WOw, late update. I apologise folks! I missed out Brainy last time in the votes! How I did that I have no idea... but you can see the updated results at the end of this chapter. Enjoy!


It would have been an overstatement to say that Sid and Rhonda were friends. To Rhonda, Sid was an annoying little shrimp with the silliest fashion sense she'd ever seen. Sid simply found her patronising and her height irked him to no end. Whenever they happened to find themselves having a conversation with one another, it resulted in petty name-calling that made witnesses of their spat groan and walk away.

This time, however, things were serious and nobody, despite school being over for the day, was willing to miss it for a second.

Rhonda loomed over the smaller boy, her hands on her hips as she demanded to know where the picture was.

"How the heck should I know?!" Sid cried, backing up against the playground wall. "I'm the one trying to get it back!"

Rhonda glared at him as he moved swiftly to hide behind Harold. "Well when did you last... Move, Harold!" She paused, rolling her eyes as she shoved the boy out of her way. Sid swallowed nervously as his human shield made no effort to resist the force and continued to watch them argue intently. "When did you last have it?"

Arnold exchanged looks with Gerald who shrugged lightly before pulling him away from Rhonda and Sid's onlookers.

"Come on," he whispered, a defeated look on his face. "This is your last chance, Arnold. Say you found it!"

Sid sighed loudly, unwilling to accept the possibility that he'd simply lost it. "I told you, Rhonda! Someone took it!" He clenched his fists tightly. He may have been good at making accusations but when it came to taking them, it was a whole other story. Besides, even if he had misplaced it, somebody must have picked it up. It wouldn't have just disappeared. Right?

"When we find that picture," Rhonda declared, jabbing a finger in Sid's direction, "It is mine! Do you understand?"

Everyone held their breath, unsure why Rhonda was suddenly so interested in Sid's photograph and curious about his reaction to this new threatening side of her...

But she didn't have anything on Helga. If he was in the same position with the feisty blonde, Sid would have agreed immediately, for fear of his own well-being. Rhonda, however, wouldn't hurt him. While she could make a rather convincing threat, she wasn't the violent type. Her temper didn't exceed her ability to insult someone's attire and Sid almost laughed at her attempt to convince him otherwise. If only her height didn't make him anxious.

"No. Me, Harold and Stinky are gonna pull the best prank ever!" He pouted childishly as his aforementioned friends mumbled an agreement.

Rhonda scoffed, lowering her stance as her arms crossed in front of her. "Alright, fine. I will let you idiots prank her but when you're done goofing around, I get to show it to her."

Sid, Stinky and Harold exchanged looks, silently discussing it between them before Stinky waded in. "Rhonda's awful good at presentin' stuff, Sid."

Sid nodded slowly. "Yeah, okay... but we get to be there and I keep the picture until after the prank."

They stared at each other for a moment until Rhonda smirked evilly, her hand outstretched as she offered him her cooperation. He took it warily with a shake. "You have yourself a deal, Shrimp."

"I gotta go," Arnold finally replied with a whisper, eyeing Gerald's worried expression. He backed away slightly before turning to slip around the side of the school, thankful that everyone else was too caught up in Sid and Rhonda's conversation to notice.

The afternoon sun cast a long shadow behind the school. Helga shivered as she waited patiently in the shade, the slight breeze biting at her arms. A part of her didn't expect Arnold to show up, yet, she knew he would... he was Arnold, the kid who didn't like to let down anyone. She still hadn't a clue what he wanted to speak with her about but surprisingly, she wasn't as nervous as she usually was when she knew they were going to be alone together.

Helga heard the last of the kids head home from the opposite end of the school, their screams and laughter dying with their increasing distance. She wondered why Arnold had gone out of his way to rescue her in class. She didn't even realise that he was listening to her and Rhonda's conversation, let alone plan to butt in. She was grateful nonetheless and, for once, her mood had been pretty stable for the remainder of the day because of it.

She sunk onto the bench that sat outside the doors to the gym, happy to be alone for a moment. It was so peaceful, the only noise coming from the freeway above as cars rushed past over the city.

Helga took a moment to reflect upon the events of the past few days. She rested the back of her head on the cold bricks behind her and clutched the frame of her locket through the material of her dress. She was still confused, about everything, but mainly about Arnold.

"I wish you didn't care so much," she sighed, hoping that her beloved wouldn't interrupt her again at such an embarrassing moment. At least she wasn't talking about Brainy this time. She couldn't bear to once again see the uncomfortable expression that it had made him pull the last time. "About people, about me... Maybe then my heart wouldn't believe it. Then again, it's one of the many reasons I love you."

She should have been expecting it but the sound of metal scraping metal followed by a loud clang startled her out of her seat. Helga couldn't bear to glance at the trash can to her left; the sound that had plagued her for so long was enough to make Brainy's presence known.

Helga closed her eyes tightly, wincing as she braced herself. Her fists clenched but she resisted the urge to hit him.

"Ohh," she exclaimed with a frustrated cry. Arnold would, hopefully, be there any second and she knew it wouldn't go down well if Brainy was around... She had to make this quick. "Now you show up? Criminy!"

Brainy started back at her, the same blank expression that he always wore. He watched Helga as her eyes flickered from one side of the school to the other. She looked troubled...

Well, more troubled than usual anyway.

"Look, Brainy," she hissed, jabbing a finger in his direction. The sudden attention she was giving him took him slightly aback. Why wasn't he out cold on the floor yet? "I'm gonna cut to the chase. Everyone in class thinks I..." She trailed off, looking away from his gaze uncomfortably. "Well, for some absurd reason, they've come to the conclusion that I have a thing." She glared skyward, folding her arms across her chest. "... For you."

Instead of replying, as Helga would have preferred, Brainy's heaving breathing simply increased. It made Helga shudder slightly but she held back the insitinct to flee in the opposite direction; she needed answers!

"Oh, don't get your hopes up," she spat, hostility coming naturally to her in such a tense situation. "I just wanna know if you had anything to do with it."

Brainy eyed her for quite a while and it was unsettling to say the least. He may have been a little strange but he wasnt totally senseless. At least, Helga hadn't thought so.

"Well?" She asked frantically, her patience thinning. The air was getting cooler by the second, the school's shadow widening and Helga's arms prickled with goosebumps but she refused to shivver. As always she was standing her ground.

"Uhh... no."

Helga scoffed, looking him up and down with a suspicious scowl. "No." She echoed flatly. "Are you sure about that?" She took a step forward, hoping to intimidate him a little. Brainy stared up at her, an odd look on his face that made Helga raise her eyebrow in shock. She knew that expression well and she was disgusted to say it reminded her of Arnold...

The way he looked at Lila, or Ruth and it made her blood boil. This was new, however, and she didn't know what to think. Nobody, to her knowledge , had ever looked at her that way before; half-lidded eyes and the smallest hint of a smile. Whether she was flattered or not she couldn't tell but she suddenly felt extremely self-conscious.

"Oh- Uh, am I interrupting something?"

The sound of Arnold's voice dragged Helga into reality violently and she made the mistake of jumping away from the boy in the trash can, who, she only just realised she was voluntarily standing closer to than usual.

"No! Nothing!" She shrieked, turning to face Arnold who was eyeing Brainy with a slight frown. As soon as he realised what he was doing, he shot Helga an apologetic look to which she almost went weak at the knees. It certainly was an awkward situation and although Brainy's answer to her question was extremely short, it was enough to satisfy her for now. She could deal with the class' accusations later; she needed to concentrate on Arnold. In order to so that she wished that the little sneak would just disappear already.

"Helga, we can talk later if you and Bra-"

"No," she snapped desperately before clenching her jaw and nodding in Brainy's direction. "Brainy was just leaving."

"...okay," Arnold replied warily and they both eyed Brainy expectantly...

but he didn't move. Helga rolled her eyes. She didn't have the time or patience to deal with this. "Need a hand?" she muttered with a frown and pushed over the trash can with a quick shove. Luckily he was pretty light so Brainy spilled out onto the cold concrete almost as dramatically as Eugene before getting to his feet with a wheeze and, to Helga's utmost relief, shuffled away.

Helga put her hands on her hips and exhaled sharply, satisfied with her work. She almost forgot that Arnold was standing a mere five feet away from her. The boy was about to laugh at the display he'd just witnessed but, feeling bad for Brainy, held back as Helga turned to face him.

"So... What do you want?"

Helga's tone was flat and almost sad. Arnold nearly didn't recognise it. He frowned at her, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"Are you alright?"

Helga sighed with false irritation. Why did he always have to make her lie to him? "Yes. But I'm not here for one of your stupid therapy sessions, Football-Head. Get on with it." She was aware that she was being blunt and a little rude but it was the only thing that kept her sane around him.

The last thing Helga had needed was Arnold witnessing her and Brainy having a conversation after the whole rumour malarkey, especially considering Arnold believed it.

He seemed a little uncomfortable which she found amusing, despite the fact that the reason behind it didn't exactly bode well for her. As she waited for him to reply, she retook her place on the bench and glared at him expectantly.

Helga shifted in surprise as he lowered himself onto the bench, their legs now only inches apart. Although she didn't feel as shocked as she did when he sat next to her that morning on the bus, it now felt more real. The busy atmosphere of public transport blurred the edges of what could have been a personal moment between them... although she was aware that he wouldn't have felt the same way about it. Now, however, the gentle breeze and faraway sounds of a city preparing for the day to come to an end opened them up for a world of opportunity. They were alone, for a start, which scared Helga more than anything for fear of her own love-stricken actions but she was still awaiting his reasoning for asking her to stay behind with him. As he gripped the book upon his lap, glaring down at the cover, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Maybe he was going to... no, it was absurd.

"Okay. The past two days have been pretty crazy," Arnold began. Helga refrained from rolling her eyes. The boy always had to spew some kind of moral-based speech before he got to the point... Helga was aware of her hypocrisy in thinking that, considering her countless rants about him, but at least he would have the patience to listen to her! She couldn't help being a little short with people. She pushed her instincts aside and decided to truly listen to what he had to say.

"And what Sid-" Arnold continued, "I mean, Harold and Rhonda, I guess... well, all of them. What they're trying to do is pretty heartless. They shouldn't get involved with things that are personal, especially when someone's feelings are in danger of getting hurt. I'm trying to keep out of it as much as possible but I just thought you should know..." He glanced at her and was a little surprised to see a puzzled frown on her face. She still didn't know what was going on here? "...You're confused aren't you?"

Helga eyed him in disbelief. "Ya think?!"

Arnold sighed, turning to face her so he could see her a little better. "Alright. Tell me what you think is going on!" He was intrigued to know what she thought of all this... hopefully she wouldn't run away this time.

Helga's heart fluttered as he stared at her expectantly. What was she supposed to say? Everything was a mess in her head and with his beautiful green eyes staring into her soul like that, it didn't make things any easier. She decided to stand up and begin pacing instead, adrenaline keeping her from remaining in one spot. Arnold stared up at her, hoping this didn't mean she wanted to bail on him. He needed answers!

"Fine, Football-Head," she began, trying her hardest to recall everything that had happened since the previous morning. "All I know is that every one of those morons are trying to humiliate me. I've even accepted that maybe I deserve it but you think they'd at least give me something to go on! But no... apparently I'm in love with Brainy and I have no idea where they woulda gotten that from! I despise the little runt!" It was an exaggeration, Helga knew that, but Arnold didn't and she had to at least try to get him to believe her. "I could just choke Harold, and Rhonda wont leave me the heck alone! And what's your deal?" She stopped pacing, thrusting a finger in Arnold's direction. Apparently she was angry again, only this time there was a large amount of hurt in her tone. "Any idiot would wonder why you of all people aren't finding this the least bit amusing... even I wouldn't blame you!"

Helga paused as what she'd just said to him sunk in. She dragged her palm down her face, letting out a frustrated groan and turned to look in the opposite direction. He could reply to that if he wanted to but there was no way she was going to look at him while he continued to be as dense as ever.

Arnold frowned gently as she stood with her back to him. Now he was confused. All these years, Helga was aware of the torment she'd caused him? She just outright admitted that she thinks he should laugh at her misfortune the same way everyone else was. This was certainly a new side to her that he hadn't seen before... and he was pretty sure he was the only one she ever had shown another side of her to... Except Phoebe maybe but that was different. By the looks of it, Helga wasn't even aware that Arnold was far more in-tune with how she was feeling than she let on. He'd never once given up believing that she wasn't as bitter as she made everyone believe she was... perhaps she still didn't understand just how much he did know about her.

"Helga," he replied quietly, standing up to match her height a little better before placing the book carefully on the bench. "If that's true, then why do you do it?" She folded her arms across her chest. She didn't want to answer that of all things because she couldn't. The answer to that lay somewhere inside her that she hadn't visited too many times herself. "Why do you insist on being so hostile, especially towards people who aren't asking for it? Like me... all I've ever wanted is to be your friend."

That stung. Not because she wanted more than that but because she didn't believe it. If she hadn't teased him and put her all into making him notice her in a negative way, she would have been invisible to him. He'd proven that over the last few weeks. She'd been a little less persistent which resulted in him ignoring her and it drove her crazy.

Well, he wasn't ignoring her now. What confirmed that even more was the fact that he had his hand on her arm and was forcing her to face him once more. Her breath hitched in her throat as she once again met his eyes, but this time, he didn't look as friendly.

"All you ever do is shut people out, Helga," he berated. "What the other kids are doing to you isn't right but this whole thing could have been put a stop to if you'd just talk to people like a normal person!"

Helga dead-panned at his final comment. "Thanks."

Arnold rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Don't shout, don't call people names and don't threaten everyone, it's that simple!"

Arnold had lost his temper with her on a few occasions but this was different. He really looked done with her, as though what he was saying was personal to him... and it probably was. Helga wasn't exactly pleasant, even when she was trying to he civil towards him. She understood how tiring it must be for him but he was just as frustrating! He was so blind to the way she felt about him and even when she'd resorted to spelling it out for him with a rather forceful kiss, he still didn't get it. Or maybe he did and just wanted to forget about it. As much as it pained her to admit it, he wasn't likely to ever return her feelings. Especially if she really did irritate him as much as he was saying.

A silence fell between them and Helga looked down at the ground sadly. When Arnold asked her to wait for him, she had no idea they'd have this tense a conversation. She almost wished she'd never stayed. "So, friends, huh? You know that's never gonna happen, Arnold."

Arnold frowned at her thoughtfully. "Well, why not? Because you hate me?"

Helga opened her mouth to reply, about to assure him that that wasn't the main reason for why she could never be content just being his friend, but he cut her off with an entirely different question.

"You really don't love Brainy?"

Helga blinked, utter bewilderment taking over her expression. Was this boy for real? How many times did she have to say it... "No." It was a firm but genuine response.

"... Okay. I believe you."

"Y-you do?"

Arnold shrugged. Now that was established, he could work on finding out whether or not her first confession still stood. He would have been lying to himself to say that he wasn't nervous to find out the answer but it was still something he was set on. It would help him understand the girl a whole lot more than he currently did.

Facing Helga made Arnold more aware of his own subtle actions. It was weird and he felt the urge to stand next to her instead of facing her. He really didn't want to bring up the whole FTi deal but... he did at the same time. He had to.

"Hey, everyone's gone," he mentioned. "Can I walk you home?"

"I guess," Helga murmured. For the love of Pete, Arnold, why do you have to be such a gentleman? She thought with a sigh, following him to the front of the school. She still didn't understand the whole waiting around for him thing. Did he really ask to speak to her just so he could berate her about her behaviour, something she'd heard from not only him but a number of people before? It was ridiculous.

Arnold glanced at Helga, a somewhat troubled expression on her face. She didn't seem too irritable this afternoon so he supposed it was the perfect opportunity to ask some innocent questions. He just prayed it wouldn't backfire and that he'd get the answers he was looking for.

He slipped his hands into his pants pockets and cleared his throat nervously.

Gerald watched from the gym door window as Arnold and Helga walked away. Slowly, he pushed it open and stepped into the yard, shaking his head at the stupidity of his wise yet extremely ignorant friend. A sad smirk crossed his lips as he reached down to retrieve the forgotten text book upon the bench.

"You gotta be more careful with these things, buddy," he mumbled, thumbing through the pages until he came to the back. He laughed through his nose at the square polaroid taped to the inside of the cover before carefully pulling it off and setting the book back down on the bench. He studied the picture once more before slipping it into his pocket with a pitiful sigh...

"Sorry, Arnold."


Sneaky Gerald is sneaky. He really does not like Helga, huh? Hopefully that'll change eventually...

Anyway! Yes. The ACTUAL prediction votes are as followed:

Brainy of course has the most votes! I mean, it's realistic, right? He's ahead with 9 votes.

Lila has 6.
Sid has 2.
Big Patty, Curly, Rhonda and Harold each have 1 vote.

I'm still very intrigued by the votes for Helga, Arnold and Gerald. They each have 1 vote too!

Thanks for the lovely reviews guys! They make my day so keep posting your predictions :)