A/N: yay new story! Here's what you need to know about it.

1. The cover of this story is a commission to me by Mi-Pinkee.

I am using it with her permission. Do not republish the cover art anywhere.

2. TJM did not happen in this storyline. But everything else did!

3. This story is rated M for sexual situations, strong language, and substance use.

Well... welcome to Figure Her Out!

I think that we all have a weakness. I think we all have that one thing that makes us fragile in one way or another, no matter how strong you are.

I always knew there was more to Helga Pataki than what she chose to show people. I always knew she wasn't as bad as she acted, even after all these years. I knew she had a weakness.

I just never thought that weakness would be me.

I walked into Hillwood High School with about ten minutes to spare before my first class of the day. On my way to my locker, a figure with long blonde hair caught my eye. It wasn't just anyone with blonde hair. It was none other than Helga Pataki.

Ever since high school started, I noticed that Helga changed in a way.

For one, her sense of style changed. Right now, Helga was wearing tight black jeans with rips, a white tank top, a black leather jacket, and black laced up combat boots. In the past, she wore pink dresses a lot. But she seemed to have swapped them for edgy black clothes. Not that there was anything wrong with it, it was just something that was easy to notice.

And she stopped yelling and screaming at people when high school started. She still scoffed at people, but only when they talked to her first. Other than that, she no longer acted like she ruled the school with an iron fist.

Everyday since then, it was my routine to observe her and think about her every morning before class started.

"You're looking at her again, Romeo." I heard from behind me while I was opening my locker.

I turned around, and I saw my best friend since preschool, Gerald, with a subtle smirk on his face.

"Hi, Gerald." I greeted.

"This is the fifth time this week I've caught you looking at Helga G. Pataki! You should talk to her." Gerald said.

"I don't know what to say..." I admitted.

This is may be surprising, but I have barely talked to Helga at all during high school. She had stopped talking to me. Since she had stopped yelling at people like she was the queen of the school, she had stopped being mean to me. But instead of befriending me, she just ignored me completely.

I felt like an idiot for not talking to her or trying to befriend her. I just felt shy to talk to her and I didn't know what to say. And also, I was afraid that she didn't want to talk to me or see me, so I left her alone instead of seeing how she felt about seeing me. But I hadn't stopped thinking about her once, and I had no idea why. Why was I daily thinking about the girl who belittled me for years?

"You should talk to her sometime, buddy. I've caught you staring at her one two many times." Gerald said.

"I thought you wanted me to stay away from her. You wouldn't even let me take care of her when she had amnesia." I said.

"That was in fourth grade, dude. You clearly have a crush on her and I want you to be happy." Gerald said.

"I do not have a crush on Helga!" I immediately denied.

Right after I said that, the bell rang, signaling that we had two minutes to get to class.

"Saved by the bell." I said.

My first class of the day was English class, and it started with the teacher handing back our essays from the previous week.

"Good job as always, Arnold, you got one hundred percent again." The teacher said as she handed back my paper with the number 100 written and circled in blue marker.

"Thanks." I said.

Helga and Phoebe were also in my class. I was sitting in the back of the class while the two girls were towards the front.

"Helga, what has gotten into you? You got another failing grade." Phoebe pointed out.

"Who gives a shit? I sure don't." Helga said.

"You use to be so good at this subject... what happened?" Phoebe said, concerned.

"I don't know, and I don't care." Helga said nonchalantly.

"Wait, this doesn't have anything to do with-" Phoebe started to ask.

"Shut the hell up Phoebe, it doesn't." Helga interrupted.

I know I shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but I was wondering what they were referring to. Why would Helga be failing at a subject she used to excel in?

"Hey Arnold." I heard from next to me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh hey, Rhonda. I greeted back once I turned my read to the right, seeing Rhonda.

"I'm totally fucked for tomorrow, can you help me?" Rhonda asked.

"Sure, with what?" I agreed, being the person who loves helping people.

"Our English presentation that was supposed to be next week, was moved to this week! And I barely have anything for it. Can you help me gather information?" Rhonda panicked.

"This is why you shouldn't wait until the last minute... but of course I can help you. I'll write down notes that you can use. Just don't copy them directly."

"Thanks, Arnold. You are a lifesaver, as always."

"You're welcome."

After sitting in English class for an hour paying attention to the lesson and occasionally glancing at Helga, it was time for math class.

As I sat down, I started thinking about Helga again. She wasn't even in my math class, so I didn't know why the thought of her met my mind. Why was she on my mind?

I decided that after school, I was going to try to talk to Helga. I had been thinking about her from afar without saying anything for way too long. I had to try.

"Arnold, here's your test from the other day. Good job." The teacher said as he set a paper on my desk, snapping me out of my confusing thoughts.

"Thank you." I said.

I looked at the paper, and just like my English essay, I had gotten one hundred percent. I felt proud of myself for working hard enough to achieve these perfect grades.

"Hey, Arnold!" I heard from the desk behind me.

I turned around, and it was my classmate, Sid. "Can you help me with my math? Since you're so great at it." Sid asked. It felt like deja vu because the exact sequence happened last period. I think of Helga, I get an assignment back, and someone asks me for help.

"Yeah, sure, of course. What do you need help with?" I said.

"There's this type of equation that I cannot figure out for the life of me... but we can have a note page on the next test. Can you show me how to do it?" Sid explained.

"I sure can. So basically how it works is..." I started to say.

"Settle down class, it's time for the lesson." The teacher interrupted, signaling us to stop talking.

About an hour later, the math period ended. I went to talk to Sid since I had agreed to help him with his math.

"Hey, Sid." I said.

"Hi, Arnold. I was thinking you could write down notes on how to do the equation and I can study it?" Sid asked.

"That sounds good." I said.

"Okay, cool. Thanks."

"Anytime."

Five hours later...

The final bell rang, meaning it was the end of the school day. My heart started racing as I left the classroom, because I remembered that I promised myself to talk to Helga. It's not like Helga was a random girl in the school who I had just developed a crush on. She was someone who I had known my whole life.

So why was I so nervous to talk to her?

Why was she on my mind this much?

I saw Helga walking out of the school alone right as she had got her backpack out of her locker. I decided that I was going to approach her when she was outside.

Once I got outside, I noticed that Helga had stopped by the wall and reached into her backpack while she had a cigarette in her mouth. She took out something which looked like a spray can out of her backpack. Helga held her cigarette with one hand and shook the spray can with the other hand. She then started spray painting the wall. This was not the first time I had seen Helga doing rebellious things like this in high school.

As much as this behavior bothered me, I was relieved that I had an excuse to go up and talk to her.

I was really good at meddling, and that's what I was about to do.

Though my heart couldn't help but beat harder and harder with every step towards her.

"Hi, Helga." I greeted.

"Arnold?!" Helga turned around with a startled tone.

"I mean, what are you doing here?" Helga asked in a somewhat hostile tone.

I noticed that was something she did when we were kids. She'd say my name in a startled voice and then ask what I was doing in a hostile voice.

"Helga, why are you spray painting the walls?" I pried.

"Cause I can, football head." Helga replied with a hint of agitation in her voice as she pulled out a new can of spray paint out of her backpack.

"This is vandalism."

"So? I don't care."

"I might have to tell the principal about this."

"That would make you a snitch. And by being a snitch, you'd be making yourself look dumb. That is, if you aren't already making yourself look dumb."

"It's not snitching if you're doing something dangerous or illegal. It's telling."

"Chill, football head. I'm just spray painting the wall. It's not like I'm murderering somebody or something."

It was true that Helga scoffed at people when they came to her. But I was used to it anyway.

"Okay. But since when do you smoke?" I pried once again.

"Since last year. Not that it's any of your business." Helga said and then took a drag.

"That's bad for your lungs, Helga." I said, being worried about her. It actually did make me worry a bit that she was smoking.

"Do I look like I'm worried about that?" Helga dismissed. "Wow, talk about you interrogating me out of nowhere."

"Sorry, I was just... concerned."

"Do you wanna help me with this?"

I was confused and shocked when Helga asked me to help her with her graffiti. Why would she ask me to do that?"

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"You should make a decision. If you don't wanna do it, it's okay." Helga said.

I didn't know why Helga wanted me to participate. Naturally, I didn't want to be part of it because I was all about doing the right thing. And this wasn't.

But a part of me was also sick of trying to do every single thing perfectly. Maybe I didn't want to be the "perfect" goody two shoes that I currently was. That's what I was expected by society to be, but maybe I didn't want to be.

So what's one imperfect action?

Helga then held out a spray can to me. "If you wanna do it, take it... You don't have to." Helga said.

My hand trembled as it slowly made its way to pick up the spray can. A few seconds later, I was holding it in my hand. Helga wasn't making me do anything, so why in the world did I take the spray can?

I held it up to the wall, nervously about to press the nozzle. But before I could, I heard a loud voice behind Helga and me.

"Halt! What are you guys doing?!" The voice sternly uttered.

I turned around to see the principal looking angry, and I immediately regretted almost rebelling.

"I'm sorry!" I immediately apologized.

"You both are in big trouble." The principal told us. "Detention right now. And Arnold, I did not expect this behavior from you at all."

I couldn't believe my own ears when I heard that I was getting detention. I had never had detention before, except for that one time in fourth grade when I dumped paint on Helga. Helga had started our paint fight, but only I got detention. Just like last time, Helga was the reason for me getting detention, but at least this time she was also getting punished. Even though Helga didn't bully me anymore, I could tell that she was still trouble.