Fast forward a little from the time Helga moved into the boarding house and really got settled in to the point of getting a job at a local bookstore which was her first official job away from Bob. She loved pitching in at the boarding house and bossing around Oskar on occasion. Something that Phil didn't mind when he would break down laughing at watching him run off in terror.
One weekend when everyone decided to go out to the movies Arnold was approached by a girl who gave him a note a while back ago while he was in the market. A note that Helga teased him about, and even though he was still getting a grip of his feelings for Helga, and Gerald encouraged him to at least try to go out with someone since it has been a while after Emma. Thing was after a few dates, Julie acted so nice to everyone, but the way she openly sneered at Helga when she thought she wasn't looking was a little too much, but Helga chalked it up to bad gas just so she wouldn't let her bad attitude rub off on her.
One day Phil announced to Arnold in front of everyone at dinner that Arnie was coming to town to visit for four weeks. Helga got various reactions from the table with mostly the one of him being very creepy was the largest personality flaw Arnie might have. All she knew was that Arnold was mostly saddled with him and that was something that displeased him the most. Which was strange to her since he seemed to enjoy helping everyone out.
"So tell me why are you so unhappy with having your cousin here exactly." Helga wondered as she stood in his bedroom shortly before bedtime.
Arnold sighed. "He isn't so bad, but he is a little too weird. He loves reading ingredients. Has this weird snort." He pinches the bridge of his nose to demonstrate. "An odd blink and loves to collect lint."
"Well just as long as he doesn't room with me I'm fine." Helga smiled happily. "I do remember Lila saying that he was 'Oh so fascinating."
Arnold watched as she brought her hands up to her chin in the typical Lila way making him laugh lightly. "You are bad."
"When was the last time he was here?"
"Last year. Stinky wasn't too pleased but got over it soon after when he realized that Lila's eyes were only for him." Arnold answered.
"That's good. Lila is pretty crazy about Stinky anyhow."
Arnold studied Helga before issuing a little warning. "Arnie might want to really talk to you because you are an attractive girl and he knows he won't get any where with the others."
She shrugged. "Eh, no skin off my teeth. I still have Sid and a couple of guys on the football team asking me out to Rhonda's Halloween party. I've said no to all of them."
"No one still strikes your interest?" Arnold wondered as he now noticed that both of them haven't hugged or done much in physical contact since he started seeing Julie. When they were alone, Helga still kept her distance.
Helga was interested in someone, but she wouldn't say. "No one strikes me in the heart, Football Head."
Hearing his phone go off, Arnold saw it was Julie. "Julie."
"Good night then." Helga made her hasty retreat out the door to give him privacy.
"Ohhhhhh Arnold I got the purrrrfect costume idea for us as a couple." Julie gushed.
Shutting his eyes afraid of this idea seeing as the last one was him running around in tights that were peach, Arnold braced himself. "Tell me your idea."
"Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker! Eeeeeeeee!"
Arnold could imagine her hopping up and down with her brilliant idea even as she went on about what they do to snag the best prize. "Julie, honey, I hate to break it to you but they aren't a couple."
"Yes they are!" She argued. "We just got to the part where Leia kisses Luke. They are totally a couple and they are so cute."
"Keep watching the movie and you will find out that they are really brother and sister."
"Nuh uh."
"Yep. Trust me honey." Arnold could tell she was thinking really hard. Really, really hard to the point she said a quick bye and the line closed. He almost considered going down to talk to Helga so he can have his brain shoved back into his head, but instead started to slip his clothes off to change into something else so he can sleep.
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On Saturday Arnold picked up Arnie at the bus station and listen to him rattle off endlessly about ingredients on the way home. Bringing his stuff into his room, Arnold looked at his text from Helga.
Hey why don't you join us for pizza. Invite your cousin and girl along. - H
Alright I'll see you there as soon as possible. - A
Calling up Julie he asked her if she wanted to join him and his friends for pizza but she declined saying she had a dinner thing with family and then complained about calories in a pizza. Rolling his eyes, Arnold asked his cousin who just said sure to him.
Arriving at the pizza place which mostly teenagers seem to frequent during that time of day, Arnold came in to see that his friends already set up more than a few tables together so they can sit as a group. Arnold spotted how some of his friends looked at him with slight annoyance for bringing his cousin, but what was he gonna do? Further away, Helga was playing pool with Sid razzing him about his playing skills.
"You owe me $20.00, Sid! Pay up, bucko." Holding her hand out, Sid was already trying to weasel out of it.
"How about double or nothing?" Sid wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Or how about we go on a date to call it even?"
"I'd rather date a corpse." Helga answered. "Pay up or I'll put your nose in the side pocket."
Making a face he went for his wallet to give her the money. "Man you are lucky you are so hot."
Helga just pocketed the money before spotting Arnold and with a smile she went up to him. "Football Head! Where's Julie?"
"Family obligations and a guilt trip about calories in pizza." Arnold replied. "Helga this is my cousin, Arnie. Arnie. Helga."
"Hey." Snort.
"Nice meeting you bucko." Helga thought this was a weird version of the Twilight Zone happening here. "You want to play me at pool than, Arnold? Sid sucks."
"I DO NOT!" Sid screamed out.
"The girls won't play because they are worried about their nails. Psh don't they know their nails grow back?" Helga informed him sarcastically.
"I'll have you know, Pataki that this is a $100.00 manicure!" Rhonda complained.
"I like you Princess, but that is far too much for a manicure." Helga pointed out.
Rhonda didn't have it in her to be truly insulted by that as she went back to talking to Nadine and Curly. Lila came over to sit down.
"How are you, Arnie? How long are you here for?" Lila wondered with a sweet smile on her face.
"Four weeks." Arnie replied just looking directly at Helga.
"That is ever so interesting. We hope to see a lot more of you, right Stinky?" She asked of her boyfriend who gave her a drink.
"Right." Stinky bit out his reply as he chomped his straw.
Helga decided to forget about playing pool and went on the other side to sit next to Arnold at least just to get away from the unwavering gaze of his cousin. There was a difference between staring and feeling like you are in an MRI machine getting everything checked out.
"You ok?" Arnold whispered in her ear.
"Yeah. It was probably my imagination." She whispered back.
After eating, Helga was smashed in the middle of the cab between the cousins. Really Arnold's cab was large enough to accommodate all three of them comfortably, but seeing as Arnie kept breathing down her neck, she found herself scooting closer to Arnold.
"Sometimes I wish I didn't sell my mom's car, but heck it was a beater anyhow." She grumbled out.
Helga felt it was mostly her imagination. She knew that some people could act so awkward that they didn't know exactly how to act with others so she tried to be patient, but each night she found him at her door knocking on it asking questions. Wondering if she would like to be a couple at the upcoming party. Asked about school, which is normal, but the way he asked bordered on creepy. The way he went on about what she wore that day like he was reading package ingredients.
One day at lunch she approached the others just sitting down opposite of Arnold drinking a pre-packaged smoothie that was very green with everyone looking at her with varying degrees of curiosity. Pulling the drink back, Helga was defensive in how she asked the single word question. "What?"
"Helga? What is that you are drinking?" Phoebe asked trying to discern what it is. "It looks lumpy and stuff."
"Before you judge, it tastes good and has tons of vitamins in it." Helga defended as she drank some more. "Found it in a speciality store next to the bookstore. I flipped when I saw it. I got addicted to it when I stayed in France for a while."
"It still wooks icky." Julie complained sticking her tongue out.
Baby talk is horrible to listen to from someone full grown. Helga wanted to say something snide, but out of respect to Arnold she bit her tongue and continued drinking till the very end before placing it down. "I'll be a ball of energy after this." She was satisfied and hardly took notice of Arnie grabbing the bottle to sniff the top of it before licking it where her mouth was. That was when she took notice and froze.
"No that is icky." Julie cooed out. "Awnold your cousin is cweepy."
"I just wanted to taste where my beloveds lips were." Arnie explained as he did it again.
Snagging the bottle away from him, Helga stood up. "Enough of that. Enough following me around." Almost about to speak to Julie, she held her tongue as she started off to toss the bottle away.
Arnold watched Arnie stand up to follow her so as he reached out to stop him, Julie clutched on to him begging for him to let his cousin go so can stop being so creeped out by him. "I'll be right back." He ignored her protests while he made his way out of the cafeteria just to find Arnie standing at the threshold of the building looking out. Going over he followed his line of sight to Helga speaking to someone from the football team. "Why are you following her around when she doesn't want you to?"
"I love her." Arnie told him simply in his emotionless voice while his eyes showed a different emotion that his voice was currently conveying.
"Helga isn't interested. Can't you see that?"
Turning to face his cousin, Arnie blinked one eye followed by the other. "She's intriguing. She is the best of both worlds. She is a mystery still. Just because you haven't figured out your feelings for her doesn't mean the rest of the world isn't forbidden to."
"Excuse me?"
"Your girlfriend is a temporary stop till you are sure if you will jeopardize your feelings with Helga or not. I get it. It is commendable that you don't want to insult Helga, but what about that girl who talks like a baby?"
Arnold often wondered what rolled around in his head and felt hit by the reality that he truly was observant. "I am still insulting Julie by being with her in the mean time. I like her and all. I have fun, but I see that since she's been around Helga and I don't hang around as much as before."
"And you miss that."
Arnold drifted into his thoughts to the point of wondering how day drifted into evening where he agreed to have Julie over to study with when she decided to push him down on his couch to make out with him before lifting her shirt up and off of her. Arnold felt himself pulled off the couch with surprising strength from her as she quickly slipped his shirt off in spite of his protests.
"So sexy wexy." She purred out smoothing her hands down his chest before undoing her bra to fling it away from them.
Arnold's eyes widened at the sight and felt like a stupid puppet as she brought him down on his bed. Her hands were all over him while he was confused. He needed a sign. That sign was a piano playing a melancholy tune up on the roof.
"Music to fit the mood hun." Julie said excitedly.
Sad music to fit into the theme of love making is not his idea of sexy. He knew it was Helga and not his grandmother up there. They had two different styles of playing. It was a sign.
Pulling away, Arnold stared into her eyes just to carefully avoid the naked sections of her body. "Julie I can't do this. I'm not ready."
"Ready? What do you mean you aren't ready?" Julie sat up. Eyes ablaze. "I don't know who is playing that piano but I think we should take it as a sign. I've been watching you and I thought you would be good in the sack, but I guess you can't get it up."
"Just because I'm not ready doesn't mean I can't." He didn't feel like saying it. "It means I'm not ready. Look I want to do this with someone I deeply care about. I don't want to just do it. Don't you want me to love you in order for it to mean anything at all?" He pointedly asked.
"I just want sex. Who cares if it means anything or not? I just want sex." Pushing him away from her she got up from the bed making the strangest sounds as she put her clothes on. "I never ever want you to call me again Arnold."
Watching her leave Arnold went to grab his shirt to put on before deciding to head to the roof to see Helga's head bowed a little towards the piano as she played. "Helga?"
She continued playing as she sniffled. "Did I disturb you?"
"No." Getting close to her he saw tears escaping and falling on her hands. "Oh Helga." Sitting on the bench he placed his arm around her shoulder to bring her close to him. "Thinking of your mother?"
"Yeah." Music forgotten, Helga wrapped her arms around his waist as she rested her head against his chest. "I have to go to court regarding my father. Olga called me giving me a guilt trip a couple weeks ago about how could I do this to them."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"You were with Julie. Happy in your blissful state with her. I've been talking to Phoebe instead." Sniffling again she broke down crying at the memories flooding her.
"I'm no longer with her anymore. Also you are my friend and I always have time for my friends." Arnold informed her kissing the top of her head.
"I don't look forward to going to court."
"Want me to come with you when you have to? As emotional support." He offered.
Helga smiled at the offer. "I appreciate it, but you have school to think about."
Her scent drifted into his nose taking him a bit off guard. He already knew her scent, but he hadn't been this close to her for a while so it felt so new again as he held her. "Just know that my offer will stand if you change your mind."
Helga didn't say a word she just kissed his cheek as a silent thank you.
Yeah there was no way in hell I was keeping Julie around. Blech! I thought about bringing her in as a temporary stop for Arnold as figures out his own emotions with Helga. Excuse me while I put my brain in my head after re-doing some of that baby talk.