DISCLAIMER: ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO CRAIG BARTLETT AND NICKELODEON!

OBVIOUSLY if a character appears in this story that is not from the show it's my own filler character or whatever.

Chapter 11:

"Helga! Helga wait up!" Arnold had pushed passed the scowling women somehow and made his way to chase down his friend. Or at least... someone who used to be his friend. Having hit a rather fruitful growth spurt in their early teens, Arnold's long legs had propelled him straight at his target. He was not going to let her run away from this... he had to apologize or something! Anything! A sudden dark thought boldly stepped into the light of Arnold's consciousness. Why would she forgive me? After all the history we had growing up together, all the personal talks we had shared on and off for years, you couldn't even control yourself reasonably when she was trying to say something. You aren't even remotely nice Arnold Shortman. The only reason you are chasing that girl down now is because you feel bad. You want to help yourself. Isn't that what you've always been after when you helped others Arnold? Thriving on how good It felt to be right. Well you were in the wrong now and yet you still want someone to see past that.

"Helga..." His calls to her died down.Looking to the ground as he continued to run after her, his vision was blurred. Helga had noticed the silence and chanced turning her head back to look. She almost ran into a couple of people as she did so, but the only thing that was registering at the moment was, Arnold. She inhaled sharply as she caught Arnold in her sights. He had his head down and was B-lining right for her like a bat out of hell.

"It figures, I finally got him chasing me instead of me always chasing after him, and it's because he wants to bury me in 'I'm Sorries'." She slowed down and turned to face him. Big mistake. Arnold's eyes were still glossy and before he noticed the bright pink of her hair ribbon, braided into her yellow locks he slammed into her. Right to the ground, knocking the wind out of her as well.

"Damn it.. It seems I keep hurting you as of late.." Arnold groaned in frustration, sitting up and shaking himself off. Reaching down to give Helga a hand to stand she flinched and backed away from him. A glare of warning on her face as she sat up on her own and eventually stood up shakily.

"Yea, so I noticed, why don't you bugger off then. Or has Lila got you finding some perverse satisfaction in my misery as well?" Now Arnold flinched. He backed away a little, his head hanging in shame.

"Look... Helga, about last night." He started.

"What about it, Arnold?" The lack of her using one of her many nicknames for him left him feeling chilled.

"I..." He began again and Helga raised her hands in defense, looking away from him.

"Arnold, no you aren't. You might think you are, but the feeling behind that slap woke me up." She chuckled and Arnold looked up at her, feeling like something was twisting in his gut, her sarcastic laugh that she always did just felt so foreign to him this time. Even when she did it in the past it had a little more soul to it, because she enjoyed it. There was nothing behind this one, not even the satisfaction of being sarcastic. It was forced, empty and it sent a shiver down the blonde boy's spine.

"Helga, it was just a rash reflex! What was I supposed to do?! You attacked my girlfriend for Christ's sake!" Arnold couldn't handle the fact that Helga wasn't looking at him. It was driving him up a wall. He moved in to grip her shoulders but she slid away, surprisingly lithe.

"Don't you DARE touch me Arnold. I have had it with the men I care about treating me like I'm their personal punching bag when they feel angry. So what I hit Lila, I don't take it back. But I know you Arnold, it is probably killing you that I wont accept your apology! GOOD! It is killing me that the last person I ever thought would harm me, did. Oh I'm sorry, physically harm me. You've always left your mess on me mentally!" Helga was far too gone to be thinking clearly now. She knew she had to get away before something slipped.

"Helga, what do you even mean?! If anyone has been mentally abusing anyone here, it's been you! Teasing me my whole life, never giving me a moment to breathe! It was like having Wolfgang trailing along non stop, insults, shoving, laughing at me at any chance you got! How do you think I felt!" Arnold argued back. He reached at her again and she exclaimed yanking her arm trying to escape him when he wrapped his hand around her arm. When did his hand get so big? When did he get so strong? Helga was lost in her own mind for a moment before she snapped back to reality when Arnold pulled her closer to him.

"No! Arnold leave me alone! You're as self-centered as Bob! You both hate me but you both don't want to leave me be! Now, here's the kicker! You both seem to want to hit me when all I ever did was want you both to care about me!" Helga's eyes widened, she blabbered her feelings along with her business in a fit of panic. Arnold let her go, his own eyes wide.

"Wait, Helga, your dad...He?" Arnold started.

"What the hell is this Pataki?" Helga's head whipped around to see Wolfgang. Helga instinctively ran toward him leaving Arnold to wallow a few feet away.

"It's nothing. Wolfgang, thanks for showing up when you did. Like the White Knight or something." Helga started. She looked back at Arnold, who had started to tremble. With rage or pity, or whatever, Helga didn't care. "Can you walk me back to the Sundae Salon? I'm sure my sister and friends have been texting me non-stop since I ran off." She pulled her phone out her pocket and was clearly able to verify the texts, calls, Facebook messages and even some Skype ones.

Arnold could only sit there with his fist's clenched, teeth gritted and shame surrounding him.

X-X-X-X-X

"You really okay, Pataki? Pataki? Helga!" Wolfgang shook the girl just a bit as he walked beside her. She had zoned out apparently.

"Oh, yea I'm fine. You know, Wolfgang, how are you single when you are surprisingly such a nice guy? Now at least, but still. You know about my feelings for Arnold, you even gave up on emotional consent to take me in your car." The last bit of that making her blush. She couldn't even look at him during the rest of the ride back to Rhonda's after that situation last night.

"Well, let's just say... I never found the girl worth being nice to, sucks for me that my only hopeful candidate has her heart still very much taken with a dweeb." He laughed softly. Helga looked at him, her eyes apologetic but he shrugged and patted her shoulder. "It's okay Pataki, I get it, I know you feel strongly about him. Maybe someday you'll move on, maybe not. I don't mind just being a friend."

"Oh... Wolfgang... stop being so nice! You're making me feel horrible.." Helga groaned. "I am Helga G. Pataki! I am not supposed to feel all emotional and stuff like this." She huffed as Wolfgang moved to rub her back.

"We're almost there, so if you and the Dweeb are going to be at one another's necks from now on, what are you going to do at school tomorrow?" He questioned.

"I'm not going." She said flatly.

"Say what?" Wolf paused.

"I'm not going back to school. Today, Olga asked me if I wanted to move with her to Europe after graduation... I think I want to move with her before it. I have more than enough credits to graduate. It's only a few weeks away... They can mail me the God damn diploma. I am not staying here. I can't it's just too much."

"But your friends?"

"They understand, knowing them they will be sad but they totally understand." She smiled at the sidewalk.

Wolfgang bit his lip and shook his head. "God, why is that Dweeb such a... well a Dweeb?!"

"You really like that word, huh? Look, Wolfgang, I can't even begin to express how grateful I am to your sudden friendship and support... In such a short time you have become such a dear part of my Hilwood family. When you used to be just one of the weeds I hoped to one day pick." She joked.

"Ouch. My heart strings are going all sorts of tuggy-tuggy." He laughed. "Well, in case this is the last time I see you then..."

Helga didn't have time to ask why he went silent because he had swiftly pressed his lips to her own, his large hands moving to the small of her back as he pulled her against him. She felt like she would be crushed under the force but soon she found herself leaning into it just a bit. It felt good, really good, and she almost wished she could stop thinking about Arnold while it was happening. He's ruined me. She decided. Cupping Wolfgang's face in her hands she nibbled at his lip, inhaling his cologne and catching the slight undertone of his own scent, it smelled heavenly and mingled well with whatever it was he was wearing.

When he finally pulled away from the kiss, licking his lips he smiled down at a semi-glossy eyed Helga. "That was your goodbye from me, Miss Pataki. Hope it was good enough."

"Ah, well.. geez, what am I supposed to get you then?" She joked.

"I'll take you kissing me back as a good enough gift." Ruffling her hair she rolled her eyes at him as he made his leave. "Take care of yourself Pataki. I'll keep giving those two idiots hell for chasing you off. Ruined my chance to win you over." He stuck out his tongue in play, but the softness in his eyes told her he would probably had continued to try and win her over. Part of her wished he could, but deep in her twisted masochistic heart, there was only one man who could ever have it. The sad part was, he didn't even want it.