Well, they ended up getting one copy of every book about pregnancy. Helga studied them like crazy, as Arnold tried to keep up. It was like that for the first month. They would go to school together and everything, and come home together…you know. Those usual things. No one suspected Helga of being pregnant. Because she was fine. Not fat. Just fine.
Everyone just figured Arnold and Helga were a couple because they spent so much time with each other. Only Phoebe and Gerald knew.
Arnold still wasn't sure if he could like Helga. It seemed like he was sort of obligated to like her. Because, after all, they were having a baby. The same thing was going on with Helga. She still really adored Arnold, but yet she didn't know what to do with him or herself.
"You know, Helga…" began Arnold one day in the kitchen.
"What?" she asked absent-mindedly as she read her book.
"You really shouldn't be freaking yourself out about labor and crap this early."
Helga closed her book and looked at Arnold. "I just want to be informed…"
"You can't handle it. Remember last night? You broke down crying because you broke a nail and you claimed 'if I can't handle a broken nail, how can I go through labor?'"
Helga rolled her eyes. "It's true…you know what?"
"What?" Arnold opened the fridge and took out the milk carton.
"Sooner or later, I'm going to start showing."
"Showing what?"
"The stomach. My stomach. It's going to be a big balloon." She mumbled and got out of her seat. "I'm going to look so ugly…" She walked out of the kitchen to the living room.
"No you won't." He poured some milk into a tall glass.
Helga walked back in the kitchen with a pillow stuffed under her shirt. "Does this look appealing to you?"
Arnold spit out his milk and chuckled. He put the glass back on the counter.
"Stupid idiot." She took out the pillow from underneath her shirt and started hitting Arnold with it.
"Hey! That's not very nice…you're going to teach our kids bad manners," joked Arnold. He managed to grab the pillow from Helga's grasp. "Play nice."
Helga snatched it back and stuck out her tongue. Then flinged the pillow in his face. She laughed histerically and ran off. "Loser," she called out.
"I'll get you!" He shouted, chasing after her.
He caught up with her in the living room. They were on opposite ends of the coffee table. Helga's hand was still griping the pillow. She was slightly crouched over, getting ready to pounce, or run. Or something.
"You've got no where to run!" He laughed sinisterly.
Helga threw the pillow at his head and ran up the stairs. Arnold coughed out feathers and quickly ran up after her. As he reached the top of the stairs, he looked both ways to see no one. Quietly, he tiptoed down the hall to see that the stairs to his room were pulled down.
"Oh, puh-lease," mumbled Arnold. "This is too easy…" he quietly walked up the steps and into his room. His eyes scanned the room. There was a muffled giggling from behind his sofa. Arnold chuckled softly to himself and walked to the sofa. Suddenly Helga popped out and hit him with another pillow.
She laughed.
"You little…" he growled and pinned her down on the sofa. They both laughed together. Helga wrinkled her nose and Arnold smiled…she looked so good. Gradually, their laughing eased and Arnold was still on top of Helga. Pinned her down, his hands on opposite sides of her body. Her hair was all messy.
Helga looked at him with her eyes all bright. She smiled lightly and pulled her hand through his hair. He could've…he was about to…his body leaned towards her…just as Helga was getting ready for a kiss…he pulled away.
***
3 months later…
Helga was getting moody. She was yelling, pulling out her hair and always complaining that she was starting to get fat. Arnold couldn't take this kind of crap.
Helga groaned. "Arnold…I can't keep going to school like this. Soon I won't be able to fit into any of my clothes."
"We'll just buy you new clothes," he replied, writing in his notebook.
"All those pregnancy clothes are so ugly though. They're all…blah…"
"Oh well. Deal with it."
Helga rolled her eyes and put her hands on her stomach and looked at herself in the mirror. She turned to the side and looked. She ran her hands down her thighs and lifted them up. "My hips are getting big."
"No they're not," Arnold replied.
"Yes they are. You just haven't noticed."
"I see you everyday. They're not big. They're not supposed to get big…not really."
"Blah, blah, blah. This isn't your body, ok Arnold? You should have no opinion!"
"I'm the one who sees your body every fuckin' morning and every fuckin' night. So I should be able to fuckin' tell," he snapped.
Helga's jaw dropped and she put both her hands on her stomach. "Don't talk like that in front of the baby!" She slightly turned away.
Arnold slammed his head on the table. "Helga," he said with his nose all squished. "Please. Don't start this again."
She crossed her arms. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You know very well what I'm talking about. You always start these little arguments."
"I do not!" she snapped.
"Yes you do. Always complaining about your body and about how you're not a perfect sized 5 anymore…"
"Well, it's true. Besides, you should be just agreeing with me!"
"plaire à…faire taire…" he mumbled in French. (*1)
Helga stuck out her tongue. "Salut, imbécile…"(*2)she spat, storming out of his room.
Just let it go, Arnold thought. Don't start it again…He gripped his pencil and continued his writing. But then his hand turned into jello and he couldn't write anymore. He flinged the pencil at his computer.
"C'mon, Helga…" he shouted, walking out of his room.
He ran up to her room. The door was locked. "Damnit," he murmered. "Open the door, Helga…" He pounded on the door with his right hand and tried opening the door with his other.
"Why should I?" She shouted. She was leaning against the door, with her amrs crossed over her chest.
"Please?" he wailed. Soon enough, he got on his knees, still pounding on the door. "C'mon, Helga…I'm sorry."
"Go on," she shouted back.
He pressed his face against the door. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have irked you like that." He sighed. "It's just that sometimes I forget that you're pregnant and that I'm living with you."
"How can you forget?"
"I don't know. It's just…I get so caught up in school and all this crap. Then I have to worry about this baby. And you."
"You know, you don't have to worry about me. I told you so…"
"I want to. Because I care about you." He put his palm against the door. "It just takes a while for me to comprehend these things."
Helga slid down to the ground and sat there. She stayed silent.
"It seems like this is all a dream," he began. "But it's not. It's reality. And I – I…" his voice trailed off.
If he says it, I'll open the door…if he doesn't…then…"I can't stand to see you hurt." He lowered his head.
"I'm tired, Arnold," lied Helga. "Just go back to your room."
"Will you be okay?"
"Yes…just go."
Arnold got up from the floor and slowly walked away.
Helga sighed and looked up at the dark ceiling. "Crimety…"
***
"Phebes, I have to find some good clothes. You know? Like some things that are flabby."
"Helga, you're not fat yet!" replied Phoebe. The two of them were walking in the mall with nothing in their hands. Helga wanted to buy something so badly. She needed something to make herself feel good.
"Soon I will. And then you'll be seeing me in that store." She pointed to the maternity clothes shop. "Yup…I'll be wearing overalls and baggy shirts."
"Are you still planning on going to school though?" Phoebe asked curiously.
"Well, yeah. Until the baby's born. Then I'm gonna put her or him up for adoption."
"Surely you don't mean that, do you Helga?"
"I do." She said. "I really do. I mean, why would I want to keep a stupid baby for? They're good for nothing. Ya hear? Nothing."
"They're sweet…it's going to be really hard to let them go once you've seen them."
"I just won't look the baby in the eye."
"So are you saying you just don't care about this baby?"
Helga shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. I didn't make-up my mind."
"You only have five months left."
Helga sighed. "Phebes, do you reckon I should just stop going to school?"
"It's up to you, Helga. I mean, it's not a problem for you curently. But…"
"Okay. I catch your drift." Helga sighed again. "Once people start finding out about this…I'm going to do something about it."
"Let's hope they don't find out."
"Let's hope."
"How are you and Arnold doing?" They walked into a shop.
"We're okay. I mean we get into billions and billions of fights. But, I guess everything's fine."
"Is he okay with the fact that you're going to give away his baby?"
Helga cleared her throat. "Ahem, not his baby. My baby."
"It's both of yours."
Helga rolled her eyes. "Fine…"
"So is he?"
"Okay with this?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I don't know," she murmered. "I haven't actually told him about my plan."
"Why not?!" Phoebe ranted.
Helga shrugged. "I just didn't feel like it." She looked at the sore look on Phoebe's face. "Okay, I'll tell him some other time. I promise, okay? I'm not even sure that I'm going to give it away. So when I do decide, I'll tell him. Ok?"
"Okay."
"Crap," Helga groaned, hitting the mirror on the wall.
"What is it?"
"I hate my life…"
"Hey Helga…" began Arnold.
"What is it?" She was reading a book.
"Will you be okay by yourself tonight?"
"Uh, yeah. But I don't see why I would be by myself tonight…" She was still reading.
"Grandpa and Grandma are gone for Bingo night, Oskar and his wife are out on their anniversary night, Ernie is out with his friends, Mr. Hyuen is out for the week on a trip to China. And I…"
"Yes?"
"And I am going out on a date."
"What?" Helga closed her book. "You're going out on a what?"
"A date." He buttoned up his dress shirt. He was wearing a blue dress shirt and black dress pants. He looked so good…better than ever. She shook her head.
"With…who?"
"Lila," Arnold coughed.
Helga blinked. "And where are the two of you going?" She rolled her fingers on the table.
"Le Paris…"
Helga nodded absent-mindedly. "So, why didn't you tell me this before?"
"I just made the date this morning. And you were out with Phoebe all day."
"Oh. I see."
"You don't have a problem with it, do you?" He looked at her intensely.
"Me?" She paused. "No, of course not…I'm fine. I mean, why should I care?" She leaned back in her chair.
Arnold nodded. "Good. I just wanted to clear it up with you. I mean, I've really wanted to go on this date with her for months…"
"Months?"
"Yeah. But I just wasn't sure about what you would do. And I guess I was still scared or something."
Helga nodded blankly. "So, you weren't scared of me?"
Arnold shrugged. "We're friends…"
Just four months ago you wanted to be more than friends you stupid asshole…
"Right…just friends…" Helga said in a slight raise in her voice.
There was an awkward silence.
"When should I expect you home?"
"Around ten. Ten-thirty…"
Helga nodded again. "Okay, well, have fun."
Arnold walked out of the kitchen. Helga stood still until she heard the front door close and the engine start.
"Bastard," she growled, flinging her book across the room. She put her finger under her nose and sniffed.
A/N:: Sorry this chapter is short…there's not much for her to do in this stage. BUT I PROMISE in the next chapter there is going to be A LOT of DRAMA…keyword: DRAMA…Read between the lines: Suicide…*cough* anyways…The french words (excuse me if my grammar was wrong)
Please…shut up Bye…ass. (Actually, I looked up "ass" but then they said "as in idiot: …." So…you know.)Please r/r! Excuse my spelling errors…