Hey Arnold!
Helga and Arnold, the TV Series - Chapter Nine
By Simmer 2000
Disclaimer: Lawyers, take note! I'm not saying that I own Hey Arnold by writing this. I'm just a kid writing a fan fic.
DAY FOUR
9:22 PM
Arnold had just finished writing his diary for the day when he entered Emotion Central. He sat down and stared into the mirror.
"Hi," said Arnold.
"Hello," said the woman behind the mirror. "What would you like to talk about?"
"When Helga and I were playing Truth or Dare, I let one of my friend's secrets slip. I don't think that he would appreciate his private life being shown to millions of viewers, so could you please not show that to the audience?"
"Sorry," said the woman sympathetically. "You know the rules - you are on camera 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with everything being shown to Internet viewers and highlights being shown every night on television. We're sorry - the game of Truth or Dare has to be shown to the audience."
"Okay," said Arnold with a sigh. "Sorry Gerald."
"How do you feel about Helga abandoning the game?" asked the woman.
Arnold had been so concerned about letting Gerald's secret slip that he hadn't had time to think about Helga's reaction to his question. What was the matter with her?
"I haven't really thought about it," admitted Arnold. "I am still mad at Helga for what she did, but since she is the only person here with me, it would make it a lot easier if we were friends. I'll try and talk to her tomorrow."
Arnold left the room, and started to get ready for bed.
***
It was midday the next day, and at PS 118, almost all of the fourth grade was gathered around one table in the school cafeteria. They were all talking excitedly about whether Helga would actually leave the house. For them, yesterday had been the most shocking day of the television program that they had watched yet, and the kids didn't seem to be able to talk about anything else.
"She can't leave, she just can't!" said Rhonda firmly. "The producers of the show won't let her leave in a hurry."
"Rhonda, they can't force her to stay!" Nadine told her. "She can leave whenever she likes!"
"I just wish we weren't in school!" moaned Rhonda. "I'd be watching the show live on the Internet!"
All of the kids who had access to the Internet agreed. The conversation carried on until Gerald, who had been the only person in Arnold's class who wasn't taking part in the discussion, walked towards the table with a newspaper.
"Oh, if it isn't Gerald!" teased Harold. "How do you feel about Phoebe today, Gerald? Do you want to kiss her?"
The game of Truth or Dare had been broadcast, and everybody now knew about Gerald's feelings for Phoebe. Gerald and Phoebe both went bright red in the face, but Gerald didn't say anything about Phoebe.
"Look at this!" he exclaimed, holding up the newspaper so that all of the other kids could see. The whole of the front page had been taken up with a report on the show, under the headline "I'm Leaving". A sub-heading read, "The House star Helga Pataki has had enough".
"Wow!" exclaimed Phoebe, amazed that the press was taking such a great amount of interest.
The newspaper was excitedly passed around the cafeteria table until everybody had read it and it was passed back to Gerald.
"Phoebe," said Gerald nervously. "Can I speak to you outside?"
"Sure," said Phoebe, and walked slowly outside the cafeteria to talk to Gerald.
"What's up, Gerald?" Harold shouted to him. "Don't you want to kiss her in front of us?"
"Ignore him," said Phoebe, once they were both outside the cafeteria. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Gerald stood silently for a moment, thinking about what he was going to say. Since he had seen the television show the previous night, he had been thinking about what he was going to say to Phoebe, but everything that he had rehearsed had suddenly been wiped from his memory. Gerald wasn't angry with Arnold; it had been Helga who had put him in such an awkward position. Gerald understood that it must be hard to keep a secret when cameras are watching you 24 hours a day.
"Well, about what Arnold said last night," started Gerald. "I don't know where he could have got such a crazy idea!"
"Don't worry," said Phoebe, who was grinning. "You don't have to be nervous. I like you, too!"
"Wow!" exclaimed Gerald happily. "That's great, it's brilliant!"
"Maybe you could come over to my house tonight, maybe we could watch The House together!" Phoebe laughed.
"I'll be there!" said Gerald immediately. "So, how much do you know about Helga's feelings for Arnold....."
Talking about the house had become a craze that the whole school had taken part in. Teachers were worried because classes couldn't keep quiet for more than five minutes, as students had to tell everybody about the latest bit of gossip that they had heard about the show. Even Wolfgang, who was known for teasing and bullying Arnold's class, had taken a sudden interest in the fourth graders, constantly asking the class questions about what they knew about Helga and Arnold.
But, it wasn't just Arnold's school who seemed to be addicted to the show, it had become a national obsession. It was amazing how many adults watched the show, even though the two stars were children. Offices came to a standstill as people watched live events from The House on their computers. Security around The House was at it's highest ever, as more and more people were trying to get close to it, to get messages to Helga and Arnold.
DAY FIVE
12:00 MIDDAY
The House had been silent for more then twelve hours, because Arnold and Helga were still asleep. Emotion Central had been waiting impatiently for Helga to wake up so they could ask her if she still wanted to leave The House. The production team did not want Helga to go, they all shared the opinion that viewing figures would drop without Helga, but they needed to know for sure if she was going to leave, because they needed to make preparations for a new contestant to replace Helga, if she was going to leave.
Emotion Central decided that it was time to wake both Arnold and Helga up, so they made an announcement over the PA system. "Could Helga please come to Emotion Central?" This announcement did not wake either of the housemates up, so the announcement was made again. "Could Helga please come to Emotion Central?" Again, the announcement did not wake either of the housemates up. After five more tries, Emotion Central gave up. Helga and Arnold were still sleeping peacefully.
2:07 PM
Arnold was disturbed by the sound of shouting from outside and woke up. He left his bedroom, still quite sleepy, and made his way to the garden. Three children had managed to get close enough to The House for Helga and Arnold to be able to hear them. They were shouting, "Arnold - Helga loves you!" but they were too far away for Arnold to be able to hear clearly, although he was sure that he could make out the word, "loves".
Arnold made his way to Emotion Central, happy to be reminded by the voices that had been shouting that there was still a world outside The House.
"Hi!" said Arnold, happily.
"Hello," said a man's voice.
"I think that I just heard voices from outside!" exclaimed Arnold. "They were saying something about love and I think that it's probably something to do with Truth or Dare last night. Helga wouldn't tell me who she had a crush on and maybe she told you. It was probably just some kids trying to tell me who she likes." Arnold laughed and then realised that he had no idea what time it was. "What time is it, anyway?" he asked.
"The time is 2:10 PM."
"Wow, I can't believe I slept in so late!" said Arnold, who sounded slightly amused. "I'd better go and wake up Helga, she'll probably be angry if she thinks that I let her sleep for hours. When are you setting our next task?"
Emotion Central had been more worried about whether Helga was staying as a contestant than about their task and they had forgotten to think of one.
"We may set it later on today or early tomorrow morning."
"Thanks!" said Arnold, who left Emotion Central and made his way to Helga's room.
Because there were no windows in The House, apart from the clear doors to the garden, Helga's room was still darkened, because the lights were turned off. Arnold could hear Helga muttering to herself in her sleep.
"Why can't I admit to you how I feel?" she was muttering. "I love you! Kiss me, kiss me, my darling!"
"Wow, she does like somebody!" Arnold said to himself. He turned on the lights; this disturbed Helga and woke her up.
"Arnold!" she said happily.
"Hi," said Arnold.
Helga rubbed her eyes and shouted, "Get out of my room, you football headed freak!"
"No," argued Arnold. "It's 2:10 PM, you have to get up!"
"Really?" asked Helga, calming down. "Give me a few minutes and I'll get ready."
2:20 PM
Helga and Arnold were now dressed, and had decided to have their lunch and no breakfast. Emotion Central wasted no time in getting Helga's decision and called her to the room. "Can Helga please visit Emotion Central?"
Helga ignored them; she needed time to think. "Arnold, could you please go and tell them to leave me alone for a while?" she asked him.
"Sure," said Arnold, who was now sympathetic with Helga because Emotion Central called her to the room about five times a day. He went into the room and said that Helga didn't feel like talking to them at that moment.
5:00 PM
Arnold and Helga had been getting on well with each other all day, and she decided that it was time to tell Arnold what she had told Emotion Central the previous night.
"I felt really depressed yesterday," started Helga. "I'm sorry about ruining our chances of completing the task."
"Well, I'm sorry for not accepting your apology in the first place," Arnold apologised. "I haven't really realised how much this experience has affected you."
"Last night, I felt so bad that I told Emotion Central that I wanted to leave," admitted Helga.
Although Arnold had been aware that Helga was upset, he hadn't expected her to think about leaving. He had always thought that Helga was strong and right from the start, he had thought that he would think about leaving before Helga would.
"Do you feel like you want to leave now?" asked Arnold.
"No," admitted Helga. "It's been quite a good day so far. I just think that I have had a pretty bad couple of days. That's why Emotion Central has been wanting to speak to me today. They want to know if I have changed my mind. I'll talk to them soon."
"Please don't leave, Helga," pleaded Arnold. "You're strong and you'll get through this. Although I didn't expect to have you as a housemate at first, I wouldn't want to spend this time with anybody else, now."
These words were like a magical spell to Helga. They lifted her spirits dramatically, and in her mind, she knew that she was going to stay.
7:08 PM
Helga had entered Emotion Central and spoke words that brought joy to the production team. "I've decided that I want to stay."
Notes: I know that this chapter wasn't very eventful; but in nine weeks, you can't expect every day to be eventful! I hope that everybody is still enjoying the series and I love getting all of your reviews. Hopefully, I'll have the diary entries for Day Five up soon. I know that Helga and Arnold were asleep for a looooong time, it must be because they hadn't been getting much sleep on the previous night!
Helga and Arnold, the TV Series - Chapter Nine
By Simmer 2000
Disclaimer: Lawyers, take note! I'm not saying that I own Hey Arnold by writing this. I'm just a kid writing a fan fic.
DAY FOUR
9:22 PM
Arnold had just finished writing his diary for the day when he entered Emotion Central. He sat down and stared into the mirror.
"Hi," said Arnold.
"Hello," said the woman behind the mirror. "What would you like to talk about?"
"When Helga and I were playing Truth or Dare, I let one of my friend's secrets slip. I don't think that he would appreciate his private life being shown to millions of viewers, so could you please not show that to the audience?"
"Sorry," said the woman sympathetically. "You know the rules - you are on camera 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with everything being shown to Internet viewers and highlights being shown every night on television. We're sorry - the game of Truth or Dare has to be shown to the audience."
"Okay," said Arnold with a sigh. "Sorry Gerald."
"How do you feel about Helga abandoning the game?" asked the woman.
Arnold had been so concerned about letting Gerald's secret slip that he hadn't had time to think about Helga's reaction to his question. What was the matter with her?
"I haven't really thought about it," admitted Arnold. "I am still mad at Helga for what she did, but since she is the only person here with me, it would make it a lot easier if we were friends. I'll try and talk to her tomorrow."
Arnold left the room, and started to get ready for bed.
***
It was midday the next day, and at PS 118, almost all of the fourth grade was gathered around one table in the school cafeteria. They were all talking excitedly about whether Helga would actually leave the house. For them, yesterday had been the most shocking day of the television program that they had watched yet, and the kids didn't seem to be able to talk about anything else.
"She can't leave, she just can't!" said Rhonda firmly. "The producers of the show won't let her leave in a hurry."
"Rhonda, they can't force her to stay!" Nadine told her. "She can leave whenever she likes!"
"I just wish we weren't in school!" moaned Rhonda. "I'd be watching the show live on the Internet!"
All of the kids who had access to the Internet agreed. The conversation carried on until Gerald, who had been the only person in Arnold's class who wasn't taking part in the discussion, walked towards the table with a newspaper.
"Oh, if it isn't Gerald!" teased Harold. "How do you feel about Phoebe today, Gerald? Do you want to kiss her?"
The game of Truth or Dare had been broadcast, and everybody now knew about Gerald's feelings for Phoebe. Gerald and Phoebe both went bright red in the face, but Gerald didn't say anything about Phoebe.
"Look at this!" he exclaimed, holding up the newspaper so that all of the other kids could see. The whole of the front page had been taken up with a report on the show, under the headline "I'm Leaving". A sub-heading read, "The House star Helga Pataki has had enough".
"Wow!" exclaimed Phoebe, amazed that the press was taking such a great amount of interest.
The newspaper was excitedly passed around the cafeteria table until everybody had read it and it was passed back to Gerald.
"Phoebe," said Gerald nervously. "Can I speak to you outside?"
"Sure," said Phoebe, and walked slowly outside the cafeteria to talk to Gerald.
"What's up, Gerald?" Harold shouted to him. "Don't you want to kiss her in front of us?"
"Ignore him," said Phoebe, once they were both outside the cafeteria. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Gerald stood silently for a moment, thinking about what he was going to say. Since he had seen the television show the previous night, he had been thinking about what he was going to say to Phoebe, but everything that he had rehearsed had suddenly been wiped from his memory. Gerald wasn't angry with Arnold; it had been Helga who had put him in such an awkward position. Gerald understood that it must be hard to keep a secret when cameras are watching you 24 hours a day.
"Well, about what Arnold said last night," started Gerald. "I don't know where he could have got such a crazy idea!"
"Don't worry," said Phoebe, who was grinning. "You don't have to be nervous. I like you, too!"
"Wow!" exclaimed Gerald happily. "That's great, it's brilliant!"
"Maybe you could come over to my house tonight, maybe we could watch The House together!" Phoebe laughed.
"I'll be there!" said Gerald immediately. "So, how much do you know about Helga's feelings for Arnold....."
Talking about the house had become a craze that the whole school had taken part in. Teachers were worried because classes couldn't keep quiet for more than five minutes, as students had to tell everybody about the latest bit of gossip that they had heard about the show. Even Wolfgang, who was known for teasing and bullying Arnold's class, had taken a sudden interest in the fourth graders, constantly asking the class questions about what they knew about Helga and Arnold.
But, it wasn't just Arnold's school who seemed to be addicted to the show, it had become a national obsession. It was amazing how many adults watched the show, even though the two stars were children. Offices came to a standstill as people watched live events from The House on their computers. Security around The House was at it's highest ever, as more and more people were trying to get close to it, to get messages to Helga and Arnold.
DAY FIVE
12:00 MIDDAY
The House had been silent for more then twelve hours, because Arnold and Helga were still asleep. Emotion Central had been waiting impatiently for Helga to wake up so they could ask her if she still wanted to leave The House. The production team did not want Helga to go, they all shared the opinion that viewing figures would drop without Helga, but they needed to know for sure if she was going to leave, because they needed to make preparations for a new contestant to replace Helga, if she was going to leave.
Emotion Central decided that it was time to wake both Arnold and Helga up, so they made an announcement over the PA system. "Could Helga please come to Emotion Central?" This announcement did not wake either of the housemates up, so the announcement was made again. "Could Helga please come to Emotion Central?" Again, the announcement did not wake either of the housemates up. After five more tries, Emotion Central gave up. Helga and Arnold were still sleeping peacefully.
2:07 PM
Arnold was disturbed by the sound of shouting from outside and woke up. He left his bedroom, still quite sleepy, and made his way to the garden. Three children had managed to get close enough to The House for Helga and Arnold to be able to hear them. They were shouting, "Arnold - Helga loves you!" but they were too far away for Arnold to be able to hear clearly, although he was sure that he could make out the word, "loves".
Arnold made his way to Emotion Central, happy to be reminded by the voices that had been shouting that there was still a world outside The House.
"Hi!" said Arnold, happily.
"Hello," said a man's voice.
"I think that I just heard voices from outside!" exclaimed Arnold. "They were saying something about love and I think that it's probably something to do with Truth or Dare last night. Helga wouldn't tell me who she had a crush on and maybe she told you. It was probably just some kids trying to tell me who she likes." Arnold laughed and then realised that he had no idea what time it was. "What time is it, anyway?" he asked.
"The time is 2:10 PM."
"Wow, I can't believe I slept in so late!" said Arnold, who sounded slightly amused. "I'd better go and wake up Helga, she'll probably be angry if she thinks that I let her sleep for hours. When are you setting our next task?"
Emotion Central had been more worried about whether Helga was staying as a contestant than about their task and they had forgotten to think of one.
"We may set it later on today or early tomorrow morning."
"Thanks!" said Arnold, who left Emotion Central and made his way to Helga's room.
Because there were no windows in The House, apart from the clear doors to the garden, Helga's room was still darkened, because the lights were turned off. Arnold could hear Helga muttering to herself in her sleep.
"Why can't I admit to you how I feel?" she was muttering. "I love you! Kiss me, kiss me, my darling!"
"Wow, she does like somebody!" Arnold said to himself. He turned on the lights; this disturbed Helga and woke her up.
"Arnold!" she said happily.
"Hi," said Arnold.
Helga rubbed her eyes and shouted, "Get out of my room, you football headed freak!"
"No," argued Arnold. "It's 2:10 PM, you have to get up!"
"Really?" asked Helga, calming down. "Give me a few minutes and I'll get ready."
2:20 PM
Helga and Arnold were now dressed, and had decided to have their lunch and no breakfast. Emotion Central wasted no time in getting Helga's decision and called her to the room. "Can Helga please visit Emotion Central?"
Helga ignored them; she needed time to think. "Arnold, could you please go and tell them to leave me alone for a while?" she asked him.
"Sure," said Arnold, who was now sympathetic with Helga because Emotion Central called her to the room about five times a day. He went into the room and said that Helga didn't feel like talking to them at that moment.
5:00 PM
Arnold and Helga had been getting on well with each other all day, and she decided that it was time to tell Arnold what she had told Emotion Central the previous night.
"I felt really depressed yesterday," started Helga. "I'm sorry about ruining our chances of completing the task."
"Well, I'm sorry for not accepting your apology in the first place," Arnold apologised. "I haven't really realised how much this experience has affected you."
"Last night, I felt so bad that I told Emotion Central that I wanted to leave," admitted Helga.
Although Arnold had been aware that Helga was upset, he hadn't expected her to think about leaving. He had always thought that Helga was strong and right from the start, he had thought that he would think about leaving before Helga would.
"Do you feel like you want to leave now?" asked Arnold.
"No," admitted Helga. "It's been quite a good day so far. I just think that I have had a pretty bad couple of days. That's why Emotion Central has been wanting to speak to me today. They want to know if I have changed my mind. I'll talk to them soon."
"Please don't leave, Helga," pleaded Arnold. "You're strong and you'll get through this. Although I didn't expect to have you as a housemate at first, I wouldn't want to spend this time with anybody else, now."
These words were like a magical spell to Helga. They lifted her spirits dramatically, and in her mind, she knew that she was going to stay.
7:08 PM
Helga had entered Emotion Central and spoke words that brought joy to the production team. "I've decided that I want to stay."
Notes: I know that this chapter wasn't very eventful; but in nine weeks, you can't expect every day to be eventful! I hope that everybody is still enjoying the series and I love getting all of your reviews. Hopefully, I'll have the diary entries for Day Five up soon. I know that Helga and Arnold were asleep for a looooong time, it must be because they hadn't been getting much sleep on the previous night!