CHAPTER 9: HAPPINESS

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews! Also, I apologize if this chapter seems all over the place. My mind was working overtime. :)

Helga's face was extremely red. However, Arnold couldn't tell if it was red because of anger or embarrassment. It was probably a little bit of both. Here he was standing in Helga's bedroom. With nothing to do explain what he was doing there in the first place, but Helga had some explaining to do as well.

"Helga…I…" That all that Arnold got out. For after that, he fainted.

"Arnold!" He could hear Helga scream his name until everything went black.

The next thing Arnold knew, he woke up lying on Helga's bed. She sat in a chair next to him with a wash cloth in her hands. Arnold put a hand to his forehead and felt a small bandage across it. He must have bumped his head when he fell out of the closet. Helga put a cloth to his head, and lightly damped it.

"Helga?"

"Arnold! You're awake!"

Helga quickly removed the cloth from his head and hid it behind her back fearing he would see her actually tending to him. Why is she still hiding how much she cares? Arnold thought.

"You…uh…bumped your head," she said giving a guilty smile.

Arnold tried to sit up, but Helga only pushed him back down stating that he just rest for a moment. But Arnold persisted. He had to talk to her; he just had to.

"Helga, I'm sorry. I came by to talk to you and I heard you from outside, so I climbed up your tree outside and listened in to-"

"Criminy. You're starting to sound just like me."

"Anyway, I heard you coming back upstairs and I hid in your closet and-"

Arnold stopped talking. Should he tell her what he saw? He had to. There shouldn't be any more secrets between them.

"And I saw your shrine…of me."

Helga's face lost all color. As she stood up, Arnold could sense her nervousness and anxiety. After all, he had just revealed that he discovered one of her deepest darkest secrets. Knowing that she liked to keep all her emotions bottled up inside, Arnold wasn't sure how she was going to react. For a few minutes they just sat there in awkward silence until finally Helga was the first to speak.

"You must think I'm sick Arnold. I mean…what girl keeps a shrine of her boyfriend in her closet. What girl sneaks into her boyfriend's house? What girl keeps a locket of him? WHAT GIRL LIKE THAT DESERVES TO BE HAPPY?"

She walked over to the window and looked out into the sky. How she wished she could just fly away. Fly away from the city, her problems, and…Arnold. A tear rolled down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away.

"You do."

Helga turned around and saw that Arnold was now standing.

"What?"

He was standing closer to her now.

"You Helga. You deserve to be happy."

Inching closer and closer to her, Arnold took her hand in his.

"Out of all the people I've ever met. Out of all the people in the world…you deserve to be happy."

With one flirtatious move, Arnold pressed his lips to Helga's. The kiss sent them both into an adrenaline rush. It was like fireworks were exploding right there in Helga's bedroom. Up close and personal with every BANG, POW, AND BOOM! Arnold felt another dizzying sensation begin to occur, and with that he ended the kiss short. Helga let out a brief sigh of attraction.

"I'm sorry Helga. I'm sorry I asked you about your secrets. It's none of my business but…I know the secret you left out that day in the park."

"You do?" Helga replied to reeling from that kiss.

"Yeah. You were Cecile…uh…my date that night at Chez Paris."

Thinking Helga was going to look astonished, Arnold waited for a reply. However, she didn't look astonished at all which Arnold found strange. He was sure that was the secret she had left out. Unless…it wasn't. It's killing me! What did she forget to tell me? Arnold thought waiting in anticipation. Helga's face shifted from a frown to a smile, then she began to laugh. Laugh? Laugh at Arnold for believing this was the secret she left out!?

"Helga! What did you forget to tell me?" Arnold stated growing impatient.

Helga wiped away tears, but this time they were tears of joy. She just couldn't believe that Arnold had finally figured out that she was Cecile. It took him long enough. I mean they looked exactly alike. She thought he would catch on, but it sure did take a while.

"Apparently I forgot to tell a lot more stuff football head! The Cecile incident, the shrine, the time I saw you undress-"

"You what?"

"Hahaha! But that's not important right now," Helga said sighing from laughter.

"Then what? What's missing? Why did you run away from me that day?"

Helga looked at her beloved. He desperately wanted to know the supposed secret. Growing angry at the sound of Helga's laughter, Arnold began to walk toward her bedroom door.

"It's okay, I understand. You want it to remain a secret, I get it."

"Arnold wait!"

Arnold stopped as Helga ran over to him. She was looking down at her feet nervously.

"I...I...I'll tell you."