Arnold and Helga. "Howdy there, Tex! I see you wrangled up a friend here."
"Yeah, I was on my way home from helping Mr. Green and I found Helga caught in the rain. You remember Helga Pataki, right Grandma?"
"Of course," Gertie said as she curtsied to her. "It's always an honor to have you here, Eleanor."
Arnold shook his head. "Her name is Helga, Grandma, not Eleanor."
"Oh I know Queen Eleanor Roosevelt when I see her, Tex, and she deserves to be treated as such."
Helga smiled for the first time that day. Even though she knew Arnold's grandmother was a little bit kooky, she respected her and was always amused by her. "It's about time someone treated me like a queen," she said.
"This calls for a celebration! I'll bake a cake! Tex, go get the queen some proper clothes and after you get dried off go get the supplies from the closet so we can get ready for the grand party."
All of a sudden they heard a toilet flush and Arnold's grandfather Phil came out of a room. "Pookie, I thought you made strawberry jam for breakfast, not raspberry. You know what raspberries do to me."
"Grandpa!" Arnold said as he blushed with embarrassment.
"Oh! Sorry, Shortman. I didn't realize we had company. You two look like you were shipwrecked from the ocean. What exactly have you two been up to today?"
Arnold's eyes widened and now it was Helga's turn to blush. Gertie smacked Phil on the arm. "Don't insult Queen Eleanor!"
Phil laughed. "I was just kidding. You kids should find some warm clothes to change into."
"And don't forget those party supplies, Tex."
"Party supplies? What are we celebrating today, Pookie?"
Gertie pointed to Helga. "The arrival of the queen, of course! Come on and help me start the cake!" The two of them disappeared into the kitchen.
Arnold faced Helga. "I'm sorry about them," he apologized. "My grandparents are 87 now and they're still a bit eccentric. I swear they get crazier the older they get."
"It's fine, Football Head. As long as I get to be the queen I can handle anything your awesome grandparents throw my way." She sighed. "It's nice that I'm not invisible for once," she added before realizing what she said.
Arnold looked at her sadly. "Let's get you out of those wet clothes before you really get sick." He led her upstairs and handed her some spare clothes and a towel from the linen closet. "Those should fit you." He pointed to a door behind her. "The bathroom is right there and you're welcome to use whatever you need to. If you leave your wet clothes outside the door, I can get it in the laundry while you get changed."
"You don't have to do all that."
"I want to. It's your birthday and you should be treated like a queen… Eleanor."
Helga smiled at him. "I appreciate it, Tex." She disappeared into the bathroom and after closing the door behind her she swooned. "I can't believe this," she thought out loud. "My love is allowing me to be a guest in his own home and I get to wear his clothes." She sniffed the plaid shirt he gave her and smiled as she remembered joking him about the plaid shirts he always wore in 4th grade everyone thought was a skirt. Her eyes suddenly widened. "I can finally find out what shampoo he uses!" She quickly undressed and started the shower. She left her wet clothes outside the bathroom as Arnold told her and jumped into the shower immediately finding the shampoo.