Title - Moments Turned To Hours
Author - Mystic Rains
Rating –Um…M? I think that's how they rate this stuff now.
Summery - Arnold's in an orphanage, only a shell of what he really use to be. The kids there are even making bets on if he'll be the next suicide. But when there's the person from his past who ends up in the same situation as him, maybe he'll be able to hang on…
Disclaimer - Hey Arnold? If I owned it, I woulda been Helga's make up artist.
Author's Note – Once again, another reviewer begging for an update is what brings me back. That and realizing all my favorite stories haven't been updated for a while either, and realizing I'm doing what all the author's are doing, and keeping their audience waiting. Anyways, done with High School, Prom, and Graduation. One more month till I head off to college – with a brand new laptop as well, so maybe with more begging reviews, I'll keep this up.
Anyways, in this chapter, remember that they're older. I really tried to keep them in character, so please don't yell too much if they're OOC.
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If I couldn't sleep could you sleep
Could you paint me better off
Could you sympathize with my needs
I know you think I need a lot
I started out clean but I'm jaded
Just falling
Just breaking the skin
Can you help me I'm bent
I'm so scared that I'll never
Get put back together
Keep breaking me in
And this is how we will live
With you and me bent
Bent – Matchbox 20
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Five Months Later
"Hey Arnold? Hey Arnold! HEY ARNOLD!"
"What!" Arnold shouted, bouncing out of bed and moaning in pain for his efforts. He felt gentle hands push him lightly back down on the mattress and tried to blink his semi-swollen eye open. Laughing lightly, he gave a half whimper/half smile to his 'nursemaid' for the last couple of months – on and off of course.
"You know Helga, if you weren't always screaming at me, I'd say you'd almost enjoyed taking care of me…"
Cocking her eyebrow lightly, she gave him a bit of an enigmatic smile (despite the days they spent together, she was still a master of hiding her everyday emotions from him) and plopped a soaking wet wash towel over his forehead.
"If you'd stop being such a pansy and standing up for yourself, I wouldn't have to be here or scream at you. You're not the brightest crayon in the box for fightin' when you have a fever too, bucko." Helga laughed lightly, pulling the food tray next to her.
"First you want me to stand them, then you tell me not to fight when I'm sick. It's not like I got a choice when Hunter's coming at me for getting sick all over his new sneakers."
The view of Hunters's shocked face while he looked down at his newly bought Puma sneakers , covered in Tuesday Meatloaf Surprise (revisted) as Arnold apologized profusely brought tears of laughter threatening to return to Helga's eyes.
"You know Helga, it's only funny the last six times you're reminded."
"Sorry Arnoldo, but you had great aim that night!"
Arnold sighed, though clearly amused at the thought. As usual, his eyes spoke of guilt, and Helga sighed before giving him a decent whack on his injured arm.
"OW Helga, what was that for!"
"For looking so damn worried about getting me nurse duty again. I told you the last six times –"
"Twelve."
"Twelve times we've went through this. I kicked Hunter's ass because he deserved it, not 'cause I wanted any sort of revenge for you. Now, stop giving me that look before I decide not to give you your little nurse's treat." Helga smirked as Arnold's eyes lit up – smiling inwards at herself for being so calmed and at peace with her first love, and now best male friend.
Reaching down her top (and watching Arnold turn away beat red with embarrassment – as usual) she pulled out a Double Whooper with a wrapped package of Burger Queen fries.
Taking them quickly and savoring the first taste of fast food bliss, Arnold smiled "Helga darling, if it wasn't for the fact that you knocked out Hunter eleven out of twelve times, I'd get up and kiss you."
"Why stop there? I'd love to see you guys finally getting together and getten' it on in a patient bed."
Both Helga and Arnold flushed with red as Ty gave Helga a wink and took a seat next to her upon Arnold's bed. She kept her usual seductive grin on, as she lazily wrapped her arms around Helga's midsection, knowing full well on how much Helga took it out on her later.
"Sorry to interrupt you guys, but I love seeing my younger girls' flirt, especially while they develop into such curvy and delicate young women." To emphasize her point, Ty took her hand and traced Helga's figure with her hands. Arnold kept his head down, allowing his long blond hair to mildly shield his view, though he embarrassingly watched Jessica's hands trace her figure. (Though not outwardly touching her he noticed, as Helga wouldn't take crap from anyone, even as close as the group was.) "Hey Arnold? Wouldn't you want a piece of her..?"
"JESSICA!" Helga stood up furiously as Ty winced. Every time Helga got angry enough to call her by her first name, she knew she'd be paying a good portion of Helga's things the next time they went on one of their city expeditions to make it up to her. Even she knew she sometimes went too far when it came to Helga and her 'ice cream.'
"Yeah yeah, I just came down to tell ya one of the Sisters wanted to talk to ya about a family, and to report there immediately."
Helga angry murmuring turned from sex-obsessed nymphs to damn foster families, as she knew if Ty was allowed to come down it'd be serious. Helga gave a dismissive See ya wave with her hand as she threw the nurses hat, and bolted up to the 'meeting room.'
"Another family! Already! Doi! Always trying to get rid of me…"
Both watching her depart, Arnold murmured a quiet goodbye and went to munching on his burger, trying to ignore the extra weight at the side of his bed. Ty was way too hot blooded and observant for his innocence, he already knew that, and though Helga could handle her well, he knew he couldn't.
"Oh stop looking down Mr Never-Heard-Of-Sex. I ain't gonna rape you." Ty muttered, throwing herself on a nearby chair and stealing a handful of his precious fries. "Nor was I here to tease Helga – I do that on my own time. I was just here as a messenger."
Arnold was quiet as she took another handful of fries and smirked at him.
"You know, an innocent guy like you is perfect for our rough diamond Helly girl. It's obvious she likes you. Why don't you just ask her out already?"
Arnold blushed lightly and he spoke down to his burger wrapper, finishing his last bite.
"Helga is just a friend. She takes care of me 'cause I was the only person she knew when she came here – I'm just a friendly face. Though she always wanted to beat me into a pulp from kindergarten to fourth grade..." He laughed nervously as Ty looked on curiously at him.
"That's not telling me anything about why you can't get together kid..."
"Well, I dunno. This is Helga we're talking about. There's past behind her, behind me, and this whole place. If you were to know Helga before she came here, the idea of love, especially with Helga in the same sentence, is impossible to imagine."
"Well people change Mr. Innocent. Is that so hard to believe? I mean I've been in this hell hole since I was seven, and I doubt I'm even an itch ofthe same then than I was now."
"You're her friend nowthough. Not before. She was so strong before, so impenetrable, she doesn't deserve -"
A resounding slap echoed through the luckily empty Nurses' Office, as Ty stood up fuming.
"I thought you were a good guy, but I can't even listen to that crap. If you don't think she deserves you, then you're holding you and your innocence angelic self way too high!"
Arnold let his head limply fall to the side, watching her departure through his cornlock hair. Twirling around and making her way towards the door, Ty coolly flipped him off and let the door shut with a hard slam. He sighed deeply, and continued as if nothing happened.
"…she doesn't deserve to deal with this orphan's baggage. She doesn't need to be weighed downwith my feelings…"