Grimmy: Okay, so while I'm supposed to be redoing Lips Like Nicotine this little fic popped into my head. It's not long, only five chapters, and I plan on having the entire thing up in a few short days. So if you need something to read while you wait for the previously mentioned fic to be finished, or if you just want a little light reading in general then you've come to the right place.

I haven't betaed this because, once again, I was absolutely anxious to get it out. So feel free to point out all my flaws and mistakes. Also, it may seem a little upsetting and stiff at the beginning but that's simply because I originally wrote this first chapter in Arnold's perspective. I changed it to Helga's to fit the story a bit more. Hopefully I'm able to demonstrate the character growth over the course of these few short chapters. That's what I'm really aiming for, exploring this pairing that is. Oh! And before I forget, the song that inspired this was If You Really Love Me by Stevie Wonder. If you can't tell, just look at the very first line.

Of course I don't own Hey Arnold! I'm just another teenager with big dreams.

Chapter 1 - Commitment

"If you really love me you should tell me, not do all of this!" It was his first time since they'd started dating that he actually lost his temper and she had to wonder just why it had taken him so long. She didn't blame him though, this argument, like all the others, was her fault. He must have really liked her.

"Do all of what? What are you talking about Arnold-o?" Playing innocent always worked. Almost, anyways.

"The gum? The hair? The abuse in general Helga. That's not how you treat a boyfriend." That word...

She laughed out loud, but not to be brutal. It was because she couldn't help but to think he looked rather cute when upset. Apparently he didn't agree with his mental logic because he began to actually glare at her. "Then go complain to Lila or something," she said with a snort.

"Why do you have to be like this? So insecure and immature?"

She felt herself stiffen and watched as regret passed through his eyes. It didn't really matter though, because she now knew what he really thought of her. It was childish for her to assume that he really had meant what he said while he was angry but she didn't really care. She was immature after all. And for some reason she couldn't help but feel that a part of him really believed that to be true. Helga was shutting down again. Completely reverting back to that awkwardly cynical and sarcastic person she was before.

"Look, Arnold. I don't think this is going to work out. I'm obviously not mature enough for this relationship." Her eyes were hard, a lot harder than her heart that was desperately begging for her to stop this. To stop being so petty. But she couldn't now that she'd said it. Besides, relationships were too much trouble anyways.

He reached out and hugged her gently and her heart ached. What was she doing? After pining after him for so many years she'd finally got him, and what did she do? Completely give it up because she thought it was too much trouble. Or so she tried to convince herself. The reality of it all was that they were getting entirely too close, too soon. She was afraid. So why not break before she was broken? The worse part was she felt broken anyways.

"You don't want to do this..."

Helga stiffened. His voice was so soft and she knew he was trying to convince her to stay. He wanted to be with her. "I obviously do. Maybe I'll come back when my self esteem is intact." She was screaming at herself mentally. Why the hell did she have to say that? And just why was she walking away!

She was thirteen and she was afraid to commit.

Grimmy: So what do you think? I urge you to review because I'm really looking forward to feedback on how I can improve this. And opinions are always good. :P Like always. I'm pretty sure I'll have the next chapter out some time tomorrow or the day after. It depends on how much I procrastinate. I already have it written down, I just need to type it up and edit it so it's longer. Many thanks to you all~