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

They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.

Title: "Blackmail toy"

In the last chapter of "Blackmail toy": After their fight in the cafeteria, Helga and Arnold went to clean up in the school's toilets. While doing that, they got to talk about the recent events and the air was cleared between them. Besides a small embarrassing moment including a wet shirt and an attempt at teasing each other, Arnold was also just about to confess his feelings to Helga, when no one else but his own cousin interrupted.

Despite Aaron's effort at just backing away, the damage had already been done and the moment was ruined. But at least Arnold now knew that he was ready to tell Helga his feelings… Eventually.

Author's 1st note: So, we're getting closer to Aaron's first "blackmail mission" to Helga. Without spoiling it too much, the first one will mainly just piss her off rather than anything else. I would like to hear, if you have made any thoughts about what you think Aaron will ask of Helga during this? He won't ask her just one thing, it will be a few things here and there ;) Well "few" xD

Chapter 6: "Maybe I am a jinx"

As soon as Helga was outside, she smacked her palm flat against her face. It gave a loud sound through the empty hallway. "… Ow…" she mumbled against her hand and let it slide down and fall to her hip.

"So, I suppose that means I interrupted something?"

"You bet your sweet ass, you did!" Helga answered and looked towards Aaron, who was just standing next to her with his hands down his pockets. "So, you think my ass is sweet?" he asked with a smug smile.

Helga would usually have bitch slapped a guy for asking her something like that, but she was too disappointed to even care. "What do you want, bucko?" she asked and started walking past him. Aaron walked a few steps behind her. "Whoa, just 'bucko'? Was it that bad?"

"… More like that good…" Helga mumbled under her breath and sighed. Since her back was turned to Aaron, she couldn't see him making a just as uncomfortable facial expression as hers. "Sorry about that. I just wanted to know what the plan is?"

Helga stopped and turned around. "Plan?"

"Yeah. We were gonna meet up at 'Mighty Pete' as you called… whatever that place is, but I figured that today would be a no-go because of your detention?"

"Oh… yeah, that's… Wait, you're giving me a choice?" Helga asked in surprise. Aaron rolled his eyes. "Helga, dear, we have a whole month. Trust me, I'll make the best of it even if I miss a day or two."

Helga cringed at Aaron's reminder of him being able to torture her for a whole month. She sighed heavily and started scratching her head. "So, when do you have time to meet up?"

"I have all the time in the world, I don't exactly have any plans."

"Perfect! How about next year?" Helga asked with a big, dopey grin. Aaron smirked at her and shook his head. "Within this month, Helga."

Helga sighed yet again, not noticing who had emerged into the hallway. "Tomorrow is Saturday… Can we at least do this next week?" she asked. Aaron, who also didn't notice that they weren't alone anymore, crossed his arms and gave a pensive look. "I guess I don't mind that… Gives me more time to think of ways to torture you anyways."

"… I'm gonna regret requesting that, aren't I?"

"Well, it's too late to take it back now."

"Ugh, fine… We'll go to Mighty Pete together at Monday after school."

"It's a date then."

"It's not a date!" Helga immediately yelled. Aaron blinked at her outburst, while she turned around to walk away. He heard a snicker behind him and turned around. "Got rejected, Aaron?" Arnold asked with a small smirk. He hadn't meant to laugh at him, but Helga's way of handling things was just so… well, typical Helga.

Aaron just smirked back. "Rejected? Oh, not quite." He answered and turned his head around to Helga again, who was still just strolling down the hallway. He lifted his hand to his mouth to yell. "So, we're going out Monday, right?"

Helga lifted her arm and waved in a dismissive, yet affirmative way. "Yeah, yeah, whatever floats your boat!" she answered and turned around the corner. Aaron smirked again and spun to look back at Arnold, who seemed a little baffled. "See? We are meeting up outside school. Now, how is that being rejected?"

Arnold felt like frowning at Aaron and was just about to, when Aaron started walking in the same direction of Helga. "We should go to class, right?" he asked, but didn't wait for an answer. Arnold just kept standing there with his own thoughts.

Helga didn't… lie to me, did she? She is meeting up with him after school Monday. Why? To do what? What if Helga - Arnold immediately shook his head. No! Stop it, Arnold! Helga told you not to believe Aaron or her when they are talking about each other, so that's what you're gonna do! Besides, she didn't exactly seem excited for whatever they're going to do.

He started running to catch up with Aaron. But what's going on, Helga? Is Aaron really forcing you to do this? And why are you just putting up with it? I hope you're not in trouble…

"Not in trouble, my ass…" Arnold mumbled to himself, when he went through his earlier thoughts. He was standing with a mop in his hands and was currently swiping the cafeteria floor beneath him. We're both in trouble. He thought with a sigh. Cleaning this place and then detention. Just because I had to get jealous. Am I really such a controlling guy? It wasn't nearly this bad with Lila… Then again, Helga isn't Lila.

Arnold started smirking. Oh, yes, Helga definitely wasn't Lila. Not only were they practically opposites, his former feelings for Lila also couldn't compare to his feelings for Helga. While Lila was in a way a female version of himself when it came to manners, kindness and interests, then Helga was more… his yin to his yang.

They brought out the best and the worst in each other, but most importantly, he felt like he didn't have to hold back around her. He could get as pissed as he could, and she would still forgive him later, because she would have been just as mad. He didn't have to be a saint around her all the time, and she didn't have to put up a front around him.

Arnold truly believed that Helga was mostly honest with him. And she really was. When no one else was around, her walls shattered almost completely and that was when he loved her the most. When she was 100 % herself.

Arnold knew her bad mouth, her nicknames and her rude comments also were Helga being herself. She was the best of both worlds. She didn't take lip from anyone, but she could also sweet talk her way out of pretty much anything. She was manipulative and cunning, but also feminine and romantic. Not that he'd ever seen her more romantic side, but there was no way that any of those pink books were filled with hateful words.

"Hey, football head! Heads up!"

"Huh?" Arnold mumbled and turned his head around only to be met with a rag to his face. He gasped a little in surprise and started removing it. "Stop daydreaming and help me out here! This is mostly your fault to begin with!" Helga yelled at him and continued mopping the floor.

"Sorry, Helga." Arnold said and put the rag onto the table. He didn't even know where she'd gotten that from. All they had were mops and buckets filled with warm water and soap in them.

Arnold did start mopping, but couldn't help but sneak a peak at Helga from time to time. She switched between mopping furiously to moving her head in some sort of beat in her own head. She seemed to be mumbling some words too.

Arnold couldn't contain his curiosity anymore. "Got a song on your brain?" he asked. Helga almost dropped the mop in her hands in pure shock at being talked to all of a sudden. "Jesus, Arnold, don't do that!" she answered and held a hand to her heart. The image of her pink bra beneath it immediately came to Arnold's mind, but he shook it off as fast as he could. "Sorry… So? Am I right?"

"Oh, uh… yeah, you caught me. I do sorta have a song on my mind."

"Care to share?"

"I don't think you know it, football head."

"Then sing it to me."

"What!?" Helga shrieked and turned to look at Arnold who just smiled innocently at her. He shrugged. "Why not?" he asked. "Well… I'm not exactly much of a singer, Arnoldo." She answered and started resting her chin on the top of her mop.

"Don't lie to me, Helga, we performed together with the rest of the class at the Spring Concert. I know you can sing."

"Uh… f-fine then. I have it stuck on my brain like gum under my shoe anyways. Maybe it can help me get it out or something…" Helga mumbled and sneaked a glance towards Arnold. He just smiled expectantly. He frowned immediately though, as soon as Helga sang the first line.

"I hate the world today… You're so good to me, I know, but I can't change… Tried to tell you, but you look at me like maybe I'm an angel underneath… Innocent and sweet."

Arnold forgot everything about the floor and just kept staring at Helga, as she started to mop the floor, matching the beat of the song. "Yesterday, I cried. You must have been relieved to see the softer side. I can understand how you'd be so confused. I don't envy you. I'm a little bit of everything. All rolled into one."

And then Arnold actually did recognize the song. 'Bitch' by Meredith Brooks. Why had he never thought of Helga while listening to that before?

"I'm a bitch, I'm a lover. I'm a child, I'm a mother. I'm a sinner, I'm a saint. I do not feel ashamed. I'm your Hell, I'm your dream. I'm nothing in-between. You know you wouldn't want it any other way." Helga finished singing at that and turned to look at Arnold questioningly. "So, you know it?"

Arnold just kept gawking at Helga at maybe for a few seconds to long. On the outside she'd seemed perfectly calm through the whole thing, but her head was screaming that it was getting too close and personal! After all, she couldn't help resembling herself to that song, so it felt rather personal to have Arnold hear her sing it.

Arnold seemed to get out of his own little world though, and then immediately nodded his head. That left Helga stunned. "R-Really? You know Meredith Brooks?"

"Sure, I know Meredith Brooks, Helga. Or, rather, I know that particular song."

"Yeah, me too. I have no clue what other songs that woman's made."

"… I really like it. In a way it's very… you." Arnold observed quietly. Helga felt a major warmth go through her. She wasn't sure why, but her heart seemed to have picked up it's beat. "O-Oh? And why is that, f-football head? Because the title of the song is 'bitch'?"

"What? No! M-More like… you have so many different sides to you, Helga, so… yeah, l-like that." Arnold explained after realizing his bad choice of words. Helga felt like fanning herself. So Arnold did know there was more to her? Good to know. Good to know. Helga thought in a fake, calming way. Steady, old girl…

Helga thought her heart had finally settled down, when she heard Arnold hum the song a bit. She watched him for a second before humming herself. They were in perfect synch, when Arnold couldn't help but mumble the next words. "Rest assured that when you start to make me nervous, and you're going to extremes."

Helga cocked an eyebrow. He's reversing the words, as if he's speaking to me… She thought and gulped a little before singing herself. "Tomorrow I will change - "

"And today won't mean a thing!" Helga and Arnold sang together and started smiling broadly. With that song on their lips and in their voices, they kept cleaning the floor. They even swung their mops a little to the beat, and Arnold had never thought he would be envious of a mop.

"Just when you think, you've got me figured out," Helga sang and swung her hips a little. "the season's already changing."

"I think it's cool. You do what you do." Arnold sang and swayed his hips in the same way in front of her. "And don't try to change me!" Helga finished the verse and lifted the mop above her head to twirl.

The two teens laughed wholeheartedly and started swing their mops a little wildly. "I'm a bitch, I'm a tease. I'm a goddess on my knees!" Helga started forgetting that she was supposed to hold back around other people. Especially Arnold! She could feel herself losing control as she always did in her room, when she listened to songs she loved.

Helga let go of her mop and bend one knee after the other, until she was sitting on the ground, matching her sung words perfectly. Arnold was surprised for about one second, but just like Helga, he was also slowly letting his guard down. If he could be crazy with anyone, then it should be Helga, right?

"When you're hurt, when you suffer, I'm your angel undercover!" Arnold sang and held his hand out to Helga, who started singing with him. "I've been numb, I've revived. Can't say I'm not alive." She took his hand and let him lift her up. "You know, I wouldn't want it any other way!"

Arnold couldn't help himself. He'd gotten so much into this little dance and singing routine they'd gotten into, that he started holding Helga in a typical dance position and started swaying with her to the inaudible beat in their heads.

Arnold and Helga started laughing hysterically. The whole thing seemed so ridiculous. Dancing to mute music in the middle of a cafeteria, when they were supposed to clean the floor. Helga even started laughing so much, that her forehead landed on Arnold's shoulder. She tried to stifle her laughter, but hearing him laugh, just made her laugh even more.

"What are we doing?!" Helga asked in incredulity. "I-I don't know!" Arnold asked, equally with a chuckling voice. She removed her forehead from his shoulder and straightened up to look at him. They both panted a little at their spontaneous dance.

Helga giggled a bit and then gently smacked the back of Arnold's head. "You're crazy." She observed and went over to take her mop. "Look who's talking!" He answered and bend down to take his own. "You make me crazy, Arnold." She answered honestly and pulled her mop up in an upright position.

"Oh, you hate me that much?" Arnold asked with a fake pout. Helga shook her head in amusement. "Nope, not a bit." She answered with a smile. Her honest response surprised him a bit, but mostly he just broke out into a lovesick grin. "Thank you. You too."

"Me too?"

"I don't hate you either."

"Anymore, you mean?"

"I never hated you, Helga."

"Why in the world not? I gave you every reason to!"

"Naw, you're not as bad, as you seem to think." Arnold answered and continued mopping the floor. Helga kept going back and forth between making a sarcastic remark… and blushing heavily. She ended up doing a mix of both. "Y-You're just saying that, because you're too much of a goody-two-shoes to ever really hate anyone."

Arnold shook his head with a smile on his lips and straightened up to look at Helga again. He noticed the faint tint on her cheeks and smiled even more. "No, Helga. I'm serious. Sure, you could be a pain, but you've also helped me even more than anyone I've ever known."

"How have I ever helped you, geek bait?"

"Did you miss the entire half year we were in San Lorenzo?" Arnold asked with a cocked eyebrow. Helga pulled her lips into her mouth at that reminder. "Well… so one good deed makes up for a bunch of bad ones?"

"That wasn't your only good deed in your whole life, Helga. Even if it was probably one of the bigger ones."

"You…" Helga started a little startled. Arnold turned to look at her again, and she coughed a little to clear her throat. "Y-You know of any other good deeds of mine?"

Helga could think of very few good deeds in her life. Mostly all of them was about Arnold one way or another. Most of them were supposed to be secret though, so she wasn't entirely sure how she wanted him to answer her. He didn't say anything though. He just smirked, winked flirtatiously at her and went to grab his bucket.

Helga felt her chest pop at that look Arnold had given her while winking. She'd seen those eyes once before. At a very sensual tango, despite being only 10 years old at the time. She felt her hot breath tickling her lips, and she tried desperately to throw away all her thoughts while containing herself.

"Dark Arnold" as Helga had named Arnold when he didn't behave as his usual innocent self, was someone who hunted her dreams in more ways than one. While she loved him for being her polar opposite and be as good as they got, she also felt a sort of tingling sensation at seeing him with a different side. A bad side. Maybe someone a little naughty even…

"Helga, are you alright?"

Helga yelped a little and felt her chest pop again. She automatically let go of her mop and it went to the floor with a thud. She straightened her back and did her best to look Arnold in the eyes. She quickly changed her mind though and started to look at the ground instead. "Huh? Wh-Why shouldn't I be?"

"Because your face is all red. Did you catch a fever while walking around in the wet clothes?" Arnold asked and walked closer to her. Before Helga could react, he put his hand to her forehead to feel for a fever. Typical! Helga screamed in her head. "Dark Arnold" comes out and then "Good Arnold" doesn't realize anything!

"Hmm, my own hands are a little clammy, so I'm not sure if you do have fever." Arnold observed and let go of Helga's forehead. "Well, t-too bad then, I guess. L-Let's just get back to work." She practically begged.

Arnold didn't do as Helga requested though. Instead, he let his mop rest against the table behind her, and let his forehead gently hit hers. "What are you doing?!" she shrieked but didn't move an inch. "Comparing our body temperatures." He explained and let his forehead touch hers a little more.

Helga closed her eyelids tight, as her heart went straight to her throat. How can he be this dense?! She thought angrily, but also gratefully. Arnold opened his eyes, about to say that she really did seem really hot, when he noticed her closed eyes. His own eyes went a little half lidded at the sight.

Arnold gulped a bit and let his lips get a little closer to hers. I really shouldn't… I told her, I'd just check if she had a fever. She seems really… warm… but is that because of a fever? Maybe she's warm because… of the same reason as me? Just maybe…

Arnold's lips had been just about to touch Helga's, when the sound of a door hitting the wall, made him jump away from her in fright. "Just checking if you kids are actually doing your job." The janitor explained and started looking around. "Very decent! Now, grab the mops and the buckets and bring them to the janitor's closet. You're going straight to detention after this." And with those words the janitor walked out of the cafeteria again.

Arnold could have sunk down to his knees in despair. How could he be this unlucky?! That was twice in one day! Was everyone against him or something? Did he do some horrible thing in a past life that he was paying for now?

Helga, who had been so into her own beating heart, hadn't even noticed Arnold's attempt at kissing her. "Are you ok, paste for brains?" she asked a little worried. He seemed like he could've strangled the janitor or something. He turned to her and forced a smile. "Y-Yeah. You, uh, seem a little warm, but I don't think you have a fever."

"Oh, ok then. Uh, thanks. Well, let's head straight to jail." Helga announced and went to take ahold of her bucket and her mop. Arnold nodded and took his own again. Ok, so that was a major fail. I try telling her my feelings in the bathroom, I try kiss her in the cafeteria… Maybe I can ask her out in detention? Depending on what teacher is there to watch us.

To Arnold's luck, the teacher who were supposed to watch them was Mrs. Smith. She usually just minded her own business and didn't really give a damn what the students did during detention. As long as they weren't loud enough to disturb her. She would just sit and read her magazines and listen to Beatles music. It was a perfect chance to talk a little more to Helga.

Arnold didn't know about Mrs. Smith, because he had detention before or anything. But rumors did fly around in a high school after all, and Mrs. Smith was a favorite teacher of many people, because of her lack of caring. She believed that if a person wished to learn from their mistakes, then they would learn. If not, then tough luck. It wasn't her problem.

Arnold would never have thought that he'd be thankful for that kind of mindset. Before this day, he thought Mrs. Smith deserved to get fired. She was supposed to teach everybody, even if they were too dumb to appreciate it. Wasn't that what a teacher was supposed to do? You know, teach?

Nevertheless, this was Arnold's chance to get Helga warmed up to the idea of him asking her out. Even if he didn't get to do it now, then maybe the idea would roam in her head and then the chance of her saying yes at that point be bigger.

Helga was currently sitting at a table at the other end of the room. She was scribbling in her pink book with a dazed look on her face. Her heart was still beating rapidly at remember Arnold being so very close to her. If only she would've had the courage to pull a little closer, then they would have kissed! She could always have just have blamed it on being dizzy, since he thought she had a fever or something anyway.

Arnold started pulling at his own notebook from down in his bag. He dragged it up in one swish and opened it. When he tore a page out of it, Helga glanced to him. What is he doing? She thought to herself and kept watching him.

Arnold pulled out a pencil from his pencil case and started writing at the torn paper, as if his life depended on it. Helga started frowning at the odd behavior. A sudden struck of inspiration? When his eyes darted away from the paper and towards her, she hastily averted her eyes and looked down at her own notebook.

Arnold took a deep breath and started folding the paper into a small airplane. When he was done, he looked to Mrs. Smith to make sure she was as engaged in her magazine as always. She was. He took the paper airplane into his hand and focused hard to throw it towards Helga.

She was doing her very best to focus at her current poem in her notebook, but she kept wondering what in the world Arnold was writing. When she was just about to let her curiosity win, she felt something poke her hand. "Ow!" she gasped softly and started rubbing the area.

Helga looked up towards whatever had stung her and noticed a small paper airplane. She frowned and looked up towards Arnold. He was just writing in his notebook, as if it wasn't obvious the paper plane was from him.

Helga started smiling while holding down a snicker and took the airplane in her hand. She folded it out as silently as she could and started reading it: Hey, Helga. I was just wondering you really don't have a fever? You seemed rather flushed earlier. Arnold.

Helga rolled her eyes dramatically. Dense moron. She thought and was about to tear out a page from her own notebook. She changed her mind though and went to grab a school related notebook instead in her bag. No way, was she doing any harm to one of her pink notebooks!

Helga tore out a page of the other notebook and started scribbling. When done, she folded it into a paper plane as well and readjusted herself in her seat. She angled it the best she could – it was easy, given she'd thrown spitballs at Arnold her entire life – and let it soar across the room to him.

The tip of the paper airplane landed perfectly in Arnold's big hair. Helga had to hold her mouth with both of her hands to not laugh at his confused expression. He let his hand grab the foreign object in his big tuffs of hair and pulled it down to his eyelevel.

When Arnold realized it was a reply from Helga, he could care less about the embarrassing way of receiving it. He turned to look at her and felt the embarrassment come rolling back, when he saw her bend over, holding her stomach and her mouth, concealing her laughter.

Ok, I can imagine that looked funny, so I'll forgive you. Arnold thought and started to open the paper plane. I always do.

You are such a worrywart, Arnoldo! Yes, I'm just fine. No, I don't have a fever. What's it to you?

Arnold started biting at his lower lip as he pondered his next words. He wanted to warm the atmosphere up before asking the big question, so he decided to still play a little vague with his intentions.

When Helga got the next paper plane, she was ready for it. She caught it without much effort and hurriedly read it through: Besides worrying about you? I guess nothing, really. Except, if you really were sick, then I'd probably do something for you, because I'd feel bad. Since it would be my fault.

This seems oddly familiar… Helga thought and tore out a page from her own notebook. The typical good Samaritan, huh? This is April Fools' all over again. Except this time, I didn't even have to trick him into anything.

She folded it neatly into another airplane and threw it towards Arnold. He caught it too this time and she gave a small clap. He snickered a bit and opened it to read it: You know what? Maybe I do feel a little sick, Arnold. After all, it would be the least you could do after throwing spaghetti and chocolate milk at me. So, what did you have in mind?

Ok, this is it. Arnold thought to himself with a gulp. He tore out yet another page from his notebook and scribbled a little more slowly this time. He wanted to word this right. Even if he did use the whole food fight as an excuse, then it would still be him and Helga out together. On a date.

When Arnold was done, he gave a satisfied nod and began folding it. He took it into his hand and lifted his arm up to throw it. When he saw that Helga was ready to catch, he threw it. It flew through the room for about three seconds, before it was grabbed by a wrinkled hand.

"Stop throwing paper planes, you two! I accepted the first few, but now it's getting ridiculous." Mrs. Smith said and threw the paper plane into the trashcan. As Arnold watched it fall in with the rest of the garbage, his fists started clenching on the table. A conversation he once has with a boy named Eugene went through his mind. The boy had been convinced that Arnold was a jinx, even if everyone else believed Eugene himself was the jinx.

Arnold bumped his elbow up to the table and placed his chin in his palm. "… Maybe I am a jinx…" he mumbled to himself and sighed loudly.

Author's 2nd note: I'm sorry that I keep… well… not tell how the blackmail is gonna go! xD And I'm being so mean to Arnold… I just want to also show how Arnold and Helga's relationship is developing, with or without Aaron's interference. I think that's just as important, since our main theme of the story is them after all ;)

Anyways, I keep believing the next chapter will be the one to unravel the first "blackmail", so I'm not gonna say it will be the next one this time, because I'm really not sure xD I have several scenarios written down there's gonna go on in this story, but I'm still writing this as I go. The Meredith Brooks thing? TOTALLY spontaneous xD I just sorta thought a song would fit this moment and before I knew it, Helga and Arnold were goofing off together :D

If you wanna hear Meredith Brooks' 'Bitch' then here it is: watch?v=6ge53QaDpKQ

I really do think that this song fits Helga quite a lot. She really is a bunch of things mixed together. Besides that, then I've always also associated this song with myself, since people have continuously told me that they can't always figure me out. I love theatre, hate ballet. I love the color red, I don't care for flowers. I love dancing, hate romantic comedies. I adore cartoons, but don't like children. I burp when I eat and drink, and I want a big fairytale wedding.

You see how people can get confused by me? xD