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": When Helga finally cracked down in despair after slapping Arnold, she asked him to stay away from her for some time. She needed to get used to the fact that he would never love her, not knowing how much pain she brought to Arnold by such simple words.

Everyone around Arnold started questioning and even blaming Helga for what had happened. He snapped and shouted 'till his throat hurt and only by a memory of Helga popping out made him relax.

When the day finished, Aaron made his way to Helga to comfort her. An awkward pat, some explanation and a promise of never asking her to do something as personal as writing a poem ever again later, made Helga forgive him and even start to care for him just a little. Despite him telling her he'd be ready with another blackmail mission for her the next morning. Even telling her not to get dressed before he'd arrive.

Author's 1st note: Again: Don't know what to say. Enjoy! xD

Chapter 24: "Why are you wearing that thing?!"

At the boarding house, Arnold was currently repeatedly stepping his foot down to the floor as his fingertips continued to tap on the wooden table. He looked at the clock again. 6 o'clock. Why is Aaron not home yet? The school let us leave at 4pm, how can he be at her house for two hours? Oh, God… no, no, no. No! Don't panic!

Stella and Miles were looking at their son with worry. He had refused to talk to them about what had happened this particular day, which was very worrying, since he'd usually vent on them to get it all out. This time was different. They figured it must be worse than ever much to their dismay, since Helga had seemed to have so much fun at the house only yesterday.

Arnold also seemed to be waiting for something. They figured it'd be Aaron, since he wasn't home yet, and by the look of Arnold, he was probably with Helga. Still, he refused to talk to them, he was just sitting at the dining table, tapping with his foot and fingertips simultaneously.

"I'm home!" Aaron called as he opened the front door. Arnold's head didn't even manage to whip all the way around, before his body already stood up from the chair and he ran out into the hallway. "Why did it take so long?" he asked, and had to use his right hand to hold himself back at the doorframe.

Aaron blinked rapidly for a few seconds. "What, were you worried about me, honey? I'm not cheating or anything." He answered sarcastically. Arnold narrowed his eyes and growled. "Oh, relax!" Aaron exclaimed with a smile and lifted the shopping bag in his hand up to show it. "I just went out shopping, you paranoid, lovesick puppy."

Arnold took a deep breath and sighed in relief. "What the hell… shopping? Then, didn't you go to Helga's house?" he asked with a small frown. "Oh, no, I did go to her house." Aaron answered as he walked past him. "Uh… h-how long were you there?" Arnold asked, following him into the dining room.

Aaron put the shopping bag on the table and gave a pensive look. "About… fifteen to twenty minutes, maybe?" he suggested and turned to look at Arnold, who plumbed down on a chair with a relieved smile.

Aaron snickered. "You know, twenty minutes is enough to do stuff, right?" he asked. Arnold's head whipped right back up and he stared at him with big, scared eyes. Aaron snickered again and smacked Arnold on the shoulder. "But you're right to be relieved. I didn't touch her. Relax already."

Arnold sighed in a mix of annoyance and relief. Must he yank my chain like that…? Oh, well, at least he doesn't seem to be lying. I don't think Helga would be the kind of girl to do that with a boy without dating him anyway…

"So, did, uh… did you help her?" Arnold asked, honestly concerned about that matter. "Not sure how it's gonna make you feel, but we even shared a laugh together. I think I left her feeling a lot better." Aaron answered.

Arnold smiled and sighed en relief yet again. "You sure are weird. Aren't you at all pissed that I could comfort her, and you couldn't?" Aaron asked. "As long as Helga feels better, then I'm glad. I just hope she'll… lift his whole 'don't come near me for some time'-thing soon." He answered.

"Oh, yeah, she mentioned saying something like that."

"She did, huh…?"

"Yeah. I have a feeling you don't need to worry too much about that. She just needs a little time to get her head wrapped around things."

"You… think so?"

"Yep. Don't question why. I just do." Aaron answered, took his shopping bag and went outside. "What did you buy anyway?" Arnold asked a bit curiously to why he'd suddenly have a craving to shop. Was it not only girls who got those? "Some new clothes." Aaron asked indifferently before walking up the stairs.

"Huh…" Arnold mumbled, shrugged and went into the living room. Stella and Miles were currently sitting together on the couch, watching TV, but instantly turned their attention to him as he walked in. "Hi, honey. How are you feeling?" Stella asked carefully. He smiled as he sat down in one of the chairs. "Much better now, thanks." He answered and could feel himself drift off. I guess I tired myself out worrying for two hours straight… Sorry, mom. Sorry, dad… and with that, he fell asleep, leaving Stella and Miles to wonder what the heck was going on in their only son's life.

Tuesday morning, Aaron went to Helga's house as promised. He got a little worried, when he realized how easy it was to simply walk in. "Haven't the Pataki's ever heard of locks?" he wondered, making sure he locked the door after him. "Excuse me? Mrs. Pataki? Mr. Pataki? Helga? Hello?" No answer.

Aaron snuck his way through the hallway, suddenly hearing some light snoring from the living room. He stopped and looked inside, seeing Mrs. Pataki from yesterday, lying on the couch sleeping with a bottle in her hand. He frowned and looked towards Helga's room. "I guess she was serious, when she said she could relate…" he muttered and continued his way to her room.

Aaron stopped in front of Helga's door and knocked lightly. "Helga?" he said, not waiting for an answer, but simply opened the door. He was about to speak further, when he noticed her big, blonde hair cascading over her pillow.

Aaron sighed. "You're still not up yet?" he wondered aloud, though he could see the answer right in front of him. He closed the door behind him and walked to her bedside. "Helga, it's seven…" He started, but felt his heart pop a bit, at seeing Helga sleeping. He had expected a girl like her to be sleeping rather messily, and though her position was odd, then her face was peaceful and almost smiling a bit.

Helga had her head sideways on the pillow; both hands pulled up to beneath her chin, making her look like a cat about to scratch its nose. One of her legs, the one closest to the madras, was hidden neatly under the covers, but the other one laid perfect out to display, half of her duvet in-between her legs.

Aaron frowned and snickered a bit. "You'll catch a cold, sleeping like that, you idiot." He mumbled and looked towards the window. "Especially with that open! The hell…" he mumbled, put his bag on her bed and walked towards the window. He closed it roughly, feeling oddly annoyed by his sudden worry for her.

Aaron turned to look at Helga over his shoulder. What was that girl doing to him? Then he, mostly out of frustration, went right to her and smacked the back of her head. "Ow!" she exclaimed and sat up, holding her head.

"Idiot, why was the window open?" Aaron asked. "Huh?" Helga mumbled and looked at him, then towards the window, which he pointed to. "Oh, I… I get hot at night, so I usually leave it open." She answered while rubbing the spot he had just hit.

"And apparently, you don't even sleep with your duvet on your body, you use it to cuddle with?" Aaron asked, eyeing Helga's leg, which was still on full display. "Huh?" she muttered and looked down. She squeaked a bit, before she pulled her leg back in, completely covering herself in her duvet. "Ok, now that is something I automatically do at night. When I go to sleep, I am fully covered. I guess the position is just comfortable."

"Then get a pillow to have in-between your legs instead. Window open, legs out, you're bound to get a serious cold!"

"Hey! Why do you care so much about how I sleep?"

Aaron just blinked at Helga's defensive attitude. "I don't know." He answered quickly and sat on her bed. "And you keep making yourself comfortable on my bed!" she added with a frown. "Get over it. It's not like you haven't had a boy in here before." He answered and started rummaging in his bag.

"The way you say it, makes it sound sleazy."

"I did mean in the sleazy way. You have, haven't you?"

"Of course not! I've been in love Arnold since I was a child! You think I'd just go for some other guy then?" Helga asked with a frown. Aaron turned to look at her with big eyes. "Well… n-no, but… so you're…" he stopped talking at the obvious scowl on her face.

"Huh…" Aaron muttered thoughtfully and cocked his eyes to the side, eyeing Helga. "Weird… aren't you frustrated? I mean… by your stories about Arnold, then you seem like a, uh…-passionate girl. Don't you - "

"What the hell kinda conversation is this? First of all, none of your beeswax, bucko! Secondly, you out of everyone who knows me knows about my feelings for Arnold. You call me passionate and I… I know what you mean, I guess, but the part of me, which is devoted to Arnold, is way bigger. Besides, I don't feel passionate about anyone else beside him."

"Whoa… you must be frustrated then." Aaron observed and pulled a small plastic bag out of his bag. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, could we not talk about this?" Helga asked and eyed the bag. "What's in that?"

"Your outfit for today or at least half of if." Aaron answered. Helga's eyes went wide. "Excuse me?!" she shouted, grabbed the bag and pulled out whatever she could find in it. She found one item. A skirt. A pink, plaid skirt with a build-in black belt and a circular silver-buckle.

Helga's eyebrows started twitching. "Wha… What is this thing?" she asked with a serious frown. "It's called a skirt. You know what a skirt is, right?" Aaron asked. She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know what a skirt is. A skirt is a skank who prances around in clothes like this, and I'm not one of them!"

"Now, hold on, Helga, first of all: A girl is not a skank for wearing a skirt, though I guess it depends on the skirt, this is not nearly short enough to be considered skanky." Aaron corrected. Helga held the skirt up and eyed it grudgingly. "You sure about that?" she asked scornfully.

"Yes, I'm sure. Besides, you get to choose your own top, so you can still cover up." Aaron pointed out. "I'm wearing a hoodie with this then." Helga announced. "I even have hoodies long enough to cover more of my legs than this!"

"You can't wear a hoodie with a skirt!"

"Says who?"

"Common sense! Never mind, I'll find something for you." Aaron said, stood up and went to Helga's closet. She sighed heavily and eyed the skirt. She frowned a bit at the fact that she didn't mind the skirt as such. When she first hit puberty, she still wore dresses like she did as a child. At least until guys started whistling at her, because her chest was growing and her legs got longer and more toned. Then she started covering up. She didn't mind the skirt, it was the attention which came along with it she hated.

"Here we go. This is decent, still cute and sexy." Aaron said, when he found something. He threw two items at Helga and she caught it with ease. She eyed the items. A white dress shirt and a black top to go beneath.

"Huh… I was sure you'd give me a tank-top like this, but a shirt too?" Helga asked full of wonder. "You've already got an eye-catching rack; you don't need to show it off to make guys notice." Aaron explained and sat down again. She automatically used the shirt to cover her chest up. "Pervert!"

"Oh, come on, don't give me that bullshit. I've seen a picture of your big sister; you can't possibly mean that you're not at least a little bit gleeful for being the one with the bigger chest?" Aaron asked with an eyebrow quirked. Helga couldn't help but smirk. "Well, that is the only area I've ever surpassed her in." she answered.

"See? And now it's time to show off your legs. You've got long, beautiful legs and the weather's getting warm. Show them off already!" Aaron said as he lightly smacked Helga's bare leg. "Hands off!" she yelled, removing her entire body as far away from him as possible. "Oh, relax, I barely touched you." He answered and stood up to walk out the door. "Call me when you're done changing."

And then Helga was left alone with the skirt in front of her. She sighed heavily as she looked at it. She cocked her head to the side. "It's actually a little cool… and it's not really a miniskirt or anything. He could've made me wear something way worse." She muttered and stood up to change.

"Are you done already?" Aaron asked impatiently. "Uh… y-yeah, but, I, uh…" Helga answered from inside the room. "Then I'm coming in!" he announced, opened the door and walked in. She whipped her body around, standing sideways as she looked at him with deer like eyes.

Aaron stopped dead in his tracks, when he saw Helga. He gulped a little bit. He had been right; it suited her perfectly. Cool, cute, sexy and she could definitely pull it off. "Uh, so what do you think?" he asked with a small cough.

Helga growled and turned around to look at herself in her mirror. "I think that I look like every other fucking girl in school like this!" she answered. Aaron shook his head. The hell you do… He mumbled inside his head and smirked a bit, as he walked over to her. "No, you don't. You may not be covered up as much as before, but you still have your own style to it. Cool and cute, not a lot of girls can pull off both, you know."

Helga frowned. "Cute…? I'm Helga G. Pataki, I don't do cute! I'm the girl with the iron fists. People fear me! How can they fear me looking like this?" she asked. "How about having them respect you instead?" Aaron suggested. She just groaned and looked at herself again. She didn't want to admit it, but she did think she looked kinda good in it. The skirt, while still being a skirt, was kinda cool and tough looking thanks to the rivets on the belt.

"Ok, now, the rest." Aaron announced. Helga whipped her head around. "The rest? What do you mean 'the rest'?" she asked. "Your hair first of all. You always wear it in pigtails. When I saw you with loose, curly hair, I thought it was too bad you always made those lazy things. You obviously have something for that pink ribbon you always wear, how about using it to make a ponytail?" he suggested.

Helga looked at her pink ribbon, which was hanging lazily over her mirror. She sighed and took her hairbrush. "Fine. I haven't worn a ponytail ever, but I think I can manage." She muttered and started brushing her long, blonde hair.

"You've never worn your hair in a ponytail?" Aaron asked in shock. Helga shook her head, as she kept brushing. "Loose hair, ponytails and buns is what I usually wrap my hair in." she answered and switched to the other half of her hair.

"Too bad. I think a ponytail would suit you." Aaron stated and looked at Helga's pink ribbon again. "By the way, why do you love that ribbon so much?" he asked. She stopped moving for a second, surprised by the question, but then continued as she answered. "I've worn it ever since preschool, because… because it was the first thing that ever brought me a compliment."

"What do you mean?"

"My first compliment ever was because of that bow, so… it's special to me."

"… Let me guess: Arnold?"

"Oh, how did you know?" Helga asked sarcastically and went to take a hair elastic. She looked at herself in the mirror, narrowing her eyes a bit, as she tried figuring out how the easiest way to do this would be. "Uh…" she muttered, took the hairbrush again and brushed her hair back.

"Want some help?" Aaron asked with a crooked smile. Helga growled a bit, but then passed him the hairbrush. "Yeah, since it's you who's making me do this anyway." She answered. He took the hairbrush with a smile. "Bend your head back." He ordered and stood behind her.

Helga bend her head back. She could feel Aaron brush her hair gently. "The hair elastic please." He asked and held out his hand. She twisted her arm to give it to him, making sure not to move an inch besides that. He took it and tied her hair into a ponytail with ease.

"There we go." Aaron announced and stepped to the side. Helga lifted her head and looked into the mirror. "Hey, that's not bad." She said and took her pink ribbon. She twisted it around her ponytail with apparent skills and made into a perky bow.

"See? Perfect. Now, I know you're not fond of it, but it's makeup time." Aaron said. Helga groaned, but went to her small box, which contained very few makeup products. Most were from back in fourth grade. "I don't have a lot, you know."

"That's fine. We're only talking mascara. We don't wanna give the other guys a stroke now, would we?"

"I'll make them faint anyhow by just prancing around like this. Seeing the tomboy in a skirt will make them flip their eyelids." Helga answered, took the one mascara she owned and went in front of the mirror. Her hands were obviously not used to put on mascara, but she had done it a few times before and within a few minutes, she had managed to put a decent amount on every eyelash. "Happy?"

"Yeah, now you're done." Aaron answered with a smile and went towards the bed. "But… hey, wait a second! How am I supposed to explain this to people?" Helga asked. He rolled his eyes. "Just tell them you wanted to try something new."

"Hell no! Helga Pataki doesn't wear skirts! I have a certain image, you know."

"How about creating a new image? One were you don't have to dress a certain way to see yourself as the same girl?" Aaron suggested and turned around. Helga's eyes went a little big at that. "Huh? What… What is that supposed to mean?"

"You reek of a girl who thinks she's thinking for herself, but actually you're whipped by your own classmates! You dress the way you believe a tough girl would dress. Why can't a girl be sexy, cute and tough? That's thinking for yourself. Dress however you want to! You obviously like the way you look right now! If you really don't give a damn about what people think about you, then why do you need an excuse to wear something you like?"

Helga was in shock. No one had ever talked to her like that. Aaron sighed and shook her head in relinquishment. "Never mind. I'll go to school now. You still need to eat, right? See you there." He said and went outside. "But think about what I said, ok?"

Helga kept staring at the now closed door. What the hell… She thought and looked at herself in the mirror. She put her hands on her hips and made a small pose. Do I really succumb to my classmates without realizing?

When Helga got to school, she caught herself hiding around the corner, waiting for Phoebe. She knew which direction she'd be coming from, so she just stood there, tapping with her converse clad shoe. She tightened her long, black, coat around her waist, which was longer than her skirt. It's too fucking warm to be wearing this coat, but I don't give a damn!

Finally, Helga could see Phoebe walking down the street. "Phoebe!" she called and waved. Phoebe looked up from her phone and smiled. "Good morning, Helga!" she called and waved back. She put her phone in her pocket and ran the rest of the way to her. "You have your hair in a ponytail today! Whoa, it suits you."

"Yeah?" Helga automatically touched her pink bow, which was still tied snugly around the ponytail. "Thanks, Phoebs." She said and removed her hand. Phoebe narrowed her eyes and got a little closer. "And are you wearing mascara?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"No, not as such. It's because I'm a girl; I notice stuff like that. You look good, Helga, but why this sudden change?"

"You haven't seen everything yet." Helga answered with a nervous smile. "I haven't? Well, what else?" Phoebe asked, suddenly noticing the black coat. "You're hiding something behind that coat, aren't you?"

"Uh-huh." Helga answered and started to untie the belt around her hips. She opened her coat and revealed the black tank top, white shirt and pink, plaid skirt with the black belt. Phoebe's eyes practically popped out of her head. "Cute skirt, Helga!" she exclaimed and touched the ripped endings of it.

Helga sighed and rolled her eyes. "And kinda cool too. It's very you." Phoebe added with a smile. "Yeah?" Helga said again and looked down. "I do kinda like it. I just… You need to be around me today, ok, Phoebs? I think the boys may leave me alone if I'm around another girl, or at least hold back a little."

"Well, I'm not very threatening, but I'll do my best. Still, Helga, what's going on?" Phoebe asked. "Uh… ok, listen. Miriam… Miriam decided to go all motherly all of a sudden and threw almost all of my clothes in the washing machine! I had to borrow some of Olga's clothes." Helga answered and shook her head. "I mean; criminy! What is Miriam thinking; washing everything at the same time?"

Phoebe nodded understandingly. It was a plausible situation, given the fact that Miriam did sometimes have her out-of-nowhere urges to be a better mother. They didn't last long though. "So, that's why you're wearing the skirt, but why the ponytail and the mascara?" she asked.

"Uh… that's kinda, uh… that's mostly because I just felt like trying something new. You don't think this will give me extra attention, right?" Helga asked, biting her lower lip. "Uh, no. The boys will only notice your legs." Phoebe answered.

"As if that's any better!" Helga shrieked and wrapped her arm around Phoebe's arm. "You gotta stick with me all day, you hear? I can't walk around alone like this! I feel like a deer alone in the jungle."

"Deer don't live in the jungle."

"Never mind! You know what I mean. Please, Phoebe?" Helga pleaded. "Well, sure, Helga. I don't mind that, but you do know that we don't have Biology together, right?" Phoebe asked. Helga sighed heavily, as she recalled exactly that. "Great. So I'm going to have to run upstairs alone to avoid the boys. Fan-fucking-tastic!"

"Hey! Morning, Phoebs!" a boy's voice called behind Helga. She froze. It was Sid's voice, and everyone knew how much he liked to flirt with girls. Hollering and whistling, the whole deal. "Oh, good… morning, boys." Phoebe answered, knowing very well how her best friend would handle this situation in second.

"Who's your friend, Phoebe?" Stinky asked, eyeing the back of the familiar blonde girl, yet the not so familiar skirt. "Wait…" Helga could hear Sid say suspiciously. "Isn't that… Oh, my God! Isn't that you, He - "

"We're going to class, Phoebe!" Helga called and went to grab Phoebe's hand. Phoebe had already lifted her hand, ready to be pulled along with her. Sid and Stinky watched the girls, as they started running towards the schoolyard.

Sid turned to look at Stinky. "That was Helga, wasn't it?" he asked. "And that was a skirt she was wearing, wasn't it?" Stinky asked, equally confused. After seeing the two girls run into the school, they ran after them.

"No need to panic, Helga, you can't hide forever anyway." Phoebe pointed out, a little out of breath. "I know, but… it's Sid." Helga answered with a frown. "I understand." Phoebe said with a similar frown on her face. "But what are you gonna do? We share the next class with them. You even sit in front of Sid."

"Oh, great! I had forgotten about that! Uh… b-but… is there really any reason to worry?" Helga asked, noticing the other girls around them. "What do you mean?" Phoebe asked. "Well, look." Helga answered and gestured to the other girls around them. "A lot of girls are wearing skirts. Who says anyone will notice me wearing one?"

"They will, Helga, you know why?"

"No, but I bet you're gonna tell me."

"Because you haven't worn a skirt or a dress since we were 12 years old. Seeing your bare legs all of a sudden would be like a rare treat for the boys."

"… Creepy comparison, but I get your point." Helga answered with a sigh. The door next to them went up, and the girls noticed Sid and Stinky looking around. When they got eye contact, Sid smirked and walked over to them. Helga scowled immediately.

"Hey, Helga. You ran away all of a sudden, so we didn't get to say… good morning." The reason for Sid's hesitance was that he had to make sure Helga of all girls were wearing a skirt. She crossed her arms beneath her chest, involuntarily making her breasts pop out a little more, much to the boys' notice. "Listen, bucko, I'm only wearing this because I had no choice. My mom threw all of my clothes into the washing machine at the same time, so I had to use one of Olga's… Hey!"

Helga smacked Sid's chin upwards, making him look her in the eyes. "My eyes are up here, bucko. You too, Stinky! It's even more obvious with you because you're a freaking beanstalk!" she shouted.

Both boys gave an awkward laugh, as they scratched the back of their heads. Helga could see an odd blush on their cheeks, one she didn't care much for. "Sorry, Helga. We'll see you two in Math, all right?" Sid said and pushed at Stinky's back.

Phoebe and Helga eyed them as they scurried off. "Phoebe!" Helga said in a whimpering voice. "I don't wanna be here!"

"I understand that, but you can't go home now. Let's just go to class and get it over with, ok?" Phoebe suggested and held out her arm to Helga to escort her to class. She sighed and snuck her arm around the shorter girl's one. "Thanks, Phoebs."

"This… is… a… nightmare!" Helga shouted as soon as Math was over, and she and Phoebe were outside. She kicked a random trashcan, making all of its content spill out in the hall. "You probably shouldn't kick stuff." Phoebe pointed out. "Huh?" Helga muttered. Phoebe looked down at her skirt, and so did Helga. "Oh, great!" she said with realization and pulled down at the skirt. "Thank God I'm wearing black panties."

"Will you be all right for our next class?" Phoebe asked. The former events of the first one went through Helga's head. "No!" she answered and shook her head to get the images of the boys ogling her out of her head. It didn't work.

"Maybe we can ask another girl to follow you?" Phoebe suggested. "Yeah, right, as if I'd want to ask anyone else for help besides you. Nu-uh. No way!" Helga answered and crossed her arms. Though Phoebe felt honored to have Helga trust her more than anyone, she was also feeling sad because she couldn't help her at this moment.

Helga noticed Phoebe's guilty look and shook her head with a smile. "Naw, I'll be all right. I'll just run into the classroom now." She answered and waved a bit at Phoebe, who started smiling a bit. "Good luck! See you for lunch." She said and waved back.

"Yup, see ya!" Helga answered and started running. At least Aaron didn't make me wear high-heels to match the skirt or something. She ran up the stairs. I can at least run in these shoes, but I gotta be careful… One wrong step and I'll end up on the floor, probably with my underwear on full display.

As soon as Helga had finished thinking that thought, she reached the upstairs and bumped into someone. Both she and the other person shouted in shock, as they tumbled back. "Ow! Watch where you're going!" Helga barked, but gasped when she saw who was in front of her. "Arnold?!"

Arnold shook his head and started holding it, before he looked up. "Helga!" he yelped in equal surprise. Helga was sitting in front of him, her knees bended close together but her ankles far away from each other, making it clear to see that her legs was bare, but not what exactly she was wearing.

"Hey, have you guys heard about Helga today?" a random boy's voice asked from down the stairs. Helga gasped and sat up. Arnold did the same thing, looking towards the voice but not for long, because Helga grabbed his hand and made him run with her.

"Wait, Helga! What's going on? And why are you…" Arnold's eyes went down and he noticed the pink, plaid skirt, which Helga was wearing. His eyes went wide and he felt some heat rise in his lower abdomen. "Why are you wearing that thing?!"

Author's 2nd note: Still don't know what to say! Hope you enjoyed! xD