Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! All the show characters belong to Craig Bartlett and Nick. Me? I just like to play with the characters! XD

So…enjoy and review!

CRUSH ON TEACHER

The alarm woke up Helga. It was 6:00 am already. Classes started in an hour and a half. She got up, stretched her arms, rose to her feet and walked out of her room. She turned the coffee maker on, and started making breakfast. After eating, she took a shower and dressed for school. She picked a plain white top tucked into a high-waisted pink pleaded skirt, and pink ballerina flats. She applied some eyeliner, blush and pink lipstick; let her long golden curls flow, checked herself on the mirror and decided she was ready to go. She pulled out of the fridge the lunch she had prepared the night before, as well as some snacks, for she had club activities that day. She grabbed her bag of books, her set of keys, and left home on time. Helga loved living on her own.

"Bye, Ronnie!" she said to the doorman as he opened the door for her.

"Wait, Ms. Pataki! I have something for you!" Ronnie, the doorman said and he handed her a long-stemmed pink rose.

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Ronnie! I've already told you! Do not accept things that come for me without a package!" an upset Helga said. "That flower, you can keep it. I don't want it." She turned around and walked through the door.

…

Arnold and Gerald were walking to their first period class, Literature. Gerald kept on babbling about Phoebe. They had started dating a few weeks ago, and Gerald was thrilled. He had had a long crush on her, but he had raised the courage to talk to her at the beginning of the semester, their last senior semester.

The two teens got to their class ten minutes before the period started. The room was almost full by then.

"Aw, man!" Arnold said as he shot a glare to Gerald "there are no more front empty front seats! We'll have to sit in the back!"

"Sorry, buddy!" Gerald said. He had picked up Arnold five minutes after the accustomed hour that morning.

They walked to the back of the class and took two desks. Arnold looked at the time, "Helga should be here already. She's usually here at…"

Arnold was interrupted by Helga's figure entering the classroom. They locked their eyes for the fraction of a second, in which his heart skipped a beat. He kept on looking at her as she dropped her bag on the desk.

"Oh, look! You guys take "apples for the teacher" seriously!" On her desk, the teacher's desk, were 10 apples piled. "Thank you!" she said with a smile and a wink. She took a bit from one of the apples as one of her students, Brainy, approached her to ask her something about the assignment for next week.

Arnold's legs felt like butter and he sat down.

"So, Helga, huh?" Gerald said raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah. That's her name!" a blushed Arnold answered.

"For most of us, she's just Ms. Pataki, the Literature teacher!" Gerald said.

"Our HOT teacher" Sid, who was sitting in front of Gerald, emphasized.

Rhonda, who was sitting in front of Arnold, turned around "Oh, puh-lease" she rolled her eyes "she's no that hot".

The bell rang. Brainy was dismissed to his seat.

"Ok, class. It's time to start the lesson."

…

The students worked in a Socratic seminar to discuss the book they had read the week before. Helga listened to the questions and answers of her students, and she felt observed. She lifted her eyes, but none of the students was looking at her.

Arnold had been looking at her. He had a major crush on his teacher.

Arnold recalled the first time he saw her. He was lost; wandering through P.S. 118, trying to find his class after his grandpa had gone to the restroom when a big boy lifted him from the shirt collar.

"Oh, well! Look what we have here!" he talked to another big guy.

Arnold was on the verge of tears when she interrupted them.

"Hey you, fourth grade buckos! Leave my cousin alone!" she said while raising her fist.

"Your…c-c-cousin?" the guy who was holding him asked in surprise.

"Yeah, moron! .DOWN. Right now!" she gave a step forward, wearing a scowl and lifting her first menacingly.

"So-sorry, little guy!" Arnold was put down and saw the bullies vanish in the hall full speed.

Arnold turned around to face the scowling girl, but she wasn't angry anymore. Instead, she looked kind.

"You ok, little guy?" she asked him. "I bet you're lost. Do you want me to take you to your class?"

Arnold nodded. She offered her hand and he took it timidly.

"Don't be scared, those buckos won't mess with you anymore! You know, I got lost on my first day of elementary too! My father dropped me and left. I had to find my classroom on my own too. Anyways, how did you get lost?" she asked him as they walked hand in hand.

Arnold stopped feeling uneasy. "My grandpa was in the restroom and I decided to find the classroom on my own!"

"Wow! That's brave! And you're in…second grade?" she tried to guess.

"No! I'm in first grade!" Arnold corrected her.

"You're so brave that I thought you were older!"

They walked through the big halls of the school for a few minutes.

"Ok. So, you see that door at the end of the hall?" she pointed a classroom.

"Uh-huh"

"Well, that's your class. I have to go to mine, so I'll leave you here. Is that ok for you…buddy?"

"Arnold, my name's Arnold Shortman." He beamed with a smile and extended his hand to her.

She chuckled and shook his hand. "I'm Helga G. Pataki. Don't forget my name, ok? If you're ever in trouble with big morons again, tell them you're my cousin and they will leave you alone."

"Ok." Arnold said as Helga turned around. He then caught a glimpse of the pink bow she was wearing. "Helga, wait!"

Helga turned around.

In an effort to do something nice in return to what she had done for him that day, Arnold told her "I like your bow because it's pink like your pants" he then waved and bolted to his classroom.

…

Gerald elbowed Arnold pulling him out of his trance.

"Arnold, class is over. Let's go!" Gerald told him.

"Oh, right." Arnold picked up his books and stuffed them in his backpack.

Ms. Pataki put a hand on his desk.

"Mr. Shortman, I need to talk to you after classes. I'll be waiting for you at 2:45 pm. Ok?"

"Ok, ma'am! I'll be looking forwaaaa-I mean, I'll come and look for you!"

Helga crossed her arms, "now, hurry".

Both guys left the classroom as fast as they could.

…

Hope you like it! This fic has been in my mind for months now! Even before Sober. It hasn't let me continue writing! Every time I started writing this idea sat there, blocking other thoughts and saying, "if you don't write me, I won't let you write anything else". So, here it was.

If you like it, review!