A/N: OH MY GOODNESS IT HAS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I'VE UPDATED I'M SORRY. Anyway. Here is the next chapter. I'm sorry I didn't upload it sooner, I've been in a really bad place and hadn't felt like doing... anything, really. But, now I'm feeling a bit better I'm back to what I love- writing. And so here is the next chapter. Hopefully it is long and good enough to satisfy you. I know exactly what goes on in the next chapter, so that one shouldn't be too much farther away either. Anyway, enjoy this chapter! Love you guys. Get ready for promised juice.

Disclaimer: I do not own HA! or the song by Kesha. Whatever song it was. Ugh.

Helga stormed out of Arnold's house more angry than she could ever remember being. She was only half way home when she realised that was the exact opposite of the place she wanted to be. An angry Miriam missing her alcohol, an angry bob about beepers or whatever, and both of them missing Olga…

Helga bit her lip, a little surprised at how much it hurt, as she yanked out her phone and grumpily texted Phoebe, telling her she would be meeting her at her place as soon as possible. When she got to Phoebe's she was asleep, and, too exhausted to wake her up to talk about it, Helga fell asleep right next to her in a moment.

She awoke about an hour later, Phoebe shaking her awake.

"Helga! When'd you get here?"

"Dunno," Helga replied, rubbing her eyes as she sat up dazedly. "I fell asleep the second I arrived," she grumbled. She already felt a lot less angry. Still, she felt the rage building inside her. How dare Arnold…

"So, Helga, what did you come over for? I would have messaged back, but I was half asleep when I got your text…"

"Arnold," Helga snapped, throwing the sheets off her. "He…he…" she began, not sure how to continue.

"…kissed you?"

"No! Well, yes, but this morning, I went to his house, and he was about to tell me something important in relation to the kiss, but then who comes in the door? Li-la,"

"Lila? What's she doing back in town?"

"Who the hell cares, Phoebe? She's probably over there right now, diving into Arnold's pants…"

"Helga!"

"Oh, grow up, Pheebs. What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, I'm not sure there's anything you can do right now," Phoebe said, placing a hand on Helga's shoulder. "Just wait through the weekend. Maybe he needs space to think about it, too. Who knows what's happening? Did she say how long she would be around for?" Phoebe asked, and Helga grunted, thinking.

"A month or two. I dunno," she answered, and Phoebe sighed.

"Well, they're hardly going to bother dating if it'll only be for a month or two, are they?"

"They might! Arnold's a good guy, he might try long distance!" Helga yelled, and Phoebe ushered her to be quiet. Helga sighed and placed a hand to her forehead.

"Sorry Pheebs. I'm just angry, because it sounded like Arnold was going to say something important. Something I might have wanted to hear for a long time before Lila came in. Cheer me up by telling me about you and Gerald," she said, smiling, and Phoebe grinned to herself. Helga tried to smile as Phoebe spoke, but she didn't care a whole lot about what she was saying. Who cared if Gerald used tongue?

Helga stayed at Phoebes the night, and went home the next day, if only because she had school on Monday. The whole weekend she found herself staring at her phone, waiting for Arnold to text her. Of course he didn't. She wondered if she could text him. She didn't.

Finally Monday morning came around and she was so not interested in going to school. All she could think about was how to approach Arnold. Should she confront him? Ask him about Lila? Ignore him? Pretend like nothing had happened? Tell him she loved him?

Yeah right.

By the time she got to school she still didn't have the answer. At least he and stupid Lila had gotten her mind off even stupider Ryan.

She didn't see Arnold for most of the day. She sat around with the girls, gloomily listening to them talk about who they hooked up with and who did what with who and all that other stuff that needs to be discussed after parties. Apparently Helga had burst in on Rhonda giving or receiving some sort of job when she had grabbed her bags.

It wasn't until the end of the day that Helga was finally driven to a classroom with Arnold. Ancient History, and she sat down next to him with a thud, her books hitting the desk so loudly Arnold actually jumped a little.

"Oh. Hi Helga, how are you today?" he asked a little too-politely, and Helga grunted.

"Yeah, what's it to you, foot-ball head?" she snapped, and Arnold frowned quickly at her.

"Hey, there's no need to be angry…" he started, and Helga rolled her eyes.

"Right, okay. So how's Li-la?" she asked a little sarcastically, and Arnold burrowed his brow further.

"Well, she's… why are you being so grumpy, Helga? Is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah, everything is just fine, Arnoldo. Just peachy," she grunted, flipping open her book and getting started on work. Arnold frowned and did the same, making the heading before turning back to Helga once more. Helga didn't know why she was acting like she was.

"So… you want to know about Lila?"

"Sure. Why the hell not,"

"Um… well. She says she'll be here for a month indefinitely. Her father is here on a business trip… if you're mad about the other day, I was just shocked to see her, I didn't mean to make you feel out of place…"

"Oh, get over yourself, Arnold," Helga grunted. "Like I care about that. I have bigger things to worry about than you getting naked with Lila," she said quietly as the teacher walked by. Arnold's eyes widened and he glared.

"Lila and I didn't get naked!" he hissed, and Helga rolled his eyes.

"Cool. Good luck with that," she responded, turning back to her books. Arnold groaned and turned back to his own books, shaking his head and letting his blonde hair fall around his face. Helga stole a look at him to ensure he wasn't looking, and pulled out her pink book.

Oh, Helga, why do you do this? You love him so, and as soon as you know he doesn't care for you,as soon as progress starts being made you go backwards? Stop it now, Helga. Don't turn back into the nine year old who was so afraid of feelings she hurt the man she loved. Don't be that girl. Remember everything Dr Bliss taught you.

Helga and Arnold sat in silence for the rest of the lesson, the whole time Helga wondering if maybe she should apologise. She knew she shouldn't be angry, really, but she, well, she just was! It wasn't fair. She put the pink book away and continued writing in her history book, not really paying attention to what she was doing, but rather trying to think of something else to say to Arnold. But, somehow, all she could think of was ways to be terrible to him. She came up with punching him, throwing things in his hair, telling him his oblong shaped head made him look funny…

Why can't I think of something normal to say? She yelled at herself in her mind when the bell went, and she gathered up her things and made her way out. As her and Arnold began to go their separate ways, she scowled at him.

"Well, catch ya later, football head," she spat, and Arnold groaned as she began to walk away.

"Helga, wait,"

She turned to face him. "What do you want?"

"To talk to you. Why are you acting so mean all of a sudden? I know you're not really like this…"

"Oh yeah? And how do you know, Arnoldo?" Stop it, Helga! Fix it! She yelled to herself as more and more harsh things came out of her mouth.

"Look, Helga, I don't know what's going on with you lately, or why you seem so sad all the time, but instead of pushing me away you could try letting me in," he said to her, and Helga felt herself falter a moment. She always loved Arnold, but sometimes she forgot why. It was times like these she remembered. His green eyes seemed to penetrate hers, his anger on the surface obvious but also a very obvious concern lying underneath it. That was the thing about Arnold, no matter what you did or said he always cared.

"Look… just forget about it. See you later, Arnold," she said sadly, and Arnold groaned behind her.

"Whatever you say, Helga,"

Helga walked home, her feet heavy. She didn't know why she was like this. She had been rude to all her friends all day, too. Something was definitely wrong with her, she decided. When she got home, Bob was yelling at Miriam who couldn't hear because she was asleep behind the couch. She went to make her way upstairs when Bob yelled to her.

"Young lady! Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh, to my room to do my homework?"

"Not right now you're not! Go get your mother up, she's been passed out for a while now," he grunted, and Helga groaned.

"Come on, Miriam, it's time you woke up," she said, nudging her mother and slapping her lightly on the hand to get her up.

"Oh, oh Helga dear, how was school?" Miriam muttered, pulling herself up.

"It was fine, Miriam. Come on, dad says you need to wake up,"

"Helga dear, would you make me a smoothie?"

"No, Miriam. You've had enough,"

"No, I had had enough, but now I've slept it off I can have more," Miriam responded brightly, and Helga groaned, sitting her on the couch and directing her to the TV. As she switched it on the music channel came on, and Helga listened distantly as she cleaned up the mess Miriam had made in her drunken stupor.

'Alright folks, that was Lady Gaga with her incredible poker face. Now, onto Kesha and her ticking tock!' the presenter said on the show, and Helga grunted. She hated that kind of music. It wasn't until the music started that she remembered.

"I love this song!" drunken Helga exclaimed, already on the dance floor with Ryan.

"Yeah, it's great!" he yelled back, smiling. They danced awfully close together, Ryan's hands on Helga's hips as she had her hands wrapped around his neck.

*Tick tock, on the clock…*

"Hey, is there a reason those bouncers are looking at you funny?"

Helga looked behind her to where bouncers were eyeing her suspiciously. She grabbed onto Ryan's neck and pulled him closer.

"I have a confession to make!" she had yelled, and he frowned at her, indicating 'what' with his hands. "I'm not actually 21" she said, and Ryan's eyes had widened as he looked over at the bouncers.

"Uh, I think they're going to come over here," he yelled in her ear, and Helga bit onto her lip.

"What do I do?" she yelled back as a bouncer began to make his way into the crowd. Ryan grabbed onto her arm tightly, a cheeky grin spreading across his face.

"Run!" he yelled, and took off, Helga in tow. As soon as they began running the bouncers were after them, running close behind. Luckily Helga kept up with exercise, and apparently Ryan did too, because in a few blocks they had managed to outrun them.

"Whew!" Ryan panted, leaning on his knees as he looked around. "We made it. Underage, huh?"

Helga blushed under the moonlight. She was sure that by now, her make-up would be smudged across her face and that her hair would be askew. It vaguely reminded her of the girl's sleepover party where she had tried to make herself beautiful but had ended up deciding a tomboy was so much more fun. She decided that now, too, as she grinned and wiped beneath her eyes, glad the run in the shoes she was wearing was over but still pleased from the adrenaline rush. Ryan looked around vaguely.

"Hey, I think there's a park nearby. Care for a walk?" he asked kindly, and Helga grinned, feeling herself sway a little. Had she really just run all that way?

"Sure, I could go for a walk," she answered, smiling as he slipped his hand into hers and the two of them began to walk. After all, what did she have to lose?

When Arnold finally made it to Lila's hotel, he was well and truly ready for a rest. "Oh, hello Arnold. How was school?" Lila asked cheerfully as Arnold walked into the room. He sighed and dropped his bag onto the floor before crossing Lila's hotel bedroom and flopping on the bed.

"Yeah, it was okay. How was correspondence?"

"Oh, it was just wonderful Arnold," she answered, lying on the bed next to him and wrapping her arms around him. "The whole day I got to think about the fact I would soon be seeing you," she told him, nuzzling her face into his neck. Arnold couldn't help but smile as he pulled her closer. He hadn't spoken to her in a long time, so there was a lot about her that he needed to get to know again, but still, the sparks were there. He felt his stomach fill with butterflies as Lila told him about what she was learning about in class, about the charity work she was doing back at home. Still, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think of Helga. Why had she been acting that way? What if something was seriously wrong? She used to act mean all the time as a defence mechanism, so she couldn't be walked over by her peers the way her father walked all over her. What if it was the same thing? Should he go over there?

"Arnold, are you listening?" Lila asked incredulously, and Arnold coughed uncomfortably.

"Oh, sorry, I was someplace else,"

"Oh, Arnold, you're so funny," Lila giggled, and Arnold smiled to himself. Maybe it had just been a bad day for Helga and he was looking too much into it. If she was still upset the next day, he would try talking to her again. Even if she reacted badly, he thought he could get her to talk.

The next day Arnold didn't have class with Helga, but he went to seek her out at lunchtime. When he approached the table, Rhonda shrugged at Helga's empty seat.

"She's here today, I saw her come in, but we don't know where she is. She looked kind of mopey," she told him, and Arnold sighed heavily.

"Well, if you see her, could you tell her I'm looking for her?" he asked them, and Rhonda nodded.

"Oh, and Arnold, we heard that Lila was back in town," Rhonda slyly said as Arnold began to walk away. He stopped and turned back.

"Oh, yeah, she is. I'm sure she'd love to see all you guys again if you'd like," he offered, and Rhonda shook her head.

"Oh, it's not that I'm interested in. I hear you and Lila are, well, a sort of couple now?" she enquired, and Arnold shrugged.

"Well, yeah, I guess we kind of are," he answered, and Rhonda grinned.

"Good to know. Thank you Arnold, that will be all," she said delicately, and Arnold smiled awkwardly and walked away. He spent the rest of lunch trying to find Helga, but it wasn't until the very end that he found her. She was crouched up behind the dumpsters, well from sight, and had Arnold not been looking for her he never would have seen her. She was scribbling furiously in the little blue book he had found by her bag the night at Rhonda's, and, from where Arnold was standing, he could tell she had been crying. Quietly he approached her.

"Helga?"

"Jesus, football head, don't creep up on me like that!" Helga shouted, standing up. Already she looked back to normal, her eyes dry and the redness gone. How did she do that?

"What are you doing crouched behind the dumpster?"

"Minding my own business! It's a free country, isn't it?" she snarled, and Arnold frowned, looking sideways.

"Well, yeah, but… is everything okay Helga?" he asked, and Helga frowned.

"Of course everything is okay! Why wouldn't it be?" she snapped, and Arnold stepped back.

"Well, you're acting all mean again. You only act mean when…"

"Jeeze, how many times do I have to tell you, football head? I am mean. I'm a terrible person and I'm okay with it," she snapped, and Arnold let his shoulders droop.

"Well, okay. Did you… want to come over later to do our homework?"

"Ha! Why would I want to come over to yours football head? Besides, won't you be busy with Li-la?"

Arnold felt something inside him snap. Memories of all fourth grade, fifth grade, some of sixth grade were rushing back to him. He stood his ground and straightened himself up.

"Look, Helga, I don't know why you're acting like this all of a sudden, but could you not? We're supposed to be friends. Why don't you just let me in?" he raged, and Helga took a step back, her eyes instantly welling with years. Arnold felt guilt riddle him crazy, and he took a step closer to her.

"Helga, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell…" he began, when the bell went for class.

"Forget it, Arnoldo," Helga snapped, wiping her eyes and barging past him. Arnold let his shoulders droop once more, and he watched her walk away. What he said hadn't been too mean, had it? It was clear she was angry with him, and as he began to make his own way to class he tried to think of what he could have done. He kissed her at Rhonda's. It hadn't seemed too big a deal before Lila. Was it because Helga hated Lila?

He sighed and went to class. Maybe he couldn't get Helga to talk after all. Maybe he didn't know her at all, like he thought he had. Maybe he was wasting his time trying to make whatever it was right. When he talked to Gerald about it, he seemed oddly distant and confused himself. For the next week, Helga and Arnold never spoke. She changed seats in history class, and avoided eye contact wherever possible. On the bright side, things seemed to be improving with Lila. He remembered why he had liked her all those times before; she was so kind and caring. When he told her about Helga, she just laughed.

"Oh, Helga, I remember her. She used to have the biggest crush on…" Lila began, before stopping herself and looking awkwardly at Arnold. "Heh, well, she told me she'd murder me if I ever told anyone who it was," she said, and Arnold raised an eyebrow. Lila coughed uncomfortably and continued. "Anyway, Helga was always a bully. Why are you letting her get to you?" she asked, and Arnold shrugged.

"I dunno. I guess… I guess I considered her one of my best friends… and now she's gone," he said sadly, and Lila smiled sadly at him.

"Hey, you still have me?" she said, and Arnold smiled, grabbing onto her hand.

"Yeah, I have you," he smiled warmly at her, and she gave him a small kiss on the lips before standing to choose a film. Arnold stayed on the bed, watching Lila. He wasn't drunk, and the kiss was clearly consensual by both parties. Why didn't he enjoy it as much as his random kiss with Helga? Why didn't he enjoy spending time with Lila as much as he enjoyed spending time with Helga? Why couldn't he cheer himself up about everything? As he and Lila watched a film on the couch, he found himself not really paying attention, but rather trying to organise his thoughts. He had almost told Helga he liked her. But now he definitely liked Lila. Still, he felt as though he should do something nice for Helga to cheer her up. After all, he had never given up on anyone before.

Across town Helga was sitting on the toilet. For once, her mind wasn't straying around Arnold and Lila, but was completely focused on Ryan as she stared at the white piece of toilet paper in her hand.

She was three days late.

A/N: DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.

What is going to happen? I'll bet you want to find out, right? Better review!

(Seriously, though, the next chapter will be up soon. Promise.)