Chapter 2 – Hands Down

Helga stepped onto the sidewalk and started her walk to Arnold's. It had been two years already that they had been together. It still felt like one of her crazy daydreams but it was finally her reality. She would never forget how awful she was to him but it seemed that was how it was supposed to be. Neither one of them were mature enough to understand the feelings they were both feeling. They were so clueless back then.

Her love for him had made her blind to all that made Arnold a real person. She put him on a pedestal and began to be intimidated by this beacon in her life. She didn't see the faults in him, only the gallant knight coming to the rescue of those around him. After always feeling pulled to him, loving him so intensely, she was scared shitless of ever really being with him. Then, finally, he told her how he really felt. Sure, they were fearing they would both be caught and slaughtered brutally at any moment but that was beside the point. Any doubts she had disappeared with his words.

After spending real time around him, she discovered something she neglected to learn about him. Arnold was just like every other guy she knew and grew up with. He said the wrong thing, made gross jokes, was incredibly forgetful and one of the messiest people she had ever met. But he was also all the things she had always loved about him.

With his new love of his guitar, he spent a lot of time playing when she was over. It became like a permanent fixture, a new limb on his body he rarely put down. He also started singing to her, something that she often had daydreamed about. Some of them were terrible, silly songs. That was just a part of his personality. He loved to make her laugh so he tried at all lengths with songs full of stupid puns and dirty jokes. But the songs weren't always childish lyrics. He also started singing her songs that reminded him of her. What really threw her off guard wasn't him singing but the first song he sang to her.

Edith Piaf was one of her favorite singers. It wasn't just because the singer sung so beautifully in her French tongue, but the song itself was the manifestation of how she always felt about Arnold. Le Vie En Rose. She hadn't shared this information with anyone, including Pheobe. Hearing him sing that song on a whim, pure happenstance, she realized just how much he really loved her.

Helga never thought that this would be her life. She had been right in her feelings all those years. They really had something beautiful together. She felt they were invincible and nothing could touch them. Walking to Arnold's house, her boyfriend's house, she felt light as air.

Passing by window, she glanced at her reflection. The golden tones in her long hair caught the morning sun. She had finally left behind her trademark pigtails for a more natural look, allowing her hair to grow long and lay with waves down her back. Still a tomboy at heart, she wore a pair of torn-up pink converses with her dark grey sundress. Her eyes traveled to her face, a small smile playing on her lips. She had grown out of the awkwardness that followed her through childhood and started to settle into her own young adult features. She was never one to look in the mirror and gush over herself but she was not ashamed to say she was actually happy with what she saw. Having to live in your beautiful, older sister's shadow definitely didn't help a girl's confidence. Maybe it was partly because she knew, for once, that she was loved. She finally had someone in her life who she knew loved her deeply. That alone gave her confidence to be herself in front of her peers instead of the bully that she was as a child. She was happy at last and it suited her.

Helga found herself on the stoop of the Sunset Arms. Not knocking, she opened the door letting the parade of Abner and the other animals fly past her feet. Before she even got in the door, she was almost knocked over by a small football headed mop of light brown hair.

"Hey, Kid! What trouble are you lookin' for today?" Helga picked up the little girl, resting her on her hip.

"I climbed the tree!" The child raised her arms above her head and giggled. "So high!"

Arnold's little sister looked at Helga with excitement in her eyes, practically vibrating with energy. While Stella and Miles were stuck in the jungle, Stella had become pregnant and they had a little girl. Her name was Astrid. Astrid had grown up in the jungle until she was 4 years old so she was a wild little girl. She was a fury of dirty blond pigtails and intense green eyes. As the little girl adjusted to living in the city, she immediately bonded with Helga. Helga was never a big fan of small children but she loved the little girl's rough yet sweet personality. She could see how creative and adventurous Astrid was and found her a joy to be around.

"Can we play sling shot today? Pwease?" Astrid put her little hands together in a begging fashion and attempted to make her eyes as wide as possible.

"Sure! If your mommy is okay with that, we can practice sling shot together."

"Yay!" The little girl squealed and wrapped her arms around Helga's neck.

Helga hugged her back and spotted someone at the stairs.

Arnold smiled at both of them. "I figured you were here when I heard her screeching from upstairs."

Astrid spun around in Helga's arms. "BIG BROTHER!" Astrid pushed herself off of Helga and tackled Arnold's legs. She scurried up his body, climbing on to his shoulders.

"Helga said we can play sling shot! Play sling shot with us! Can we now?! PleasepleasepleasePLEASE!"

"Ow ow that's my hair, Astrid. Ow!"

"ASTRID!"

Both siblings stopped shifting around when they heard the voice of their mother. Stella walked into the entry way and grabbed her crazed daughter off her son.

"No one wants you yelling in their ears, Astrid! What have I told you?"

Astrid looked down at her feet. "Sorry, Mommy… Sorry, Arnold…"

Arnold rubbed the back of his neck, no doubt sore from his 6 year old sister jerking him around. "It's okay, Astrid." He kneeled down so he could be eye to eye with the little girl. "But can we play in a little bit? I need Helga's help with something and then we'll practice, okay?"

The little girls face spread into a happy smile. "Deal! Yaay!" She gave Arnold a hug and ran into the living room.

"You are so sweet to her, Arnold. You're such a good brother." Stella pushed some hair out of his face and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mom. Figure if it makes her happy, it's not a big deal."

Stella smiled at her son. "You're so much like your father." She wore a long crocheted cardigan that she wrapped around herself. She looked very tired today. She had shadows under her eyes and was little pale.

"Are you feeling okay, Stella?" Helga asked.

"Oh, I'm fine! Just a little touch of something but I'll get over it. Thanks, sweetie." Stella waved dismissively and smiled. "You guys go do whatever you were gonna do and I'll call you when lunch is ready."

"Thanks, Mom!" Arnold grabbed Helga's hand and dragged her up the stairs.

Helga walked into his bedroom and looked over at his couch.

"You know it would probably help you to not work in a mess like this." She walked over to the papers and started gathering up the music. Looking through the pages, she felt him put his hands on her hips. He wrapped his arms around her middle and laid his chin on her shoulder. She jumped a little when he touched her. Turning around, she spread her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer.

Even after being together for as long as they had, she still couldn't believe it. The boy she pined for, wrote books of poems about, built weird shrines of his likeness with his used gum was actually her boyfriend and really sincerely loved her. And he even knew about all that insanity!

She thought about that night they saved the neighborhood. The truth just came spilling out of her mouth like a busted dam. Nothing could have stopped that particular slur of words. His shocked face burned into her brain after she kissed him.

She opened her eyes to look into the present football headed boy in front of her. No shock, no confused look in his eye. All of those feelings had been replaced with what Helga could only see as love and adoration. She thought she had seen sparks of these emotions before but she always thought it was just her being foolish.

Before San Lorenzo, she would have never let him talk to her about the awkwardness between them. Ever since her intense confession on the roof of that building, she felt a deep shame and white hot fear at her core. Sure, he had let her off the hook but her passionate words were still said out loud. They hung in the air, like a cloud of poisonous gas threatening to smother her at any moment.

Time went by and she decided it was easier just to be meaner, to push him away so he never had the chance to shatter her world. She got away with it for a while and then he wanted to be friends. She let her guard down for one second. He just had to go and grab her hand that night. He might as well of tazed her with a cattle prod. She forgot she could run that fast.

Funny how she was reminded yet again of how quick she could move. Running for your life through the jungle has that effect. During all the chaos, she never thought he would have the nerve to want to talk about anything let alone chit-chat about why she had been avoiding him. It was all she could do to prevent herself from passing out as he grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes with that look. Those green opals looking into her soul, aching to tell her the truth, full of love and hope. She was glad he kissed her when he did. She might not have been able to help herself if he hadn't first.

Tracing her finger tips over his cheek, that goofy look was plastered all over his face. "It's still kinda weird seeing you look at me like that." She laughed nervously. "Criminy, I'm just as looney as your Grandma..."

"I think Grandma has some crazy points on you… You do remember she likes to think she's stalking wild game in the jungle when she's killing flies, right?" He said with his voice full of skepticism.

"Oh yeah! Ha! And she always calls you Kimba when she's like that." Helga giggled at the thought. "I love that crazy lady."

Arnold rolled his eyes. "I love her too but ugh, that name..."

Helga laughed and gave him an impish grin. "Well, Kimba, my birthday is Monday…" She hoped to get some more information about this 'surprise'. Not that she really hated surprises, she just liked to see if she could figure him out. He had his tells and she knew he hated it when she could read him like a book.

He raised his eyebrow. "Yes, yes it is. And I have things planned… You know this." His voice thick with suspicion as his eyes narrowed.

"Well, yeah. I do. But I was wondering if you can give me the details again? Just the ones you want to tell me of course…" She put on her best wide-eyed, innocent face.

"I already told you. I just want you to have a good day with Pheobe and be ready for me to pick you up at 6 o'clock from your house." He crossed his arms and leaned away from her. "I'm not telling you anything else, Helga. Now stop trying to ruin this surprise."

"Hey! Who's trying to ruin anything here?" She threw her hands up in mock defense. "Not me! Not innocent, little old Helga Pataki over here!" At that comment, Arnold rolled his eyes and snorted out a laugh, quickly devolving into hysterical giggles.

Helga's face deadpanned and she squinted her eyes at the sight of this lanky blonde boy laughing at her. She crossed her arms, getting a little irritated at his over the top display of hysterics.

"Really? And what the hell are you exactly laughing at, Arnoldo?" She raised her eyebrow at her, possibly ex, boyfriend.

Still shaking with laughter, he points a shaky finger at her. "You!... snicker… Innocent?! … snort… That's hilarious!" Arnold fell over laughing harder than before.

She turned her nose up at his response. Seriously? It's that funny. But then she started thinking and, yeah, that comment was probably pretty far off the mark. And maybe it was kinda funny. A small amused smile started to curl along her lips before she started to laugh herself.

Suddenly, she felt Arnold grab her around her middle and pull her down to the bed. He was still snickering but he wrapped his arms around her as he pulled her close.

"Hey! No fair!" She tried to wiggle away but he held her tighter and cuddled her close, pulling her into a spooning position. She felt him relax and sigh deeply.

"Now, this is what I wanted." He nuzzled his face into back of her head. She relaxed, wiggling herself into her little spoon position and smiled. She grabbed his hand and kissed it, holding their clasped hands to her chest.

Oh, my love. My golden haired angel. How is this really our lives? Has our love truly come to fruition? Two young hearts completely, utterly, head-over-heels in actual, real and true love? In my wildest dreams, I couldn't have imagined it being so perfect. You're actually as mad for me as I have always been for you. We have so much actually in common. I wish I would have grown a pair years ago and just, at least, been a better friend to you. But we're together now, my gifted, gilded minstrel.

"Ohhh…" Helga had turned around during her internal testament to face who fueled her soul's fire. Arnold was playing with her hair, tucking it behind her ear and caressing her cheek. "A little eternal soliquoy?" He asked.

"Huh?!" His words brought her back down from the clouds. "Wh-what do you mean?"

He smiled. "You always sigh like that after you go on a fiery tangent about something you feel passionate about," Helga could see his cheeks get a little pink. "which usually means you're talking about, well, me."

Helga's jaw dropped, stunned at what he just said. "You mean… have you…?"

Arnold shrugged. "Well, I mean, yeah? Hiding behind a trashcan doesn't put you in a sound proof room, Helga."

The color drained from Helga's face. This is it. This is the crazy thing that scares him off. I'm crazy, looney tunes, nutty as a fruitcake, a schizophrenic basket case, mad as a hatter…

"I wish you would tell me that stuff to my face. You put words together so beautifully and you recite with such feeling. I can't believe how lucky I am to have someone who has such passion in their heart..."

Helga couldn't believe what she was hearing. She went from a cold pit in her stomach to melting from the warmth that spread through her body. Placing her hands on his warm cheeks, she pulled him closer. Inches from his lips, she pauses.

"Oh, my football-headed love. Mon Cherie. It is not you who is lucky for I, who has pined for you since childhood, has only dreamed of being this close to you, would do anything for you, loves you to the moon and beyond… I am the lucky one."

Closing the gap between them, Helga leaned in and kissed her beloved. She closed her eyes, taking in everything about the moment so she would never forget just how wonderful life could be. She hoped it would never change.