GUEST REQUEST

PROLOGUE

The look of anticipation in Helga's eyes, holding her hands close to her chest as she listened to her beloved reveal what she was sure to be the words she had been longing to hear…

Do you ever feel like, there's a hole in your heart?

Finally, he was opening up to her. It didn't matter how open she was now; the boy of her dreams was implying he had felt the same way all along.

Yes! All the time!

So what if he turned away from her? The anxiety remained inside this overwhelmingly passionate girl, knowing her plan was working out perfectly. Perhaps it wasn't even necessary. What if he had felt that way all along? A smile remained on this hopeless romantic pre-teen as she listened to her beloved continue on.

This whole trip's been about one thing

She knew what it was. All she had to do was refrain from falling into her old habits. Not allow her insecurities to ruin a sensitive moment between her and her beloved.

I want to find my lost parents.

He asked if she had ever felt as though there was a hole in her heart. These words had just shattered it. More than that. All through the years, she dealt with the pain of not allowing herself to take credit for any sweet gesture she made towards him. There was no way she could risk implying she may have some sort of feelings for him. All she could do was spend day after day...night after night...dreaming he would one day walk up and say he had felt the same way all along.

Now here she was standing on top of the boat in San Lorenzo (a trip she had won him); listening to him go on about how badly the trip could end, rather than thanking her for getting him there to begin with.

Enough was enough. There's only so much disappointment a person can take. After having the solution to your greatest problem snatched away, what is there to fear? The hope you'll one day make it out of this petrifying state at last confirmed you were just wasting your time caring. There's only so much patience a person can have until their intense fear turns to complete annoyance.

Yeah, yeah, I know all about your parents. How do you feel about ME?!

How did he feel about her at that point? Did he feel something for her? They agreed their moment on FTi was no more than the heat of the moment. Why bother allowing her to treat him so terribly if that was how he really felt? If he in his heart, truly couldn't stand her, why not just stand up to her? As great a person as he was, he had done it to people before…

Wolfgang

Big Gino

Rex Smythe Higgins

Whether or not that was true, this was the last thing the worried boy was expecting to hear. After all, Helga had a reputation to protect. Why would she be so desperate to have someone (him of all people) make her look weak in any way.

Huh?

What more did she have to do? She had just gotten him to San Lorenzo! Whether or not her words on FTi were true, she was the reason they saved the neighborhood. The money for the city float came from her dad. She chose his side when Mighty Pete was in trouble. She helped clean the vacant lot; was on their baseball team. She found his hat for crying out loud!

You wouldn't even BE here without me! Oh Arnold I may act like I don't care, I may even say I hate you, but that's a cover. I actually DO care about you.

Was it really that hard to believe? Sure she could be aggressive, had an attitude, and wasn't the perfect candidate for the newest edition of Pre-Teen Miss. Regardless of this, she still hung out with him. No matter how annoyed she seemed with his ideas, she stood by him. Aside from Gerald, Helga had proven herself to be his most loyal friend.

Huh?

Apparently it wasn't enough. He shared the same feelings, but not the ones she was hoping for. Just like her, he wasn't willing to confess anything he may be hiding from her. The only difference was, there was no kidding herself. Without a doubt in her mind, Helga knew he was the one for her. Arnold may have known deep down they were meant for each other, but it wasn't so obvious to him. They were still so young; what was the rush? She wasn't going anywhere.

Don't play dumb Arnold, you know what I'm talking about! You're like some weird old wiseman for crying out loud! I KNOW you can handle the truth, and I can too!

The truth. Did she know she could, or was she just sick of it all? Did she know if this amazing gesture (getting him to San Lorenzo) wasn't enough to prove her feelings, it was time to give up? Had she known she was capable of revealing her most intimate guarded secret all along, or did something happen between them recently?

What are you talking about?

Yes, she was a great friend. Any great friend would be willing to go to extraordinary lengths to show they care about you though. Gerald had stood by his side through his toughest times, no matter how badly he disapproved of the situation. Here she was grabbing him by his shirt collar, insisting that had to be enough however. Enough to do more than imply, it was more than friendship.

He was the smartest kid in their class when it came to solving dilemmas. Even when the answer to a desperate situation seemed affirmatively negative, he held onto his optimism. Now here she was passing out what seemed to her to be the most obvious clues a person could give about their feelings. More than clues. She was spilling her guts, and yet, he believed there had to be more to it than that. Only rather than searching for the positive side to this situation, he was looking past it, trying to find a negative answer.

I'm TALKING about the fact that I REALLY like you Arnold. Like thunder likes lightning. Like faces like fists.

How much clearer could she be? He had always assured her there was more to her than her aggressive attitude. He told her he believed deep down, she was a nice normal person, and maybe one day, she wouldn't be afraid to show it.

Here she was, proving it to him. Showing him he couldn't have been more right. She was more than nice, more than sensitive, she was passionate!

After Arnold spent years expressing his overly optimistic (dare we say passionate) side to the world about how to solve its problems, here Helga was, showing him he wasn't the only one who could dream big. If he was a positive thinker, a hopeless romantic (like with Lila and Ruth), there was nothing to be afraid of.

Now that it was on the verge of being confirmed, all he could do was sit back and wait to hear it. Hang there in the hands of his no longer secret admirer, and see what would come of this. Would he handle it as well as she insisted he could? Was he that amazing when it came to moral dilemmas?

You know. Like-like. In fact I lo…

The petrified look in the young boy's eyes implied he knew what was coming. Perhaps he had known all along. For all he himself even knew, had felt the same way as the passionate girl holding him all along.

Be it true or not, that didn't mean he was ready to seal the deal. Helga's mind may have been focused solely on the two of them, but Arnold had other intentions for the trip.