Everything started off as a normal day at PS 118. It was a warm day, the skies were clear and bright with the sun shining down, and everyone was happy as they made their way from the bus to the school, as they were ready to start the new school year. Arnold and Gerald were happily conversing amongst themselves.

"Nice jacket, man!" Gerald complimented his friend, who was wearing the same green jumper over a plaid shirt, but now had a steel blue jacket as well. "Where'd you find that?"

"My grampa picked it up for me," Arnold explained, "it's pretty cool. Besides, it's not like I'm the only one wearing something different."

"Yeah, but that's because we're fifth graders now. We're expected to change our look to show maturity." He had a point, and he himself stuck by it, swapping his red sweater with a hoodie of the same colour, with the same number 33 on it. "Imagine high school, man, when we'll be wearing different stuff all the time."

"That's true. I wonder if-"

He was cut off when he accidentally walked into someone and fell down. He was a bit dazed at first, but soon shook it off. As he sat up, he realised that he had bumped into the one and only Helga Pataki, his… well, they weren't exactly good friends, given how much she 'bullies' him and calls him 'Football Head', but he didn't dislike her. At most, they were classmates. She sat up and her eyes went wide when she saw that she had bumped into Arnold.

"Arnold!" she exclaimed, before quickly shaking her head and scowling at him. "Honestly, Football Head! Even in fifth grade, you find a way to keep getting in my way."

"Sorry, Helga." As they stood up, Arnold noticed Helga's new attire- granted, it wasn't that much different to her old one, but it was noticeable. Her dress was now a lighter shade of pink, with a pink and red stripe at the bottom, still worn over a white shirt, and she now wore similar sneakers to him. Most noticeably, however, was that she still had her hair in ponytails with the pink bow she had become known to wear, much like Arnold and his hat. "I notice you're wearing a new dress."

"Yeah, so what if I am?"

"Nothing, it looks nice."

She blinked at him. "Huh? Uh, thanks, I guess."

"So, how was-" it was at that moment they heard the bell ring. "Oh, class is starting. I'll see you later, Helga."

He walked away, oblivious to the fact that Helga was now swooning over the compliment she had just received. "Oh, Arnold!" she sighed. "You sweet, football-headed angel! Hearing such kinds words from you sends my heart a flutter! How I wish the construct of society that deems me a bully would fade away, and I could show you the real me, the one that cares for you so dearly!" Her eyes widened when she heard wheezing, but she quickly rolled them before backhanding Brainy, breaking his glasses and knocking him out. "Welcome back, Brainy."

So, she made her way into class. It felt relaxing, walking back into the classroom, seeing everyone acting like they usually would- Harold, Sid and Stinky no doubt planning a prank, Rhonda discussing fashion with Nadine while Curly creepily admires the raven-haired girl, Lila, Eugene and Sheena talking about something geeky, Lorenzo and Peapod Kid being just… there, Arnold and Gerald at the front chatting about something, and Phoebe sorting out her notes, despite the fact that the school year had only just started. As Helga made her way to her seat, Phoebe looked and smiled to see her friend approaching the seat next to hers.

"Good morning, Helga!" she greeted, Helga sitting down. "How was your summer vacation?"

"Hey, Pheebs," she replied, "not too bad. Apart from having to deal with Olga for two weeks, and the constant ignorance from Big Bob and Miriam- well, they do that anyway, but still- it was okay. What about you? How was Kentucky?"

"Oh, it was fine. It was fun to see my grandparents again, but I missed hanging out with you guys."

"The feelings mutual, Pheebs. So, I take it you're-" Helga stopped when she realised that Phoebe, who was previously known for wearing a blue sweater with her skirt, was now wearing a blue-collared white shirt, under a blue jacket, and a light blue skirt that was a bit longer. Her bun was now a ponytail. "Woah! Big change, Phoebe! I take it that 'Chocolate Cake' likes the new you?"

Phoebe blushed. "I believe so. He complimented me as soon as he came in, although he used to do that anyway."

"Yeah, remind me again why you two haven't asked each other out?"

Phoebe smirked. "I could ask the same about you and 'Ice Cream'!"

Helga frowned, a blush appearing. "We agreed to keep that to ourselves, Pheebs."

"Keeping!" she chirped, before turning around in time to see Mr Simmons enter the room.

"Good morning, class!" he greeted, setting his stuff down on his desk. "It is so good to see you all, and I feel so happy to be teaching you for another year! I hope that you have all had a wonderful summer vacation, and are ready and eager to learn."

Harold groaned. "Does this mean we have to work? I hate work!"

While the class laughed, Mr Simmons just smiled. "Now, Harold, everything that is worth doing requires effort. However, since this is the first week of your fifth-grade year, I will not be setting you any homework this week." Everyone cheered at this announcement. "Now, that's the spirit! Alright, since everyone appears to be here, let's get started!"

For the first couple of lessons, everything was pretty much the same as the previous year. The lessons weren't much harder, and everyone acted pretty much like they had before, so it wasn't exactly hard to adjust to the new year straight away. When recess rolled around, everyone went out to make the best use of their time. As Helga and Phoebe made their way to use the kickball court, however, Harold barged past her.

"Hey!" Helga shouted, balancing herself from the impact of his rude approach. "If it wasn't clear to you, Pink Boy, we were about to use that!"

"Too bad, Helga!" he taunted, as Sid, Stinky and Joey caught up from behind him. "We got here first, and we have a ball," he held up the red kickball, "so the court's ours!"

"You listen here, bucko! I oughta-"

"Helga!" Phoebe warned, pulling on the taller girl's arm. "It's not worth it, let's just go find something else to do."

Helga huffed, then glared angrily at the boys. "Consider yourselves lucky, losers."

"Aww, is Helga gonna cry?!" Harold taunted, as the others laughed, watching Helga and Phoebe walk away. The two girls ignored the laughing and the chants that followed, but were also ignorant to the concerned look on Arnold's face.

"Hey, man, you alright?" Gerald asked, unaware of what Arnold was actually doing. "It's your go." Arnold, realising that he was now looking at nothing, quickly turned back to his friend.

"Huh? Oh, I'm okay."

Gerald, still not convinced, just shrugged. "If you say so."

Helga and Phoebe, when the bell for class rang, were quick to make their way back to the classroom, but stopped before they went in, after Helga overheard her name being mentioned.

"I mean, I cannot believe that Helga is wearing that ghastly dress!" she could hear Rhonda say. Looking over, Helga saw that the richest girl in the school was talking with Nadine and Sheena. "Her old one was, at the most, passable, but it's as if she has NO respect for her appearance!"

Helga was irked by this. "Hey, Pheebs?" she told her friend. "I'll catch you in a second."

"Okay!" Phoebe responded, before leaving Helga to her own devices. As Helga approached the self-proclaimed fashionista, Rhonda noticed her and frowned.

"Oh, great. What do YOU want, Helga?"

"If you have some problem with me, Princess, here's a tip- say it to my face! Don't go and spread it as some stupid rumour behind my back!"

"Fine!" Rhonda stepped forward, so that she was right in front of Helga. "I honestly think that you need help, if you think it's acceptable to go outside, wearing THAT!" Rhonda struck a pose, showing off her new attire- a purple shirt beneath a red jacket, with a gold necklace around her neck, black pants and red heels. "As you can see, I have a sense for fashion, whereas you clearly need help getting dressed!"

"And since when did I care what you think? I don't care about wearing what's 'in', Princess."

"Oh, right! Because you're Helga Freakin' Pataki, and you don't care what anyone says about you, or how they feel about you! As long as you keep up your tough exterior, you'll end up lonely."

Helga just scoffed. "Nice try, Princess, but you don't know anything about me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta be going to class."

Rhonda tutted to herself as Helga walked away. "She is SUCH a lost cause! Anyway, let's go girls!" They resumed chatting and giggling as they entered class, unaware that Arnold had witnessed the entire thing with a concerned look on his face. He knew that Helga wasn't exactly kind or popular, but it didn't feel right to him that they were acting like this towards her.

"Arnold?" Gerald asked, catching Arnold by surprise. "You sure you're okay? You seem kind of out of it."

"Y-yeah, Gerald," Arnold told him, although not too convinced himself. He wanted to go up to Rhonda and ask what that was about, but since class had begun, it wasn't the right opportunity. "I'm fine."

"I don't know if I believe you, Arnold, but we need to get to class, so I'm trusting you in this."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go."

As the day progressed, Arnold couldn't help but notice that Helga was being treated worse than usual, and it bothered him. Harold had been throwing stuff at her in class after recess, and he overheard more than a few of his classmates making mean comments about her among themselves. Sure, she wasn't exactly the nicest person about, but that didn't warrant such harsh treatment.

"Okay, spill it," Gerald sighed as he sat down with his lunch tray next to Arnold. "What's bothering you?"

"What do you mean?" Arnold asked.

"Arnold, my man, you're my best friend, and I can tell when you're lying to me. Something is on your mind, and it has been all day. You've been staring into space for no reason, otherwise. So, what is it?" Arnold scratched the back of his head, unsure what to tell him. "Come on, Arnold, it's me. You can tell me."

"Well…" he sighed. "Have you noticed that people have been acting a bit… cold towards Helga?"

"Weren't things always like that?"

"More so, I mean. I know she isn't exactly a kind person, but she's still a person."

"Yeah, but Arnold, this is Helga Pataki we're on about here. She pushes people about for her own gain, and doesn't ever look back! She does ask for this kind of treatment."

"And that makes it right?"

"Arnold, I get it. You're a humanitarian, and we all respect you for it, but when it comes to Pataki, unless she changes her act, that's just how she'll be seen."

A crash caught their attention, and laughter erupted. Looking up, they saw Helga staring angrily at Harold, her lunch tray on the ground with the contents splattered.

"Look what you did, you stupid idiot!" she yelled. "That was my lunch!"

"Maybe you shoulda been watching where you were going, Helga!" Harold taunted.

"Listen here, fatso! I-"

"Helga!" Phoebe interrupted, a worried expression on her face as she pulled on her friend's arm. "Don't rise to it, you can have some of mine."

"No, Pheebs! I'm not going to be pushed around by-"

"Helga."

Helga saw the begging eyes Phoebe gave her, and she reluctantly sighed. Turning back around, she glared at Harold, anger burning in her eyes. "Don't try me again, or you will not like what happens after."

Everyone just laughed at Helga as she walked away, while Gerald and Arnold just watched on. "I told you, man," Gerald sighed, "as long as Helga acts the bully, she'll be treated that way."

"It's not right, Gerald," Arnold moaned, feeling anger within himself at the injustice she was suffering, "she shouldn't have to put up with it."

"Well, take this instance for example. Had Phoebe not pulled her away, Helga would have probably pounded his face in, so she'd be getting suspension. Which is worse- her getting suspended, or her getting neglected for how she treats others?" He let out a light chuckle. "Although, things would be more peaceful if she did get suspended."

Arnold narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Gerald, that's awful."

"I'm just joking, man, you know that." He gulped when he saw Arnold stand up, grab the banana from his tray, and start to walk away. "You DO know that, right, Arnold? …Arnold?"

Arnold just walked over to Helga, who was noticeably stressed out. "Helga?"

She snapped her head towards him, then sighed. "What do you want, Arnoldo?"

He gave a friendly smile. "Here," he explained, placing the banana in front of her, "it's yours."

"Wha-"

She didn't even get a chance to thank him, as he walked away straight after. She just watched him, confused about what just happened.

"What do you suppose brought that on?" Phoebe asked, but Helga didn't look in her direction as she answered.

"Who knows?"

After lunch, everyone returned to class, the first afternoon lesson being on poetry. "And ever since, Poe has been regarded as one of the most tragic yet inspiring poets of all time," Mr Simmons explained, before glancing up at the clock. "Well, we appear to have a few minutes before we need to start maths, so why don't we listen to one of Poe's poems? I think we'll have a listen to 'The Bells', a classic, but who shall read it?" He glanced over the class, most of them looking desperate not to be chosen, before he finally picked someone. "Helga!" The blonde girl looked at him, surprised to have been picked. "Would you care to read for us?"

She pointed at herself. "M-me? Uh, okay. I guess I can-"

"What would Helga know about poetry?" Rhonda blurted out, prompting Helga to glare at her.

"Yeah!" Harold shouted out before Helga could argue with Rhonda. "Why should we listen to stupid Helga?"

"Harold, that's enough!" Mr Simmons scolded, but it fell on deaf ears.

"We don't want to listen to Helga!" Harold continued, the others around him starting to voice their agreement.

"What is your problem?!" Hogan snapped back. "All day. You've been-"

"I think we should be asking what YOUR problem is, Helga!" Rhonda interrupted. "For years you've been like this, and yet when we treat you that way, it's suddenly wrong?!"

"Listen here, Princess-"

"Why should we?! Why should we care what you have to say?!" The class was getting rowdy now, with the majority of the room turning against Helga. Mr Simmons was trying desperately to calm the situation, but to no avail. "Honestly, Helga, Before you try and act high and mighty with us, maybe you should take a look at yourself before you-"

"ENOUGH!" Everyone gasped as they saw where it came from- Arnold. The person that everyone knew to be the nicest guy around was the one who was stood up, glaring at everyone. "Leave Helga alone! She doesn't deserve to be treated like this!"

"Aww, come on, Ah-Nold! Stop being such a baby and-"

"Shut up, Harold!" This just shocked everyone even more, the fact that Arnold was actually snapping at someone. "I don't see why you all treat her this way, and you need to stop!"

"Arnold, with all due respect," Rhonda started, "I'm surprised that YOU, of all people, are sticking up for Helga Pataki! She treats you worse than any of us, and-"

"And, what? That means I should hate her? Treat her like she's a horrible person? Make fun of her? No! Because I don't hate her, I wouldn't ever make fun of her, and she is not a horrible person! She is a kind and decent person, who helps people when it matters most and I'm lucky to know her! Does she show it all the time? No, but who does? No one here is perfect. Everyone has flaws, but that doesn't mean you should just ridicule them or target them because of it! I mean, I may try and help people wherever I can, but I've made mistakes, and I can't always show that I'm a good guy. None of us can, so why do you simply single out Helga, even though you're all the same in that sense?"

"Because she's cruel to everyone, and you especially! The name calling, the pranks, the spitballing- all that and more, she does to you especially, as if she's targeting you! I don't understand why you keep giving her second chances, when she has shown absolutely no reason for you to do so!"

"And I'm able to look past that, Rhonda, so the fact you can't is actually disappointing." She actually felt a bit guilty at hearing that, causing her to duck her head a little. "In fact, I could probably pick any person here and be mean to them because of something they do or something they are, but I don't."

"Arnold, man, you're getting a bit outta hand here," Gerald tried to warn. He put a hand in Arnold's shoulder, but it was just shrugged off. "Arnold-"

"No, Gerald!" he snapped at his best friend, who just sat back down. "This is something that they need to hear, and that includes you!" Gerald felt a little hurt at hearing that, but Arnold didn't react to it. Instead, he turned back around. "I could name example after example of times where you guys have done the wrong thing, regardless of intent, or pick out a flaw and treat you differently because of it. Do you know why I don't? Because you can just as easily do that to me, and I would hate for that to happen. If it was any of you in this situation right now, you wouldn't like it. You'd want it to stop. So, stop treating Helga like that! If anything, you guys are being more cruel to her by doing this, than she has ever been to you!"

He sat back down, and the class was silent for a moment. Helga just stared at Arnold in shock. He had stood up for her- actually, genuinely stood up for her! The way he spoke made her feel so good about herself- the way he spoke with such passion, such determination, and such kindness. She didn't feel like she deserved it, with how badly she had treated him the past seven years, and yet there he was, being her knight in shining armour. It reminded her just why she fell in love with him in the first place.

"ARNOLD LIKES HELGA!" Harold started to chant. Within a few seconds, everyone in the class but Phoebe, Helga, Gerald, Arnold and Mr Simmons were chanting as well. Helga felt herself grow angry at this, and was ready to shout at them because of it, but once again, Arnold beat her to it, responding to the chants in a way that was not only more effective, but more unexpected than anything she could have said.

"What difference would it make if I did?"

Those eight words stunned the entire classroom, none more so than Helga.

"So… you DO… like Helga?" Harold asked, stunned.

"Yes, I like her, in the same way I like you guys. I don't like like her, but I think she's cool, funny, smart, and she's fun to be around. There are things about her that I'm not fond of, sure, and I'm pretty sure there are things about me she feels the same way about, but she's a good person, and I'm happy to be her friend." The stress of the situation soon caught up to him, as he squinted a little, putting a hand to his head. "Mr Simmons, is it okay if I go get a drink from the fountain? I'm getting a bit of a headache."

"By all means, Arnold," Mr Simmons told him, handing Arnold a hall pass as he made his way out of the classroom. He then turned to the class. "Now, class, while this situation has been a little… hectic, I do feel that this is something that you should all take a moment to think about."

The room went silent again, everyone either looking confused or lost in thought. It was at least twenty seconds of silence, until Rhonda spoke up. "Arnold has a point," she said, standing up and walking over to Helga. "Helga, I'd like to apologise. It's not fair that I've treated you so unjustly, and I know it probably won't mean much, but if you're willing to forgive me, I would love it if we could move on from this and be friends… or, at the very least, better than what we were before."

Helga, despite being a bit shell shocked from the ordeal, gave a smirk. "Eh, forget it, Princess," she told her. "I'm not one to hold a grudge, so, yes. You're forgiven."

Rhonda's eyes lit up upon hearing this, letting out a small squeal. "Oh, thank you, Helga!"

Rhonda wrapped Helga up into a friendly hug, and while Helga wasn't exactly comfortable with it, she hugged her back. When Rhonda went back to her seat, Helga looked around the room. "You're all forgiven as well. Just… no more surprise hugs, okay?"

Everyone responded with claps, shouts of "thank you" and "sorry" and "yay, Helga!", and smiles sent her way. Helga glanced at Phoebe, who was smiling even more than the rest at her friend.

"Now, this is a special moment! I'm so proud to see all of you being so mature about this, I really am." Mr Simmons looked towards the door as Arnold returned. "Are you feeling better now, Arnold?"

"Yes, sir," Arnold responded, returning to his seat.

"That's good to hear. Okay, class! Let's return to our scheduled lessons. If I remember correctly, we were just about to start on mathematics, where we will be starting on geometry."

From there, the rest of the day just flew by. Everyone stopped treating Helga meanly, with Rhonda inviting the girl in the pink dress to her upcoming sleepover, to which Helga accepted. As the final bell rang, everyone hurriedly made their way out of school, eager to enjoy the rest of the day.

"So, we heading to the arcade or what?" Gerald asked Arnold.

"Well-"

"Hey, Football Head!" they heard Helga shout, turning just in time to see her approaching, with Phoebe in tow. "You got a minute? We need to talk about something."

"Oh, erm, sure, Helga." He turned to Gerald. "I'll meet you down there, okay?"

"Sure thing man," he replied, exchanging his handshake with Arnold, before turning to Phoebe. "Say, Pheebs, you fancy joining me?"

She giggled, nodding her head. Arnold watched as the two of them began to walk away, smirking when he saw Phoebe grab Gerald's hand. "I swear, those two are meant for each other." They both shared a laugh at that, before he turned to face her. "So, what's up, Helga?"

"You know what's up, Football Head," she told him straight, donning a serious facial expression, "I'm talking about what happened in Simmons' class. Why did you stick up for me? I can stick up for myself, and you know that more than any of them do, so why?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, taking care to word his response correctly. "Well… I just didn't think what they were doing was… right, you know? No one deserves to be treated like you were in there."

"Even though the stuff they were saying was right?" She smirked. "Come on, Football Head, you know that I've been horrible to you the past few years. You're dense at times, but you're not that dense."

He fake pouted. "I'm not dense." He pretended to be hurt, which prompted her to laugh in a way he wasn't used to- it wasn't mocking, or fake; it was genuine, and it made him smile. "I know you've done some things that you might not be proud of, but who hasn't? And, to be honest, I don't think that was the real you that did those things."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "The real me?"

"Yeah. I know you're a good person, but for whatever reason, you hide it behind this bully demeanour. Take now, for instance- you came up to me, not to bully me, but to talk to me, and you gave the most honest laugh I've heard you give." She blushed at this, but allowed him to continue. "I think that the real you is a caring person, and I'd really like to get to know her."

"R-r-really?" He nodded. "S-so… you meant… all that stuff you said back there? That- that you like having me as a friend, and you feel… lucky to know me?" Again, he nodded, so she rubbed her foot against the back of her leg. He was being honest with her, and while normally she would have laughed at him and put him down for trying it, she went against that side of her and decided to take a risk. "W-Well, thanks. That means a lot to me, after all we've been through, and I know that took guts to admit, so… I suppose I could be… a little nicer with you." She gave him a weak smile, since she was being more open with him. This made him smile widely, and while she was happy to see that, she didn't want to let the wall down completely, so she put on a fake serious expression. "Just don't expect me to stop calling you Football Head. You got that, Arnoldo?"

He laughed, not losing his smile. "I don't think I'd want you to. To be completely honest, you've said it so much, it's kind of grown on me." Their cheeks both reddened. "B-but, um, maybe you can lay off the spitballs."

She thought about it for a second. "Eh, what the heck. I can let that go."

"Thanks." A silence fell between them, Arnold looking to his feet and Helga looking up as they both rubbed their feet along the ground. Eventually, Arnold cleared his throat, and they both looked at each other again. "So, erm, I guess I should get going." She didn't respond straight away, but as he started to walk away, he stopped and turned around. "Say… do you want to join us at the arcade?"

She smirked. "Eh, sure. Beats going home while Olga's still here."

He smiled, before the two of them walked away, both thinking that this could be a fresh start, for both of them.

THE END