Chapter #5: The Story of Helga G. Pataki
Author's Notes: Hey everyone! Happy Leap Year! Welcome back to "The Story of Helga G. Pataki!" Thank you all so much for your patience in waiting for this chapter, and also for the reviews, favorites, and alerts! It always warms my heart, and keeps me motivated, so thanks again!
It's been a little while since the previous chapter, but we're picking up right from where we left off with Helga's unwitting exposure to the drug in Phoebe's experimental cookies, and now, Helga's heading to the Boarding House. There are a couple of secrets revealed in this chapter, and we get to see a more honest Helga.
Helpful tip while you're reading this chapter: Italics are Helga's or Arnold's thoughts, and Italics and quotations are things that characters have said in the past. This tip might make this chapter a little easier to understand, just in case there's any confusion.
Okay, I'll quit rambling now. Without further ado, read on to chapter #5 . . . .
…
Helga returned to the familiar green door of the Boarding House later that afternoon. She twisted the doorknob to open it, but frowned when it wouldn't turn completely. She rang the doorbell.
The door opened, revealing a chipper Olga in a green apron.
"Oh Helga! Welcome back!" she exclaimed as several dogs, cats, and pigs whizzed past her out the door. Neither Helga nor Olga paid them any mind. They were used to it by now. "You're just in time to try some of my famous Moroccan Chicken Tagine. Everyone else is already seated at the table. Come, join us. I want to sit right by my one and only sis."
Helga mentally groaned. "Actually, Olga. Not that I wouldn't want to willingly become a part of another one of your gloating segments with the boarders, but I'm tired right now and my head is killing me, so I'm going to hit the sack a little early today."
Olga's face fell. "Helga, I'm so sorry you're not feeling well," she replied. Then, her eyes lit up. "Oh, I know! I'll fix you up with a nice hot bowl of chicken noodle soup and prepare a warm bath, and then I'll give you some medicine for that nasty, wittle headache of your-" She paused suddenly, and Helga could swear she saw a tiny hamster eat some spinach, gain muscle mass, and break the hamster wheel by how fast it was running in her sister's head.
Olga squealed, jumped up and down giddily. "Oh, Helga! I just came up with the most fantastic idea ever!" she exclaimed. "You can stay in the bed right next to me tonight. I'll stay right by your bedside the whole night, and I promise you'll be feeling better in no time! Award-winning Doctor Olga Pataki will make sure of that." She giggled.
Helga frowned. "Olga, if you do that, I'll just end up getting angry at you, and I really don't want that because you're one of the only people who actually cares about me."
Olga's eyes widened, slightly taken aback by the blunt remark. "What? That isn't true, baby sister! Mommy and Daddy-"
"Stop, Olga," Helga interjected. She sighed. "Just stop. I want to go to bed, so please move."
Olga stayed where she was. "But Helga-"
"If you're not going to move aside, then I'll help you," Helga said. "One side!" She shoved her sister to the side and took off up the staircase.
"Baby sister!" Olga called up after her, but Helga didn't stop.
"HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON?! I'M STARVIN' OVER HERE!" Bob's voice boomed from the dining room.
Olga didn't respond, instead keeping her eyes focused on the staircase.
". . . . you're one of the only people who actually cares about me."
…
…
An hour later, Arnold entered his room, finding a young girl with blonde pigtails sprawled across a red couch, fast asleep. In his hands, he held a tray consisting of a bowl of chicken noodle soup, a spoon, some napkins, and a mug containing apple cinnamon tea.
He slowly approached the girl on the couch, being extra careful not to spill the soup and tea. He studied the girl sleeping on the couch for a moment. Helga had looked so peaceful sleeping there on the couch. Her face, normally set in a seemingly perpetual scowl, was now relaxed with her mouth open slightly.
Then, his eyebrows furrowed as he squinted to examine her face more closely. His eyebrows rose. They were faded, but he could just make out tear stains streaming down her cheeks.
Had Helga been . . . crying? That thought somehow seemed foreign to him. Helga had always portrayed herself to be a tough person that only cried tears of joy if she was beating the daylights out of someone. Never one to cry out of sadness.
Then, it dawned on him. He had never once seen Helga cry. Not even when her own life was in danger. She was always so strong.
It was true that he had his suspicions that Helga had been crying during the house fire when he saw her eyes appear slightly red when he found her sitting on the floor in her room that day, but he had dismissed the thought completely because he almost couldn't believe that it was possible. He figured that either he was imagining things or maybe she was just sweating out of her eye sockets due to the intense heat of the flames around her.
Helga's eyebrows furrowed then. "Help me . . . someone, please . . . anyone," she muttered quietly in her sleep, startling him. "Please don't leave me . . . alone . . . ."
Arnold's face twisted in confusion. Don't leave her alone? I wonder what Helga's dreaming about . . . . He thought. He felt a little guilty watching Helga sleep like some creep, but he was curious, so despite any feelings of guilt, he waited for a few more moments to see if Helga would reveal any more information about the dream she was having.
Helga stirred slightly, but she didn't wake. She let out a loud snort. He sighed. Perhaps he was expecting too much. He looked to the tray in his hands.
I should really give Helga the tea and soup before they get cold, he thought. He could just imagine the heated wrath that Helga would inflict on him for bringing her cold soup. He winced at the thought.
"Helga," he called out.
Helga didn't respond.
"Helga."
Helga's brow lowered into a deep scowl, and she promptly turned over on the couch so that her back was now facing him.
Arnold frowned. Helga certainly wasn't making this easy on him.
Balancing the tray in one of his hands, he slowly reached over to gently nudge her awake.
"Hey Hel-GAHH!" he screamed, falling to the ground after a fist collided directly with his face. Hot tea and soup spilled all over him, causing Arnold to yelp in pain.
"Trying to spy on me, eh?! That'll teach you!" Helga exclaimed. Then, she blinked as her mind finally registered who was in front of her. "F-football head?!"
Arnold gave a slight scowl. "Yeah, it's me, Helga," he replied shortly. He reached for one of the napkins that had fallen on the floor and rubbed vigorously at the stain on his shirt in an effort to remove the stain.
Helga took in the dark stains on both Arnold's blue sweater and pants. She made a face. "Yeesh, what happened to you?" she asked.
He looked up at her, glaring. "You socked me in the face, that's what happened!" Arnold exclaimed. "What was that for?!"
Her eyes widened. "I-I did?" she replied. She averted her eyes. "I didn't mean . . . I mean, I thought you were-"
Arnold sighed. "It's okay, Helga. I know you didn't mean it," he said. "To be fair, I probably should have set the tray down first before trying to wake you up, so it's partly my fault."
Helga looked over at Arnold again and her eyes widened in horror. "A-Arnold, your nose, it's . . . ."
Arnold put a hand to his nose in response and was shocked to feel wetness under his fingers. He brought his hand back to examine his fingers.
Blood.
He quickly reached for another napkin on the floor and pinched his nose with it.
Helga's face held a look of instant remorse. "Here, let me go get you some ice fo-"
"No, it's fine," Arnold responded quickly in a nasal tone. "You're not feeling well. I'll get the ice." He gave a small smile. "Besides, I need to change out of these stained clothes anyways, and get you a new bowl of soup and tea."
Helga looked away for a moment, and then shyly met his eyes again. "Thanks, Arnold," she replied softly. "You're . . . okay."
Arnold's eyebrows rose. A memory of Helga sitting on her bed as she said those same words to him passed through his mind. He remembered that day well. Helga had been thoroughly convinced that she was dying from some weird "monkeynucleosis" disease, and had Phoebe call some of their classmates to her house to give away her belongings. He shook his head. It was the strangest thing ever. Still . . . .
" . . . . I think you're okay. I mean, you're an okay guy, and I just think you're . . . okay."
He gave Helga a half-lidded smile. "Thanks, Helga. I think you're okay too."
Helga offered a slight smile in return.
…
…
When Arnold returned to his room fifteen minutes later, he found that the floor had been cleared of the noodle mess from the soup and tea spill, and that Helga was perched up on the sofa, writing in a pink diary.
"Hey, I brought the chicken noodle soup and tea," he announced.
Helga paused from her writing and looked up at him. Then, she broke out laughing.
Arnold's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"
"Oh man. This is rich," Helga said, wiping a tear from her eye.
Arnold's face twisted in confusion. "What's rich?"
She arched her eyebrow. "Are you that afraid of getting soup and tea all over you again?"
Arnold frowned. "What do you mean?"
Helga held up one finger. "One. You're wearing a poncho. Last time I checked, it doesn't rain indoors," she explained. Then, she held up another finger. "Two. You're so far away that I'd have to send a rope out to reach you."
Arnold looked down at the blue poncho he was wearing and then to Helga, who was across the room from where he was standing in the doorway. A faint blush dusted his cheeks. "I, uh . . . I didn't think you'd notice."
"These eyes aren't just two holes in my head, bucko," she replied. "Now, are you just going to stand there and let me starve, or am I going to eat tonight?"
Arnold frowned. "What happened to your legs?"
"You'll find out if I have to come over there," she answered.
Fearing the worst, Arnold begrudgingly walked over to where Helga was seated on the couch, and held out the tray with the bowl of soup and tea to her. Helga closed the notebook she had been writing in, setting it aside on the arm on the couch. Then, she grabbed both ends of the tray and placed it in her lap.
"I'm sorry for earlier."
Arnold's eyes widened in surprise, slightly taken aback. Helga's apology had been said so quickly that he almost didn't catch the words. Then, his eyebrows furrowed. "You're apologizing to me after you just threatened to kick my butt?"
Helga rolled her eyes. "I didn't threaten you. It was implied," she said. "And yes, that was an apology. You should be grateful. I don't say it very often. Take it or leave it, Football Head. What's it going to be?"
Arnold shook his head. Helga never changed. "Apology accepted," he responded.
"Good. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to enjoy my meal in peace," Helga said, waving him off.
Arnold's eyes narrowed at the blatant dismissal. He turned around to leave the room.
"Wait."
Arnold stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"
"Before you go, mind telling me what kind of tea this is?"
Arnold rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, I think Olga said it was apple cinnamon."
Helga's face twisted in confusion. "Wait, how would Olga know that unless she . . . ."
Arnold gave a half-lidded grin. "Olga made the chicken noodle soup and the apple cinnamon tea for you twice, Helga. She, uh, she didn't want me to say anything, but she really cares about you."
An image of Olga's smiling face entered Helga's mind.
" . . . . I'll fix you up with a nice hot bowl of chicken noodle soup and prepare a warm bath, and then I'll give you some medicine for that nasty, wittle headache . . . ."
Helga looked down at the tray in her lap. Her brow furrowed. "Hey Arnold?"
"Yeah?"
"Did Olga send you up here?"
His eyebrows rose a little. "Y-yeah, she did," he answered truthfully.
Helga scoffed, crossing her arms. "Hmph. Olga's such a goody-two shoes. Probably sent you up here because she knows I'm in love with you."
Arnold immediately froze, his eyes wide.
Helga's own eyes widened, suddenly realizing what she had just said. Crimeny, Helga! What did you just do?! She thought. Her heart beat loudly inside her chest, her mouth becoming dry. I'm ruined! Ruined! Everything that I worked for—all my time and energy—gone, just like that! Poof!
The air was thick with tension as silence dragged on between them. Neither of them said a word to address the five dangerous words that hung ominously out in the open.
Arnold seemed to recover from his stunned paralysis as he began to open his mouth. Then, he quickly closed it again, his eyebrows knitting together. He swallowed thickly. "Helga . . . what . . . what did you just say?"
Helga's eyebrows rose. He must not have heard her. She could still save this. All she had to do was simply reword her sentence, and it would be like her blunder never happened. They could move on without a second thought on the matter. There was hope for her, after all!
This is your chance, Helga ol' girl! Don't screw this up! She internally schooled herself. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.
Then, she gave the most composed smile she could muster.
Oh, I said that Olga knows I'm enough for you.
"Oh, I said that Olga knows I'm in love with you."
She laughed. "She thinks you can handle me. Can you believe that? Puh-lease."
Arnold didn't laugh with her. "Helga . . . you're in love with me?" he asked, his face serious.
She frowned.
No!
"Yes!"
Her eyes widened at the words that left her mouth. What is this?! I meant to say no! A sudden dread washed over her. The color drained from her face. Oh no. I didn't actually repeat what I said before about being in love with him, did I?
Arnold's eyes widened two-fold before he shook his head. "But that . . . that can't be. You're just . . . you're just confused because I'm the one that rescued you from the fire a few days ago and you've interacted with me the most," he reasoned. Helga's eyebrow lowered into a deep frown. "You're not really in love with me. I'm sure that after you get some sleep after not feeling well and things start going back to normal, then you'll understand that deep down-"
"Deep down what?" Helga demanded, standing up. She didn't wait for an answer as she stormed towards him, jabbing him in the chest repeatedly with her pointer. "Listen here, Hair Boy! No one tells Helga G. Pataki what she feels!" Her blue eyes bored into sea-green. "And how dare you suggest that my cold somehow impaired my judgment! My cold and what I feel about a person are completely unrelated!" She waved a fist in front of him. "You got that, or should I reintroduce you to ol' Betsy and the Five Avengers?!"
Arnold's eyebrows furrowed. "But Helga, what else could it be then?"
Normally, her better judgment would've told her not to continue down this slippery slope, but she hated the fact that the possibility of her having feelings for him seemed to be the furthest thing from Arnold's mind. I mean, come on! How many hints do I have to throw out there before he gets a clue?! She thought in frustration.
"Don't you get it?! I'm in love with you, you dense dweeb!" Helga admitted.
Arnold's eyebrows rose.
Helga studied him for a moment and then sighed. "Oh, don't give me that look," she said. "You already knew that, didn't you? That's why you never brought up that time again. You want to pretend like it didn't happen."
She didn't need to specify what that time was. FTi was a memory that neither could forget. She watched as Arnold's eyes quickly averted before meeting hers again. As I thought. He did know, she thought.
Arnold opened his mouth to speak. "Helga, I—"
"Look, just get it over with already. Tell me you don't like me that way, and I'll never bother you again," she answered. She placed a hand to her forehead, trying to ignore the throbbing pain. "Crimeny! If it's one thing I can't stand, it's all this limbo crap!"
Arnold said nothing to that, his eyes lowering to the floor.
Helga became anxious. What if he rejected her? Would she really be okay with that? She was beginning to have her doubts with each passing moment met with silence. She was vulnerable. Anything that Arnold said now could make or break her. The sinking feeling building in her chest made her regret even talking to Arnold.
Maybe . . . maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
Just as Helga opened her mouth to tell him to forget it, Arnold spoke.
"I can't."
Helga's eyes widened. Then, she clenched her fists, standing up from the couch. "You can't?!" she exclaimed. "You can't?! Why not?"
Arnold shook his head. "I just . . . can't," he stated. "I can't explain it just yet, but I know I can't say that I don't feel anything for you. You're just going to have to trust me and wait a little longer. I'm sorry, but that's the best answer I can give you at this time."
Helga rolled her eyes. "Great. Well, while you sit there and take your time deciding how you feel about me, I might already be as old as your grandparents," she said.
Her response prompted a small grin from him. His sea-green eyes met hers.
"Helga, it won't take that long," he replied.
She arched a brow. "Oh really? Just like it didn't take that long for us to have this conversation? The only reason we're even talking about this is because I brought it up," she stated matter-of-factly.
He frowned. "It's not like it's easy for me to decide like that," Arnold argued. "I mean, you've had a while to make up your mind about me, but this was just sprung on me."
"Oh please. This was not just sprung on you, Arnoldo, and you know it," Helga retorted.
"How would I know, Helga?" He argued. "You said your confession on FTi was because of the heat of the moment. That was the last time you made any confession to me, so there was no reason to believe that you were actually in love with me."
"Oh yeah, and me making out with a heart-shaped locket with your picture in it when you found me in the house fire wasn't any indication that maybe, just maybe I might've had feelings for you?"
Arnold blushed. He had forgotten about that. "That still doesn't say that you were in love with me," he said. "A crush isn't the same as being in love with someone, and it's possible that you could've gotten over me since then."
"I know that, but my point is that all of this lovey-dovey crap didn't just happen out of thin air," Helga answered.
"Well, regardless," he began. "I haven't actually fallen in love with anyone before. I've only had crushes. Is it so wrong that I'm taking time to really think about being in love with you before answering honestly?"
She frowned. "You see?! This is exactly why I never wanted to tell you that I was in love with you! I'm not asking for you to love me. All I want is a chance to be with you, but you can't even give me that. I mean, if it doesn't work out, then that's fine! It just wasn't meant to be."
His eyebrows furrowed. "Well, I'm sorry, Helga. You're just going to have to wait."
"I'm sick of waiting, Football Head!" Helga exclaimed. "I need an answer now."
Arnold frowned. "Helga, you're making this hard."
"Well, it's not exactly easy for me either having to wait on you to come up with an answer!" she argued, knowing full well that she was pressuring him, but she was frustrated. "I mean, what's so hard about telling me if you like me-like me?! Make up your mind already! Do you like-like me? Yes or no? Simple as that."
Arnold's lips met hers, causing Helga's eyes to widen in shock.
Arnold leaned away, saying nothing.
Helga stared back at him, her mouth agape. A faint blush dusted across her cheeks.
Arnold frowned slightly. "You're so impatient, Helga," he said. Then, he sighed. "I've wanted to do that for a while now. That's why it's so confusing."
Helga leaned in and mashed her lips against his lips forcefully, and Arnold gasped in surprise.
"He-Helga!"
He pushed her away. She frowned, leaning in again, but he held her at an arm's distance away from him.
"Helga, stop!"
She leaned into him more forcefully, causing Arnold to have to exert more force to keep her away. It felt like his arms were about to give way. He wished he'd carried the pepper spray his grandma lent him.
"HELGA!" he shouted.
This got her attention. "What!" she growled.
He frowned. "Stop! I said I'm confused!"
"Well, I'm trying to help you make up your mind!" she argued, leaning into him again, but Arnold pushed her away again.
"No, Helga!"
"You're not being fair, Arnoldo! You don't get to just kiss me and tell me you've been wanting to do that for a while, and then just expect me to do nothing! Do you have any idea what that does to me?!"
Arnold's face reflected guilt. "I'm sorry, Helga! I just-"
She threw her hands up in defeat. "Crimeny! Fine, Arnold! I get it, okay?! Just don't expect me to be happy about it!" she exclaimed. She moved away from him, and Arnold let out a sigh of relief. Helga walked over to the couch and promptly laid down, pulling the covers over her.
"I'm going to bed! Wake me up when you finally care about my feelings!" she said, turning her back to him.
He frowned. "I do care about your-"
"Goodnight, Arnold."
Arnold clenched his fist. I can't believe her! Why am I the bad guy for not wanting to rush into things? All I was asking for was a little patience, but she couldn't even give me that much! He thought. What about my feelings?! He shook his head before walking to the door. When he reached the door, Helga's voice stopped him.
"Hey Arnold?"
For a brief moment, he contemplated just walking out of the room and pretending he didn't hear her, but he turned around anyways.
"Yes, Helga," he answered, his tone laced with annoyance.
Helga didn't say anything for a few moments after that, making Arnold question whether she had said anything after all. However, just as he was about to turn around again, he heard Helga sigh.
"Hypothetically, let's say you knew that I had feelings for you, or at least, had your suspicions about it," she began. "Why did you . . . I mean, why didn't you call me out on it? Why did you wait for me to tell you?"
Arnold's eyebrows furrowed as he thought about the question. He watched as Helga fidgeted under the silence and his watchful eyes. Then, he gave a small smile. "I like hearing you say it," he said. "When you tell me that you love me, it makes me happy."
He saw Helga's entire body stiffen suddenly, almost like she had been frozen in place. He shook his head, turning away from her.
"Goodnight, Helga."
He left the room.
On the couch, Helga was grateful that Arnold couldn't see her face. It was so red that one would think it was sunburn.
"When you tell me that you love me, it makes me happy."
She sighed dreamily. She could've died right there.
…
…
Helga awoke the next day with a whopping headache. She couldn't remember anything after she left Phoebe's house yesterday. Stifling a yawn with her hand, she sluggishly rolled over to look at Arnold's alarm clock, and she promptly fell to the floor with a thump.
She groaned. Of course that would happen to her. She sluggishly stood up, and pulled her leg backwards in a kicking motion.
"Stupid cou-OW!"
She hopped up and down on one leg as she held her foot. Her stubbed toe ached from the pain of her foot accidentally hitting the hard part of the couch. Crimeny! I just can't get a break today! She thought.
She looked over at Arnold's bed, and saw that it was empty. She breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted to do was make a fool out of herself in front of Arnold. She looked over at Arnold's alarm clock. The time read 7a.m. She still had about an hour before the bus showed up. She slumped across the red couch, putting an arm over her eyes. Why did it feel like she got hit by a bus? Her eyebrow furrowed. Come to think of it, I was feeling the same way when I left Pheebs' place yesterday, she thought.
She strained at her memory banks. Why couldn't she remember anything after that? Did she go to sleep directly after? How did she end up back on the couch? It was like there was a time gap where anything could have happened, and she did not have a good feeling about that at all.
She tried to retrace her steps in her memory in the hopes that some more information might come to mind. Let's see . . . I ate some cookies at Phoebe's, there was an experiment with the cookies, but it turns out I hadn't eaten any, then . . . .
An image of her sister talking to her came to mind.
Her eyes widened. Olga! Of course. I met Olga at Arnold's place, and then I think I went to bed, she thought. No wonder she ended up on the couch and there was a gap. She went to bed early because she wasn't feeling well! She breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't anything serious like she thought. She put her arm down, sitting up in the couch.
Then, her eyes immediately caught sight of a dark spot on the ground. A look of confusion was etched on her face. Where the heck did this floor stain come from? She thought.
An image of Arnold rubbing a napkin across a dark stain on his sweater passed through her mind.
Her eyes widened in realization. There was a . . . spill! Arnold brought me some soup and tea, and he accidentally spilled it all over his clothes, she thought.
An image of a diary came to mind. She looked to a pink diary on the couch, and reached for it, flipping through the pages. It appeared that she had written in it yesterday.
I remember now! I wrote in my diary as I waited for Arnold to come back from changing his clothes, she thought. She began to recall seeing Arnold in a poncho. She snorted at the memory. What a yutz . . . .
Then, she remembered him bringing in tea and soup.
Let's see . . . I asked him what flavor the tea was and he told me, and then I-
"Hmph. Olga's such a goody-two shoes. Probably sent you up here because she knows I'm in love with you."
And then I-
"Helga . . . what . . . what did you just say?"
I-
"Oh, I said that Olga knows I'm in love with you."
I . . . .
An image of Helga leaning in and mashing her lips against Arnold's forcefully, followed by Arnold pleas for her to stop passed through her mind.
Her eyes widened. Oh . . . my . . . .
She let out the highest pitch scream she could muster.
"What was I thinking?!" She exclaimed. "I can't believe I actually told Arnold my deepest, darkest secret, and then practically forced myself on him! I must be mentally insane! I can never face him again! Arnold must hate me!" She wracked her brain for any possible explanations for what led up to her actions. "I-I was sick! That's it! I didn't know what I was saying! I'll tell Arnold that, and he'll have to believe me, and then I'll be-"
" . . . . how dare you suggest that my cold somehow impaired my judgment! My cold and what I feel about a person are completely unrelated!"
Helga slumped down on the couch. "I'll be ruined. Completely ruined."
She put her head in her hands. How was she supposed to get herself out of this one?
She sighed. "What could have possessed me to tell Arnold about my feelings for him?"
Then, she blinked, recalling something that she had missed. Her mind went back to her confession and what she had really meant to tell Arnold when he asked her to repeat what she had said earlier. That's right. I really meant to lie to him, but I ended up telling him the truth. Was it my guilty conscious kicking in? But that's never happened to me before, she thought.
Her eyes widened as she remembered her talk with Phoebe.
"The effects of the drug will last for approximately eight hours. During that time, you're going to be a little more . . . open than you would normally be."
…
"I forgot that I kept the actual cookies containing the drug inside my desk because I anticipated that someone might think that they were normal chocolate chip cookies," Phoebe said.
Helga brightened up, beginning to understand. "So then, those cookies—"
"Absolutely drug free! You don't have to worry about there being any drug in your system," Phoebe exclaimed. "Those symptoms that you were feeling earlier were all in your head."
…
"Hey, do you mind passing me the rest of those chocolate chip cookies?"
Phoebe's eyes widened. "I-I was actually thinking about eating the rest later."
Helga clenched her fists, her brow slowly morphing its way into a deep frown. I'm going to kill her . . . .
"PHOEBE!"
The door to Arnold's room burst open suddenly, revealing Olga.
"Helga? Are you okay? Why are you yelling?" she asked worriedly.
Helga frowned. Of course Olga would show up now. "I'm fine, Olga. I just remembered that I have some things to take care of today," she replied.
Olga's eyebrows rose. "Are you sure that you're well enough to go to school today, Helga? If you're still not feeling well, then you can-"
"I said I'm fine," Helga responded. "Quit butting into my business."
Olga gave a sad look. "I'm sorry, Helga. I only wanted to help."
"I don't need your help. I'm fine on my own."
"Well, can I at least drive you to school today, baby sis? I want to make sure that you're feeling okay," Olga asked. "Arnold said that he had to leave early for school today because he wanted to meet up with a friend there, so he won't be around to help you to school today."
"Crimeny, Olga! You act like I'm invalid," Helga exclaimed. "I already told you I'm fine, and I don't need your help. Take a hint, and get lost."
Helga saw tears well up in her sister's eyes. A pang of guilt hit her.
"I'm sorry, baby sis. Did I do something to upset you?" she asked. "Please. Tell me, and I'll try my best to make it right. I will!" She lowered her eyes. "I just, I don't want you to hate me, Helga," she added quietly.
Normally, in this situation, she'd tell Olga that she could make things right by minding her own business, but she didn't have the heart to upset her sister any more than she already had.
She felt guilty that she had projected some of her anger for Phoebe onto Olga. Olga didn't deserve that. Not after Olga had made soup and tea for her twice. Not after Olga had offered to drive her to school to make sure she was alright. And not when Olga tried so hard to make things right between them.
Helga sighed. "You didn't do anything wrong, Olga. I just," she hesitated, slightly uncomfortable with being open about her feelings. She shrugged. "I don't know. I was angry about something else, and I guess I took it out on you, so . . . I'm sorry. I actually really appreciate you looking out for me, and taking care of me. Especially last night. So, thanks."
Olga gave a teary smile. "Of course. We sisters have to stick together," she answered. "And as much as I'd love to know what's bothering you, Helga, I'll wait until you're ready to tell me."
"Thanks Olga," Helga said. She averted her eyes, blushing slightly. "Sister hug?"
Helga could swear she saw her eyes sparkle like diamonds at that moment, and she immediately regretted her words as Olga delivered a bone-crushing hug right afterwards, making it hard for her to breathe. Despite herself, Helga smiled.
She could chew Phoebe out for lying to her later.
"Hey Olga?"
Olga pulled back from the hug to look at her. "Yes, baby sis?" she asked.
Helga averted her eyes before looking at her sister again. She rubbed at the back of her neck. "I changed my mind," she replied. She gave a small smile. "I, uh, I want you to drive me to school today."
Olga eyes widened in amazement. She brought a hand to her face, dabbing at her eyes. Then, she squealed loudly, jumping up in down excitedly.
Helga rolled her eyes, but the smile remained on her face.
…
Author's Notes: Ah, siblings bonding. You got to love it, right? As for things between Helga and Arnold . . . it seems that Arnold is rather indecisive about the thought like-liking Helga, and Helga's not too thrilled about that. I can't blame Arnold though. Helga's expecting too much from him by trying to force him to make a decision about her right on the spot. It takes time, and forcing herself on Arnold was not the way. Although . . . to be fair, Arnold opened himself up for that when he kissed her. That's kind of leading someone on, in my opinion. Anyways, what are your thoughts on this? I'm curious. Let me know in a review! I love hearing from you guys!
As for the next chapter—Helga's going to have a little talk with Phoebe about her lie concerning the drug actually being in the cookies she ate. Also, I know we didn't get to see Gerald or Lila in this chapter, but they are 100 percent definitely going to appear in the next chapter, for better or worse, you decide. Also, a surprise visitor will appear in the next chapter as well. It's going to be quite a ride, so hold on to your britches!
Thanks again for taking the time to read this story! I've been in the Hey Arnold! mood lately, so I'm going to go ahead and write up the next chapter. I'm not going to promise any specific days, but just know that there will be another update coming out shortly, so stay tuned!
Until next time . . . cheers! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!