Arnold's little confession scene was inspired by a secret friend of mine. :D Thanks, buddy! You know who you are. X3
Happy New Year, everyone! :)
--
Everyone in the class was at Rhonda's little New Years Party this year, and she had even invited Helga, since she wanted EVERYONE in their class there. They of course were being chaperoned by her parents, Phoebe's parents, and Gerald's parents. It was going pretty well, for a fourth grade party.
Not much could be said for Helga, though.
She was sitting on the balcony, looking up at the sky as snow softly fell in little flakes. It wasn't very cold, she had a good jacket on, but she felt chilled, and a little lonely. Not that she'd admit that, of course. It wasn't really that no one would talk to her, except for Phoebe, and a friendly word from Arnold.
It was that Arnold was glued to Lila's side all evening.
And no matter what she tried, the two were always whisked away into the little crowd, ignoring the rest of the world.
"Lila...stupid little Miss Perfect." Helga said to herself angrily. "So she's got it all, popularity, prettyness, and now Arnold. Why can't she just leave him alone if she doesn't like him that way...stupid little Miss Perfect. What does he see in her...she's as boring as watching paint dry! What kind of girl doesn't get angry or sad or even annoyed for a totally legit situation? Oh no, not little Miss Perfect, she's tooooo perfect to convey any other emotion than her 'ever so happy ways'."
She sighed, her face taking on a sadder expression.
"If I wasn't so stupid, I'd have Arnold all to myself now....oh, who am I kidding, even if I was nicer to him, he'd STILL be drooling over little Miss Perfect. He doesn't like me, so why bother."
"Hey, Helga. Why are you out here all by yourself?"
"Arnold?!" Helga whipped around, surprised. "Criminy, don't scare me like that, football head! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry, Helga. I didn't mean to." Arnold said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I...I just saw you out here alone, so I wanted to come and see you."
"Oh please, why are you even bothering when you've got Lila to hang with?" Helga grumbled, turning away.
"She wanted to dance with Stinky." Arnold explained.
"So that's it? You don't have your ever so precious Lila to hang out with so you go looking for the next person you see? Do me a favour and don't do me any favours, football head."
"Helga." Arnold's tone was offended but stern. "That's not true. I came out to see you because I wanted to."
Helga's eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. Slowly, she turned around and faced him. "You...you did?"
"Yeah." Arnold smiled. "No one should have to be alone on New Years, especially not at a party."
"I don't need your pity, Arnoldo."
"Is it a crime that I wanted to cheer you up?"
".....No." Helga sighed, faltering. "...I'm sorry, I guess I'm just a little on edge today."
"Why?" The shorter boy softened and went to stand beside her. "What's wrong?"
"...Nothing, just forget it." Helga turned back, leaning over the balcony rail. "It doesn't matter."
But Arnold knew better than that, and he wasn't going to give up.
"It's about your family, isn't it. Your sister is home, and your parents shower her with all the love and affection they could also be sharing with you, so you decided to get out of the house and away from it all, right?" Arnold asked, though it was a statement more than a question.
Right again. Helga didn't know how he did it, but he was always right about her. Not to mention, he understood her better than anyone, even Phoebe. She smiled a little, though she turned her head away so he couldn't see it.
"Yeah. I guess that's about right." Helga said. "Sorry I'm raining on your parade."
"You're not, Helga." Arnold assured her. He then looked at a little pocket watch his grandpa had given him, "for good luck", apparently. It was 11:57. "Hey, it's almost midnight. Want to go back inside?"
"Nah." Helga shook her head. "What's the point? Everyone's gonna be cheering and counting down, and possibly sharing a New Year's Kiss."
"Oh." Arnold realized, and nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Why? Is there anyone you want to kiss?"
He didn't need to ask. He had a sneaking suspicion that he already knew the answer.
"....What if there is?" Helga muttered. "It's not like he'd want to kiss me."
"Why not? What makes you think that?" Arnold asked.
"Because he doesn't like me, doi. Why else?!"
"How do you know that?"
"Doi, he's got some other girl he's hung up over!"
"Why don't you ask him? I'm sure it couldn't hurt to try."
"Oh yeah, sure. I can't just go up to him and say 'Hey, I know you got a girl you want to kiss and all, but would you mind kissing me at midnight?', the world doesn't work that way, Arnoldo."
"What if he did want to kiss you?"
"He doesn't."
"How do you know?" Arnold gave a light smirk.
"Because...he...." Helga blushed a little. "...He doesn't feel the same way as I do about him."
"Well..." Arnold shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "What if he wouldn't mind kissing you?"
"...Then I guess I would." Helga admitted. "If he didn't mind it."
Arnold smiled. "Am I to guess who this guy is?"
Helga sighed, shaking her head. "Guess all you want."
"Hey, everyone! It's almost midnight! Time for the countdown! 20-OW! ...I'm okay!" Eugene said from inside.
"19, 18, 17..." Everyone chanted inside as they turned on the TV to view the ball drop going on in Times Square in New York City.
"Well now's your chance, Helga. If you want to kiss him, you should go find him and go for it." Arnold said.
"I..."
"14, 13..."
Helga shook her head, refusing to leave his side. Now she had him where she wanted him! Did he really think she was talking about someone else? Or was he not dense for a change and knew it was himself?
"No, never mind." She said. "I'll just stay out here."
"11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Came the roudy chants and cheers of the class.
Before Helga could do anything, at the stroke of twelve, Arnold leaned up and kissed her sweetly on the mouth, rendering her frozen and absolutely speechless. This was the second kiss they'd shared that HE initiated. Back before Christmas, he'd kissed her under the mistletoe, and now here they were, kissing at midnight on New Year's Eve!
Was this a dream?
No. It wasn't.
Was she going to pass this up?
NO!
Her eyelids lowered and closed, and she brought her arms around him and kissed back, savouring the sweet feel of his soft, moist lips touching hers.
"Hey everyone, look at that!" Rhonda suddenly said, pointing outside at the kissing pair. "Arnold and Helga are kissing!"
"Awwww, sweet young love!" Eugene crooned.
"We should follow their example, Eugene!" Sheena said, grabbing him to her and trying to kiss him.
"Aaahh!! No! No no no!"
Gerald and Phoebe, who'd been hanging out together all evening, exchanged knowing glances and giggled amongst themselves, and held each other's hand.
"Hahaha! Look at them! Kissy kissy!" Harold hooted.
"WE should follow their example too, my love!" Curly said, snaking his arms around Rhonda's waist.
"Get away from me, you freak!" Rhonda protested, trying to push him away.
"Awww...that was ever so sweet of him to kiss her like that!" Lila said in awe.
"Ah'll be danged..." Stinky said, scratching his head. "Never saw that comin'!"
"Guess he likes her after all...." Sid remarked.
"Okay, okay! Enough of this! Nothing to see here! Let them be now!" Gerald interjected, and shut the balcony doors, cutting off the view. "Nothing to see here!"
"Awww...." Everyone said, disappointed.
"Curly! Get OFF me!"
--
For what seemed like an eternity, Arnold and Helga parted from one another, not even having heard their classmates talking about them or noticing they'd been watched a few seconds ago.
"...What was that for, football head?" Helga finally asked, looking into his gentle green eyes. She noticed he still had his arms around her waist. A gasp escaped her as he pulled her closer.
"You wanted to kiss me, didn't you?"
"I-...I don't know what you're talking about." Her eyes darted nervously.
Arnold just smiled. "Deny it all you want, but you can't fool me, Helga. I know you were lying about that confession and kiss you gave me on top of the FTI building wasn't in the heat of the moment."
"W-What?!" Helga's eyes widened, her blush increasing. "N-No! I was...it was just a stupid little..."
The blonde boy cut her off. "No one helps someone someone else to save an entire neighbourhood over their own financial gain, no kid would ever think to do that." He chided gently. "Helga...I know how you feel about me."
Pulling away, Helga turned away from him. "Fine, whatever. Now go inside and just leave me alone. I don't want to hear it."
"Hear what?"
"Your rejection, doi! I know you don't love me back, so just, spare me!"
"Who said I don't love you back?"
"You did! You...what?"
Arnold went to her, gently turning her around and holding her hands in his. "I want to give you a chance, Helga."
Now she was more surprised than ever, if that was even possible.
"What? ...You do?"
"It's New Years, a time for new beginnings, going off to a fresh start, a clean slate. And I want to give you a chance, Helga. It might sound crazy, but you know I've had no luck with girls, right?"
"That's stupid." Helga muttered. "They obviously don't know what they're missing."
"And yet you, you came in and showed me love." Arnold admitted, blushing. "You love me through and through even with all my faults and failures. You go out of your way to help me when I didn't even expect or ask for it. Sure, you've teased me a lot all these years, but even I know now that it's all just an act. I know how you really are, Helga. And I like that side of you."
"Helga G. Pataki changes for NO ONE, Arnoldo." She said, thought that was not what she wanted to say.
"I never said that." He said patiently. "I'm telling you that I like it when you be yourself. You're a really good person, and you can still be a good person and not take lip from anyone. That's what I like about you. You CAN be strong, and nice at the same time, Helga. Being nice to others doesn't make you weak. And like I said, I want to give you a chance. I don't know anyone who deserves to be loved and given a chance more than you. You heard me say to Lila earlier about my resolution, right?"
"Please, you acted like it was some big secret. So you gonna tell me or not?"
Arnold smiled. "My resolution is to give you a chance."
Helga didn't say anything then. She didn't need to. He knew full well what she could say, or wanted to say. She was rendered speechless, unable to believe that Arnold was actually giving her a chance. Her heart swelled with so much more love and adoration than she could ever have imagined. It made her fall in love with him even more, if that was even possible.
"So, Helga...if you want me to give you a chance...would you, um, be my...uh...my girlfriend?"
That was all she needed to hear.
In a swift move, Helga grabbed him to her, practically dipped the poor boy back, and kissed him passionately. His eyes had gone wide at the sudden burst of affection, and then she let go, straightening him up.
"Does that answer your question, football head?" She asked with a light smirk.
Smiling, Arnold hugged her to him. "It does, Helga. Happy New Year."
Helga smiled in return, and hugged him back. "Happy New Year, Arnold."