Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold or any of the characters. Hey Arnold is the property of Nickelodeon and Craig Bartlett.
A Broken Heart
Chapter 52: Second Chances
Previously
"Okay...I'll talk to him first thing after school...and I'll consider giving him another chance..."Helga said.
"Really?...Are you sure?..."Phoebe asked.
"Yeah...if I am able to feel regret about my own past...then Drake can too... I should at the very least hear him out.."Helga said as she got up.
Phoebe smiled, happy that her best friend no longer looked as miserable as she was earlier this day.
The two girls soon left the janitors closet to enjoy what little recess time they have left. Both of them are unaware of what the future has in store for them now.
"Where is she?..."Arnold said as he was looking for Helga.
He had been spending most of his recess time looking for her, and asked Gerald to do so as well.
A request the tall haired boy is now regretting.
"Arnold, recess is almost over...can you talk to Helga after school or something?..."Gerald asked.
"No, I have to talk to her now..."Arnold insisted and Gerald groaned.
"Maybe it help if you'd tell me what you have to talk to her about and why it's so dang important?..."Gerald asked and Arnold sighed.
"I told you that it's complicated Gerald...I promise I will tell you but first I really need to talk to her..."Arnold said and his best friend groaned.
"Fine..."Gerald said as he helped his friend look for the blonde girl.
After a while of searching, Arnold soon saw who he was looking for, drinking from the water fountain at the end of the hall, seemingly unaware of his presence. However, before Arnold could call for attention, the school bell rang, signalling the end of recess and soon students started rushing to get to class to avoid a tardy.
Helga got lost within the crowds.
"No, not again..."Arnold groaned in dismay before sighing.
"I told you we should have just played tether ball..."Gerald complained but his friend wasn't paying attention.
He was thinking of something else...about Helga.
He was going to talk to her, sooner or later.
He promised himself that he would and once he does, he'll make sure that everything will go back to normal...
"I'll talk to her later...and once everything is all talked out, everything will go back to how it was...before he came along..."Arnold thought as he decided to get to class before risking a tardy himself.
He and Gerald soon left for class, unaware of what was happening with the girl who he wished he could be close to...again.
Meanwhile
In the school's computer lab
Someone had been spending their recess time in the computer lab, currently writing something while everyone was out playing.
Once they finished typing, the person had a smirk on their face.
"Perfect...come tomorrow...the whole school will know..."The person said as they then clicked "print".
Later
After school
Helga was exiting the school, determined to go over to Drake's and to talk about their situation but before she could leave, someone called to her.
"HELGA!..."Arnold called and ran up to her.
"Darn it..."Helga thought as she realized she couldn't avoid him forever like she wanted to do.
"Yes, Arnold..."Helga said in the same cold tone from earlier.
"Helga...look, about earlier today...I'm sorry that I dropped the bomb on you like that...but I was just worried...I know you are still in shock about what Drake did but...I just wanted to make sure that you were okay..."Arnold said in sincerity.
Helga sent her an angry look, but made the mistake of looking into his eyes again. Even at her most angry, she could never stay truly mad at Arnold for long...even now after he had crushed her heart over and over again with his mere presence.
Still..while he had been acting super weird this morning about Drake...maybe, from his point of view, he truly was just worried about her well-being and just wanted to make sure that she was okay.
"Criminy...this Football Head still makes it hard to be furious at him forever...I guess he really didn't mean any harm and it is probably better that I learned about Drake's past sooner rather than later...I just wish that Drake was the one who told me instead of him.."Helga thought in frustration before sighing.
"I'm fine, Arnold..."Helga said as she finally faced him and saw Arnold smile at that.
"Thank goodness, I was worried when you missed first period this morning..."Arnold said.
"Where did you go?..."Arnold asked and Helga wondered why that was any of his business but she is too tired to start a fight and she needs to talk to Drake.
"I needed to see for myself if what you showed me was true..."Helga said and soon Arnold's eyes widened and went from sincere to glaring?
Huh?
"Did you go to speak to Drake?...'Arnold asked in concern and maybe anger.
Helga blinked.
"I don't see how that is any of your business but yeah, I had to ask him if what you showed me was true and he admitted it..."Helga said and Arnold blinked.
"Oh, I see..."Arnold said and Helga raised a brow at that.
"Why do you care so much?..."Helga demanded and Arnold sent her a look.
"Because I care about you, Helga..."Arnold said and Helga's anger, heartbreak and frustrations were briefly replaced with a small sliver of what she used to feel whenever Arnold showed signs that he had cared about her in the past.
However, she remembered the reality she lives in and snapped out of it...since she knew what she had to do.
"Well, I am fine now...and if you don't mind...I think I have spent enough time here at school as it is.."Helga said as she began walking again.
She then saw the look on his face and due to remembering the talk she had with Phoebe earlier, Helga stopped as she felt that same guilt from earlier happen.
Only it wasn't about her being a hypocrite towards Drake...it's about all of the rotten things she let her obsession make her do to Arnold...and how she never even apologized for it, unlike Drake who at least came clean on his end.
"Arnold..."Helga started.
"Yes, Helga.."Arnold said in a more hopeful way.
Helga saw it and sighed.
"I'm sorry..."She said, and Arnold looked confused...
She knew she had to clarify.
"I'm sorry about every mean and nasty thing I did to you since the day we met...you didn't deserve it..."Helga said...
"Helga, I've already forgiven you for that...but for what it's worth, I still forgive you..."Arnold said.
"It's not enough...but I don't know what else to do at this point..."Helga admitted.
"Helga...I forgave you for all the pranks, spit balls and everything in San Lorenzo when you saved my parents..."Arnold reassured her.
"You only forgave me for the stuff you were aware of..."Helga thought in shame, before sighing.
"Arnold...someday I will talk to you more about this...but just not now..."Helga said and Arnold blinked, before looking at her in confusion.
"Well...okay..."Arnold said in an unsure voice.
It wasn't enough but Helga couldn't do anything more at this point, especially since there is another boy she desperately needs to speak to right now.
Helga saw the look on his face and the residual feelings she still had for him came up a bit, enough to soften her expression and make her guilt...for everything she has done to him.
"So...are you sure that you are okay?..."Arnold asked.
"I'm fine...I talked with Phoebe and everything is clear now..."Helga said and Arnold smiled.
"Great...so...anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house to hang out.."Arnold suggested.
"I can't...I'm busy..."Helga said.
"Busy with what?..."Arnold asked and now Helga got annoyed by his prying.
"None of your business, Football Head!..."Helga said, only to regret it when she saw his look again.
Helga sighed and tried to retain her focus.
"I just really have to go...goodbye Arnold..."Helga said as she started walking away.
Arnold was confused and nodded.
"Goodbye, Helga..."Arnold said as he watched her walk away.
He felt strange. He exposed Drake, Helga accepts the facts and even apologized to him and she said she is okay.
Why does he feel that something still isn't right?
Later
At The Sanchez Residence
Helga had knocked on Drake's door and his mother Carmen was the one to answer it.
"Oh...Hello, Helga dear..."Carmen greeted the young girl.
"Hi..."Helga said, feeling awkward due to the circumstances.
"Is...is Drake home? I really need to speak to him..."Helga said.
"He is in his room...I'll go get him..."Carmen said as she invited the young girl into her home.
"Car-...Mrs. Sanchez...about earlier I-..."
"I know why you were surprised and part of me can't blame you but my Drakie is a good boy and he learned his lesson...just try and remember that when you speak to him..."Carmen said as she went to go send her son in.
Helga sighed as she sat on the couch and after what felt like a nightmarish eternity, Drake finally came into the living room, looking surprise when he saw her.
"Helga?..."Drake asked.
"Hey Drake..."Helga said.
"W-What are you doing here? I...I thought after this morning...that you'd never want to speak to me again..."Drake said and Helga sighed.
"I'll admit that thought crossed my mind...but Phoebe snapped me out of it and helped me realize some things..."Helga said and Drake looked confused.
"What kind of things?..."Drake asked as he sat down on a chair nearby as Helga continued to speak.
"That it's not fair to hold this against you...especially since you have already been punished and changed for the better...so, I forgive you for not telling me..."Helga said and Drake looked surprised when he heard that.
"I'll admit that I was mad that you didn't tell me on your own about...the incident, but at the same time, I can't fault you about it...since I have a few skeleton's in my own closet.."Helga admitted.
"What?..."Drake asked and Helga sighed, looking away in shame.
"I did some things in the past that I am not proud of too...some I am still not ready to talk about..."Helga said.
"I acted like a hypocrite this morning and I am sorry about that..."Helga said.
"Helga, I sincerely doubt that the things you did were any worse than the things I did..."Drake said and Helga looked away.
"Maybe...maybe not...but they were still bad..."Helga said and Drake raised a brow.
"Helga...I won't make you tell me until you are ready but I don't care about the person you used to be in the past, I care about the Helga I see right in front of me right now..."Drake said.
It made Helga act even more guilty about her attitude towards him and she knew that if she really wanted to have any sort of relationship with this guy, she had to be honest with him...but that is easier said than done...
But you have to start somewhere...
"I was a bully until sixth grade started and technically speaking, I don't think I stopped...I was really mean to a lot of kids...especially this one guy who didn't deserve it..."Helga said, looking away in shame.
"Why are you telling me this?...'Drake asked.
"Because you already told me the truth earlier about who you are..."Helga said.
"Helga, during my first week of school, I already knew you used to be a bully..."Drake said and Helga raised a brow.
"Your school spends a lot of time gossiping about each of the students..."He commented but Helga still looked surprised.
"And you still wanted to be around me?..."Helga questioned.
"I don't let rumors dictate who I should and shouldn't like...and I knew you weren't the bad person they made you out to be...besides, I liked you even when you were being a pain in my butt...though I do wonder what made you stop?...'Drake asked and Helga sighed.
"The guy who I was mean to...was the same guy who broke my heart..."Helga said and Drake looked surprised.
"I was a stupid kid, I acted mean to him so no one would know how I felt about him...and it cost me everything..."Helga admitted as she looked away.
"So...you were a pigtail puller?..."Drake asked.
"Excuse me?..."Helga questioned.
"It's an old expression...it means a kid acts mean to someone else because they have a crush on them...though it's more common with boys than with girls.."Drake said, not seeing a huge deal.
"Well, I was the mother of them and I don't blame him for not wanting me..."Helga said miserably and Drake frowned when he heard that as he suddenly got up.
"Don't say that!..."Drake suddenly yelled and Helga blinked.
"D-Drake?..."Helga questioned.
"Helga, you are a great girl and I don't care about your own past...you are a good person...I mean, you forgave me today...a mean bully doesn't forgive people, especially when they made as huge of screw up as I did..."Drake said in a passionate, angry sort of way.
"If that guy can't see past some pigtail pulling, it's his own lost but don't you ever let him make you feel like you aren't wonderful...any guy would be lucky to have you..."Drake said and Helga was stunned by what he just said.
Did he just say that Arnold is the one who is missing out on her?
"He...he really does care about me, doesn't he?..."Helga thought as she looked into Drake's eyes.
She knew that he meant what he said. She knew it when she looked into his green eyes. They were much closer due to Drake moving closer to her the more he spoke and tried to convince her that she was worth more than what she felt she was worth.
Before she even realized what she was doing, Helga found herself leaning forwards and her lips met Drake for a brief second, resulting in the two of them blushing and looking at each other in wide eyed shock.
'CRIMINY! WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING?!..."Helga thought in dismay, worried that she had scared off another potential boy who could like her.
Drake just looked stunned, before he smiled and leaned forward, resulting in another kiss between them that lasted a total of 3 seconds. All the misery she felt earlier was forgotten as she focused on this kiss with the boy who cares about her so much.
"Drake..."Helga thought before he pulled away.
Once that was done, the two were blushing as red as tomatoes.
"So...'Drake started, feeling a little awkward now.
"So...'Helga also started, not sure what to say...
"I was thinking-
"Do you-
Both tried to speak at the same time but stopped, blushed and tried to regain composure.
"Uh..you first..."Drake suggested.
"I...You kissed me again..."Helga said.
'You kissed me first..."Drake pointed out.
"Yeah...I guess I did..."Helga said.
"So...does this mean you like me, if not...I am getting a lot of mixed signals...'Drake said and Helga looked at him.
She thought about everything that has happened since she met him and her conversation with Phoebe. She took a deep breath and felt more confident when she said this.
"I do like you Drake...and as mad as I was earlier, I forgive you and...I am willing to give you another chance but you have to promise you won't hide anything this huge from me ever again..."Helga said in a serious tone.
"I promise..."Drake said without missing a beat.
Helga smiled when he said that and took his hand.
"Great...and...I am willing to give us a chance too..."Helga said and Drake smiled as he pulled out the necklace again.
"You mean it?..."Drake asked as he held the necklace out.
"Yeah...as you said, I'm not the same Helga I used to be and you're not the Mad Dragon anymore.. you're just Drake Sanchez, and that's who I like..."Helga said.
Drake smiled widely as he helped tie Helga's new necklace around her neck and Helga smiled, as she made her choice here and there.
She just hoped it was the right choice.
-To be continued-
Next time on A Broken Heart
Unexpected
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewers:
61394: Rhonda will appear soon, I can assure that.
Invader Johnny: Uh-huh, and that was addressed to here...
Madi Anivar: Yeah, we all wish we could have our own Phoebe, am I right? Also, how's this for Helga and happiness?
DanteVirgil09: How's this for now?
The J.A.M. a.k.a. Numbuh i: Uh-huh.
JayDogg187: Well, Helga at least apologized. As for Voz, he/she will appear again soon...I can't say when though...
:) Till next time beautiful people, remember to read and review :)