You Don't Know Me, Arnold
Chapter 2: Memories
Wow I was so surprised with the feedback! Thank you guys!
By the way, yes, the FTi Incident did happen, and I think Arnold mentioned it in the first chapter ;)
Alright guys, let's do this!
"Hey Arnold! How was school today?" Grandpa asked as I walked into the boarding house.
"Good I guess..." I responded as I sat on the dinner table.
"Doesn't sound like it went that good."
"It's just, remember what I told you about Helga?"
"The girl with the one eyebrow and how you snapped at her? Yes."
"Well I don't know what I did but she started acting really nice today, like I didn't see her insult anyone! Especially me!"
"Is there a problem with that Shortman? You got her off your back, didn't you?"
"Well... yeah. But it's just weird."
"Maybe she saw your outburst as kind of a wakeup call. Nothing wrong with that," Grandpa said as he shrugged and handed me a sandwich and an orange juice.
I took a bite of my sandwich and thought about what Grandpa had told me. Maybe she did just see it as a wakeup call rather than an insult, but it still bothers me for some reason. Like, I'm so used to getting attention from Helga that not getting attention from her feels plain odd. But this is what I wanted right?
"By the way Shortman, come to the living room when you're finished, I have something to show you!"
I nodded as Grandpa left the kitchen and headed toward the living room, leaving only me with my thoughts.
Maybe this is just revenge for what I had told her on Friday! Yeah! Maybe she's just trying to psych me out!
Or maybe she isn't...
Well, there's only one way to find out!
I got up and grabbed our phone and decided to dial a professional.
"Hello?"
"Hey Phoebe! It's Arnold!"
"Oh! Hey Arnold! What a surprise... can I help you with anything?"
"I just had a quick question."
"Okay, what is it?"
"Is... Is Helga okay?"
Silence. Nothing was heard from the other line. For a second I legitimately thought she had hung up until she responded.
"Of course she's okay Arnold. Didn't you see her at school today?"
No, that wasn't Helga. That was an abducted alien from Planet Kindness.
"No, I meant like health wise." I responded. "She seemed... different today."
"Oh yes! Isn't it great? She's doing well for herself. My parents also seem to find her change amiable."
Am I the only one who finds this change odd? Am I the abducted alien? But something about Phoebe's tone of voice didn't sound convincing to me...
"Phoebe. What's your REAL opinion on her change?" I asked, challenging her.
I heard her sigh, gotcha!
"I must admit that it did catch me off guard when I first ran into her. But she seems to be happy, and if she's happy, I'm happy."
Wait. So Phoebe was just as confused as me? So this couldn't be a prank, because if it was, I can assure you that Phoebe would be in on it.
"Well, thank you Phoebe, I'll talk to you tomorrow. I was just wondering."
"Thank you for your concern Arnold, on Helga's part, I appreciate it."
As we both bid our goodbyes, I walked to the living room, where Grandpa was holding what appeared to be a photo album.
"Hey Arnold! Take a look at this!" he said as he handed me the book.
It was a picture of my friends and I last year, when we had built that float for Big Bob's Beepers.
I smiled as I looked at each of my friends and I stopped when I landed on Helga.
She was scowling and standing next to Big Bob and I.
Now that I think about it, Helga was the reason why we were able to make that float happen, she had convinced her dad to sponsor us, and I remember being extremely grateful.
Helga is a girl full of surprises.
She helped Gerald and I save the neighborhood by acting as Deep Voice, to this day I still don't understand why she wanted to keep it a secret. I mean I know she confessed that she "loved" me or something like that but that still wasn't a reason to help behind the shadows.
Helga loving me...
That's a subject I avoid thinking about because it's just SO hard to believe - who knows - maybe it was the Heat of the Moment. I mean she still treated me terribly after that incident, until today...
Helga G. Pataki has got to be the most confusing girl I have ever met.
"I'm going to go play checkers with Oskar, you can stay here and look at the album if you want," Grandpa said as he grabbed a video camera.
"Why are you taking a camera?"
"I'm not trying to let Kokoschka cheat!" he said indignantly as he left the room.
I shook my head and smiled as I looked through the album.
There was a picture of last year's school play, Helga was standing next to me.
There was the picture of us at The Vacant Lot before it was named Gerald's Field, Helga was standing next to me.
Coach Wittenberg's wedding... Helga was standing next to me.
When Helga had won a Dinner for Four and we ended up washing dishes because we went to the wrong restaurant... Helga was standing next to me.
Helga was standing next to me in all these photos! Don't know if that was intentional or a simple coincidence. But that dinner for four was interesting, it was one of the very few times where Helga has demonstrated that she wasn't actually cold hearted.
Now that I think about it, there was also the time she tried warning me about Summer, and I didn't listen to her. Luckily she managed to prove it to me.
Or that time where nobody wanted me to give them advice anymore, and Helga went out of her way to convince me to fix everybody's problems, telling me that butting into everybody's business was what made me who I am.
Wait...
HAS HELGA ALWAYS BEEN AS CONSIDERATE AS SHE WAS TODAY!?
Maybe that's why she chose to work with Eugene! Nobody ever wants to work with him, so she decided to give him a chance.
But that doesn't make sense, there were times where she was a jerk to Eugene, why now? What's with the sudden change?
Oh yeah, I totally called her childish and inconsiderate on Friday.
But she was never actually inconsiderate. I know she's just putting up a wall, I figured that out the day Rhonda had told me I'd be marrying Helga in the future. And look at all these things she's done for everyone in the past? Has she ever received a proper 'thank you?'
Is that also one of the reasons why she would act so mean?
I mean, if I spent my life doing good deeds for others and never received at least one motion of gratitude, heck, I wouldn't want to continue doing good deeds either.
Or maybe that's not the case, maybe Helga didn't want gratitude because it would make her feel weak.
But that still doesn't explain why she puts up this wall. Why has she always acted so mean? Why did she decide to start bullying? What's with all the negativity? I know she may not being going through the best of times at home but she wasn't like that in preschool...
WHY DIDN'T I THINK ABOUT ALL THIS BEFORE I YELLED AT HER!?
But she isn't acting nasty and rude anymore, and that's good and all but... it's NOT her...
No, I'm not talking about the bullying, I'm talking about her personality.
Helga G. Pataki is a sarcastic and hilarious girl who likes doing good deeds for others from time to time.
Or maybe... the Helga we saw today was the real Helga.
Maybe she finally brought her wall down...
Ugh, I need to take a walk.
"Grandpa! I'm going out!" I called out as my Grandpa called back saying "Okay!"
I opened the door and let all of our animals in, closing the door as they finished running in.
I saw an aluminum can on the floor and started kicking it, this Helga thing was bothering me.
Who is the real Helga? Could it be that I don't know as much about Helga as I thought?
What have I done? Why did I yell at her?
Regret fills my mind as I shake my head and kick the can really hard, causing it to land by the junkyard.
I sighed and grabbed the can as I approached the Garbage Man, "Sir, I found this on the floor."
"Thanks kid," he said as he grabbed the can and threw it in the aluminum pile. "Say, that hat looks familiar!"
I stared at him in confusion as I grabbed my hat. "It does?"
"Yeah, I remember because there was a time where a hat just like that landed here in the junkyard. There was a girl with two pigtails, a pink bow and a unibrow who was desperate to get it back. I don't know if it belonged to her or something. But she literally jumped into our food disposal pile just to get it back, she spent three hours looking for it! It was quite the sight! Girl left home completely filthy but she got the hat back."
I widened my eyes as the man finished telling his story, could it be...
"Was the girl wearing a pink dress?" I asked cautiously.
"Yes, I believe that's what she was wearing. Do you know her?"
I opened my mouth in utter shock, HELGA PATAKI WENT THROUGH ALL THAT TROUBLE JUST TO GET ME MY HAT!?
I remember that week, I was so depressed that I didn't even want to come out for free ice cream.
Now that he mentions it I actually do remember Helga looking a tad filthy when I had gotten my hat back from her.
I also remember her acting like she didn't know it was my hat, which is kind of silly considering the fact that I wear it EVERYDAY!
Helga...
The Garbage Man started looking at me oddly and I realized I hadn't responded, "Oh, um, yeah I think I do. Look I have to get going, thank you for your services!" I said as I walked away.
"What a nice young boy," I heard him say as he went back to his work.
I literally couldn't focus on anything! I can't believe Helga actually did that for me!
This proves my theory that she's actually a softie on the inside.
It also makes me feel even more guilty for what I had told her on Friday... ugh... way to ruin the mood Inner Arnold.
"I'm not sure about this Helga..."
My ears perked up as I hid behind a wall and peered over to where Helga was holding a bike for Eugene.
"It's going to be okay Eugene! I bolted these training wheels for you tightly so that you won't fall!" Helga excitedly said as she motioned toward the wheels.
"Okay, I'll give it a shot..." Eugene said nervously as he stepped onto the bike.
Helga gave him a light push as he began bicycling.
Wow... the kid hasn't fallen... wait, I take that back. I don't want to speak too soon.
Eugene rode until the end of the road and then turned and rode back to Helga.
Wow! He didn't fall at all!
"I didn't fall Helga! I did it! Thank you so much!" he exclaimed as I smiled, it warmed my heart to see my friends happy.
Eugene then walked up to Helga and nervously but surely hugged her.
But she didn't push him off – no - she hugged him back.
Helga has never done that to me! If I ever got near her she'd push me, call me Football Head and tell me to stay away from her.
Suddenly I felt my blood boiling.
Before I could I even think, I felt myself approaching them.
"Hey guys!" I exclaimed as Eugene turned to me and smiled while Helga looked like I had startled her. "What are you guys up to?"
"Helga put training wheels on my bike so that I wouldn't fall anymore!"
"Wow Helga that's really nice of you," I complimented as Helga gave me a half smile.
She kind of looked like she wasn't happy to see me, like if I made her uncomfortable.
"Thanks," she simply said as we stared at each other, creating the most awkward silence I have ever encountered.
I suddenly felt unwelcome and decided to head home, "Well, I'll see you two tomorrow!"
"Bye Arnold!" Eugene exclaimed as he waved while Helga nodded at me, signaling her goodbye.
Man, I would much rather have her calling me Football Head and stealing my tapioca pudding than this... silence...
It's so unlike her, I mean it's not like our relationship is utterly based off of insults and retorts, Helga and I sometimes have some pretty decent conversations. Last year's Thanksgiving was proof of that.
Is this the real Helga?
Well I hope you guys liked that one! I'm really enjoying writing this story!
But yes, the whole thing will be in Arnold's perspective and no, I'm not going to show you what Helga's perspective is in all of this. We are all Arnold in this story, we're all going to be listening to his thoughts and his thoughts only. No dramatic irony what-so-ever :D
Call me evil but that's why this story was rated Romance and Suspense, the fact that you guys won't know Helga's thoughts is what makes this so suspenseful! I promise Arnold is going to eventually find out what's going on with Helga, and once he finds out, you'll find out ;)
REVIEW MY FELLOW HEY ARNOLD FANS!