Explanations
Okay, how'd you like that last chapter? Huh, huh? Don't worry, you can bow and kiss my feet after you read this one. *All right, I'm not supposed to be in this part, but I can't…take…it! * Wait…what are you doing with that rope, and that sock? Who's watching the cash register?
* Ah, my old job. I'll miss you very much! * Well, remember when he was looking for the phone book? Remember when I said it was summer? Also, a lot is shown about the consciences.
Why do I have to go over this time and time again? You guys are lawyers for cripe's sake! You guys are supposed to be smart! You know what? I won't even say it, cuz you should know that I don't own Hey Arnold! Nope, I'm not…huh…oh, darn it!
Arnold flipped through his phone book. There was a number he needed now, and he needed it badly. Well, I really do like what I'm seeing, Arnold. Wait a minute, thought Arnold. How come I'm just noticing you? If you're my conscience, shouldn't you have been here all my life? That's not the point, but okay. I've always been here in your head; it's just that now, well, we're not supposed to interfere with the person much, you know, with our persona. I've been helping you out your whole life, man, but we can only show ourselves in times like this, when you can't figure out anything! Okay, I won't take that as an insult. Good. Now, get over to the P's.
He found the page, and scrolled down until he saw the name. He punched in the numbers, and waited for the phone to ring.
!@#$%^&*()_+{}:"?
Helga, whatever you do, don't tell me that you didn't notice what Arnold did for you! I know, Connie, he picked me up when I fainted and-No, not that! When you started distressing over the kids joshing on you. Yeah, he…oh! Oh my gosh, he did, didn't he? Yes, he did. I wonder why? Huh. What? No, he can't. I just told him about it three days ago. So? You fell in love with him only ten seconds after seeing his face! Oh, yeah. Well, still, he can't possibly…I mean, he's Arnold! He likes all those pretty and charming people, like…like Lila and Summer and Ruth! You forgot someone. I don't remember anyone else. Who's the one person he actually went on a date with. Cecile…I mean, me. But, wait a minute…oh. But, but, how? He liked Cecile, not me. Look, you know that you pretend to be a bully, and that Cecile was you being you. Come off of it, girl. He liked you then, it's possible that he likes you know. You know what, Connie? For once, I see your point. Once? What do you mean?
Ring, Ring, Ring.
The phone rang, but at first, Helga was too busy trying to get Connie's words to make sense in her reality. But once the answering machine played a voice she was jerked away.
"Hi, Helga. It's me, Arnold. Listen, um, you know what's been happening lately? Well…"
"Hello?" Helga reached across her bed to grab the phone. In the position she was in, she fell off of her bed. She thought, Never tell me to come off of it again, Connie. Talk!
"Uh, hey Arnold." She bit her lip. At any other point, she'd be prancing around, wrapping herself in a knot, but she remembered what he said about what was going on lately. Also, she'd had enough of Big Bob walking in on her whenever she fell due to Arnold.
Arnold was twirling the cord around his finger. Oh, was he nervous. "Uh, I guess you heard what I already said, so let me finish; I need to tell you something."
Helga's eyes jerked up from the phone to the center of her vision. Could it mean what she thought it would mean? "Uh, um, yeah, go on, Football Head. Oh, sorry."
"It's okay. It's not like you're calling me yutz, or paste for brains, or yellow-haired shrimp, or anything like that. At least I have a football shaped head."
Helga rolled her eyes. "Arnold, you didn't call me to tell me all the names I've called you." Connie, you better let go of my VOICE BOX! Just give me a minute, Helga. It's my turn again. I actually get to do something, now. But I wanna talk to him! "What did you call me for?"
Okay, no taking my voice, Connor! But I have to. You aren't used to this, but I've been in Phil, Phil's dad, Miles, your great-great-grandfather, your…Did you say you were in my dad's head before me? Yeah. Hey, hey, wait a second; I don't think he's dead. Once your person haves a child, you're supposed to go to him. But I'm still kind of in each of your ancestors. If I were in a girl, then I would have been your mother's.
"Um, Arnold? Are you there?"
"Oh, um, sorry. Listen, remember when you were naming all those things you've done for me? Well, I've been thinking, and, um, I guess I…" Okay, Connor, if you're going to be my confession speaker, or something, why are you stuttering? I've never been in a nine-year-old who's confessing love! Plus, you're making me nervous! "I, um, well, I guess you could say that I don't like Lila anymore."
Once again, Helga stared into nothing. Then, suddenly, she smiled. Connie, I can't talk. It's all you. Okay. Yes! Connie spoke slowly to make it seem like Helga was talking. "Arnold? Are you saying…what I think you're saying?"
Connor smirked with Arnold's mouth. "If you're thinking that I'm saying how I feel, then yes, I am."
Connie bit Helga's lip. Is it just me, or does this not sound like Arnold? Huh? What? Oh, um, I don't know! Who else would it be? I think I know. "Arnold, is this a conscience?"
Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no. This is bad. Well, wouldn't this have to be Helga's conscience to know that? You know, sometimes you aren't as dense as your reputation speaks for. I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Well, speak, Connor. "Is this Helga's conscience?"
At the same time, both consciences said, "Yes, it is."
Connie cleared her throat. "So, um, does Arnold know what he feels?"
Connor nodded and said, "Yeah, he does. Arnold is somewhere in-between liking, liking Helga and love."
Helga thought, All my years of loving and waiting have paid off! Then, she fell into Cloud Nine.
"Um, Helga's gone. Soon as you said that, she went into dream mode. Oh, ouch!" There was a small, two-second pause. "What did you do that for? Oh, yeah."
Connor burrowed Arnold's eyes. "What is it?"
Connie sighed. "Helga slapped her cheek, and it hurt me more than it hurt her for some reason!"
"Oh, um, did Helga give you a name?"
"Connie."
"Connor."
"Well, then, Connor, don't you think these two should talk together?"
NO!
NOOOOO!
"Um, Arnold doesn't feel like he's ready."
"Really? Helga just said, 'NO!'"
"Well, then Arnold really isn't ready. Huh? What? Oh, um, He wants to know if either of us are going to help the other out with the whole 'everyone in school knows' thing."
"I seriously think they should at least work that out with each other, don't you?"
Connor nodded. "Yeah, we can't take over vocal chords forever, now, can we?"
Connie, no, no, no, no, no, I can't do it! I can't do this!
Connor, don't leave me hanging! I don't know what to say! Come on, man, you always know how to talk! Yeah, but still…
"But still what?"
"Huh?"
"Arnold?"
"Helga?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Okay, then, our consciences who magically appeared suddenly apparently want us to talk about how we are supposed to handle the kids at school teasing us because I told you I love you on top of the FTI building, which you were trying to get to stop destroying you neighborhood, and now you seem to like me like me, and all of this happened in the last three days, and it's already going nuts!" Helga stopped for a minute. "Well, this shouldn't be too hard, now, should it?"
Arnold sighed. There was the sarcasm. Well, at least she was thinking about the task ahead. "Gerald called me earlier. Right before I called you."
Helga stood up and almost fell over. "What? What did he say? What did you say? Oh, yeah, Phoebe said she'd do something. Oh, I want to beat the living snot out of him for causing all of this!"
"Helga, calm down!" He heard a few deep breaths and then regular ones before he continued. "He apologized. He said that he was sorry, that he was just laughing so hard he forgot, and that he was sorry for me."
Helga cocked a part of her eyebrow. "What?"
Arnold bit his lip. "He doesn't exactly like you."
Helga exploded. "What! Why, he humiliates the both of us and he says that he feels sorry for you because I like you? I'm gonna beat his kid's snot out of him now! I mean…" She realized what she was doing, and then stopped. "Sorry, Arnold. Now, what are we supposed to do? School starts soon."
"We could just act normal. You know, ignore them and stuff."
"Oh, yeah, that'll work, Arnoldo. I mean, Arnold. Sorry, but it's stuck. Anyway, why don't we just act like we always did? That way it would seem like it never happened!"
"Helga, after you fainted in front of them, I don't think they'll be convinced. Besides, I think word has spread by now throughout the other classes."
Listen, Helga, you can't hide from it forever. But how am I supposed to face the kids at school now? I had a reputation, and now it's all…No more of that! Stop it all! The whole reason you have a reputation is because everyone is either annoyed or afraid of you. Do you seriously want that? Uh, um, I, uh, well…
"Fine, Arnold, whatever!" Helga sat on her bed and crossed her arms. "It might work."
Arnold leaned back in mock surprise. "Helga, did you just agree with me?"
Helga but my hand on her cheek and gasped, also faking. "Arnold, did you just make fun of me?"
The two that were on the phone began to laugh very hard. Except for one misconception.
"Olga! Get off of the phone! I need to call a client! NOW!"
Helga sucked her teeth with her tongue. I don't want to get off of the phone! Look, tomorrow you guys can talk. Fine.
"Look, Arnold, Bob wants the phone. I've gotta go, okay?"
Arnold nodded. "See you tomorrow Helga."
"Bye, Football Head."
"You know, I still don't know if I like that name?"
"Yeah, how did you get it? Neither of your grandparents have one."
Arnold bit his lip. Should I tell her, Connor? Go ahead. There's no wrong in telling. Okay. "Um, it's from my mother's side. I didn't get her hair though."
Helga grabbed her elbow. "Oh, I'm sorry I asked."
"No, no, Helga, it's all right."
"OLGA!"
"I've gotta go now."
"Bye."
"Bye. Again."
When Helga hung up, she walked over to her closet. She climbed the ladder into the attic. She stared for a while at the statue made in Arnold's likeness. Did she really need it now? What do you think, Connie? There's something I have to tell you first, Helga. What? What is it? In a few days, I'll have to go back into the shadow of your brain. What? Why? How? It's regulation. I have to. I'll still be here, just not with my persona. You can't. Let's just get back to the fact that you walked up here. It's your call.
Helga looked up at the great shrine. She sighed. She didn't need this thing anymore. She had the real thing to talk to now.
She smiled, as did Connie. Two people smiling with the same mouth about Helga.
She stood up, grabbed a box, and climbed up to the top of the bear and pulled off the head. She took the blankets and face paints and stuffed them in another box. When she turned to her poem books, she shrugged. She'd keep those.
She turned around and climbed down the ladder into her room. She walked from her room and down the stairs. When she reached the foot of them, she saw her father place the phone down. She rolled her eyes. A five minute call interrupted the phone call in which Arnold said those long awaited words.
Isn't the world full of ironic events?
Well, those who like the shrine, my deepest apologies. It's a symbol that she can be herself and talk now. Those who like Connie and Connor, I'm sorry about that, too. But, hey, if they appeared, they had to disappear. Anyway, I'm almost done. I have a while to go, though, and I think you guys will like how it'll end. ** Oh, what is it? ** You have your own stories to worry about, Phebga. ** Man! ** Well, that's it for now! All of your reviews have made this thing better than I'd expected it to be. I thought I'd just get this far with a lot less, but, boom, inspiration! ** And I'd also like to thank my mommy, and God, and Craig Bartlett, and my wonderful friend Phebga Madame Fortress Mommy, who helped me every step of the way with her clever thinking and… ** Okay. Well, then, until next time! Reviews Please! I'm shooting for fifty of them, okay?
Read:
Time To Switch-A story where to opposites switch…only it's Helga and Lila!
Through the Compact Disc-Francesca makes a hard decision, and Helga gets prepared for the concert. Deana's realizing things, and Arnold is very confused about what to do next.
V-Day II: My Hair Is Down-My Valentines Days story, no matter how late!
Where's the Studio? **Look at the title. Studio, Hey Arnold, Where is it? It's a switch-a-roo, people! **
~~Briana LFBH~~Know
