For Her

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A sequel to "My Muse", written by Miss Matched

Dedicated to Starry Nights, for being so encouraging.

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All standard disclaimers apply. Characters from "Hey Arnold" are copyright Craig Barlett and to whomever else they're copyrighted to. Original characters are original, and the author would like sole use of them, unless contacted for permission. All poetry/music in this fanfiction are also original, and once again, may only be used with permission. Thus ends this huge disclaimer. Weee. I like cheese. Much cheese, yes, yes!!!!!!

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Chapter One: Growing Apart

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Point of View: Arnold

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I never saw it coming.



Fourth grade had ended. Fifth had passed. Sixth had flown by. Though school years usually drag on seemingly forever, these didn't, for good reasons. My friends for one. I mean, with friends like Harold, Sid, Stinky and Gerald, how could school be boring. Oh yeah, there's one other person that keeps school interesting.

Helga G. Pataki

Yes, she's the same girl as ever; fiercely protective of those she loves, and mysterious to those she doesn't. People classify have a hard time classifying her. She could be a geek, she has the grades to prove it. But she was sort of a jock, always playing with the boys, and excelling at it. She could be one of the acting freaks, but she was also a Chorus nut. Funny how there's a name for every clique? But I digress. People couldn't classify her, so they stopped caring.

Guess that did file her under something...

reject.


I'm a little ashamed to say that I'm popular. Once again, so many cliques in seventh grade, it's really astonishing. And then, there's the stereotypes that come with them. Popular people reject others who are not popular. A popular person with a reject would never work. Or so they said. But they don't know anything.

I used to be in love with a reject, did that make me one? Yes, I did say "Used to". As the years flew by, we were torn apart, and I guess I just assumed it wasn't meant to be. Different classes, and slowly gaining different friends, I grew apart from my first reciprocated love. Slowly drifted away from Helga. I couldn't... and can't try to believe things between us are the same as always. It wouldn't be fair on her. Is it really fair for me to push aside my own feelings then? Why not? She had done so for so many years, saving her pride, and in some ways, trying to protect my own too.

And so my heart is a little torn, maybe it has growing pains too? I know I'm changing, but sometimes people refuse to see. To them, I'm still good old, reliable, Arnold. And I loathe it.


So, again, I never saw it coming. How could I see it, I'd avoided her for so long. And she too had avoided me. Whenever I looked at her, Helga would never return my gaze, choosing to look at her feet instead. The hallways are a sad site sometimes; the jocks and populars make fun of the "lower classes". It's enough to make you sick.

"Hey goat ears!"

"Pipe down" Helga shot back at whoever had just called her a name. In a way, I was glad that if anyone had to be a reject, it was her. She knew how to put the bullies in their place, and also how to whip them if they went too far.

"What, you talking to me Hel-gaaaa?" I looked up to see that Harold was the one doing the taunting. Herald grew into a hulking football player, and still caused fear because he had a few years on all of us.

"Yeah, have a problem with that pink boy?" She stopped in the middle of the hallway, gazing angrily back at him.

"We're not in Elementary school anymore, Hel-gaa, the little baby name calling won't work." He walked up closer to her. "Now, is there something you want to say?" He looked at her menacingly.

Helga glared back at him "Not me, but Old Bessy has a few words." She held up her fist, and was about to give him a good thrashing. I was happy about that, perhaps she could knock him off his high horse (he got on that every once in a while, but was a good friend when he wasn't). But still, Helga could get suspended, and one thing like that could screw up your chances of getting into some colleges.

"He's not worth your time, Helga." I shouted back. As she turned around to look at me, Harold punched her in the gut. He began to laugh, and his other friends joined in. I was surprised, I never thought he would go farther then intimidation, but now wasn't the time for thinking. "Harold!"

"Oh look, the perfect Arnold is here to save his widdle friend?" Harold's comebacks hadn't improved since the fourth grade.

"Just back off" I said, trying to sound reasonable "She hasn't done anything to you."

"She talked back to me"

"With very good reason." I said back.

"Arnold, ya might just wanna let it slide, he's not worth it either." Helga said, getting herself back up.

"He shouldn't do that. No one should! It's not fair!"

One of my friends, Nick, seemed surprised at my outburst "Hey man, just be lucky it isn't you."

"I'll let you slide this time, Arnold, for old time's sakes" Harold decided.

"Gee Harold, so benevolent of you" I commented dryly, walking off. "Hey Helga, wanna come with?" People slowly began to go to their classes again, realizing that a fight wasn't going to happen. And I figured that I already must have broken a few clique codes already, why not defy the whole system?

"You've gotta get to class" She said cooly.

I laughed "We have the same lunch! Come on, please?" I tried Harold's line on her "For old time's sake?"

Helga smiled brightly, but it was quickly replaced by a look of sadness. "Okay Arnoldo, this once."

After years had passed, I got a chance to see if anything had changed, or could change. But little did I know... I never saw it coming.