Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.

They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.

Title: "Leave the lights on"

In the last chapter: Miles and Miriam took Arnold, Helga, Phil and Gertie to go see the new house and they were all pleasantly surprised. It was close to Sunset Arms and Miles had even gone through the trouble to try and recreate Arnold's rooftop back home. Soon, after some work, the roof would have a flattened area they could walk on.

Arnold convinced Helga to stop smoking and to both their surprise, the only downside was that she was a little tired. She realized she had never truly been addicted; a rare blessing. In school though, Arnold was reminded of how the world may or may not look at a possible relationship between stepsiblings. He didn't know why he bothered to study it for a bit, because he didn't have feelings for Helga or so he believed.

When it was finally time to move to the new house, Arnold was melancholic for one last time, but Helga gave him a kiss on the cheek, which only caused him to be more confused about his feelings for her.

Author's 1st note: More than one guest reviewer asked me if this was going to be only from Arnold's point of view. I want to say yes, but I also want to say no. This story definitely focuses more on Arnold than Helga, but from time to time we will hear what Helga is thinking.

[Please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes.]

Chapter 5: "The melody you were humming"

Helga was humming a melody Arnold didn't know while they were doing a project in class. He looked at her curiously. "What is that melody?"

"Hm?" Helga muttered absentmindedly, but then shook her head. "Oh, sorry. What were you saying?"

"I asked you what the melody you were humming was."

"Oh, no. I meant about the project." Helga explained, but decided to simply look at the book herself since Arnold wasn't answering.

"What were you humming?" Arnold asked more insistently, because now he got curious. She seemed to secretive for some reason.

Helga quirked an eyebrow at him. "Why do you care so much? Just because we live together doesn't mean we have to know every little thing about each other, does it?" she asked defensively. Right then the bell rang, signaling it was time for recess. Without a word, she stood up and walked towards the door. She didn't know why she felt so wary around him lately. His question had been innocent; she could have dodged in a kinder way, so why hadn't she? She had been acting like this ever since they moved in together and she was starting to fear she was going back to her old self.

Arnold sighed and turned to talk to Gerald who seemed to have overheard what had just happened. "Helga's been acting weird around me lately." Arnold told him with a sour face.

"Maybe she just needs to get used to it?" Gerald suggested.

"I don't know, Gerald, it just feels like she's been avoiding me. It's like she has a secret, but I thought we were getting along!"

"When did she start acting like that?"

Arnold thought about it for a moment. It had been on the day they moved in together he believed. He was about to tell Gerald that, but then remembered what had happened before that. He put his hand up to his cheek, hoping to pinch it into submission; he did not want himself to blush in front of Gerald.

Arnold hummed. "I think about the time we moved into the new house." He muttered nonchalantly, even though his heart was beating faster at the memory.

"Did something out of the ordinary happen?"

"Nope. Nothing. Not a thing." Arnold answered instinctively.

Gerald quirked an eyebrow at his friend's odd behavior, but decided to ignore it. "Well, then maybe she just needs to get used to have men in her home. She's been living with her mom alone for over a year, right?" he reminded him.

Arnold nodded. "That could be it…" he said, but he didn't believe it. It seemed bigger than that; Helga had already told him so many things about her, if it really was something as simple as that, why wouldn't she tell him? He decided he couldn't sit around and wait for her to tell him herself. He had to confront her.

"That's a really bad idea." Gerald said as if he could hear Arnold's thoughts. The blonde boy ignored him though and darted out of the classroom. With a sigh, Gerald followed him. Maybe he could either stop him or at least work as a wingman between them.

Arnold was outside in the school yard before he finally saw Helga. He waited for a bit, noticing she was talking to a girl he didn't know. He felt someone bump against him and saw Gerald behind him.

"Sorry, dude." Gerald said as Arnold rubbed his sore head. "Where's Helga?"

Arnold pointed. "By the school gates. She's talking to someone." He explained.

Gerald looked in the same direction and his eyes widened. "Who is that?" he asked in awe as he looked at the petite Asian-looking girl who was wearing a blue plaid skirt along with a long-sleeved knitted sweater. It seemed too hot to wear for summer, just like Helga's sweatshirts.

"I don't know… Maybe she's Helga's old classmate?" Arnold suggested and recognized the smile on Gerald's face. "You do realize she's Helga's friend, right? She might be just as unapproachable too."

"We'll just have to find out, won't we?" Gerald asked before readjusting the collar on his shirt and walking towards the girls.

"G-Gerald, I was supposed to talk to Helga." Arnold tried, but his taller friend didn't hear him. Arnold sighed and decided to go with the flow; he didn't have much of a choice anyway.

When they got closer to the girls, Arnold could hear Helga talking. "I'm so glad you came to visit, Phoebs. You're the only thing I miss about P.S. 219." She said with a broad smile and the shorter girl giggled.

"I miss you too, Helga." The girl said and noticed Arnold and Gerald approaching. She nudged her elbow at Helga who turned to look at them.

Her smile faded. "Are you following me or something?" she asked in a tone some people might thought was joking, but Arnold could hear she was genuinely annoyed with him.

He sighed. I shouldn't have followed her. He thought. "No, sorry. Uh, Gerald just wanted to come over and say hi." He said.

Gerald shot him a bit of a look, but then smiled brightly at the Asian girl as he extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Gerald. Your friend's stepbrother's best friend." He said and frowned. "Damn long introduction."

The girl giggled before taking his hand. "I'm Phoebe, your best friend's stepsister's best friend." She announced with a cute smile. Arnold could see on Gerald's face that he was really happy with meeting this girl, but that also meant he would soon start to babble because he got nervous around girls he genuinely liked.

"Uh, so, Phoebe, were you a classmate of Helga's?" Arnold asked, hoping to avoid his best friend embarrassing himself.

"Oh, yes. We've known each other since we were in diapers." Phoebe said with a smile and Helga smiled back. "Helga's been my best friend my whole life."

"Aw, Phoebs." Helga said in a grin and put her arm over the shorter girl's shoulders.

Arnold smiled at the sight. "So it wasn't all miserable at P.S. 219?" he asked and crossed his arms.

Helga shot him a bit of a look, but smiled anyway. "I didn't say everything was miserable, but Phoebe here was the one good thing." She explained. "Hey, wanna come over to my house after school?"

Phoebe nodded excitedly. "Oh, but I have to tutor first, so can it be about 5pm instead?" she asked.

"Sure."

Arnold sighed silently. That shot down his plans about confronting Helga later.

"Oh, I'm actually going over to Arnold's house too. Maybe the four of us could hang out?" Gerald suggested.

Arnold stared at him. When did he decide that?! He thought and looked worriedly at Helga who was smirking at him.

"You ok with that, Phoebs?" Helga asked without looking at her.

"Oh, uh… I don't mind." The Asian girl answered honestly with a shrug. Helga showed her a somewhat odd smile, which Arnold noticed, but didn't know what meant. "Then it's a deal. You and Gerald will be over at our house then?"

"Yeah, I'll take my bag home after school first and maybe shower or something so you don't have to hurry or anything, Phoebe." Gerald said as his hands went through his hair.

Phoebe giggled. "I appreciate your consideration." She said.

Helga rolled her eyes, but was smiling. "Oh, spare me."

To say that Helga was ignoring Arnold was an understatement. On their way home from school, she didn't say a single word no matter how much Arnold tried to talk to her. Once they reached their door, he was about to ask her one more time if he had done something wrong, but Miles and Miriam were running around like headless chickens and both blondes forgot everything else.

"Uh, should I be worried?" Helga asked to no one in particular and yet Arnold felt happy just to hear her voice again.

"We forgot we were going to look at venues for the wedding today and we have to meet with the wedding planner in fifteen minutes!" Miles explained as he tried to get his shoe on even as he was jumping around on one leg.

"Correction: ten." Miriam said as she looked at her wristwatch. They both groaned before running around once more.

"I live in a fucking nuthouse." Helga hissed under her breath and headed towards the stairs. "Well, while you guys go check out venues, I'll be taking a bath."

"Sure, sweety." Miriam said from one of the rooms, but then gasped loudly and appeared in the hallway. "Oh, uh, H-Helga, are you sure you want to do that?" she asked.

Helga stopped walking and turned to cock an eyebrow at Miriam's question. "Why wouldn't I want to do that?" she asked. The way Miriam started fiddling told her why, even though Arnold didn't understand anything. "Miriam." Helga hissed.

"Please, sweety. C-Can't you at least wait till I'm home?"

"No way! I'm taking a bath now." Helga said and continued up the stairs.

"Can't you take a shower instead?!"

"I want to soak in the tub!"

"Helga!" Miriam tried, but her daughter simply continued up the stairs until she was out of view. "Oh, no… We have to leave now. I don't have time for this." Miriam muttered and held a hand to her forehead, something Arnold had noticed she would usually do when she was frustrated and didn't know what to do. She looked at him and the expression of despair disappeared. "Arnold!" she said and grabbed his shoulders roughly. "I need your help!"

Arnold blinked a couple of times in confusion before he nodded. "S-Sure. With that?" he asked.

Miriam sighed in relief. "I need you to go up and get Helga to let you into the bathroom while she bathes. Tell her I sent you; she'll understand why." She said and looked at Miles as he ran past them and opened the front door.

"What?!" Arnold shrieked, his cheeks reddening instantly. "W-Why do I have to do that? What's going on?" he asked desperately, but Miriam and Miles were already out of the door.

"Please, Arnold." Miriam begged one last time before closing the door, leaving a very dumbfounded boy back in the house.

His cheeks were still flaring red and he felt a need to put his hands up to hide his face. I can't do that… No way. He thought, but he looked towards the stairs worriedly. Miriam wouldn't ask for something so weird unless it was important, right…? She was genuinely pleading… He thought and gulped as he walked slowly towards the stairs.

It took Arnold much longer than it usually would have to reach the bathroom and even then, he couldn't bring himself to knock on the door. He was fiddling with his fingers, unsure what to do. Helga had gotten angry with Miriam when she had suggested not taking a bath and even though he didn't know what was going on, he was a little worried. It was a strange reaction after all.

Arnold inhaled deeply and didn't exhale until he had knocked on the door. He heard Helga groan from the inside. "Miriam, I'm fine!" she shouted in aggravation.

"Uh, n-no. It's Arnold, actually…" he said, hoping Helga wouldn't get to mad with him.

It was quiet for a bit. "Miriam sent you, didn't she?" she asked in an almost quiet voice, but that could easily be because of the door between them.

Arnold nodded. "Yeah. She, uh… didn't tell me why though." He explained, trying to force the blush off his cheeks. He couldn't help but remind himself that Helga was naked on the other side of this very door right now.

"Criminy… Hold on." Helga instructed and Arnold literally held onto the door handle; he was afraid he'd start shaking if he didn't. He kept waiting in silence and he figured about a minute had passed when Helga told him he could come in.

This can't be happening. Arnold thought as he watched his own hand pull the handle down. I'm not just about to enter the bathroom while my stepsister is in there! He thought in panic and opened the door, peeking inside. Helga was sitting at the end of the room in the tub. She was completely covered in bubbles.

She looked at him with something akin to either shame or perhaps just shyness. "Close the door. It's fucking cold." She ordered in a quiet voice and Arnold did as told. He stood near the door for a bit, unsure what to do. He just observed Helga. This was the closest he had ever been to see her body even though it was only the shoulders and knees, which she had bend up above the bubbles. Her hair was wet and clinging onto her neck and shoulders.

Arnold started moving his weight from one foot to another. "Why did you let me in?" he asked, unsure what else to ask or say at all.

Helga sighed and let her head fall back on the edge of the tub. "I'm not sure… I guess because, even though I hate it, a part of me appreciates my mom is so worried about me… I mean, she asked my stepbrother to join me in here; is she mental or something?" she joked and finally smiled. Arnold sighed in relief. It felt like it had been months since she had last smiled at him when in reality it was only a couple of days ago.

Helga looked at him, bopping her head towards the shower stool. "Sit down. I'm planning to stay here for a while."

Arnold's uneasiness level rise with each step that he took towards her and when he finally sat down on the shower stool, he laughed breathlessly. "I wonder why we even have a shower stool?" he joked, kicking his legs.

"Miriam can't stand up too long at the time. Her body's really weak despite her age." Helga said and moved her arms lazily over the bubbles, watching them as they moved around in the water. "She used to be an Olympic class swimmer."

Arnold looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

"I don't blame you for sounding so surprised. She's too lazy and… tired now to do that, but she was very different before she met Bob." Helga continued and huffed. "She was even a bull riding champion as a child."

"Bull riding champion?" Arnold repeated in disbelief.

"Yup. She wanted to start horseback riding, but my grandpa didn't think she could do it and would get hurt, so she tried convincing him by getting really good at riding a mechanical bull and then she realized she started liking that much more in the process." Helga explained and started chuckling.

"That's really amazing, Helga." Arnold said, impressed by what she was telling him.

Helga shrugged. "It'd be more amazing if she had stuck with all those amazing things rather than marrying Bob." She insisted and looked lifelessly up into the ceiling. Arnold didn't say anything; he couldn't bring himself to do so. He felt her looking at him. "You're not going to ask why you're here?"

"I…" Arnold started apprehensively. "I figured if you wanted me to know, you'd let me." He answered honestly and fiddled with his thumbs as he looked at her.

She kept looking at him for a bit before she looked at the bubbles near her chest. "I almost drowned once." She said without any warning. Arnold went buck-eyed and speechless at the confession that had come out of nowhere. He stared at her as she simply kept looking at the bubbles. "In a tub, that is. Not, uh… not out in the ocean." She clarified and looked away.

Arnold felt his breath hitch in his throat as he attempted to speak. "What… happened?" he inquired.

Helga looked back at the bubbles and shrugged. "I fell asleep." She admitted. "I was a freshman at P.S. 219 and I guess I was just stressed. I wanted to soak in the tub, let my worries fly away and I guess it worked, because I almost drowned." She said with a chuckle that sent shivers down Arnold's spine. How she could joke about something like this was beyond him.

"Don't… Don't joke about this. You could have died." Arnold said and looked away from her and at the wall.

"Oh, sorry." Helga said and he knew she thought he had reacted that way because he had thought of his mom. That was not the case at all, but before he could correct her, she continued talking. "It was Miriam who found me. She called the hospital in a complete panic, but Olga was home at the time so she did CPR on me and I woke up. They took me to the hospital just in case even though I insisted I was fine. Olga and Miriam were shaking with fear while Bob, he…" Helga shrugged.

"He what?"

Helga shot him a bit of a look; she had obviously hoped he could figure that out on his own, but she sighed in surrender. "He was complaining he was going to miss a meeting." She admitted. Arnold felt disgusted at this information; what kind of sick person would say something like that when their own family had been about to die? Helga snorted. "I mean, I personally didn't care back then. I was annoyed I had to be at the hospital too, so I didn't say anything, but Miriam…" she said. "She was so furious." Helga whispered.

"And you were surprised?" Arnold asked in incredulity.

"I was." Helga confirmed and looked at him. "Up until then, I thought Bob and Miriam were at the same level when it came to both me and Olga, but Miriam was shouting and yelling and, criminy, I didn't know her voice could be so loud." Helga chuckled at the image of this lazy laid-back woman she had known back then who had suddenly stood up to Bob and screamed at him until her voice had gone hoarse. She put her arms on the edge of the tub, resting her chin on them. "That was the first time I realized Miriam genuinely… cares for me."

"She loves you." Arnold corrected with a smirk.

Helga rolled her eyes. "Distinction without a difference." She insisted and let her head tilt to the side. "Anyways, after that Miriam started to stand up to Bob a whole lot more and before I knew it, she told me she wanted to get a divorce. Frankly, I didn't think she had the balls to do it so I told her to go for it. When I saw the actual papers, I realized… she did it. She actually did it."

Arnold could see the obviously proud smile on Helga's face. "She broke out of her cell?"

"Yeah, and the box I had put her in in my brain too." The blonde added, chuckling. There was a content silence between them for a bit, the only sound in the room being Helga moving her legs are arms in the water since she had resumed her former position.

Arnold took a deep breath. "Helga?"

"Oh, dear. What does that tone mean?" Helga joked and looked at him.

"… Why have you been avoiding me?"

Helga's eyes widened for a mere moment and she looked back at the bubbles. "Have I been avoiding you?"

"Yes."

"You sure you're not just imaging things?"

"Helga!"

Helga snorted in surrender and leaned further back in the tub until her neck was covered by the bubbles as well. "Why indeed…" she mumbled and noticed that Arnold crossed his arms resolutely, but in reality, he just looked like a stubborn child. "Arnold, I've never kissed anyone before." She stated and looked at him solemnly.

Arnold blinked a couple of times, just watching the almost vulnerable girl sitting in front of him. "What?" he questioned and she snickered.

"You don't have a brain in your head do you?" she teased. "I have not once in my life given or received a kiss, not even by my parents. Physical contact isn't something I've… done much in my life. With the exception of Olga and Miriam, Phoebe's the only person I've ever even hugged and I didn't even do that until we were in fourth grade."

"But… what does - - what does that mean?" Arnold stuttered.

"It means that when I actually went and kissed someone out of the blue… I freaked out. I started to realize that I was letting you in and I don't usually let people in. I have a wall around me and when I understood you were breaking it down, I decided to rebuild it."

"And now?" Arnold probed.

She looked at him. "Now what?"

"What do you feel now?" Arnold asked and noticed he as extremely nervous for some reason.

The blonde seemed to mull it over for a long time. "Hell if I know." She decided and Arnold sighed in either relief or disappointment, he wasn't sure. "I guess I just want to go back to how we were before. Without this weird…" She said and gestured between them. "Whatever."

"I'd like that too." Arnold said with a smile.

Helga smiled back at him and then sighed in content. "Ok, I think I want to get out of the tub now before I'll be mistaken for a raisin." She said, took some bubbles in her hand and blew them on Arnold's face. He coughed and tried to blow them away, but he had to use his hand before he got them off. He scowled at her, but she was just smiling innocently. "Thanks for watching me." She joked.

"I didn't see anything!" Arnold insisted as he stood up and headed for the door.

"You're complaining?" Helga questioned.

He turned to stare at her. "No! N-No, I wasn't, I was just telling that I, please don't misunderstand, I - - " he finally stopped rambling when Helga started laughing hysterically. He blushed in embarrassment before he walked out, listening outside as she kept laughing. He moved his hand up to his cheeks, his blush so evident he could practically feel it. A smile spread on his face and he couldn't help but start laughing as well. He was just happy he and Helga were back to normal.

Helga had barely come out of the bathroom before she heard the doorbell ring. "Uh, Arnold? Mind letting them in?" she asked and opened her own door.

"Sure." Arnold answered and came out of his room just as Helga entered her own. He blushed a bit at the second long moment he had seen of her in only a pink towel, but he shook it off and went downstairs. He went towards the door and opened it, revealing both Gerald and Phoebe standing outside. "Hi there. You timed that perfectly, huh?"

"Yeah, we met each other by the other street actually." Gerald said and walked inside.

Phoebe followed him meekly. "Where's Helga?"

"Oh, she's changing right now." Arnold explained. "She should be down soon - - "

"Go to hell!" an angry voice came from upstairs and they all stared at the staircase as if it could explain what they had just heard.

"What was that?" Gerald asked in shock, but Arnold didn't answer him. He ran up the stairs, leaving a dumbfounded Gerald and Phoebe in the hallway, looking at each other in concern.

"Helga!" Arnold called and ran into her room without any warning. She was sitting on her bed, her head held low as she cradled her phone in her hands. "Helga?" he questioned softly and she looked up at him. When she did, her hair left her chest and he saw she was sitting there only in a pair of jeans and a bra. He would have started blushing if it wasn't because he saw her eyes shimmering.

"That was Olga." Helga said, gesturing with the phone. "Trying to reach out as she calls it." She said, making air quotes around reach out.

Arnold walked slowly towards her, ignoring the fact she was almost half-naked in front of him. "What did she say?" he asked gently, hoping to soothe her before Gerald and Phoebe might think of joining them up here to see what was going on.

"The usual: How could you possibly be against daddy when it was mommy who left him? Stuff like that…" Helga explained and threw the phone into her pillow. It landed safely, but she seemed almost unpleased with that. She pulled her hands through her wet hair, causing some of the water to trickle down her back and chest and she shivered at the feeling.

She looked down and then up at Arnold in realization. "Arnold! Why didn't you say anything?!" she asked angrily and stood up.

"I-I didn't notice!"

"You didn't notice?!"

"No! That's not what I meant! I-I just wanted to comfort you and I thought mentioning that would make you feel weird a-and - - "

"Yeah, no shit!" Helga said as she grabbed a random blouse on her bed and tried to pull it over her head. In the panic though, she ripped it by the sleeve and her arm went through the new hole, causing her to get stuck in the blouse. "Oh, for fuck's sake! I'm stuck! Help me!" she shouted as she fought against the fabric.

"O-Ok, but hold still!" Arnold begged and tried to grab the blouse.

He pulled it in one direction, but that caused Helga to hiss. "You're just making it worse!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Just get it off!"

"I-I can't reach!" Arnold said and had to tiptoe to reach the tip of Helga's fingers, which were up in the air in this oddly crooked position.

"Why are you so fucking short?!"

"Why are you so tall?" Arnold retorted and looked towards the bed. Without thinking first or even warning her, he pushed her down on it. She landed on it with a thump and once he had sat on his knees on the mattress, he managed to pull the blouse off.

They were both panting heavily due to the struggle and that was the only sound in the room until the door opened. "Helga, are you…" Phoebe asked, but her eyes widened when she saw the compromising position her best friend and her stepbrother was in.

"Dude! Sick!" Gerald screeched and closed the door again, leaving a dumbfounded Arnold and Helga alone in the room.

They were silent for what felt like forever before Helga groaned loudly, putting her hands in front of her eyes. "Fuck my life." She stated and looked at Arnold between her fingers. He was looking down at her, heavily blushing. That caused her to blush as well and she pushed him off. "Sheesh." She stated, bit her lower lip and then walked towards her closet. "Go out and explain it to them, Football Head. I have to get dressed!"

Arnold obeyed in silence and walked towards the door. Before he walked out though, he couldn't help but cast one last look in Helga's direction as she pulled a t-shirt over her neck and torso. He blushed when his fingers remembered the feeling of her skin against his palms when he had been struggling with her blouse. Oh, God. We're going to get awkward again, aren't we?

Unlike what Arnold had assumed, it didn't get awkward between him and Helga as much as between the stepsiblings and their best friends. Even after they had explained what had happened and the best friends had accepted it, there was still this odd aura in the air. Helga had taken it upon herself to play the Devil's advocate and plainly said that they were all feeling too weird to hang out and suggested taking a rain check. They all agreed and Phoebe and Gerald had left five minutes after.

Helga leaned against the front door after they had said goodbye to their friends and sighed heavily. "Criminy, I finally get to see Phoebe after this long and this fucking happens." She cursed sighed heavily once more.

"I'm sorry." Arnold said and scratched the back of his head. He still felt a little weird about everything that had happened since they came home from school. Not only had he been in the bathroom while his stepsister was bathing; he had even kinda sorta helped her undress… which was wrong, so very wrong, the more he thought about it.

"Why are you apologizing? If I'm blaming anyone, it's my sister." Helga retorted and walked past him towards the staircase.

"Where are you going?" Arnold asked as he followed her.

"To my room. I'm gonna kick back and relax a little." She explained and opened her door.

"Oh, uh, ok." Arnold said, doing his best to hide his disappointment. When she shot him a smile though, a very genuine smile spread on his face and he waved at her when she walked inside. With a sigh, he turned towards his own room. He looked around, wondering what he felt like doing, but honestly, he felt a little restless. Since his very random plans with Gerald had been shot down, he actually felt like hanging out with someone, but he had no clue who.

Arnold picked up his phone and looked through his contacts. Lila's name appeared on the screen and he frowned. He still didn't have a clue what she was thinking at all. It seemed like she had momentarily started liking him again, but that she had gone back to ignoring him again or something. She seemed to be in deep thought about something, but he couldn't figure out what.

It couldn't hurt to call. Arnold thought, clicked on her name and put the phone to his ear. It rang a couple of times before she picked up. "Hey, Lila. Uh, what are you doing?"

"Hi, Arnold! I'm actually at the cinema right now." Lila said in a somehow nervous voice, but it still sounded sweet.

"Oh, what are you gonna see?"

"This new movie about a puppy that finds its way home. It looks ever so adorable." She bellowed happily.

Arnold snickered. That was typical Lila; it didn't matter how old she got, she would always prefer children movies and not just children movies, but toddler movies. "Who are you with?"

"Who I'm… Oh, um, I, uh - - " Lila stuttered nervously, but was interrupted by a male voice that called her darling and said it was time to get inside.

Arnold frowned. "Was that Stinky…?" he asked. He could recognize that southern accent anywhere.

"Oh, um… yes. He, uh.. invited me." Lila answered.

"Oh… I-I shouldn't disturb you then." Arnold said, shutting his eyes tight and biting on his lip.

"No, wait, Arnold." Lila said hopefully. "It's not what you think. I - - "

Arnold hung up before Lila could say anymore. She did it again. As soon as he thought they were going somewhere, she would get off track and still expect him to be waiting for her on the opposite road. He hated it, he really did; so why did he keep falling for it?

With a grunt, Arnold stood up from his bed and marched out of his room. He was planning to visit his grandparents so he could think of something else, but figured he should tell Helga first. He was about to knock on her door when he heard a sound from inside her room. He tilted his head curiously and leaned his ear against it. It sounded like a soft riff from a guitar, but that just confused him more.

"Helga?" Arnold asked softly and pulled the handle down.

"Don't come in without knocking!" Helga hissed, but he had already seen what she was about to hide. She was sitting crisscross on her bed with a guitar in her arms. She groaned and looked away. "What is it?"

Arnold stared at the instrument in her arms. "I didn't know you played guitar." He said and closed the door behind him.

Helga sighed heavily. "That's because no one does, except Bob, Miriam and Olga." She said and looked at the white guitar. "My parents insisted I should play an instrument. They suggested violin and piano and pansy-ass instruments like that. I told them if they wanted me to play something, it would either be drums or guitar. So… here I am."

Arnold watched as Helga's fingers trickled over the strings experimentally. "I like it." He said in a smile, but it faded when he remembered his conversation with Lila.

Helga noticed straight away. "What's wrong?"

Arnold looked at her in surprise; he hadn't expected her to notice. "Oh, uh, I, just, um… I just talked with Lila, that's all."

"About?" Helga probed and put her guitar on her pillow, signaling that he had her full attention now.

Arnold looked down at the carpet awkwardly. He wasn't in the mood to talk about it at all, but he was in the mood to talk with Helga so if this got her willing, he wasn't going to let the chance pass. "Lila and I are… well, we are sorta, um…" he explained and looked around as if the room could give him a clue how to describe it.

"Together…?" Helga tried, but Arnold shook his head instantly.

"No, we never got that far. It's more like… everyone is expecting us to get together at some point because… well, we are a lot alike and we like a lot of the same things and… I've kinda liked her for a while."

"Then why aren't you together?" Helga asked while Arnold sat down next to her on the bed.

"It's a little complicated, but… Lila can't seem to make up her mind." He explained.

Helga hummed in realization. "She's indecisive? One moment she wants to be with you, but you don't really want to and when you want to, she doesn't want to?" she asked.

"That's it! That's exactly it!" Arnold said in frustration and pulled on his hair. "Why can't she make up her mind? It's like one second she likes me, the next it's like - - "

"She likes you, but doesn't like you like you?" Helga asked.

Arnold's face fell into a despair. "Yes…" he answered and looked at the floor. He could feel Helga's eyes on him; they were big in surprise. Arnold figured he must have made a really sad face because she suddenly put her hand on his head and pulled him to her until his cheek was on her shoulder and her jaw was at the top of his head.

She patted his head gently. "Don't make that face please…" she pleaded in a serious tone, but then she added playfully: "Or else I might kiss you again."

Arnold pulled back, staring at Helga in surprised eyes and with reddened cheeks. She snickered at him and rubbed her shoulder at him. "I'm kidding! Relax already." She said in a laugh and grabbed her guitar. "You were making such a miserable face; I had to loosen you up somehow."

Arnold smiled, but couldn't help but notice that he was disappointed. Why was he disappointed? Did he really want a kiss from Helga that badly? No, that was ridiculous; she was his stepsister! A kiss from your stepsister didn't mean anything, at least not when it was on the cheek. And that was the kind of kiss she had been talking about… right?

"Want me to play you something?" Helga asked with a small smile.

Arnold nodded excitedly. "So, am I the only one who has ever heard you play?"

"Well, you and my teacher, but yes…" Helga answered and readjusted the guitar in her grip before she started playing. Arnold listened to the melody, trying to recognize it.

When he did, his eyes widened. "Isn't that the melody you were humming this morning in school?" he asked.

Helga snickered. "Yeah. Sorry for getting defensive there. I just didn't want you to know about the guitar playing, but…" she said and shrugged, still playing softly on the guitar.

Arnold rocked his head from side to side. "I like it. What song is it?"

"Oh, uh, I don't know. Um… it's kinda something I've made up myself so…"

"You made this? It's really good."

"Yeah?"

"You should keep working on it. I think it could get really good once you've gotten a full-blown song out of it."

Helga hummed thoughtfully and then smiled. "Sure. Why not? I have no idea what the song will be about though, I only have a melody so far." She said.

"You have to start somewhere." Arnold said and Helga nodded. "Hey, uh… I actually play the mouth harmonica."

"Really?" Helga asked with a grin.

"Yeah… would you like to, um… jam with me or something?" Arnold asked, scratching his head shyly. Helga snickered and then nodded. "Cool. I'll go get it then." He said and jumped off her bed. When he came back and they started playing together, Arnold forgot all about Lila and how bad he had been feeling a mere moment ago. Helga was good for him, he knew that. He just didn't know for how long.

Author's 2nd note: Ok! First things first: Everything should be credited as it should be because, damn, I was definitely inspired by something else when I wrote that scene with Arnold seeing Helga in her bra xD I've never watched "The Nanny" a lot, but around Christmas there were specials and I saw this flashback clip and I wrote it down instantly because I just had to try and recreate the scene in this story x3

I am sorry to say that perhaps my perfect streak with one chapter a day might be broken with this chapter because tomorrow I won't have time to write xD I'm having a friend over who should actually have been here this Saturday, but for some reason Denmark has become a very stormy place this year so it wasn't really safe to go outside O.o