Sorry for the delay. My midterms are this week and I have a trip to Disney World coming up soon! I miss Disney and cant wait to visit even if it isn't my home park. (I love Disneyland! I worked there as a College program intern last year and prior had been to the park over 30 times.) So this one is a little heart wrenching but I enjoyed writing it as i enjoy writing every part of it. When i updated it today i noticed this story takes up 23 pages roughly on Word and for me that is a big thing. I have many original stories started but they are in pieces and separate documents, so having 23 pages of continuous story is a big accomplishment! I hope you all enjoy and i would love to hear from you all to see what you want to maybe see and what think! Hey Arnold!

Friday came in a flash and It seemed like smooth sailing into the next weekend. As Helga exited the school grounds she began to dial Olga. The phone ring a few times and then she heard a familiar voice.

"Baby sister!" Helga smiled although she knew Olga couldn't see it.

"Hey Olga. How was your week?" Helga made her way to the bookshop. It was her usual routine on Fridays to call Olga right after school. Olga had gone back to school after student teaching in Alaska and taking a job in northern Washington, to get her Master's degree so she could become a professor.

"Good. My thesis is finally coming along. How have you been?"

"Same old, Same old. We had Meet the teacher night on Wednesday. Alice came with me." There was a pause on the other end.

"Oh! Daddy must have been working and that was so nice of Alice. I can't wait to meet her. So, how is Mummy and Daddy?" Helga really hated this part. She usually lied to Olga about what was going on at home. Because she was so busy with her degree, the last time Olga came to visit was Christmas and they had managed to pull everything together to make her feel like all was right. Helga didn't agree with it but Bob and Miriam didn't want to distress their princess. So Helga put on her best fake smile.

"You know the same. Big Bob is busy working all the time and Miriam is the same old Miriam." She heard Olga laugh over the phone.

"That's great Baby sister. I hope you're staying out of trouble." The conversation went similar to that as the blonde teenagers made her way through the streets of Hillwood. As she turned the corner to the bookshop she said her goodbyes to Olga and promised to call her soon. Without looking up she reached for the door as she hung up her phone, and it didn't budge. Helga's head snapped up. The usually bright store was dark and the metal gate was still slid over the front of the store. The sign in the window said closed. Helga looked at the time on her phone and it said 3:23. Helga was slightly worried at this point because it wasn't like Alice to close the shop this early on a Friday, and to do so without telling her first. She peered through the window and seeing no one made her way around the building. Down the little alley she came upon tall wooden fence. The gate wasn't locked so she let herself into the little garden. Most people didn't know the little book shop was actually a redone and rezoned house. It was about the size of the Boarding house except Alice had the whole thing done inside to be a shop on the bottom and a house on top. It was four bedrooms, though Alice only used two of them. The backyard was of the house was filled with flowers, a few trees, and fresh green grass that would sadly be dead in the next few weeks. Helga made her way up to the deck and used the spare key Alice had given her a while back to unlock the back door. This was what Alice considered her front door. Inside a small entry room that had a coat rack, the staircase to go inside and the door that lead into the back room of the shop. She made her way up the unlit stairs wondering where on earth Alice could be. The door to the actual living space was unlocked and Helga let herself in.

The little hallway on the other side of the doorway leading into the house was dark but Helga could see the light and sound from the television so she silently made her way inside, so not to scare her mentor. As she came around the corner into the living room she found Alice curled up on her sofa on the far side of the room. She hadn't gotten dressed that day, she was sporting her favorite Mickey Mouse pj's, and her eye's looked puffy in the light of the movie. She didn't notice Helga standing in the darkened doorway and sat in tears mouthing the movie lines.

"He just met her... She's supposed to be his transitional person, she's not supposed to be the ONE. All this time I thought he didn't want to get married. But, the truth is, he didn't want to marry me. He didn't love me.

If you could take him back now, would you?

No. But why didn't he want to marry me? What's the matter with me?

Nothing.

I'm difficult.

You're challenging.

I'm too structured, I'm completely closed off.

But in a good way.

No, no, no, I drove him away. AND, I'm gonna be forty.

When?

Someday.

In eight years.

But it's there. It's just sitting there, like some big dead end. And it's not the same for men. Charlie Chaplin had kids when he was 73.

Yeah, but he was too old to pick them up."

Alice chuckled through the tears but they seemed to keep falling. She reached over to the end table and grabbed a tissue blowing her nose but nothing seemed to help. It was then that she caught something in the opposite corner of the room.

"Helga?" She quickly wiped her face and tried to smile. "What are you going here so early?"

"Alice…it almost 4 o' clock…" Alice looked over the clock on the walk and sprang up from the couch.

"I never opened the shop! Oh dear…" But before she could try to go downstairs Helga guided her back to the couch and sat her down.

"Never mind the shop Alice. Criminy! Who died?"

"I look that bad?" Helga just nodded afraid of maybe saying something to set her mentor off. "It's nothing Helga. Don't worry about me."

"Like Hell it isn't." Helga looked Alice straight in the eye. "I've never seen you like this. What happened?" She watched as Alice seemed to gather her thoughts, deciding on whether to talk or not until finally she took up the remote and paused the movie she was watching.

"I went down stairs to get the mail this morning," She began with a small sniffle. "I got something in the mail. You see I dated this guy in college. We dated for 2 years, he wasn't my first relationship, but I loved him, he had proposed to me a month earlier and everything seemed to be going great, until the night of our anniversary. I was all dressed up ready to go when a knock came on my dorm room door. I was expecting him to be all dressed up but I found him in sweats and a t-shirt. He looked me straight in the eye and said" Tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore. I don't love you and I don't think I ever have or ever will. I can't keep lying about it anymore. We want different things in life and I don't want to compromise what I set out for myself. So this is good-bye…and he left me standing there feeling like an idiot with both my neighbors standing there staring at me." Alice's tears started to flow faster and her words turned more into sobs are she talked on. "I found out the next day that he was seeing a girl he had been study partners with for that last year…And today I got a wedding invitation from them…they have two kids…He told me when we had dated he would never get married and hated children. And now he's getting married and has children and I have always wanted kids and was willing to compromise that for him. And now I'm 30 and I realize he didn't want to marry me…he didn't want to have children with me…And ever since I have had nothing but bad dates. And I just want to be happy. Because in the next two years you and Arnold are going to go away to college and I'll be here, in this little bookshop, all alone…" Before Alice could say anymore Helga hugged her tight. Alice had done it before for Helga after a session with Dr. Bliss went a little askew. But as she hugged the older woman, Helga realized how lonely Alice felt. Helga didn't know much about Alice or Arnold's mom's family but it seemed they didn't talk about it much. So there was no telling how long Alice held felt like this but there were scars Helga could see hiding deep behind Alice's smile.

Alice sobbed into Helga's shoulder for a good long minute or so before finally calming down.

"I'm sorry Helga. I'm being silly." She pulled back from the blonde teenager with a smile. Helga shook her head.

"You're not being silly. I told Arnold this and the same goes for you. You can't be a happy all the time. And everyone has problems." Helga watched as Alice took a deep breath and finally stopped crying.

"Thanks Helga." She hugged the teen, a much lighter hug then the last.

"Any time!" Helga hugged her back. As they parted Helga looked at the television. "So what were you watching?" Alice chuckled.

"When Harry Met Sally. It's a really funny romantic comedy with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan…Carrie Fisher is in it too." Helga got up from the sofa and headed towards the kitchen.

"Then I'll make some popcorn and you can restart the movie." She looked back to see Alice laugh.

"How about a pizza while we're at it?" Helga nodded, glad to see Alice was looking like herself again. So Helga had a real girls night and she realized that this was something she missed in her childhood. She wasn't the best sister, believe her, she knew. But Olga wasn't there like you think a sister should. There was too much of a gap and they never really seemed to get along. But with Alice it was different, despite her being even older than Olga. She wasn't off in her own little world, well most of the time she wasn't, and they talked and they went out, and Alice always made sure she was okay. It was almost like Alice was the sister Helga never knew she needed. That support system to keep her afloat. Helga stayed over that night, upon Alice's request and Helga fell asleep in one of Alice's spare bedrooms faster and more comfortable than she has in years.

Saturday went by pretty quickly. Alice had washed Helga's clothes that night and let her borrow a shirt. They opened the shop about 10 o'clock after a good breakfast. They were pretty busy. Among some new faces they had; Mrs. Vitello came in to buy a few new books on flowers and compost recipes. Mr. Green came about noon looking for the next book in a series he had been reading, a romantic sort that he and Ernie secretly read. Suzie came in with Heidi, her and Oskar's 18 month old baby girl, looking for new picture books. And about closing time Madame Parvenu came in looking for some new books of manners and a few fashion history books. Alice began to close up around 5:30 knowing Helga would be leaving about 6 to meet Arnold. They locked the door, closed the security gate up front and replaced some of the books of the shelves before finally turning off the lights. They made their way to Alice's front door and they stopped on the porch in the backyard.

"Helga?" The Blonde turned around to be developed into a hug. "Thank you!"

Helga hugged her back with a smile. "Anytime."

"Well invite Phoebe next time, Okay?" Helga was already walking out the gate.

"That would be nice." She closed the gate as she heard Alice call out.

"Be safe and text me when you get home tonight."

Helga made her way down the street towards Sunset Arms, the boarding house. As she made her way down the street he saw many of the other little shops closing up for the night and it seemed from the faces on the street that most of the P.S. 118 group were all inside.

Arnold was standing on the stoop, leaning on the doorway in the porch light, and unbeknown to him driving Helga's girlhood heart crazy. She knew he probably didn't know he drive her crazy, well not in the I stalked you for over 6 years crazy, but he did just on the way he was. When he saw her coming down the street her favorite smile slid across his lips.

"How was the shop?" He asked as she made her way up the steps.

"Busy. It's the middle of the month so it's normal. Everyone has read what they bought last month and needs something new." She gently punched his arm. "How was your day?"

"Nothing special, Mostly organized my room. I know I'm a party animal." He lead Helga into the now familiar house. It was quiet since it was date night and Arnold's parents weren't home from San Lorenzo yet. Grandma and Grandpa were out somewhere annoying one another. Susie and Oskar had dropped Heidi at Nancy's and were out to a movie and dinner. And Mr. Hyunh and Ernie were both working overtime that night. So Arnold lead the way up to his room where he had everything set up already. Being a techno-nerd, He had set up a projector and screen up in his room so the movies would be on the big screen and attached to his speakers. He had taken out his air-pop machine and already had it going.

"Wow, Arnoldo, It's like you knew I was coming." Arnold rolled his eyes with a smile.

"So what are we watching tonight?" he asked turning to his movie collection as Helga flopped herself on his bed.

"A movie, Doi!" She smirked at Arnold though he seemed to be trying to ignore her. He scanned his shelves.

"I have Action, Adventure, Horror, Thrillers and… I know a Disney movie!." He laughed but Helga gave him a look that stopped him." Are you really a fan of Disney movies?" Helga felt her face glow red.

"So what football head? I can't watch blood and guts all the time!" She watched Arnold raise an eyebrow with a smirk.

"Which is your favorite?" Helga felt her face get redder.

"What's it to you bucko?" She crossed her arms and sat upright on the bed. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Arnold creeping up on her. He learned over her, a hand on each side of her on the bed. Their faces were about a foot apart.

"Come on Helga! Tell me."

"Not a chance, Football head." he poked her side causing her to jump. She didn't really want Arnold to know she was ticklish but it seemed that was now impossible. A devious look crossed Arnold's face as he began poking her sides. Helga began to giggle trying to keep herself calm. She trying to push him back but Arnold was not the short kid he used to be. He played baseball in school now and was a good head taller than Helga. The poking turning into tickling and it went on for a good long minute until finally they stopped to take a breath. Helga looked up and their faces were only a few inch from each other. They both blushed at their close proximity.

"Move it Football head." Helga pushed him away with a smile, fighting back the blush. They sat there for a second in a weird silence. "It's Pinocchio…"

Arnold looked surprised as he fought back a smile. "Pinocchio?"

"Yeah…I also like Hercules and Cinderella…Disney movie were some of my favorite's growing up." Helga watched as Arnold started searching his movies for one of the mentioned movies. As she sat in silence, Helga debated something in her head. Should she tell Arnold or not? Was it a good idea. She took a breath which caught Arnold's attention.

"I went over to the bookshop yesterday and Alice hadn't opened it." A look of concern crossed the blonde boys face.

"Is she ok? Is she sick?" She watched his eyes search her face.

"She wasn't sick but I don't know if she's okay." She turned to Arnold with the most sincere face. "She's in her thirties and worried she's going to be alone. She's lonely Arnold. I found her upstairs crying over a movie because her ex-fiancé sent her a wedding invitation. He's marrying a girl I think he cheated on her with. I don't like seeing her unhappy, especially with everything she has done for me the last four years. She deserves to be happy." Arnold came over and sat next to Helga and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know what you mean Helga and I was going to do this myself but maybe you can help me. I have a plan…are you in?" Helga looked at him cautiously.

"What's the plan football head?"

"Well…" Arnold told Helga is plan in full. It would take a few weeks but if it worked Alice had a chance at happiness.