Chapter 12: You're All I Need
Helga awoke on the floor in her sleeping bag to hear her dad making arrangements with his former employees.
"Be there at 9:00 sharp! We're working on lighting, layout, and color scheme."
After watching what already appeared to be a stressed Bob march out of the room, Helga sat on the floor rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Before building up the strength the stand from her sleeping bag, the tired girl began to reminisce about the previous day with her beloved.
Even after waking up on Arnold's shoulder, she couldn't allow herself to open her eyes immediately. Feeling the giving boy rub her arm gently, leaning his head on hers, while she laid against him was a feeling too amazing to describe.
Arnold's Kitchen
"What do ya mean ya can't make it?! For crying out loud!"
Olga turned to see her dad storming into the kitchen after a frustrating conversation with one of his employees.
"What's wrong daddy?"
Bob took a seat at the table, rubbing his face harshly. "Those idiot workers of mine won't all be there to help with the remodeling of the store!"
"Hmm...that's a shame." Phil said, looking up from his paper.
The concerned blonde stared at her mentally exhausted father, wishing there was something she could do.
Before she could suggest something, the room heard "Morning everyone."
"Hey there shortman!"
"Morning grandpa. Where's Helga?" the anxious boy asked, while holding his favorite book.
Pataki's Room
KNOCK KNOCK
"Come in?" Helga said hesitantly, finding it strange to say that when technically it wasn't her room.
"Baby sister." Olga said sadly, seeing her sister cock her brow.
It wasn't unusual seeing Olga upset. She had been handling the family's situation well for the most part recently however.
"Yeah?"
Olga took a seat on the bed, hoping her younger sibling would be understanding. Usually, she would overlook anything Helga negatively responded to. This was different however. Her head wasn't revolving around herself and her success.
"Daddy's not doing well."
Helga continued to stare with her brow cocked, thinking to herself…
Gee ya think?
Where had she been the past year?
"Daddy needs our help."
A worried look then formed on Helga's face. That's all she had been doing was trying to help Bob by finding him customers. What more could she do?
The pig tailed girl took a seat beside her older sibling on the worn out bed as she listened to her say "He needs help designing his store, so that it's nice enough to attract customers."
Helga huffed, doing her best not to roll her eyes. That was not her area of expertise anymore than it was her interests.
Arnold's Kitchen
"So, whatcha got planned for today shortman?" Phil asked, setting his paper aside.
"I don't know. I thought Helga might want to find some more customers. She was pretty tired last night, so we never had a chance to talk about it." Arnold replied, ready to start on the tall stack of pancakes Olga had made for him.
Before he had the pleasure of doing so, they heard a knock at the door.
KNOCK KNOCK
Arnold left his eye pleasing meal to see who was visiting them so early.
"Hey man." Gerald greeted his friend, after seeing him open the door.
"Hey Gerald. What's up?"
"Well I haven't exactly heard from you recently. Not since you got hit with that fly ball. I just thought I'd come by to make sure you didn't have amnesia."
A look of guilt formed on Arnold's face. He had been so wrapped up with helping Helga recently, he hadn't considered setting aside time to just hang out with his friends.
"Sorry Gerald. I've kind of been busy lately." he blushed, rubbing his neck.
"No kidding."
The Beeper Emporium
"Put some hustle in it people! If we want this thing up and running soon we…."
"Daddy…"
"Huh?"
Bob turned from scowling at his former employees to see his daughters approaching him.
"Oh, hey Olga." he greeted her, giving Helga an excuse to not have to worry about correcting him.
"We're here to help you daddy!" the overly concerned girl insisted, while her sister stood beside her, knowing it wasn't going to be a fun day.
"Fine. Fine. Go help with the aisle designs. Make sure those layout freaks know what they're doing, would ya?" Bob insisted.
"Perfect." Helga muttered to herself, slowly following her sister in the direction Bob had pointed them in.
Walk
"So how's the sale search going?" Gerald asked his friend, walking through the neighborhood.
"Not bad actually. Almost everyone has said yes to coming to the opening." Arnold pointed out, while staring at the ground. Although he was happy to see Gerald, he regretted not sticking around a while longer to see Helga that morning.
"Really? Because that facial expression you seem to be carrying begs to differ." his friend said wittily.
"I've just had some things on my mind recently." Arnold said, rubbing his neck.
Gerald then glanced down to see Arnold holding something in his other hand. "What's that book for?"
The Beeper Emporium
"Criminy! We're short handed and Bob expects all this done?" Helga snapped, staring at the printed images for the store's layout.
Bob's store required a retail floor plan known as the 'Loop Floor Plan.' There the two sisters stood reviewing everything the store would carry
Cases and Protectors
Car Mounts
iPhone Accessories
Chargers
Bluetooth headsets
Cellular Signal Boosters
Popsockets
Mobile Power Packs
Screen Protectors
Battery Extenders
Arm Bands
Laptops
Cameras
Walk
"Let me get this straight. You found a box of poetry books filled with heartfelt poems written by Pataki about you?"
"Well, yeah." Arnold said, rubbing his neck.
"Mm, mm, mmm." Gerald shook his head, wondering if he should tell Arnold that was nothing. He had already had the pleasure of witnessing a room's worth of videos starring his best friend. Helga's obsession was no longer a secret, no matter how hesitant she was about revealing things.
The Beeper Emporium
When creating the layout, the first thing to ask is 'What first impression do you want to create when someone walks into your store?" Renovate it to cater to the customers and create a comfortable environment shoppers can easily scan when they enter.
"Oh! Let's put the cases next to tall the cute accessories we'll be getting for the phones." Olga suggested, as Helga clenched the plan within her fists.
"That's not what the freakin' layout says to do! Did you forget how to read?! Sheesh."
P.S. 118
The boys looked to see they were passing their school. Gerald followed Arnold over onto the playground where he watched him take a seat on the swings.
"I seem to recall us getting kicked out of here for trespassing on private property last time we were here outside of school hours." Gerald reminded his friend.
"Uhhh right." Arnold mumbled, whose head was buried in a familiar book.
"Man is that how you plan on spending your vacation? Reading poetry every day?" Gerald insisted on knowing.
"What? I like poetry." the blonde boy blushed, pushing himself back and forth in the swing with his foot against the ground.
Gerald crossed his arms, glaring at his friend. He hadn't heard those words leave Arnold's mouth since their substitute teacher Ms. Felter had introduced herself to the class.
The Beeper Emporium
"Where the devil are the models supposed to stand in here?"
"Hey! You listen and you listen good! This is MY store! The design plan is MINE!"
Having chosen the floor plan and the many accessories that would be included in the store, Bob listened to his new business associate complain about what he considered to be an unacceptable excuse for a modeling area.
"Oh and I suppose you just expect customers to waltz in and grab something without someone to motivate them? That's brilliant." Johnny said in a sarcastic tone, with his hands on his waists.
While the two businessmen were debating on the perfect way to set things up for the grand opening of the store, two blonde girls were sitting nearby on the curb.
P.S. 118
As annoying as it was watching his friend find another way to keep his head buried in the clouds all day, Gerald didn't have the heart to tell his friend to set the book aside. Although he was nowhere near as tight with Helga as he was with Arnold, Gerald now knew not to be so quick to judge Helga for her negative behavior. The only question was, could Arnold handle anything crazy Helga had done in the past?
Sitting beside his friend on the swings, Gerald asked "So, what all's in that (what I can only hope) G rated love novel of hers?"
Arnold blushed once again, not wanting to make eye contact with his friend. "Uhh well, it's mostly about times we spent together over the years."
"Yeah, that was obvious. What exactly are the times she wrote about?" Gerald asked wittily.
The Beeper Emporium
"I hope they get everything worked out baby sister!" Olga said worriedly, watching Bob continuing to argue with Johnny.
Helga relinquished a heavy sigh, propping her head in her hand against her knee, staring sadly at the ground. Even if the store was a success this time, Bob's business attitude had proven itself to stand firm, no matter what the condition of the store was.
The emotionally exhausted girl once found that to be depressing; the thought of being seen as second to her own dad's business. Now, here she was viewing his frustration (dare she say pain) from having to compromise how his business was working. While technically, she and her sister were sitting on the curb viewing the argument, Helga felt as though she was watching Bob begging on his knees for things to just go back to the way they used to be.
He was the king; he didn't need anyone's help to make himself look good. He was a Pataki; they didn't ask for help in desperate times. Now, here they were moved in with another family, having their business funded by someone she had never been a fan of.
P.S. 118
"Mm, mm, mmm! She didn't leave anything out did she?" Gerald said, knowing she omitted at least one thing. "What's this about a dream play?"
What's Opera Arnold
Picturing you there with me
By my side in Serville
Dancing, singing, and fighting
This dream's all too exciting
Gerald's eyes widened at the words and snapped "Wait a minute! You're telling me when she had her head in my lap, she was fantasizing about the two of you? Like, she was dreaming I was you?"
Arnold lifted an eyebrow at his friend's excited reaction and replied "When did she have her head in your lap?"
"Uhh nevermind." Gerald said, scratching his head.
The Beeper Emporium
Moments after watching Johnny storm away, being forced to accept the area in the store that was planned to be set aside for the presentation, the girls watched their dad approach them.
"Yeesh! What a nutjob."
"Pttss...you can say that again." Helga stood from the curb, agreeing with her workaholic father.
"What do we do now daddy?" Olga asked eagerly, ready to offer help in any way that she could.
Rather than responding to his overly achieving daughter, Bob marched over to his employees to make sure they were following his layout design, as opposed to anything Johnny may have suggested.
After watching her father storm away, Helga huffed with frustration and looked over to see her sister starting to sob.
Oh brother!
"Well whatever help we're capable of giving, he's obviously not interested in it. I'm out of here."
P.S. 118
"What's so funny?"
Arnold lifted his head from the book, having interrupted his own thoughts "I was just picturing what you told me about Helga in your lap."
"What's your point?" Gerald glared, not finding the situation amusing.
A dreamy smile formed on Arnold's face as he began staring off into space. Gerald lifted an eyebrow at his friend, while listening to him say "Nothing I guess. She's just always been funny."
The loving look on Arnold's face was showing Gerald his friend was approaching Helga's insanity level as far as romantic feelings for another person went.
"She has?"
Shaking his head profusely, Arnold said "Well yeah. Don't you remember that show she did for all our friends in fourth grade?"
Lifting an eyebrow, he replied "I think you mean about our friends, but I will admit, she had the class laughing hard...especially at you!"
The oblong headed boy began to blush as he looked back down at the book, reading what had refreshed his memory of the show.
Helga's Show
Making fun of all our friends
The loud laughter would not end
Waiting for the compliments
Only to receive resents
Someone saw the good that day
It was all just meant for fun
You encouraged me to say
My jokes about everyone
Phoebe's House
Helga sat with her best friend in her room, hoping to spend the rest of the day not thinking about Bob's business. The summer had been spent focusing on customers and finances. Just a few hours spent pretending none of that existed in her life would be amazing.
"How are things proceeding with Arnold, Helga?" Phoebe wondered, looking over at her tired friend.
Shrugging her shoulders, leaning against the bed, Helga sighed "Okay I guess. That is if you consider using him as my sales associate to be an encouraging sign of building a relationship."
Phoebe giggled at the remark. Although she could see her friend's faith wasn't as strong as it could be, it was a good sign she was opening up to the idea of it."
P.S. 118
"You're really starting to weird me out with that look." Gerald warned his friend, whose smile was growing larger by the minute.
"Sorry Gerald. It's just surprising that she found some of these moments to be meaningful." Arnold laughed lightly.
"Such as?" his friend almost regretted asking.
Showing his friend the book, Arnold reminded his friend of the day they were assigned to be partners with Helga and Phoebe for their history project.
"Like when we all had to work together on the Sacajawea project. And she…"
"Wasted our art supplies on your lap as opposed to our project." his friend finished.
Girl Trouble
Waiting to work with you that day
A chance to be near you again
Then ruined by my angry ways
Sad to see you frown at me then
My harsh ways then rubbed off on you
At your sudden rage, my eyes grew
Shame I felt for my evil ways
Causing you to change your good ways
I sat there sulking in my room
Nothing good could come I assumed
Til I received a call from you
Showing your good ways did come through
Gerald lifted an eyebrow at the poem, unsure of what to say. Helga was obviously willing to open up to Arnold by revealing these intimate feelings to him. Was it his place to reveal any unknown information she may have left out for Arnold to know?
Boarding House
"What's wrong sweetie?" Stella asked the usually perky girl in her kitchen.
Olga did her best to hold back her sobs, while finding something to prepare for dinner. "Daddy's not having an easy day at work."
Miles stood from the table, feeling sorry for their guest and said "All jobs are stressful sometimes. Your dad's dedication to his work is very admirable. We can tell he cares a lot about his family."
Olga wiped the tears from her eyes, thinking about what the caring couple had said to her. It was difficult watching Bob struggle with his work, but it showed how much he cared for his family.
P.S. 118
Arnold looked at his friend who now seemed to be the one with his head in the clouds.
"What's wrong Gerald?"
Looking up from the book, Gerald asked "So, Pataki's really comfortable sharing all this with you?"
"Well yeah. I mean, I had to ease her into it. She wasn't crazy about the idea at first. Why?" the blonde boy asked anxiously.
"Look man, the last thing I want to do is ruin anything for the two of you. I think it's great you're getting along, but have you not wondered since the trip how all that footage for the video of you was taken?"
Arnold continued to stare at his friend with an unamused look as he bluntly said "I already know she used to stalk me Gerald."
Gerald's eyes widened at the information; the surprise turned out to be on him.
"You did? Since when?"
Arnold stared at the ground, pushing himself back and forth in the swing slowly. "There's something she and I never told anyone."
Phoebe's House
Although Helga had done her best to keep her father's business out of her mind for the day, Phoebe couldn't help but ask how things were going with that as well.
"Has there been much success with the improvement of your father's new store recently?"
Helga let out a hopeless sigh, implying she was sick of dealing the even the thought of it. Putting up with the stress of Bob's overwhelming work was beginning to seem like a problem for herself. She didn't like seeing him reduced to the level he was at anymore than she enjoyed hearing about his work issues when he was in charge of everything.
"Bob's got the employees hired back and a layout we've yet to see if they possess the knowledge to put it together." she scoffed.
Looking at the familiar expression on her friend's face, Phoebe replied "Rest assured Helga, no matter the inconveniences your father's business maybe starting with, he's proven himself worthy of working his way out of a financial crisis."
P.S. 118
"WHAT?!"
Arnold planted his face in his hands after revealing the information to his friend about what had happened on FTi with Helga.
"You're telling me the night we saved this city from corruption was the same night your lady spilled her guts to you?"
"Pretty much." Arnold sighed, feeling bad for keeping this secret. He and Gerald shared everything with each other.
"Mm, mm, mmm! Well, what are you gonna do? I think we've both seen enough evidence to know how crazy she is about you."
Arnold sat there a moment, thinking about how much his feelings had changed for Helga since the summer began. Things had started slow and he was more than grateful she was willing to be patient with him. Not only that, but was willing to share so much personal information with him.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to go home. I didn't get to see her this morning."
"Later man." Gerald said, giving his friend their secret hand shake.
Phoebe's House
After a normal pep talk with her friend about there being no need to let her home life or intimate feelings get the best of her, Helga rose from the floor and said "I think I'm going to head out Pheebs."
"Certainly Helga. You may want to take this umbrella with you. There's a good chance of rain." Phoebe informed her.
Helga smiled as she took the umbrella her friend was nice enough to lend her. She was always there for her when she needed help. Just like someone else…
The Boarding House
Arnold arrived at his front porch, not quite ready to go inside yet. He sat on the stoop, wondering where he and Helga were at at that point. Were they close enough to be in a relationship? Did he have feelings strong enough for her now to call her his girlfriend?
The Flood
It was raining and pouring
Stuck at school; it was so boring
Being held captive in there
More torture than we could bare
Acting crazy all day long
Until we heard a sad song
Simmons hanging for dear life
Putting an end to our strife
Leaning down to lend a hand
In the water I did land
I called out then for my love
As I watched him up above
Pulling me back up inside
One day my love, I won't hide
Arnold sat on the porch steps, remembering the moment Helga fell out of the window.
"Arnold!"
"NO!"
More and more he was reading things pointing out how concerned he had always been for her. Being the good person that he was, he never thought twice about being kind to someone (even Helga) having a deeper meaning than just being a good person.
While staring at the poem, Arnold began to notice raindrops falling on the pages. He quickly shut the book, not wanting the written work to be ruined. There were still some things he hadn't read.
Before he had the chance to stand, he notice someone holding something over his head.
"Whatcha doing out in the rain football head?"
Arnold looked to see Helga hovering over him with her umbrella. He anxiously stood beside her, showing her the book.
After watching her nod her head, he asked "How did everything go with your dad?"
Shrugging her shoulders as she continued to hold the umbrella above their heads, Helga replied "Beats me. Guess I'll be finding out tonight."
Arnold frowned at the response, but wasn't going to make her feel bad about anything.
The two then went inside to find there wasn't anyone in the dining room eating.
Arnold's Kitchen
"Hey there shortman!" Phil greeted the kids.
"Hey grandpa. Where is everyone?"
"Well, that older sister of your little friend there wasn't too happy when she got back. Your parents ended up telling her not to worry about dinner. Wish they'd gotten my opinion on that first." Phil replied.
Arnold looked at Helga, wondering if she wanted them to make her anything to eat.
"I'm not hungry anyway." she sighed.
The odd shaped headed boy took his friend's hand in his and said "I think we're going to go upstairs grandpa."
Arnold's Room
Arnold sat on the bed with his friend, happy to see her for the first time that day. He wrapped his arm around her, leaning against the shelves. "I'm sorry you didn't have a good time with your dad."
Helga cocked her brow, thinking he was crazy for assuming it would have been possible to enjoy something like that.
"It's no big deal I guess."
"Just remember, everything will get taken care of, and you'll be back in your own house soon." he smiled, seeing a sweet look form in her eyes.
"Thanks football head."
Arnold placed his hand on her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. All those moments he read about that day, showed him no matter what the situation was with her (be it angry, scared, or happy), he always had an impact on her.
Feeling his warm hand against her face, watching his emerald eyes remain focused on her, Helga gripped his sweater tightly, pulling him close to kiss him. Arnold's eyes widened at the sudden movement, but didn't fight it. Having his soft sweet lips against her own made all the stress of the day disappear. Just having the hope of him one day returning her strong feelings was enough to brighten her dark day.
The emotionally conflicted girl let out an intense moan while she felt the love of her life release a soft sigh through his nose. Helga's mind was beginning to melt, as she sat there locking lips with the love of her life. Enjoyable as each of these moments was, she couldn't allow herself to get too caught up in them. No matter how much hope there may be for it, Arnold still hadn't said he loved her yet. She had to control her urges. The pigtailed girl was attempting to release her grip on the blonde boy's shirt; that is, until something unexpected happened.
Shivers raced through her when she felt her friend gently poking her lips with his tongue. Her eyes widened, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her. What started as a hesitant movement soon turned into repetitive swiping along her lips. Helga's heart began to pound as her grip on her beloved's shirt then did loosen.
Arnold placed his hands over hers, not letting them slip away. While the overwhelmed girl was on cloud nine, Arnold was still processing what was going through his mind. What had made him decide to do that? There he was, sliding his tongue alongside her lips, waiting for her to allow him inside. Yet, he hadn't decided exactly where his emotions lied. Did he still consider her to be just a friend? Had she surpassed Gerald and moved up to his best friend? Did he finally possess feelings strong enough to consider her his girlfriend?
The oblong headed boy felt his friend's hands trembling within his own, as her lips quivered beneath his tongue. It was as if his movements were on autopilot while his mind was still lost on how far along they were in what he wasn't even sure was a relationship yet. Before he knew it, Arnold felt his tongue fall inside the utterly pleased girl's mouth.
His eyes flashed as he opened them to see Helga's peacefully shut. Arnold felt his heart skip a beat at his unintentional movement; expecting an upset response from his friend.
It was the complete opposite however. While his tongue remained inside her, he began to feel her sliding hers alongside his. Now he was the one who was shaking vigorously. Arnold wasn't sure if he should be doing this without being absolutely certain he loved her. Yet, she didn't seem upset by it. Hopefully, he wasn't sending her mixed signals. Helga had already told herself not to let her hopes get the best of her. After this surprise however, would she be able to stick to that demand?
Arnold slowly took his tongue back, still resting his lips against hers. Before saying what he had planned, he heard her releasing a small swoon. Chills ran through him again at the feel of her shaking lips against his from that loving expression.
"Helga..."
The passionate girl's dreamy eyes fluttered open, meeting a set of what appeared to be concerned ones. Despite what she was looking at, she couldn't snap herself out of the wonderful mind state he had just put her in.
"Hmm?"
Caressing her now calm hands with his thumbs that were still resting against his chest, he said hesitantly "I...I didn't mean to do that."
The last thing Helga wanted to do was pressure him. It was unbelievable enough they had gotten as close with their friendship as they had. She was annoyed at the idea of him feeling any affection he showed for her would bother her however.
"Really? Because you seemed to be enjoying yourself there for a minute football head." Helga teased him as his faced blushed an intense shade of red.
Watching her send what appeared to be a flirtatious glare, Arnold felt his blood running cold. Was he enjoying himself?
"Well I..."
"Yes?" the eager girl asked, cocking her brow.
"I...I mean..."
Helga shook her head, letting out a slight chuckle. While that spontaneous side of him was indescribably pleasing, she would always admire his desire to do the right thing.
"Good night football head." she said, standing from the bed, leaving the puzzled boy alone with his thoughts.