Graduation

Chapter Three:

A Night To Remember

Helga walked into the girls' bathroom and looked at herself. She did look different. Phoebe came up behind her.

"Soo…" she started. Helga looked at her.

"What?"

"You gonna tell him?" Phoebe asked. Helga let out an exasperated sigh.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she said, tucking strands of her golden hair behind her ears. Phoebe raised an eyebrow.

"Helga…" she said. Helga sighed again.

"I don't know, Pheebs. I mean, we're going to the same college and everything and I don't want anything to be weird with us," she told her best friend. Now that, Phoebe understood. Helga and Arnold had both been accepted into the most prestigious college in New Hampshire. Helga, in fact, was the Salutatorian of the whole graduating class. She was only outmatched by Phoebe herself who was the Valedictorian and on her way to Harvard. Phoebe knew that Helga was happy that she would get to see Arnold again. But, she also knew that seeing him would not help her get over him. Phoebe wasn't so sure she liked it either.

"I know. But, I just wish…never mind. Happier thoughts. See ya," Phoebe left the girls' restroom and Helga not far behind her.

Helga walked out of the bathroom and saw Arnold, standing over by the punch bowl talking to Gerald. It wasn't like she hadn't thought about telling Arnold the truth. In fact, she had dreamt about it for so many years. She wanted to tell him, but, that negative little Helga voice in the back of her mind always stopped her. Just then, Arnold looked up, his eyes meeting hers. He smiled. Helga's heart skipped a beat. It was amazing that, after almost ten years of knowing him, he could still do that to her. Arnold started to walk her way. Helga looked around, secretly almost wishing she could run. That she could banish every bit of feeling he held to her. But she didn't move and she couldn't do that. She was stuck.

"You wanna dance?" Arnold asked, pulling Helga out of her trance. Helga nodded.

"Sure, football-head," she said. Arnold took her hand in his shyly and pulled her out to the dance floor, just as a slow song began to play.

I wonder how I ever made it through a day
How did I settle for a world in shades of gray
When you go in circles all the scenery looks the same
And you don't know why

Helga's cheeks warmed. Arnold put one hand around her waist and held the other hand. His hand felt warm and perfect around hers, and just being near him was intoxicating.

Then I looked into your eyes
Where the road stretched out in front of me,
And I realized

Helga dropped her eyes to the floor, only to have Arnold lift her chin gently. He searched her eyes, almost looking puzzled at what he saw.

"You've changed so much, Helga," he said. Helga shrugged.

"You met me in preschool, Arnold, I think it'd be kind of weird if I hadn't," she said. The boy in front of her laughed.

"No, I just mean since we started high school. Or maybe it started after we saved the neighborhood…" Arnold's voice wandered. Helga blushed when she remembered the scene she had created on that rooftop.

"Yeah, that was quite an interesting day," she commented. Arnold looked back at her. The song played louder now, and Helga almost let out a bitter laugh of how the song matched her so well.

I never lived before your love
I never felt before your touch
I never needed anyone to make me feel alive
But then again I wasn't really living
I never lived before your love

I wanted more than just an ordinary life
All of my dreams seemed like castles in the sky
I stand before you and my heart is in your hands
And I don't know how
I survived without your kiss
'Cause you've given me a reason to exist

Words formed at the edge of Helga's tongue. She wanted so much to let them free, and yet, at the same time, wanted to shove them back into the pit of her soul. How much she loved them had always tormented her, but the feeling became increasingly worse the closer she was to him. She wanted to move away from him, and curse at him for touching her, like she would have when she was younger, but her heart screamed at her otherwise. So she stayed in Arnold's arms, secretly hoping she'd never leave.


I never lived before your love
I never felt before your touch
I never needed anyone to make me feel alive
But then again I wasn't really living
I never lived before your love

All of the sudden, Arnold shifted slightly. He stared down at the ground and looked at his feet. Helga wondered what was on his mind. His grip tightened around her and he pulled her closer. Though surprised, Helga just shrugged. Arnold looked up at her not a moment later. He was searching her eyes again, looking for an answer to an unspoken question. But before Helga could speak, Arnold's lips crashed on hers.

I never lived before your love

And I don't know why
While the sun decides to shine
But you breathed your love into me just in time

The kiss was everything Helga had ever imagined and so much more. The feel of his lips with hers felt so perfect, so right. But, at the same time, she knew it wasn't real. He didn't love her. He just got caught up in heat of the moment. She forced herself to pull away and took two whole steps backwards, trying to catch her breath. When she did, she blurted out:

"I gotta go." Helga took of out of the room, leaving Arnold in the center of the dance floor, still contemplating what had just happened.

I never lived before your love
I never felt before your touch
I never needed anyone to make me feel alive
But then again I wasn't really living
I never lived
I never lived
Before your love

A/N: I know I took so long to update, but I was having a terrible case of writer's block. Well, at least now you have a nice long chapter to read.