Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.

They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.

Title: "Let me be your hero"

In the last chapter of 'Let me be your hero': As Helga got more and more confused by her own mixed feelings towards Arnold, the boy in question was simply happy to be of help to his friend. As soon as he left her to work alone at Vitello Flowers, she started to act funny though and came to school in a dirty and ripped coat.

It didn't take Arnold long to do what he did best; meddle. When he found out from Miriam that Bob had found the picture of Helga's soon-to-be child and Helga was kicked out of the house in the process, he did his best to find her. Despite her hiding in the treehouse in Mighty Pete in the beginning, he found her nevertheless later same night.

After leaving Helga to sleep in the treehouse, giving her a blanket and some food, he swore to himself that he would help Helga once again the best he could.

Author's 1st note: Don't know what to say! I'm sick! So I feel like crap :( I don't have time to be sick again, damn it! DX

(As always, please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes :P)

Chapter 14: "Everyone knows something I don't"

Helga felt aching in every joint when she got to school Wednesday morning. She felt much better than she had Tuesday morning though, but couldn't ignore the fact that she was, indeed, currently sleeping on an old couch… with one blanket. A blanket that brought emotionally warmth too, she had to admit, but she was still stunned that she had been able to wake up at an appropriate time. Not appropriate enough though, since she didn't arrive at the school before the second period.

"Helga Pataki. Nice of you to show up." Mr. Smith said coolly, but didn't make too much of a deal out of it. Helga snuck towards her seat way back in the room. She tried to keep her coat on without being noticed, but a stern look from Mr. Smith told her she had failed. "Please take your coat off, Miss Pataki." He ordered and waited for her to do so. Some of her classmates looked curiously at her, including her gang. With a small sigh, she snuck the coat off her body, revealing that she was now wearing the same outfit third day in a row.

Arnold's eyes widened. I'm an idiot! Why didn't I think of that? I could have brought her some of mom's clothes! Or Susie's… or whatever. He thought with a sigh, disappointed in himself. He knew that if his mother, Stella, had been there, she probably would have reminded him to bring Helga clothes. She wasn't though; neither was his father. They were both still in San Lorenzo, fighting to protect the Green-Eyed people against the disease.

After meeting them, finding them, back when he was a child, he had been reluctant to leave. His parents had forced him to though, insisting that it was too dangerous for him to stay, and him, not wanting to worry them when they had an important job to do, decided to trust them and go back to Hillwood. They had survived for ten years by then; a few more years probably wouldn't kill them, he hoped. Right now though, he was missing the advice of a woman. Gertie was wonderful, but getting advice from her was probably something she was too airheaded for.

Arnold could hear Rhonda's small gasp behind him. When he turned around to eye her, she was holding a hand to her nose with obvious disgust. He frowned in confusion before he sniffed the air and let his eyes widen. Is that… he wondered, but then mentally smacked his forehead. Of course, it is… Helga probably haven't showered since Monday morning. Why haven't I thought of such things?! That's it! I'm forcing her to sleep at Phoebe's home or something; this can't go on. It's not healthy for Megamind either.

As soon as the class was over and it was time for recess, Helga and Arnold stood up from their desks and walked towards each other. "Grab Gerald and bring him to school gates. I'll take Lila and Phoebe there as well." Helga whispered quickly. Arnold nodded in understanding and then they parted. While Helga grabbed Phoebe and Lila without much trouble – they had expected her to do so; Arnold had a harder time convincing Gerald to follow simply. He kept asking him what was going on, but did follow Arnold in the end.

"Helga, what's happening?" Phoebe asked worriedly when they reached the school gates. Helga didn't answer, but simply turned her head to look at Arnold who had Gerald jogging behind him. When the two boys approached the girls at the school gates, she sighed deeply. "Bob… Bob found the picture." She explained, causing a gasp from the three friends who hadn't known. "When? How?" Lila asked worriedly. "Monday morning and…" Helga answered and scratched her head thoughtfully. "Because I forgot to put it back in my drawer before I went to school."

"I told you so!" Gerald said with a frown and pointed accusingly at Helga. "I know!" she answered as she slapped his hand away from her. "But saying that isn't helping." She added. "Wait, wait, wait. Helga, why didn't you tell us?" Phoebe asked in a tone that indicated she was hurt. Helga looked guiltily at her. "I… I'm telling you now, aren't I?" she answered. Gerald frowned. "Not telling us such things will make us worry more! And may I just say, Pataki, ew! You stink!" he pointed out and put his hand to his nose.

Arnold stabbed an elbow into Gerald's ribs while Helga simply rolled her eyes. "Hey, you try to sleep for two nights straight inside a treehouse and see how good you smell after that; that's why I wanted to keep my coat on to begin with!" she explained. "You've been sleeping in Mighty Pete?" Lila asked in surprise. "Yeah, where else was I supposed to go?" Helga asked. "To my house!" both Phoebe and Lila answered, looking shortly at each other in surprise, but turned back to frown at Helga right after.

"That's also why I'm telling you guys now… I don't have anything inside that treehouse to keep me alive and I've probably lost my job already." Helga replied. "No." Arnold answered, making the others turn their heads to look at him. "Mrs. Vitello was just worried about you. You can go back to work today and she won't sent you away." He explained. "How can she forgive me after not going to work for two days straight without any explanation?" she asked skeptically.

"Uh… Mrs. Vitello sorta… knows… about the incident that is, not the pregnancy." Arnold answered before biting his lower lip. Helga went bulge-eyed. "You told her?!" she asked in absolute disbelief. "No! I'd never do that! But… But it seems like the rumor has spread around the city." He answered. Helga groaned as she shut her eyes tight. "Great. Why don't they just write it in the freaking newspaper?" she suggested sarcastically before turning her back to the group and looking through the street towards the blue horizon.

"Well, that does solve a lot of issues." Helga observed thoughtfully. "How so?" Gerald asked skeptically. She turned to look at her friends over her shoulder. "I have a warm place to stay through most of the day. It's only the nights I really fear." She explained before looking towards the skyline again. "What about food?" Phoebe asked. "I'll buy food for the money I earn at Vitello Flowers." Helga answered. "You won't get paid until at least three weeks! Are you planning to starve until then?" Gerald asked. Helga started to chew at her lip, knowing far too well that her situation didn't look very good. "I'll figure something out."

"Helga." Arnold said firmly, stepping forward. Helga turned her body around to face him. "I can't believe I'm the one telling you this, but you're being way too positive." He said resolutely. Her eyes widened, as the others' eyes did as well. "Hey." she said before taking a step closer to Arnold and glared a little at him. "Ever heard of the expression 'I may not have a dime, but I got street savoir faire'?"

Arnold frowned in confusion. "No." he answered simply. "Well, now you have." Helga said before brushing past him. "Helga." Lila said pleadingly, about to grab her shoulder, but Helga turned around before she could do so. "I know that… none of you look at me like a charity case or anything." She said, clearly eyeing Arnold as she did so. "But I need to stand on my own two feet. I don't only have to think about myself here; I'm going to have a child soon and if I can't take care of myself, then how am I supposed to take care of a baby? So, please, until I'm on the verge of dying or killing Megamind… then let me try to do this myself."

No one knew what to say. Until a moment ago, they would all have agreed that Helga was being stupid and stubborn for not accepting their help… but how could they possible argue against that? Helga was right; she had been spoiled with money and materialistic things through her whole life until this moment. She didn't know how to work or take care of herself. The only way to learn was to try for yourself. It was still unnerving though for everyone.

"I guess that's true." Phoebe muttered reluctantly. "Yes, I believe so too. A mom needs to take care of her child in her own way…" Lila said with determination in her eyes, not noticing how Helga's eyes widened at her words. "Even if it still makes me ever so nervous to leave you to yourself, Helga." She added and finally looked towards her, noticing the somehow shocked expression on her face. "Helga?"

The rest looked at Helga as well as she seemed to have frozen. "Helga?" Phoebe asked softly and placed a gentle hand on Helga's shoulder, causing the girl to flinch in surprise. She chuckled nervously, looking almost as if she found herself silly. "I'm… stupid. I've been saying and thinking… 'I'm going to have a child soon', 'I'm going to have a baby' and so on, but…" she said and chuckled tensely again. "Not once have I… have I thought that I… am going to become a… mom."

The others stared blankly at Helga until she seemed to gasp for air. "L-Let's get you to the bench." Phoebe suggested, swung Helga's arm over her shoulder and started walking with her. Helga followed her slightly clumsily, but she didn't seem about to pass out or any such thing as she sat down. "Here." Arnold said and offered Helga a bottle of water he had pulled out of his bag the second he saw her eyes go all jittery.

Helga opened her eyes to grab the bottle, but saw three bottles in front of her. Feeling frustrated at being so dizzy because of such a silly revelation, she grabbed the bottle in the middle stubbornly. She grabbed both the bottle and Arnold's hand in the process, causing him to gasp at the sudden contact. Not realizing that she had grabbed his hand as well, she brought the bottle to her lips and drank from it. Arnold blushed a bit as he held the bottle to her mouth, feeling shy about practically nursing her.

When Helga let go of the bottle, she opened her eyes and noticed how there was still three of everything in front of her. "Thanks… and sorry. I just didn't know which bottle to grab." She explained as if that would make sense. Arnold's eyes went wide and he crouched in front of Helga. "What do you mean? Are you seeing double?" he asked worriedly. She smiled goofily. "You have six pair of emerald eyes, so more like triple."

Arnold couldn't help the very small blush forming on his cheeks at the description of his eyes, but shoved away his unnecessarily fast-beating heart and placed Helga's hand atop of her head. While taking ahold of her other hand and placing that one over the other, she realized what he was doing and she slowly spread her legs a bit and bend forward. She closed her eyes and took deep, slow breaths to calm herself down. Arnold kept a hand on her head for a while, but removed it after a few seconds.

When Arnold saw Helga's eyelids slowly flutter open, he stood up. "How many feet do you see?" he asked, hoping for her to of course only see two of her own. "… Four." She answered. With a sigh, he crouched in front of her again. "Drink more water." He inquired, until she held her head up and looked at him once again. "I can see your feet too." She explained with a lopsided grin. He just… stared at her. He didn't know why, but he started smiling at her small joke. What was it that was so undeniably charming about her all of a sudden?

"She's fine." Arnold stated with a smile and straightened his knees to stand up again. "Relatively." Helga corrected and took a deep breath. "Why did I freak out about such a small thing…? I mean, having a child, becoming a mom, it's the same thing, right?" She asked, but as soon as she asked the question, her eyes widened again. "From now on the word 'mom' is forbidden, got it? The punishment will be a stroke of lightning."

"Or the Helga Pataki glare of death." Gerald added to lighten the mood. Helga glared at him and he smiled. "Yeah, there it is." He observed with a chuckle. Helga snickered, but it soon turned into a very heartfelt warm laughter that almost felt contagious. The rest of the people around her laughed along with her. Arnold couldn't help the very big smile he had on his lips as he saw Helga laugh like this for the first time in a very long time. She was definitely recovering, and he just hoped that this wouldn't take away her spirit in the end.

When Helga stopped laughing, she cringed her nose. "I really do need some new clothes and a shower though." She muttered as she looked at herself. "I concur!" Gerald replied, earning a stuck out tongue from Helga. "You can come to my place after school, Helga. I have some clothes you can borrow too." Lila said. Helga smiled at her. "Thanks… Do you own any pants though?" she couldn't help but ask. Lila giggled and nodded. "My dad has bought me ever so many through the years. It's like he hasn't realized I don't wear them."

"Oh, thank God!" Helga exclaimed, truly happy she didn't have to wear one of Lila's many plaid skirts. The group chuckled at her exclamation and she finally stood up. She was wobbly for a second, but quickly steadied herself. "Well… turns out this whole talking-about-things really does help, so… can we go back to school and just pretend everything is normal again?" she asked. "Those two statements have nothing to do with each other, but sure." Gerald asked, grabbed Helga's shoulder and caressed it for a bit in a warming motion.

Helga tensed instantly at the touch from the male next to her. Arnold noticed, grabbed Gerald's head and pulled him away roughly, having felt something inside him cringe as soon as Gerald had lifted his arm to give Helga a sideways hold. "Ow! What gives?" Gerald asked, grabbing his head as if that would make the slight pain go away. "Idiot!" Arnold whispered and gave him an elbow to his ribs once again that day. "What? Helga doesn't mind you touching her; why am I different?" he asked with a sour look.

"It's not you who's different, Gerald, it's Arnold who's different. Isn't that ever so true, Helga?" Lila asked with a smirk on her face, hidden behind the usual sincere smile. Helga turned to look at the red-haired girl in a mix of curiosity and anger. Arnold himself was looking at the side of Helga's face, anticipating whatever answer she'd might give. Her eyes darted towards him for a second, before she coughed in slight discomfort. "Of course!" she stated and gave a lopsided grin in Arnold's direction. "Arnold wouldn't even hurt a fly; how could he possibly scare me?"

Helga knew she had just lied. In two different ways even. On one hand, she wasn't not scared of Arnold because she knew he wouldn't hurt her, though she knew that was true as well. The reason because of her lack of fear was that she trusted him, if any male in the world. On the other hand, she had lied because she definitely was scared of him like any male in the world. He made her tense up as Gerald also did and not always in the usual 'oh-he's-standing-so-close-to-me' way. These mixed feelings around Arnold of all people seemed to tear her up more and more. It would be so much easier if she could just love him or fear him; this endless turmoil was slowly scarring her.

Arnold was also feeling mixed up inside at Helga's answer. On one hand, he was happy that he seemed to be the exception to her fear of men, which of course would make anyone happy. On the other hand, her reasoning had hurt him a bit. He had hoped it was simply because she trusted him… that he had managed to make her trust him through the years, not because he was such a kind soul. He felt disappointed… and he didn't understand why.

On Gerald's side, he was only feeling one thing; confusion. "That's not fair!" he started, pulling Arnold and Helga out of their thoughts. "You think that your best friend's boyfriend would hurt you either?" he asked. "No, of course not, but I don't decide how my body reacts, Gerald!" Helga answered, getting tired of his endless complaining. She felt like getting angry, but caught herself not able to. Not truly at least. What's the matter with me? She thought as she chewed at her lower lip. "It just happens. If it makes you feel any better, then even Brainy freaks me out a little."

"Brainy's always freaked you out, Helga." Arnold stated simply. "Yes, but… not this way." Helga replied as she nudged her foot into an invisible hole in the ground. "Harold's also still acting really weird." She added with an uncomfortable grin. "He still blames himself?" Phoebe asked which Helga nodded at in response. "Yeah… I've tried talking to him several times, but he seems pretty stubborn… and Patty's mad at me for letting him feel responsible it seems."

"What? But that's ever so unfair!" Lila bellowed. "Yeah, but the girl's got quite the temper; what you gotta do? I tried talking to the both of them, but Harold keeps blaming himself and while Patty does feel bad for me, she mostly wants Harold to realize it wasn't his fault. Just like I want him to realize that too." Helga explained and gave a small shrug as she crossed her arms. "What happened that night was my fault alone; I shouldn't have…"

Helga didn't seem to want to finish her sentence for some reason, and the others settled with trying to figure out that ending to that sentence on their own. 'I shouldn't have gone on my own', 'I shouldn't have provoked him' and 'I shouldn't have told anyone about it' seemed to be the sentences, they feared was what she would have said. They didn't dare trying to question her about it though; they dreaded the answer far too much.

"Well! Anyways, let's get inside again. I hope this day will be over soon so I can take a shower and put on some fresh… Oh, wait, I need to go to Mrs. Vitello straight after school." Helga suddenly remembered and groaned at the way back of her throat. "No need." Arnold chimed in. "I can go tell her the situation and work in your place until you come back."

"Really?" Helga asked. Arnold nodded. She sighed in relief and stepped closer to him. "Thank you… you buttinski." She said before flicking his hat off his head and turned around with a grin. Arnold chuckled as he grabbed his hat from the ground and smiled warmly at her. She stuck her tongue out at him as she walked backwards. "Let's head inside already. Megamind's freezing!" she said. "And so is its mommy." Gerald pointed out while he and Arnold walked after the girls. Helga gave him a sideways glare, but he simply put his hands up in mock defense. "Hey, you said that the forbidden word was 'mom'; you said nothing about mommy."

"Arnold!"

The boy, whose name had just been called, looked up from the bouquet of flowers he had been about to place in a bucket of water out in the shop-part of the flower shop. "Helga!" he answered with a smile when he saw the blonde girl jog inside the room. She was panting heavily, having obviously run all the way from Lila's house to Vitello Flowers.

Arnold eyed Helga's new clothes for a second. She had her coat in her arm, having ripped it off her body on the way to be able to start working as soon as she got there. On her legs were a pair of light blue jeans and on her upper body, a white turtleneck blouse, obviously warm against the cold weather. He wasn't sure why, but it suited her endlessly and he felt his heart leap for a short second.

Helga lifted her head and smiled at Arnold. "Thanks for… covering for me." She said tiredly and arched her back, exposing very little of her stomach in the process. Arnold noticed instantly and looked away. "Uh… you're welcome, but… seems like Lila's blouse is too small for you, huh?" he observed shyly. She looked down at herself and pulled the blouse down a bit. "Uh, yeah, s-since… Lila's chest is a little smaller, so…" she answered, but then coughed in discomfort and went towards the back of the shop.

She's saying that as if I didn't know already. Arnold admitted in his head. He wasn't a boy who objectified girls and he definitely didn't catch glimpses whenever he got the chance or anything like that, but being a boy, who talks with other boys, it was unavoidable for him not to hear the other boys' opinions about the girls. He remembered a very embarrassing discussion he had been exposed to once where the big topic had been if Lila's small chest was charming along her personality, while Helga's big 'knockers' made her more intimidating… or something like that. He had tried to block the conversation out of his mind, but the words had been carved into his mind, especially after the boys had asked his opinion. He never managed to answer; he had been far too flustered. He had just hit puberty, for heaven's sake, he wasn't nearly in that stage yet back then. Not that he was now.

It had gone worse when Arnold started dating Gloria back in the very beginning of puberty. When 'Arnold, the shy guy' finally got a girlfriend, he and Gloria became the big topic. The boys wouldn't leave him alone and asked him all sorts of private questions. He always dismissed them, not only because he didn't want to talk about things like that, but also because he never went far enough with Gloria to satisfy his hormone-filled friends.

Gloria was this sweet girl he had known of through his childhood, but had never truly met or anything. After one of Rhonda's parties, he had gotten to know her and started dating her later on. Their relationship had lasted for about a half year, which was pretty well done for a first relationship at that frail age. It had been his longest relationship for now. It was almost as if he kept falling for the wrong girls. Gloria had something he really liked, though he never was able to put his finger on it, no matter how hard he tried or how many times she asked. They had broken up on good terms, both of them realizing that while they did get along greatly, they were more like friends were than lovers. After that, his endless stream with bad luck around girls had come back. He seemed to fall for girls who only used him for his kindness… and he never realized until it was too late.

Arnold frowned at the turn his thoughts had taken. He gave a sigh, reminding himself once again why he hadn't dated since he turned fifteen and finally placed the bouquet in the bucket of water. "Yes, thank you, Mrs. Vitello. I promise I'm back and ready to work now." He heard Helga say from the back of the shop. When he turned around, she and Mrs. Vitello were on their way inside. "That's good. That means you can go home now, Arnold." The elder woman said with a gentle smile.

"You sure you're gonna be ok, Helga?" Arnold asked as he walked past her and grabbed his coat. "Yeah. Again, thanks for covering for me." She answered with a grateful smile. "Anytime. Call me if you need anything, ok?" he requested as he wrapped his coat around his body. Helga rolled her eyes, but nodded in relinquishment. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, go home! I've got work to do." She pointed out before disappearing in the back of the shop.

Arnold chuckled and he noticed that so did Mrs. Vitello. "She's really something, isn't she?" she asked with a somehow knowing smile. Arnold's eyebrows furrowed a little in confusion, but he simply nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she's… something." He answered with yet another chuckle. "I've noticed that you always seem to come to her rescue." The elder woman inquired, almost sounding unnecessarily innocent. "Uh…" he muttered and started to scratch his neck. "Yeah, I guess… so."

"You really care about her, don't you?" Mrs. Vitello asked with a not so innocent smile this time. Arnold could feel his heart stop at the question. "Wha-What's with the third degree, Mrs. Vitello?" he asked with an anxious chuckle. She shrugged. "A-Anyways. I need to head home. Goodbye." He added before practically jogging out of the shop, totally missing the smirk on Mrs. Vitello's face as he did so.

While Arnold went on his way home, he couldn't forget the odd look on Mrs. Vitello's face when she asked him about Helga… or her reaction when she had seen him running into the shop, telling her that he'd cover for Helga until she arrived. It was as if she knew exactly why he was there, and that she knew that he didn't know why himself. Well, yes, he knew he cared for Helga and wanted her to be safe… He just couldn't figure out why it seemed there was nothing he wouldn't do for her.

When Arnold got home, his grandpa called for him from inside the living room. "There's a letter from your parents, Shortman!" he yelled. Arnold's face lit right up and he pulled his coat off violently, snuck his feet out of the shoes and ran into the room. "Give me!" he begged like a child at Christmas. Phil held the letter up for him to grab and while he ran towards the couch, he grabbed the letter before throwing himself on it. He opened it eagerly and started to read.

As Arnold read the update about the disease in San Lorenzo, how his parents were doing and so on, he started to feel his worries melt away… slightly. His heart did warm up quite a lot though just from hearing from them. It at least meant they weren't dead, captured or… anything worse; if such a thing existed.

Arnold placed the letter at his heart and leaned back in the couch. He knew it would still take quite the time before he would see his parents again, but just knowing that they were alive and well gave him quite the peace of mind. "They doing well, Shortman?" Phil asked with a smile. "You have a letter of your own, so you know the answer already." Arnold observed as he eyed the letter in Phil's hand. "What letter?" the older man asked innocently and hid the letter behind his back.

Arnold chuckled as he sat up. He looked the letter over once again and caressed it lovingly. The smile on his lips didn't take long to fade though as the memories of where Helga would soon be going to spend the night came back to his mind. "Not even a letter from your parents can take your mind off Helga, huh?" Phil observed with a lopsided grin. Arnold looked up from the letter. "Is it that obvious?"

"Oh, yeah…" Phil answered with a singsong tone to his voice before chuckling. Arnold rolled his eyes and leaned back in the couch again, pulling his sock-clad feet onto the seat. "It seems like I'm even more of a worrywart around her." He stated. "Oh, so you're starting to realize?" Phil asked as he winked at his grandson. "Realize what?" Arnold asked, but the very knowing smile on his grandpa's face, made him roll his eyes in realization. "I'm not in love with Helga!"

"You sure seem like you are, Shortman." Phil observed. "Why?" Arnold finally asked, not sure if he truly wanted to hear the answer. "Well, first of all you worry more about Helga than your parents lately. Since two months ago, you haven't asked about them or been checking the mailbox as often." Phil answered. Arnold's eyes widened. "Seriously?" he asked in slight horror. He felt awful about clearly forgetting his parents during this time, but he couldn't let himself feel truly guilty. He couldn't help his parents, but he could help Helga. That was… That was the only reason. It had to be.

"So I've been more focused on Helga… How could I not? Her life is slowly falling apart; am I supposed to just leave her alone?" Arnold asked in defense. "Of course not! But with the way things are going now, I wouldn't be surprised if you invited her to move in with us in the boarding house tomorrow." Phil asked with a toothless grin. Arnold cocked his head to the side. "Why tomorrow?" he asked. "See; another proof of you forgetting everything that doesn't have something to do with Helga." Phil stated with the never-leaving grin. "It's Thanksgiving tomorrow, Shortman!"

Arnold blinked a couple of times, and then smacked his forehead loudly. "I forgot Thanksgiving!" he declared in slight horror, but smiled at his own denseness. "You've never forgotten Thanksgiving before. You never forget stuff like that." Phil observed with a lopsided grin. "A lot of things have just been on my mind." Arnold answered with a shrug, standing up from the couch. "Helga is one person; not a lot of things." Phil corrected as his grandson walked past him and out of the room.

Arnold rolled his eyes as he looked at the letter in his hand. I can't believe I actually forgot about my parents for almost two months… Am I really that worried about Helga? And why do both Mrs. Vitello and grandpa seem to think that there's more between Helga and me? He thought and finally stopped in front of his room with a pensive look on his face. Why does it feel like everyone knows something I don't?

Author's 2nd note: Yeah, I made an 'Oliver and company' reference, damn it, what'cha gonna do? Sue me?! xD I like that song… I really do; when my mom and I had financial trouble, I told her this was our song. We never ended up on the street or anything, it wasn't nearly as bad, but we both felt pretty bummed because of the lack of money :P