CHAPTER 7!

Hope you guys enjoy! I finally wrote one by my favorite band!

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters or the song. They are owned by Craig Bartlett and Paramore respectively.

"The Only Exception" by Paramore is the song.

The Only Exception

Arnold/Helga

"Helga, we have to finish this project for class."

"Look, I know Football Head, just finish writing your part and we'll be fine."

"We haven't even talked about your family history yet."

Helga paused.

"We don't need to…"

"It's part of the project, about our partners and their past."

"But my family has to be a part of it?"

"You came from family right?"

"I…my family isn't that important, alright?" She mumbled.

Arnold looked at her as she looked towards the ground. He knew that she had been in some pretty rough shape lately with the fact that her parents had gotten divorced, but there was something else. There had to be something else. She just looked…looked so different.

"Are you okay?" Helga started to nod her head, but then shook it instead.

"No."

He moved closer to her.

"What's wrong?"

"I just…don't want to talk about my parents, or my family. They have been such a mess lately."

"It's not just the divorce is it?"

Helga cringed. She still hated that word. It spun around in her brain.

"It's more than that."

When I was younger I saw

My daddy cry and curse at the wind

He broke his own heart and I watched

As he tried to reassemble it

"It started the day that my parents got into a huge fight and Miriam finally decided to stand up for herself instead of take Big Bob's anger and hate and push it aside. It was something that I had never witnessed before in my life. But there were a lot of things that she said that got to me…."

She paused, rubbing her eyes.

"She said she only lived her for me and Olga. She had never loved him, she had been in love with someone else that she couldn't have but she slept with Bob. She refused to be happy and leave because she was pregnant with Olga when this guy came back into her life. She had lived with him to keep the two of us safe. That's why she drank so much."

"Your mom was in love with someone else?" She nodded.

"Always had been, but Bob knocked her up while he was in the Army. About broke Bob's black hole of a heart. And he was begging her to stay. Something a Pataki doesn't do, or at least that's what he kept telling me…I just…he was heartbroken and they thought I was gone and I heard the whole thing."

Arnold reached for her hand but she pulled away.

And my mama swore that she would

Never let herself forget

"I…I think that part that got me most is the fact that she was still seeing him. She wanted to break his heart and she wouldn't let go of her past. It's terrifying what some people can do. I had thought that even though they disregarded me and everything that I was doing in my life, comparing me to Olga and all that, at least I thought they were happy together. But…"

"They weren't."

"Yeah. It hurts. It's kind of where I got my whole idea of love from to be honest. My parents had stuck by each other no matter what. And Olga is still searching the world to look for someone to match her absolute perfect nature. So I thought that my parents had enough love to help me understand it. The truth hurt."

"I'm so sorry, Helga. I can't imagine that feeling."

And that was the day that I promised

I'd never sing of love if it does not exist

"You probably could, to be honest. It's a lot of pain, a lot of anger, a lot of confusion all at once. I'm guess it's about as equal as being heartbroken."

"Are you saying that you've been heartbroken?"

She paused, trying to think of the best answer. The only one that she could come up with was the truth. She sighed.

"Enough that I don't really believe in love anymore."

"You don't believe in love anymore? How is that…"

"Possible? When you watch the only thing you know of love to be broken, then you start to question it and everything around it. I used to think I was in love. But even that has been questioned. I hate questioning myself."

"But you've been with boyfriends before, you didn't love any of them?"

"No…but…"

You were the only exception. She shook the thought out of her head.

Maybe I know somewhere, deep in my soul

That love never lasts and we've got to find

Other ways to make it alone or keep a straight face

And I've always lived like this

Keeping a comfortable distance

"So you've never been in love then?"

"Love is supposed to be never-ending, full of honor and vows and a whole bunch of other stuff. But none of it ever lasts. People fight, break up, make up, fight some more, it's the same cycle. Sure, I've dated people, but I've kept them at a safe distance from my family or my true feelings. Cause they wouldn't act the same if I did."

"What do you mean?"

And up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content

With loneliness

Because none of it was ever worth the risk

"It wasn't worth putting my heart out on the line to watch it get ripped to shreds. I've been cheated on, twice. Just because I wasn't the girl that they were looking for, and yeah it got to me, but I thought that something my parents did in the past had to be strong in order for them to stay together that long. So I never gave up hope, until now."

"You don't have to be like this."

Arnold reached again for her hand and grasped it in his. She looked up at him with tear brimmed eyes. Arnold almost felt his heart stop for a second before collapsing into worry.

"I know it may not seem like much, but you've got me if you need me, for anything. I don't like seeing you hurt like this. You're my friend and I care about you."

Helga wiped her eyes with her free hand and went to look at the floor.

"Helga, please. You're going to find someone who is going to give you all that and more. I promise."

You were my only exception. Helga opened her mouth to speak but sighed. Arnold wrapped his arm around her shoulder

"You don't have to say anything, just sit here."

Helga couldn't take this amount of kindness from him anymore and cried onto his shoulder in uncontrollable waves. He ran his fingers through her hair as he attempted to comfort her.

"It'll be okay, Helga. I promise."

You were…the…only…

I've got a tight grip on reality

But I can't let go of what's in front of me here

I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up

Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream

Helga heard a thump against her window and woke up suddenly, attempting to move out of her bed. She then found herself tangled in the arms and legs of Arnold, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed beside her. She let loose a smile.

You are the only exception

After everything she put Arnold through last night, it was a miracle that she had him in her life. She just wanted this moment to freeze so that she would never have to deal with sadness, pain, anger or any other emotion except happiness ever again.

You are the only exception

If she had ever wanted to be with anyone so much, it would be Arnold. She had remembered her past feelings for Arnold and thought that she had gotten over him. Turns out that they never left. She was in love at one point with Arnold, and still was.

You are the only exception

She sighed and crawled back into Arnold's arms and turned quickly to face him.

You are the only exception

And I'm on my way to believing

She saw a small smile form on Arnold's face as he pulled her tighter. Whether or not Helga knew if he was awake, she honestly didn't care. She was safe and happy in the arms of someone who cared about her.

And I'm on my way to believing

Someone that, maybe, she could learn to love again.