The sun was setting over the ocean on a cool breezy night. A young woman stood on the beach watching the spectacular view unfold on the horizon, as she stood and waited. She had long blond hair that had become wavy due to the beach air and she wore a glittery long flowing dress that sparkled in the sunset. She kept looking around the beach as if waiting for someone to show up but it was deserted. As the sun finally began to dip below the ocean she looked around one last time and with a heavy sigh she started walking back to civilization. Then she heard something, someone was calling her name from a distance. She turned toward the noise and saw a tiny figure of what looked like a man wearing a tuxedo, with messy blond hair, and a football shaped head running toward her yelling "Helga, Helga wait!" He came, her love Arnold came, she knew he would never abandon her at this lonely beach. "Helga" he said out of breathe as he finally caught up to her. He grabbed her hand. She blushed at his touch.

"Helga I'm so sorry I kept you waiting for so long" he said looking at her with truly apologetic eyes. She held on to his hand tight.

"It's ok Arnold, I know you had something to ask me so I didn't mind waiting for you" she said as she gripped even tighter. "So what was it you wanted to ask me?" she asked.

He bent down on one knee "I wanted to say that I have loved you since I first day I laid my eyes upon your beautiful face, and I wanted to ask for your hand in marriage, so that we could live together forever, what do you say?"

She could not find the words to express how unbelievably happy she felt. How to tell him that he was making all her dreams come true, that he was always her one true love. She had to say something. When she opened her mouth to say YES YES YES, all that came out was a knocking sound. Arnold looked confused.

"Helga I need to know if you want to be my wife forever and always" he said standing up to look her directly in the eyes.

She smiled. And opened up her mouth again to speak but just let out the same knocking sound. He took a step back then he said "Helga get the door!" She looked at him confused and the vision all went fuzzy.

"Helga your little friend Phoebe is here, and next time you answer the door!" Her shouted dad from downstairs "Ok" she yelled back. Sheesh never a moment's peace in the Patacki house. She sat up and yawned in bed still sleepy, she thought about her wonderful dream and started drifting back into it when there was a knock at her door.

"Helga it's me Phoebe can I come in?" she asked politely.

"Ya Pheebs just get in here" she replied angrily. Phoebe pushed the door open, walked into the room and stopped.

"Helga what are you doing?" she gasped. Looking at Helga sitting in bed

"Rhonda's graduation party is in 2 hours and you're not getting ready yet?"

"So I'm getting ready now! I needed some sleep after studying for finals for 3 nights straight" she said with a yawn. Phoebe walked over and sat on the edge of her bed

"Well if you followed my study plan I made for you, you would have had 3 weeks to study instead of cramming everything into 3 nights" she said a little annoyed.

"Ya well I did it didn't I? And now we never have to go back to that High school ever again! No more tests, no more homework, no more stupid dances" she said excitedly.

"Well until fall when you go to college" said Phoebe.

"Oh yea. Well at least college will be far away from here, and away from all the people we have gone to school with forever. I never have to see those losers again!" she said happily.

"Well except for tonight at Rhonda's party" said Phoebe.

"Ok Phoebe geez, but after tonight I'm done, sayonara suckers" She yelled.

"What about Arnold?" asked Phoebe? Helga turned and looked at phoebe a little surprised.

"What about him?" she asked through her teeth.

"Helga you have secretly harbored romantic feelings for him for 15 years. Don't you think you owe it to him and to yourself to let him know how you have felt after all the years? You wrote him that letter a few years ago I think now would be the perfect opportunity to give it to him" said phoebe innocently.

"What do you want me to do Phoebe just waltz up to Arnold and say hey Arnold how's it going? Oh by the way I have loved you for past 15 years, I have worshipped your every step and move, I have volumes of poetry inspired by you, you are my muse, my football headed love god, here's a letter describing it in detail let me know what you think?"

"Well …yes"

Helga laughed as just looked on and phoebe sighed.

"Good one Pheebs, like that will ever happen" laughed Helga as she got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom.

"Helga just think about it" Helga stopped and looked at her "He's going off to college too, all way on the other side of the country. If you don't let him know now he may never find out and you will regret it" she pleaded.

"Phoebe just drop it, I don't want to talk about this anymore" she said as she turned around and headed toward the bathroom again.

"But Helga if you should just..."

She slammed the bathroom door behind her shutting up her friend. Helga walked over to the sink turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on her face. She looked up into the mirror and just stared. She stared at her reflection. Her face had not changed much since she was in 4th grade. Sure she looked older but she still had the same old blond hair, only she wore it down and loose. She stopped wearing her hair in pigtails in 8th grade when Arnold had mentioned he liked the way girl's hair looked when it was down. She had also grown taller about 5'7, and she got a few curves after puberty hit but other than that nothing else had really changed. She still had the same big eyes, button nose and one big eyebrow.

"Well Helga old girl this is it, this is as good as it's going to get" she whispered to herself as she turned away from the mirror to turn on the shower.

As she lathered up she couldn't help but think of the letter she had written to Arnold. It was freshman year of high school and her parents were toying with the idea of sending her to live with her sister in Alaska.

"It's time to grow up and open your eyes" her dad said. "Olga will show you how to act like an adult".

So when it looked like she was defiantly going to move she had to let Arnold know how she felt, but every time she tried to tell him she would just yell and scream at him instead. So phoebe suggested writing a letter she said

"A letter will accurately convey how you feel without you changing your mind."

So after 34 drafts and many sleepless nights she had finally completed the perfect love letter to Arnold. She hesitated on giving it to him until the day before she was supposed to leave only to discover that her sister was moving back home because she was offered a job as lead concert pianist in the city orchestra. So she decided she would give him the letter the next day at school since she was no longer moving. Only the next day little miss perfect Lila had finally realized that she liked Arnold, she liked him liked him, and let him and everyone know during lunch in front of the whole cafeteria. They had been dating ever since. Which obviously put a damper on any future plans of love note giving, and she held on to it ever since.

There was a knock at the door "Helga you only have an hour so you better hurry up" Phoebe called to her.

"OK!" She shouted back at her. As she stepped out of the shower to dry off.

"I don't know why you want to go to this stupid party anyway" she mumbled to herself. "It's not like Arnold will even know you there with stupid little miss perfect attached to his face."

She opened the bathroom door wrapped in a towel to Phoebe holding up a bunch of dresses on hangers.

"What are those?"

"Dresses"

"Doi, Phoebe I mean what are you doing with them?"

"I thought since this was the last high school party ever you would want to maybe dress-up a little" said Phoebe with a big pleading smile.

"Phoebe, why would I want to do that?"

"Because it's the last time you will see any of these people and maybe you would want to blow them away by looking incredible, and maybe you would want to dress up for Arnold." She said sweetly.

"Phoebe there is no point, Arnold is never going to notice me over that stupid perfect little miss goody goody he's dating, I could wear Flamingo costume with flashing lights that say notice me Arnold while shaking maracas in his face and he still would not care, not while Lila's there."

"Oh Helga you didn't hear" said Phoebe surprised.

"Hear what?"

"Arnold dumped Lila after the graduation ceremony today!"

"WHAT!!" she screamed

She grabbed Phoebe by the shoulders and shook her

"Why didn't you say anything!!"

"I thought you knew, that's why I asked you about him and the letter"

Helga let go of her and sat down on the floor, flabbergasted.

"Why did he do it?"

"Well the story I got from Gerald is that she was caught kissing Iggy under the bleachers last Friday night. She tried to apologize but he said that he couldn't trust her anymore and that you couldn't have a good relationship without trust."

Helga started laughing hysterically, Phoebe looked at her uncomfortably

"Helga are you ok?" she asked

"Phoebe this is perfect" she said in between giggles "I can finally tell him, tonight. Tonight is the night I finally tell Arnold how I feel. I will tell him how I feel and then we can get married and travel the world in our own little love balloon." She said starry eyed.

"Whoa Helga baby steps, lets worry about what you should wear to this party tonight then we will deal with how to tell him how you feel" said phoebe as she pulled out some dresses out from her dress bag to show her.