Helga Tells
A/N: The Hey Arnold characters belong to Craig Bartlett, not me. Also, this story is based on a TV show idea I thought of 4 years ago. I tried sending the idea to Craig Bartlett by e-mail, but I didn't have the right e-mail, and the idea was obviously not turned into a TV segment. Therefore, I decided just to put the story on the fan-fiction site.
Chapter 1: Secrets
Nine-year-old Helga Pataki entered Mr. Simmons's classroom one morning. Most of the class was already there. Once again, she saw her beloved Arnold. Arnold didn't know that Helga was deeply in love with him, but he only saw her outside personality. Helga always yelled at Arnold, insulted him, and just plain annoyed him. Arnold always wondered if something was wrong with her, but he never could put his finger on what it could be. He didn't realize that Helga was so obsessed with him on the inside.
Helga took her seat right behind Arnold. "Oh, Arnold," she sighed quietly. She was about to recite another poem about Arnold, but the bell suddenly rang. "Darn that bell," Helga muttered.
The teacher, Mr. Simmons, entered the classroom. "Hello, CLASS!" he said in a cheerful, yet kiss-up tone.
"Hello, Mr. Simmons," the class said in a carefree, monotonous tone.
"Today, we are going to be discussing love themes in William Shakespeare's plays."
Mr. Simmons began to drone on forever and ever. Nobody really seemed to be listening. At this moment, Helga was staring at Arnold. Her heart was beating rapidly. She really loved him, and she had to tell him, but she just didn't have the guts. Boy, would she love it if the two of them could hang out together and do things just like boyfriend/girlfriend. She had to tell him her secret, but she just didn't have the nerve.
Suddenly, an idea sparked. Helga could tell Phoebe, her Japanese decent best friend. Helga looked to the right of the classroom and saw Phoebe attentively listening to Mr. Simmons's lectures about Shakespeare.
School droned on and on, and finally, the afternoon bell rang. The class quickly emptied, and Helga caught up with Phoebe at her locker.
"Yo, Phoebes," she said. "You know my…secret?" Helga said. "About you-know-who?"
"Yeah," Phoebe said. "What about it?"
"Well, I'm tired of keeping it a secret from Arnold. I want us to get along. I'm tired of yelling at him all the time. Could you do me the biggest favor in the world for me, Phoebe?" Helga asked.
"Uh, sure, Helga," Phoebe said.
"Could you tell Arnold that I love him?" Helga asked.
"You want me to tell him? Really, are you sure?" Phoebe asked.
"Affirmative," Helga said. "Oh, and ask him if he likes me. 'Kay? And tell me what his response was."
"Okay," Phoebe said. The two walked off in different directions. Helga would soon find out what Arnold thought about her secret.