For Her

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A sequel to "My Muse", written by Miss Matched

Dedicated to Starry Nights, for being so encouraging.

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All standard disclaimers apply. Characters from "Hey Arnold" are copyright Craig Barlett and to whomever else they're copyrighted to. Original characters are original, and the author would like sole use of them, unless contacted for permission. All poetry/music in this fanfiction are also original, and once again, may only be used with permission. Thus ends this huge disclaimer. Arnold's head is cool. Really, it is.

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Chapter Three: As Charming and Witty as a Cactus

Point of View: Helga

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"I still remember it. Every word he said, somehow it's still there. How he looked, how he smelled... Sometimes I look back at myself and laugh; I'm a pathetic fan girl! I mean, really, I used to laugh at those girls with the boy band pictures in their lockers. But, after all, I had a shrine in my closet. I'm not much better. I'm sorry, I do digress so often..."
Meg smiled "No, it's okay!" She gave my bed a few sitting bounces as I looked back in disgust.
"Are you even gonna listen to me?"
She smiled, "Course yeah! I did wanna hear about" She put the back of her hand to her forehead for effect "Arnold" She then pretended to faint.
"Just don't get any drool on my new bed spreads" I joked.
Meg's jaw nearly dropped "What? Is he that fffiiinneeee?" Raking her fingers through her bobbed brown hair, she giggled "Cuz if he is... I just might have to go to Hillwood my self and meet him"
"Paws off, sister" I said sternly "I mean, don't drool when you fall asleep. I tend to drone on and on when Arnold's the topic." I smiled to myself; it was so much easier to talk about him when I knew he was miles and miles away, and there was no chance he'd know how I still felt. But on the downside, it was harder to live when he was miles and miles away, with no chance I'd ever know if he still felt... A pillow just smacked me upside the head!
"TALK!" Meg commanded, "Or I'll.... sit on you!"
I rolled my eyes; that girl was a bit too perky for me at times. But she's a friend; someone to talk to. Though she'd never replace Pheebs, nuh duh. "Okay okay!" I said. "So as I was saying..."

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It had been the makings of another rough year. Going to the junior high included being stuck with more numbskulls at school; something I wasn't exactly looking forward to. Of course, there was the chance that a few numbskulls might actually become my friends. But knowing my track record... Phoebe is really a true blue. I know I sound like a complete fluff when I say it, but it's true. As the years passed, we grew even closer, to the point where we could finish each other's sentences. And things like that worked great when we were playing Charades... As for my other friends, we went our separate ways. You know the drill; sometimes the differences outweigh the similarities, and people just go. Even the boy who was supposedly in love with me ignored me. And no matter how hard I tried to hate him... I really tried, I just couldn't bring myself to it. And, I'm about as charming and witty as a cactus. Not your typical "Friends for Life" material.

Hoooo boy, the year turned even worse. I found myself caught in a preverbal cage, bound by other's feelings about me from the past, and by first impressions. People passed me off as "Cold", "disconnected from the real world" and "raging tyrant". Oh yeah, I was popular! Uh huh... And to make matters worse... Phoebe got a boyfriend. Now, don't get me wrong, I was happy for her; she deserved all the love in the world. But he became the center of her world, and I found myself pushed to the sidelines. I didn't have anything against Nick either. Any friend of Arnold's is a friend of mine? *snort* But he hogged up all of her precious time, and I became a nearly 24-7 loner. People who hadn't talked to me in years turned on me, and I felt really alone. I lived down to everyone's expectations of me, I guess. It hurt more then I was capable of showing.

The in-between classes part really got to me, when you're stuck walking with and against people you don't know, people you do know, and people you wish you didn't know. That was my little bit of forced communication. Some people smiled and said hi to me, although I don't know why. Others chose to taunt me, Harold included. He taunted me (the loser), and then hit me when I wasn't expecting it (the yellow-bellied wimp). But something good came out of it. My knight in shining armor (Or flannel, whichever you prefer) came to the rescue.
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Meg interrupted me when I came to this part "Oh! Lemme guess, he stomped the living daylights out of Harold!"
I laughed "No, though I think he was about to take a swing. Actually, come to think of it, he threw a bit of a tantrum! It was funny"
"Sounds to me like he's a wimp" Meg took a candy bar off my dresser and sat back down on my bed, "So then what happened"
"He's not a wimp" I deadpanned "We ate lunch together, and I told him that I was moving. And he cared! But I only had a week left..."
"Oh.. them's the breaks" Meg laughed "Hey, can I eat this?"
I sighed, she was in another one of her annoying moods. "Sure, stuff your face and SHUT UP! I'm still talking!"
" 'm shorry, ah twat that you were dhone" she apologized with a mouthful of Snickers.
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After the baseball game, I went home. Wahoo... my life is exciting. Bob called me Olga (as usual) and had me make dinner again, and Mirium went on another smoothy binge. My home life hadn't changed since fourth grade, it was still in a pretty sad state. I went up to my room to cogitate...
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"Cogitate?" Meg nearly choked on the last bite of *my* Snickers.
"Think, you dimwit" I sighed. "You want to go home?"
"No... not really..."
I sighed "Well, will you anyway?"
"Do I have to?"
Just because someone takes a shining to you doesn't mean they're your friend... "Go." I said firmly.
"Fine... fine!" She stomped out of my room, and my house, into the crisp Manhattan air.
"Good riddance" I smiled to myself, then paused. "Oh great, now I have no friends again."
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I took apart my shrine that night, I remember. I'd kept it up for so long to remind myself of how near I had been. But still, I didn't want Big Bob to see it. So I took it piece by piece outside to a dumpster. It was like dragging my past out to the garbage. But in a funny way, I was free. I wasn't a fan-girl anymore, I wasn't a little fourth grader clinging onto something, trying to get some hope from it. I had let go of the past in some ways. But not ready to leave yet. Too many loose ends were left, needing to be tied up. And quickly. "Tomorrow's a new day" I reminded myself as I walked back to my room. "A new day..."