Ok, so this is chapter two, an for those of you who decided to read this far: Thank You! I can only assume that means you like it!

Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Hey Arnold!, Craig Bartlett does. If I did, I would be writing scripts, not fan fiction.

Note: Phoebe speaks Japanese in this chapter (Konichiwa). This translates loosely to "Good afternoon" or "Good day".

Chapter 2

A few days later Helga was still replaying the whole beach incident. Although the part about kissing Arnold still made her both cringe and sigh, the rest of the day had been pretty good. She still couldn't believe he'd invited her over for dinner.

However, they hadn't discussed what day, and Helga certainly wasn't going to just up and call the boarding house! So instead she spent the days willing the phone to ring.

And today was no different; after breakfast Helga lay sprawled on her back, laying on her bed, staring at the phone.

"Criminy! Why won't he call? I'd say that he didn't mean the invite seriously, but Arnold's not the type to invite someone somewhere and then just forget about the whole thing. He's probably just busy. And I'm a head case" she sighed.

Helga rolled onto her stomach and pulled a small pink book and pen from under her mattress and proceeded to start the beginnings of yet another poem. But just as she was setting her pen to the paper, the phone rang. A small shriek escaped Helga.

"Could...could it be? Arnold?" she whispered his name, afraid to jinx it. Her heart was pounding like a thunder storm, and with a shaking hand she lifted the phone from it's base.

"H-hello? Um, Pataki residence" 'Geez, where did that come from?' As if she actually answered the phone like that!

But Helga immediately snapped to attention when a familiar voice met her ears.

"Um, hi. Helga? It's...it's Arnold" came his slightly cautious voice, "H-how are you?"

Helga nearly exploded as one of her smaller fantasies actually came true. 'Arnold is CALLING me! Of his own free will! Ok, chill Helga. Whatever you do, do NOT act like a crazy, lovesick fool. Just be normal. But try to be nice. You can do this Helga!'

"Um, hi Arnold. I'm alright, how about you?" 'There, that was good' she thought.

"I'm pretty good, thanks. So, uh, you're probably wondering why I called, huh?"

"I am a bit curious, Football Head, seeing as you almost never call me. So, what can Helga G. Pataki do for you?"

She could almost hear the blush in his voice when he spoke,

"Well, um, I was just wondering...I mean, like I said at the beach...well...Helga, would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow night?" he finally finished. Helga immediately felt her world spin in joyous circles. She almost spun in circles herself! 'Arnold just asked me to dinner!' she thought happily. Before she could go full on monologue though, she mentally smacked herself and turned her attention back to the conversation at hand, and replied

"Um, sure. Sounds fun! So, is this a formal occasion? Should I be searching for a dress as we speak?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice...and a little seriousness. She wasn't sure at all what to wear to dinner at ARNOLD'S HOUSE.

"No", Arnold said with a small laugh, "It's not formal. Just wear whatever you want, Helga."

"Oh, um, ok. Thanks Arnold." 'Great. Not exactly helpful, Football Head.' Helga inwardly griped, 'I'll have to call Phoebe ASAP!'

"No problem Helga."

A pause stretched between them for a minute, until Arnold said

"So, um, see you around five tomorrow Helga?"

"Sounds good Arnold."

Another pause stretched between them. It seemed like eons before Arnold finally said something.

"Um...well, I guess I should go help my Grandpa with some chores. So, I'll, uh, see you tomorrow?"

"That's the plan I guess."

"Ok, well, uh, bye Helga."

"Bye Arnold."

Helga hung up the phone and groaned,

"Criminy! I sounded like an IDIOT! And he still asked me over?" Then the entirety of the situation hit Helga again.

"Arnold...asked me...to dinner...at his HOUSE!" Helga immediately grabbed the phone again and dialed Phoebe's number at lightning speed.

"Konichiwa, Heyerdahl residence." chirped Phoebe.

"Phoebe! I need your help immediately!" Helga practically yelled into the phone.

"Helga? Is that you?"

"Yes it's me, Phoebe, and I'm having a crisis!"

"Ok Helga, first, please stop yelling. Second, try to calm down. What is your crisis?" Helga lowered her voice back to a normal level before continuing,

"You're not going to believe this, Phoebe, but ARNOLD asked me to have dinner AT HIS HOUSE TOMORROWNIGHT!" Helga unconsciously raised her voice and emphasis with every word, until she was practically yelling again.

"Oh Helga, that's wonderful! But...I'm afraid I do not see your crisis. How is this bad?"

"This itself isn't bad, Pheebs, but my problem is..." She paused for a moment as the true girliness of what she was about to say made her cringe a little; she sounded like...well frankly she sounded like Olga.

"...I have no idea what to wear." She finished with a sigh.

"Oh Helga, I'm sure Arnold doesn't care what you wear! Just wear something that you're comfortable in."

"Phoebe," Helga said slowly, trying not to be too upset with her best friend's lack of understanding at the sheer magnitude of what she had just said, "Sure Arnold probably doesn't care, but it's the first time I'm going to really be alone with him and his family, and I want to make a good impression. I can't just wear my normal everyday outfit; it has to be something...special, you know?"

"Well," Phoebe said after a moment of thought, "What if you wore that outfit from Valentine's Day a few years ago? That was awfully nice, and you've never worn it since." "That's because if I wear it around Arnold he's BOUND to recognize me as Cecil, and then he'll start asking questions that I'm not ready to answer yet!"

"Well..." Phoebe thought some more; Helga did have a point after all, "What if you just wore one of the pieces from that outfit? like just the shirt or skirt?"

Helga thought for a moment; would Arnold recognize even that? 'Nah, Hair Boy's too dense to recognize just one piece, right? Yeah, of course. That'll work!'

"Thanks Phoebe, you're a genius!"

"Arigato Helga. So, um, if you don't mind my asking...how did the Babe Watch filming go?"

"Oh Phoebe it was wonderful! And the best part was..." Helga had to take a deep breath before saying the next part aloud for the first time since it happened, "...I kissed Arnold!" She resisted the urge to dissolve into giggles and squeals of happiness.

"Oh Helga, that's great! And, um, did Arnold appear to...reciprocate the gesture?"

"That's the best part; It was part of the script! So technically, I had to; there was no reason for him to question anything! Well, except for the part where I kinda...prolonged the kiss. A lot."

"Oh, and how did Arnold react to you doing so?" Phoebe asked in a calm voice, knowing very well that Helga was bound to get quite overexcited if she did not.

"Well, I kind of ran off after that, and he did try to ask me something while I was getting my bag, but I cut him off before he could really say anything, although that might have been about inner. Anyway, he hasn't brought it up since."

"Ok, well, I think it's safe to say that Arnold will not bring it up, at least not soon. He probably sensed that you were uncomfortable with the topic, and I'm sure he will respect that. Arnold is generally quite understanding."

"You're right, Pheebs, just like always. I'm just making myself crazier than I already am, aren't I?"

"Oh Helga, you aren't crazy. You just have very strong feelings, and you are expressing them in the only way you know how."

"Phoebe, have you been talking to Dr. Bliss? Because I swear she said something just like that to me not too long ago."

"She is a very smart woman, Helga, and you are very smart yourself. I'm sure whatever happens you will do what is best."

"Thanks Pheebs. Well, I should go figure out what I'm wearing tomorrow. After all, I'm probably going to change my mind at least three times." Helga said with a small laugh.

"Alright, Helga. If you need anymore help I'd be happy to offer my assistance, however at two I have a fencing lesson, so I will not be available for that hour."

"Ok, thanks again. Have fun at fencing!"

"You're welcome Helga. I'll talk to you later."

Helga hung up the phone and headed to her closet, already mulling over the options. 'Hmm...Phoebe has a good point with the Cecil outfit; it's something sort of new, and if I just wear one part of it Arnold probably won't notice that it's the same as Cecil's. I just wish I had that other shoe! Oh well, let's get to this." She slowly combed through her closet, starting at the front. She dismissed all of her school clothes immediately, and pushed farther towards the back. Finally she found the Cecil outfit way in the back, next to the costume from Romeo & Juliet.

'Hmm...shirt or skirt?' Helga wondered. 'On the one hand, I could wear the skirt, but I think the only thing I have to go with it is white shirts. Or this shirt, but that's not an option. Maybe I could raid Olga's closet full of stuff she left behind. Anyway, on the other hand, if I wear the shirt, again, all I have is jeans so I'd either have to "borrow" from Olga or veto that idea'.

Suddenly something occurred to her: the shirt was long sleeved.

"I'd melt!" she said aloud. 'Well, I guess that means I'm wearing the skirt. Oh Olgaaa! May I borrow something from your closet? I may? Why thank you!' Helga chuckled as she made her way down the hall to her sister's old room.

Although Olga no longer lived at home, her room was still as pink and frilly as it always was. Opening Olga's closet Helga was practically smacked in the face with lace and frills.

"Ugh! Is there even anything wearable in here?" she muttered as she began pawing her way through the closet.

"No...no...no..." she mumbled as she pushed piece after piece of ugly clothing further down the closet bar.

"No...no...n-" she stopped short at a simple white blouse with slightly ruffled sleeves. It had a pink ribbon woven through the neckline that perfectly matched the pink in the skirt.

"Hello perfect! This is just what I needed! Who knew Olga could actually have decent clothes in here?"

Helga ran back to her room and laid the skirt and shirt out on her bed.

"Ok, so I've got this much, but it seems...plain. It needs something..." She ran back to Olga's room and this time started sorting through her jewelry box. She didn't want anything big and gaudy looking, which was pretty much everything in there. Just something simple to add to the outfit.

After a few minutes of searching through the mess of accessories, Helga found a small silver necklace with a shooting star pendant. It was small, about a half an inch long, and was inscribed with the word "Dream".

"Wow. This is beautiful; it's so simple, but it's...it's really pretty." Helga said softly, "And I am quite the dreamer, aren't I?" She smiled and closed the jewelry box, then clasped the necklace around her neck. Well, she tried, but it wasn't working quite the way she had planed.

"Darn clasp! Even the latch on my Arnold locket isn't this hard!"

Finally she gave up and just brought it back to her room. She laid the necklace on top of the shirt, then eyed the whole outfit critically.

"Hmm...it still...needs...oh! I know!" Helga exclaimed, and proceeded to run to her own closet this time.

"They're here somewhere...I know they're in here...they have to be! Hmm...AHA!" She triumphantly raised the pair of white stockings above her head. They were left over from the time she impersonated a Campfire Lass (and what a nightmare THAT was). She laid them on the end of her bed, under the skirt, and finished the outfit off with a pair of pink shoes.

"Perfect! Watch out, Arnold, here comes Helga!" she giggled. Careful not to wrinkle anything, Helga gathered the outfit in her arms and hung it up in her closet. She set the shoes under it with the socks folded next to them and hung the necklace on the shirt hanger. Satisfied with her work she was about to go back to the writing that she had started earlier, when a thought came to her. Just having the perfect outfit wouldn't be enough; it needed something special to make absolutely sure she didn't ruin the night, and her once-in-a-lifetime chance to show Arnold that she really could be nice.

Helga ran down stairs while pulling on her shoes; there was no time to waste!