AN: Because in real life, we'd all think she was crazy.

Pedestal

She kind of sulked around hallways. If they noticed her, no one ever said anything. She relished the anonymity. It allowed her to hear things. Most of these things she didn't care about but she had some uses for the idle chatter that echoed in the hallways.

"Well, we always knew he was nice."

"Yes," Her tone was sharp yet polite with a touch of sarcasm. Layered. Bitchy. Helga hated her voice. "…but you are obviously missing the point."

"Which is?"

The group of girls were looking at her now. Rhonda retouched her lipstick, fluffed her hair and finally pulled a book out of her locker. She shrugged her shoulders as if the conversation bored her already. "He has potential."

Potential. He was more than potential. He was Arnold. Bitch. She took a few deep breaths (a technique Dr. Bliss introduced to her years) before to calm down.

Helga closed her locker and quickly left the building. She was running late and she had somewhere to be.

=P=

She'd carved out this path to his house years ago. Over the fence, through the alley next to the Green's Butchers and a sprint down the block led her straight to his house before he even left the high school. She knew that there was a spot near the skylights in his room where she could sit comfortably for hours without him ever seeing her.

Phoebe caught her once. Maybe you should start seeing Dr. Bliss again, Helga. This can't possibly be healthy. You're stalking him. She said quietly.

Stalking seemed like such a harsh word. She preferred to call it- research. Of course, should the day ever come where he would return her affections, then she'd be ready.

In the meantime, she knew his favorite color, his favorite food, the kind of cologne he used, his favorite Jazz records, his favorite position on his bed…

…in case she had to buy him a gift…and if they ever shared a bed together…

Helga stopped for two months. Long enough to gradually pull herself away from Phoebe and blame it on their different interests, high school, schedules. She couldn't remember the reason but whatever it was it was enough to get Phoebe away from her.

Rhonda's voice drifted up to the roof pulling her away from thoughts of Phoebe and into the room of her beloved. Helga watched her finger the endless pictures of his friends that filled up his room. She'd done this the first time too and gushed over any pictures with her face in it.

"I look dreadful in this one." She said during her first visit while holding out a picture of the gang at the pool. Puberty had set in then so it was an awkward assembly of legs, arms, braces, sprinkling facial hair, boobs and a shadow of Phil's finger. "Take it down."

Arnold took it out of her hand and grinned. "You look great, Rhonda. I don't have one bad picture of you."

He always knew exactly what to say. Rhonda didn't argue with him. This visit, she turned to face him. "There aren't any pictures of just me and you."

"Huh?" Arnold looked up and closed his laptop. He never texted, or looked down, or stare at something else while someone else was talking. She loved that about him. "…I don't think we've ever done anything alone, y'know without the gang." He was saying.

"This counts right?"

He grinned and pointed to the shelf behind her. Rhonda grabbed the camera and sat next to Arnold on his bed. Three flashes later, Helga was sick to her stomach. They looked great together.

=P=

It was long past the time Helga usually abandoned her post and went home for the night but Rhonda was still there. Her perfectionism and his diligence were a match made in group project heaven. It was sometime after nine when Rhonda put down her laptop and said, "Let's get dinner, my treat."

"No way. I'll pay."

"I appreciate your chivalry, Arnold. But we both know I can afford this." Rhonda said.

"Doesn't make it right."

"Can you cook?" She asked.

"Of course since I…"

"Good, when I come over Thursday to finish this thing. I'll be expecting a home cooked meal. Haven't had one in ages. That'll be your payment. Deal?"

"Your parents don't mind?"

"Mind? I don't even live with them anymore darling." Rhonda paused. "I'm sorry I..."

"Don't be."

"It seems like Hillwood is the place to drop unwanted teenagers." She said.

Arnold couldn't help but laugh as he followed her out of her room.

Helga waited fifteen minutes after they left to enter the boarding house. It was quiet, empty and almost deserted. She knew his grandmother was in a room mute with a nurse nearby but she's been in this house enough times to move through it without making a sound. Everything looked the same except for the layer of dust in every room but the kitchen. Helga can't help but feel a wave of sadness for everything Arnold lost. She pushed the thoughts of his family aside as she entered his room. Helga looked around and tried to find a picture of just her and Arnold.

She found three. They were not recent photos yet Helga liked that she had three moments of his life with her on display.

=P=

Rhonda dropped him off the next morning. She left and returned with coffee and bagels. Minutes later, new clothes, wet hair and bookbag in hand, he got into the car and she sped away toward the high school. Helga threw up and quickly pulled herself together. She had to find out what happened last night.

"...so what does it mean?"

"It means I like talking to her. There's more to her than money, Gerald."

"Well, Arnold. I'm not surprised man. you're always trying to find something hidden in girls. Ruth, Helga, Carrie, Jenna..."

"Rhonda is different."

"Yeah?" Gerald shoved his hands in his pockets. "How so?"

Arnold closed his locker and leaned against it. "She may be kind of snobbish but she has a great attitude about life. In her own way, she takes whatever life throws at her and turns it into a positive thing."

"Huh?"

Arnold smiled. "Remember when she wore glasses or temporarily went broke in fourth grade or when she broke her leg in sixth grade."

"Yeah, she basically managed to have us all eating out of her hand and believing her bull..."

"That's what I mean."

"So you're saying she's like a evil version of you?"

"I don't even know how you came up with that."

Gerald was laughing. "Hey man, I'm just trying to understand what you're saying. I love Rhonda and all but she's a snob and mean and..."

"There's more to her than that."

Gerald grinned. "I've heard you say that about lots of people."

Helga watched them walk away. He used to say that about her too and while he always said hi to her in the halls whenever he saw her, he'd stopped trying to peel back her layers years ago.

=P=

"We just spent the whole night talking."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"Well, everyone is saying…"

"God, Sheena. Do you believe everything you hear? Just go save our table at lunch and get me a diet coke."

Helga heard the bathroom door open then shut before she spotted Rhonda's heels in front of the stall.

"It's just me and you, Pataki."

Helga stepped out. Rhonda moved away from the stall and sat on the window ledge. "You've been following me all morning. What's the deal?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know, before Lila Sawyer moved back to that hicktown she told me something about you. She had a few cups of Sid's Magic Punch that night so I didn't believe her."

"Miss Prim and Proper does not drink."

Rhonda shrugged. "She told me you were in love with Arnold. It makes perfect sense now. The bullying, the sabotage... oh don't look at me that way. I know sabotage when I see it." Rhonda hopped off the ledge. "The chocolate pudding on Jenna's dress at homecoming, emailing Carrie's parents a picture of her drinking out of a flask at the spring fling after party. we all just assumed Arnold had horrible taste in girls but when I saw you follow me in here I knew..."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"That's fine. But your tricks won't work on me and you know I have a few up my sleeves. I'm not going anywhere."

Helga let her curiosity get the better of her. "So you guys dating now?"

Rhonda walked toward the door. "No. Not yet. I'm getting to know him better. He's not the same boy we knew in fourth grade."

Helga scoffed. She'd been following Arnold since preschool. She knew everything about him. Yet twenty minutes after Rhonda left the bathroom, Helga was still thinking about Rhonda's statement and wondering what they talked about all night in her large townhouse across town.

=P=

Author's Note: This is mostly third person from Helga's point of view. So in a way, only Helga is being followed. You'll know all of Helga's thoughts, what she sees and how she interprets them. This means that the story will come off as fragmented because the other characters will do things and we'll only see them through Helga's eyes. This was an assignment I had to do for creative writing class and I ended up getting an A so let's see how it translates here.

That said, I have nothing against Helga and Arnold but I've been reading lots of stories (mostly older ones) that don't put them together and I've been known to split them up in a few of my stories too. I don't think they'd be good together. Sacrilege, I know but in real life, you guys agree would with me too. I hope. Don't take my word for it though. I tend to hate popular shippers on shows I watch.

Part 1 of 3: Coming up next: The story of Arnold's parents and more Phoebe!