Fallen

Here's the third installment. Okay, I thought about it, and, yes, indeed, Helga is going to have a huge influence on most of these songs. I just feel like they fit her in so many ways, except for "Everybody's Fool". That was a big Lila and Arnold one. Anyway, this one is the eighth track on the disc. I absolutely love this, and I can completely fit this in with Helga more than any other one. It's an amazing song, very powerful, but sweet. I hope you enjoy!

"Taking Over Me"

She walked down the hallway swiftly, strongly, and forcefully. A way in the hallway parted for her to walk through. She glared, she showed her pride and anger, at any given time. It was who she was: Helga G. Pataki. She was tough, could handle anything, was strong, and didn't take anything from anyone.

Helga caught someone glaring at her from the corner of her eye. She met his gaze and challenged him silently. He backed off. It was someone about her age, but she didn't know him.

Then came the classic scene.

She was looking in the other direction as she walked down the hallway. This time she didn't even have to turn. He walked right into her, dropping her books and, well, her.

Positioning herself on her elbows, she opened her eyes and was surprised to see Arnold directly in front of her. She shook her head and pounced up to her feet. "What do you think you're doing, Arnold?" she shrieked.

Arnold dusted himself up and knelt on his knee to pick up his books. "Walking," he sighed. "I'm sorry, Helga, I should've looked where I was going."

"Yeah, you bet you need to watch where you're going," she said boldly, leaning in on him. After that, he walked away. She couldn't help but notice that he wasn't as talkative to her as he used to be, as if it was all becoming too predictable, too obvious, too emotionless. Of course, she knew why. She had, most of her life, said the exact same words whenever they literally bumped into each other.

Of course he would start to forget that she wasn't all bad. It was so long ago. There wasn't anyway that Helga could forget Arnold, though. Heck, she reflected, he's never even out of my thoughts.

I wonder how often I'm in his, and he's not mad at me?

You don't remember me

But I remember you

Later that day, she lie on her back, trying to get an early night's sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, though, his picture appeared. She had to keep opening them again, trying to burn the sight out. Even though he provided so much comfort, he provided so much pain.

She turned over and flipped on her clock radio. Maybe some music would rock her to sleep.

An hour she played her music, continuing thinking about her love. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. She loved him with her whole heart, but wished so for a peaceful slumber.

She could never sleep. She didn't want dreams of him every night. No matter how hard she tried, though, she would always have at least one Arnold fantasy in her dreams.

She would run scenes from movies, music videos, and TV shows she liked, trying to install those into her subconscious for dreams. However, she would always fail. She sighed. Why didn't she have any control over her feelings? Loving Arnold was such a wonderful thing. Why did it keep her up?

I lie awake and try so hard

Not to think of you

But who can decide what they dream

And dream I do…

She never wished that she didn't love Arnold. She was completely devoted to him, and it would never waver. Wherever he went, she was always near or longed to be near. Even though he didn't know anything about her, anything about it, she knew everything about him. All of his traits, good and bad. All of faults and perfections. She couldn't help but simply adore him and love him.

She leaned out of her bed and walked barefoot and the wooden floor to her closet. She pulled down on a string and an overhead light came on, revealing a very old, oblong clay mask. She pulled out a journal from a small bookcase built into the wall. Tonight she wouldn't write anything, but she would overlook many of her previous works.

Arnold. The very name sent chills up her spine, tightening up every one of her senses.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," she said to no one in particular, but it was about Arnold. "I'd probably lose my sanity. I'd probably just get swallowed up whole in my act, not knowing where to turn." She blinked and kept back tears not of sorrow but of some unknown sentiment that could battle out love.

She stood up, stuffed the journal back into its spot, and turned out the light. She went back to her bed and slept peacefully, with dreams of Arnold. He was completely invading her mind, and she didn't know if it was excellent or horrible.

I believe in you

I'll give up everything just to find you

I have to be with you to live to breath

You're taking over me

It was the next day, and Helga was walking down the hallways again. For some reason, she didn't feel like showing off that day. She stayed silent and invisible. A premonition that something would happen caused her silence that day.

Oh, how right she was.

She walked by Arnold and two of his friends. She glanced up at the same moment that Arnold did. "Hey," he said quietly. It was a friendly gesture, but Helga saw beyond it. Now it was a routine thing, and that was all she and he saw it as. The look in his eyes was completely alien. No wondering, no suspicions about her. Not even caring how she would respond because he knew how. No reminiscence of any past friendship (or at least companionship).

Helga didn't respond. She was shocked at what she had seen. He had completely forgotten her, all the good in her.

She walked on, not saying anything harsh at all. But she overheard what they said after she left.

"She can be so annoying sometimes," said one. "You were once her friend?"

"Yeah, I guess," Arnold said tentatively. "I mean, I think we were, at least. She was always a pain, but, I don't know, I guess not."

"Well, that made sense," said the other, laughing.

Then she knew for sure. He had left her. Forgotten all of the important things they'd done together, spoken about, and what he had once thought of her.

Have you forgotten all I know

And all we had?

She couldn't take the rush of it all. It broke her heart. She tried to maintain herself, but sooner than she expected she broke down. She ran out of the hallway and into a small nook in the hallway that no one ever went into except janitors. There, she broke down crying. "No," she moaned. "Arnold, I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't want you to forget about me before now." She was hysterical, leaning against the wall. She fell to the floor and curled up, grabbing her knees. "I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to let you forget about all of my good."

She forgot how close to Arnold's locker the nook was. Even in the shadows, he saw someone curled up. Before approaching, he listened. Nobody saw him. They were all too busy running to their friends, getting to class, trying to open their lockers. But he saw and heard everything that Helga was spilling to no one.

"I'm sorry Arnold," she sobbed. She couldn't control her breathing or gasps. She tried to wipe away her tears of grief. "Please think about me. I didn't want you to leave me or forget me. Doesn't he remember all the times I was good, all the times he saw me good, and everything he thought about me? Doesn't he remember that it's all true?" She buried her head into the space between her knees, mourning. She began to sing a song in her tears.

"Remember me when you're gone, because I still love you, don't you know? I can be your superhero if you just ask me to. If you know me then you know from long ago-"

"That I still know you, too."

Helga gasped and looked up. Arnold was leaning on the corner of the nook, smiling. He had sung the last part of the verse

She sniffed and wiped her tears quickly, standing up. She crossed her arms and tried to look tough. "What was that for?"

"You were crying," Arnold said. "Not to mention that the song wasn't true at all…"

Helga snorted. "Excuse me?"

Arnold shrugged and looked at the floor ashamedly. "Okay, so maybe it is, kind of. But I didn't mean for it to be, Helga. Don't feel bad about it. Besides, you just reminded me of how I shouldn't have." He walked up to her and gave her a gentle, hesitant hug.

"It's my fault anyway," Helga muttered. But she let her headrest on his shoulder. She would take all the comfort from him that she could muster. Forget my pride. This is awkward enough for me to not take advantage of it. But she knew that this was genuine, and somehow, even though she knew that this was incredibly chick-flick-y, she liked it.

At first Helga seemed grateful for the comfort, but then she shook her head, as if shaking off the feeling. "Wait a minute," she said. "How much of that did you just hear, anyway?"

Arnold smiled sheepishly, but knew that it may not be appropriate, so he swiped it off quickly. He said, "Er, all of it, actually."

Helga looked down and there was a hiatus in time. Finally, she whispered with all of her might, "It was all true, really." She blinked away tears and urged them to the pit of her stomach. "I r-really do… you know… feel that way about you, no matter how weird it is. Sometimes...you know… uh… it's very deep and, uh, personal, and… even though I've been messing with you for a very, very, very long time, I do care for you, you know." In her mind she was saying so much more, though. So much more.

You saw me mourning my love for you

And touched my hand

I knew you loved me then

I believe in you

I'll give up everything just to find you

I have to be with you to live to breathe

You're taking over me

Arnold winced a little, not knowing what to say. "Yeah, I figured that," he replied. "No biggie, though.

Helga blew out of her mouth loudly, making a loose strand of hair fly up. This is royal, she thought. "I guess you think I'm a freak-o then, huh?" she finally said. "Breaking down after how I-"

"Don't even start Helga," Arnold interrupted. "I'm going to ignore the... absolute weirdness of this whole ordeal and start over."

Helga was about to respond when she realized something. "Hey, Arnold," she said. "The bell rang. There's nobody out in the hall."

He turned around to see the deserted halls. "You need to get to class," said Helga. "I'll be fine. You… you need to go now."

Shaking his head in objection, he said, "No, I won't."

"Arnold, listen to me for one freaking moment right now, okay?" she said sternly. She hit Arnold on the shoulder lightly and pointed out into the hallway. "Go! I'm okay."

Arnold said, "Okay, then. Just at least go to the restroom and wash up, okay?" he asked. Man, this is uncomfortable.

"Fine, whatever, just go before you get in trouble!"

He couldn't help but smirk. "Are you concerned, Helga?" he asked, trying to hide his laugh.

Her eyes rolled. God, why does he have to do this to me? "Shut up, Arnold. You said yourself that you were going to start fresh, so start fresh and go."

Arnold finally left. He ran down the hallway, books in hand, and rushed into his classroom. Once gone, Helga tired up again, but she smiled. "Oh, Arnold, now what am I going to do?" she asked. "This stinks and is wonderful at the same time. How should I respond to this? I don't know. Okay, Helga, just take it slow. Ride with it." Still, it was a drastic change in her feelings. She never expected him to appear. It was like a movie.

She did as she was told and went to the nearest bathroom. Looking in the mirror she noticed how red and puffy her face was. She ran some water from the sink and wiped her face with a damp paper towel. She looked up. Now her face was red, puffy, and very wet. She tossed the towel into the trashcan, giving up on clearing her face.

Instead, she turned back to the mirror and stared at her reflection, at her blond hair, her blue eyes, her black and pink shirt. She spent most of her attention looking into her eyes.

She understood why Arnold felt weird. Heck, she felt beyond disturbed and she knew that she loved him, whereas he didn't have this advantage beforehand.

Her mind drifted off to him, and she thought about things that she had never thought of before: their similarities. Usually she would only think of how different he was and glorify that, so realizing the many things was a shock.

They were both wise beyond their years, even if she concealed it well. They both needed good qualities in a friend before completely trusting them, even if he had many that were acceptable to him. No matter how much either denied it, though, they both had messed up home lives, Helga's a little more so.

They both loved the arts, even if Arnold had a more scientific viewpoint of it. She supposed that the two of them were actually exceptionally smart. They both had big dreams for something, even if they were different.

She had to look deep inside herself, but somehow all of these resemblances came easily to her mind. It was like they had been sitting there all along. She saw it, but the full impact never came in. They were so much alike, yet so different.

Helga smiled. All she had to do was share these things with Arnold. Maybe it would change something. At least Helga had something more to do than hero worship him. It felt good. But she couldn't help but think that loving Arnold, paying so much attention to him, is what made some of these traits more prominent than they would have been.

She held her hand up to the cool glass. Today was horrible, but all stories end with someone happy. She was lucky enough for it to be her. She loved Arnold. He knew about it, and in some cosmic way, promised to look inside her.

I look in the mirror and see your face

If I look deep enough

So many things inside that are

Just like you are taking over

I believe in you

I'll give up everything just to find you

I have to be with you

To live

To breathe

You're taking over me!

She left the restroom, feeling considerably better than before the day had started. "What period is it?" She asked. She didn't know how long she was in that restroom, or if anyone had ever even walked. She checked her watch, determined it to be fifth period, and went to her locker to get her things.

Things would be a lot different after that day.

It was all a mystery to her exactly what was going on in the equally confusing link between her and him. All she knew was that it was stronger from her to him. He had become more of a part of her.

Vice versa? Who knows?

I believe in you

I'll give up everything just to find you

I have to be with you to live to breathe

You're taking over me

(Taking over me)

You're taking over me!

I hope you liked this. It took me forever to get the storyline to flow neatly to match the words! If it was a little choppy, forgive me, the song has absolutely no order to it that I could determine, so I made one up. I hope you all like it! Look out for the next episode, everybody's favorite, "My Immortal". Well, mine, at least. ~Waits for response~ No one else's? ~Silence~ Oh… okay… ~Shuffles of, head down, off screen~

You Gotta Love Her!

Briana Loves Football Head (and you should, too!)