Here's the second chapter for the expanded version of Desperate. This chapter will be an introspective on Helga's love for Arnold, like the first chapter was an introspective on Arnold's love for Helga. I hope you like it. Read & Review!


Helga G. Pataki, for as long as anyone could remember, had been known as the witch, the bully of not only PS 118 but Hillwood in general. She was standoffish, angry, and violent towards almost anyone she came into contact with. People had learned to be wary of getting on her bad side and generally stayed out of her way. She made cutting remarks about everyone in school and the only two people who dared cross her on any given day were Harold Berman and Patty Smith, both of whom could be just as much of a bully as she was.

What few in the city knew was that the Helga that everyone saw was a façade and that the driving force behind it was the lack of attention and love she got from her so called family. The real Helga was creative, compassionate and very loyal to those she let get close. There were only two people who managed to get inside her heart. One was Phoebe Heyerdahl, the smartest girl in the class, almost a child prodigy. Helga ordered Phoebe around during school, but when the two were alone, Helga was usually very kind to her and in return Phoebe acted as Helga's confidant and shoulder to cry on, keeping anything said between them secret.

The second person was Arnold. She had met him on the first day of Pre-kindergarten and had fallen in love with him on the spot. When Helga decided to be the bully in order to keep from being walked on at school, she knew she would have to treat him as an enemy and she knew it would destroy any chance of him returning her feelings. She hated herself for hurting him, but she felt she didn't have a choice. Helga couldn't express her love directly and eventually this drove her to do anything in her power to just be in his presence, to have him pay attention to her, even if it was negative.

Her love had grown into an obsession and the desire to let it out grew every day. She had a shrine of Arnold's head made out of chewing gum in her closet and had soliloquies in allies and behind trash cans singing his praises, while lamenting her inability to confess. She had dozens of books filled with poetry about him and of course, she had her locket, which contained a picture of her love that she looked at all the time. She stared after him every chance she got and hated it that he took an interest in Lila.

All of this was a secret from everyone except for Phoebe, Dr. Bliss and unfortunately, Lila. Helga knew none of them would expose it, but she was still extra careful to make sure Arnold never knew, knowing he wouldn't love her back. That was, until the day her town was threatened.

When her neighborhood was going to be torn down by Mr. Sheck to make room for a mall, Helga decided to help Arnold and Gerald in secret, as Deep Voice. She followed the CEO and his subordinates around and was privy to their plans which she then relayed to the two through payphone, doing her best to stay out of sight. Unfortunately, while on top of the FTI building, Arnold discovered her while she was relaying instructions to him and confronted her about her identity.


Arnold opened the door to the roof of the FTI building and saw his mysterious ally, covered in a trench coat.

"Deep Voice!" he exclaimed.

"Don't come another step closer!" Deep Voice warned.

"Who are you?" he demanded while ignoring the warning and advancing on him.

"Uh…no one in particular…" the figure stuttered as if very nervous.

"No more games Deep Voice! I'm not doing anything until I know who you are!"

Deep Voice stumbled back and his hat and hood came off revealing that he was actually a she, Helga Pataki to be exact.

"Helga?" Arnold shouted in shock.

She simply laughed sheepishly in response.

"You? You're Deep Voice? I don't get it. How come you couldn't just tell me what you knew? Why'd you have to make up this crazy secret identity?"

"No reason," she said, trying to play it off.

"But Helga, you just risked everything to help me save the neighborhood," Arnold said.

Now Helga was angry. Arnold was asking too many questions and he was getting too close to her real secret.

"So? What's your point?" she asked, her eyes narrowed as she stood up.

"Well, it's a pretty amazing thing to do for someone you claim to hate," he pointed out.

"Yeah, well I'm a pretty amazing person, football head!" she said cockily.

"But I thought you were on your dad's side. I thought you were going to get rich off the deal."

"Well, money isn't everything," she said while turning away from him.

"Well, why'd you do it?" Arnold asked her.

"It's my civic duty," Helga stammered.

"Helga…" Arnold said, giving her an "I know you're lying" look.

"Cause I love a good mystery?" she offered weakly.

"Oh come on! What's the real reason?" Arnold demanded.

"Oh I don't know! I guess maybe I decided to take pity on you and your stupid friends!" She said, her anger quickly returning.

"Why?" he asked again.

"Cause…cause I guess maybe I don't hate you as much as I thought okay? I guess maybe I kinda…like you a little…heck, I guess maybe you could say that I like you a lot…"

The words seemed to have taken on a life of their own and she couldn't stop them now even if she wanted to. That made her angry and when Helga was angry, she lashed out.

"You do? You did this for me?" Arnold asked, somewhat surprised.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Helga whirled around and glared at Arnold.

"That's right hair boy! I mean chriminy, what else are you supposed to do when someone you love is in trouble?" she shouted.

Arnold was floored. "Love?" he asked, dumbstruck.

"You heard me pal! I love you! Love you!" She was so close to Arnold that he fell back on the ground.

Helga's emotional rant/confession didn't stop there.

"Who else do you think has been stalking you night and day, building shrines to you in her closet, filling volumes of books with poems about you? I love you, Arnold! I've always loved you, ever since I laid eyes on your stupid football head! And from that moment, every moment since, I've lived and breathed for you and dreamed of the day when I could finally tell you my feelings!"


Then Helga did something that she would regret for the rest of her life. She kissed Arnold, full on the lips. He had been flabbergasted and stayed completely still. Arnold said nothing once she let him go and the two were soon busy with stopping Mr. Sheck again. After they saved the town, both had agreed that her confession was in the heat of the moment and that she didn't mean it. They decided to forget the whole thing and never speak of it again.

Helga however, couldn't forget. She had kissed Arnold and confessed her deepest secret to him. True, it had been in a moment of passion, but she meant every word. Arnold didn't kiss her back. He didn't say he loved her. He didn't say anything. He had rejected her, as far as she was concerned. Soon after, Helga resigned herself to the realization that Arnold didn't and would never return her feelings. She still loved him, she always would but she forced herself to let go of her dream of being together with him.

It was because of this that Helga was able to let down her walls and become friends with Arnold, though she still kept a certain amount of distance between them to keep from feeling vulnerable. She had contented herself with being his friend and being close to him in a way she never could before.

Her shrine was still in her closet and she continued to write poetry, though it was mostly to remind herself that she would never be with him. She still had her locket as well, but she kept it in her room instead of always wearing it. Helga's love for Arnold was as strong and obsessive as it was before she confessed, but now it was tempered with the knowledge that her love would forever remain unrequited.