Chapter 5 is up!

As for the long-awaited Chapter 3 of I Will Blow the Cold Away...well...let's just say I'm getting there. It's a combination of work, babysitting, Supernatural watching and writer's block that is keeping this chapter from being written. Procrastination queen, at your service.

But this one, sorry to disappoint is relatively short. Considering I've been mostly attempting to write Chapter 3 of IWBCA. But I promise that Chapter 3 will be super long and super awesome. (I'm already 5,000 words in and not 75% percent done! It's 14 pages long so far!)

But I didn't want to keep people without a story for this week. So I wrote this really quickly. So I'm hoping you like it even if it is rather short.

The song I used is called "More than a Love Song" by the band Fireflight. And I put it's Arnold/Helga AND Phoebe. But not for the reasons you might think!

And as disclaimers go, I don't own the song or the characters, yadda yadda yadda.

Enjoy!

More than a Love Song

Arnold/Helga/Phoebe

Arnold shook the water out of his hair as he walked away from his tormentor, who was smirking at him as she turned the corner. He really had no idea why she hated him so much. Was it because he was the nice guy? He had thought that everyone had at least liked him. He sighed.

He heard a small voice humming from further down the road as he curiously walked towards the sound. As he attempted to spot where the voice was coming from, he felt a tap of his shoulder.

"Arnold?"

"Oh, hi Phoebe."

"Arnold, why are you all wet?"

He grumbled.

"Oh. Helga." He nodded.

"I just don't get it. She is constantly picking on me. I have no idea why."

"Well…Helga is just…"

"She's just what…rude, obnoxious, mean?"

"…Afraid."

Look into her eyes, you can see she's crying out
She hides behind her smile, you can see the pain of doubt

He turned to her as she sat on her front step. She motioned for him to sit.

"Helga, she has a completely different way of showing her emotions."

"What, through cruelty?"

"It's the only way that she knows how to communicate with someone. Her parents aren't much help. She uses her aggression…as…well, as a mask of some sorts."

And if you would hold her close, you could feel the brokenness inside

You would know she feels alone
She feels empty

"Helga is the last person I'd imagine with a mask on."

"Everyone hides something about themselves, Arnold. Helga just hides a lot more. She feels completely alone. Except for me. Like no one really understands her."

"There's not much to understand, she's a bully."

"But aren't bullies bullying others usually to cover their own insecurities?"

Arnold looked to the ground as scuffed the edge of the curb with his shoe.

"I guess."

Listen to her now, broken is a beautiful sound

She's a little scared
She's afraid of falling further down

"She's been crying a lot more lately..."

He looked at her, confused.

"Is there really a lot going on?"

"Yea."

But maybe if you let her know and gave her just a little hope
Somehow if she knew the truth
She'd come alive

Arnold frowned. He had no idea that Helga could have been going through so much. He knew that her father and mother weren't the most supportive people in the world, but he had no idea that it that bad.

"All she wants is someone to take the time to care about her, someone to tell her that she isn't alone. She'd feel a lot better about herself and opening up to people."

"So if she knew that people cared about her, she'd stop being a bully."

"Well…not right away, it'll take some time I think. But she'll open up eventually."

Arnold smiled.

"Then that's exactly what I'm going to do."

In the end we will learn actions speak louder then our words

The next day Arnold had set out to the playground to look face to face with the schoolyard bully. That day, she had been keen on making fun of Stinky's obsession with lemon pudding. She put on a fake and thick southern accent and laughed. Arnold cringed but then walked up to her.

"Hi Helga." She turned.

"What do you want, Football Head? I'm busy here."

Arnold thought about what he wanted to say to her, just to let her know that he would be there if she ever wanted to talk. But he realized that doing something was a lot better than saying it.

She needs more than a hug on a holiday

She needs more than a smile on a Sunday

He had hugged her. She froze. As he let go of her, he found the words to say.

She's not looking for you to fix what's wrong

She really wants to know, really wants to know she belongs
She needs more than a love song

"I wish you didn't have to hide who you were anymore." He squeaked, afraid of her reaction.

She looked at him confused.

"What are you talking about Arnold-o? I am who I am. I'm Helga. G. Pataki. And nothing is gonna stop that."

He sighed but kept a small smile on his face.

"Whatever you say, Helga."

It was that day that Arnold realized how to deal with his schoolyard bully. Make her feel important, even if she didn't feel like she was. He never noticed as he walked away from her that Helga had been smiling.