Well, I don't know who that guess was that claimed I'm not following the rules with my stories. When I put "I do not own Hey Arnold or it's characters" on my profile, I assumed all the fans would be smart enough to know that was an easy way of admitting it without having to write it on every story. Apparently not.

Chapter 2: Let Me Think About This

Street

While Arnold was being thanked by everyone in town, Helga was happily marching down the street. After confessing her love to whom she found to be the most amazing boy who ever lived, he saved her from something she feared more than the thought of telling him...rejection.

As she skipped down the street, she realized he hadn't returned her feelings, but he hadn't laughed in her face either. There was still hope things could change; turn out the way she had always dreamed they would. After all, she wasn't lying when she told Arnold how crazy the moment her confession was. Whether or not he meant to, he was pointing her on the spot.

Boarding House

After talking to everyone about how relieved they were that everything would stay the same, Arnold walked home with something on his mind. The idea of needing to fix up the neighborhood didn't seem as overwhelming as something that happened when he and his friends were saving it.

The conflicted boy entered the building, not caring to pay attention to the zoo that fled by him. Phil was back inside with his 'Dynamite Crew' and said "Hey there shortman! Looks like everything worked out!"

Arnold took a seat at the table, placing his head in his hands. Phil noticed his disgruntled grandson and replied "If you're worried about the street, Ernie's got plenty of cement down at the quarry. Oscar already volunteered to fix it."

"What are you talking about?" the lazy man whined.

After listening to his neighbors go on, Arnold said "No, something kind of extreme happened while Gerald and I were at FTI."

Helga's House

Helga made it home in time to hear her father blabbing about being screwed over, as he had suspected while reading the contract. "I can't believe that cheapskate did this to me!"

Helga rolled her eyes at her father's ungrateful behavior, while she heard Olga say "Don't worry daddy. Even without the new plans, you're still the best, if not the only beeper store in town!"

While Bob appreciated Olga's support, he replied "Yeah, but just think of all the stinkin' work that needs to be done to get the place up and running again! I'm not trusting another weasel like Vermacelli, which means it's all on me!"

Arnold's Kitchen

Once Arnold was through explaining what had happened to Phil, he watched his elder do his best not to laugh uncontrollably. When Phil was able to tone his laughter down a bit, he replied "So, she finally confessed. When's the wedding? Hehe."

"Grandpa…" Arnold said in a frustrated tone.

"Oh I'm just messing with you shortman. Seriously though, what'd you say after she told you?"

Arnold began to rub his arm, knowing Phil wouldn't like his answer. What was he supposed to do? Helga had never given him a reason to consider whether or not there maybe a future between the two of them. He couldn't just say "I like you two, right then and there, without having time to think things through."

"I kind of told her I knew she didn't really mean what she said; that it was just the heat of the moment."

"Heat of the what now?" Phil asked, not knowing where his grandson was going with this.

"She seemed embarrassed and I never got to think about how I felt, so I basically let her off the hook." Arnold explained.

Phil shook his head as he replied "Shortman, you may have a knack for fixing this town's problems, but you might want to consider taking some time to work on your own."

Helga's Room

Helga went to bed without dinner that night. Her mind was full enough to distract her from her empty stomach. She didn't even feel like saying good night to her closet shrine, or writing a romantic memory of what she experienced with her beloved that day.

Instead, she got under the covers and thought to herself…

He sure was willing to forget about everything easily. Was that his way of rejecting me, or showing he's no braver than I am when it comes to opening up to someone you have feelings for?