Yay! Very special thanks to my beta Jeni27, who was fabulous enough to go check over my work and correct the typos I am so famous for having...
Special thanks to everyone else who has stuck through the story with me as well. It's been fun fun fun.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold. Awww...
I was jolted awake by the sound of my alarm, my eyelids blinking rapidly as I tried to register why something felt off about the situation. Why was I not in my bed? I couldn't get to my alarm clock from way over here on the couch. Why was I on the couch again? Oh yeah…that's right…Helga had come over and-HELGA!
I immediately looked down to find Helga fast asleep on my shoulder, my arm pinned against the couch. The events of the night before were now rapidly clicking into place in my head as I tried to keep myself calm. Okay, so apparently Helga and I had slept together on my couch. But not like, slept together, we just happened to both fall asleep on my couch at the same time and shared the vicinity making us together without having been together. I shook my head, confused. I was surprised she wasn't budging despite the excessive noise my alarm was making, so I opted for trying to wiggle my arm out from under her head. My only response was her mumbling my name before trying to burrow down in my arm again.
"Helga," I whispered, moving my arm with the hope to jostle her awake. She didn't budge. "Helga!" I repeated, this time much louder as I resorted to yanking my arm completely out from under her head. Her eyes fluttered open as she tumbled forward.
"Criminy, can't a girl get some sleep….around here?" her voice trailed off as she peered around my room. She immediately jumped up from the couch, staring at me with wide eyes. "I fell asleep?"
"Yeah, we both did," I explained, trying to stretch out the pain in my arm. It had resulted to a tingling sensation at this point. My alarm clock was still going at it, so I made myself get up from the couch to turn it off. Helga was still peering around my room in a daze.
"I slept in your room?" she said in a dreamy voice.
"Uh, yeah?" I checked the time on my clock, glad to see I hadn't overslept. It was only 7:15. We'd make it.
"I have to go home!" she suddenly blurted, running to the window she'd come in the night before. I darted over to block her way before she could leave.
"Why?" I asked, suddenly feeling some protective instinct inside of me flare at the thought of her going back to that place, even for a moment. "We have school soon, just leave from here."
"I have to get dressed, I can't wear the same clothes I had on yesterday when I left the beach," she hissed, stomping her foot. "Now move out of the way, Arnoldo, or I'll have to make you."
"So borrow something of mine!" I countered, giving her a look as serious as she was giving me. There was no way I was letting her out of this house unless it was to head to school. I watched as she seemed to consider the idea for a moment.
"You're bigger than me. Plus, I can't wear the same jeans," she rebutted.
"I can find you a small enough shirt, I'm sure. And who cares about jeans? This'll be my third day wearing this same pair of jeans!" She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I'm going to change them," I assured her, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Just agree to stay."
She sighed heavily, covering her face with her hand. "Fine, whatever. Just hurry it up."
"On it!" I dashed over to my closest, throwing it open. I had to have a small shirt in here somewhere, right? I sifted through hangers, not having any luck until I got the section of clothes I never touched anymore. On second thought, it would have made sense to start there. I pulled out my baseball t-shirt from freshmen year, the black one with "Hillwood Hawks" on the front in blocky letters and my name and number on the back. "Try this on," I instructed, pulling it off the hanger and tossing it to her.
"I can't wear this!" she whined, holding it up. "It has your name on the back!"
"So what?" I said with a shrug. I didn't see the big deal.
"What are people going to say when they see me, Helga Pataki, wearing your shirt," she explained, eyeing me skeptically.
"Um, they'll say, 'Look. There goes Helga wearing a shirt?'" I said, shrugging as I pulled out clothes for me to wear as well. I closed the door, rolling my eyes. "Just put it on. If you're so scared of having people see my name on the back, I'll loan you a jacket."
"No, I'll just wear the shirt!" She stood awkwardly for a moment as I removed my shirt from the day before.
"What?" I said slowly as I went to my dresser to pull out an undershirt. "What's wrong now?"
"I can't change in here! And you better not plan on getting down to your boxers-briefs-whatever, when I'm in here!" she hissed.
Oh yeah. Shoot, I forgot. I pointed to my door. "The bathrooms down the stairs on the right, but keep in mind it's communal. I can't promise you it's not taken." Her eyes shot daggers at me, telling me I better have a plan B and fast. I sighed. "Fine, come on then. Maybe Grandpa will let you use his so called secret bathroom downstairs. Grab my paper off the printer, would you? And the book is over there," I said, grabbing up my own clothes and my backpack from beside the door. She did as I asked, and I opened the door, peering down the stairs to make sure the coast was clear.
"Here, give this to Lila," she said, thrusting the book and papers into my hands.
"Why, I got it for you?" I replied, confused.
"You're trying to woo her here, not me," she said darkly. I flushed, shoving the paper and the book down in my backpack. We treaded down the stairs quietly, though why, I wasn't sure. It just seemed like the way to handle the situation of smuggling a girl down the stairs at 7:30 in the morning. I paused by the bathroom for a moment, but I could hear the sound of Ernie singing some Dino Spumoni as he showered. "Let's keep moving." We proceeded on down the hall, heading down the second flight of stairs much as we had the first.
"Morning Tex!" grandma called as I passed by the kitchen. I turned to see her decked out in her cowboy hat, flipping pancakes at the stove. "Come on in and sit down at the table and tuck in. You've got a full day at the ranch ahead, so best come get your vittles while they're hot!" She added a stack to one of the plates, dinging her bell with her spatula. "And bring ol' Eleanor in with you! Nice to see you Eleanor!" Helga gave a tiny wave in reply, looking embarrassed.
"Be back in just a bit, grandma. Eleanor – I mean Helga- needs to use the bathroom."
"Ol' Phil's in the outhouse, but shake 'im out and send 'im on up!"
I nodded, leading Helga back to the staircase in order to access the so called 'secret staircase' that led down. After Gerald and I had accidentally exposed the secret all those years ago, grandpa had changed the locks on the door as so he could be the only one to use it.
"Why would there be a bathroom all the way down here?" Helga grumbled as we headed down the dark stairs. She swatted a spider web from her face.
"Because… You know, I really don't have an explanation for that." I paused at the door of the bathroom before knocking on it sharply. "Grandpa, it's me! Grandma say go upstairs an eat pancakes! Also, I need to use your bathroom to get ready for school, Ernie's upstairs."
"Can't get any peace and quiet around here, I-what's this?" he grumbled, throwing open the door. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Helga. "You haven't been living in the basement, have you? Shortman, you know you got a girl following you? Don't make me get my mop!"
"Grandpa, no, this is my friend Helga from school. She just needs to get dressed."
"Oh. I see. You two clean up any mess you make down here now," he said with a laugh. I didn't like the implication of the laugh as he headed up the stairs, but I kept it to myself.
"Wow. Nice bathroom," she said in awe, slamming the door in my face. I rolled my eyes, feeling no shame as I finished stripping down in the empty basement, buttoning my shirt and sitting on the stairs to lace my shoes. I easily finished getting ready in no time, leaning back on the stairs. I could feel my stomach grumble in hunger, but it would have been rude to go upstairs and leave Helga all alone. So I hummed lightly to myself, waiting.
"Okay, so I'll just walk you home, okay? And by home, I mean my place," I reiterated to Helga as we made our way up the front steps of the school. She frowned, narrowing her eyes as she turned to look at me.
"I heard you the first three times you said that," she sighed, rolling her eyes at me. "Just relax. Now move it football head, I gotta head to the library and print off my paper." She pushed me out of the way, weaving around other students as she disappeared down the hallway. I exhaled loudly through my nose as I worked the combination to my locker. I suddenly felt a strange prickling sensation on the back of my neck, turning to find Gerald staring at me intensely.
"What?" I finally asked, starting to feel my face grow warm for unknown reasons as he continued to stare at me with his guilt seeking heat vision.
"What's going on?" he asked, casually moving to his locker next to mine. "And don't say 'nothing', because that's a dead on lie. Helga isn't wearing you shirt for no reason," he said, slamming the locker shut and crossing his arms.
"So what? She needed a shirt, and I didn't have anything smaller to give her," I said coolly, trying to not look like I was as nervous as I felt talking about this situation.
"Why would she need your shirt?"
"Because…because she just did," I fumbled, suddenly experiencing severe butterfingers syndrome, dropping my binder on the floor. I crouched down, trying to collect my papers as they scattered across the floor. I reached out to grab my paper for Mr. Simmons's class when a shiny black high heel slammed down on it. I jerked my hand back, looking up to find Rhonda glaring down at me darkly.
"You'll never guess who I saw in the library….and wearing your baseball shirt, nonetheless," she said coldly.
I swallowed loudly, finally realizing why Helga had been so against the idea earlier. Girls really did try and over-analyze everything. "I know who you saw, and it's not what you think. Would you please get off my paper?" I said with surprising coolness. I reached out to place my hand on the paper, but her shoe pulled back, taking my paper with it. I groaned.
"Are you sure it's not exactly what I think?" she said, matching my tone. She lifted her foot from my paper, and I quickly place it back in my binder as I stood up. I was taller than Rhonda even with her heels on, but her gaze was managing to make me feel less than a foot tall. "Cause I think you're trying to be a skeeze and dangle two girls at once. And two complete opposites at that. Like I don't know what you're trying to do with Lila."
"Excuse me?" I heard Gerald throw in from beside me. "Arnold wouldn't do that, and you know it Rhonda."
"All I know it what I see. Which is you trying to get back in Lila's good graces because, let's face it, we all still know you're crazy about her," she said in a matter of fact tone, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. "But I also hear from little birds that Helga and you have been in a rather friendly state the past few weeks, and here she is, showing up wearing your shirt. And don't think I don't know she was wearing those jeans yesterday." She narrowed her eyes, looking smug.
"Rhonda, it's not what you're thinking. Helga…Helga and I have nothing going on. And even if we did, what goes on between Helga and me, as well as between Lila and me, is our business. And I'd like for you to respect that," I said with a frown. "I have to get to class." I pushed my locker shut, keeping my gaze down as I pushed my way through the throng of students. I kept my gaze focused on the desk until Gerald took his seat beside me.
"So. You ready for the math test tomorrow? I hate math," I heard him say airily, opening his math book and pulling out the review sheet we'd been working on last Friday.
"So she accidentally fell asleep on my couch last night. I gave her a shirt to wear this morning. Nothing's going on between us," I blurted, cradling my face in my hands.
"Man, look, I believe you. I'm just saying, be careful about how much time you spend with Helga. That's big gossip around these parts, and fueling the fire won't help when it comes to Lila."
I nodded, sighing as I leaned back in my chair. This was getting a bit more complicated than I thought. And I'd already thought it was pretty complicated. I opened my eyes as I heard Lila's voice.
"You look ever so tired," she said, frowning as she paused at my desk. She was wearing a knee length forest green skirt, her white fitted shirt showing all the right curves. I was thankful I was sitting down.
"Just a bit, yeah," I admitted, smiling like a fool as she looked at me with concern.
"Well I hope you get to feeling better. I think you should rest when you get home. You'll feel oh so much better," she said sweetly with a smile. I smiled in return as she made her way to her seat across the room. Today would work itself out. I just needed to look on the bright side.
"You should have just worn the jacket if you were going to yell at me!" I finally snapped, throwing my hands up as I sat down heavily on the bench outside in the courtyard. Helga slammed her tray down on the table in front of me, frowning.
"Why did you have to go blabbing to people about what happened!?" she growled, stabbing her fork down in the baked potato on her plate.
"I didn't blab to anyone! Rhonda came to me about it! I told her we were just friends, geeze. I don't see why it's a big deal," I groaned. I popped the top of my soda, nursing it with a sour expression. "It's nothing against you anyway. I'm the one that's apparently a 'skeeze.'" I added airquotes for emphasis.
"But people are whispering that I'm an imaginary home wrecker now, turning you to the dark side. Look at me, Helga the home wrecker." She ripped her fork through the potato on her tray harshly.
"Turn the shirt inside out or something."
"If you had just let me go home-"
"Why would I let you go home after you came over last night in tears about, let's see, being at home?!" I glared across the table at her, and she matched my gaze with equal intensity. Most of the students ate in the cafeteria, leaving the tiny courtyard tables to the so called delinquents. Unlike the others in the cafeteria, these students could care less about our personal matters. The moment I'd walked in, the whispers began in a wave, rising to a dull roar when Helga entered from across the room. She made the entire situation worse by descending on me in a rage and dragging me out the door by my sleeve. Gerald had attempted to join us, but she refused to let him sit at the table. This was cutting into my Lila time.
"Because you don't own me! I don't have to listen to you!"
"I never said you had to! But there's no reason to walk into danger," I rebutted, poking at my food. I'd lost my appetite.
"You seem to think this is something that happens all the time. It's not, okay? It's maybe once in a blue moon. I was under the impression I could talk to you about things without you getting your panties in a twist, football head, but I guess I was wrong."
"You know Helga, you don't have to be rude about this. I was just trying to help. I was trying to help by giving you a shirt. And I've been constantly battling off rumors for you all day, and-"
"Oh you weren't fighting them for me," she said with a snort. "You were fighting for you. You don't want to tarnish your squeaky clean reputation by being seen with me in public or something, I guess. You could stand up for me and tell people we're friends, but you don't. You're so afraid people will stop liking you once you stop trying to say and do what they expect from you. And one day, it's going to get really old and you're going to get really tired of it. And when that happens, you won't have anyone to go to about it because no one will know the actual you. And you won't have anyone to blame but yourself." And with that said, she jerked her tray up, stomping off to leave me sitting by myself.