Disclaimer: I do not own Hey! Arnold and anything associated with it. Except my OC. But you know he's not even worth stealing. (Because the consequence of that is a serious ass whooping from me. Just a warning.)
Get a grip, Alex. She's just a girl. A girl from your past that thought nothing of you since the day you said goodbye. She's not worth it.
She really isn't.
So why do you still care?
"Are you okay?" The dainty voice startles him; and he looks up to see Lila's concerned expression. "Remember me? We met just a couple of hours ago," she said and smiles sweetly.
Alex smiles politely back. "Of course I do. Lila, right."
"That's right!" Lila smiles even wider. "Is it okay if I sit next to you?" Alex gestures to the seat next him and nods. "I like taking walks in this park; it's very relaxing. Most of the time I come here just to take in the little things, you know? Like the sound of laughter coming from the playground just over there, or the sound of the birds chirping in the trees above us."
He nods absently, still deep in his own thoughts.
"If you're lucky, you'll get to see old married couples walking along these paths too... And it kinda makes you wonder how nice it would be to have what they have." Alex looks at her after she says that and sees that she's lost in her own thoughts too; and he realizes that they may have something in common.
"I don't mean to be blunt," he starts, "but-"
"We're not that different; you and I," she cuts in, staring into the space in front of her. Any trace of the smile she wore earlier is gone. She looks at him. "If you were going to ask who Arnold is to me, I'd say I wouldn't be too far off If I answered that he is to me what Helga is to you."
Alex looks away, unsure of how to respond. He could feel Lila's gaze on him. "Well, I don't know what your story is but mine is pretty messed up."
"Oh, I'm ever so sure mine can beat yours." Lila's perky voice comes up again, and Alex sees the smile return to her sweet baby face.
"I met Helga a couple of years ago and fell for her the day we met," he says simply. "Well, I only met her for literally one day and never saw her again until this week. But she was still on my mind ever since."
Lila nods and smiles at his short summary. "I spent years rejecting Arnold when he actually liked me liked me, but now realize that I actually like him like him back." She pauses, and furrows her brow. "I don't know what I was thinking."
Alex looks at her, feeling a pang of sympathy. "Okay," he admits. "You win, Lila." She giggles a little at that, and they continue to sit in silence, watching people walk by in the park. "It"s getting dark," he says after a while. "How about I walk you home?"
She smiles at the offer and nods. "That's ever so sweet of you, Alex. I'd like that ever so much."
Helga is left perplexed. She's getting what she always wanted: Arnold's attention and - possibly - his affection as well. She should be happy. Ecstatic. But something is making her feel like she can't really enjoy the moment. And has a feeling she knows what (or rather, who) it is.
I really need to sort myself out. She walks up to her room, flops on her bed and sighs. The next things she knows, she falls asleep.
She wakes up when the doorbell rings. Disoriented, she rolls over on her side and tries to see what time it is: 7.01pm.
"Crap!" she screams.
"Helga," she hears Miriam call out. "Your friend Aaron is here!"
"Actually, it's Arnold," he says politely. "It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Pataki."
Helga gets up, frantically rummaging through her closet to find something decent to wear. "Uh... I'll be down soon!" she yells, trying not to sound panicked.
"Well, I suppose you can wait in the living room, Arnold."
"Thanks," he says and takes a seat. He finds it odd to be in this position; the last time he was in her house, it was when he accidentally beaned her and made her get amnesia. That was so many years ago. He smiles at the memory, and laughs gently because he didn't pick up on the signs of 'nice Helga' when they were much younger. He hears the front door open and looks up to see Alex walking into the living room.
Alex freezes mid step when he notices the boy with the oblong-shaped head sitting on the couch. The two stare at each other, unsure of what to say. Finally, after what seems like ages, Alex nods in acknowledgement, murmuring, "Hey."
"Hey," Arnold replies stiffly. "Just got back from a walk?" he inquires casually.
A weird expression passes over Alex's face, but is quickly replaced with a look of indifference. "Yeah." He smirks. "Actually I walked Lila home."
Arnold gives him a look of surprise. "Lila? Really?"
"Really," he states. "She's pretty nice, once you get over how she says 'oh so ever' in almost every sentence."
The two boys smile at that, and Arnold lets out a chuckle. "Yeah, I used to think that was adorable-" he stops himself, realizing that this is probably the worst place he could have said that. Now it's Alex's turn to give him a look, but doesn't comment on it. Arnold looks away, feeling like he just made a mistake.
An awkward silence ensues.
"W-well then," Alex finally says. "I should-" he begins, pointing over his shoulder towards the staircase.
"Y-yeah, go ahead," Arnold replies quickly, relieved that Alex is leaving. "Nice talking to you, Alex."
"Don't mention it," Alex says and makes for the stairs. He stops when he sees Helga appear at the top of the stairwell and breathes, "Whoa." His eyes widen and smiles despite his efforts to keep his cool. "Helga-" he stops, unable to speak. He's just amazed at the sight. Arnold starts when he hears him say her name and gets up from the couch.
The two boys stand at the bottom of the stairs, looking up to see Helga dressed absolutely beautifully in a light purple dress. Her hair is pinned up with small curls of hair framing her face. Alex has never seen her that way before, and he's completely smitten. Arnold, on the other hand, thinks that she looks just as pretty as she did on the night they went to Chez Paris, if not more. Helga blushes, noticing the gobsmacked expressions on their faces. Keep it steady, girl. You can do this. DON'T TRIP ON THESE STAIRS OR SO HELP ME I WILL NEVER GO OUT AGAIN.
Luckily for Helga, she makes it down without incident and comes face-to-face with Arnold and Alex. She smiles, but it soon freezes on her face when she realizes what Arnold is wearing. "I'm overdressed," she states, almost mortified. Arnold is still a bit too shocked to speak. "I'll go change," she says and begins to run back up the stairs.
"No, wait!" Arnold says hurriedly, snapping out his trance. "You look amazing, Helga." She stops and turns around to look at him. "You don't have to change a thing." He smiles at her, the same breathtaking smile that melts her heart every single time.
A timid smile creeps onto her lips. "Really?" she asks hopefully.
"Really," he says, and offers his hand. She takes it, and he kisses it lightly. They smile at each other, lost in the moment. That is, until they hear someone clear his throat.
Alex stands right beside them, clearly uncomfortable with what is unfolding before his eyes. He feels a stabbing pain in his chest, and this is becoming much to painful to watch. "Have a nice date, then," he says with a tight smile plastered on his face. "See you." He gives a Helga a short glance before quickly walking up the stairs and into his room.
Helga feels a wave of guilt washing over her and frowns, her gaze following Alex up the stairs until he vanishes from sight. She turns to Arnold, noticing his expression isn't all too happy either. They look at each other, not saying anything, but understanding that they've gotten themselves into a complicated situation.
Arnold, still holding onto Helga's hand, tugs her towards him. "Come on, then. We've got a reservation waiting for us." He tries to smile warmly at his date. "We can talk about this over a basket of breadsticks."
A/N: All I can do is beg for forgiveness from the people who have been waiting for this. I have no excuse, I really don't. Please accept this lame offering I have to give. *runs and hides* Thanks a million to people who have read and reviewed! It means the world to me. There is no exaggeration in that.