Ghost in the Night
A Hey Arnold FanFic
Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold and make no attempt to profit from it. All characters belong to Craig Bartlett, who is a genius!
Special thanks to Jilly and loonytunecrazy for reviewing; it's wonderful to know that you like the story and I thank you.
Chapter Three: Finding another Time
It is often said that some things are caused by fate, others by a pre-determined destiny or choice; at this particular moment of his life however, Arnold felt like everything had come back to bite him. How she had come to his bar in amongst all those in the world he did not know. Arnold held his breath as he looked at her, his fear threatening to engulf him as he stood rooted to the spot, his hands the only thing moving as he exchanged the money from Helga. Darting for anyway out, he saw a girl cower behind the bar door and he knew what was going on; Phoebe sighed and walked towards him, her face hidden as she tried to focus on Helga and avoid the glare Arnold gave her.
"Thank you Arnold; are you ready to talk Phebs?" Helga asked casually, earning a quick nod from Phoebe who followed hurriedly after her close friend.
Dumbfounded over what had happened, Arnold was snapped out of his thoughts as Gerald came to his side, looking at his girl and turning slightly paler than before. "Isn't that Pataki?"
Arnold nodded his head; he knew Phoebe had mentioned meeting her later, but there was something about this that made his blood boil. Gripping the counter tightly, Arnold turned to Gerald carefully. "Did you know?"
Gerald looked at him oddly. "Did I know about Helga coming here? No; this is the first I've known about her coming back. Is there something wrong about her being here? I could ask her to leave," he whispered as he served another of the patrons.
"No leave her be; Phoebe has brought her here for a reason," he said dismissively.
Taking the lead, Gerald took over the orders for the remainder of the night, alternating with Arnold every once in a while. Trying to keep himself distracted proved to be harder than before; every time he glanced away from his work area he was watching Helga talk happily with Phoebe, no doubt regaling each other with their tales of the past, but there was something about seeing her here again that felt like he was being stabbing him in the heart.
Shaking it off, the last of the patrons began to leave as the clock hit midnight. The cleaning up and checking of supplies was quick and sharp that night, meaning as they locked up, Phoebe and Helga stood awaiting them, their chatting still going strong. Gerald tried to keep himself next to Arnold to avoid any chance of the blonde girl being able to talk to him, something Arnold was grateful for as they made their way back to the apartments.
Lit along the side streets, the stars were out in force as Arnold tried to keep his eyes off Helga's form; he couldn't help but wish she was still in his arms as they danced a top the roof top of Sunset Arms. A quick pinch though to his arm kept his thoughts in check as they came to the apartments. Time could not have gone slower for him as they ascended to the top floor, opening up to the two apartment doors opposite each other. He assumed they would be crashing after eating, but upon seeing Gerald and Phoebe being followed into their apartment by Helga, he shrugged and went in to his own, thankful for the chance to collect himself.
Without hesitating he headed for the shower and turned it on; getting in after removing his clothes, Arnold stood still underneath the shower head, letting the warm and comforting water wash over him and his mind, slowly removing all those thoughts connected to Helga.
I can't believe it; how am I supposed to face her after all that has happened? I can't believe Phoebe would do this to me, not even tell me that she would be here…well she told me she would be here on Monday but now? I'll just have to tell them I'm sick tomorrow; I can't face her again, not like this, he thought to himself as he dried himself. Wrapping the towel around him, Arnold walked out into the kitchen.
As much as he wished to see Helga there, standing in her apron and brandishing him with a grin that would set his world on fire, Arnold breathed in a sigh of relief as he headed to the kitchen and began sorting out a quick snack before bed. A knock from his front door was followed by a quick open and close; his attention was caught as Gerald walked in and slumped onto the couch. Moving to the stove to make some eggs, Arnold cracked them into a bowl and began to mix.
"What's up Gerald?" he asked as he added some milk.
With a trademark grin, Gerald looked to Arnold and shook his head. "Girl time my man; I've been kicked out for the night," he laughed as Arnold added some salt and pepper.
"Couldn't you sleep somewhere else in the apartment? It's not that I don't want you here," he replied hastily as Gerald looked at him questioningly, "It's just I thought I'd be alone tonight and have some peace and quiet."
"And I give you that," Gerald winked as Arnold headed to the stove. Moving up beside him, Gerald looked at Arnold carefully before moving to the fridge to remove some soft drink for the two of them; wine was not an option this late at night for either of them.
"We need to talk Arnold," Gerald finally spoke after pouring the drinks and taking a large sip from it.
"What about Gerald? The bar is going fine; I know we need some more ice-"
"This isn't about the ice."
"Then what is it about?"
"The reason I am spending my night here and not in the arms of my girlfriend," Gerald said coolly, all hint of mischief gone from his face.
Arnold continued cooking, trying to ignore him as best as he could. "Helga is here Arnold and from the moment she took a step into the bar, you have been hooked on her. I know we never talked about what happened between the two of you out of friendship, but I need to know what is going on."
"This has nothing to do with Helga," Arnold lied.
"You see this is where I don't think you're being totally honest with me my man; why don't you tell me what happened? I'm your best friend Arnold."
"I don't want to talk about Gerald."
"Fine," he said taking another sip of the lemonade, "Maybe I should just ask Phoebe about it…or even better I could go straight to the source and ask Helga about it instead."
Shooting him an angry glare, Gerald backed away slightly from Arnold. "You really want to know what happened. Fine; we broke up. She cheated on me with some guy she barely knew and tried to pin the blame on me. I wanted to marry that girl, but now she means nothing to me."
Gerald pondered this for a moment before speaking. "Are you really sure she would do that to you? I mean this is the same girl who spent her time as a child making a shrine of you and writing love poetry for most of her life about you."
Arnold didn't reply; plating his cooked food, he handed some to Gerald and the two of them made their way to the couches, slumping onto them and relishing in the softness and warming embrace they provided after their long day. Gerald and Arnold both ate in silence as Gerald tried to ask him what made him sure, but eventually gave up after seeing the look on his face.
"Well, what are your plans for tomorrow? Considering it will be a late start as normal," Gerald mused.
"Sleep and maybe some reading; I can't seem to shake this headache I've had for a while now, so maybe the rest will do me some good," Arnold smiled as he leant back into the cushions.
"I'm hearing that; but you should change your plans," Gerald yawned as he leant back.
Sitting back up, Arnold eyed Gerald closely. "What have you planned?"
"You're coming out with my lady and Helga tomorrow for lunch; there is no argument to be had here Arnold," he said holding up his hand at the sign of Arnold wanting to leap at him. "It will do you some good anyway Shortman."
Rolling into the cushions, Gerald muttered a goodnight as Arnold watched him, his body frozen; lunch with Helga? Sighing and admitting defeat, Arnold walked to the wall and turned the lights off, leaving the room in darkness. With a last look at the clock on the kitchen wall, Arnold trudged off to his room, closing it silently behind himself as he lay down on the bed, exhausted and wishing to be far away from where he was right now. He knew he didn't have a chance of avoiding it tomorrow; but it didn't make it easier to accept it. Breaking his rule, Arnold moved to his bedside and removed a small glass and a bottle of whisky; pouring a small amount into it, Arnold took a sip before he lay back down.
What was he going to do? He already hated the idea of seeing her again, let alone facing and confronting her again after all that had happened. Surely she had moved on; he must have moved on by now…right? Sitting up he held his head in his hands, the drink on his bedside table; was he over her? Did he really mean what he said to Gerald? A part of him wanted to believe it; but the other half still longed for her embrace and touch. Damn it, he thought as he reached for the drink on his bedside table.
Instead of wrapping his fingers around the glass that promised his relief from pain, his grip tightened around a black book. Bringing it towards himself, Arnold held the book in front of his eyes, the dark night of the room making it hard to watch the pages open before him as he scanned what he had written. What was Phoebe thinking? She must have known this would happen; it's probably best that I throw it away, he thought furiously. Raising it above his head, Arnold waited to watch it fly across the room and land spectacularly in the bin ridding him of any further distraction. He held his breath; nothing happened. Again, he waited. But after a while nothing happened.
Curious, Arnold brought it back to his eye line and sighed. I guess I could give it a shot.
Opening it to a clean page, Arnold grabbed a hold of the pen and began to write from memory…
It was the second Saturday after starting senior high; I'd been given a large amount of homework and it was no surprise either. The way teachers reacted was understandable as this is our senior years; but to have to watch as Stinky fainted during the first lesson on Friday was beyond anything I'd seen yet; I tried to help as best as I could while helping him to the nurse; poor guy had fainted at the sight of the task being put forward. But that still didn't explain my current predicament with the homework piling up before me.
Sure things had improved since junior high; I no longer had to fight with everyone about Helga being a great girl anymore, but that was the problem; people were convinced that I liked her. But as the sunlight grew dim on my Saturday afternoon, not everything was bad; it was 4:52 P.M. and I knew as I heard the window above me open ever so softly that only one person would here to see me after getting all her work done in record time; Helga. Turning around, I smiled as I watched her shock become covered with a look of glee, running at me and hugging me before I could react.
"I thought you weren't meant to come here for another two hours?" I asked, secretly glad she was here anyway.
She fidgeted in her pockets for a moment before waving her hand casually as if removing a fly from her presence. "Whatever football head; I'm surprised you haven't offered me a soda yet," she smiled as I handed her a can of soda.
Removing myself from the confines and duties of the work before me, I made my way over to the sofa, followed closely by Helga who seemed more relieved than anything to be sitting down after her trek to my place. I suppose it was weird not to be doing school work for the first time in a while, but I guess we needed the break.
For a while we talked about nothing in particular, but for some reason today I couldn't help but be mesmerised by her; I may have appeared calm and normal on the outside, but it took everything in me not to jump up and down at seeing her. Maybe it was the soda, but I tried to keep a calm face as she asked what we would do for dinner, considering she would no doubt be spending the night here…once again. I suggested Thai.
"We did that last week Arnold; what about Chinese?" she asked, her eyes battering at me repeatedly; I hated it when she used her secret weapon on me for dinner; I wish she used it on me all the time.
"Two weeks ago; besides why don't we get one of your old favourites?" I grinned, watching her smile grow until she formed an almost evil grin on her face.
"Pizza," she licked her lips, dashing to the phone in my room and dialling the number with such speed that it left me wondering if she had been planning for this the entire time.
As she talked away, I tried to get a hold of myself; I'm meant to be her best friend after all, I needed to get a hold of myself. But as she turned to me and winked before resuming her conversation, I felt myself nearly faint. How I had never noticed her body before was beyond me; her blonde hair touched the tips of her waist, her figure now far more developed than ever before. No longer the bully, she had allowed herself to become more girly; however she remained the tough nut that we always knew she was. She was tomboyish, but I didn't care.
The jeans she wore and pink shirt were highlighting her in a way I had never seen before; and her eyes, they shone like blue crystals in the sunshine of a perfect afternoon. Holding myself together mentally, I knew something had happened; after thinking it could never happen, never entertaining the idea in my head, Helga had become what I wanted. I loved her…not like, I loved her. The words seemed to play in my mind repeatedly, never making sense as I tried to convince myself it wasn't possible. I couldn't be in love right?
"And I thought I spaced out a lot; earth to football head," she said, snapping her fingers in front of my eyes.
Like a shot to the heart I awoke from my dream and looked at her; her face showed worry as I felt my smile dim at the look of confusion on her face. "What's wrong Arnold?" she asked, her hand resting on my shoulder as I turned away from her. I couldn't do this to her.
"It's nothing Helga," I lied.
"Tell me what is bothering you or Old Betsy is coming out of retirement for a visit," she smirked.
I turned to her, but I couldn't face her; no matter what fears I had before, I knew she deserved to hear the truth. I knew she might hate me for it, but she deserved the best. Time had passed before I could even look her in the eye again; those crystals shone so brightly I wished I could lose myself in them forever.
"Helga there is something I need to tell you," I began, catching her attention instantly. "I don't know how to say this, and I don't even know if you will forgive me for saying it, but you need to know the truth. Helga, I-"
A knock at the door was followed by Grandpa walking in with the pizza, his other hand holding more soda. If ever there was a time to be interrupted, I guess now was as good as any. "Here you go kids," he smiled his toothy grin, handing us the food before heading back downstairs.
To say I was distant during dinner was an understatement; we both seemed to eat in silence, occasionally muttering a word of understanding at the quality and amazement of the pizza Helga had ordered. This was the only thing Helga said she could never live without, and after licking my lips from the sauce on my mouth, I had to agree with her; nothing seemed to matter as we ate, my only worry being her good memory. And as we finished the last of it, I knew she would ask. We had moved to the floor, but it still felt like she was right beside me, despite being across from me. Her beanie although slightly tattered and worn still hung comfortably on her head.
"So what were you going to tell me Arnold?" she asked as I nearly gagged on my drink.
I could feel my face grow hotter as I looked at her; I prayed it wasn't red as I faced her, but from her look I could tell I was. I guess I had to do it. "Helga, I…I don't quite know how to say this. But I want you to promise me that you won't look at me differently because of it."
She nodded her head. Sighing, I sucked in a deep breath. "Helga, I love you."
You could hear a pin drop; for the first time in my life I felt like I had failed; I knew she would hate me, I knew that after all I had done she would only see it as an attempt to try to get with her. I couldn't stand the silence and yet I hadn't looked her in the eye.
"Helga?"
A/N: Sorry to leave you on a cliff hanger, but it seemed appropriate considering how the story had been developing so far; do not fear for I shan't make you wait for long. The next chapter is already in progress and will be up in a day or two. As always please R & R, it means so much to me.