[A/N: This was originally supposed to be a fleshed out story but I just wasn't really feeling it. Basically, this is my interpretation of what the break-up of Arnold and Helga would be like between The Jungle Movie and the start of The Patakis. Obviously, it's sad but hopefully you guys like it anyway! I tweaked a couple things from the chapter version of this story so some stuff has been added and some stuff has been removed but regardless, here it is.]
The gymnasium of Hillwood Junior High was dimly lit, decorated with streamers, balloons, and hand-drawn paper cut-outs of oceans, palm trees and the like. The ninth grade farewell dance always had a beach theme.
Arnold and Helga swayed to a slow ballad amidst a room full of increasingly hormonal teenagers. Helga was wearing a pink tank dress that resembled her old favorite, though this one hugged her frame more. Arnold had dressed himself in khaki dress pants and a white polo shirt. Helga's arms were wrapped around Arnold's neck and his rested tentatively at her waist. Her head was nuzzled against his shoulder, a smile stretched wide across her face. She never noticed Arnold's uncomfortable expression.
They had been dating for two years now, a pretty impressive amount of time for anyone their age. After Arnold and his class had won that essay contest and a trip to San Lorenzo, everything changed. To everyone's delight and relief, Arnold had found his parents after a harrowing adventure in the jungle. They had suffered from a psychogenic fugue after their plane crashed and though they were okay now, doctors warned that they were at an increased risk for suffering another fugue state in the future.
Meanwhile, Helga had once again proven herself by risking herself for Arnold's sake.
They were walking through the jungle, ducking under vines and cautiously stepping over tree roots when they turned a sharp corner. A dip in the path was masked by fallen leaves and branches so when the pair made their way past, Helga's foot stepped in the dip, sending her down a sharp incline toward the river. Arnold's adrenaline kicked into overdrive and he followed after her, both of them flying uncontrollably down the side of a rocky dirt cliff. Arnold hit his head on the way down, knocking him unconscious. At the base of the cliff, the river raged and both kids went flying into it.
Helga emerged from the rushing water, gasping for air when she noticed Arnold's limp body floating down the river. She managed to pull him to the water's edge and was giving him mouth-to-mouth when he inhaled sharply, propping himself up on an elbow and coughing up water. His chest was tight and painful but he managed to catch his breath as he realized what had happened.
He'd done a lot of thinking before that trip, what with Helga's FTi rooftop confession to reflect on and all, but that incident, that moment, was the push he needed to take the next step in his relationship with her.
Arnold's parents moved back to the boarding house and everything seemed to be perfect. Arnold had his parents back, he and Helga were an item, and somehow everything had managed to fall into place.
With time he'd grown to understand and accept how passionate Helga could get, without becoming overwhelmed. He always accepted her for who she was and would never ask her to change. It was, however, a relief to find that once they got together, her behavior toward him lost its abusive touch. She would always be fiery but theirs was a more honest and affectionate relationship now.
Arnold reminisced on his experiences with Helga as they swayed around the gym floor. His heart was breaking, knowing that by the end of the evening he had to tell her. He reached up, almost hugging her, as he played with the ends of her loose blonde hair. She smelled like coconuts and Arnold couldn't help but smirk to himself at how she managed to match the theme of the dance.
Helga felt like she was in heaven. She'd been living on cloud nine since the day Arnold kissed her in San Lorenzo. Quick, soft, gentle… but it was enough. Enough to send her swooning into the next few years. The fact that they'd decided to call themselves "boyfriend and girlfriend" only fueled the fire.
"Are you having a good time?" Arnold asked, his voice tickling Helga's ears.
"Doi!" She pulled back, looking him in the eyes. "You are too, right?"
"Yeah," He pulled her tighter, his heart aching.
Helga could sense something was up. Normally, Arnold would have been a lot more talkative but all night it had been a fight to get a word out of him, it seemed. He was contemplative and Helga could tell the difference between her love's daydreamer tendencies and when something was bothering him.
When the song ended, Helga dropped her arms. Placing one hand on her hip, she cocked a recently plucked eyebrow. "Spill it, Football-head," Her taunting nickname had become a sort of affectionate pet-name, particularly when she meant business. "What's going on?"
Arnold had a terrible poker face. He looked away, rubbing his neck as he looked back up at her. The look in his eyes made her uncomfortable.
No… no… please don't break up with me. This is too perfect… ugh, of course… this is too perfect…
Helga felt like her heart was in her throat as she studied Arnold. She wanted an answer but at the same time, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know what it was.
Arnold took a deep breath. "Let's go outside," He took her hand in his and led her out into the hallway.
Helga's stomach was in knots and she felt every hair on her arms was on end.
Heavy double doors slammed behind them and they were alone in the quiet of the hall. Arnold walked a few paces away from the doors and leaned against the lockers. He looked up at the ceiling and with a sigh, slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor, his arms wrapped around his knees.
Helga's eyes were wide as she followed Arnold to the floor, her gaze locked on his face.
He studied the patterns in the linoleum floor.
Neither of them spoke for a minute and Helga leaned back against the lockers as well, trying to calm her breathing and keep herself from freaking out.
"I don't know how to tell you this," Arnold began, his gaze never lifting from the floor.
Helga didn't respond. She just waited for him to continue, taking a deep breath through her nose and silently releasing the air from her mouth.
Arnold wrung his hands together. His voice was quiet, "I'm moving,"
Helga looked up at him, confused. "Huh?"
"My parents… they want to go back to San Lorenzo," Arnold continued. "Apparently there's still a lot they need to do to get the Green-Eyes back on their feet. They said that –"
"But you don't have to go!" Helga quickly turned to face Arnold, putting a hand on his knee.
Arnold looked up at her and her heart trembled at his expression. Where was the hopeful, bright disposition of her beloved? Instead, she found a face reflecting doubt, sadness, helplessness.
"I do have to go, Helga. I don't want to leave Hillwood… I don't want to leave you," He put his own hand on hers. "But I have to be with my parents,"
"What about your grandparents? You lived with them all that time couldn't you just—"
"Are you serious?" Arnold's sadness steadily morphed into indignation. He shook his head, trying to keep from getting too upset. "I spent almost my whole life without my parents. Don't get me wrong; I love Grandpa and Grandma… but are you really asking me to go back to the same situation I was in before? They left once without coming back and for all I know, it could happen again!"
Helga retracted her hand and scowled, her walls rising in order to protect her heart which now felt as though it was crumbling. "Fine, then go," She crossed her arms and slouched.
Arnold rolled his eyes and sighed, "Come on, Helga. Don't be like that," He scooted closer to her in an effort to be affectionate but she jerked away from his approach.
"You think I want to hurt you? I'm not happy about this either!" Arnold's brow furrowed but quickly relaxed. "If I had my way, we'd all stay here and nothing would change, but this is just how it is,"
He sighed and his face softened as he leaned back, staring up at the ceiling once more.
"So, what now?" Helga asked sharply. "Are you breaking up with me?" Facial muscles held her scowl tightly in place, suppressing the quivering lips and teary eyes that beckoned.
"No," Arnold answered quickly, grabbing her hand in his once more but sighing as he looked away. "I mean, we don't have to… I don't want to…"
"But you're going to," Helga stared him down and Arnold felt like her eyes could pierce his soul.
"Helga, you know how much you mean to me… but I don't want to hold you back,"
Helga glared at Arnold's hand as she concentrated on slow, steady breaths. The adrenaline coursing through her made her want to scream.
"I really, really, don't want to," Arnold choked, recovering. "I'm not moving until the end of the summer so we still have a long time to be together until—"
Helga stood up. "You know what, Arnold? Just do it," She hovered over him, her voice breathing fire. "If you're gonna do it anyway, just do it now,"
"No, I don't want to," He stood up and reached for her. His heart was breaking and he never wanted this. He wanted to hold her and tell her he'd never let her go.
Helga grabbed him by the collar with both hands and shoved him into the locker. "Just do it!" Her voice cracked. "Do it!" She released him and punched the locker.
Arnold wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled into her hair. "I'm sorry," His voice was a whisper and a tear was making its way down his face. He turned Helga's chin to face him and kissed her softly on the lips. He imagined himself pouring apologies into her heart with that kiss and held his eyes tightly shut, hoping more tears wouldn't escape. For a brief moment, Helga relaxed and let herself become lost in that kiss but her stomach felt like it was burning and she wouldn't let Arnold see her cry.
She pulled back and out of his grasp. Impulse drove her and she turned on him. "If you aren't gonna do it, then I will. It's over, Arnold," Helga choked back a sob, shocked that those words had dared to cross her lips. "I just… I can't… ughh!" She threw up her hands and ran down the hallway to the girl's bathroom.
Arnold chased after her for a minute but stopped outside the door when she went in. He hung his head in defeat and kicked the door in frustration before turning to walk back down the hall.
Helga's sputtering cries echoed in the bathroom and she punched the stall door incessantly before slumping onto the floor. Inside the stall, she pulled herself up and sat on the toilet, leaning over her knees and crying into the hem of her dress.
Three months passed and Helga had done everything in her power to avoid Arnold. Her heart ached whenever she thought about him and so she chose to hide away, expressing her sorrow in writing.
My heart is a wound beyond repair,
whose fatal blow was caused by vicious snare.
Each beat that pumps blood through my veins,
is another bringing truth to my brain.
Each breath my lungs deeply inhale,
is a breeze whose freshness has turned bitterly stale.
Each blink of my eyes,
each step that I take,
each memory my heart dares not to forsake.
Each tear I've carried through wind and hail,
each step I've covered to remove my trail.
Each time I've said I want you back,
has been my own version of a heart attack.
The fateful day finally came and Helga felt torn. While she was dying to see Arnold, she was terrified of the idea of having to say goodbye. Phoebe had been pushing her to talk to Arnold, lest she never get the chance.
Helga was lying face down on her bed, her pillow pulled over her head and blocking out the August sun. Her fan whirred, swirling sticky heat around her room. Miriam had forgotten to pay the electric bill so they had to wait a few days for the power to come back on. Of course that had to happen during a mini heat wave.
It was a Sunday morning and Helga had been awake for a couple hours already. During the night she had shed her pajamas, stumbling sleepily to her dresser to exchange the wretched garments for short shorts and a tank top. Sweat beaded on Helga's forehead as she stared up at her ceiling, embroiled in a heated internal battle with her own insecurities. She tossed the pillow aside.
This could be my last chance to see him. I need to at least show up. Just because I'm there doesn't mean I have to talk to him. But he's probably gonna want to talk to me. Or will he? Maybe he hates me now. I wouldn't blame him… technically I broke up with him. Ugh, I still can't believe I did that. Why can't things go back to how they were before? Everything was perfect. Why does everything I care about have to fall apart?
The phone rang. Helga rolled over to pick up the receiver, allowing a droplet of sweat to slide down the crease of her back and make her shudder with disgust.
"Hello?"
"Helga, where are you?" Phoebe's voice shrieked.
"I'm in my bed, sweating my balls off," Helga sat up, pushing the sheet out from underneath her. She'd already kicked her blanket to the floor during the night.
"Helga, you don't have testicles," Phoebe replied with complete seriousness, to which Helga face-palmed. "But regardless, you need to hurry up and come to the Sunset Arms! Arnold is leaving soon,"
Helga groaned. "I know, I know…" Helga pushed sticky bangs off of her forehead. "I dunno if I can handle it, Pheebs,"
"Listen to me, Helga. You have every right to be depressed right now. But I'm afraid that if you don't allow yourself the opportunity to say a proper good-bye to Arnold, you're going to regret it,"
Helga considered. After a long pause, she sighed. "Alright, fine," Helga swung her legs off the edge of the bed. "How much time do I have?"
"About an hour, I think," Phoebe spoke to someone in the background. "Yes, Gerald just confirmed it."
"Okay, I'll be there," Helga hung up the phone and rummaged through her dresser for clothes. After settling on a pair of denim shorts and a pink tank top, Helga plucked her bath towel off of the hook on her door and headed for the bathroom to shower.
A refreshingly cold shower was exactly what Helga needed to feel human again in the suffocating heat of the house. She tied her hair up in a ponytail with her pink bow and was on her way out the door when Big Bob yelled from the living room.
"Hey Olga!"
Helga grimaced, turning around to reply. "What?"
"Don't give me that 'What', little lady. Come here,"
Helga rolled her eyes and scowled, shutting the door and hurrying into the living room. She had about fifteen minutes before Arnold was supposed to leave and she still needed to get there.
Big Bob was plopped in his favorite brown chair in front of the television, his eyes glued to the screen.
Helga approached him and wordlessly crossed her arms, shifting her weight to one hip. He didn't say anything.
"I'm kind of in a hurry, Bob. What do you want?" Helga asked impatiently.
He looked up. "Oh, yeah," He leaned over the other side of the chair, retrieving a bowl from the floor. "Grab me another helping of last night's chili, would ya, girl?"
"You've gotta be kidding me," Helga retorted. "Get it yourself," Helga started to walk away.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" Big Bob bellowed, scowling. "You get your scrawny behind back here, pronto!"
Helga stopped, grumbling under her breath and returned to her father, glaring.
I don't have time for this!
She snatched the bowl out of his hand and gave a sneering smile before she darted into the kitchen. She quickly yanked a Tupperware container out of the fridge and slopped a heaping helping of chili into the bowl. While the microwave whirred, she returned the container to the fridge. The oven barely had the chance to beep before Helga had pulled the bowl out and hurried into the living room.
"Here," Helga shoved the bowl into Big Bob's hands. "Happy?"
She didn't give him the chance to respond before she was out the door, running to Arnold's house. She'd wasted valuable time dealing with Big Bob and she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she missed Arnold.
. . . . . . .
The car was loaded, as was the moving van parked behind them. Arnold and his parents were saying good-bye to their friends and family outside of the Sunset Arms boarding house.
Arnold was looking up and down the street, hopeful.
"Are you sure she's coming?" Arnold addressed Phoebe who was standing off to the side with Gerald's arm around her shoulders.
"She said she would be," Phoebe's voice expressed concern.
Arnold's heart was twisted in knots. Helga had been avoiding him all summer. The idea of leaving without being able to say good-bye made his heart ache.
"Come on, Arnold. We've gotta hit the road!" Miles, Arnold's father, patted the roof of the car before sliding into the driver's seat.
Stella, Arnold's mother, saw her son's sadness etched across his face. "You can write to her, sweetie,"
Just then, Helga appeared, running up the sidewalk toward them. She stopped in front of the stoop, panting and gasping for air. Arnold couldn't contain himself; he rushed over to her and hugged her.
"I was worried you weren't gonna come," He breathed into her wind-blown hair.
Helga slowed her panting in an effort to be audible. "I had to… I couldn't… just not say good-bye…"
Arnold squeezed her tighter and Helga felt her defenses weaken.
"I'm gonna miss you so much," Helga's voice cracked as she buried her face into Arnold's neck. "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you. I'm sorry about the fight and how we broke—" She choked again and sniffled. "Everything. I'm sorry, Arnold, for everything,"
Arnold hushed her, stroking her hair. "I know, I'm sorry, too. I'm gonna miss you more than you could ever imagine. But I'll write to you, I promise," He pulled back to look her in the eyes. Then he tilted his head down, resting his forehead against hers. "You write me, too, okay?"
Helga nodded, sniffling again. Arnold kissed her on the cheek and climbed into the backseat of his parents' car. Helga wiped her tears on her wrist and watched as Arnold buckled up and the car drove off down the road, turning a corner and disappearing.
[A/N: And now I can go cry in my bedroom. The end.]