Ch. 3
Disclaimer: I do not own any trademark or brand mentioned in my fan fiction, not even Hey Arnold
The rest of Arnold's classes were a blur. He wasn't paying attention to anyone or anything; thoughts of Helga filled his brain. As soon as the final bell rang, he ran straight home. His heart hurt, and he just needed to talk to the person who was always there for him, Grandpa.
""Hey there, Shortman!" Grandpa said as Arnold walked into the boarding house. "Ohhh, Arnold, what's wrong?" he placed a hand on his back.
"Do you think we can talk in my room, Grandpa?" Arnold quietly asked.
Grandpa smiled weakly and nodded. They walked in silence to the room, and took a seat the bed.
"So, let me guess, girl trouble?"
"How did you know, grandpa?"
"Well, I've been in your position. Heck, every man has at least once in his life. So, who's the girl, Arnold?"
"Helga. Helga Pataki."
Phil scrunched his eyebrows together, "That little weird girl with one eyebrow? Is she still picking on you? Oh, Arnold, I've already told you. She does that because she likes-"
"I wish it was that…Well, we had promised that we were going to wait for each other when I decided to stay in San Lorenzo, and today I found out she's engaged."
Phil frowned, "Shortman, that was seven years ago. You both have grown so much, and became different people. Maybe, it is for the best."
Arnold shook his head, "I know, it's just I still love her. It's hard, Grandpa."
"I know it is, Shortman, but everything happens for a reason. In fact, your situation reminds me of a story-"
"No offense, grandpa, but I'm not in the mood for a story. I just want to be alone for a bit. Thanks though."
Grandpa nodded and hugged Arnold tightly and before he walked out, he said "Shortman, go talk to her."
Arnold laid in bed for a while, debating whether or not Grandpa was right, and finally decided that Grandpa was right. He got up, and went down the fire escape to Helga's house.
Arnold approached Helga's door and knocked. A tall, beautiful pregnant blonde answered the door. She looked to be in her late twenties opened the door and said, "Good afternoon! How can I help you?"
Arnold smiled and quickly asked, "Can I speak to Helga? Tell her Arnold is here."
"Arnold? Oh my, look at how you've grown!" Olga exclaimed, then the cheeriness from her voice disappeared, "I'm sorry, but Helga does not live here anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"Helga moved out a year ago. Mommy and Daddy decided to divorce, and they put us in the middle of everything, and my poor baby sister was under so much stress, she moved out." Olga said, with tears starting to fill her eyes.
"I'm sorry to hear…Do you know where I can find her?"
Olga nodded her head, "She moved in with her fiancée, Gavin. Do you want the address?"
"No, thank you, Olga. I'll be going now." Arnold said as he pulled out his phone to call Gerald.
"Hey, Gerald…Can I come over? I need to talk to you…Okay, be there shortly." Arnold hung up, and walked towards Gerald's house. Gerald was waiting for him on his stoop.
"What's up? You sounded pretty serious on the phone." Gerald they did their signature handshake.
"Gerald, I love Helga!" Arnold blurted.
Gerald put a hand over his face, "Come on, follow me to my room. I need to tell you about Pataki."
"Arnold, my man, it's been seven years. You should have seen her when we left San Lorenzo. She was a mess, and Phoebe and I had to pick up the pieces. She no longer was the bully of PS 118, and instead started was always in a constant state of despair, with the exception when she received your letters. She met Gavin two years ago. She wasn't looking for a relationship; she was waiting for you to come back home, but they casually started to date. It wasn't serious, they weren't exclusive or anything. They were seeing each other for about 6 months when her parents announced their divorce. Her parents were always fighting and they put Helga in the middle of everything. Pataki started to crack under all the stress. She was not eating, losing weight, her hair started to fall out, and Gavin was worried. He offered a place to stay, and well, after that they got serious. They got engaged about six months ago. They are planning to wed after graduation."
"But, we were supposed to wait for each other, Gerald! We promised each other that we would. Yes, I was there in San Lorenzo longer than I expected, but we promised. When I saw her this morning, in homeroom, my heart skipped a beat. I was so excited to pick up where we left off, and then I see her and Gavin tongue wrestling in the hallway after class, and I have to hear from him that they are engaged then I find out from Olga that she is living with him! You should have told me, you should have told me she was engaged!" Arnold hissed, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.
"Man, I did not think you were still interested in her. You never brought her up anymore when we talked. I'm sorry!" Gerald said, putting an arm around his best friend.
Arnold looked at Gerald with eyes full of tears and whispered, "I love her, Gerald. It's always been her."
"Arnold, let's try to find you someone else. Phoebe told me that Lila was swooning over you today. She said that you were 'ever so handsome' and it was shame that you guys did not have any classes together. Hey, let me just tell you, if you thought she was 'ever so pretty' back then, she's a total knockout now. Rhonda's having a party this weekend in honor to kick off Spring Break, and I know that Lila will be there." Gerald smirked. Arnold shook his head and blinked repeatedly to stop the tears from falling.
"Arnold, the best way to forget about someone is to get under somebody else." Gerald winked.
Arnold couldn't help but laugh, "I mean, I'll talk to her, but I don't want to jump into anything."
