~Oh goodness, it's been like, five months since I last updated *hides face* I'm so sorry! Well, here's the next chapter, I think I may have one more up after this, not sure, and then I think I may just start a new story, depending on what y'all think of this one. Anyways, here's the second installment of "Masked - A Hey Arnold Cinderella Story"~
*Hey Arnold does not belong to me, neither does Mandy Moore*
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Helga dropped her head down onto her steering wheel, making it emit a loud honk, for several seconds, before she finally lifted her head, covering her eyes with her hand. She could not believe that her car had stalled maybe a block or so from Rhonda's house. How ironic. Helga pulled her hand away from her eyes, and moved it to her temple, to soothe away the headache that she could already feel starting to take shape. She dropped her hand abruptly, and got out of the car, as if she couldn't even stand being in it for a second more. She leaned into the car before shutting the door to grab her cell phone, and then slammed the door with extreme ferocity. Helga flipped open her cell phone and dialed for a tow truck to come and get her car. She snapped her phone shut, after getting a tow, and looked up the street. She could see the bright lights showing all the way down the block from the party going on at the Lloyds, and made a decision right then and there.
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A stately looking butler walked to the front door of the Lloyd residence, and opened it up. He smiled at the beautiful blonde vision standing in front of him, and welcomed her into the house, directing her down the hall to the newly built ballroom that the Lloyds had just installed earlier that year.
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Helga gulped as she walked down the hall, looking from side the side at the pictures hanging on the wall of the wing leading to the ballroom. What exactly had she been thinking, in wearing this dress, it showed off way too much of her chest! Helga looked down at said chest, and grimaced. What was she even thinking about COMING to this party??? She should have done her job; she needed that money so badly! Helga knew she would probably be fired soon enough for that little stunt she pulled while she was at Lila's house, anyway, so she needed all the money she could get. As she turned around to walk the other way, away from the party, and go and actually do her job, she was stopped in her tracks by the sugary sweet voice of the person she hated more than anything was.
"Helga, what are you doing here?? I thought that you were supposed to clean up AFTER things were done, and as you can see, the party is still going on. You must be so incredibly sad that you weren't invited. It is just ever so fun! I, of course, was - "
Helga interrupted Lila. There was only so much that she could take of that voice before she cracked.
"Hello Lila. You look slutty, as always..." Helga looked Lila up and down, clearing her throat at smirking at Lila's choice of a low cut dress, with tulle flowing over the bottom. The dress was very short, and spring green. Her face was covered with a green glitter mask, and she had a pouch marked "Pixie Dust" It was more than obvious that Lila was Tinker Bell, from Peter Pan. Lila scoffed.
"Like your outfit is any better, Helga??" Lila looked up and down at Helga's dress, and it was easy to tell that she was jealous of it. Lila had wanted to wear that same exact dress to the Masque, but her Aunt had refused, saying it meant way too much to her, not to mention she doubted it would fit Lila anyways. It was much too small for her, her aunt had said. Bitch. Oh, well, at least she didn't have to pay for the stupid dress she was wearing right now. Daddy had been a bit stingy with the cash flow for the past few weeks after he came home and found that she had made the maid leave. Lila stopped daydreaming, and began to insult Helga again.
"MY outfit was handmade FOR moi, Helga. Yours barely fits you!" Lila said, staring pointedly at Helga's stomach. "I mean, seriously, your stomach is bulging!"
Helga laughed, a low, throaty sound, shook her head at Lila, and sailed past her into the ballroom. Lila's vehemence in her distaste of Helga's outfit could only mean one thing - that Little Miss Perfect was jealous of her! That thought gave Helga confidence, as the waiter standing at the door opened it for her. Everyone else was already there, dancing to the heavenly sounds of the hired singer. She scanned the room, looking for one person, the only person who really mattered in her eyes, at this moment. She finally spotted him, standing, and talking to Rhonda. Rhonda was laughing at something her said, and he ran a hand through his unruly golden hair. Helga could feel her heart starting to pound more and more, as she began to walk slowly down the stairs, the small train of her gown trailing behind her.
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Arnold laughed half-heartedly at what Rhonda had just told him, not really even paying attention. He took a sip of his drink, and scanned the room, looking for Helga. He had been around her more and more, and he was finally starting to unfold the puzzle that embodied her. He wanted her to be there so bad, and she wasn't. He couldn't stop thinking about her, her voice, her body, her angelic face, and her blue eyes, the clear blue eyes he had dreamt about...
I try but I can't seem to get myself to think of anything but you
Your breath on my face, your warm, gentle kiss I taste the truth, (I taste the truth)
You're what I came here for...
So I won't ask for more
Arnold looked up, and his mouth fell open at the vision standing on the staircase. The blue silk floating around her and her golden hair cascading around her head in ringlets made her look like an angel. In the back of his head, he knew he recognized her, but at the moment, he was completely dumbstruck by the way she looked. He had to talk to her.
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Helga completely stopped on the stairs. He was looking straight at her! She quickly composed herself, and walked the rest of the way down the stairs, into the crowd. He started walking towards her, a determined look in his twinkling green eyes. Her heart almost stopped beating. She accepted a glass off a waiter's tray, and nervously sipped her drink, waiting for Arnold, watching him make his way towards her.
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Where had he seen her? Arnold thought to himself, walking towards the angel waiting at the bottom of the stairs, it seemed, just for him. Her eyes widened, and he was just close enough to see the amazing blue of her eyes. His heart almost stopped beating. Helga! But...it couldn't be, she was supposed to be working tonight. Arnold banished all thoughts of Helga from his mind. She obviously didn't feel the same about him as he felt about her, and they could never be together. She liked him only as a friend, and nothing more. Just because this girl had blue eyes did not mean that she was Helga. Arnold decided then and there that he would have fun tonight, as much as he could, and offered his hand to the wide-eyed blonde in front of him.
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Helga took his hand, with a confused look in her eyes. What exactly was he doing?
"Hi, my name is Arnold. You must be one of Rhonda's friends from that private girl's school that she was talking about. It's nice to meet you..."
They shook hands, and Helga almost gasped with the realization that he had no idea whatsoever who she was! Yup, Arnold was still dense. Her hand went up to the mask on her face, about to take it off and tell him whom she was, but Rhonda stopped her.
"Uh, uh, uh, the unmasking is at midnight, and it's only 11:45! Keep it on!"
With that, Rhonda waltzed away, leaving the scent of her perfume, Very Irresistible Givency, behind. What the hey, Helga thought. It's only one night, may as well have some fun pretending! Arnold coughed a little at the overpowering scent of Rhonda's perfume, bringing Helga back into the real world. She looked up at him, then down his body at his costume. He looked exactly like Prince Charming. Helga didn't miss the irony in this, and giggled so silently that Arnold almost missed the throaty sound. He smiled.
"Would you like to dance, Cinderella?" Arnold asked, his eyes twinkling. Helga nodded, and he led her to the dance floor. He pulled her close, and they started to dance along to the song.
I wanna be with you
If only for a night
To be the on who's in your arms to hold you tight
I wanna be with you
There's nothing more to say
There's nothing else I want more than to feel this way
I wanna be with you
Arnold took a deep breath, taking in the alluring smell of Helga's sweet by spicy perfume. She placed her mouth near his ear, and began to whisper something in his ear, sending shivers up and down his spine.
"So...if I'm Cinderella...that would make you my Prince Charming, wouldn't it?" Helga laughed, and Arnold pulled his head away a bit, so they were facing each other.
So I'll hold you tonight like I would if you were mine to hold forevermore
And I'll savor each touch that I've wanted so much to feel before (to feel before)
How beautiful it is
Just to be like this
He slowly nodded, then leaned forward, and began to kiss Helga. She nearly melted into the floor at the feel of his soft lips against hers, and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on for dear life.
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There were firecrackers and lights and rockets going off in his head as Arnold kissed the angel in front of him. He had no idea why he did it; it was just that the way she felt against him was perfect. He couldn't have stopped himself if he tried. Their kiss deepened, as the clock began to strike twelve.
*bong...bong...bong*
Oh, baby
I can't fight this feeling anymore (anymore)
Drives me crazy when I try to
So call my name and take my hand
Can you make my wish, baby, your command (command)?
Yeah
*bong...bong...bong*
Couples near them had already started to take off their masks, but Arnold and Helga were too lost in each other to pay any attention.
*bong...bong...bong*
I wanna be with you
If only for a night
To be the on who's in your arms to hold you tight
I wanna be with you
There's nothing more to say
There's nothing else I want more than to feel this way
I wanna be with you
*bong...bong...bong*
Everyone had taken off their masks by now, and the two of them were the only people left with them on. Rhonda walked up, and slowly both pulled of the masks up and off, then walked away, muttering to herself about people ruining the whole thing, and how people should get rooms. She did this with a smile on her face, though, and watched, like everyone else, the scene that was about to unfold in front of them.
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Helga's eyes fluttered open, as did Arnold's. His widened, though, when he saw who exactly was in front of him.
"Helga...Helga???"
Helga nodded, wondering what exactly he was going to do, if he would be disgusted at the fact that he had even danced with her, let alone kissed her, or if he would...well, she didn't know what he would do!
The rest of the partygoers waited with baited breath - none of them wanting to actually look in on such a private moment, but each of them doing so.
Arnold's mouth opened and closed, and he looked a bit like a fish as he searched for something to say. Finally, he gave up, and ran his hand down Helga's cheek, then tipped her chin up, and gave her another kiss. The rest of the party smiled, and turned away from the couple, giving them their privacy. They pulled away from each other, and Arnold began to speak.
"Helga...Helga, I'm so happy it was you...I think...I think..."
Both of them spoke something at the same time, in unison
"I love you Helga..."
"I love you Arnold..."
They both laughed, and as they were laughing, Helga pulled Arnold down to her, and gave him another kiss.
Cinderella, or Cinder"Helga" as she was jokingly nicknamed by Arnold after that night, had finally found her Prince Charming, and gotten her dance.
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The End (But there will be a epilogue!)
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What did you think? I know this was a short story, but I couldn't think of anything else to add, besides the epilogue! If y'all like it, I think I may start another story. I may do that even if you don't! Hehe, we'll see. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the story, and stay posted for the last part of it!
Oh, and by the way, incase you're wondering, which I doubt you were, but anyways, lol, Helga's perfume is called Victoria Secrets "Heavenly Angels 'Divine'" It has to be the best perfume I've ever smelled! lol