A/N: Ducks and covers for all the hate mail from the year + absence. Sorry life, marriage, and career kinda got in the way... I design exhibits for a living, not really write.

The Curveball

Helga picked up her chopsticks and began to dig into her ramen, listening but still slightly distracted by the food. The next sentence caused her to nearly choke on her naruto.

"I like you Helga." said Arnold with a tone of finality.

Helga coughed a bit into her bowl as she reached for her napkin and tried to play it off as a swallowing wrong.

"Ex..."cough"...cuse..."cough" me?" She managed to choke out as she coughed short hacks into her napkin.

" Ever since I came back, I can't help but be interested in you." Arnold explained, his heart pounding deeply in his chest, he was afraid she might hear it. When he saw she wasn't saying anything further, he continued.

"You've become such an aspiring person, I can't help but be admired by your courage to better yourself and to pursue your dreams so boldly- I'm not even courageous enough to do that yet." He swallowed a bit, "I was afraid of the changes that had happened to everyone, I was afraid of the changes between us... that I may have acted like a jerk to you unknowingly and for that I apologize. " Arnold finished with a sincere plead in his eyes.

Helga managed to get her coughing under control to process the information that was being presented before her. She took several deep breaths, whether it was to clear her lungs or her confused heart- was hard to tell.

"I..." she stuttered. Arnold interjected.

"I don't expect an answer." He said. "I just wanted to let you know how I feel, I know you have a lot going on and I don't want to put unfair pressure on you. You can answer at your own pace- we could get to know each other again... I just like being around you." Arnold finished, satisfied with his confession.

"I...I'm not prepared for this." Helga said finally after a minute pause. "I'm...not...I didn't do everything that I've done for your praise or your attention...or your affection." she explained...her built up emotions were getting the best of her and she knew she had to swallow this pill of anger before it got out of hand. "You can praise me all you want, I'm still an awkward ugly duckling trying to make my way in the world, and for you to sweep in and put me on the same pedastool that you put Lila on..." Helga's irrational anger began to get the best of her... Arnold could see the old Helga's defenses resurface.

"Helga I'm just trying to be transparent with you..." He tried to explain- but she shook her head violently.

"I'm not ready for this." she repeated with finality.

"Why?" Arnold asked, his heart breaking with each passing second.

"Because... You can want what you want... but having it doesn't mean that's the way it should be." Helga said as she pulled out cash from her pocket, the total price of the entire meal and the tip laid out before the.

"Thanks for coming to the game, goodnight Arnold."Helga said as she got up and swung her duffle bag over her shoulder, spinning around and walking out of the restuarant.

Leaving Arnold by himself.

Helga walked out into the crisp autumn air, pulling her ipod out of her jacket she plugged her earplugs in and tuned out the world as she always did.

"Coming to your house, knocking at your door

Your mouth a sip of wine, you cool me, cool me down

Do you know me, you know me, you know me, do you know me now?"

Apart of her was feeling euphoria... the other half was feeling impending doom.

The lovesick girl that lived inside of her had dreamed of this day since preschool, the young woman who had endured years of counseling knew that this was more obsession that love- and that pursuing it would be toxic.

"Now I'm in the dark, I'm not so used to doubt

You're my first cigarette, cause you calm me, you calm me down"

What gull did he have to come to her now and spew this nonsense? She always had her guard up and kept people at an arms length. Her father's abusive words, her mothers neglectful nature- it spurred this insecurity in her according to Ms. Bliss.

Arnold walked through the boarding house door with a weight of depression about him. His father was the first to pick up on it as he sat at the table eating the leftovers from dinner.

"Whats wrong scout?"

Arnold picked at the food left for him by his grandmother, mashed potatoes and cabbage.

"I went to Helga's game tonight." was all he said.

"Oh..is she...the girl you're not sure of?" his father asked.

Arnold said nothing.

This was confirmation for his father.

"Ah...you didn't spring everything on her at once did you?" his father asked.

Arnold looked up, unsure if to tell the truth or not..."Yeah, I told her everything." he finally relented.

His father shook his head. "Well that's where you went wrong."

Arnold rebuked, felt slighly defensive. "What do you mean? I was honest and she brushed me off as if my feelings were childish!" his anger growing.

The amount of passion in his son's tone surprised him, he took it as a passing teenage fancy.

"Well if you sprang it all on her at once without easing into it- than yes, you are childish." his father explained, unapologetically.

Arnold was taken aback at his fathers stance on the situation. "Aren't you suppose to support me?!" he nearly shouted.

Miles didn't miss a beat, "When you are right, yes. But selfishly springing your feelings onto a person is reckless, especially if that person is not ready to recieve them." he explained.

"What's with this!? Gerald's mad at me for not being upront, and my own father is angry that I'm too straightforward!?" Arnold yelled as he threw his arms in the air.

"I'm sure your friend just wanted you to come to terms with how you were feeling, not necessarily make it clear to the other party." Miles stated, still calm and level headed.

"But if I'm feeling these feelings, why should I hold it in?" He asked.

"Well... has this lady friend of yours held in her feelings?" he asked, it was an innocent question but the depth behind it for Arnold was tenfold.

He came to understand Helga's feelings initially when they were 11 on a rooftop and in the middle of a bigger problem...but he shrugged it off. Then it began to become clear to him the odd behavior she had in San Lorenzo. Helga had harbored feelings for him for so long that the depth of it escaped slightly in their chaste kiss among the tribes. Helga had kept her feelings at bay, mostly to protect herself- but also to keep the constant between them. Change may have terrifed her as much as it did him.

He felt like an idiot.

"Son?" Miles asked as his son was silent for several minutes.

Arnold let his head fall into his hands, "You're right, I was being selfish."

"Well..don't be too hard on yourself." his father joked.

"What do I do?!" Arnold asked. "I like her, and I want to get to know her better, but she's easily scared off."

Miles thought for a minute before answering, "Be her friend first."

"What?" Arnold responed, not expecting that as an answer.

"You've been bullied by her, a person she's harbored strong feelings for, and she hasn't seen you in several years- be her friend first, and the rest will follow." Miles said as he took a sip of his coffee. He was appreciative that his son could come to him and discuss things like these. It made up for the times they weren't there for him...if only slightly.

"Thanks dad."

"No problem, son."

-\

It was 11:40 PM on his clock when he laid on his bed to look up at his skylight. Arnold grabbed his remote and turned out the radio alarm to play the hour's DJ. A melodic song strung around his room:

"Ah Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in.

Are you aware the shape I'm in?

My hands they shake, my head it spins.

Ah Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in.

Three words that became hard to say.

I and love and you.

What you were then I am today.

Look at the things I do."

What would the next week bring?

-\

Next Chapter: West Coast Evening