Hi! Welcome to chapie 2! i hope u have enjoyed the story so far! I call this chapter, TAKING THE FIRST STEP. read and review to let me know what u think! oh, and something else...

PUDDING!

there, another random word that has nothing to do with this story. HA! so, well,

ENJOY!

Disclaimer: I DONT OWN HEY ARNOLD! i do, however, want to make the first ever full voiced, fully animated, fanimation episode of hey arnold!, so if you think you have a voice match for any of the hey arnold characters, please record it and post it on youtube. and make sure to label the recording KC followed by the name of the character you are voicing. i need voices!

Gerald was baffled. He looked at Arnold and said, "We are talking about Helga, right? Helga, G., Pataki?" Gerald had always suspected as much, but he didn't think that Arnold had the same thoughts. It's a pretty farfetched idea if you thought about it. Still, it would explain a lot. He still wasn't going to tell Arnold he had suspicions all along, though. That seemed rude, somehow.

"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but-"

"Arnold, are you sure you don't like her-like her?" Gerald gave him a funny look.

"I'm sure." He replied with a nod.

"Then why do you keep worrying about it?"

Arnold rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I'm trying to find the reason why she keeps picking on me, specifically. And it kinda makes sense."

"What are you talking about?"

"At hat costume party, she dressed up like Lila. And she acted like her, too. What if she was improving herself for me?"

"That's rediculous." Gerald dismissed.

"And remember all those love poems Mr. Simmons read in front of the class?"

"The ones by anonymous?"

"Yeah. Whenever he read them, Helga sank down in her seat, like they were hers." The more he talked about it, the more he started to believe it. Arnold was really weirded out by all this, even if he was the one saying it. He just couldn't believe how much evidence he had for this idea. Maybe she does like me he thought. Maybe more.

"Maybe she was bored. People get bored of poetry, you know."

"Class is about to start. I'll show you what I mean."

They sat down as Mr. Simmons walked into the noisy classroom.

"Studens, settle down. Well, uh, good morning class. We'll start off by looking over your papers. I'll pass them back, after I read yet another poem from Anonymous."

Suddenly Arnold was shaking Gerald roughly by the shooulder. "Look, Gerald! See?" Arrnold whispered violently into Gerald's ear as he pointed toward Helga, sinking low, embarassed.

Gerald saw what he was talking about and whispered, "Wow, you were right. That's too low of a sink for it to be boredom."

"I told you!" Arnold remarked.

Gerald noticed kids starting to stare. He didn't want to interrupt class too much. So he said, "Let's continue this discussion at lunch, okay Arnold?"

Helga suddenly got annoyed. "Hey, pipe down! Will ya? Some of us are trying to learn!" She hissed, usual scowl on her face.

"Sorry." They said softly in response.

After awhile more of class, the lunch bell rang. Mr. Simmons continued through its sound. "Okay, class. We'll go over our math assignment after lunch."

Everyone rushed out of the classroom and headed towards the cafeteria line. Somewhere in the line, Helga was in front of Arnold, with Gerald right behind him. "Man, oh, man. Just a few more days until we're sitt'n pretty at the anual Quigly Field All Timers game." Gerald said.

"I know. I can't wait. I've been looking fowrward to it all month. It's gonna be great." Arnold replied with a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Front row seats, hot dogs, soda, and only twenty bucks a ticket!"

"Wow, Gerald! How did you get em' so cheap?"

"Fuzzy Slippers gave me a discount, since he knows me. Plus, he couldn't go, so he decided to sell them for cheaper than the origional desk price. He said he didn't need the ticket money back, but he's always in the mood for making a quick buck."

As Arnold continued to listen, he moved forward in the line and bumped into Helga.

"Sorry, Helga." He said immediately.

She instinctively snapped with her signature scowl lingering on her face. "Watch it, footballhead! You coulda knocked my tray over! We wouldn't want a repeat of yesterday, now, would we?"

Arnold glares at her hesitantly, then walks to the table area with Gerald by his side.

Helga stares back with her fists on her hips. "Arnold. What a boob. How inconsiderate. How annoying. How I despise him. And yet," She looks left and right, making sure no one can see her. Then she swiftly hides herself behind a nearby trashcan and pulls her locket out from the collar of her shirt, revealing a photo of Arnold in its heart-shaped cut, taped inside. Her voice suddenly goes unsteady and lovesick. "How I adore him. His curiosity, his kind-hearted words, his untamed ability to see the good in everyone. Why do I only show my cruel side? Why can't I reveal to you my soft, mushy interior, to show you how I really feel? Oh, if only I was brave enough to reveal my true feelings, if only I could be kinder, gentler to you. Oh, if only, if only."

Helga paused, hearing the annoying breathing down the back of her neck. She stood up, stoed the locket in her shirt collar, and slamed the trash can lid down on Brainy. She then put one fist on her hip and brought the other to her head, the index finger rubbing against its surface.

"I still can't believe he hasn't figured it out yet. I mean, it's been, what, six years? And he doesn't have a clue! What's he been doing this whole time, ignoring it?"

She picked up her lunch tray and peered around the wall to see Arnold and Gerald talking to each other at their table.

"That's it! I'm gonna walk over there, and I'm gonna apologize for what I said. And then, I'm gonna start being nice to him. I just cant take it anymore! It's been driving me crazy for six, whole, years! And I've had enough reject! I've suffered enough!"

She tried as hard as she could to keep from shouting. Then she looked down at her tray held in her hands, tears forming in her eyes.

"And so has he."

She pulls her head back and took a deep breath as she leaned against the wall to both calm, and prepare herself for what she is about to (attemt to) do. She then looked back down at her tray, blinking away the tears before they can fall, trying to form a specific expression on her face and struggling as she does so.

Helga walks into the table area with the expression she finally decided on; a vague expression of concern, and regret, just enough for Arnold to say something.

"Are you okay, Helga?" Arnold asks as Helga passes by, still looking down at her tray.

She pauses, turns to Arnold, and says, "I'm fine. I just wanna say,"

Helga gulps and ries to concentrate. Come on, Helga. You can do this. Just say you're sorry and don't screw it up.

"I, wanna say," she takes another gulp,

"I'm sorry for yelling at you in the lunch line."

Arnold stares at her in wonder and blinks, waiting for an insult to form from her lips. She was about to counter it with one, but then she remembered.

Okay Helga, now sell it. "It was mean, and, I shouldn't have said it."

Good! Good! Now turn and walk away calmly before your stupid ego takes over and ruins everything by sending you back to square one.

She hesitated. Then she looks back down at her tray and walks away calmly. Finally, I didn't screw it up this time! Okay, the first step is finally complete. Now I have to make sure to be nicer to him from now on. She then sighed.

I'm gonna need some help.

She stops and sits down at the table in the far corner next to Phoebe.

"Hey Phoebs." She says.

"Hey, Helga. What did Arnold say to you?"

Helga looks up at Phoebe and replied, "He wondered if I was okay."

Phoebe suddenly formed a look of concern on her face. "Why? Is something on your mind, Helga?"

Helga looked back down at her food. "It's just, I'm sick and tired of being so mean to him, you know? I, I wish I could just, take it all back and start over. I wanna at least be his friend rather than his enemy."

"What did you say to him?"

She looked back up at Phoebe. "I, apologized to him for yelling at him in the lunch line."

Phoebe suddenly choked on a bit of milk and started coughing. "Really?"

"Uh, huh." She answered with a slow nod.

"Wow, Helga. I'm surprised. You must be taking this whole Arnold thing seriously, now, huh?"

"Yeah. Phoebe, could you help me? You know, make sure I don't be so mean to him as I've done in the past? I just know I can't do this alone. Please?"

Phoebe's eyes then turned soft and kind. "Of course, Helga. What else are friends for?"

Helga's eyes lit up. "Thanks, Phoebe. Oh, this doesn't change anything about the secret though, okay?"

"Of course. I wouldn't think of it."

Helga placed a hand on Phoebe's shoulder. "Thanks. You're the best friend a girl could ask for."

Helga then leaned over and hugged Phoebe. She hesitates, being so unused to Helga being this affectionate to her, it took her by surprise, then she softens and hugs her back. They untangle and continue eating.

Meanwhile, just after Helga left Arnold's table, Arnold says, "That was wierd."

"She was totally out of character." Gerald exclaimed.

"I think she's trying to improve herself. I think she's trying to be nicer to me. I just wish I knew."

"Look, if it's really bugging you that much, why don't you just ask her?"

"Are you crazy! No way!"

"It's the only way to find out for sure."

Arnold was about to say something, then paused. He was right. And he knew it. He just didn't it to come to that. He wasn't ready to do that yet. He wanted Gerald's opinion first. To see if he could give him an alternate option if he could. But it was true. Asking her was the only way. Otherwise he'd be wondering his whole life. He might end up torturing himself if he did that. No, he had to ask her, but how?

"I know, it's just, what if I embarass myself? Everyone would laugh at me!" he finally said.

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down, Arnold. I didn't say you had to do it right now. You don't even have to do it in public. You know what I'm saying?"

"Hey, great idea, Gerald! I'll put a note in her desk asking her to meet me at the park after school!"

"No, too public. It has to be somewhere where you can talk to her alone. Like, your room."

"Yeah. Okay. Thanks, Gerald."

They pause to look over at Helga's table. Suddenly, Helga reaches over to give Phoebe a hug.

"I wonder what they're talking about." Gerald said, "Helga never hugged Phoebe before."

"It's a mystery." Arnold replies with a soft smile playing on his face.

yay! u finished chappie 2! the third chapter will b out as soon as i can get it out.

A special thanks to Anonymous Latina, acosta perez jose ramiro, Crystal-Buu, and extended thanks to SuprSinger for all of your reviews and replies. you rock for that! just like some fanfic writer (i cant remember who it is) i have talked to once said in a fanfic of theirs(you know who you are! i hope.), the reviews i get for any of my stories always makes me smile! :)

keep reading! you should know what im going to say next. im going to say it anyway, for those who dont.

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