Author's Note: I do not own these characters. But I do love them.

23.

Helga texted Phoebe asking if she wanted to talk about it. She didn't. Arnold caught up with Gerald, asked what happened, playing dumb. He said it was complicated, he didn't want to go into it yet. No amount of poking or prodding or trying to be supportive was going to budge their best friends. Not today anyway. Phoebe and Gerald each made their escape, slipping away without any further difficult conversations - they had done enough for the day.

I'm already halfway home - sorry. I'll see you in the morning. Phoebe texted, replying to Helga. She now found herself following the current of students rushing through the halls to their after school plans.

When she came to the front of the school, near the trophy case, she spotted Arnold - talking to Lila. Lila was wearing tight jeans and a cute little green crop top. At the sight, a sneer curled Helga's lip. She did not try to hide it as she said, "Hey Lila. Football head."

"Hi Helga! Oh! Whatever happened to your eye?" The red head jumped on her, putting her hands on Helga's face.

"Woah, woah! Keep your hands to yourself there, girlie!" Arnold was stifling a laugh as Helga batted Lila away.

"I'm sorry. Is it painful? It looks ever so painful." Lila was doing her best to clench her hands tight.

"Yeah - I'm fine! Not that it is any of your business." Helga quickly shifted her focus to the laughing boy. They shared a chagrined kind of look - an understanding that the day had been rough.

"You wanna hang for a bit, Helga? Talk about - earlier?" Arnold said, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. Helga twitched a little, surprised at the offer.

"Uh - Yeah, yeah. That'd be - yeah." Helga stammered. Lila was looking slyly between the two, she had been forgotten. "I have work at 4, though."

"I drove today - I can give you a ride." He said - matter-of-fact. Helga nodded in agreement.

"Well - ok then!" Lila said brightly. "I'll see you on Friday?"

"Yeah, let's meet up for free period. We can practice before your presentation." Arnold said, remembering Lila was standing there.

"Oh! Arnold, thank you!" She hopped to him and hugged him tight. "You are really helping me out. I'll see you then!" Lila then skipped away. Arnold and Helga watched her go. Helga couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"I do not know what you see in her," said Helga.

"She's sweet, she's smart, she's funny." Helga sucked her teeth at him. To his credit he snipped right back. "Anyone can see those things. Plus, I'm not - looking - or whatever. We're just friends. Now, come on, Pataki." He took off, Helga smiled and followed.

"Where are we going?" Helga asked.

"Larry's Dawg Haus - right?" Arnold said and looked back at her over his shoulder.

Helga smiled. "Dope. Yeah - I'm starving."

They walked out to the car in silence. Once they slid into the Packard's front bench seat, Arnold sighed. "They didn't listen to each other at all. I've been thinking about it all day."

"God - I know. That was hard to watch." Helga said. "I'm so confused!

Arnold finally started the car, deftly operated the stick shift, backed up quickly, and whipped out of the spot. There was a slight lull as he shifted out of reverse and sped out of the parking lot. Helga reflexively clutched the door.

"I've never seen them like this." Helga said, more relaxed after a few minutes. They were halfway to Larry's. "I didn't think that - even if they went to different schools, I didn't think this would be a problem."

"I know. That was the plan - until the whole Quinceton thing - Gerald is so concerned about Phoebe going off on her own."

"Why though? Nothing Phoebe said was making any sense." Helga was sitting forward a bit - "Hey red light. Red Light!"

"I see it, Helga. It's ok." Arnold popped the car into neutral and braked hard. "It's like what Gerald said, Phoebe has been really struggling with anxiety and nervous issues for the last couple years." Arnold said.

"Yes she's stressed, but she's always stressed." Helga was getting annoyed. "He was talking like she was - I don't know - neurotic or something!"

"He says she tries to keep it from you." Arnold clearly didn't know how to break this news and he braced for impact.

"What is she keeping from me, exactly?" Helga demanded and turned a little in her seat.

"The way Gerald tells it, every essay, every test, every application - Phoebe wasn't eating or sleeping. She would cry hysterically, then turn around and rage. And that she is really really concerned about not being good enough - not being as good as everyone thinks she is. So frustrated with expectations - but can't let them go." Arnold said, recalling every time Gerald would come around looking worn and worried. "And apparently the panic attacks have gotten fairly bad over the last year."

They arrived at the Dawg Haus in silence. Helga was processing and trying desperately not to lash out. But all she wanted to do was tell Arnold and Gerald to fuck off - they don't know Phoebe. Not like she does. I mean, Helga knew that she was kinda the superhero to Phoebe's sidekick - but she never thought that was a bad thing or bad for their friendship. Why wouldn't she trust Helga with her shit? Breathe, Breathe - BREATHE. She was grinding her teeth and letting her eyes glaze over.

"Helga?" Arnold reached over and touched her arm. "You wanna go in?" She instinctively recoiled at his touch and shot a look at him.

Don't yell at him, Helga ol' girl. Don't do it. Instead she nodded and got out of the car.

He followed suit - she was well ahead of him, already inside, heading to her booth.

"Hey Blondie." Larry was looking after her as she sat. He looked concerned, but didn't want to pry. It wasn't his style to ask questions. "Hey football face."

"Hi Larry," Arnold said. Looking at Helga sulking he wondered how to approach her. She's pissed. That means danger. She doesn't understand - how can I help? He slid in across from her.

"Maybe she thinks you need her to be strong." He said, trying to break his way back into conversation.

"What?" She spat. Larry was already preparing the same order from the day before. The sizzle of peanut oil could be heard over the low radio.

"She's always been your right hand, right? Maybe she doesn't think she can lay her shit on you."

"What, like I never help her?" Helga's eyes were wide.

"No - that's not what I said." He stepped carefully. "I think - I think that she found her own identity and maybe her strength in not asking for help."

Helga scoffed a little, but her eyes were searching - he could tell she could hear him.

"I mean - with you as her best friend - you're the toughest person I know." Helga gave one half-hearted chuckle at that. "I'm sure she - she found strength in you. Didn't want to change that feeling with you."

"Found strength in me?" Helga rolled her eyes. "You're such a cheeseball." But she was calming down.

"Yeah yeah - my point is," Arnold continued. "Now that you know more - you can support her more."

"How?" she asked earnestly - though with a touch of resentment in her voice..

"I don't know - but you have to be patient. It really seems like Phoebe needs the space to freak out and feel safe."

"Ok Dr. Bill." Helga crossed her arms defensively.

"I'm serious, Helga." He said this calmly, "I'm not trying to tell you how to be her friend. But obviously she needs something different from you for now." He waited for Helga to snap back. But she didn't. She just looked sad.

Larry brought over their food and set it down gently. He also brought over a chocolate shake for Helga. His version of a hug, or a pat on the back, Arnold guessed.

"Thanks, Old Man," she said, kicking her feet to the ground and squaring up to her dinner.

The two ate for a while in comfortable silence. Helga thought about Phoebe and the very few times that Helga had to be the one bringing her best friend back to earth or the one to offer support. The time Phoebe fractured her leg; when she got promoted to the 6th grade and got taken advantage of; that time in 7th grade when Phoebe had accidentally peed her pants during the school day; then, of course, there was the hall monitor incident. She could count these events on her fingers.

Then she tried to count the times that Phoebe pulled her out of trouble, stroked her hair while she cried, or talked her off the ledge after Helga took another scheme a little too far. She lost count in the high thirties.

"You're right, football head," Helga said after a long time.

"What?" Arnold replied in shock. "Did you just say I was right?" He coughed a little, almost inhaling a bit of an onion ring.

"Yeah - don't let it go to your head. I don't think it could get any bigger." He smiled and flicked crumbs her way. "I just mean that, yeah - I want to help Phoebe."

"It's never too late," Arnold said, popping the last bit in his mouth. "We should probably get going - get you to work." They put money down, pulled themselves out of the booth and headed out.

"Bye, Larry. Say hi to Velma for me!" Larry nodded at her with a smile.

"Take care, Blondie!"

"We just gotta figure out how to get them talking to each other again." Helga said as they headed back to the car.

"I mean - yes support them but - you don't think we should let them figure it out?" Arnold probed, recalling her last piece of advice to him. "Maybe they need to let go or -" It definitely made him sad to think about, even if maybe it was right.

"No." Said Helga sharply. "There's no way we can let that happen. They are too in love to go out like this."

"So you do believe in love," Arnold said as they reached the car, smiling over the roof at Helga.

"I'm just saying if they can't make it, there is absolutely no hope for me." They slid into the car and there was a small shuffle and shifting as they accidentally bump into each other in the center.

"Here I was thinking that you hated love and all that cheeseball stuff," Arnold laughed, obviously trying to cheer her up.

"Oh shut up, football head," Helga was scrambling to get the focus off her. "You're the romantic here, man, not me," she said. I couldn't say if she spotted the irony.

"Why do people say that? How did I become the token hopeless romantic" Arnold asked, automatically driving toward Roscoe's, the vintage store he knew Helga worked at.

"Bahaha, because it's true, Arnoldo. Everyone has seen the way you go gaga over a girl. You become the definition of pussy-whipped." She was cackling.

"That is not true!" He protested through a smile.

"'Oh Lila, I just don't understand why you like me, but you don't like me like me!'" Helga said in a husky, earnest impression of a young Arnold.

"Oh my god," he said bashfully.

"Don't deny it - Everyone says it, because it's the truth." Looking at the golden boy laughing, Helga's heart fluttered happily - so naturally she had to ruin it. "Speaking of our favorite ginger, are you going to ask Little Miss Perfect to homecoming, seeing as y'all were getting all buddy buddy back at school? You're running out of time!"

Arnold's laugh caught in his throat. He'd actually been thinking about homecoming all the night before, he thought he had a little more time - but things are a little different now.

"Uh, no -" Arnold choked and then let the air get tense for a moment. "I was actually," oh my god, just do it! "I was actually thinking of asking you."

Helga stopped breathing. She could feel her pulse in her actual eyeballs.

"Wh-what?" Helga said.

"Yeah!" Arnold said on a big inhale, "But since you called my pussywhipped - I don't know!"

Helga punched him hard in the arm.

"Hey! I'm driving," he said, but he was still laughing. Helga wasn't, she was just staring at him. "Seriously, last night I was thinking that we could go together, then the four of us could all go as a group…"

Helga was trying so hard not to scream, not to hyperventilate, not to pass out. She let a smile cut through her face, then the reality set in.

"But things are a little different now." She said - trying not to sound too sad.

"Yeah - I don't know if they'll be up for Homecoming, by Saturday."

Helga feverishly was trying to do math in her head - how to make this happen. What the fuck was going on!

"No!" She said, too excitedly. "I mean, sure they will be. We'll make them be ready - I mean, help them - be ready."

Her body suddenly was full of energy and her brow was furrowed. He didn't know what to think or feel. Is she saying yes to him? "Oh, are you pro-homecoming now?"

"I mean, I just think that," Helga was desperate to cover up her girlish excitement. "I was also thinking we should make the most of our senior year, and stuff, that's all."

"Yeah, yeah, I agree." Arnold said through a persistent smile. She was saying yes to him and it lit a small confusing fire in his stomach.

"And - Our friends need our help," Helga said on an exhale. She realized she really meant that - that she couldn't dismiss Phoebe just because her Arnold dream was coming true - kinda. "Then we can all go together."

They pulled up to the store and Arnold turned to Helga. They sat there for a moment, just looking at each other. "So…is that a yes?" He chuckled just a little to release some of the pressure.

"Yeah. Th-that would be great." Helga said so quietly and simply.

"Great - " And it was great - he felt great. This very odd and out of character decision for them both, it felt nice - if not exactly right - if not also like a ploy to manipulate their friends. They both took a breath together. Arnold shifted a little as her answer settled into fact. "Now we just have three and a half days to help Phoebe and Gerald clear the air."

"Yeah," she replied. They both turned to face the front again…"Yeah, we'll think of a way."

"Yeah, for sure."

"OK…well, thanks for the ride, football head." She said, throwing the door open and clumsily getting out of the car.

"See you tomorrow, Helga." Arnold called after her, leaning lower onto the seat. She leaned down to meet his eye one more time.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." She smiled, bit her lip, and then turned and slammed the door.

24.

The painful racing of my heart

Is the only evidence I am yet living.

Oh, empty void of cruel, vapid darkness,

I have caught the last light of love.

The cool shine of a single star

Has traveled through time

To ask me

To take me

I'M GOING TO HOMECOMING WITH ARNOLD!