"The easiest way to not get hurt is to not care. But that's the hardest thing to do."

-I love you.


Monday came in a rushed haze for Helga Pataki. The weekend had been no friend to her.

Arnold…god she would have to see Arnold today. And Lila. When had they become a pair? It wasn't really shocking; Arnold had had a thing for Ms. Perfect for as long as she could remember.

Lila was everything Helga wasn't.

Shrugging it off into her black box in the back of her mind, she started to get ready for school. She'd have to hurry, or she'd miss the bus. It was pouring outside, so there would be no walking.

Boarding the bus, she realized that the chaos hadn't been tamed yet. It was still as relevant as ever. She kind of wished she had walked now.

Helga sat at the front of the bus, avoiding eye contact with anyone. She could feel the whispers behind her back and decided to ignore it.

Arnold watched her board the bus. He had to talk to her.

Helga was too lost in thought to notice the body that sat down beside hers.

"Helga."

She jumped slightly at the voice and whipped her head around.

"A-Arnold. You scared the crap outta me."

"I wanted to apologize for my actions Friday. I shouldn't have snapped on you. Or on that pitcher."

Helga stared at him, not saying anything.

He waited for her to yell at him, but nothing came. She just turned her head and continued to stare out the window.

"Helga, can't you answer me please?"

Sighing, she turned back his way, "What would you like me to say Arnie?"

Narrowing his eyes, "I want you to tell me what your problem is."

Helga felt a stab at her heart, remembering the image of Arnold and Lila hugging on the park bench. She guessed it wouldn't hurt to drop a subtle hint.

"You know, I always wonder how those people do it." She said dreamily.

Arnold raised an eyebrow, "Do what?"

"Lie so well. I want to know how they do it. I would like to know so I can do it. Can you imagine? I mean, we can't all lie in every extremity…not even in the heat of the moment." She whispered the last part.

His eyes widened. But they never broke contact with each other.

"Helga-" he said quietly.

Suddenly the bus lurched to a narrow stop in front of the school.

All of the students were piling off while Helga and Arnold stayed in their seats.

Gerald came up behind his friend and shoved his shoulder, "We gotta go man, we'll be late."


Helga sat through class, feeling eyes on her. She turned her head to see him glancing over at her. Butterflies flitted around her stomach.

No Helga, you can't do this to yourself! You're supposed to be letting him go.

She scowled at him, and he quickly turned his head away.

"Now class, we need to pair up with somebody, for our mommy and daddy project. You have exactly 5 minutes to pick your significant other for the next four days, or I'm picking them for you." Ms. Williams threatened sweetly.

Everyone literally jumped out of their chair to grab their pick of partners. Helga watched with disinterest, she didn't give a crap who her partner was.

Arnold watched as Lila looked between him and Helga. He smiled and she shrugged.

"Gerald would you like to be my partner?" she asked him. Now that phoebe wasn't here, Gerald wasn't jumping for any female partner.

"Sure." He smiled.

Everyone had somebody, other than Helga. She sighed and slumped down in her chair.

"Helga." A familiar voice said behind her. "Would you like to be my partner?"

She turned to see Arnold, a nervous smile spread across his features.

Helga felt a knotting in her stomach. "Why aren't you pairing up with your girlfriend?" Helga asked hotly.

"Lila?" he asked, confused.

"Who else."

"Lila and I aren't together Helga. What gave you that idea?"

Helga shrugged her shoulders and turned around.

"Has everyone found themselves a partner?" Ms. Williams questioned.

"Yes!" the class answered.

Helga was tired of Arnold always playing cat and mouse with her. She glared at him across the room, while he wore a look of smug satisfaction. She didn't believe him when he said he and Lila weren't together. Maybe this was a sick game the couple was playing. Helga hadn't forgotten that Lila knew her secret about her liking Arnold. It always made her feel sick when she thought of it. She didn't trust Ms. Perfect.

"Now, I'm going to explain the project. I'm going to give you all little dolls at the end of the class period. These dolls, I might warn you, are just like real babies. They cry, they sleep, and they go to the bathroom as well." This made the class snicker.

"They also have censors in them. So, when you take them out, a little light will flash here." Ms. Williams pointed at a little desk behind her. On it was a speaker looking box with little button like lights aligning it.

"I will not fail you if you do it only once. But more than once, you will get an automatic zero. And this assignment is worth 4 test grades. So..you might as well kiss your class average goodbye if you cheat."

Everyone in the class let out a little groan.

Helga thought the entire thing was stupid. They had already done an experiment like this in 4th grade with an egg. Her partner had been Arnold then as well. It was nothing short of a complete nightmare.

"You'll have 4 days to spend together. How you alternate the child will be up to you. Now, in a nice manner, all the groups come up and pick a baby."

Arnold looked over at Helga as she drug herself up out of her chair.

She didn't look excited at all.

Well, she never really did these days did she?

They got up to the front and Arnold was immediately drawn to one baby doll with blonde hair and hazel eyes.

Helga watched as he picked up the doll, a huge smile on his face.

It made her stomach flutter, and she scowled.

"It's just a stupid doll Arnold." She snapped, "Just pick one."


The end of the day came finally. It had been a weird one for Helga.

The rain had let up a little bit so she decided to walk to Phoebes house. She wanted to avoid Arnold and their stupid project. Why had he wanted to be her partner? To try and suck the reason why she was so distant out of her? That would not happen.

Helga couldn't help but feel like some of her feelings were definitely evaporating. It made her feel incredibly lonely, and incredibly upset. But this was her goal.

But his smile today when he picked up that baby…it was one of the things she'd take with her.

"Helga!" A voice called behind her.

Crap. She had forgotten that one of them had to take that stupid baby doll home.

"What?" She snapped in Arnold's general direction.

"Do you want me to take him for the first night?" Arnold asked her.

"I don't care Arnold." She said turning away.

Arnold could feel his irritation mounting. "So you want me to?" he asked again.

She was starting to walk away from him.

No.

He wouldn't let her.

"Damnit Helga!" he yelled.

Helga stopped suddenly. Her hand tightened on her book bag strap.

"Look at me." He hissed at her.

Helga turned around, avoiding his heated gaze.

"Why do you think I asked to be your partner today?" he asked her.

"Pity?" Helga muttered.

He grabbed her hand to pull her into the vacant alley way beside them. He threw the baby doll down on the ground, never letting go of her hand.

"I didn't do it to pity you. I did it because I like you Helga."

For Helga, time stood still. There was no noise; there was no movement, there was nothing. Nothing but her and Arnold standing in the empty alley way.

Suddenly, reality slapped her in the face again.

She pulled her hand out of his.

"Stop lying."

He shook his head, "Why would I be lying about that Helga?"

"Don't you have Lila?" she said to him, biting her lower lip, remembering her buried pain.

"It was you in the park that day wasn't it?" he asked her.

"So what if it was? I didn't go there to spy on you football head. I went there to think over a few things."

Arnold looked at the girl in front of him.

"You don't believe me?" he asked her in a slight murmur. The words sounded like they hurt him to say.

Helga slid down the wall, finally overwhelmed with all the emotions flowing through her system.

"Arnold, it's not that I don't believe you. It just sounds way too good to be true. For years now, I've waited on you to say those very words. I acted a fool; I pined for you, for your attention. "

He stood above her listening.

A crack of thunder made Helga jump a little bit. But her words were still coming out at a rapid pace.

"That night on the top of the FTI building, I confessed to you because I thought you would believe me. And you didn't. I'll never forget the look of horror you had when I told you."

The thought ripped through her, and her lower lip started to quiver.

Arnold leaned his forehead against the building. He felt an intense wave of emotion take over him as he remembered that night.

"Arnold. I love you."

Her heart finally cracked into as her tears rushed down her face.

"I love you! But I don't want to love you anymore! I don't want to hurt anymore!"

She sobbed into her hands.

Arnold watched as he broke the girl in front of him. His ignorance had broken her.

"Helga-" He whispered brokenly, stretching his arm out to her. She automatically flinched away and climbed off of the ground.

It had started to pour by now, but Helga didn't care, she rushed out into the rain and away from Arnold.


R&R