Hi fanfiction buddies!

I hope you're all liking the fic so far! Well, ghdfifgnhdfkgnd! Haha! Random letters!

I call this chapter, 'A Fresh Start'. Thanks, Anonymous Latina! You're a big help in this title!

Disclaimer: Can I stop saying it now? Ugh. Fine. I don't own Hey Arnold. Am I done now?

Enjoy!

"Huh?" That just made Gerald more confused.

Arnold began to explain. "You know all the spitballs, the insults, the constant scowl directed at me, the calling me 'football head' every time she's done over the years? That's what I mean by 'everything'. She's turning a new leaf. She really doesn't wanna be a bully anymore. She wants to be friends."

Gerald finally seemed to get it. He put his hands on his hips. "I take it she's been keeping to her word?"

Arnold looked down and nodded. "Yeah, she has. You mean you haven't noticed yet?"

Then Gerald looked down in thought. "Well, now that I think about it, I do recall her apologizing to me last week. I guess she really does wanna change. Either that or she got hit upside the head too hard."

Arnold looked back up to his best friend. "Well, I'm gonna play catch with her in the park after school. You wanna come play with us? We're gonna talk and play."

"About what?"

"I don't know. Whatever comes up, I guess."

Gerald thought about it. "Sure. Where at?"

"By the old oak tree in the park. Remember to bring your glove."

"Sounds cool." Gerald said as the bell wrang, ending lunch. They stood up and threw their lunch trays away.

"So what did you talk to Arnold about?" Phoebe asked.

"I finally apologized to him for everything!" Helga said excitedly.

"That's great! What did he say?"

"We're gonna play catch in the park after school in the park. It'll be a talk-n-play. Wanna come?"

"Sure. Where shall we meet?"

"At the old oak tree in the park. I'll bring an extra glove for you."

"Thanks!"The bell wrang, ending lunch. They got up, threw away their lunch trays, and headed off to class.

Helga thought she should tell Arnold that she invited Phoebe to play with them. As she was sitting down, she figured, Nah. I'll wait til' recess.

Arnold also decided to wait until recess to tell Helga about inviting Gerald to play. So they waited. Class started, and they waited. Mr. Simmons started reading another poem by Anonymous, and they waited. Helga didn't even sink in her chair this time. She just, sat there. Concentrating, watching the clock as time ticks on by. As did Arnold. They took notes still, but they set a mental clock in perfect sync to the second to the clock mounted on the classroom wall. Tick tock. Tick tock. They wait. Tick tock. Tick tock.

Finally, as Mr. Simmons was writing examples of different adverbs on the board, the bell wrang, signaling recess. As they made their way to the schoolyard, Arnold thought, What if she gets angry that I invited someone else to play with us? But then he reminded himself, no. I have to tell her. I can't be dishonest. I just can't.

He turns his head to find Helga coming toward him. Here goes.

"Arnold!" She called out.

"Hey Helga." He greeted. "I-"

She quickly interrupted. "I hope it's okay if I invited Phoebe to play with us after school. Is that alright with you, Arnold?"

Okay, maybe she won't be angry. She invited her friend, after all. Why would she be mad if I invited mine? He felt a wash of relief over him. Though he still wasn't sure. She may be kind, but is very fragile. Despite her rapid progression, she could set off at any moment. That part of her always seemed interesting to him for some reason.

"Uh, Arnold? Arnold?" She kept saying as she waved her hand in front of his face.

"Hey Arnold!" She finally raised her voice at him.

He blinked out of his thoughts. "Huh? What?"

"Sorry I yelled at you, but you kept staring at me. I had to snap you out of it. Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm alright."

He then remembered what she had told him earlier. "It's fine so long as you don't mind that I invited Gerald to come play, too."

She realized Arnold had switched back to the subject at hand. She wanted to snap at him, but decided against it. "Yeah, that's fine. Hey, what's up with those two, anyway?"

Arnold was confused at what she was trying to get at. "What do you mean?"

"They've been acting weird lately. They're always doing stuff together."

"Well, they are friends."

"I mean, they seem to be acting like they're more than friends. They hold hands sometimes. They keep looking at each other. And they smile too much! I mean, look at them!"

She gestured her hands toward Gerald pushing Phoebe on the swing, smiling all the while. Arnold was beginning to understand what Helga was talking about.

She continued. "Notice how they look at each other. They're smiling! And notice their eyes. They're half lidded!"

Arnold knew what was going on between Phoebe and Gerald for about a week now, but he promised to keep it secret. So he had to make it look like he had no idea what was going on.

"But Helga, that could mean anything!" He fake argued.

"Oh, please, Arnold! You give that same look when you notice someone you like. I give that same look when I, uh, notice you sometimes, before I smack it off before you notice, of course. I know that look! If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were into each other."

"Really?"

"Yeah. In fact, you were giving me the same look when you were staring at me just before."

That rendered Arnold speechless. He didn't know what to say. That's the second time he's done that today! What has gotten into him? Oh, well.

Arnold shook his head and said, "Well, then. I think you've just cracked the mystery, Helga."

Helga looked at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Arnold gave her a knowing look.

Then her eyes widened. "You mean,"

"That's right." Then he quickly added, "Don't tell anyone, though. It's supposed to be a secret."

"Don't worry. If I can keep my love for you a secret for six years, then this shoud be a piece of cake." She snapped her fingers.

Arnold smiled. "Thanks, Helga."

They continued talking throughout the entire recess. As they talked, Arnold came to find Helga more and more interesting. She was actually an interesting person to talk to. She writes poetry, and she has very interesting points of view on everything. She's unlike any girl he's ever met before.

The bell rang, ending recess and interrupting his thoughts. After everyone was seated, Mr. Simmons walked in with a stack full of notebook papers with writing on them. He pulled one piece out and set the rest on his desk.

"Okay, class. I hope you all had a good recess. Now, I'm going to read yet another poem by anonymous."

Arnold looked over to Helga and was surprised to see that she wasn't sinking in her chair. Instead she was doodling in her notebook. Wow. She even learned to ignore the fact that it's probably another of her love poems.

He started to listen to the poem being read by Mr. Simmons.

"I love you with all I am

And all I'll ever be

You are my moon, my sun and stars

My earth, my sky, my sea"

He's gotta admit, she's a pretty good poet. It may all be about him, but like he said before, 'It's pretty cool that someone likes me. Obsessive, but cool.'. He continued to listen to the surprisingly long poem, becoming lost in his thoughts.

"My love for you goes down and down

Beneath both life and death,

So deep it must remain when I

Have drawn my last faint breath"

He saw them playing catch in the park. As she looked at him, she smiled.

"Holding you for months and years

Will make time disappear,

Will make your lips, my lips, your face,

My face, your tear, my tear"

He looked at her and smiled back.

"Will make us one strange personage

All intertwined in bliss,

Not man or woman, live or dead

Just nothing, but a kiss."

They continued smiling as they tossed the ball back and forth. Back and forth, back and forth...

"Arnold! Snap out of it!" He heard Gerald whisper in his ear.

"Huh?" Arnold's eyes snapped open. He hadn't realized he closed them.

"Are you okay, man?"

Arnold rubbed his eye and yawned. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Gerald. Just a little tired. I guess I didn't get enough sleep last night. I'll be okay."

He then looked down at his desk to find a drawing in his notebook with three words legibly written in the center of the page and his pencil in hand. When he read the words in the center he ripped the page out of his notebook, crumpled it up, and put it in the recycling bin before anyone could notice his drawing.

Helga heard crumpling and noticed Arnold hastily throwing a wad of paper in the recycle bin. She didn't see what he wrote, much to Arnold's relief, but his swift movements looked suspicious.

Ooo. What's gonna happen next? Exciting! Yaaaay!

Just to let you all know, this is going to be a lot longer than the first fic. More than five chapters, definately.

Just for the record, I did not write that poem. I looked it up and found it on some love poem site. I forget who wrote it. Well, thanks, whoever you are!

Thanks to all who bother to review! I still love you all!

The following is a made up script of Ed, Edd, n' Eddy and is in no way relevant to anything in this story (yet).

Eddy: Okay, Ed. Now, show them what you're made of! (greedy scamming grin)

Ed: Okay. Uhhhhhhhhhhh...oh yeah.

GRAVY!

Double dee: No, Ed. Try again.

Ed: Oh, no, wait...

Eddy: Come on, come on!

Ed: BUTTER TOAST!

Double dee: Not quite, Ed.

Ed: No, wait. Uh...

Eddy: (Yanks the mike out of Ed's hands) You're taking too long! Let me do it!

Double dee: No! Eddy, wait!

Eddy: (Taps the mike twice) Check, check. (Taps the mike twice) Hey, is this thing on?

Double dee: Yes, it is, Eddy. Just don't-

Eddy: REVIEW!

Double dee: (Sighs) Yell.