Okay I don't own anyone in Hey Arnold, but I do have the hots for Arnold and he owns my heart. (You sicko, your 17!!!!!) I don't care little voice in my head!(That's just wrong, plus he is a cartoon)

Arnold opened the front door of the boarding house, it had become his second home. Ever since the accident with the Pataiki's car, his dad took his doctoring on the road, helping orphans of misfortunate events, like earthquakes or floods. His mother, switched jobs to become a nurse, to help her dad. It seem to make them sad to be home, because they saw Helga on Sundays when their family went to dinner at the Sunset Arms. It seem that whole moment had ruined Arnold's life. Sometimes he wished he was the orphan, wasn't much different since his parents were never there.

"Hello?" Arnold said walking into the hall. His Grandpa came out of the kitchen.

"Well if it isn't Arnold. You get lonely over at that big house?" Grandpa asked. Arnold not wanting to seem like a wuss lied.

"No I just can't cook." Arnold said with a laugh. He could smell his Grandma's cooking and smiled. He loved that smell.

"Well, I am busy changing light bulbs so I'll have Helga come entertain you." Grandpa said. In the years Helga lived here, all adults had no idea that Helga treated Arnold like a punching bag. She always put on a facade of being a sweet child in front of Arnold's Grandparents. She was thankful for their kindness of letting her stay here all these years and did not want to upset them. She kind of thought of them as her own grandparents. Her own grandparents would have took her in, but apparently she reminded them too much of Bob or Miriam. It was just too hard.

"No Grandpa, it's okay. I'll just watch TV." Arnold said with a sweat breaking down his face.

"Oh nonsense! SHORTGIRL! Get down here!" Grandpa called up the stairs. Arnold frowned, his grandparents didn't have a nickname for him. His grandma, who was a little off, called Helga 'Kimla'.

"What grandpa?" Helga said in a sweet voice with a beautiful smile on her face. This was Arnold's favorite moment, the moment where Helga would behave and smile at him for Grandpa's sake. He loved that smile. He also loved the person who wore that smile. He had liked Helga since the kindergarten. She was getting picked on for being an Orphan and having Arnold's crazy grandma raise her by Harold. Arnold had told him to knock it off, and after some taunting he did. This is when Helga spoke the only kind words toward him. "Thank you Arnold."

"Helga, looks like Arnold is going to stay over again! Oh you two can have another one of your sleepovers!" Grandpa said. Helga smiled at him again with that angelic smile. "Oh, I'll leave you to be a good little hostess. Have fun Shortgirl and Arnold."

As soon as Grandpa left Helga turned and glared at Arnold. How she hated him and loved him at the same time. She was always being compared to him by Grandpa and Grandma.

She could try her hardest but everything she did only came into second to Arnold. He always beat her out by a point or two on test. He reminded her of her vague memories of her sister Olga, a good hearted person and genius. But he always acted weird around her, like he forever took pity on her. Her losing her family always was a sore spot, but she thought of herself as a strong independent girl. Yet at the same time he looked after her and was always there to chase away anyone bugging her about being an orphan.

"So what do you want to do football head? Homework?" Helga said leaning against the staircase railing. Arnold hated when they were left alone, Helga got really defensive.

"I already did it before I came over." Arnold said in a friendly voice but Helga took it as an insult it seemed.

"Well what could I expect from little perfect Arnold." Helga said. She huffed and crossed her arms. "Okay, then what do you want to do?"

Arnold thought, this would be a great opportunity to bond with Helga if he could find the right way to do it. He knew she hated anything outright emotional, so no talks. He also knew playing sports with her was a bad idea since she got very over competitive. He thought maybe something combining talking and games.

"How about cards." Arnold said and that seem to suit Helga just fine, because she started to smile. Not that good smile, but that evil one.

"Okay, if that's something you want to lose at." Helga said and started to turn around. "We'll play in my room."

Arnold was surprised, Helga like keeping him out of her room at all cost possible. So this was a welcome change. Not to mention he loved Helga's room, he wished it was his. It was huge and had that great skylight.

"Well, what card games do you know?" Arnold asked as they walked up to her room. She laughed.

"Most likely more then you know. But my favorites to play, which we will play are Speed and Poker." Helga said and pulled the cord in the hallway to reveal her stairway. Her and Arnold ambled up the steps. Opening the door Arnold felt at peace. For a girl's room, it was his favorite place to be.

"Wow get a new table?" Arnold said admiring the wood table in the middle of the room. It was low to the ground.

"Yeah yeah, Phoebe's family brought it back from Japan for me." Helga said. She knelt down on one side and pulled a deck of cards off a near by night stand. Arnold admired Helga's room as she shuffled the cards. Large room painted a pale pink with hard wood floors. Rose design rugs here and there. Plants all along the shelves around her bed. They grew nice with the light beaming down from the skylight. Her bed covered with a pink coverlet. Everything else was pink and elegant in the room.

"Hey Football Head. Are you ready?" Helga asked. He looked down to see a five cards dealt to him.

"What are we playing?" Arnold asked. Helga groaned.

"I just got done saying we are playing poker, one eyed jacks wild. Weren't you listening?" Helga said and picked up her cards.

"Sorry, just admiring your room." Arnold said and picked up his card. Helg looked up from her cards puzzled.

"You been up here millions of times, why the heck are you still admiring it?" Helga asked. Arnold seemed caught, but then he thought of a quick answer.

"Well, you rarely let me up here in the daytime, so I never noticed it in this light." Arnold said and plastered a big smile on. Helga raised her eyebrow questioningly. But then she blinked away her confusion and went back to concentrating on her cards.

"So where are your mom and dad this time?" Helga asked. His parents seem to shy away from her a bit, she had no idea why. But she thought Arnold was lucky to have them.

"Umm I think they are in China this time." Arnold said. They traveled so much, he was never really sure.

"Maybe if you are lucky they'll bring you back a teddy bear panda." Helga said in a mocking voice. Arnold sighed.

"Two cards please." Arnold said. He looked up at Helga. They known each other most of their lives, but never really talked beyond the normal chit chat. He thought maybe it was time to finally ask her a personal question. "Helga, can ask you something?"

Helga dealt him two cards. "Sure Arnoldo, fire away!"

"What do you hate me so much?" Arnold asked. Helga almost fell forward in astonishment. Arnold never asked private questions like that. He normally feared Helga opening up. Why she would never know, but he was afraid of her since the beginning.

"Well, I…..I……I don't know. I don't have to answer this!' Helga said, recovering from her surprise. "I have my reasons."

"Can you at least tell me if I am doing something wrong?" Arnold asked. This seem to snap something in Helga.

"No Arnold, you never do anything wrong. That's the problem. I can't compare to you in your grandparents' eyes because I am never as good as you. It's always 'Arnold got top honors!' or  'Arnold helped out this man for no reason, he is just so kind hearted.' And blah blah blah. " Helga yelled and threw her cards across the table. Arnold just felt horrible. He knew he wasn't perfect, no murderer is.

to be continued…..

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