Disclaimer on first chapter…

A/N: I appreciate all of the reviews and criticisms… No, I didn't see the movie -yet. I knew about the "555" thing… I just figured it was kinda dumb, though. So I got the roofs confused… so what? And yes, I admit it, the people were a little OOC; the story was rushed a little bit… but hold on a second! I'm going to pull out an old, cheesy trick! So watch out! Hehe… thanks for reading so far! (I corrected stuff in past chapters, I am the stupidest!!, okay?)

Marshmallows and Irony

Chapter Three: Pinch Me- I'm Dreaming

"Helga! Helga! Are you awake??" Arnold asked, shaking Helga as she laid on his bed.

"Oh Arnold… Oh Arnold, my looo…." Helga suddenly snapped out of her afternoon nap. "I mean, what are you doing, Football Head? Are you trying to scare me to death or something??"

"Sorry, Helga." Arnold apologized. "But you've been asleep ever since you finished your milk and cookies. It's already 6:30!"

"Oh, well I guess milk always did make me sleepy."

"Do you still want to stay here, or go home, or what?"

"Could I stay at your place a little longer, Arnold? It's not because I like you or anything, of course. I just don't want ride home on my skateboard while I'm half-asleep and get run over by the Jolly Olly Man, or something."

Arnold laughed a little at this, Helga was still stand-offish. He just didn't understand her sometimes.

"Sure, Helga, I don't care. You can stay as long as you want to."

While Helga was sleeping on his bed, Arnold couldn't help but think over what had happened with her; the almost-kiss. How could he make it happen for real? How could he complete Gerald's dare? He knew he couldn't deny the validity of the bet; if he didn't do it, he would be branded for life as a wimp, a chicken. But what if he did do it? The whole thing would be caught on tape, and probably sold out to the entire school; Helga would never forgive him… not in a million years.

'Dammit!' Arnold thought. 'Why do I always have to be the sensitive, nice one??? It's like a curse!' Arnold had decided. He couldn't hurt Helga's feelings like that. Even if she was always mean to him. He could only kiss her if he really liked her enough to do that. He was utterly disgusted about that probability at the time being. (But who knows?? Things change, don't they? Well, they SHOULD!!)

Helga felt dazed and confused. Her dream had seemed so real. And now she had to succumb to the prison that was reality, the reality that was the Arnold who did not love or like her, like her.

"So Helga, what do you want to do now?" Arnold asked, trying not to sound as bored as he really was.

"Oh, I don't know Arnold, what do YOU like to do when you're mildly bored on a Sunday evening? Hmm?" Helga sounded a little sarcastic, she was still kind of bent out of shape by her all-to-real dream.

"Helga, I'm bored too, okay?" Arnold had to come up with something, he was starting to think that he should try to complete the dare, just to spite all the spit balls that had been thrown at his head so many times before. "I was thinking, maybe we should forget all of our differences and make a… fresh start."

"Fresh start?" Helga's left eye squinted, and her right eyebrow raised. "Listen, Arnoldo, I don't know who you think you're talking to, but Helga G. Patacki doesn't do… 'fresh starts.'"

At this, Arnold couldn't help but explode at Helga. "There it is!!" he yelled.

"What?"

"That stupid anger of yours! Why do you always do that?!!?!"

"What do mean, Football Head?"

"You know what I mean, Helga! Why can't you just be yourself??!? I know you're not always this angry and mad!"

"Arnold, you don't understand me at all." Helga looked at him; honesty, pain, and fear… all in her eyes. A lone tear trickled down her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Helga." Arnold said. He truly was sorry for making her cry. Maybe he just wasn't being fair to her, maybe he really didn't understand everything about her. But he did know her well enough to see through that angry, raged, girl and into the bright, wonderful spirit she really was. He walked over and sat on the bed beside her. Arnold placed his arm around her shoulders. His intentions were still set on revenge, however.

Helga looked at him this way, he seemed so honest and true… but there was something in his eyes that told her not to trust him, not just yet.

"How about we spend a day together? We could make a fresh start… and maybe even get to know each other a little better." Arnold suggested. The dense, petty Arnold still wished to complete the dare, to look big in the eyes of his friends… and Helga's enemies.

"Sure, Football Head. When?"

"How about Wednesday, Helga? There's a teacher work day, and we could go to the pier… and the beach. Does that that sound okay?"

"Oookay… sure, Arnold." Helga could not help but still be skeptic to his comforts. Their was just… something, something in the way he was talking to her. She needed to find out if something was up with Arnold. She would consult her secret spy tomorrow. "I'll call you."

"Sounds cool." Arnold wondered if she could see through his fakeness, he wondered if he was succeeding. Even though he knew he would soon get what he wanted, he couldn't help but feel utterly guilty and dirty. "It was actually nice to hang around with you, Helga."

"Yeah, you too, Football Head. So Wednesday, then?" Helga wanted to know what this was about. Curiousity burned inside of her.

"Yeah, Wednesday it is." Arnold felt blank, empty… Much like a person feels after they have just commit a murder, or realized that life was centered on some vain attempt to look cool.

Helga left Arnold's house then, without so much as a hug. Oh, life is quite barren when your feelings are left unnoticed and unreturned.

A/N: Well, I thought this chapter kinda sucked. It was all I could think of on short notice. School for me is starting in just two days and yes, I am quite depressed and unhappy about it. That unhappiness was somehow transgressed into my fanfic. Go figure.