Helga was driving ...no speeding away from the city when she dared to check her watch again two hours and Arnold would be getting married and she wanted as much distance between her and the wretched city as possible.
Her get away car was an old beat up looking thing and it was so big she felt like she was driving a boat. It was making awful noises and was filthy not to mention the rust but the inside was clean and she supposed it was better then being stuck in the city.
She rubbed her tired eyes and tried to stay focused on the road. Phoebe had offered Helga to stay with her and Gerald but Helga had wanted to be alone. The problem with that was that once she was alone in her hotel room the thought of sleeping in the bed made her stomach turn.
So she had spent the past few nights in her beautiful hotel room sleeping on the couch.
Right now she had exactly 12 miles between her and the nearest sign of civilization behind her and roughly 13 ahead of her before the next gas station. She had decided not to stay on the highway but take the backroads.
The car had been making terrible noises for the past three miles and about two miles after that began smoking out from under the hood it chose now to finally give out on her.
The loud bang was deafening and then a few soft rattle before shutting off and she barely managed to coast off the side of the road.
She sat where she was a minute and took a deep breath before getting out.
"You stupid piece of crap...that old hog new this car was on it's last legs" she mumbled to herself then kicked the tire as hard as she could.
Her foot crunched and she instantly felt pain shoot up her leg she cried out before dropping onto her butt in the dirt.
She bit her lip and felt tears fill her eyes and it took a second before she let them fall.
She pushed herself up and limped to her car pulling out her cell phone only to realize her battery was stone dead and she threw it roughly into the back seat.
She leaned over the bench seat in the front of the car to open her suitcase in an attempt to find pain killers for her obviously broken foot and when she uncovered the red flannel shirt Arnold had given her she froze.
Slowly she pulled it from her suitcase and more tears crept down her cheeks she lifted it to her face and smelled it. It smelled like Arnold and she broke down with a sob burrying her face in the shirt she cried harder then she had since he left.
Arnold was in a small back room of the large church that Lila had selected for their wedding.
He was shrugging on his coat when Gerald walked in already dressed in his best man outfit.
"Hey, Arnold how you holding up man?" Arnold shrugged.
"Alright I guess" He sighed heavily before moving to a mirror to beging working on his tie with little enthusiasm and Gerald noticed.
"You ready for the big moment? Just think in three hours you'll be married to the girl of your dreams"
"Uhhu" Arnold didn't stop messing with the tie.
"Arnold...man...are you sure you want to do this" Arnold froze.
"Yeah...I...I'm sure"
"No you're not...you look miserable and you know it feels wrong"
"Look, Gerald...Lila...she loves me..."
"And Helga doesn't?"
"Helga...even if I went to her right now she'd never have me and I don't blame her"
"So you're going to marry Lila out of spite?" Arnold got frustrated and threw his tie before turning to Gerald.
"I'm marrying Lila because she loves me and I care about her and it's the smart thing to do"
Gerald shook his head and leaned against the wall Arnold picked up his tie and went back to struggling with it when Pheobe opened the door.
"Arnold...were ready for you whenever" She smiled but he could tell it was forced before she shut the door.
He was standing at the front of the church with over 100 pairs of eyes watching him and he thought for sure they could all tell he didn't want to be there.
He focused on little Gerry who was smiling happily in his little tux while Gerald held him.
The bridal music started and he turned his attention slightly to his bride to be.
Lila was glowing as she floated down the aisle in an off the shoulder long sleeved dress he hair swept up in the front letting her long red curls spill wildly, but that's not who Arnold saw.
He saw a blonde haired blue eyes firecracker that set his soul on fire and when Lila reached him and took his hand he smiled but not for her.
His mind ran off to all his days with Helga, kissing her wildly the first time, walking down the steet, eating ice cream, feeding the ducks holding little Gerry and smiling at him and the last image to play through his head was the expression on her face when he told her about Lila.
"ARNOLD!" Lila snapped and he jumped.
"Huh?" He looked around and noticed Phoebe suppressing a smile behind Lila.
"Son, This is where you say I do" The preached encouraged Lila smiled.
"I...I..."
"Arnold" Gerald whispered from behind him.
"I...I'm so sorry Lila...I can't" A gasp filled the church Lila looked horrified but he heard Gerald sigh in relief.
"I...I'm in love with someone else" Arnold told her.
Lila stood frozen just staring at him the preacher shut his Bible and walked away.
"It's her isn't it...the woman you were with?"
"Yeah, It's her"
Lila looked at the crowd of people then smiled and picked up the edges of her huge dress and walked away.
Arnold turned to Gerald.
"Gerald, I need your car" Gerald fished in his pockets before pulling out his keys.
"GO!" Phoebe ran up to them.
"Arnold, She wasn't taking the highway she's in a beat up old rental"
"I'll find her, Thanks Gerald" He turn and ran out of the church not stopping to explain to anyone.
He had been driving for nearly two hours and was beginning to lose hope that he would find her when he saw the car broken down on the side of the road and he sent a thank you to whoever was listening.
He parked behind the car and slowly got out walking up to it.
Helga was sitting on the hood one foot pulled up against her chest the other leg dangling oddly infront of her. She was wearing loose ripped blue jeans and his button up flannel shirt and he suddenly felt over dressed.
He moved up beside her and she looked over at him then went back to staring at the sky. He sat down on the hood beside her. They sat there in silence a few minutes before he spoke.
"Helga, What are you doing?"
"Watching the sunset...thinking..."
"Right here?"
"Well, the car died my phone was already dead and I may have broken my foot" She said it so simply he almost couldn't tell she had been crying.
"Let me see" He moved to kneel infront of her and realized her ankle was swollen her shoe her cute little pink converse show was extremely tight and he had to wiggle it to get it off. She bit her lip but didn't move.
When he pulled her sock down he winced. Her foot was swollen two times bigger then is should be and was a nasty purple black color.
"Helga, This needs looked at"
"You're looking" She shrugged.
"That's not what I mean"
"Arnold...shouldn't you be at a reception not out here ordering me around?"
"No, I should be here...I should have always been here...I couldn't do it Helga I didn't marry her...I was standing there thinking about the woman I was so crazy in love with it hurts to be without her and it hit me...she wasn't Lila"
"Too bad...theres nobody here that loves you anymore Arnold" She slid off the hood wincing when her foot hit the ground.
"Helga...I'm sorry I hurt you...I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Lila but I was so...madly in love with you that I wasn't thinking clearly...please...give me a chance a real chance no secrets no fiancee' just us"
"It's too late Arnold...Even if I did...you'd cheat on me too" She looked hurt when she said it.
"No, No, Never Helga, Never...I love you more then anything...I told you when we were younger I knew how you felt I was waiting until you were ready to say it and I was ready to hear it...I know you Helga your acting tough now but you feel the same I'm ready to say it to you and I'm ready to hear you say it"
"Well...I'm not Arnold" She tried to push past him and he grabbed her shoulders forcing her to face him.
"Say it Helga...tell me that you love me...I said it to you..."
"My foot hurts...please if you love me just call someone to come get me and leave"
"If? If? If I love you? I called off my wedding Helga the wedding to a girl I thought I had loved since we were nine...for you...because deep down even when we were nine I always knew it was going to be you or nobody..."
"Arnold..."
"No, Don't do this Helga this is our chance don't ruin it just tell me you love me...just tell me..."
She bit her lip and looked away and he slowly let go of her arms.
"Helga...do you love me? do you still want to be with me?"
READ AND REVIEW! ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT, HOW WILL IT END ?WHAT WILL HELGAS ANSWER BE?