A/N: I don't own Hey Arnold, the show belongs to Craig Bartlett.

Helga wasn't sure why she agreed to this. Sure, she loved Arnold, but she wasn't a doormat; she could've easily refused to walk his pig with him. She didn't like Abner—not since he stole her locket twice in the same day. A younger Helga would've found any excuse to hang around Arnold, but she didn't need one now that she was dating him.

"You seem annoyed," Arnold said, as he and Helga (and Abner) walked past the library. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing," Helga said wistfully. "I just wish we could do something else."

Arnold struggled to hold Abner back as the trio approached a street. "Stay, Abner! Stay!"

Arnold looked both ways before crossing the street. Helga wished she could hold his hand, but both of his hands were gripping Abner's leash.

"Your dad should be walking him," Helga said. "He's too heavy for you."

"No he's not!" Arnold argued. "I can manage. I have muscles."

In your dreams, Helga thought, but she knew this wasn't a good time to rib him. "I just don't want him to pull you into traffic."

"Then hold my hand." Arnold took one hand off the leash and locked fingers with Helga. "He can't pull both of us."

Now this was more like it. As she walked hand-in-hand with the boy who made her heart soar, Helga found appreciation for the mundane. The grass smelled lovely, the birds sang sweeter melodies, and the litter on the ground was now…uh….

Oh, who was she kidding? The litter was still disgusting.

"I need a vacation," Helga said.

Arnold raised an invisible eyebrow. "A vacation? From what?

"From everything!" Helga shouted. "From boring, everyday life!"

Arnold reacted like a startled cat, so Helga lowered her voice. "I'm sorry, love. I just thought our relationship would be a little more…"

"Romantic?" Arnold suggested. "Maybe next week we can go somewhere special. Any ideas?"

"You pick," Helga said. "Last time I tried to do something romantic, I almost put Chez Paris out of business."

Arnold chuckled. "I'll be honest if I can't pay."

Their destination was Big Bob's Cell Phones, and Big Bob himself was there to greet them.

"Where were you, missy?" Bob asked Helga. "Olga thought you ran away from home."

"This store is not a home," Helga said.

Bob turned his attention to Arnold. "Alfred Shortman? What are YOU doing here?"

"I, uh..." Arnold looked at the ground as he spoke. "My name's not Alfred, it's Arn—"

"I don't care!" Bob spat. "You almost had my daughters killed! Get off my property!"

Helga tried to remain calm. She wanted to tell Bob to shut his big mouth, but didn't want to escalate things further.

"He's only eleven, Bob," Helga said dryly. "He didn't get us kidnapped on purpose."

"Whatever," Bob said. "You coming in?"

"Yeah, and Arnold's leaving." Helga smiled at her trembling boyfriend. "Don't mind him, love."

"Love?" Bob's face shriveled. "You're too young to be dating, missy."

"Since when do you care what I do?" Helga asked. "Huh, Bob? Why are you suddenly trying to parent me?"

"Watch the tone," Bob warned.

Abner had been silent since they arrived, and he looked just as scared as his owner. "Let's go, Abner," Arnold said. Arnold and Abner turned and walked away.

"Thanks for overreacting, Bob." Helga walked past him and went inside the store.

"Helga?" Olga sniffled. She had been lying face down on a couch, but got up when she saw Helga. "Baby sis!"

Olga ran to Helga and hugged her. Helga struggled to escape Olga's grip.

"I didn't run away!" Helga snapped. "I ate breakfast, loitered a bit, and went on a walk with Arnold."

"You're never hoooome!" Olga wailed. "It's like you're abandoning our family!"

"Well, gee, Olga, maybe I'm used to being neglected!" Helga flopped onto a couch.

It was then that Big Bob entered the store. "Are you done crying, Olga?"

Olga sniffled. "Yes, Daddy."

"Good," Bob sat down on the other couch. "You're lucky the customers didn't see you cry. It's bad for business."

"But Daddy," Olga said, "we didn't have any customers today. We only sold five phones since the rebranding."

"We've only been open for two weeks," Helga said.

"Stay out of it, young lady!" Bob shouted. "You don't know anything about business!"

"Oh yeah?" Helga stood up. "I bet I could bring in more customers than you!"

"You think so?" Bob snorted. "Then why don't you start an ad campaign? Make me proud for once."

That last part stung. For ONCE? I never ONCE made him proud?

Considering all the times Bob was cruel to Arnold, part of Helga didn't want to make Bob proud. But another part craved validation; she wanted to prove that she was as smart as Olga.

"OK," Helga said. "I'll be the ambassador. This place will be crowded within a week."