SURPRISE!
i know i said i was going to wait to post this until the 22nd, but i just couldn't wait so i figured i'd post today anyway :)
Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Life resumed normalcy, or as normal as life could for Helga after that moment. She went back to talking to Arnold on a daily basis as well as holding hands once again, something she loved more than all else, and she went back to the weekly games at Gerald Field with all of their friends, though tried not to be as mean as she had previously been.
The whole thing had become a relief to Arnold, who was worried she might go back to her old ways of bullying once they were back together. But Helga stayed the same and while she kept her sassy remarks and sarcastic comments, her persistent bullying toned down and soon nobody was bothering Arnold to talk to her any more than he usually did about anything in particular.
Life seemed perfect, and the next few months went by without a hitch. Helga continued to come by on a mostly daily basis to help with dinner and to talk with Miles who she'd become rather close to- even helping him buy a cellphone and show him which buttons to press to get him to the right screens even if it was a challenge. The two parents were lost within the times and they needed some fresh guidance and Helga was just the person up for the task.
"So I press this home button?" Miles asked while holding the directions in one hand and adjusting his glasses with the other while the smartphone balanced on his lap.
"Yeah, that's not the home button, that's the back button." Helga said with a smirk and he nodded his head.
"Stella, we've been pressing the wrong button this whole time," Miles called out while Arnold and Stella worked on supper- a surprising twist to the usual ritual of their nightly routine.
"That explains the frustration," She hollered back and he chuckled to himself with a shake of his head.
"So what do I do next? How do I get to the internet?" He asked slowly, still not understanding the concept.
"You tap this button here," Helga guided with a point of her finger, "and that will take you there in a millisecond."
"Wow, this thing is fast!" He exclaimed and Helga agreed.
"Kind of the idea, but yeah, it's pretty quick," She said with a smile.
"Now, the instructions say here that I can get onto this thing called FaceNetwork? What is that?" He asked and Helga sighed, knowing this would be a challenge to explain.
"FaceNetwork is a social network, it's a place where you can post updates and photos and everything you can imagine for all your friends to see." She explained but Miles only turned his head and looked at her in confusion.
"My friends? Like Eduardo? How do they see it though?" He questioned and Helga reached up to rub at the bridge of her nose before answering.
"They see it through their timeline the same way you see theirs. But you have to create an account first." She said and he nodded his head before returning his attention to the phone in his hand.
"I don't just have one?" He asked and Helga laughed.
"No, uh, that'd be weird," She replied before tapping the screen to enter FaceNetwork and pointed to the create an account link. "Now tap that and set up through your email. You remember the email we set up, don't you?"
"Yeah, yeah, MilesIsStillHip13 ," he repeated and Helga rolled her eyes at his ridiculous name he'd picked out for himself.
"Right, well, just plug that in and then make up a password and then you'll be able to set up your account and all that jazz," she said and he nodded his head before turning to look at her with a raised brow. "What?" She asked and he smiled.
"How do you know all about this stuff? I thought your parents only sold beepers." He asked and Helga smirked while crossing her arms.
"Cellphones are a wave of the future. And I'm TRYING to get them to open up their eyes and see that. Besides, I'm a kid, and kids are just prone to knowing this kind of stuff for some reason," She explained and Miles chortled to himself before returning his gaze to his phone and plugging in the correct information to set up his FaceNetwork account.
"Okay, okay, I think I did it. I'm in," he said before calling out to the kitchen again, "Honey! I've just gotten into the FaceNetwork! Soon we'll be official friends!"
"That's great, sweetie!" She called back and then with a wink to Helga, he called out once more.
"Hey Arnold, how would you like to be friends with your dear old dad?" He asked and there was a pause in the kitchen before Arnold finally answered.
"Sure, dad. But how about you figure out all the ins and outs of the app first, okay?" He said and Miles sighed, not satisfied with Arnold's answered as he was hoping to embarrass him just a bit more. Slowly, he returned back to the phone and took a deep breath.
"So I'm in now, what do I do from here?"
Helga spent the next hour going through the app and training Miles on how to post pictures, statuses, and other nonsense so that he could later teach Stella on how to the same things. It wasn't that hard, and Miles made it fun to do so as he had a quick wit just like Helga did. She found that he was easy to talk to and even easier to hang out with. He was a cool dad- one that she was jealous Arnold had and she didn't. He was the kind of dad almost everyone wished they could have; supportive, kind, funny and caring all while being cool and laid-back while giving superior advice. Except he kept trying to make her step out of her poetry box and try that journaling thing. Maybe because Arnold wasn't a writer like she was. But that was just a theory.
Stella, however, was just an all-around great mom. She cared a lot and had a heart made of pure gold. She listened impeccably and had a smile that could stop a room. She was elegant, a hard worker, and kind- all the things her mom COULD be if she wasn't so addicted to her 'smoothies.' It was nice to be around a mom that was all the things she should be and more; a mom that genuinely cared about her child and wanted the best for them no matter the circumstances. While it was unfamiliar territories, she felt at home in the boarding house with the two of them, and to her, she felt like they had become surrogate parents to herself, something that shouldn't be necessary but was given the circumstances.
Soon, September came and went and October's leaves began to change along with the weather of Hillwood; the cold air sweeping through the city to bring along autumn which brought about Arnold's 12th birthday- a dilemma that Helga panicked about for days on end before finally finding him the perfect present; a notebook where she pasted a few pictures she'd taken while with Arnold and his family along with notes of memories they'd shared over the years, good and bad, old and new, that gave him a pretty good laugh. She even revealed a few kept secrets in there, secrets that she decided was high time the football-headed boy discovered the truth about on this, his 12th birthday. The secret of Cecile, the secret of finding Mai, along with a few others that brought a tear to young Arnold's eye as he read them. He was amazed at all the work and heart she'd put forth into this gift and he cherished it more than she even knew.
Next came Halloween which was just around the corner which Arnold and Helga would spend together trick-or-treating with their friends. Helga decided on going as a half-mummy, half ancient Egyptian goddess with help from Stella to make her costume, while Arnold went as the same thing, only half Pharaoh. They found it appropriate given their latest trip to the jungle and their experiences with the natives there and thought it would be a cool idea to mix and match their costumes together- something they'd never done but knew as a couple, they should do. Meanwhile, their friends all went as other typical horror creatures, Dracula, Freddy, Jason, all the regulars with a few creative ideas here and there.
Gerald and Phoebe even got into the mix and match idea with their Pop Daddy costumes, being the two lead characters from the show and it made Arnold and Helga feel less weird coming to Rhonda's soiree dressed as a pair of people rather than their own individual costumes. Thankfully, nobody paid mind to the four as they entered her mansion, all their friends already deep in the throws of the party. The only one mentioning anything being Lila who greeted them first when they all walked into the doors.
"Why hello! Don't you all look just ever so great," She said while clasping her hands in front of her chest, her costume being that of a princess of some sort. Seemed fitting to Helga.
"Thanks, Lila," Gerald said while scooping an arm around Phoebe. "You look pretty great yourself."
"Oh, thank you. Rhonda let me borrow a dress of hers as I didn't have a costume this year and she wouldn't let anyone in the door without a costume," She said with a down expression and Arnold chimed in to try and make her feel better- something he did best.
"Well I think you look great," He said, Helga turning to glare at him and he felt her eyes on his face as it grew hot at her gaze. "H-how do you like our costumes? They were all Helga's idea." He said suddenly and Helga turned her eyes off of Arnold to look at Lila awaiting a response.
"They look just ever so creative. I'm sure you put a lot of work into them." She responded and Helga nodded her head.
"Yeah, yeah, enough talk," She said while reaching for Arnold's hand. "Is there a punch bowl around here? I'm parched," She said and Lila pointed in the direction of the living room where a group of people were dancing to loud music.
"Over there by the bobbing for apples station," Lila said.
"Thanks," Helga replied while pulling Arnold's arm to escape Lila and her 'ever so's in lieu of the actual party they'd come here for.
"What was THAT, Arnoldo?" Helga asked once they'd reached the punch bowl and Arnold raised a brow at her.
"What was what?" He asked and Helga dropped the ladle into the bowl and turned to face him with one hand on her hip as the other held the glass full of punch.
"That compliment. What were you doing, trying to get with her or something?" She asked and Arnold smirked.
"What are you, jealous or something? I came to the party with you, I was just trying to make her feel better about her costume." He replied and Helga's face dropped as she realized just how jealous she sounded.
"Oh..." She said and Arnold reached over for her hand that was on her hip.
"You have nothing to be worried about," he said, "I don't feel that way about Lila anymore. Just about you. I promise."
Helga's cheeks flushed at his statement as she raised her brow and squeezed his hand. "Really?" she asked and he nodded his head.
"Really, really." He replied and he nodded his head toward the bucket of apples just beside them. "Bet I can get more apples than you."
"Bet you you're way WRONG, football-head," she challenged and soon they were bobbing for apples at Rhonda's party without a care in the world.
As the Halloween décor faded into that of Thanksgiving, Helga prepared for her sister's return, knowing that her family disaster would be soon in the making and she wouldn't be able to get out of it this time. She knew that there wouldn't be any way to escape by running to Arnold's house this go around and she'd just have to stick it out with her family until after the Christmas season was over. But that didn't stop the Shortmans from trying to get her out of her family traditions by starting new ones with them. She just wished she could attend.
"You know, Helga, if you wanted, you could certainly join us for the holiday season this year," Stella offered one evening and the boarders nodded their heads in agreement.
"Yeah! We do a Secret Santa every year, even though Oskar always tries to fill the pot with his name-" Ernie said and Oskar glared at him from across the table.
"I do not!" He defended but Ernie merely rolled his eyes as Mr. Hyunh took over talking.
"And Mai comes over and play holiday tunes for us. It great fun!" He said.
"And this year," Stella said grandly, "Gertie and I will be making a big turkey and ham for everyone. There will be plenty of food to go around. You could even invite your family if you wanted. Everyone is invited," She pressed but Helga laughed at the idea and shook her head.
"If it's one thing I'm NOT doing, it's inviting my family to the one place that feel like home to me," she blurted out, and the boarders all shared a sad look, "besides, I doubt I'll get out of Christmas with them. I doubt I'll get out of Thanksgiving with them. I don't even know what we're gonna DO for anything being at the emporium and all."
"That's why you should invite them here, Helga," Arnold offered again. "Olga isn't so bad. And we can handle your parents."
"I don't know if you can. We sort of... they sort of... have their own plans. And they're crazy." She explained as the boarders and company all leaned in waiting for her to explain further. With a deep breath, Helga sighed and went on. "Dad made a key for the old house. He plans to infiltrate the place for Thanksgiving and hopefully Christmas to put on a show for Olga since she doesn't know we're living at the emporium."
"Are you kidding?" Miles asked with a concerned brow as Helga shook her head. "That sounds... insane."
"Well that's my family," Helga said while picking up more of her food and eating it before swallowing and continuing. "Then they'll do what they usually do. Mom will burn the stuffing, Bob will set up all the trophies and everything to make it LOOK like we've been living there the whole time and Olga will swoop in to save the day like she USUALLY does and we'll have a Thanksgiving after all. Same with Christmas. It's always the same."
"Well can't you get out of one of them?" Arnold pressed while looking to his parents. "How about Christmas? I'd really, really like for you to be here at Christmas."
"Why?" She asked and Arnold reached up to rub at the back of his neck while he was put on the spot.
"I uh... I just think it would be good for you to have one good holiday. And Christmas is the best of all. That's all." He explained and Helga nodded her head, not buying it but pretending to.
"Well I'll try, but no promises." She said and that's exactly what she did.
Thanksgiving was a bust, just as she had imagined. Her parents successfully shut down her suggestion of spending the holiday at the boarding house and instead followed through with their bogus idea of trying to make their old house look like they'd been living in it all along. They worked on it the entire night before Olga was to show up, and with a lot of elbow-grease, the place looked as though they had really been there the entire time. Helga was slightly impressed, but it didn't last long.
The next day, things went exactly as they had every year before. Miriam burned the stuffing, Bob sat and pretended to watch TV (though he mostly slept as they didn't have cable at their not-so-house home) and Olga came by in her perfect mood to try and fix everything the way she usually did, so all things considered, it was a perfect Thanksgiving in her parents' eyes.
Being as Christmas was so close to Thanksgiving, they left everything in the house and simply returned with the recliner and couch for Bob and Miriam's beds; Helga's sleeping bag still on the ground of the empire.
But as Helga lay on her make-shift bed at night, she thought about Arnold's offer, about everyone's offer to join them at Christmas and how important it had seemed that she be there. Secret Santa. Holiday tunes. Enough food to stuff her face with until she burst at the seams. The whole thing sounded spectacular and she wanted to join in on the festivities more than anything. The only question was how?
Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, throw cares away...
Christmas music filled the air of the old Pataki residence on the battery-powered boombox that Miriam had scrounged up from the emporium. She didn't know how they were getting any sort of electric to cook any food, but Helga knew her dad had connections so she didn't ask any questions as her mom cooked in the kitchen as Olga prepared cookies on the counter laughing along with their mother as they made food for the holiday.
Meanwhile, Helga stayed in her old room, void of a bed or anything else as no one would be visiting the old bedroom during this particular day. She sat on the floor, brainstorming of any way that she could get out of this day, get out of this horrible holiday at her house and find her way back to Arnold's house, even though she wasn't entirely sure what was in store for her there and why he wanted her there so badly. Or why Miles and Stella wanted her there so badly either.
"So... Christmas," Miles said one day after Thanksgiving, Helga chuckling at his lack of subtly.
"What, you're gonna pressure me to show up too? You and your son, man. What's so great about having Christmas here anyway? You haven't even been here in ages..." She said and Miles nodded his head, agreeing with her statement.
"That's true, but, it's our first Christmas here and we'd love to share it with our family and as far as Stella and I are concerned, you've become part of that family." He said, and Helga tried not to beam at his statement. It was all she'd ever wanted was to be part of a family, and now she was, officially.
"Well thank you," Helga thanked earnestly, her smile sincere as she looked at Miles. "I guess I just really appreciate all you guys have done for me in accepting me into your household."
"You are one of the main reasons Arnold found us in the first place, you know," Miles reminded her and she nodded her head, "And besides, maybe we just have a great present to give you or something."
"A present?" She repeated and he grinned from where he sat as Stella entered the room.
"Oh Miles, don't tell me you already told her about the present..." She said and Miles covered his mouth in mock shock as Stella sighed. "It was supposed to be a surprise..."
"Really," Helga said, "You two didn't have to get me anything."
"But we wanted to. And we'd really like for you to be here to accept it," Stella said with a smile and Helga nodded her head.
"I'll try, I really will. Because honestly? I'd much rather be here with you guys. And Arnold." She added, knowing that he was the real reason she wanted to be anywhere.
So it was that gift. It had to be the reason why they wanted her there so badly. But what on earth could they have gotten her? It wasn't like she needed anything, and all the things she needed, they'd provided for her- a home, a family, their son, they'd unknowingly given her everything that she could ever ask for and now they wanted to give her something more? They had to be the most wonderful people on the entire planet.
And she had to get to the boarding house to find out what was in that gift.
"But how? How, Helga, how?" She asked herself from where she sat on the floor, the scent of baking cookies wafting in the air.
"I guess I could be blunt," She thought aloud while laying down on the carpeted floor while resting her hands on her stomach. "I COULD just grab my coat and head for the door. But I'm sure Olga won't let me out the door let alone go to Arnold's house... especially on Christmas."
Helga tapped her fingers on her stomach rhythmically while chewing on her lip. "I could sneak out. That's always worked for me before..." She continued thinking aloud, the idea making her sit up straight from the floor in a burst of genius. "That's it! I could sneak out of the window, down the fire escape, and run to Arnold's place. It isn't like they'd miss me. Maybe Olga would, but all it would take is a mere mention of her life outside of Hillwood and she'll forget ALL about me..." The idea sounded appealing to her; sounded like it could work if she did it just right.
So without hesitation, she pushed herself up to stand and made her way to the window and opened it up to reveal the cool air of winter that swarmed around her the moment the gust was revealed to her. Taking a step back from the wind, she took a breath, looked around herself, and then stepped outside the window to safely stand onto the fire escape; her escape almost halfway complete.
Once she was outside, she pulled the window closed, and then, chilled without her jacket, pulled her arms around herself and began making her way down the ladder to hop onto the ground and make her way as quickly as possible through the winter storm towards the boarding house.
The air gusted around her, its bitter cold piercing her skin like pinpricks of sharp needles constantly bugging her flesh. She pulled her arms closer to her, as if the mere action would somehow keep her warmer against the storm though she knew it wouldn't. Just a few more blocks, she kept telling herself, just a few more blocks and you'll be there. In the warmth. With Arnold's parents. With Arnold. She focused on his face, she focused on his features, his every wrinkle when he smiled and his soft eyes as they looked at her whenever she was near. She kept him close in her mind, no matter what she had to endure in that cold, and before she knew it, she was there at the boarding house doors, anxious to get inside and away from the chill of the air that surrounded her.
Knock, knock, knock she rapped on the door, the sound of mumbled voices calling for someone to answer the door before Miles came to the door, a smile beaming on his face as he saw Helga standing on the stoop of the boarding house.
"Helga!" He exclaimed, his ugly Christmas vest blinding her eyes momentarily as she adjusted to the light from within; the warmth from inside the house spreading to slightly warm the nearly frozen girl. "I didn't think you'd make it!"
"Well, here I-I am," Helga chattered out and Miles noticed her lack of jacket and immediately grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her inside.
"You must be freezing! Did you walk here?" He asked while closing the door behind them once she was inside and she nodded her head, still shivering from the cold she'd endured on her walk there.
"Y-Yeah. It wa-was the only w-way I c-c-could get he-here without cau-causing suspicion." She explained and he nodded his head while guiding her to the living room where a beautiful tree was lit up and the boarders were all sitting in various spots unopening gifts while laughing and smiling at each other- a rare occasion for the boarders but they all must have had the Christmas spirit within them.
"Look who's come by to join us, everyone!" Miles announced while presenting Helga, Arnold jumping up from the couch to run to her and wrap his arms around her.
"Helga!" He said before pulling away from her. "I can't believe you made it!"
Helga chuckled and nodded her head. "Yeah, me uh... me either, honestly." She said, finally warming up from being outside. "What are you all doing?" She asked while looking around the room, eyeing each of the boarders as they opened their presents.
"We're doing our Secret Santa, we always do it before dinner and then open actual presents after. Speaking of which..." Arnold said before reaching under the tree and grabbing a present wrapped in brightly festive paper. "This one's for you." He said and Helga raised a brow.
"But I didn't participate," Helga said. "I didn't bring anything for anybody so how could I have a Secret Santa?"
Arnold grinned. "Guess it'll just have to be a secret then, won't it?"
Helga rolled her eyes before unwrapping it and seeing a slender box, before opening up the box to reveal a bright pink pen with a poof of fuzz at the top, making her chuckle. "Wow. This is... quite the pen," She noted and Arnold nodded his head.
"It isn't much, but, your Secret Santa thought you might use it." He said with a wink and Helga slapped his arm and laughed.
"You aren't fooling anyone, Arnoldo," She said, "But thank you, really. You didn't have to get me anything."
"Well I wanted to. And as soon as I saw it, I thought of you." the blonde boy said with a grin and Helga pulled him into her and kissed his cheek softly.
"Thank you, Arnold. I love it. And trust me, it'll get it's use out." She promised and he nodded his head.
"I'm sure it will." He agreed. "Now c'mon, most everyone is done with their gifts, so it's time for dinner. You ready for some great food? Mom and Grandma have been hard at work all day."
"Ready? I'm starved," Helga said with a laugh and the two of them grabbed each other's hands and headed into the kitchen, ready to shove some well-cooked food into their gullets in celebration at the holiday and most importantly at spending the holidays together.
"I just can't believe you cooked all that!" Helga exclaimed while flopping onto the couch completely stuffed full of food, Arnold sitting beside her equally full.
"You did a great job, Mom, Grandma. This has to be the best Christmas yet." Arnold said with a smile.
"The best because we're all together," Miles said while reaching out to ruffle his son's hair and Arnold nodded his head.
"Finally," he said. "I couldn't ask for a better Christmas gift."
Stella walked in to the room while wiping her hands on a towel and smiled. "Neither could we, but we got you something anyway. It's under the tree," She said and Arnold crawled onto the floor to pick up the gift that was sitting on the tree skirt and set it on his lap.
"What is it?" He asked and his parents laughed.
"Well open it up, silly," Stella encouraged and Arnold ripped the paper off to reveal a matching Christmas sweater and laughed while quickly slipping it over his head to wear with his parents.
rolled her eyes before taking the present from Arnold.
"I love it. And it's really warm!" He said surprised and his parents laughed as Arnold reached into the tree and pulled out a small box that he'd hidden there for this particular occasion. Walking up to Helga, he handed her the box and offered her a warm smile.
"This one is definitely from me," he announced and Helga raised a brow.
"But you already got me something," She said and Arnold shook his head with his smile still plastered on his face.
"That was just as your Secret Santa. This is from me to you. And I think you're really going to like it." He proudly told her and she reached for the box from his hands before tentatively opening it to reveal a white box that she lifted the top from only to drop her jaw at the contents inside.
"Arnold," she gasped while pulling out the locket; both hers and Arnold's faces staring up at her through the glass.
"I thought since your locket might be scuffed from its use in the jungle, you might be needing a new one. An updated one." He explained and Helga tried to fight back the tears that were welling in her eyes.
"Arnold, it's... it's... I don't know what to say." she managed and Arnold set a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
"Merry Christmas, Helga," He said and she smiled over at him while holding the locket up to her chest.
"Thank you, Arnold. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"I think I have an idea," He replied with a sly smile and Helga blushed at his comment.
Miles stood up then from the couch where he had been sitting with Stella and moved to wander towards the tree, soon spotting another gift under the tree, one that was hiding just beside where Arnold's had been and he pulled it out to look at the nametag and eyed Helga. "This ones for you, Helga. It says it's from Santa." He said with a wiggle of his brow and Helga smirked.
"Santa, huh? Really?" She said while eyeing Arnold's parents who were standing beside each other with their arms wrapped around each other.
"Some traditions are worth keeping, don't you think?" Miles asked and Helga
"I can't accept this, I really can't," Helga said while offering the small gift back but they refused to take it and shook their heads.
"You really can, and you will," Miles said definitively. "Just open it, for us, okay?" He asked and with a sigh, Helga looked down at the gift and turned it over to begin unwrapping the paper.
"Well, here goes nothing," She said, before opening the gift to reveal a leather-bound journal that looked identical, only black, to the one Arnold had carried around in the depths of the jungle that had belonged to Miles all those years ago. On the front cover, it said 'Journal' and had a latch on the side that connected to a magnet around the front to keep it closed. Helga stared at the journal, her hand gliding over the smooth leather as she did so, her eyes wide. "A journal?" She asked before looking up at Miles and Stella, their faces proud and smiling down at her.
"You said that you wanted to find the right journal before you started journaling, didn't you? Well, what better journal than this?" Miles asked and Helga held the journal close to her chest while smiling up at him.
"Thank you," She said softly, "Thank you so much," she said. "And now I've got a journal and a pen to write with. Maybe I'll try this journaling thing after all." Helga said with a laugh and the boarding house erupted in laughter, the sounds of the joy filling the house, a sound Helga had never heard before in an entire household since as far back as she remembered.
Had leaving her house during Christmas been worth it? Had choosing to go to Arnold's place been worth it over staying at the Pataki household and living through another predictable Christmas like she'd lived through so many times before?
It had. And Helga couldn't be happier as she held her new journal and pen in her hands. And for the first time in her life, she couldn't wait to begin writing down her actual thoughts down on paper. Maybe she'd look back on this day years in the future and laugh at the start of something new she'd never have expected. Maybe Miles was right and maybe journaling could help her savor her new life with Arnold even more than she already was.
Because if that were the case and if this journal could be like a little time capsule for Helga to remember all these small moments of life that she wanted to remember one day far in the future when Arnold and her were married and happy with children, she'd want to have them written down. And with new pen and papers in hand, she knew that was exactly what she wanted and was going to do.
Woohoo! Longest chapter yet! We've finally made it to the chaapter I've been waiting to get to and the crux of the story that i've been waiting to approach so here we are! please PLEASE let me know what you think by leaving me a REVIEW!
and have a happy holidays!
-Polka