A/N Thanks again for all the reviews! I love that everyone thinks I have captured Helga's personality so well, that's really what I'm striving to do is keep everyone as canon as possible. *A lot of Helga's dream is taken directly from "Magic Show" with a few additions/alterations from me. So if you would rather watch canon instead of reading canon in that section that's fine with me! I'm sure you can find the episode on YouTube. Just know I changed some parts slightly so I would recommend reading the dream.
I have received some criticism about Helga's insult to Arnold being OOC. I disagree, even though in Parents Day Helga thinks Big Bob is way out of line for using that insult I can easily see Helga using that insult for defense when she feels distressed or attacked. I think her reaction in Parents Day backs up my point that she is so remorseful in this fic for saying it. I mean how many times does Helga truly feel bad for the things she's done to Arnold? Very few times in the series I can count. So I appreciate everyone who was upset about that because it proves to me that I am writing Helga's character so well that people want to correct the one line they feel is out of character. Unfortunately the reviews were anonymous so I couldn't reply to them directly, but thank you!
One last note I promise! Another guest review told me someone out there has been plagiarizing my fic using the same names and premise. This saddens me because I waited so long for a fic with a plot like mine to come along and then said, hey why don't I just write the fic I want to read myself! I went through a draft of names before deciding on Olivia as you will see when it gets to that chapter in the future. The funny thing is even if the author just stole the plot I wouldn't have been mad or reported it, it was the use of the same name that got to me. Thank you guest who informed me of the problem I worked with to get the story taken down.
Chapter 3
"What a great plan Helga! By this time tomorrow everyone will be so worried by my disappearance that they'll be falling over themselves to beg for my forgiveness" Helga laughed. "Everyone will worship the ground I walk on when I come back, especially Arnold." With the hours of travel and a full stomach, Helga fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Helga looked around, she was back in Hillwood! But something was different…. she spotted a sign that was a picture of her, but instead of saying 'missing' it had a big red X through it. "*What?" Helga walked down the street to see a parade going on.
"This is great! Everyone got the whole day off today" the man Helga was standing next to said.
"What's going on?!" When the man ignored her Helga yelled "hey victim I'm over here!" The man continued to ignore her "Oh my gosh, what's happening? Am I a ghost or something? Hey if I'm a ghost I can fly!" Helga jumped off the curb and fell flat on her face. "Ok, I'm not a ghost. If I'm not a ghost, then what's going on?!"
"Doi, doi, doi. Move it bucko, move it bucko." A voice box coming from an unflattering costume resembling her repeated over and over, almost stepping on Helga as it went by. "No more Helga! No more Helga!" The crowd chanted. A balloon of Helga floated above them with another red x around her.
"OH YEAH, COME OVER HERE AND—oh yeah I'm a ghost they can't hear me." Helga walked away from the parade. "I can't believe it! There happy I'm gone?! Everyone was supposed to miss me. This can't be happening!" Helga passed "ok get a grip Helga girl. Somebodies got to miss you. I know! Bib Bob and Miriam." Helga raced home "Mom! Dad!" She shouted, running in the house searching for them, when she paused hearing music. "Sounds like its coming from my room" She opened the door to what was her room "what in the name of creation is going on here!? What have you done to my room?!"
"This is the best birthday I've ever had
"This has been the best birthday I could ever imagined. Nothing was missing." That comment stung Helga. "Everything was perfect."
"I'm so glad you're happy" Miriam singsonged, cuddling up to bob.
"And the best present of all was that Helga isn't around anymore." That stung Helga even worse. "She doesn't care about me and my birthday."
"Yes it's too bad about Helga" A bubble of hope formed in Helga's chest "—but isn't it amazing how my inner creativity had been unleashed lightly?" The bubble burst inside Helga's chest. It felt like her heart was bursting along with it.
"Yes darling, and since I don't have to support Helga anymore I've been able to give up selling beepers and return to my first love…the harp" Bob sat down to play the harp looking lovingly at Miriam.
"My parents actually happy together! And they don't seem to miss me at all! I can't believe this is happening!" Just then Miriam and Bob fall into a kiss. "Gross" Helga muttered hands on hip before leaving the house feeling down. "Phoebe!" Helga perked up. "Yeah phoebe will miss me!" she sprinted to phoebes house opening up the door. "Phoebe old pal, it's me!" Helga saw Phoebe laughing with some other girl "Phoebe?"
"Oh Gloria you're the best friend I have ever had."
Helga turned angry and stomped up to them. "Gloria?! Who's Gloria?! This chump?!" Helga waved her hand at her, "Is this Gloria?"
"And I've saved a special seat right next to me because you're my newest and best friend in the whole world!" Helga's anger dripped away hearing that as she witnessed them hug.
"Have some of the cookies I baked you" Gloria chirped in an obnoxiously high voice.
"Thank you. My old best friend never made me cookies, she wasn't very nice. I don't think she even liked me that much!"
"What was her name?" Gloria asked
"Who?" Phoebe ask well Helga screamed "me!"
"Your old best friend" Gloria clarified.
"Oh! ahhh…wait..ummm"
"Helga!" Helga screamed at phoebe
"Harrah? Henrietta? Wait no that wasn't it. Oh well who cares?" Phoebe chirped while grabbing a cookie.
Helga let out a scream and ran out of phoebes hour down the street screaming desperately "I'm Helga, I'm Helga! Somebody remember me! Somebody miss me!" A newspaper smacks in Helga's face. The head line read 'It's a wonderful world without Helga'. She sees her other friends from P.S 118. "Hey Sid, Gerald you miss me don't ya?! I just saw you today! Sid? Gerald?"
"Now remember if you're out 3 times you're the Helga and when it's your turn to chase the other kids around you're also the Helga."
"What about when you're back in the game and everyone likes you again?"
"Then you're the Gloria!"
"Cookie anyone?" Asked Gloria. A scream burst out of Helga.
"Hey Arnold." Gerald and Arnold exchanged a handshake
"Arnold?" whispered desperately. Arnold had to remember her, he just had to! Helga didn't know what she would do if he forgot her too.
"Do you remember that girl—Helga?" Gerald asked Arnold
"Yeah why?"
She knew it! Helga jumped up and down! "Yes yes yes!"
"Do you miss her?"
"No would you miss someone who went around calling you a football head all the time!" Helga immediately stopped jumping and not for the first time slumped into herself.
Gerald laughed "no! Hey where's your girlfriend?"
"I'm right here" Lila popped out of nowhere leaning in to kiss Arnold.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A scream erupted out of Helga, jolting her awake. Breathing heavy Helga looked around trying to remember where she was. The day before came rushing back—calling Arnold names, meeting Melanie, leaving Hillwood….oh yeah, she was at Melanie's house.
"I never knew people didn't like me. I can't believe it, absolutely no one missed me! Not Arnold, not Phoebe! Not even my parents!" And only because she was alone with the scenes from the dream still clear and fresh in her mind, did she let tears slip down her face. Helga's distress died down and she came back into reality.
"Wait that was just a dream! Maybe everyone does miss me!"
Helga leaped out of bed to run downstairs. Helga's hand was on the doorknob—"Where do you think you're going?"
Helga spun around, heart thumping fast in surprise. "Oh Melanie, hi! See I had this nightmare where everyone was happy I was gone, so I have to go back to Hillwood right now! This was a stupid idea. I should have just apologized to Arnold and my parents aren't that bad! I have to tell them how much I love them!"
"Whoa slow down! You had a nightmare? Do you want to talk about it?"
"No, I have to leave right now! I have to tell everyone how much I care about them!" Helga tried to explain in her still distraught frame of mind.
"Well first you're not leaving, it's still dark outside. And do you even know how to get home from here?"
"Well no." Helga admitted.
"And what happened to your plan about hiding out for a few days, as I recall you've only been gone for one night."
"It was a stupid plan!"
"I see what's going on"
"You do?"
"Yes, you're worried nobody will care that you're gone because of things you've done in the past."
"Exactly! That's why I have to go home, I need to make amends with people."
"You have been gone one night, your classmates don't even know you're gone yet! Don't you want Arnold to miss you and forgive you for whatever you did? You have to wait at least another day to make sure your plan has the impact you want it to. How is waiting longer going to hurt anyone in the long run? And maybe you being gone, will make Arnold realize he might feel the same way about you."
Arnold reciprocating her feelings? Ohhhhh she could just imagine it now—Arnold being so glad she's back he would want to spend every minute with her and forever ignore that goody two shoes Lila. And they did say absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? 'Oh Arnold' Helga had a lovesick expression on her face.
"Helga? Helga? Earth to Helga?" Melanie waved her hand in front of Helga's face.
Helga slapped the expression of her face "Huh? Oh sorry. Yeah your right there's no harm in finishing this plan out."
Melanie face broke out into a grin "That's the spirit, you'll see. This will be fun, it will be like a mini vacation!"
Melanie was probably right, it would be fun to get out of school for a few days and Helga couldn't see any harm in it. However, vacation or not Helga couldn't wait to get back to Hillwood and see Arnold.
"So what adventure do you want to partake in first on your vacation?"
"Well Melanie, show me what there is to do in Nowheresville."
"Trust me Helga, you'll love it here."
'I doubt it' Helga silently added, but there was no point in saying it aloud. What did it matter if she loved it here or not? Before she knew it she would be back in Hillwood and everyone would adore her once she returned. Her dream wouldn't come true, it couldn't. Helga refused to think any other way.
To be Continued…