A/N: I know, I said it would be out on the first, but I had allot of things to do in this little world we live in. But here it is, the next installment. And might I add, I think it's the best chapter yet! And a note about the phone call in this chapter, Arnold took the bus and was home sooner than Helga. No matter how fast she can run, she can't out run a bus. And I know that guys probably wouldn't have a full length mirror in their rooms, but for the sake of this chapter Arnold does, kay? Good. Another note, I know that I said my mom won't allow me to post on but I'll be 18 in less than 6 months and she probably won't find out about it till then anyway. I know it sounds disrespectful, and normally I listen to my mother, but she really needs to stop watching news and Law And Order: SVU. It's just making her freak on everybody.

In the words of my favorite super-hero, I'M BACK!

The Party


The rest of the week carried on as usual. School, homework, school, homework and so on. Finally, Friday came and all the students of Hillwood High were a buzz with excitement over Rhonda and Lila's welcome home party for Helga.

Rhonda had tried to persuade Lila that Helga needed a lesson, but the friendly auburn-haired girl wouldn't hear of it. She knew that even though Helga hadn't been the nicest to people around her (Including herself, even though the former bully had confided in Lila once about her love for a certain football-head), she deserved to be treated like a human being. Like anyone else. And I'm going to start by making sure her dreams come true. Lila thought while almost squealing with excitement.


After school, Helga rushed home, literally sending up a cloud of dust. She would have taken the bus on a normal day, but she had to have time by herself to clear her mind. And the bus was just too noisy for her to think.

When she reached her house it took but a second to throw her bag and jacket on the floor just inside the door and start running up the stairs.

Bring! Bring!

Helga let an angry growl and jogged over to the phone. Being the only one home at the moment, she was forced to pause in her preparations for that night to answer the phone.

"Look, whoever this is, we're not interested!" She yelled into the receiver, hoping if she was nasty enough, the person on the other end would become scared of the young girl and drop the phone and run.

"Ouch, Helga! Calm, down. It's just me; Arnold." The football-headed teen boy replied. Wonder what's up with her? The boy wondered to himself, all the while smiling.

"Oh, Arnold. I'm sorry. You just caught me at a bad time is all." She apologized to him. She could feel her heart skipping faster as she talked to him. "Do you need something, or did you just call for no reason but to talk? What's your deal?"

"I, uh, just wanted to ask if you would like to, um, (gulp) go to the party with me?" The blonde teenage boy nervously asked.

Helga wanted to laugh, cry and jump in the air and land on cloud.

"Helga?" Arnold called her. "Helga, you there?"

It seemed like Helga was lost to the real world forever, and would live in her daydream for just as long, when Arnold called her name once more and she snapped herself awake. "Um, sure." She replied, but her dreamy facial expressions were the same.

"Great! I'll pick you up around seven. Is that okay?"

"No (sigh) problem."

"Okay . . . Well . . . see you then. Bye."

"Yeah, bye." Helga said as she slowly hung up the phone. The girl looked like she had just seen a glimpse of Heaven. Suddenly, she slapped herself as if to wake herself up from a dream. "What am standing around for! I've only got a few hours!" She then bounded up the stairs leading to her room, not to be seen again until she was ready at seven o'clock.


Arnold spent most of his time in his room inspecting his closet, tossing out some outfits, trying them on, then tossing them back on the floor. Arnold was normally a rather neat person, but he was much too excited about tonight. "Tonight's the night I tell her," he said to his room. "But how I'm going to tell her is an entirely different story." He pulled some clothes out of his dresser and put them on. After he was dressed, he looked himself over in the mirror. "Not bad. I think this is the right outfit." He had decided on a pair of blue jeans, a plain white tee-shirt, and a blue checkered button-up shirt that he left open, revealing the tee-shirt underneath it.

Not moving from his mirror, he started formulating a speech in his mind. When he thought he found the perfect words to say, he opened his mouth to talk. "I'll just be straight forward. I'll just tell her 'I love you', exactly like that."

"Alright, who's the girl?" A voice from the doorway suddenly said, startling and making him jump around to face his door. He saw who it was - it was Gerald, and he was grinning like best friends do when they find something out that's juicy. Arnold felt his face turn beet-red in embarrassment, and tried to think of a good lie. "Come one, who is it?" Gerald pushed the subject further.

Arnold averted his eyes to the floor and whispered "It's Helga."

Gerald put his hand to his ear and, still smiling like the dickens, asked: "Excuse me? Did I just hear you say that you love Helga?"

With his head still down, Arnold sheepishly shook it.

Gerald was none-the-less shocked. He stood there, mouth hanging wide open in pure horror. Soon after he fainted, landing with a thud on the floor. After Arnold had splashed a cup of water that he had grabbed from the bathroom unto Gerald's face, the boy started laughing, much to Arnold's confusion. "What's so funny?" he asked his friend. "You-You did say (ha ha!) Helga, right?"

"Yes, Gerald." He replied, rolling his eyes. Gerald was his best friend, but at times like this, he wished Gerald's mouth came with an off button.

"(HA HA!) Helga G. Pataki?"

"Yes Gerald! Why is that so funny!" Arnold paretically yelled at his dear friend.

"I'm just kidding, man. Don't get your shorts in a knot." He quickly shifted to serious mode. "Now, we need to work on your 'speech' before you head off to that party . . ."


Helga looked up at the clock from where she sat in the family's trophy room. 6:55. She stood up and started pacing back and forth in the trophy adorned room. Her parent's had a date (shudder) and she was left by herself to wait for Arnold.

Unlike the trophy room from when she was younger, this one had a minimal amount of Olga's achievements and more of the rest of the family. Each member had a section of wall completely meant for that person's ribbons and awards and such. Admittedly, Olga did have a lot more than anyone in the family, but most of her things were with her in her apartment as the Pataki's didn't know what to do with them.

Helga glanced at the clock again. 7:05. She could feel her anger rise up inside her, and did her best to hold in. Where is he?

Ding! Dong!

Helga popped her head up at the sudden sound of the doorbell. She quickly adjusted her skirt and just about ran to the door, but stopping to make an adjustment on her hair before she opened the door to reveal . . .

a crying Phoebe.

"Phoebe? What are you doing here? I thought you had a date with Gerald?"

"I (sniff) did . . . he-he didn't show!"

Just then, a beat-up, red Geo pulled up to the curb. Out came Arnold from the driver's side door and Gerald from the passenger side window. The girls on the porch instantly turned their frowns into thousand-watt smiles.

Gerald was smiling as he walked up to the steps where Phoebe was but his confident, happy grin was replaced by a look of worry. "Phoebe? Are you okay?" He reached out and gently wiped a tear away from her face.

"When you didn't show, I thought . . . I-I thought . . ."

"Baby, I wouldn't stand you up like that. I tried calling you, but you must've already left. I'm really sorry, but I had to help Arnold with a matter of the heart." Gerald calmly (and rather quietly) explained. "Are we cool?" He asked her, pulling her into a warm embrace.

Phoebe smiled and replied, "Yes, we are very cool."

"Ahem!" Helga declared suddenly, making the hugging pair break apart. "Excuse me for interrupting a 'sweet moment', but Arnold and I have a party to go to, and you two are supposed to be on a date!"

To Gerald and Phoebe's surprise, neither one thought to correct Helga on her statement about their "Date".

Moments later, Helga started shoving the two "Friends" down off her stoop and down the street. Soon after, Helga jumped into Arnold's car and honked the horn. "Come on Arnold-o! We're gonna be late!"


Rhonda examined the gym. She had to admit, even though Lila had forced her to rent the school's gym, it was . . . okay. The streamers and banners that beautified the walls and ceiling were bold and colorful. Though pink was the dominant color in all the decorations. Including the balloons that were in groups of three, tied down by pink weights. There were even more balloons in a net up on the ceiling. There was also a stage for the DJ, which had different colored spotlights flashing about.

Rhonda sighed and mumbled something about wishing Blondie hadn't returned. She searched her mind for ways to get back at her. She remembered that six years ago, she had found a piece of paper with a poem on it. It had been a love poem to Arnold, signed by none other than the person Rhonda had been plotting revenge against. An evil sneer crossed the brunette's facial features, turning the teen beauty into a witch.

"SHE'S HERE!" Someone yelled from across the gym. Everyone started scrambling for the doors, shoving Rhonda along with them, but not breaking her concentration. I'll make Pataki wish she never came back!


As Arnold escorted Helga down the school's dark halls and to the gym, he replayed Gerald's advice on how to tell her in his mind. They stopped just outside the big double doors that led into the gym. "Helga, I-there's something I have to tell you." He told her, stumbling over his words like a toddler taking his first steps. "I . . .I . . . I lo-"

"WELCOME BACK HELGA!"

Arnold and Helga snapped their heads to the now open doors. They saw Lila squeeze through the huge crowd and pop out with a huge, perky smile upon her face. "Helga!" She greeted the former bully as she pulled Helga into a quick hug. Helga cringed at Lila's "Touchy-ness", but let it go. "Come on in guys," Lila urged the two blondes. "The party's no party if you're not in there!" She dragged the two in with such force, they almost fell to the gym floor that had so suddenly appeared beneath them.

Once they were out of the crowd, they put forth an effort to take in their surroundings. Both teens were in awe over the whole place. Helga was in even more shock in wonder as she couldn't get over the fact that Lila remembered her favorite color was pink. Heck, she was shocked Lila even knew that.


Lila watched from a corner as the two awe-struck teens checked the whole school gymnasium out. Seemingly out of nowhere, she smiled mischievously and ran up to the DJ's stand. She jumped up on stage and whispered something in the man's ear. He nodded, grabbed a large CD holder and started flipping through it. This will be a night Helga will never forget. She thought proudly, beaming.

Little did she know, that Rhonda had plans of her own . . .


To be continued . . . .