I powered through my writer's block by writing a short one shot of Arnold and Helga (not related to this story). Would anyone be interested in reading it? I had fun writing it, as it is super fluffy and it brought me out of my awful writer's block! Anywho, here is Chapter 21! The next few chapters after this one are filled with emotions and turmoil, so be prepared! You'll have an idea at the end of this chapter! I hope you all enjoy it!

Arnold woke up from the sunlight piercing its way through his room. He sat up in bed and looked at his sleep clothes, remembering last night's situation. He frowned as he realized that the shirt no longer smelt of Helga and vanilla, the scent masked with his own. He got up and changed quickly, wanting to get to Helga as soon as possible. He felt even worse now that it was morning than he did last night. A new day that was still haunted by previous days mistakes. He checked the clock and saw that it was ten thirty-two. It was still somewhat early, and he hoped he could catch Helga at her house.

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Helga woke up with a pounding headache, her eyes still slightly swollen from crying last night. She turned over and looked at the clock. Helga groaned when she saw that it was nine forty-six.

Waking up this early on a Sunday should be illegal.

Helga rolled out of bed, her eyes now itchy and her hair knotted from tossing and turning all night. She got perhaps four hours of sleep if she was lucky. She knew she would never be able to get back to sleep now, though. She walked over to the bathroom mirror and took a good look at herself. Her face still had red splotches on it, her eyes were bloodshot and she felt like her lungs were breathing in water. Her throat was sore from screaming and she even had dark circles underneath her eyes from lack of sleep. She straight up looked like the Grim Reaper's daughter.

"Might as well start the day." She mumbled to her reflection. She went to her room and got dressed into her typical outfit until she reached over for her locket by habit. It wasn't on her bedside table, then she realized it was on the floor all the way across her room. She approached it like it was a poisonous snake, afraid it would strike at her. She delicately picked it up and looked at the picture staring back at her. The locket itself was cracked and she saw it as a cruel irony. She lifted it as if she was about to put it on, then thought better on it. She wished she was still angry at Arnold for what he said. She was used to feeling anger, shoot, she was comfortable in it. Anger was a welcomed emotion inside her own mind, but that wasn't what filled her heart this time. It was hurt. Pure and raw hurt. The kind of hurt that made her stomach do flips, causing her to nearly dry heave. She felt another scream try to claw it's way up her scorched throat, but she shoved it back down. She walked back over to her bedside calmly and placed the locket right where it should be.

She knew it didn't belong on her neck right now.

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"Man, why don't you just go over and talk to her?" Gerald asked over the kitchen table. Arnold played with his breakfast cereal that floated in the milk. He almost went over but was too nervous to even think about stepping up to the Pataki front door. What if Helga opened the door and slammed it in his face? He wasn't sure if he could handle seeing her so upset again.

"What if she hates me now, Gerald?" Arnold let go of the spoon, letting it sink to the bottom of the bowl. He shoved it away, his appetite gone.

"Arnold, you didn't exactly lie when you called her a bully. She was laying into Elena pretty hard." Gerald leaned back in his chair, his plate that once held eggs and toast completely clean. Phil walked in and took a seat right beside Arnold.

"Girl trouble eating you up, Shortman?" He patted his grandson on the back gently, careful not to disturb his neck. Gerald got up and took his plate and Arnold's bowl to the sink.

"Yeah, grandpa. I really hurt Helga's feelings yesterday after we," Arnold looked at Gerald, who returned a look that read 'Don't say anything!'. Arnold made a decision to keep their 'firework incident' to themselves. He didn't want to worry everyone further, so as far as they knew, Santiago hadn't done anything yet. Him causing the accident was still speculation amongst the adults, as they didn't know about the conversation Arnold and Santiago had.

Arnold changed course quickly. "After we, uh, went to Slausens for ice cream. We came back home and got in a huge fight." Phil shook his head and 'hmmed' in thought.

"Have you tried apologizing?" Arnold could hear Gerald snicker behind him, which was basically him saying 'I told you so!'

"I was planning on going over to her house today, but I.. chickened out, I guess." Arnold mumbled to the floor. He knew that Helga had acted rudely towards Elena, and yes, she deserved to be scolded for her behavior. Arnold knew though that he should've tried to calm her down and talk to her on a calm and reasonable level, instead of screaming back at her.

"Well, Arnold, some thing's in life are really difficult to do, but it must be done." Phil gave Arnold a reassuring grin. Gerald stood over to Arnold's side, leaning against the fridge.

"Yeah, I understand. I just have to go over there and apologize to her. I just hope she'll listen to me and forgive me." His voice was so depressed and sullen, Phil couldn't help but feel for him. He remembered the plenty of arguments he and Gertie shared when they were children. Some of them resolved themselves within a few days, and some of them lasted a month! He truly knew how hard this was for Arnold, but he also knew that the connection they had wouldn't be ruined over one small screaming match.

"If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be to always do the thing that makes you scared. The best things usually happen as a result." Arnold took a side glance at his grandpa and felt much better. Sometimes he forgot how lucky he was to have such a wise grandpa. Nuts at times, but truly wise.

"Oh! And also-"

Gerald and Arnold finished in unison. "Never eat raspberries."

Phil felt his stomach rumble in discomfort as if on cue. "I swear if Pookie doesn't stop slipping those berries in my dessert..." He grumbled as he made a beeline for the bathroom.

Gerald took Phil's seat and looked at Arnold pointedly. "So. What's the plan?"

Arnold looked from the table to his best friend. "I think it's time for me to visit Helga." Gerald smiled at him as they both made their way towards the front door.

"You're a bold kid, Arnold. A bold kid."

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"Double chocolate ice cream sundae, extra sprinkles, two cherries, no funny business!" Helga shook her fist at the adolescent teenager taking her and Phoebe's order. He wrote quickly on his notepad. He then looked to Phoebe waiting for her order.

"I'll just have a banana milkshake, please." The teenager smiled in gratitude for Phoebe not being as forceful as Helga was.

"Right away, ladies." His voice broke, thanks to puberty, and quickly made his way behind the counter.

"Thanks for taking me to Slausens, Pheebz." Her best friend nodded in response.

"Absolutely, Helga. I know you need some cheering up." Helga nodded, leaning back in her booth. Phoebe twiddled her thumbs until she couldn't bite her tongue any longer.

"Helga, are you willing to speak to Arnold right now?" Helga let out a brisk chuckle.

"What for? So he can call me more names?"

Phoebe sighed impatiently and leaned towards Helga, both arms on the table. "Helga, you have to admit, you were being a bit mean to Elena." Helga shot up towards Phoebe, her eyes wide.

"Who's side are you on here, Phoebe?"

"I'm not on any side Helga! Yes, Arnold shouldn't have blown up like he did, but you shouldn't have been so ugly towards Elena." Helga took her seat again, knowing that Phoebe was right.

Boy, I hate it when she's right. Which is all the time.

"Helga, everyone was on edge with what happened yesterday. Could you really blame Elena for being so terrified? Plus, she knows Santiago better than any one of us. If anyone knows what he is capable of, it's her." Helga folded her arms and stared out the window.

Criminey, why does she have to make valid points too?

"She still didn't have to be such a pessimist," Helga spoke barely above a whisper. Phoebe couldn't help but let out a harsh laugh.

"Helga, weren't you the one who said that our substitute teacher was an evil spy from Europe just became she gave you a B- on your essay?"

"Hey! Ms. Felter was hiding something, I just know it!" Helga wagged her finger in denial. She couldn't quite place it, but she didn't like her from the beginning for some reason.

"My point is why do you have such a problem was pessimistic views all of a sudden?" Before Helga could respond, the guy placed their desserts in front of them.

"You guys enjoy!" He called out as he walked away. Helga dug into her ice cream, chocolate syrup smearing on her face.

"Helga?" Phoebe pushed as she dug a spoon in her milkshake. Helga groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Because, Phoebe, I can't afford to see the negative side right now. Not with.." Helga stopped talking, as she thought about everything that had happened in the past few days. She won over Arnold, she got the date she'd only dreamt of, and now his life and everyone else's lives were hanging in the balance.

Phoebe reached over and grabbed Helga's hand. "We're all scared, Helga. It's ok to admit that. Right now though, Arnold needs you."

Helga took her hand back and took another bite out of her sundae. "He doesn't need me."

Right when Phoebe was about to lose her cool, she heard the ding of the bell as someone entered Slausens. She looked up and saw a familiar tall afro along with blonde hair.

"Then why is he standing right behind you?" Helga looked up from her ice cream to Phoebe, who had a smug look on her face. She whipped her head around and saw Gerald and Arnold standing behind her booth. Arnold looked at her with fear and sadness, which made Helga's stomach curdle. She loathed seeing him look so uncomfortable. She couldn't deny though, that she still felt a sting looking at the face that caused her so much grief.

"So what, you're stalking me now, Football head?" She spat out hatefully. Both boys walked around and faced the table.

"I went to your house to talk to you, your mom said you had left with Phoebe. She didn't know where you guys went, so I assumed you guys either went to the arcade or here." Arnold placed a hand on the table, turning towards Helga.

"Good for you, you want a cookie?" Helga sat back and folded her arms. She hated that he looked so adorable, even in that stupid neck brace.

"No, I want to talk, Helga."

Phoebe stood up from her empty glass and left a ten dollar bill on the table. "I think that's my cue to leave. This will cover both of our desserts." She slid the bill across the counter.

"No, that's your cue to park it and not leave me," Helga said desperately. Phoebe shook her head in defiance.

"Sorry, Helga. I'm doing this because I care about you. Shall we?" She looked toward Gerald, who had an arm stuck out as an invitation for her to take it.

"Oh, we shall. See ya, Arnold!" Both blondes watched as their best friends left the shop. Arnold took Phoebe's seat and stared at Helga expectantly.

"If you think that I'm starting this heart to heart moment, Arnaldo, then you've got another thing coming." Helga remained in her position of folded arms and scowled unibrow.

"Helga, please just listen to me. Just hear me out, and if when I'm done you never want to talk to me again, I'll understand. I'll let you leave here and I won't stop you."

Helga relaxed her glare, only slightly. "You have five minutes, and not a second more." Arnold thought she was joking, but he noticed her glance towards the clock. He knew instantly he was on a time limit.

"Helga, you have to admit that you were being harsh towards Elena."

She was about to speak up, but Arnold beat her to it. "BUT that doesn't justify me yelling at you like I did. I should've tried to calm you down and talk to you maturely. We were both in the wrong. So, I'm sorry for hurting your feelings. Two wrongs don't make a right, and if I could take it back I would." He leaned forward and tried to hold eye contact with Helga, but she was beginning to shoot her eyes anywhere but his.

"You have to know that I would never want to hurt you." He whispered. Helga finally looked into Arnold's eyes and couldn't fight it anymore. She let her arms fall, as she began to play with her fingers.

"I guess I maybe could've been a bit nicer to Elena. After all, what we did was pretty crazy." Helga giggled humorlessly. Arnold felt his spirits lift a bit, seeing Helga loosen up.

"Exactly! She was just scared like I'm sure the rest of us were." By this point, Helga and Arnold started to lean toward each other over the table.

"So..." Helga played with her hangnail on the table, averting eye contact once again. "...you don't hate me, then?" She was embarrassed that her voice sounded so weak and timid. She was terrified though. She really thought that she had lost Arnold for good last night. She knew deep in her heart that she was in the wrong and Arnold didn't really lie when he called her a big bully. Her whole life though, one of the main reasons she loved Arnold was because he was one of the few people who saw her as something more than a bully. And for him to turn around and tell her that that's all she was, it really hit her hard.

Arnold's eyes grew wide, grasping both of her hands tightly. "Helga, I could never hate you." She looked up and fought back the tears that were fighting their way to her tear ducts.

Criminey, can't I talk to Arnold without crying like a baby?

"Well, I mean you could...I know I make it easy for people to hate me..." Helga rubbed Arnold's fingers with her own gently. His skin was so soft, his hands so warm. She couldn't imagine not being able to hold his hands ever again or feel his hugs anymore. A life without Arnold really wasn't a life worth living.

"True, you can be difficult at times. Not going to lie, you sometimes make me want to rip my own hair out." Helga began to frown.

"But I'd rather be in love with you and deal with your emotional outbursts than be with anyone else."

Helga gave him a watery smile as she scooted her sundae away, reached over the counter, and gave Arnold a loving kiss. Even though it was a short kiss, it held so many emotions in it that both of them were dizzy by the end of it.

"And I'd rather be in love with you and deal with your goody two shoe ways." Helga snickered. Arnold shot her a look as he stood up from the table.

"Ha ha, very funny. Want to go ahead and go? I'll walk you home." He held out his hand, which Helga happily took.

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Helga and Arnold approached her front door, hand in hand when the door flew open before she could touch the doorknob. Miriam was standing in the doorway, her face wet with tears, her neck broke out into hives. It was clear she had been bawling for quite some time.

"Miriam? What's going on?" She let go of Arnold's hand and ran up the stairs. Arnold took a couple of steps up, standing behind Helga.

"Helga, I've got some bad news. Could you come inside and sit down?" Miriam's nose was clogged up, giving her a nasal voice.

"Just spit it out, Mom. What's happened?" She felt Arnold put a hand on her back. She had never seen Miriam like this, even when her and Bob got into a fight.

Miriam gripped the door panel in anguish, new tears making rivers down her red cheeks. "Helga, it's your grandmother, Geraldine."

Just like that, Helga's hearing became muffled. Black spots clouded her vision. The world stopped spinning, she could no longer feel Arnold's touch. She couldn't feel the concrete below her feet, nor her mother's arms wrap around her. She felt numb from the inside out. She heard one sentence ring through the static noise in her eardrums and if a sentence could be a knife, this was it. And it was stabbing her repeatedly. She felt all of the blood drain from her face. The skin on skin contact felt foreign, and so did this feeling. All because of one sentence.

"She died this morning. I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

I know this ended on a sad note, but I cannot wait to share the backstory of Helga and her grandmother's close relationship! It's clear from Helga's reaction that Geraldine meant a lot to her. They never mentioned her grandmother in the show, but I know she got her middle name from her grandmother. It'll be a precious chapter when I reveal the backstory (I'm thinking Chapter 23). I hope you're all enjoying it so far! Until next time my fellow Football Heads! xx