Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold or any of the characters. Hey Arnold is the property of Nickelodeon and Craig Bartlett.


A Broken Heart

Chapter 9: What's with this girl?

As Helga continued walking her way home, still fuming over her encounter with Drake "Big Jerk" Sanchez, somebody had seen her and was calling her attention.

"Helga...'A familiar voice called.

One that made Helga stop in place and turned around to see Arnold running up to her with a big smile on his face, and right behind him are his parents Miles and Stella. Needless to say, Helga was a bit caught off guard by their presence...

"A-Arnold?...'Helga stuttered as the football headed boy was now in front of her.

And his mere presence was making her feeling so many things right now, pleasure and pain as they always did...though it was worse now...

"Hey Helga, how have you been? You left school so fast, I didn't get a chance to talk to you...'Arnold said, unintentionally making the girl suffer from a guilt trip.

"Oh...uh...I was really busy...you know...with the assignment...'Helga said as she tried hard not to look him in the eyes, not after the last time.

She then noticed Arnold's parents come to greet her as well.

'Hello...Mr. and Mrs. Shortman…"Helga said, looking down.

"Now Helga, dear...Call us Miles and Stella...any friend of our son is a friend of ours..."Stella said kindly to the young blonde girl.

Unaware that what she said, made the poor girls heart twist in an uncomfortable way...

"Friend?...'Helga thought bitterly, remembering that night in San Lorenzo all over again...the night she wanted to forget all together.

"So Helga, where are you heading?...'Arnold asked her.

"Well, I was just heading home...I already went to the library with Drake and got the stuff...'Helga said but realized she made a mistake when Arnold's smile widened.

"Oh, I see... Listen, me and my parents are heading to Slaucen's right now to get some ice cream...do you want to come too? My treat...'Arnold asked and Helga really tried hard not to look at his smile.

It's too beautiful but also too painful as well...

"I...I...Thanks for the offer Arnold...but I'm busy...with the assignment...'Helga said to the boy.

"You just said that you already did it with Drake..."Arnold pointed out.

"I still have to read the book we chose...and it's pretty big...'Helga said weakly while Arnold kept insisting.

Why is this happening? Before San Lorenzo, Arnold hardly ever asked her to hang out with him and now, it's hard to get him to stop asking her to hang out with him? Why does she have to suffer from this cruel irony?

"Come on Helga...there's always time for Ice Cream, besides the assignment is for Friday and you're really smart, I'm sure just a little bit for ice cream won't hurt..."Arnold said as he got to her again.

Helga made the mistake of looking into his green eyes again, the same eyes that she has dreamed about since she was 3 years old, and the same ones that have taunted her dreams for as long as she could remember. Helga wanted to say no, to tell him that she can't and to run fast in the opposite direction to lock herself in her so-called room, so she didn't have to see him anymore...but despite it all, when she looked into those hypnotic eyes of his and despite what they are doing to her...

Helga slowly nodded her head and Arnold's smile grew even wider.

'Alright, come on...'Arnold said as he took and his parents lead her to the ice cream shop.

All the while, Helga couldn't believe she had said yes...


At Slaucen's

Once inside the ice cream shop, Helga had taken a seat at a booth while Arnold sat next to his parents. Helga wanted to get of here as quick as possible, for she ordered the smallest, fastest thing to make off of the menu, a chocolate ice cream cone, while Arnold ordered a sundae, and he looked at her strangely.

"Are you sure Helga?...'Arnold asked when he saw her order just one small cone.

"Yes, I am...'Helga said simply while Arnold's dad went to pay for the orders.

Once he was done, Helga was forced to endure the torment of not only socializing with Arnold post-heartbreak, but also socializing with his parents, who keep smiling at her, as if she was some dear friend to them or something.

"Anyway Helga dear, Arnold has told us so much about you...'Stella said as she held her own root beer float and Helga tried hard not to react to what she said.

"He did...'Helga said, memories of seven years worth of bullying flashed through her mind and how she regrets it even more now than she even did before.

"Yeah, he told us that you were the one who helped him find us and release the sleeping sickness...'Miles said with a big smile.

Helga blinked and soon saw the two adults smile at her even more. Did Arnold really not tell them of what she used to put him through, why?

"We never did get a chance to thank you for that, dear...'Stella said and Helga felt really self conscious about now.

"You don't have to thank me..."Helga said, looking away not wanting to see their eyes.

There were just like Arnold's eyes but the two adults just thought she was being shy and modest.

"Don't say that Helga, of course we have to thank you...you saved our lives...'Stella said appreciatively.

"I...All I did was make sure that Arnold got to the city...with or without me, he would have figured something out...'Helga said.

She didn't want their gratitude because deep down, she didn't feel that she deserves it. After all, the whole reason she even bothered getting Arnold to San Lorenzo in the first place was so she could get him to fall in love with her...a behavior she now regrets. It's obvious that her feelings were nothing compared to Arnold's need to have his parents in his life.

"Don't say that Helga...we both know that without you, I never would have been able to find a way to release the cure..."Arnold said and Helga couldn't stand this anymore.

"As far as we are concern, you saved us and we will always be thankful for helping us and bringing our son back to us...'Miles said appreciatively.

"Mr. Shortman-...'Helga started but was stopped by Stella.

"Now Helga dear, what did I say? It's Miles and Stella now...no formalities...as far as I am concern, we're all family here..."Stella said and Helga felt her stomach twist in a knot at what she said.

"Family?...'Helga thought as she sent a glance at Arnold...and then she remembered what he said in San Lorenzo and stopped herself before she went too far.

She tried to discreetly eat her ice cream faster, in hopes of getting away from here faster, but they just kept talking.

"So Helga? What happened last week? You didn't show up for baseball practice or our first game against Wolfgang's team?...'Arnold questioned.

"Didn't Phoebe tell you? I just wasn't' feeling all that well...'Helga said.

It wasn't a lie, she had felt terrible that entire week, but not the kind that Phoebe made sure the others thought.

'Well, I'm glad you are better...baseball just isn't the same without you..."Arnold said.

Before, Helga would have swooned over him saying such a things and it took all of her will power not to do so...

"So you play baseball Helga? That's great...I used to play a little as a kid, too..."Miles said.

"We saw Arnold's first game and it was amazing...'Stella said as she sent a doting look to her only son.

"We can't wait to see you have a chance to play next week...'Miles said.

"Next week?...'Helga questioned.

"Didn't Phoebe tell you? Next week, we're playing against these sixth graders from P.S 119...'Arnold said.

"I...I guess Pheebs forgot to mention it..."Helga said, feeling a little nervous.

"Well, we really can't wait to see you perform dear..."Stella said as she took a sip of her root beer float.

All the while, Helga can't believe this. She is out having ice cream with Arnold and his parents...and his parents are treating her as if they are old friends or something, being so nice to her...

It made the blonde girl feel so strange. Once upon a time, she would have loved such a thing but...when she looked at Arnold, all she could see is the memory of that night in San Lorenzo, where she knew that no matter what she does, her feelings will always be one sided.

That there really is no point to anything anymore...so why bother?

"Oh Helga, I forgot to ask? How's your report coming along, anyway?...'Arnold asked after taking another bite out of his ice cream sundae.

"So far, so good...we picked Huckleberry Finn..."Helga answered simply.

"That's good...you know...I'm going the report on Little Woman and Gerald said he and Phoebe are doing it on H.G Wells The Time Machine...'Arnold said.

"You and Lila I assume...'Helga said, before she instantly regretted it.

What's wrong with her, that could not have sounded any more jealous, could it?

"Uh yeah...I wanted to do it on White Fang but Lila said she prefers Little Woman...'Arnold said.

"And little Ms. Perfect gets her way, once again...'Helga thought bitterly as she just went to eat the rest of her cone.

After what felt like a torturous eternity, she was finally done and got out of her seat.

'Well Arnold, this has been a blast...thanks again...'Helga said quickly as she got up, got her backpack and tried to leave but Arnold got her attention.

"What? You're leaving already?...'Arnold questioned.

"Yeah...I told you, I have to get on the assignment...I got a lot of reading to do for the book portion on it..."Helga said, making sure that she doesn't end up looking into his green eyes again.

She didn't want to risk having to spend even more time with him and his parents.

"Are you sure you can't stay a little longer Helga? My folks and I were planning on going to the arcade after this, you sure you don't want to come?...'Arnold asked the blonde girl.

There was a moment of silence, as if Helga really was thinkin it over, before she let out an audible sigh.

"I'm sure...See you later Arnold...Miles and Stella...'Helga said as she felt the ice cream establishment, much to the confusion of the Shortman family over her sudden behavior.

'What's wrong with me?...." Helga muttered to herself as she continued to walk her way home.

Is this her fate, to suffer from unrequited love for the rest of her life?! It's bad enough she will never have Arnold see her as anything other than a friend but how long will it be until she can let go of that dream?

A dream she knows, will never come true...no matter how much she wishes the opposite.


Back with Arnold

Arnold blinked in confusion at how fast Helga had left, not understanding this until his mother got his attention.

"Well that Helga seems like a really sweet girl, Arnold..."Stella commented, voicing her approval of her.

"I always knew that...'Arnold said as he continued to look out the window and his dad sent him a mischievous look.

"Now I think I know why wouldn't stop talking about her all Summer, she seems like a nice kid, not to mention awfully cute, wouldn't you agree son?...'Miles asked with a mischievous look.

"Huh?...'Arnold thought in confusion before he realized what his dad is suggesting. The football headed boy blushed profusely at what his dad just implied and shook his head.

"You got the wrong idea dad...Helga and I are just friends..."Arnold said before he took another bite out of his sundae.

"Are you sure son?...'Stella asked and her blushing son sent her a look.

"I'm sure...'Arnold said instinctively while his parents shared a laugh between them.


Meanwhile

With Drake Sanchez

The dark haired boy was now in his own room, reading from the autobiography he had printed from the library and trying to answer the questions that Mr. Simmon's had assigned.

"Mark Twain was born on November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri and his real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens..."Drake muttered as he wrote down his answers.

But he couldn't fully concentrate, his mind kept wandering to that loud mouth Helga girl. He just didn't understand her. One minute, she is all quiet and acting like she didn't care what's going around her and the next minute she is grumpy and trying to pick a fight with him. Drake frowned hard, he didn't care if she is a girl, no one disrespects him and thinks they can get away with it. If she doesn't want to play nice, than it's her problem but Drake isn't going to let her get in the way of his goal of staying on the soccer team. Once this assignment is over, he plans on avoiding her if he could help it.

One thing that he knows for sure is that Drake knows that he doesn't like that bossy, loud mouth Helga G. Pataki and he isn't going to. Not as long as she thinks she could treat him with disrespect.

"Just what is with that girl?..."Drake thought, finding the girl's attitude to be both confusing and frustrating.

After some time of trying to figure her out, he stopped and just chose to get back to doing his half of the assignment.

-To be continued-

Next time on A Broken Heart

More Confusion


REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewers:

Kryten: We will see...

Invader Johnny: You could say that again...LOL

61394: You got that right, buddy...

SweetMicki13: How's this?


:) Till next time beautiful people, remember to read and review :)