So there's lots of Helnold in this chapter (there's been lots of Helnold in the last two chapters, but still bear with me). You also get the explaination in this chapter so…yay!

Arnold couldn't help but scowl out the window to where Helga and Brainy were talking. He couldn't tell what they were saying, but he could tell that Brainy was upset about Helga and she was annoyed with him. A few times she looked like she might hit him right in the face. To Arnold's dismay, he found himself wishing that she would. After what felt like hours, but was really only a few minutes, they both returned into the house.

"So the cat's out of the bag then." Brainy said shortly as he walked around Arnold and to the fridge.

"If you aren't nice I'll hit you so hard that you're junk will concave." Helga snapped as she shut the door behind her.

"You're a lawsuit waiting to happen." Brainy teased, pushing a bottle of cranberry juice in Helga's direction.

She smirked and siezed the beverage. "Lucky for me my parents can afford it."

Arnold swallowed lump in his throat asking the question that had been plaguing his mind since Brainy had found them in the closet. "So are you two dating?"

Helga's cranberry juice sprayed out of her mouth and nose and Brainy stared at Arnold in shock and disbelief before he joined Helga in a chorus of chortles.

"My god that's disgusting." Helga said once she'd stopped coughing.

"It'd be light dating Lucy." Brainy chimed in, laughing.

Arnold's face contorted in confusion. "Who?"

"His little sister." Helga giggled. "Oh man that would be awkward."

"I mean, yeah we go to dances and stuff together" Brainy began.

"And everyone thinks we're screwing regularly." Helga added.

"But no. Jeanie and Blaine is just a ruse." Brainy finished.

Arnold was surprised at the relief that rushed over him. "Well that's good."

Brainy raised an eyebrow. "Why is it good?"

"Drop it, loser." Helga said shortly.

"Wait, who're you talking to?" Brainy asked playfully.

She smirked and twisted the lid back onto her drink before hurling at him, only growing more irrigated when he caught it. "Get out of here, freak. We have homework to do. Did you need something else?"

"Nope, just that." He took a Gatorade out of the fridge and gave Arnold and Helga a devilish smirk. "I'll see you two later." He was about to leave when he stopped himself and turned around, "Arnold, I'd really appreciated it if you didn't-"

"I won't tell anyone." Arnold assured him before Brainy could finish.

Brainy nodded and left. Helga rubbed her arm and looked at Arnold, averting her gaze once he looked back. "So…Brainy huh?" He asked at last.

"Yeah, I was surprised too." She admitted before moving to clean up the mess of popcorn. Arnold joined her and started collecting scattered popcorn and putting it in the empty bowl Helga had thrown at Brainy before.

"So are you ever going to tell me?" Arnold pressed.

He looked up in time to see her scowling at him, "Tell you what?"

"Well…everything." Arnold answered innocently with a shrug.

She took a handful of popcorn and threw it at him, earning a muffled chuckle. "There's a lot to tell, Arnold."

"Well start from the beginning." Arnold's voice was teasing as he threw a handful of his own at her.

She glared at him, but was unable to keep the ghost of a smile off her face. "You don't wanna start this fight, Arnold."

He smiled at her and threw another handful of popcorn. "Bring it on, Pataki."

She seized the bowl, which was halfway full, and threw it all in his face, laughing as he was showered with kernels.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Arnold laughed as he shook popcorn out of his hair.

"Not from where I'm standing." She chuckled as she dropped a handful down his back, making him jump up, "I'd surrender."

"Ok ok, I call uncle." he said, jumping up and down to get the popcorn out from his shirt.

"Good." Helga smirked a started walking back into the kitchen, but Arnold snatched her wrist and kept her from going too far.

"I still want answers, Helga."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "You're not gunna give up are you?"

He smiled down at her and shook his head.

She groaned, "Fine, football head, you ask questions, I'll answer them as best as I can, and you can get this damn popcorn out of my hair."

"Deal." He sat down on the sofa and she reluctantly sat with her back to him. He started pulling kernels' out of her hair as he asked, "So where did this Jeanie thing come from?"

She released an annoyed sigh, "It was when I originally met Stacie and Angie."

"What about Penny?" Arnold asked before she could go any farther.

She glared at him over her shoulder, "She's a grade younger. She wasn't going here yet. I won't tell you if you keep cutting me off."

"Sorry." He said shortly before returning to his task.

"Anyway, I tried telling them to back off. You remember the whole 'Helga G. Pataki doesn't take any of your shit' speech, I'm sure."

Arnold laughed and nodded, "It rings a bell."

"Yeah well they thought I said Helga Jean Pataki. Honestly, Jean is even worse than my actual middle name. And I'm sure you don't know it, but Angie has her way with words. She'd managed to get everyone to call me Jean. Even the teachers were calling me that. I think she might have found a way to get into my records. Anyway, by the time I caved and turned into a stupid Barbie myself Angie and Stacie decided I should call myself Jeanie instead because it sounds better and at least they were right about that."

Arnold nodded, "So…what is your middle name?"

"It's G-"She stopped herself abruptly and turned around to glare at him, "Pushing your luck, Arnold."

He chuckled, "Well there's really only two more questions."

"Shoot 'em at me, football head." she sighed.

"Why'd you join the Plastics?" She went ridged and Arnold instantly regretted asking the question. "I mean…it's just not something I'd expect you to do." He added, hoping it would avert some damage.

"I didn't want to." Helga said as she pulled her legs into her body.

"Then why did you?"

She pulled away her hair and lowered the collar of her shirt. Arnold blinked a few times before he relized what he was supposed to be looking at. He cautiously reached out and ran a gentle hand down the jagged white scar. "I got the crap beaten out of me almost daily for about two weeks." She said, her voice void of any emotion. She shook her hair oonto her shoulders and pulled her shirt back up into place. "It only got really bad once, but after that I finally let Olga buy me a new wardrobe while I was in the hospital for a few days. Then she gave me a makeover and started hanging out with Stacie and Angie."

"They did this to you?" He asked, unable to hide the rage in his voice.

She blinked and turned to look at him, "Um…no. Actually it was Tyson and a few of his bitches."

"Tyson? Why would he do this?"

"I tried out for the baseball team." she admitted blandly. "There's no rule about girls not being on the team so I figured why the hell not?"

He blinked, "I'm still confused."

"The coach was going to pick me for captain of the team. Tyson, being ultra lord jock cliché that he is…he didn't like that."

"So you joined the Plastics…"

"Because I needed some protection." She said shortly. "No one even thinks about touching the Plastics. No one except Wells."

"You said Wells gave you some good advice…"

"He told me to just cave and join their little stupid clique. That things would be easier. In a way, he was right."

"Well why didn't you tell us who you were when we started school?" Arnold's voice was starting to rise. "We would have killed to have you with us. I mean this school is so intense."

She looked at him and smiled weakly, "I wanted to. I was actually going to…before Stacie asked you to sit with us."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Stacie wanted you to date her. It would have made things weird." She replied with a shrug.

"So…is it horrible?"

She shrugged again, "It's better than getting more scars like this one." She answered, gesturing to her back. "They had to dig out three big chunks of glass before I got like fourteen stitches."

"But it's just…not you."

She smiled weakly, "I know."

He looked at her, his eyes sad and his tongue unable to conjure the right words to say.

"I'd…I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this." she stammered uncertainly.

He smiled at her, "I won't."

She nodded, avoiding his gaze.

"So…it's been kind of a long night…" Arnold began.

"You can go if you want, you don't have to beat around the bush Arnold."

He laughed, "I was actually going to ask if you wanted to finish watching Evil Twin."

She looked at him, surprise clear on her face, "Wait a second…you want…to stay? And watch a movie with…me?"

He nodded, "I can go if you'd like."

"No no, that's fine." She smiled, "After Blaine's stupid entrance I really don't want to watch a scary movie alone in a huge, empty house."

Arnold chuckled and reached for the remote, "I know exactly what you mean."

They watched the movie for a few minutes before they started shifting. Before Arnold knew it, Helga was nestled into the crook of his arm, embracing him lightly around the middle as her head rested on her chest. Arnold hadn't seen the movie since he was ten so he was surprised when the female lead opened a door to find nothing but a severed head on the other side. He jumped and pulled Helga into him, embracing her tightly. She laughed and his cheeks turned red, but she made no effort to move. By the time the movie ended, Helga pulled herself away from Arnold and looked up at him, finding him soundly asleep. She smiled and covered him with a blanket and tucked a pillow under his head, staring at where he slept for a few moments, considering if she should go into her room or stay with him.

Small claws climbing her leg caught her attention and she picked Zeplin up, holding him in her arms like a spoiled fat house cat. "Oh Zep. What have I gotten myself into?" the lizard only flicked its tongue at her. As always, he was of no help.

Ok so that was ALL Helnold. Sorry (I'm not fucking sorry). Don't forget to review.