A/N: Hey all! For those unaware, I fixed the formatting of the previous chapter. My apologies again! Here is the chapter before the epilogue. It is the longest one by far in this story and it is also in the third person perspective. In this chapter, Arnold and Helga have been dating for about a month. Helga has been going to physical therapy for a few weeks. This chapter came to me through random inspiration and I just went with it. It also ties up a couple of loose ends before the epilogue. I probably went a little overboard with some details, guilty as charged! But that's what happens when I ride the random waves of inspiration! Hope you enjoy!
Any big grammar mistakes or typos, please let me know.
Big surprise, I do not own "Hey Arnold!". Well, doi!
Chapter 7: Their Enchanted Evening
"Football Head, where are we going?" Helga asks, her voice a mix of slight annoyance with not knowing what is going on right now and mild unease given her current condition, but mostly due to not knowing anything. Overall, she trusts Arnold.
Moments ago, Arnold pulled up at Helga's house. He informed her he had a surprise for her and blindfolded her then helped her in his car. Right now, Helga is in Arnold's arms and he is carrying her, all while her still being blindfolded. The one thing Helga could figure out by using her other senses is that wherever they are going it is on an incline.
"You'll see, sweetheart, you'll see. We are almost there…just a few more steps," Arnold assures her as he keeps going forward, Helga still secure in his arms.
'He must work out regularly, I mean my weight is average but track and field made me kind of muscular…I would love to feel his strong, muscular body sometime…Helga 'ol girl, get your head out of the gutter and focus. There is plenty of time for that later, much later,' Helga thinks as she tries to stamp out her thoughts that turned naughty rather quickly. She hopes Arnold is not noticing the fact that she is blushing madly right now.
Thanks to her brief distraction with her own thoughts, Helga almost does not notice the sound of a door opening, followed by a few more steps, and then suddenly no more movement. Arnold is standing still with her still in his arms. Then, Helga feels herself slowly being lowered down and placed her into a chair, which after placing her arms on it she could tell it was her wheelchair.
'It must have been brought here already, but how? And where is here? Oh Arnold, my love, what on earth is going on?' Helga asks all these questions knowing the answers would not show up right away. She still trusts Arnold, but she is getting a little antsy.
'He knows I don't like surprises so why is he dragging this on?' She asks herself another question, but again no answer in sight.
Finally, she feels the blindfold being untied and removed. That is when she realizes she automatically closed her eyes while being blindfolded. After opening her eyes, Helga is stunned by the scene displayed before her.
Helga also immediately discovers the reason for the incline: Arnold was carrying her to the roof of the boarding house, where multiple neighborhood parties took place mostly during their childhood.
'But it looks different than it looked for all those parties. It looks magical,' Helga thinks to herself in awe as she takes in all the dazzling twinkle lights strewn on the railings and on the top of the low walls, the beautiful floral arrangements in garlands that border the walls and loosely surround the small table for two with only one chair that is already set with entrée covers over each of the two plates, the makeshift wooden dance floor, and the stereo with speaker stands on two opposite corners. There is also a makeshift, tall tent of sorts, but Helga could not figure out its intended purpose.
'It's not what I think it is for, is it?' Helga asks herself as she begins to be filled with fear but then stops herself, 'no, it can't be. That wouldn't make any sense because after all Arnold's bedroom is just below us, oh that's even worse! Helga, 'ol girl, calm down!' Helga tries to talk herself down off the mental ledge she put herself on before falling off it, figuratively speaking. She realizes she does not have time to think about that now and she knows that the whole notion is silly anyways. Arnold is an absolute gentleman. He would not try anything without her being okay with it. She takes a few seconds to compose herself before speaking.
"Arnold…what is all this?" Helga asks after she maneuvers her wheelchair around to face him. Her expression is a combination of awestruck and confusion, especially after officially realizing Arnold is wearing a suit just without the jacket, which she now sees the suit jacket draped over the one chair by the table. She figures that it has probably been there since before he picked her up. She also figures she did not notice Arnold's attire earlier because it was already dark outside when he got to her house and he put the blindfold on her before helping her into his car.
"I know you didn't want to go to prom and be stared at and judged, given the uh…current situation and that we only just started going public with our relationship a few weeks ago. Frankly I don't blame you. You have been through a lot already so why make you endure more by trying to persuade you to go to prom? So I decided to bring prom to us instead," Arnold responds simply. He quickly tries to push away the little awkward moment in his explanation when he was trying to reference to Helga's accident and being confined to a wheelchair in the most polite way possible. Helga lets that slide because she could tell he is trying to not make this nothing but awkward situation less than that and that means a lot to her. She smiles at him for a moment, thinking that he has made some good points. He takes in her smile and is now beaming, clearly proud of what he has done.
'And he should be. This is amazing,' Helga thinks, her eyes briefly leaving his gaze to scan the roof again, almost as if she could not believe her own eyes the first time.
"Did you do all this?" Helga asks after a few silent moments, looking back at him in awe.
"Well the idea was mine. Mom, Susie, and Mr. Hyunh did the floral arrangements. I helped Ernie construct the dance floor and I helped Dad set up the stereo and the speakers. Dad brought up the wheelchair we had from Grandpa's hip surgery. Mom made dinner. Grandpa helped with the lights while Grandma made sure he didn't get tangled up in them or electrocute himself," Arnold ends his explanation in a light chuckle, his nervousness starting to become obvious. Helga pretends not to notice Arnold's rising anxiety level to avoid making him feel worse or giving off the wrong impression and instead chuckles with him.
'Well that explains the wheelchair on the roof. It's Phil's,' Helga confirms to herself when a new question comes to mind after hearing Arnold's explanation.
"What about Oscar?" Helga asks in amused curiosity.
"Oscar supervised, or at least that's what he called it," Arnold answers, chuckling again and shaking his head.
"Lazy bum," Helga responds lightly, shaking her head as well. Arnold laughs along with her for a moment.
"So…this is our prom?" Helga asks after their laughter gradually subsides, though the answer is quite obvious, but she is still in awe of all this and cannot help herself.
'My football-headed love god has done all this, even getting his family and the boarders to help, all for me? He does love me, doesn't he?' Helga asks herself though she already knows the answer.
"Yes, this is our prom. Do you like it?" Arnold answers then asks, though he can see the answer from Helga's amazed and awestruck expression.
"I love it," Helga answers softly and smiles at him. He smiles back until her expression is immediately replaced with a small frown.
"What's wrong?" Arnold asks, now confused.
"You know you're the only one dressed up, right?" Helga asks as she gestures to him in his suit and then herself in her jeans and T-shirt.
"Well, I am for now," Arnold answers with a smirk.
"Huh?" Helga asks. Now she is the confused one.
Arnold briefly steps away from Helga to grab a garment bag that was sitting next to the brick wall by the door to the roof. Helga is amazed she did not notice that until now, though there are lots of things to look at right now so at the same time she knew it was understandable.
Helga quirks an eyebrow in question as the garment bag is gently placed in her lap.
'It's not like I can feel it in my lap anyways. I know it wasn't placed in my lap with force though because first, Arnold wouldn't do that and second, if he did that my chair would shake…but there's something else that could make it shake…Helga, stop it!' Helga's thoughts started out sad then ended on a naughty note, again. Helga shakes her head, hoping she can shake these inappropriate and irrelevant thoughts away too.
"Do I want to know who picked this out for me?" Helga asks, slowly moving her hands over the bag itself, afraid to unzip it to reveal the dress inside. She holds back an internal shiver at the brief thought of Arnold maybe consulting Olga, but she pushes it away as quickly as it appeared. Even Arnold is not that clueless. Just about everyone in Hillwood knows that the Pataki sisters are practically polar opposites so anything Olga would pick would make Helga gag, mad as hell, or both.
"My mom did after I gave her a detailed list of what you would likely never be caught dead in and would probably try to have me killed if you had to wear it for even a second," Arnold answers and finishes with a lighthearted chuckle, which Helga soon joins in.
"Wow, you know me so well, don't you?" Helga asks, in awe once again, but this time by Arnold himself. He smiles at that.
"I have taken mental notes. After all, this is for the woman I love. I wanted it to be a night to remember, for all the right reasons," Arnold answers honestly but ends with a chuckle. Helga smiles at him.
"Then I'm sure I will love it, or at least deal with it enough for one night," Helga reasons and laughs with Arnold joining in because they both know that would be a typical response for Helga as she was never known for liking formal wear or having all eyes on her. Therefore, he is hoping that with it being just the two of them it would help with her self-confidence.
"Wait a minute, how am I supposed to get this on?" Helga asks suddenly with an eyebrow raised again.
'He probably didn't think of that,' Helga thinks to herself. Much to her dismay though, he did.
"Oh that's simple. You see that?" Arnold asks and gestures to that tent in the corner and Helga nods and with that Arnold continues, "Mom and grandma are waiting inside to help you change," Arnold answers simply.
'The football head thought of everything, well almost…' Helga thinks to herself and trails off in her thoughts as she realizes that Arnold has not thought about how uncomfortable that would make her feel.
"They don't have to do that…" Helga trails off, her voice heavy with discomfort.
"I know it's weird. They want to help. They will be more than respectful. They want to help make our personal prom special for us," Arnold reasons with Helga as she is still unsure about this.
After a few moments pass with Helga still looking a little uneasy, Arnold adds, "Let me ask you this: would you rather have me help you change?" Arnold asks more directly than he would have liked, but it works. He was hoping he wouldn't have to use that tactic but he knew Helga would be uncomfortable with that no matter what, and frankly so would he considering they were still in the early stages of their relationship. At least he gave her another perspective to take her mind off the discomfort of it all.
"Ok, you got a point there. Fine, be right back," Helga replies briskly as she turns and wheels herself towards the changing tent with the dress still in her lap.
Upon entering the changing tent, sure enough Stella and Gertie are waiting for her.
"Hi," Helga greeted shyly. She notices that in between them is a small vanity, which she frowns at.
'They're going to put make-up on me too? Great,' Helga thinks to herself, feeling more uncomfortable, as well as feeling a newfound sense of dread.
"Hi, Helga!" Stella greets sweetly, her face is beaming. Helga can tell this is a moment Stella is so happy to be a part of. After all, it is her son's senior prom.
"Hello, Eleanor, it's so nice to see you again," Gertie greets Helga using the old nickname she used for her when Helga was a child, though Helga still has no idea why, but she would let Gertie call her just about anything. She always had a soft spot for Gertie.
Gertie's greeting helps ease Helga's nerves, but only slightly. As she wheels herself closer to the two women standing before her, the urge to talk herself out of this grows stronger.
"Gertie, Mrs. Shortman, you both don't really have to do this. I-" Helga begins but is interrupted by Stella who holds a hand up.
"Alright, first of all, Helga, we are past the "Mrs. Shortman" nonsense. You can call me Stella, ok?" Stella pauses to wait for Helga's response, giving a look that is equal parts resolute and kind. Helga nods in response. Stella smiles and continues, "Good. Now second of all and most importantly, Helga, honey, I understand the reluctance. Really, I do. I know that dressing up and having to rely on others to do things for you are two things you cannot stand. So to have both happening at the same time is probably a lot to take in, huh?" Stella pauses for Helga's reaction, who again nods in response. Stella is spot on, but Helga did not expect anything else. Before all this, Helga already figured Arnold did not get his denseness from her.
"However," Stella continues, "Helga, you can't run away this time, but to be honest I am not sure that's what you want to do, deep down. I know this is a lot to take in, but you don't have to let your fears sabotage your chances for happiness anymore. Helga, you have him now. He's yours," Stella pauses again after noticing Helga's eyes widen in shock, then continues. "Yes, Helga, of course I have known about your love for Arnold. It was obvious even back in San Lorenzo. But now, he loves you back. I know he does. He has never done anything like this for any other girl. But he has not loved anyone before either. And you are not 'any other girl', Helga. You are one incredible young woman and I am so happy he has you in his life. You two bring out the best in each other. I am so glad you both finally realized that-"
"Yeah, finally. I thought I would be dead first before Kimba wised up," Gertie interrupts Stella with this honest remark, her arms crossed with such youthful defiance. Helga chuckles at that. She hopes her feisty spirit stays strong for many years to come, like Gertie's has.
"Yeah, me too," Helga replies, smiling at Gertie. Gertie beams back at her and winks. Stella chuckles in response then and shakes her head.
"You know, same. But anyways," Stella pauses and changes her expression from amused to genuine and sincere. She suddenly walks forward, kneels in front of Helga's wheelchair, and takes one of Helga's hands in hers. Stella pats her hand lightly.
"Helga, Arnold loves you. He organized all this for you so you could be yourself around him and not worry about what anyone else thought, because at the end of the day all those other opinions do not matter. And honestly, he wanted you to see yourself, at least for one night, the way he sees you: this talented, extraordinary, rare beauty with the biggest heart I ever seen besides my son. And that is the way you should be seen because that is who you are. Helga, I know this is uncomfortable. I am pretty sure that when Shortman men go on a romantic whim they tend to lose sight of things like that. But his heart is in the right place. So what do you say, Helga? For him?" Stella pleads a little, starting intently at Helga's facial expression of pure shock and amazement.
'Wow, she's good,' Helga thinks to herself, realizing she has no other option but to let this happen.
"Ugh, criminy. Ok, when you put it like that…I guess I will say I'm in. Let's make me pretty," Helga relents with an unsure shrug.
Stella smiles as she lets go of Helga's hand and stands up. She then takes the garment bag from Helga's lap. She steps away from the vanity for a moment and that is when Helga fully notices the chair in front of the vanity. It is one of those shower chairs found in walk-in bathtubs for people with mobility problems. Helga figures that chair is here because it doesn't have a back and it would be easier to assist her than one of those short vanity stools.
Stella returns with a strapless bra in her hands. Helga raises an eyebrow in a silent question that Stella somehow understands.
"I got your size from Phoebe," Stella explains simply. Helga can already tell Stella tried her family first but of course they were no help. They were trying to do better but they didn't know all the details. At least they have not tried to feed her strawberries in about 5 years.
As promised, they are nothing but respectful. It takes Stella and Gertie to help Helga out of her clothes. Gertie fastens the strapless bra in place. Stella and Gertie then move Helga to the shower chair. Stella takes the dress out of the garment bag. Helga eyes it over. It is a simple, but beautiful, pink spaghetti strap gown. It fans out a little bit in width but is mostly straight. Then scattered around below the waistline are small crystals sewn into the dress, not too many, but enough to make the whole dress sparkle.
'Arnold and Stella did good,' Helga thinks to herself. She is now almost excited about putting the dress on. She waits as Stella and Gertie get her feet and legs through the dress and they are ready to shift Helga so they can pull the dress further up and zip it close. They shift Helga again so she is facing the vanity mirror.
'It even looks beautiful on me,' Helga thinks incredulously. She knows what everyone is trying to do but she could not help it. She never saw herself as beautiful or attractive whatsoever, so it would take a lot to convince her now.
'Oh, great, here comes my favorite part,' Helga thinks sarcastically while trying to hold back an eye roll.
Stella starts by shaping up Helga's eyebrows. She then applies and mixes together a couple different shades of foundation on Helga's face to match her skin tone and blend it evenly. Next, a soft pink shade of eyeshadow with a light silver shade applied in the crease of Helga's eyelids. She shades Helga's eyebrows and then applies mascara to Helga's eyelashes. Stella then applies just a little bit of soft pink blush. Stella tops it off with a soft pink shade of lipstick.
While Stella is doing Helga's make-up, Gertie is painting Helga's fingernails and toenails, both with pink nail polish, at least Helga thinks that Gertie is painting her toenails too since she couldn't look down to see and if she did she would be scolded by Stella for moving too much. Helga does see Gertie pull out a pair of sparkly, silver, strappy heels and she puts them on Helga's feet several minutes later.
When Stella finishes dolling up Helga's face, she moves away from the vanity to stand behind Helga. Helga decides that she does not want to look at herself yet, for reasons not fully known to her, so she fixates on a spot slightly above the mirror. Stella notices this by observing Helga's face through the mirror and just shakes her head in amusement. She wonders if Arnold has met his match or his superior in stubbornness. She considers that again for a second before turning her focus to Helga's hair. Helga can feel half of her hair being pulled up and pinned down. She hears a hairspray can being opened and hears a few sprays from the can in the direction of the back of her head. Next, Helga feels Stella place a palm around one of her ears to shield it from the sticky hairspray being applied to her hair. When that side is done, Stella places her hand around Helga's other ear and applies hairspray to that side too. She moves back in front of Helga and covers Helga's eyes with her hand as she sprays hairspray to the front of Helga's half up-do. Helga tilts her eyes downward during this out of habit. Fortunately, Stella does not use that much hairspray, just once or twice on each side. Stella discovers that Helga's hair is quite easy to work with and stays in place quite well.
Stella puts the cap on the hairspray bottle and places it back on the vanity counter. She then opens a small jewelry box next to it and pulls out a pair of earrings with small dangly crystals. She turns back to Helga and puts the earrings on her. She walks back to behind Helga again. Stella clears her throat and Helga looks up. Helga figures this is to signal that Stella was finished and wanted her to look at the finished result. It works. Helga catches her reflection in the mirror the second she looks up. Her breath almost hitches in response to what she sees in front of her.
'They did it, they really did it. I am beautiful. I can't believe it,' Helga responds internally as she is in awe over what she sees for the second time tonight. Her patchy and pale complexion, uneven eyebrows, and unruly and messy hair were a thing of the past. Everything was even and in place. Her eyes glittered, but not too much, which she figures is probably to match her dress. She is sure that is the same reason for the hairclips with small crystals on the ends that are embedded in her half-up hairstyle.
"Wow, you are good. If this works out, can you do my wedding hair and make-up?" Helga is so caught up in the moment that she does not realize what she just asked until a few seconds later. She starts to cover her mouth in embarrassment but stops herself after realizing that Stella would probably slap her for ruining her make-up. Stella is taken aback by that response for a moment but then chuckles at the wide-eyed and slightly embarrassed Helga.
"I would be honored to, Helga. But first, prom," Stella grins with a knowing look in her eyes. Stella puts an arm on Helga's back and moves Helga up in her chair a little. Helga responds by placing her arms around Stella's neck. Helga glances to see Gertie place her arms under Helga's legs. Together, Stella and Gertie carry Helga back to the wheelchair and position her inside it. Gertie positions Helga's feet one at a time into their respective footrests and Stella puts the armrests back down.
"Just a few more things," Stella announces as she takes a small perfume bottle from the vanity. Helga closes her eyes automatically right before Stella sprays the perfume once to Helga's neck and collarbone. Helga sniffs the air a second later and approves of the light floral scent with a hint of coconut. Stella then opens one of the vanity drawers and pulls out a folded white shawl, which she unfolds and Helga leans up as she places it over Helga's shoulders. Stella then steps back and marvels at her handiwork with Gertie.
"Oh, Eleanor, you are simply stunning," Gertie compliments, her hands laced together and up against one of her cheeks as she has this dreamy smile on her face. Helga smiles shyly as she blushes madly, which only brings out the blush on her cheeks even more. She is trying to get used to this, she really is.
"Thank you, Gertie," Helga thanks her and smiles back. She moves her gaze to Stella, "And thank you, Stella, so much," Helga thanks the mother of her beloved sincerely.
'That must be what makes this more meaningful, that they are his family and they definitely accept me or else they wouldn't be doing all this,' Helga reasons with herself in her head.
"You are very welcome, Helga. You know, I probably shouldn't be saying this as Arnold's mother, but I think I did too good," Stella replies with a chuckle. Helga blushes again.
Suddenly, Stella is kneeling in front of Helga again. She takes Helga's hands in hers and gives them a little squeeze. She gives Helga a knowing look.
"I know you must be a bundle of nerves right now since all of this is new to you. If there is one piece of advice I can give you, it is this: stop running from what you want. This is real and it's yours. Embrace it. You deserve this," Stella tells her sincerely. She squeezes Helga's hands again before letting them go and standing back up.
"We are going to leave first and tell him you will be out soon. You two enjoy your prom, but not too much, okay?" Stella then asks with a stern look suddenly on her face. This shocks Helga a little, who just nods in response. Stella's expression changes back to one of warmth and sincerity.
"Thank you. I trust you both, but I just had to get that 'worried parent moment' out," Stella explains with a chuckle. Helga giggles at that and nods again, this time in understanding.
"Bye, Eleanor. Knock 'em dead!" Gertie exclaims happily then gives her signature cackle. She and Stella then turn to exit the changing tent. A few seconds later they are gone. Helga can hear them explain to Arnold that she will be right out, then the roof door opening and closing, and then silence.
"So, this is it. Time for prom," Helga quietly says to herself. She takes a deep breath and then begins to wheel herself out of the changing tent. As she exits the tent, her eyes scan the area until they find their mark: Arnold, now wearing his suit jacket, sitting in the one chair by the table on the opposite end of the roof. The slight squeak of the wheelchair wheels gets Arnold's attention. He looks up and his eyes meet with Helga's, who is still wheeling herself towards him. Arnold stands up and begins to bridge the gap. She can see his eyes widening when he sees her and his jaw about drops. He seems almost as shocked as she was, but not quite. There is something else in his eyes Helga could not place. She realizes a second or two later it is a knowing look, like he knew she could look like this.
'Oh criminy, so I'm the only one yet to realize my real beauty, well out of those who matter. Figures,' Helga thinks to herself in slight exasperation. She pushes that thought away for now so she can keep her focus on what is truly important right now: enjoying prom with her beloved. However, her insecurities still exist and have a way of surfacing even when she thinks she successfully silenced them for the moment.
"Why don't you take a picture so it will last longer, Arnoldo?" Helga quips with almost the old biting tone a statement like this would have years ago when her only goal was to hide her secret at all costs, even at the expense of the object of her affection. Helga stops wheeling herself towards Arnold when she realizes what she just said and how she said it. She can tell by his look of shock that he was not expecting that either.
"I'm sorry, Arnold," Helga apologizes sincerely, tilting her head halfway in slight shame and guilt then shrugging her shoulders before continuing, "My dumb brain went into defense mode for some reason. I guess it's because I'm not used to being the center of attention, even if it is only you, no wait, because it's you," Helga self-corrects herself as she slowly tilts her head back up to face his gaze, which is full of understanding and compassion. Though she expects this from him, this does not mean that she believes she deserves it. Feeling another quick wave of guilt wash over her, Helga lowers her head down slightly again.
Arnold then walks towards Helga, closing the distance between them. He leans forward a little and places a hand under her chin then gently tilts her head up so she will look at him. Helga, as stubborn as ever, keeps her head forward but averts her eyes away from his. Arnold can be quite stubborn too, though.
"Helga, it's ok. I promise. I know old habits die hard and all this is out of your comfort zone," Arnold assures her. He notices that in the middle of his statement, she brings her gaze back to his. Arnold smiles at this and moves his hand that is still under her chin over a little to gently stroke her cheek.
"Sweetheart, I know you didn't mean it so I forgive you. And by the way, you look amazing," Arnold states sincerely. Helga closes her eyes for a few seconds to enjoy this moment as Arnold continues stroking her cheek. She opens her eyes to look back up at him and smiles.
"Thank you," Helga whispers.
"Anytime," Arnold replies quietly and sincerely, his eyes full of love and adoration for this dazzling blonde-haired beauty in front of him.
'And she's mine. I know she thinks she is so lucky to be with me, but we're probably gonna have to agree to disagree, because to me, I'm the lucky one,' Arnold reasons with himself before gently kissing Helga on the cheek. He then stands back up and walks behind his girlfriend to grip both handles of the wheelchair. He leans forward a bit to where Helga can feel his breath on one of her ears, which sends a shiver through her spine and she hopes for goodness sake that he did not notice.
"Now, I think we have a prom to enjoy, so shall we?" Arnold asks in a low, sort of husky, tone that would make Helga's toes curl if she could do that. It is enough to almost make Helga forget how to speak, for about a second or two. She quickly regains her composure. Fortunately for her, Arnold just assumes she is nervous because she is out of her comfort zone since she is in a prom dress with her hair done and her face fully made up.
"Yes, we shall," Helga looks over her shoulder to give her reply, with a dazzling smile and even batting her eyelashes. It achieves the desired effect as she sees Arnold's eyes widen a little bit and his cheeks start to redden.
'He may not have been aware what effect he had on me, but that doesn't mean anything to me. He may be dense, but his dark side knows what's up so two can play at that game,' Helga thinks to herself, trying to hold back a smirk as she remembers that night at the April Fool's Day Dance when they were fourth graders and he gave her that dark, yet seductive, look before throwing her in the pool.
"G-g-good," Arnold manages to say. It is clearly taking him a little longer to regain his composure.
'Looks like she found a new way to torment me, not sure if it is better or worse than the bullying,' Arnold muses to himself.
He shakes his head in amusement then pushes Helga to the table and positions her in front of the side opposite the side with the one chair. Arnold then walks toward that side and takes a seat. He places one hand on his entrée cover and the other hand on Helga's entrée cover, simultaneously lifting both of them to reveal two identical plates each containing a seasoned chicken breast and steamed vegetables. Arnold sets the two covers down on the ground beside him then picks up the bottle in the ice bucket on the middle of the table to show to Helga, who raises an eyebrow.
'They're letting us drink? Really?' Helga questions the possibility to herself. Arnold catches on to the meaning behind Helga's expression.
"It's sparkling apple cider," Arnold replies to Helga's unspoken question with a lighthearted chuckle, then adds, "Would you like some?" he asks bringing the bottle to her empty glass but he stops before the cider meets her glass to wait for her answer. Helga chuckles in response and nods. Arnold fills her glass and then his.
'Maybe his denseness is fading or he knows me a little too well, maybe it's both,' Helga thinks to herself with amusement as she takes the glass and holds it up. Arnold does the same.
"To us," Arnold toasts with such sincerity and warmth, his eyes not leaving hers.
"To us," Helga agrees with a warm smile to match. Their glasses clink together and they take a sip of their cider. The two teens set their glasses down, pick up their silverware, and begin their meal. The conversation is light but with substance.
"Mmm! That was so good, and so nice of your mother to make us dinner, and well help with all this," Helga exclaims in delight then smiles sheepishly and gestures to herself as her way of referring to her makeover.
"When she found out I was planning this, she immediately offered to help and she got everyone else on board as well, not like that was difficult, though. Everyone here adores you already. They of course truly saw you long before my dense self was able to," Arnold answers with honesty and a tinge of regret. He reaches across the table to take Helga's hand in his and gives it a gentle squeeze.
"Sorry it took me so long," Arnold apologizes and Helga can tell he means it.
"Hey, it's ok. You came to your senses during our lifetime and before we became old and gray, so that counts for something," Helga reasons half-jokingly with a sly grin. Arnold frowns a little at that, which causes Helga to relent.
"You are no fun sometimes, Football Head," Helga shakes her head with a chuckle then squeezes his hand before continuing, "You know what I mean. At least you did at all and I am grateful for that," Helga revises her statement and Arnold can tell that she means it.
"Thank you," Arnold responds simply, smiling from ear to ear. His lovesick gaze not leaving hers.
"No, Arnold, thank you. For all this. For everything. For just being you," Helga replies back, her loving gaze not leaving his either.
"You are more than welcome, Helga," Arnold smiles with another gentle squeeze of her hand. His expression then changes slightly to a more playful one. "The night is not over yet, my love. After all, we haven't done one of the classic traditions of prom, no, of any high school dance," Arnold reasons and Helga quirks an eyebrow.
"You mean like spiking the punch?" Helga asks with dry amusement and a small hint of dread beginning to build up inside her. She has a feeling that she knows what Arnold is alluding to considering the current layout on the boarding house roof, but she is also hoping that her intuition is wrong this time, though she knows it is right again. Therefore, she could not help but try to delay the inevitable, even just for a few minutes.
"No, not that. Something else," Arnold chuckles at Helga's remark. He gives her a knowing look that makes her internally shiver and she almost sighs in her tried and true lovesick way.
"It's not mooning the chaperones, is it?" Helga asks dryly, the discomfort growing in intensity.
"No, it's not- wait, what? Who would do that?" Arnold gives Helga a look that is some combination of shock, disgust, and amusement.
"Seriously? Come on, think. You know this. You saw them do it once before," Helga prompts Arnold and that helps him think back to when he saw Harold, Stinky, and Sid moon Principal Wartz. He lightheartedly facepalms himself, laughs, and shakes his head at the memory.
"Oh yeah, duh! Ok, you got me there, but of course that's not it," Arnold's confident gaze bores a hole right through Helga's tough, unwavering façade. She feels it beginning to crumble and chip away as a result.
'Now he is just taunting me. He is enjoying this…well of course he is. He's been hanging around me too much,' Helga reasons with herself, trying to stay strong in her own feeble attempts to delay what she knows is coming and is of course dreading because of how helpless she will be.
'He knows I hate being helpless. He really is enjoying this. I almost hate him, and yet…ugh you know the rest!' Helga exclaims to herself within the confines of her own thoughts, even starting to get frustrated with herself and her old ways of thinking.
"It better not be "start a fight in the parking lot", because I'm actually not in the mood for that this time," Helga states, pretending to consider that for a few seconds and then ending with a lazy shrug.
'Will he give up already?! Does he not get that I don't want to do this?' Helga starts to ask herself then shakes her head at her own silliness, 'Of course not. This is Arnold we're talking about here. I love him, but he can be so clueless,' Helga answers her question with a soft sigh.
Helga thinks Arnold does not understand what she is trying to do, but he does. He is unrelenting because he is equally as stubborn, maybe a little more. He knows this stalling tactic needs to end though, and hopefully soon.
"Helga…" Arnold begins with mild annoyance. Helga jerks her hand away from his to cross her arms. She gives him a scowl that is not quite as menacing as her scowls used to be when they were kids and she was really angry, but it is powerful enough to send a message anyways. Arnold stops and can only watch in slight fear and anticipation about what she is going to say next. He worries that he may have gone a little too far in pushing Helga out of her comfort zone and that she has reached her limit and therefore is showing signs of shutting down.
"Can it, Football Head. Get annoyed at me all you want, but I am not doing it. And don't play dumb. I know you are referring to us dancing. I have no interest in awkwardly moving this wheelchair around to try to somewhat resemble actual dancing. I know it's just us, but it's so demeaning and stupid to me that I don't care if no one else is watching. That's one of those things we need to just leave alone, at least for now," Helga snaps a little at her boyfriend, though the way she ends her explanation suggests to Arnold that she has some hope that the physical therapy will one day pay off. Arnold's expression softens after hearing Helga's reasoning and then he starts to feel bad because his initial worry came true, that he was pressuring her to go with his plan without even considering her concerns and her discomfort, again.
"I would never let you look stupid, Helga. You know that," Arnold explains sincerely. Helga crosses her arms tighter in defiance and looks away from him.
"I promise that if you start getting uncomfortable, just tell me and we'll stop, but for now let's try so we can say we did," Arnold reasons while giving Helga a small smile full of understanding.
'I guess I will give it a chance, for him, the stupid Football Head. After all, if it ends up being a pathetic display of nothing even remotely close to dancing whatsoever, I can always blame him for coming up with the silly idea in the first place. Because it is stupid. Come on, Arnoldo, dancing? Seriously? I know there is a dance floor on the roof, but I was hoping that was set up there ironically, guess not,' Helga groans internally and lets out a soft sigh, one of relent and defeat. She then looks at him again and dramatically throws her hands up in mock surrender.
"Alright, alright. Fine, I will try. But if I say stop?" Helga retorts, raising an eyebrow at Arnold as she waits for his answer.
"We will stop," Arnold promises, his expression resolute and genuine.
"Fine," Helga agrees again and gives another self-defeating sigh. She starts to wheel herself away from the table and toward the small dance floor. "Shall we dance then?" Helga looks back at him as she asks unenthusiastically. Arnold chuckles and shakes his head. He appreciates that she is at least willing to give this a chance. He thinks, no, he knows that she will end up enjoying this moment.
As Helga wheels herself toward the dance floor, Arnold pulls a remote control out of his pocket, points it at the stereo, and hits a few buttons before setting the remote on the table. He then walks onto the dance floor and faces Helga as the song starts to play.
"What the hell?" Helga asks in disbelief as she hears the beginning of this blast from the past coming from the speakers. It is none other than that one hit by that talentless poser, Ronnie Matthews, who Helga was Phoebe's plus one when she won the contest to meet him and he turned out to be a fake. Helga was impressed at first but then saw him for the phony that he was.
"Close, but it's actually called "I Saw Your Face And Wow"," Arnold answers with a smirk.
"Shut up, geek bait before I do it for ya," Helga threatens, though she does not mean it, at least not fully. She is still not happy with him for talking her into doing this. Arnold does not falter.
"You promise?" Arnold raises an eyebrow suggestively and with anticipation as he leans in closer to Helga. His statement and expression ends up being the perfect distraction. It leaves Helga wide-eyed and stunned for a few seconds. Arnold seizes this moment immediately. He grabs Helga by the waist and lifts her up and out of the wheelchair and never losing his hold on her to help imitate as close as he could the action of Helga standing up on her own.
Helga puts her arms around his neck almost as soon as he takes hold of her. She clings to him tightly in pure shock and amazement. He fully wraps his arms around her waist now that she is out of the wheelchair and he is able to do so. He tightens his hold on her a little more and spins the two of them around then sways each from side to side and throwing in another twirl every now and then during the song.
He hears giggling and Arnold can tell that she is starting to enjoy herself. After her giggle fit from pure happiness subsides, she gives a contented sigh and lays her head against Arnold's shoulder. He smiles at that and leans his head forward a little to whisper in her ear.
"I saw your face, and wow," Arnold whispers in time with the lyrics. Helga giggles and sighs happily, nestling deeper against her beloved. They continue this until the song ends. Then a slow song comes on. Helga quirks an eyebrow after hearing the intro then lifts her head to look at Arnold questioningly as the first verse begins.
""Lady in Red"? Seriously? You are so cheesy," Helga shakes her head and chuckles in amusement. Arnold laughs warmly in response.
"Well, it was slow enough and close enough to what I would have liked it to say," Arnold starts to explain, giving her a knowing look and continues before Helga gets a chance to ask what he is talking about, "Blonde beauty in pink," Arnold whispers sweetly. Helga is stunned for a second or two but quickly recovers.
"You mean like the bow that was pink like my pants?" Helga asks with a smirk and a sly wink. Arnold groans softly at the memory.
"Wow, I said that, didn't I? How smooth, huh?" Arnold asks with mock embarrassment, knowing full well that he is asking a rather biased source.
"Well, it sure melted my heart. I can tell ya that much," Helga replies honestly, a warm and genuine smile on her face.
"I am so glad I got to know that now," Arnold states sincerely, matching her smile with a warm smile of his own as he continues to sway the two of them back and forth in time with the music.
"Me too," Helga agrees, her smile somehow growing.
"I love you, Helga," Arnold says with nothing but love and adoration for the beautiful young woman in pink that he has wrapped in his arms.
"And I love you, Arnold. Forever and always," Helga responds with even more love and adoration for her handsome football-headed love god, but it is understandable, she has loved him for over a decade after all.
The two close the gap between them and their lips meet as they take part in the most passionate, tender kiss they have ever had in their relationship, so far.
After ending the kiss to catch their breath, the couple decide to go back to their table and rest for a bit. Arnold gently and slowly lowers Helga back into the wheelchair and he takes her back to the table. He refills their glasses with the rest of the apple cider.
Unbeknownst to Helga, Arnold has one more surprise for her. However, he is unsure how she is going to respond to this one, or how to reveal it. After a few seconds of silence, not awkward silence though, Arnold decides to just get on with it. He is also more nervous about this surprise because he had been working on it for a few weeks while the other surprises were planned out within a matter of days.
"I am sorry you could not get that track scholarship, Helga," Arnold empathizes with Helga while breaking the silence. Arnold realizes this is probably a less than ideal way to reveal this surprise but his other ideas always played out in his head the same way with Helga immediately rejecting it. He knows he cannot get straight to the point, not with this surprise.
"Eh no worries, hair boy. You know, I was pretty bummed I could not at least finish the season and the scholarship money would've really helped, but I wasn't too excited on doing track and field the entire time I was in college. There would be no time for anything else. I guess it was kind of a blessing in disguise sort of thing," Helga puts her glass down and answers truthfully and thoughtfully, though with a little confusion towards Arnold for deciding to talk about this.
"I am glad you are taking it so well, but what about college?" Arnold asks, hoping Helga is willing to continue this conversation for just a few moments longer.
"Well…hmm…wow, this is harder to say than I thought," Helga answers honestly as she scrunches up her nose and furrows her eyebrows a little in realizing how uncomfortable this is to say out.
'It's not like it's my fault and I know that, but I can't go to Columbia University even though they accepted me. I want to go, especially because I already know for a fact that Arnold applied and was accepted there, naturally. Of course I want to go, but I can't afford it. I barely have enough saved up for the first year. And then what? Bob didn't think I was important enough to have a college fund. He has changed his ways now and started putting some money away about 2 years ago. However, since Big Bob's Beepers went bankrupt and he had to basically start over as a sales associate in a cell phone store, there was not much left over for savings. I have been saving too, but altogether it is still not enough, not even close. So what it is the point in going for one year when I have to drop out before starting my second year? Working through school might help but the cost of living is still so high and it would give me almost no time for my studies that I would probably flunk out anyways. The goal was that the track and field scholarship would cover my tuition and room and board and I could try to save up as a backup plan in case of an injury or some kind of accident, whoops, guess I jumped the gun there…Seriously though, that goal is long gone now. There is no point. I just wish I had a better answer for Arnold, but he needs to know the truth, better now than later. We promised we would be honest to each other, right? Well, I guess I gotta prove that Helga G. Pataki keeps her promises and-'
"Helga?" Arnold asks out of concern, interrupting Helga from her inner dialogue. She shakes her head a little and looks back at him.
"Sorry, Arnold. I guess I zoned out," Helga apologizes with a shrug. Arnold nods in response before Helga continues.
"Well," Helga looks down and sighs, "I guess there is no easy way to say this so I better just spit it out," she sighs again and then looks into Arnold's eyes before continuing, "I'm not going to college, at least not Columbia. I barely have enough saved up to cover the first year, and that is just the tuition. I haven't decided yet if I am going to work and go to Hillwood Community College or work my tail off for a few years and apply to Columbia again. I am getting close to a decision though," Helga tries to reassure him that she has been seriously weighing her options and not procrastinating, well maybe a little. Her tone and expression are both somewhat hollow, like she is not happy with either options, and she is not. Arnold may be dense at times, but he can clearly see that.
Arnold almost reflects Helga's sad expression when he realizes he knows something she does not. He tries to hold back a chuckle in response to his brief forgetfulness of his own plan and chalks it up to nerves. A smile begins to form on his face and slowly grows at that realization. Meanwhile, Helga's eyebrows furrow in confusion at Arnold's sudden change in expression.
"What?" Helga asks in confusion. Arnold grabs Helga's hands and interlaces her fingers with his.
"What if I told you that you would not need to use either of those backup plans?" Arnold asks, trying help Helga guess without giving it away, yet.
"I would say "What fantasy world are you living in now?" or something to that effect…wait, what are you getting at?" Helga begins to answer and then becomes more suspicious of whatever point her boyfriend is trying to get across.
"If I tell you, you need to promise me you will not get mad, or at least try not to punch me," Arnold answers, which he is mostly serious. He does let out a small chuckle though.
"Hey, when have I ever actually made good on my threats, Shortman? You now know they were part of my ploy to hide my true feelings about you anyways, so of course I can promise I won't hit you, or even consider it. Now as for the not getting mad part, I cannot predict my mood, especially when I don't know what is going on," Helga wraps up her honest answer with small smirk as a way to calm her nerves. She knows now that Arnold has another surprise up his sleeve. Though she loved everything else he had planned for them this evening, she is not sure that she is going to enjoy this surprise. She thinks it is probably because this one seems to be all about her, while the other surprises were things intended for Arnold and Helga to enjoy together, including the dress and getting all dolled up.
'Well, Arnold sure did enjoy himself then. He has been staring at me all night. And I am not going to lie, it is nice to be looked at like, like I am some treasured beauty that has been newly discovered,' Helga is now holding back a chuckle from that thought. She is glad she brings her attention back to Arnold when she does because she almost misses him getting up from his seat and walking away.
Arnold is so intent on showing this new surprise to Helga that he almost forgets she is still there, almost. He stops, turns around, and looks at her with some hesitation but mostly hope and love in his eyes. Any doubts in Helga's eyes fade away, at least for the moment.
"I will be right back," Arnold promises Helga then turns and walks away again. Helga follows him with her eyes. She begins to feel uneasy for some reason. She thinks it has something to do with how she has never liked surprises and that Arnold has been giving her surprise after surprise throughout the night, though all have turned out wonderfully so far. This one seems different though and it is nearly getting to be too much. She wills herself to stay seated and not try to leave.
'Not like I have a choice in that though, haha. Bad joke, Helga, bad joke. But still, if I really wanted to leave, I would have found a way,' Helga reasons with herself.
While going back and forth with her own thoughts, Helga's gaze is still on Arnold as he walks to the skylight window of his bedroom and opens it. He climbs in and is in there for several seconds and then he emerges. He closes the skylight window and then walks back to the table, an envelope in his hand. Now standing in front of Helga, he presents the envelope to her. She reaches out to take it and then turns it around in her hand to examine it. She discovers that it is addressed to her with her home address on it.
'Then how come I have never seen this?' Helga thinks to herself with slight alarm after it dawns on her, that her own family must have been involved, 'But why? And for what? What in the absolute freaking hell is going on right now?!' Helga asks herself as the panic, anxiety, and other unidentifiable emotions suddenly swirling around inside her slowly build in intensity.
"Um…what the hell is this?" Helga asks, trying to town down everything she is feeling so she does not accidentally snap at him, though not because of her insecurities but this time because of the uncertainty of everything. She manages to reign those emotions in for a moment as she gives Arnold a questioning look, giving him a chance to explain himself. He only shrugs in response.
"There's only one way to find out. Look inside," Arnold requests in a tone that comes out as bossy without meaning to. He simply attributes it to being so excited for Helga. He just could not wait for her to find out for herself.
"Ok, but after this we are going to have a talk about who is the real boss in the relationship," Helga quips though a little shakily. She opens the envelope and removes its contents: two folded pieces of paper. When she unfolds them, a smaller piece of paper falls into her lap. She picks up the paper to look at it. A second later, her eyes bulge nearly out of their sockets and her jaw drops in pure shock.
'What is this? What does this mean?' Helga manages to ask herself. She realizes that the answers she needs are likely what is written in those papers, which are still in her other hand. Focusing her attention back to the papers, Helga places the smaller paper back in her lap then holds the papers in both hands. She unfolds them fully and begins reading out loud.
"Dear Miss Pataki, we enjoyed your submission of "The Mud-Covered Bow" and are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to receive the coveted Aspiring Authors of Columbia University Scholarship. Your tuition for the first semester has already been paid, as seen in the enclosed receipt. As I am sure you are aware, this scholarship also comes with room and board for the first two years, along with paid writing workshops throughout your academic career so long as you choose to major in English with a concentration in creative writing and that you maintain a 3.0 grade point average. We look forward to your future contributions to the world of prose and hope we can further your skills to reach greater heights as you will later move on professionally and represent Columbia University as an alumnus. We were thoroughly moved by your piece and we want to meet with you at orientation. Details of the meeting time, as well as the details for your accommodations, are included below. Welcome to Columbia University…" Helga trails off, becoming more and more shocked after every sentence. She cannot believe it. She cannot believe Arnold, and yet she can.
'He never ceases to amaze me. I can't believe he did this. I should have never admitted to him a few weeks ago to being the one writing all those love poems about him for all those years, and revealing that I still write them! No, that's not true. I am glad I did. Still, what if this didn't work? What if my work wasn't good enough and then what? But it seems like Arnold did not even think that them rejecting me would be an option. After all, he didn't even open it. He was so sure I would get it that he didn't need to see for himself. And what do you know, the Football Head was right, as usual. Criminy, how did I get so lucky to be his? Did that crazy accident make all this happen? I should have lost feeling in my legs years ago if I knew this was gonna be the outcome,' Helga finishes her internal rambling with a soft chuckle at that little joke at the end. She then looks up to find that Arnold had brought his chair next to hers and had been leaning intently and watching her expressions as she revealed everything for herself.
'He must have done that while I was reading the letter,' Helga muses to herself. She then places the letter gently in her lap and this time she takes Arnold's hands in hers. He is surprised by this gesture, pleasantly surprised as he too starts to get lost in his own thoughts.
'Well, she did promise she wasn't going to hit me, but I didn't expect it would go this well. Then again, Helga is very unpredictable. That's one of the many reasons why I love her. She never ceases to amaze me. It's time she sees herself the way the way I see her, the way the world will see her if she lets them see even a part of her true self. Nobody deserves this more than her. She is so talented and now she doesn't have to hide it anymore. There are people with influence and authority out there that now know what she is capable of and they are telling her that they want more. I don't even know how she can be a better writer than she already is but I cannot wait to see. I guess I am a little biased though…'
"Earth to lover boy! Hello!" Helga shouts a little as she waves a hand in front of Arnold's face, which the young man in question was staring into space with a dreamy, lovesick look on his face. Her words are starting to get through to whatever cloud he is floating on and soon Arnold is slowly pulled back to reality. He blinks several times in confusion then smiles sheepishly at Helga.
"Oh, hello there," Arnold responds, trying to act coy and failing.
"Oh, knock it off, you goofball!" Helga exclaims, trying to sound and look annoyed, but it immediately fades as the desire to smile and laugh so much overpowers her strong will. This feeling at this great intensity was a foreign concept to her until now. She is scared of it, which only makes her want to embrace it head-on even more. She believes that also has something to do with how right these emotions feel, no matter how new to her they may be. Helga continues to smile so warmly and genuinely.
'So radiant. She's so beautiful when she smiles, a real smile. I have never seen her so overtaken by happiness, and it is because of me,' Arnold is nearly lost in this display of genuine beauty before him. He swells with pride a little when thinking this is happening because of his own actions, all for her.
"Arnold, I cannot believe you did this for me, and behind my back. Why Arnold, are my sneaky and conniving ways becoming a bad influence for you?" Helga jokes with a mock gasp and puts a hand to her mouth for the full effect. Helga then laughs, one that Arnold has heard only a few times, one that does not come out while mercilessly teasing someone, a real laugh out of pure happiness once again during this crazy, yet incredible night. Arnold gives a playful shrug as he joins in her laughter and squeezes her hands.
"Maybe, well only when absolutely necessary," Arnold reasons with a small chuckle. He is still Arnold after all.
"Well regardless, you did for me what I would likely never find the courage to do myself. And with this little push of yours," Helga pauses to briefly loosen one of her hands from Arnold's to hold up the letter then places it on the table, "There are people out there that actually want to read what I write and it gives me the strength to actually give it a try. It gives me hope. You give me hope," Helga, her soft, sincere gaze unwavering from his, smiles and lets her free hand rejoin her other one with his, interlacing their fingers together.
"And you give me hope," Arnold replies sincerely with so much love in his eyes, love for her. Helga gives a low chuckle and shakes her head at that.
"Wrong. You are probably the physical embodiment of hope itself, so much that maybe that can help us get through college. No, if I have given you anything, it was probably a headache," Helga comments with a smirk.
"Well maybe that too," Arnold agrees with a wink, resulting in Helga sticking her tongue out at him, which only makes him laugh before clearing his throat and continuing, "Seriously though, you give me hope, and strength, and courage, probably for years but I just had not realized it. You are an amazing writer, though I may be a little biased," pausing to chuckle at that and so does Helga, "But I knew you were still scared to let anyone else see that side because it is a part of you and to have it be rejected would be like a part of you dying. While I understand that, I could not let you be held back by your fears of rejection anymore," Arnold pauses, a cheeky grin forming on his face that earns a questioning eyebrow raise from Helga, "Besides, I'm not sure you are the best detector of possible rejection. I mean, you thought I would reject you, and yet here we are! Ow," Arnold stops for a moment as he becomes quickly distracted by Helga's playful punch to his arm in response to his words.
"Low blow, bucko, low blow," Helga warns, though her tone is amused and not at all threatening.
"Ok, I deserved that," Arnold looks at her and chuckles then picks up where he left off, "You think I took some big risk that you could not do yourself, but you're wrong. There was little to no risk involved. I knew you would get it. And I didn't need to read what I already knew. It was for you to discover anyways," Arnold explains, so sure of himself, of her, of everything.
'I figured that was why he didn't read it first. Geez, he has so much confidence about me and is so optimistic. I wish I could borrow some of that,' Helga thinks to herself with a smirk.
"Oh, you are so full of it," Helga scoffs jokingly and shakes her head. Arnold pretends to pout like a wounded animal.
"Am not!" Arnold argues, playing the role of the petulant child quite well.
"Are too!" Helga quips, matching in his stubbornness, but she does not give Arnold the chance to disagree with her again as she quickly covers his mouth with her lips. The kiss lasts for mere seconds but it is enough to distract Arnold and send him into a small lovesick daze.
'I love that I have that effect on him and it is not just me. It does come in handy though,' Helga thinks, a small devilish smirk slowly forming then quickly disappearing.
"Oh, and thank you," Helga says leaning back in her chair while feigning indifference. This does not last for long because a second later, she is grinning and winks at him. This pulls him out of his temporary stupor. He leans forward and cups her face with his hands.
"You are more than welcome, Helga, my love," Arnold replies simply. Helga sighs happily at that. Arnold loves that he still has that effect on her, especially after finally realizing his own feelings for her so he could notice the true effect that his thoughtful actions had on her.
"Arnold, this night has been amazing. You're amazing. In one night, you have made nearly all my dreams come true, are you some kind of magic or something, no that's not it," Helga shakes her head thoughtfully and looks back at him, "you're magically you," Helga reasons simply with a grin. Arnold smiles sheepishly back at her while his thumbs start caressing her cheeks.
"Not really. I didn't do anything that you didn't deserve. Helga, you deserve to be spoiled once in a while. You deserve to treated like the amazing person you are though few have truly noticed. But I feel like those days are numbered," he pauses to glance quickly at the letter sitting unfolded on the table then looks back at her, "and this is the beginning of people seeing you for who you really are and accepting you, your tough exterior and your thoughtful, sweet, passionate center," Arnold explains and it also sounds like a promise, a promise that is starting to sink in to Helga. As he sees a new look of fear begin to form in her eyes, he strokes her cheeks with his thumbs a little faster before adding to his previous statement.
"Hey, I know it seems scary, but don't forget that I'm here. Whatever challenge one of us is in the middle of, we go through it together, ok?" Arnold asks encouragingly. Helga gives a small smile and nods.
"Together," Helga whispers. It is all she can manage to say for now, but to Arnold, it is more than enough. He gently pulls her in and their lips join together for another passionate kiss.
When the kiss ends, Helga puts back one of the arm rests on the wheelchair, the one next to Arnold. Catching on to this action, he puts his arm around her shoulder opposite him and she leans into him, gently nestling her head on his shoulder directly next to her. He places a few quick, but sweet, kisses to her forehead, her hair, and her nose. Helga giggles in delight then sighs happily. They both look up at the night sky. It is getting late so they are just now able to see some stars as more of the neighborhood's residents turn off their lights. The few they could see begin to twinkle so brightly, like their future. Together.
A/N: Here's the part where I explain a few things because I'm crazy like that!
For anyone curious, I figured Helga would still not know why Gertie calls her "Eleanor" because that was mostly from when Helga sleepwalked and therefore Helga would have no memory of being called that.
When Stella is styling Helga's hair and notices that her hair is easy to work with, that was a hidden joke in reference to Helga's pigtails in the show and how they stick straight out and stay in place like that. Haha.
Obviously, that scholarship is made up. I had the idea and went with it.
That part where Helga calls Arnold magically him is a reference to a song I started to write but never finished. Thought it worked!
This chapter ended up having some…well, "naughty" undertones. That is just teenage hormones and young love for ya!
Ok, the epilogue is next and it is almost finished! It will be a quick ending but one you all deserve for having to wait so long. As unintentional as the delay was since I started this story over 3 years ago, I bet it likely annoyed some of you. Sorry again! I will try to have the epilogue up within the next few days! Thank you everyone for your patience (my bad!), your favorites, follows, and/or reviews!