Everyone changes with time. A day, a week, a month, a year... they all count. So how much can a group of rag tag 4th graders from P.S. 118 change with junior high, high school, and a whole bunch of history between those seven years? A whole lot.

Years Later

Morning Times

Wednesday morning, Helga walked into Crinshaw High School refreshed, energized, and happy with the extra amount of money in her piggy bank that she now had. This of course put a huge smile on her face and said smile only broadened when she gave her teachers wads of homework assignments and essays that were due during her vacation, all of whom where shocked and very disappointed that they couldn't torture Helga.

For Helga G. Pataki, life was good.

Periods one, two, three, four, and five rolled by easily without a hitch and Helga sat back and relaxed. She saw the glares from the 'Populars' and those who worshiped the 'Populars', but Helga paid no attention to any of them. Every once in a while she saw Arnold looking at her, searching for something.

For what, she didn't know... and it was a good thing she didn't care either.

Whenever their eyes met, Helga rolled her eyes and went back to doing what she had been doing before... even if it was zoning out.

Sixth period, Helga thought as she viciously bit into her homemade sandwich, Only three more periods 'til merciful freedom.

Helga sighed happily.

" 'elgs?" Sid asked with his mouth full of his sub. A piece of lettuce fell from his mouth and Sid had the decency to look abashed... at least for a moment before he picked up the lettuce and plopped it into his mouth. " 'orry 'bout dat! You 'kay 'elgs?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes, but chose to say nothing and kept eating her french fries.

"Yea, I'm fine, but you've got a little mayo by your mouth."

Phoebe and Helga smiled as Sid tried to wipe the imaginary mayo off his face. "Good?"

Phoebe snickered. "Perfect." Under her breath she whispered to Helga, "You so owe me lunch in the city."

"Alright ladies... what are you two planning."

"Planning?" Helga asked as she raised a blonde eyebrow.

"Yea, for my birthday."

Phoebe slurped off the rest of her soda. "Birthday... birthday... What birthday?"

Sid laughed. "I know you guys are just acting. Now come off it. What are you two planning?"

Both Helga and Phoebe sent Sid puzzled looks.

"I can't believe this. You two FORGOT my birthday. You don't remember November 12th is my effing birthday! Y'know NINE days from now! I simply can't believe this. I mean how? Really I mean how! This is so fuc–" Sid stopped his tirade when he saw that the two females sitting at his table were having a hard time keeping straight faces. "You two are really fucked up."

Helga leaned over to Phoebe and whispered. "Now you owe me a lunch. I told you his inner drama queen would come out."

"What are you whispering over there! There is no need to tell Phoebe how damn sexy I look without clothes... she has first hand experience."

Helga leaned her head in the palm of her hand giving Sid a cool heavy lidded look. "Really?" She drawled.

"Really."

"I always knew you had a thing for her," Helga licked lips and winked at Sid. "You're damn sexy, y'know. When do I get my turn?"

"Tonight if you want."

"Trust me, I want. I want real bad."

"Around eight then," Sid paused for a moment and glared at Helga. "I know what you're trying to do! You're trying to distract me. Well, it won't work."

"Damn, there goes plan A, B, and C. What do we do Helga?"

"Why Plan D of course."

"Which is exactly what Helga?"

"Sit here like deers staring at the headlights of a car heading straight for them at forty miles per hour."

"Okay, sounds like a good plan to me."

Helga and Phoebe widened their eyes into large glassy ovals, looking straight ahead and gaped.

Sid snapped his fingers in front of their faces and they blinked. "What are you getting me for my birthday?"

"Be patient young one," Phoebe said putting on her wise person voice. "It will all be revealed, all in good timing though."

"I wanna know now!"

"Nope. Life just doesn't go the way we want it to sometimes. Get used to it." Helga pushed her chair back and got out her chair, only to bump into...

... Lila Sawyer.

The cafeteria froze as people watched with baited breath, craving to watch a repeat of the incident two weeks ago. Unfortunately for them, neither female were in their "cat-fight" mode.

Helga raised her eyebrow and Lila sneered. After giving each other glares Lila shoved past Helga, and Helga walked calmly to the garbage pail to throw out her lunch, as if nothing had happened moments ago.

Phoebe picked at her nails with a smile. "She wolves, can't live with them and would rather live without them."

Helga flung herself into her seat and slouched in the red chair. "Don'cha know it."'

"So... while you two were in the city... by any chance did you two get any tattoos?"

The two females gave Sid mischievous twin smiles, but neither opened their mouth to give Sid an actual answer.

(Y/L)

Friday afternoon, the ninth period dismissal bell rang and student began filling out of Crinshaw, relieved to be going home. They were going far away from teachers, gossip, and the dreaded freshman bookbags, at least for two days of peace, quiet, and relaxation.

A cherry red Ducati Monster1000 raced around the corner of Grayson Avenue and raced into the parking lot of Crinshaw High School.

The driver spotted Sid and Phoebe talking by a tree very close to the school. Immediately, the driver parked the bike on the cement, in front of the pair.

Ian tugged his black helmet off his head and hung it off of his bike's handlebars before he walked over to the unsurprised Phoebe Heyerdahl and Sid Gifaldi.

"Hello." Sid and Phoebe said in unison.

"Hello."

"Nice entrance."

"Thanks Sid, it comes naturally. Where's Helga?"

Sid and Phoebe shared a look that fortunately Dorian 'Ian' Karmicheals, missed.

"Why?" Phoebe asked shifting her weight from leg to leg.

Ian shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "Ahhh, no reason. Well, she asked for an extra job and I've got o–"

Kaylia bumped into Ian and all of her books feel to the ground. Ian stooped down and helped her pick up her scattered belongings, when he returned them to her, Ian gave her his famous half smile, half smirk that literary made every woman within a 10 foot radius weak in the knees and kept his pockets full of numbers—Helga proved this theory during the beginning of eighth grade.

Kaylia stood on the tip of her toes and kissed him on his cheek. "Thanks. You can help me anytime." Licking her lips slowly, she slickly slipped her hand into his denim pockets and dropped a paper with her name, number, and address on it.

Kaylia slunk off to where her friends were waiting by Gerald's Mitsubishi Spyder Eclipse with a grin on her face and Phoebe glaring at her back.

Ian raised a sooty wood colored eyebrow. "Is there some animosity I need to be worried about Phoebe?"

Phoebe stopped glaring at the cheerleaders and focused her attention on Ian. "Let's just say the Albas don't know when to keep their hands off of things that are not theirs."

Ian said nothing, but his widened eyes did.

The trio stayed silent until Ian spotted a pink haired female walking out of the doors of Crinshaw Highschool and he instantly moved to attack.

Helga walked slowly indifferent to the nice autumn day surrounding her. She adjusted her off the shoulder pink Zposën sweater as she walked towards where Phoebe had parked her mother's strawberry red Ferrari that she had been driving, once again. She was completely shocked when a pair of arms found their way around her waist.

"Hmmm." The person rumbled in Helga's ear from behind her and she was so confused. Her first guess as to who exactly the perpetrator was would of course be Sid, but there were two problems with this guess. One, Helga could tell the person behind her was taller than Sid. Two, Helga could see Sid waving at her from underneath the shade of a tree, right in front of the Ferrari.

Turning her head to the side then upwards and she caught a glimpse of a pair of dizzying hazel eyes of purple, green, brown, blue, and gray framed by thick sooty black eyelashes that girls throughout the Tri-State area was jealous of. The dizzying pair of eyes danced in amusement and a mouth described by as "perfectly absolutely kissable" curled into a small smirk.

"Hello Ian, sugah."

Ian rested his chin in her hair pink hair. "Hey Helga, honey. Your hair smell like strawberries, it smells good."

Helga wriggled out of his arms to turn around and face him. "I'm so glad you are appreciating my shampoo and conditioner and all, but what are you doing here?"

Ian smiled innocently, making his handsome features light up in a very boyish manner. "Would you believe me if I said that I was visiting for the hell of it?"

Helga frowned. "No, you never set a foot on Crinshaw ground unless you have an exact purpose, sugah."

"You're right," Ian gathered Helga into a hug so what he said next could be heard by her ears, and her ears only. "I was thinking the other night about how much money we used to pull in back in the old days, remember?"

Helga nodded her head hesitantly. "Yea, okay?"

"Good. And I was thinking that we should start gambling nights back up again. We've got nothing to lose and money to gain. Lots of it. How much do you still have from back when you were in eighth grade?"

"Around a cool thirty percent."

"Think about how much you could have, if we started again."

Helga smiled. "When do we start?"

"When is your house free?"

"Saturday, November 13th."

"Then Saturday, November 13th it is."

"Sixty-forty, right."

"Of course, I mean it is at your house, so you should get more money."

"See you Friday night for set up then?"

"Yup, see ya." Ian squeezed Helga's waist and kissed her on her nose before he let her go. Helga merely waved at him as he got on his bike and put on his helmet. Once Ian had his helmet on he gave a brief wave to Phoebe and Sid before he took off, exiting the parking lot as quickly as he entered heading in the general direction of Sal's.

(Y/L)

Nope, the Cipher does not own Hey Arnold! Sorry but get used to. Thank you Jaded Angel, Justin T. Melanson, Demile, ShanniC, Thea, XxXCocoPuffXxX, Starry-Eyez888, BellaMay76, Ahhelga, Amelia Badelia, and BrendaC for the fabulous reviews. Almost a 100 reviews, just one more push! Excuse my grammar and spelling mistakes, I'll fix them whenever I spot them. Tah!

PS:

Justin T. Melanson, hey where have ya been! Now I think I'm facing a withdrawal by not having you predict things! I guess I miss not being able to scream at my computer screen that you're a psychic.

Just click it... Clicking Is good for you... It makes you feel good... And it sure helps fluff my ego!

S.L. Cipher (Who will gladly accept all criticisms, advice, reviews, praises, and flames with a large Cheshire Cat like smile just because Cheshire Cat like smiles can piss people off and Cipher loves pissing people off because it is exceptional fun... just deal with it)

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