(A/N: Hey everyone! Longest- chapter- ever! It's currently 1am here where I live but I just could NOT put down my chapter to go to sleep. I absolutely needed to deliver this very long rollercostery ride to you all. Please let me know what you think of it! All reviews make me smile!)
Helga cleared her throat and began to search through her minds files. "Any question…?" She wondered out loud over the phone to him, "Any question at all, huh? Hmmm…"
Arnold gave a small aggravated sigh. "Yes Helga, I've said that already."
Resting the phone between her ear and her shoulder, she entwined her fingers for a long arm stretch. "Alright, how about this one?" She started with a smirk, "Why did you really call me? I mean, yeah you said you were worried and I get all that but…" Her voice got hushed a little as a hue of pink adorned her cheeks. Hope began to tingle within her chest. "Was there… possibly… something more?"
Her question was blunt and despite knowing her personality rather well, Arnold was caught off guard. "Something more?" He repeated softly, finding himself a little shy.
"Yes yes! More! You know, as in other reasons besides you worrying about me?" She blurted out with impatience, "I mean you worry about everyone all the time so it's not like this particular time is any special, right?" Although she knew what she wanted to hear, she couldn't help but doubt him as she spoke.
Arnold thought about her words and could hear that her attitude was returning to normal. This made him rather happy but his feelings of shyness continued to grow for a reason he couldn't quite understand. "W-well…" He stammered as he reached up to the back of his neck to scratch the nonexistent irritation that he thought was there. "I was worried about you but I guess there might have been more to it…"
She could hear the hesitation in his voice and it made her heart flutter. "And that is…?"
With a small exhale of defeat, the boy lowered his head. "I just wanted to hear your voice… sorta."
Helga immediately became lightheaded as her emotions swiped her off her feet and on to her bed where she buried her face in her pillow. It seemed like all of the horribleness that had been affecting her all day long had vanished in one instant. He wanted to hear my voice?! She asked herself in her head. Mine?! Helga G. Pataki? I think I might die!... oh wait, probably because I'm suffocating myself, doi. Helga regained her composure and shook off her embarrassment. "R-really?" She asked. "But why? That sounds kind of stupid, even for you Football Head."
Her jab at him hurt worse than intended and the boy frowned. "You think it's stupid that I want to hear your voice?" He asked, silently contemplating his decision of calling her.
She could hear the disappointment in his voice and realized her mistake. "N-no…" She confessed as she pulled her body to roll over on her back. "I mean… probably not for a Football head like yourself. Maybe to us normal people, it might be."
The comeback wasn't exactly what Arnold was hoping for, but he took what he could from it. "When someone you care about is in trouble, I think it's normal for you to want to hear that they're okay above all else." He explained as he pushed his negative feelings aside for her. "And in my case, hearing your voice just gave me some much needed relief, you know since you didn't talk to me all day." Arnold waited for a response from her but when he figured he wasn't getting one, he continued on. "Okay, my turn." He fumbled with a few thoughts in his head before finally opening his mouth to ask, "What happened today that got you so out of it?"
Helga scowled at the question. "Way to just go straight for the goal." She hissed.
"I answered your question so it's only fair, right?" Arnold asked; a little defensive.
She rolled her eyes at his response. "I was just kind of hoping that you would have, ya know, danced around the subject a bit before getting straight to the point…. But if this is what you want…" Helga took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, "Alright."
Arnold listened to her story on the other end and his eyes widened. He knew of how stubborn Mr. Pataki could be, even to his own family but the sheer amount of selfishness he was exhibiting was astounding. "Wow… I'm so sorry to hear that, Helga." Arnold finally said after she finished. "What are you going to do now?"
"What can I do, Arnold?" She asked honestly, "He's my dad. Like he said, he's head of our household and bank account so there isn't anything I actually can do about this! Just like I told Phoebe earlier, I'm just going to have to deal with whatever he does and make the best of it despite it being the most ridiculous plan ever."
A small smile grew on the boy's lips. "I commend you for your optimism, if anything else."
"Optimism?" She asked with a snarl, "Ya right. I maybe making the best of a crappy situation but I'm definitely not optimistic about it. Hell, I could wind up homeless and on the streets if he doesn't pull this plan off like he wants!"
Arnold shuttered at the thought. "Then for your sake I hope he does pull it off. You said he's been talking to some business man about his idea, right? Maybe that business man really can help you guys."
"Or maybe he's a loan shark and plans on throwing us into even further debt, or is working for the mafia and will have us all killed if Bob doesn't put forward his end of the bargain." Helga suggested with a matter of fact tone. "Face it, Football head, there is no optimistic idea that can come from this other than a miracle happens and Bob backing out. Anyway let's move past this, it's my turn."
Arnold could feel a dread wash over him as he heard her thinking of her next question.
"How about this one, what's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done?" She asked with amusement.
The question was a good one and left Arnold sitting and thinking. "I'm not sure… I can't say I've had a lot of embarrassing things happen to me."
"With your adventurous life? I find that hard to believe." She commented skeptically.
Suddenly a time popped into the boys head and his face grew a darker shade of red at the thought. "Well there was this one time I had a crush on our substitute teacher. I actually overheard her talking about her fiancé whose name was also Arnold, thought she was talking about me, and went to her house thinking the dinner she was planning was for us."
Helga's mouth dropped and a fit of laughter came rolling out. "Are you serious?!" She huffed out. "You can't be serious."
Arnold wanted to curl up in a ball and hide himself away forever. "Yes, I'm serious! And you don't have to laugh at me about it. I was barely 9 years old!" He defended himself despite not being sure if she could hear him anyway over her own laughter.
Helga wiped a tear from her eyes "Boy, that's golden! What did she do when you showed up? Tell you to scram?"
"No, She was very polite and let me inside until he came over and I realized I was wrong." He explained with a little fondness of how the woman handled the awkward situation so delicately. "And fortunately for me, no one else ever knew about it except us and Gerald." Thinking of Gerald's woman woo'ing tactics made him laugh, "And now you."
The girl's laughter calmed down as she steadied her breath. "Okay, okay your turn."
"If you could go any place in the world, where would you go?" He asked once he was sure her laughter was over.
Helga placed a finger on her chin and tapped it. "Hmm… Probably Paris."
Her response surprised the young man and he sat up on his sofa. "Paris? Why?"
"Hey buddy, that's two questions!" Helga shouted on the other end, "You can't cheat!"
"You asked me things about my answer and I answered you so it's not cheating, Helga." Arnold debated sternly, "So long as it has to do with your answer it should be okay."
"Fiiiiine." Helga said with a half hearted scowl. Underneath her attitude, the truth was she was actually happy that he was taking an interest in her likes. "Because they say it's the city of love and I figured it would be a good place for me to get inspiration from. Aside from people making goo-goo eyes at each other and sighing longingly at the sights, there is a lot of history there." A daydream flooded into the young woman's head of the two of them standing on top of the Eiffel Tower, holding hands and kissing and her mind became cloudy, "You could come with me." She added unexpectedly before snapping back into reality and regretting it immediately, "I- I mean… If you wanted to."
Arnold blushed at the thought of them taking a trip to Paris together and presumably by themselves. "You want me to go to Paris with you?" He asked, "Are you sure you want me to go with you and not Phoebe?"
Helga shook her head. "Phoebe would enjoy it too but not in the same way I would. Besides, it's the city of love Arnold… not the city of Friendship."
The honesty and softness of her voice caused his heart to skip a beat and Arnold gulped. "Okay… It's your turn."
With a frown at the subject change, Helga shifted on her bed causing it to make a small squeaking noise. "What do you think you'd do if you hadn't found your parents?" She asked, wanting to make him feel just as uncomfortable as she was.
The fluttering in his heart stopped and he could feel it sinking into his chest. "That's not really something I'd like to think about but I can't say I haven't." Arnold started as he furrowed his brow at the unpleasant thought, "Actually I used to think about that a lot before I found them." He confessed, "What if they were never coming back? What if they had died? What if they had started another family somewhere else and didn't need me anymore…?" His voice became dark and depressing as he recalled all of his memories. "Sometimes I would have horrible dreams of finding them just for them to be taken away from me again."
"H-hey… but you do have them back now, right?" Helga chimed in; trying to uplift his spirits again despite the reason for them being down as her fault. "And everything is all sunshine and rainbows now."
"Not exactly…" Arnold replied as he looked towards the door his father had left out of only moments before he called her. "I love them and am very happy I have them back in my life, but it's hard to talk to them sometimes. It's almost like we don't actually know each other really so we do our best to pave the gap between us but… it can be pretty awkward."
"Welcome to having parents, Football head." Helga laughed, "You'll never actually know each other and are always going to be doing your best to communicate with them. Think about it outside the box a little for a moment. They have their generation, just like we do, just like your grandparents do. What we like, they might find weird and what they like we might find stupid. They had different experiences than us so their advice may not be the best but at least they try, right?"
Flashbacks of his father's pep talk from earlier resonated within him as she spoke and he nodded. He could feel a sense of relaxation wash over him as he focused on her words. "Yeah… You're right." He said in a dreamy tone.
His voice caused Helga to blush. She couldn't help but imagine what he looked like right now as he sat on the phone with her. Where was he sitting? Had he changed clothes? Had he showered yet? Did he still use that same shampoo…?
"Helga?" His voice called out to her, breaking her out of her trance.
"Y-yeah?" Her voice responded, a little broken with hesitation.
"Thank you." Arnold said warmly as a wide grin grew across his face. "You know, you really do have a way with words sometimes."
Becoming flustered with yet another compliment from him, Helga's face turned beet red. "Sh-shut up and ask your stupid question already, geez!"
Arnold chuckled and began to think up another question. If they were going to play this game, it would go one of two ways: Meaningful and deep or simple and sweet. He could ask her anything in the world, so what would be important to know?
The line got silent and Helga couldn't help but become nervous. "A-any day now! Hello? Earth to Football head!"
"If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?" He asked suddenly the moment she had finished her sentence.
"Anything?" She asked, "You mean like physical object or anything, anything?"
"Either or." Arnold clarified, hoping it was the latter.
"A million dollars sounds pretty good." Helga laughed, thinking of all the things she could do with that money.
With a small laugh, Arnold figured that she would have responded in that sort of way. "But what would you do with that million dollars? And before you interrupt me with this being a second question- obviously you'd be using that money to get the thing you wanted, right?"
Helga growled and crossed her legs. "How do you know I'd want to spend it? How do you know I don't want to just shower in it and call it a day? Flaunt my money and laugh in people's faces?"
"I don't, but somehow I don't think that's why you'd want the money Helga." Arnold retorted.
"So now you think you know me, huh? Gonna write my biography now?" Helga said with a sarcastic tone, hoping to veer him off of the topic.
"I think I know you pretty well." He replied with confidence in his voice. "In fact…" Arnold began to think back on their past up until now. He could feel himself becoming entranced once more and his relaxation deepened further. "I sorta think… I've always known you."
"Huh?" Helga cocked her eyebrow and straightened herself up for better concentration. "You're not making any sense." Her heart began to pound as anticipation of his next words built up in her chest. Had he always seen through her schemes? Even in the beginning? Did he know she had always been following his every move, making shrines to him and worshiping the very ground he walked on before she blurted it out in his face a few years back?
Arnold leaned back on his sofa and listened to his heartbeat as it echoed through him like a song he had never heard before. Words were getting the better of him and he wished he could just show her how he felt instead of explaining it. "It just…" He started; his angst coming through, "I've always felt that you were never really the you that you showed. Despite all the bullying and ridicule that you put us through, mostly me, it was like I always knew that deep down you were someone different." Arnold interrupted his own explanation with a chuckle as he blushed and looked down at his floor. "I know I've told you this before but you're amazing and I think I've always known that, even when I didn't."
Hearing his heart felt explanation gave the girl mixed emotions. On one hand, she was touched and on the verge of passing out of just pure bliss but on the other, complete guilt that he was pouring his soul out to her and all she could do was avoid his direct questions in order to protect herself. Protect herself from what, exactly? Her heart became heavy once she remembered his original question and she knew what she had to do. "Arnold…" Her voice became the softest thing he had ever heard, "I already have the one thing I've always wanted and you know that… but if there was anything else it would probably be to just have my home back." She knew it was time to pay him back with her own heartfelt words, "I-I've… never really had a home really, so it's hard to say that I want it back but… I want to live in our house again where we all have our own rooms, a real kitchen, a real bathroom with a shower inside of it. A place where there is actual room for my things instead of them inside boxes on top of boxes down in a musty old basement filled with bugs and gunk." Helga could feel her heart sink lower as she bared her soul to him, and she sighed. "I know going back in time is impossible, but I want my family not to be broke anymore. I want to be comfortable again and know that I'll have a bed to sleep in tomorrow."
Clenching his fists at her words, Arnold held back his own frustrations as he listened patiently. Memories of a dream he had of her began to flicker in his mind and he could finally see what it meant. Where Helga was now, was practically jail to her. "I'm… I'm sorry." He finally breathed out.
"Don't be." Helga replied with a faint smile that he couldn't see. "I paid my debt from the question I asked earlier." The girl cleared her throat and her mind of all the feelings she had let come over her and forced her attention back on the game at hand. "It's my turn anyway and I'll give you the same question. If you could have anything you want, what would it be?"
"Honestly?" Arnold replied with a surprised squeak in his voice.
"Well Doi! I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want an answer, paste-for-brains!" She spat back, her voice returning to its usual harshness.
With a gulp, Arnold knew he had no choice. "Honestly if I could have anything in the world, it would be the ability to give you your home back." Hearing his own words made him cringe but he continued, "I've failed in trying… though."
Helga shook her head at his dumb words. "No, you haven't. That big sale we had came from your stupid plan of handing out fliers in some random nearby town. If it hadn't been for that, then we wouldn't have come into money." She explained; smoothing her voice back out into a more comforting one. "We also wouldn't have had the sales we got from that whole hipster scene if it hadn't been for your idea to model the beepers and post them online. You've helped me a lot, Arnold. Don't discredit yourself."
Her words got through to him, however his feelings remained unchanged. "I just wish I could do more."
Helga scowled. "Stop being such a Football head! Besides giving me what I want, what else do you want?"
A thought lingered in his mind, but shyness overwhelmed him. "I- I…"
"Ugh," Helga whined in his ear, "Just forget it! If it's that hard of a question I'll just change it."
"If I could have anything I want right now…" Arnold shut his eyes tightly and pressed on, "It would be…"
"It would be…?" She insisted impatiently with a hint of excitement.
"I want to see you."
The words were put so blunt and unexpected, it left both parties stunned.
"You…" Helga forced out with an uncomfortable pause, "want to… see me?"
Arnold nodded earnestly, "I do." He confessed. "I don't know why but…" He placed his hand on his beating heart, "Something inside me tells me that, that's my answer."
The hair on the back of Helga's neck stood up as an electric emotion surged up her spine and into her brain, causing her body to feel like it was melting into the bed. Unconsciously, she let out a longing sigh and dropped the phone to her side.
"Helga?" She heard his voice call out to her from the bulky cordless phone that lay inches from her head. He wants to see me! He wants to see me! He wants to see ME? "Helga? Are you still there?" He asked again, his voice becoming a little more worrisome than before. Is he serious?!
She looked at the phone and casually picked it up and placed it back on her ear. "Why on earth would you want to see ME?" She shouted into the phone, full of an unpredictable rage. "You're joking, right?! I mean, you could have anything in the world, Arnold. Literally ANYTHING and you want to see ME?"
The boy became a little offended at her suggestion. "Why are you so mad? Is that a bad thing?" He questioned; confused about the change of atmosphere between them.
Helga flustered a bit on her side, both at his question but mostly at herself. She was doing her best to show him her genuine side but the vulnerable feeling that he was making her feel had a tendency to make her doubt everything from being real to only being too good to be true. Reverting back to her usual angry self was always just easier than expressing how she really felt.
Arnold could hear her still on the line, but her lack of response, especially after her outburst became concerning. "Helga?" He called out to her quietly, thinking about what he could have said that possibly triggered her anger.
"You really want to see me?" She mumbled out in response, almost as a growl.
"If… that's okay with you." Arnold answered, feeling as if he was now walking on eggshells.
Helga sighed and pushed back her negative thoughts and feelings to begin focusing on better ones; the ones she should be letting herself feel in the first place. She glanced over at her alarm clock. "It's after 6pm. If I left now, Big Bob would be suspicious and I'd be forced to interact with him which is the last thing I want to do right now."
Arnold could hear the uncertainty in her voice and frowned. Everyone would be gathered in his house soon enough for dinner which also wouldn't be optimal for her visiting, especially if she didn't want to interact with people much. "Yeah… and the boarders can be pretty rough around dinner time too."
Suddenly the lights began to flicker in Helga's room. "What the…?" She wondered as she jumped off her bed to open her bedroom door.
"Something happen?" The young man asked on the other line.
The lights flickered in the hallway and suddenly without warning; the power went out in the whole building leaving the phone line dead.
Helga looked down at the phone with disappointment before tossing it over to her bed and looking around the store. She couldn't hear anything suspicious going on, nor did she hear loud winds outside that could have knocked a power line down. "Criminy! What's going on now?!" She shouted, hoping someone in ear shot would respond with something helpful.
"Dang Blasted!" She heard her father yell in the distance before a few loud bangs.
Growling, Helga scoured the dark building in search for him. "What did you do, Bob?!" She called out to him.
A few more loud bangs could be heard, followed by more cursing. "Stupid faulty wiring!" He yelled back before stomping down the hallway in attitude, almost into his daughter. "Sorry girl, didn't see you there."
Helga took a step back and crossed her arms. "Great so now we have no power. What else could go wrong?!"
Bob scratched the back of his head and grunted. "Actually… our power was shut off weeks ago. I had a buddy of mine handle something's so we could get it back free of charge."
"So what you're saying is… we've been stealing it?" She asked, knowing full well she was right.
"Sometimes you gotta cheat to win, girl!" Bob boasted before continuing on down the hallway into a closet. "Now where are those candles…?"
"Why not call your buddy to fix this? And where's Miriam?" The absence of her mother was strange given she was normally bumping around in the kitchen by now.
"Huh? I don't know, something about going to the store." Bob replied as he handed a bag out to her. "Here- hold this for me, will ya?"
The bag was plopped in the girl's hands nonchalantly and weighed Helga down immediately as it was a lot heavier than she had expected. "What's in this?"
"Just a few tools I'll need for a project… now where are those blasted candles?!" Bob answered before yelling once more as he hustled through the closet.
Rolling her eyes at her father, Helga placed the heavy bag of tools down and grabbed her coat. Arnold wanted to see her and now it wasn't like she had anything better to do, or avoid. Anything is better than being here right now, alone with Bob in the dark! She thought as she grabbed her coat and flipped the doors welcome sign to "closed". Not like it matters anyway… It will be closed for good soon enough.
Everyone sat around the large dining table as the bowls of food started to be passed around to each individual. The room smelt highly of unique and foreign spices which tingled the nose of everyone there, including Arnold.
"What is this stuff?" Oskar asked as he held his nose. "Are you sure it is safe to eat?"
"Are you really refusing free food Oskar?" Ernie asked as he took a bowl full of rice. "It's not like your chipping in or anything."
Stella smiled as she spooned a large helping of the mystery food on to the complaining man's plate. "It's a special kind of curry I learned to make while helping some natives of Indonesia." She explained softly before turning to Ernie and giving him his own portion. "It has many herbs that help the blood flow as well as headaches!"
"Yeah and we all know that will come in handy, especially with Oskar around." Phil laughed as he jabbed his young grandson in the side. The boys lack of response troubled the man and he gave him a puzzled look. "Everything okay?"
Arnold poked his curry with a spoon before turning to his elder with a forced smile. "Yeah, everything's okay Grandpa. Just got some stuff on my mind." He grabbed a spoonful of the vegetable filled concoction and blew on it a few times before popping it in his mouth. It tasted a lot better than it smelled and for that he was grateful.
"How's the food, Son?" Miles asked him with a warm smile before bending down and whispering in his ear. "I wasn't too sure of it at first too but your mother swears by it." Feeling a death glare coming from across the room, Miles shivered and straightened up before sitting down and helping himself to his own plate.
"Why, this is absolutely divine Stella!" Gerty gasped as she began to eat her plate.
Stella smiled at her mother in law and sat down next to her. "Thank you! But don't thank me, thank the natives that taught me the recipe." She replied humbly. "You'd be amazed at what simple spices can really do to the body in terms of health."
"Speaking of health," Phil turned to his young grandson again, "I heard you started that new class of yours Shortman! How's that going for ya?"
Surprised a little at first by his grandpa knowing, Arnold then remembered that a notice had went out to all the parents in case they wanted their child withdrew from the class. He ate a few more spoonfuls of his food before replying. "It's pretty interesting. They've explained a little on what the class is going to be about and the other day we started learning about how drugs have negative effects on the body."
"Drugs?" Mr. Hyunh said, clearly startled. "Drugs are very bad, Arnold. Stay away from them!"
"Oh no, don't worry Mr. Hyunh. I am." Arnold replied with a reassuring smile, in order to let the man continue his meal.
"Good!" The Vietnamese man smiled back, "You are a smart boy."
Phil scratched his long chin in thought, "Mmm I suppose it's good to start learning about dangerous stuff like that as soon as possible. Kids now days seem to be more curious than ever about mind altering substances! Why I read an article just the other day about kids joining gang wars and doing all sorts of bad things!" His eyes went wide and he pointed his spoon at his grandson, "Don't you go joining no gang wars either, Arnold." He stared at him serious at first, before his face broke into a wide smile and tilted his head back with a laugh. "Ah who am I kidding? I know you're a smart kid."
Arnold laughed back, "Thanks Grandpa."
"I remember back in my day, no one knew drugs were bad!" Phil continued on as the table of listeners ate their food, "Everyone did them! In fact, some were a household staple like sugar or flour! Right Pookie?"
The old woman nodded, "Oh yes! You could even order pretty little jars from catalogs for them." She remembered fondly, "They were even considered miracle drugs at one point that doctors believed could cure any pain but that's exactly how we found out that they were no miracle and people started to get hooked on them." She then shook her head as she recalled such a tragic time. "And people are still hooked on them today, sadly. It's a shame that something believed to be life saving could end so many futures for so many people."
Arnold's eyes turned wide as he listened to his grandparents recollection of the past. "That's terrible, why don't they just get rid of them then?"
Phil shook his head, "That's the big question, isn't it Arnold? It's why they're illegal and you go to jail for having it… but people find ways…"
Gerty's face turned sour. "It's the government that lets it continue!" She spat out, "They make too much money treating those with addiction and side effects to completely halt production even if it is done behind the scenes! Why would they really want to get rid of something that's so profitable? Monsters in business suits…"
"Pookie… calm down and eat your food." Phil scolded her softly with a pat on the shoulder.
Gerty pulled her shoulder away from the man and pointed her spoon in the air as if holding a torch. "You cannot silence me! Down with Big Business! Down with corporate mongrels who benefit off the suffering of others!"
"Yes, Yes Pookie!" He said sternly before swiping the spoon from her hand and sitting her down, "Not right now though, we're all trying to enjoy this nice dinner with our family." He replied sweetly as he looked over his bloodline.
"Awww yes! We're family!" Oskar replied charmingly before placing his arm over Ernie just to be pushed away.
"Get off me, ya loser!" Ernie shouted.
Arnold chuckled at the sight, but his grandmother's words still lingered cautiously in his mind. Despite how eccentric she could be, what she stood up for always meant a lot to her and was always for the good of the people. He was interested in hearing more of what she had to say, but knew that now wasn't the time to continue on that topic.
"What else are you learning about in that new class of yours, dear?" Stella warmly asked after waiting for everyone to settle down.
"We're gonna be taught about our bodies and how they function, but we haven't really touched upon that yet." The young man replied with interest.
"The human body can be pretty cool Arnold, so be sure to take notes and if you have any questions we'll be happy to help." The Mother beamed before nudging her husband, "Right?"
The nudge had caught him off guard, causing him to choke on his food a little but Miles quickly recovered and nodded. "Yeah! Totally! Real cool!" He forced out with a wince, still trying to hold back further coughs.
Arnold laughed nervously, remembering how awkward his dad could be on the topic, "S-sure."
It wasn't long before everyone was finished with their food as well as their casual conversations. Arnold quickly put his dishes in the sink and hurried back upstairs to try and call Helga again to make sure everything was okay. He dialed her number, "I'm sorry, but the number you've called cannot be reached at this time. Please check that you have dialed correctly and try your call again later. Thank you." The boy frowned and placed his phone back down.
"I wonder what happened?" He thought out loud as he went over to his bed to sit. The bed gave a little bounce as he dropped his body on it, and he sighed. "And we were actually getting somewhere too…"
Arnold looked up into his skylight windows and saw it was finally dark. The moon hid behind many clouds but he could still see the luminous light glow from behind them. Was it really that weird to want to see her as a wish? He still couldn't figure out exactly why she got so angry at his answer, but then again it was Helga and her go to emotion always seemed to be something loud and angry.
Looking around his room in thought, Arnold noticed his backpack and suddenly a harsh realization came to mind. "I still haven't done my math homework!" He whispered to himself before promptly getting up, fetching the bag and rummaging through it to find his textbook along with the worksheet he had placed inside of it to bookmark where the lesson was for reference. It wasn't like him to forget school work, but then again… Arnold didn't really feel like he was the same anymore either.
He placed the thick and heavy book down on his desk with a soft thump before cracking it open and looking at its contents. As he looked at the information, the young man grew annoyed at himself. He hadn't really been paying attention in class as of late and couldn't recall learning any of this. All of the equations seemed foreign. "What's wrong with me?" He asked himself as he slumped his back against the chair. "I've always been pretty good at math, I even helped grandpa with it back when he needed to graduate elementary school…" He took his homework and turned it over a few times, "None of this seems familiar at all. Maybe I should just call Gerald and-"
TAP TAP TAP… Suddenly a noise interrupted his sentence. He turned around to see what it was, but noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Tilting his head to the side in confusion, he gave up and turned back to his paper. TAP TAP TAP… went the noise again but this time even louder. Arnold swung his chair around but still saw nothing.
TAP TAP… BANG BANG BANG! Arnold looked up as the noise got louder and noticed a silhouette of something on his skylight. He sprung from his chair and rushed over to it for a better look and above him stood the wish that had been granted. She looked annoyed and motioned to him to open the window with a show of her arms.
Grinning at his sight, Arnold climbed up and pushed the window open. A sharp chill breeze greeted him as well as a strong arm that pulled him up.
"Criminy! Were you day dreaming or what?" She shouted at him before letting go of his arm and placing her hands on her hips.
The young man couldn't help but smile at her, despite her clear irritation. "Sorry, Helga. I was just looking over our math homework." He explained. "What happened to our call earlier? Why did you hang up and why won't my calls go through?"
Helga rolled her eyes. "Because Bob the Brilliant hasn't paid the electric bill in God knows how long and now we have no power, Doi!" She said sarcastically, "Apparently the only reason we've had power until now is because his friend did some illegal wiring and that got busted somehow."
"Illegal wiring?" Arnold asked even though he heard her clearly.
"Yeah, are there worms in your ears or something? Illegal wiring!" Helga scowled and sighed. "Not like either of us should be surprised."
Arnold became worried. "Did he get caught? Is he going to go to jail now?!" He asked hurriedly but was hushed by a cold hand over his mouth.
"Quiet down, will ya?" She said quietly, "Do your neighbors really need to know my business?!" Helga lifted her hand off of his mouth and saw his sad expression. "I don't know if he got caught but I doubt it. Even if he did, he knows how to talk his way out of things pretty easily so don't look at me like that."
"But Helga-"
"Yeah, yeah I get it, you're worried!" Helga rushed to cut him off. Her face became soft and she began to rub the side of her arm. "You don't have to worry so much Arnoldo, I'm fine." She could see that he wasn't convinced and stopped rubbing. "Really…"
With a sigh, he nodded. "Alright." He took in a deep breath to calm his nerves and looked her over carefully. She seemed a lot better than when he saw her at school as well as sporting her usual attitude. The soft pale moonlight glistened on her skin and highlighted some of her features and he couldn't help but stare a little. He thought back to his dream of her again and realized something he hadn't before.
It was almost like a premonition… He thought as his eyes left her figure and to the sky. She may not be wearing the dress and Bob may not be a giant head shouting to her from the sky but… He looked at her again, causing her to stand there awkwardly as he fought his mind. The air about her is the same as well as the situation, kinda…
"You alright there, Football head?" Helga asked, breaking his mental back and forth. "You're even more spacier than usual and that's saying something."
Arnold felt strange at the thought of him dreaming something from the future but shook it off. There has to be a reason for it… He continued to think as he recalled more of the dream in bits and pieces. She was holding her locket and talking to it but he couldn't hear what she had said. He closed his eyes a little to focus better but to no avail. Maybe what she said didn't matter… think Arnold, why does this seem important?
"Arnold?" She called out to him again, however he was too far in thought.
Look at the situation better… He told himself in his mind, She had her locket… of me. She was talking to it but I couldn't hear. Her face… He then focused more on her face. It was solemn but longing, calm but troubled…
"Arnold…?" Helga called out to him again, this time louder.
Hearing his name caused him to look up at her. He searched her face as he continued his deliberation. He thought back to how she looked at school and how she looked now. Then something sparked inside of his brain that he couldn't quite make out.
"Hey! Arnold!" She shouted this time, causing him to snap back into reality.
"Huh?!" He replied in shock; then blinked a few times.
Helga waved her hand in front of his face and gave him a questioning look. "What's wrong with you? You said you wanted to see me and here I am, and what do you do? Stare off into space and waste my time!" She then pointed her thumb over towards his fire escape, "Do you want me to leave? Because I didn't come here to talk to myself, bucko."
"No, no!" Arnold said as he reached out to her, "Sorry Helga, don't leave."
She placed her hands back on her hips and scowled. "Why did you want to see me so bad? I don't get it."
Her question sparked the thought in his mind once more. "Why did you come?" He asked her plainly.
The question seemed odd to her and she wasn't sure if she was to be offended or concerned. "What do you mean, why did I come?" She asked then straightened her back, "I came because it was your one wish if you could have anything! Sheesh, I thought that was obvious?" Her voice came casual but snarky as she pointed her high and mighty expression down at him.
The boy heard her reason but felt it was lacking something. "Would you still have come if your power didn't go out?" He asked honestly, his eyes softening.
His half lidded gaze caused her front to crumble and her eyes darted away from his. "M-maybe. Heck, I don't know the future. Maybe I would have, maybe I wouldn't have!" She replied, a little hesitant. "What matters is I am here. Right here, right now." Helga finished with a stubborn huff.
The response still wasn't helping the young man unravel his inner brain workings and he shook his head. It's like my brain is trying to tell me something and… I just can't figure out what! What is it? The answer is right in front of me! Arnold growled to himself internally. He wasn't exactly sure why the dream and reality were nagging at him but what he was sure of was that it was exhausting trying to decipher it all. Giving himself a little break, the boy cleared his head of the puzzle and sighed softly. "Whatever you say, Helga." He said with a small smile before looking around at their surroundings. There were still a few chairs outside from when his family had a cookout over the summer and he motioned over to them. "Want to sit down?"
"It's about time you asked!" Helga snapped at him, "Yes I would love to sit down after hiking all the way up to your house, climbing your fire escape and standing here forever while you space out into oblivion."
The two of them walked over to the flimsy plastic chairs and sat down. The night was quiet but they could still hear cars and dogs barking in the distance. It was familiar but serene.
"Nice night out tonight, isn't it?" Arnold asked as he gave a curious look to his companion.
Helga slumped in her chair and twirled her finger sarcastically. "Real romantic, aren't you?"
He could see that she was in some sort of mood now, possibly because of him, and accepted it. "I can be sometimes." He smirked playfully. "I'd like to think so anyway."
With a heavy and overly dramatic sigh, Helga glared over at him. She could see his smile and optimism and could feel her heart giving way. He was so innocent, so unknowing, so naïve. He couldn't even begin to know how she felt or exactly why she felt the way she did but it wasn't his fault. Let's just relax, Helga ol' girl and enjoy this moment while you can? She asked herself. She pulled her sight away from the boy and looked back over the horizon. He's right, despite everything it is a perfectly nice night out and what better way to enjoy it than with the man of your dreams? Stop acting, relax and go with the flow… She told herself.
Helga felt her heart start to thump at the thought of them spending a romantic evening together, just the two of them on top of his boarding house. The brisk night suddenly turned a little warmer as her skin heated up. "Soooo…" She started out slowly, "Is this what you had in mind?"
Arnold peered over at her at the question and shrugged. "To be honest, I didn't really have anything in mind other than seeing you."
Feeling the heat peak in her cheeks and his eyes on her, Helga's gaze remained out in front of them to the open city. "Is that right?" She asked, unable to contain herself from fidgeting nervously in her seat, causing it to squeak and rattle with every little move she made. "I-I… figured m-maybe there was a little bit more… to your wish…" She said, drawing out her sentence and peaking over at him to see his expression. He seemed so calm; so normal. Was it only her that felt anxious about this whole thing?
The nagging question still played in Arnold's mind as he looked at her from the side. Helga was perplexing to him. An enigma wrapped with a pink bow. Indeed, he did feel calm but it was different yet familiar. It was a feeling he was becoming accustomed to but only one he got when he was around her. "Maybe there is…" He wondered out loud to answer her question then turned to the city. His own actions and feelings were all becoming just as mystifying as her.
Not wanting to interrupt what he might say, Helga stayed quiet and gulped. Many thoughts raced through her head.
Noticing that their chairs were further apart than he thought, Arnold stood up and pushed his closer to hers and sat back down. Placing his hand on his arm rest next to hers, he could feel her body heat emanating off her skin. Just what about her always drew him in? "You know…" He started, pacing himself to keep up with his mind, "A lot of things have happened to us… over the years. Not just us but everyone of our friends too. I guess change is just a part of growing up, huh?" He asked turning to her again with a kind smile.
Confused on what this had to do with her question, Helga just decided to roll with it to see where this would go. "Well yeah, people have to change in order to grow, what's your point?"
"I guess what I'm trying to say is…" Arnold then gave in to his urge and placed his hand on top of hers. The sensation of their body heat colliding gave the young man a powerful calm that washed over him and seeped into his brain, causing no sense of caution. "I've changed… in ways I don't even understand yet, and it's… sorta scary sometimes." He confessed. "But at the same time…" He continued and brushed his thumb up against the soft texture of the back of her hand, "it's comforting."
"It's… comforting?" She asked, looking up at him curiously.
Arnold nodded and drew himself into her eyes. "Yeah." He breathed out. "I wouldn't have ever thought years ago that I'd find myself here… with you… like this." He smiled, "And I wouldn't have ever imagined how it would make me feel, either."
Finding herself unusually hopeful, Helga let herself get drawn into his words. "And how does… it make you feel, Arnold?"
"Happy." He replied simply and without hesitation. "And not just happy-happy but… a different kind of happy. A kind of happy I had never experienced up until now and one that I only seem to experience with you." Arnold was beginning to feel relieved as he talked and knew it was the right thing to do. "It's like everything is new," He continued, "It's like I can just be me… does that make sense?"
The dreamy look in his eyes, as well as his touch on her skin was sending her body to mush but her brain perfectly intact as she took all of his words in. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? "I guess so."
"I've felt all sorts of things in my life but up until now… nothing quite like this. It's just hard to explain… yet so simple." Arnold said as he continued to rub her hand. "This is why I wanted to see you… I think."
"You think?" Helga asked; her eyes wide and full of desperation.
Arnold nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I just hated seeing you so distant and withdrawn today and it scared me, Helga. All I kept thinking was 'is she okay?' and when you wouldn't talk to me? I didn't know what to do."
Helga hung her head in guilt. "I can't exactly control how I feel, you know." She said weakly. "Life just happens and I react the way I do. I can't help it."
"I know what you mean but-"
"No!" Helga interrupted loudly and full of vivid emotion. "You don't know, Arnold and that's the problem!" An overwhelming need to finally open up to him surged through Helga's veins. "You don't know what it's like to be me!" She said as she snatched her hand away from him. "I can tell you what goes on here and there but it's not the same as you actually having to be there! You've always had people who love and care about you, surrounding you at every corner of life and I haven't! I have a lousy drunk mom, an over controlling abusive dad and a perfect do-no-wrong sister. I have a constant image I must uphold at home and at school and the only light I have at the end of my tunnel is you!"
Suddenly a light flickered in Arnolds head and everything that had been nagging at him since she showed up, came into vision and his eyes widened.
Helga grabbed his hand with both of hers and looked deeply into his eyes with all of her emotions. "It's so difficult opening up and- and talking about crap like this because of how frustrating- no, painful it is to talk about!"
"But Helga-" Arnold started but was shushed by a shaking finger to his lips.
"No… No 'but Helga' right now… okay?" She asked wearily, "You want me to talk? I'm talking and I'll only keep talking if I know you're listening. Got it?"
Arnold swallowed hard and nodded to let her continue.
"Now that you know me, and know the secret I've been harboring for nearly my entire life, have you ever stopped to wonder why? Has your Football shaped brain ever really tried to wrap itself around that? Let me save you the trouble and just tell you. You've always been the one thing in my life that has kept me going, the light at the end of my tunnel, the sun after a hurricane of crap that falls on me through life. You've been my inspiration to go on for as long as I can remember!" Helga explained, taking her finger off his soft desirable lips and placing her hand back down on his hand to firmly grasp. "You're everything I'm not. You're optimistic and helpful, cheerful and always doing the right thing. You've shown me that the world isn't as dark and dreary as it always appears to be. You don't know what it's like to never be seen by the people who're supposed to love you, Arnold. To have your name forgotten- heck, your whole EXISTENCE forgotten until it's convenient for them. I get told to 'Do better' and to be someone I'm not just so I can get a little ounce of attention. Do you know who I've never had to fight to notice me?"
Arnold continued to stay silent, but shook his head.
"You, Arnold." She answered. "Sure, you noticed me for the most part because I demanded attention by forcing it down your throat in a mean way but from the beginning you noticed me even without that. I…" she suddenly stopped and her voice cracked, "I don't know where I'd be right now, in life right now, if I'd be alive today if it wasn't for that little pre-school boy and his umbrella, sheltering me from the cold rain that poured down upon me that morning." Her lip started to quiver as she held back the dramatic wave of emotions that was crashing down upon her and pulling her out to sea. "And now? Now I'm being forced to deal with the fact that even though you've helped me way beyond what you should be capable, my ignorant pigheaded father is willing to throw it all away for his pride."
With one quick motion, Arnold pulled one of his hands out from hers and placed it on her cheek. "Forgive me for interrupting when you told me not to but even if he does do all that… I'll find a way to help again, Helga. There is always a way! You just have to look for it!"
"See?" Helga nodded, "This is the optimism you have that pulls everyone through and part of that light that I'm talking about… but what if there isn't anything you can do?" She asked, placing her hand on top of the one on her cheek and closing her eyes, letting a single tear drop roll down. "Not everything can be solved with your positive outlook! Sometimes bad things just happen and there isn't anything you can do about it! Do you know what will happen if my Dad completely fails and we become homeless, Arnold?"
The boy shook his head again and urged her to continue with his sad eyes.
Helga swallowed her tears, "It means we'll probably be moved far far away from each other and maybe never see each other again."
"I-I don't understand…" Arnold said, searching her eyes for answers.
"It means we'll probably all be shipped back to live with my Hungarian grandfather- the actual head of the Pataki family!" She cried out, letting a stream of tears finally flood her eyes. "And he's worse than Bob will ever be, Arnold. He's who Bob fears letting down; the part that drives his stubbornness into what we all see today."
The information that she was delivering to him was simply too much to accept in that one moment. He heard the words, he understood the words yet everything seemed impossible to comprehend. This can't be happening… can it? He asked himself as he stared into the pale blue eyes of his girlfriend. There won't be anything I can do? She'll be taken away forever… all these feelings, those eyes… I'll never be able to see them again?
"Pataki's are told to sweep everything under the rug, bottle up our feelings and push through and succeed." Helga explained as she used her palm to wipe away the tears that escaped the jail that had been holding them for so long, "Of course, Olga is the exception to the bottling up part as she's nothing but a never ending waterfall of tears at least 80% of the time but…" She let out a weak laugh to continue, "This ideology has been pounded into my head since I was born. That, plus the fact I don't even exist in that family unless I can succeed 100% of the time? Where do you think I'd be today if I hadn't met you? Do you realize the horrors I'll have to face if Bob fails? The tunnel never ends…"
"Then I'll make it end!" Arnold insisted, "Surely there has to be some way for you to stay if they end up leaving!"
Another weak laugh left her lips as she shook her head. "Oh my dear, sweet Arnold… Sometimes you're optimism hurts, you know?"
"I'm serious, Helga!" He pleaded; letting go of her cheek and grabbing onto her shoulders. "You can't…" He forced out with a high pitched broken voice, "You can't leave…"
"Arnold, we're twelve years old. I don't have a choice in the matter come time." She stated simply with a light but painful heart. "But don't worry about me; I'm sure I'll continue to move along like I usually do…"
Listening to her truths and allowing her to open up was nothing like Arnold had expected and he wasn't even sure if this was what he wanted anymore. Was ignorance really bliss? To see someone he cared about so much have to go through this agony? His heart squeezed and hurt like something he had never felt before in his life. The only thing he could compare it to was the thought of his parents being dead and never found. "I don't care what you say Helga, I will do something…. I have to."
A small sad smile graced her lips. Her waterworks had finally ended and she felt freed of the bonds that she once held inside, however they were replaced with guilt. "This was part of the reason I didn't want to open up to you…"
"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked, concerned by her words.
"I didn't want you to have to carry the burden of my life as well as your own and everyone else." She said as she rose up from her seat and faced him with a stern face. "No one needs to carry my burdens except me."
"Helga…" Arnold forced out but no other words followed. Where did that once calm and serene feeling go?
"It's the Pataki way, Arnold. Our business is our own and we don't need anyone's pity." She quoted with her fingers, then sneering away at the thought of her father. "That aside… The last thing I want to do is make your life painful just because mine is."
"But it's my job as your boyfriend to take that pain away… right?" Arnold suggested with a small inquisitive smile. He stood up and grabbed her hands once more. "This just means I can finally fulfill my end of our relationship."
"W-what do you mean?" Helga asked, skeptical and suspicious.
"Helga you just explained to me that I have been the only thing in your life pushing you forward, right?" He asked; not waiting for an answer to continue, "You have gone out of your way to help me countless times and all because I am this light at the end of your tunnel. Let me repay the debt and not because I have to but because I want to. I didn't agree to become your boyfriend just to hold your hand when we walk down the street… I did it because I wanted to be part of your life and not just the part you want me to see." He could see that she still wasn't accepting anything he was saying, but he didn't falter. "Look, I'm not going to stand here and pretend to know what I'm doing because I don't and quite frankly… neither do you. Neither of us know the future and neither of us should assume the worst just because it's a possibility… You wanted me to accept your feelings after all these years, right?" He asked and watched her eyes turn wide with realization. "So now it's time you accept mine. I may not know all of your pain and suffering or your struggles but… I want to. Loving someone doesn't mean hiding the ugly truth from them for their sake… it means trusting them to accept that ugly truth and move forward beyond it and that's not something I think I know, it's something I do know." With utmost certainty, Arnold spoke to her soul and meant every word, "If you truly love me like you insist you do… then give me the same respect."
"This-s isn't something you should j-joke about, Arnold." Helga stammered as her face turned red. "You shouldn't say things like this unless you're s-s-serious…"
Arnold's expression turned as stern as he could. "You don't believe me?" He challenged.
"I-I didn't s-say that it's j-just…" She continued to stutter as her world began to turn around her.
"Fine then," He sighed as he let go of her hands, "If you don't believe my words then my actions are gonna have to count for themselves…"
"W-what are you-"
But before she could finish her question, Helga was stopped by the sudden force of her shirt being grabbed and her body pulled forward to make contact with his own. In the most unbelievable moment in her life, Helga was stopped short by the most passionate kiss in her entire young life as Arnold copied her own dramatic confession from 2 years ago and played it back to her in his own way. She eagerly accepted his show of affection and melted within his strong grip. Her dreams had finally fully come true and he was proving it to her with everything he had.
After the point had been made, Arnold released her shirt and traveled his hands up to her face and caressed her cheeks lovingly before backing away. He looked into her eyes and gave her a warm reassuring smile. "Through all the hardships that await us in the future… Helga, let me stand by you and protect you in any way I can. Let me pay back the love you've shown me with the love I want to show you."
Her eyes welled up once more and she closed them with a smile, letting the small stream flow down her face. "A-are you sure?" She asked quietly.
"Yes…" He said with a small chuckle as he wiped her tears away, "Now stop crying and look at me… please?"
His voice was smooth like silk and she couldn't help but comply. She opened her eyes again but could still feel her emotions overwhelming her.
Arnold's smile grew larger and he entwined his fingers with hers, causing her forehead to come down and touch his own in a sense of bonding. "Will you accept my feelings?"
Helga sniffled in response and nodded her head against his gently.
"Good… I'm glad." He chuckled again.
After a quick look at a clock and realizing just how late it was getting and on a school night, Arnold escorted Helga off his fire escape and decided to secretly walk her home.
"I don't get why I can't just stay here tonight! Not like anyone will know I'm gone anyway…" Helga scowled as they made their way in the direction of the Beeper Emporium.
"Because I'll have no way to explain to my parents or grandparents why they found you sleeping in my room." Arnold replied with a small squeeze of his hand in hers. "That's not really a conversation I want to have with them."
"I could have snuck out before they even knew I was there!" She insisted but stopped as she saw his disapproving look. "Fine, whatever. Walk me home! Be my knight and shining armor!"
The quiet night was then suddenly disrupted with a ever growing noise of ambulances and fire trucks in the distance. The two squinted as a blinding flash of red and white lights zoomed passed them.
"Geez… some old person found it necessary to fall and break a hip, I guess." The young woman hissed as she scowled towards the loud and obnoxious noise.
"That's not very nice, Helga. What if someone is really hurt?" Arnold suggested with a worried frown.
"Well the whole city knows about it now, now don't they? Criminy, I feel like I'm about to go deaf!" She winced as she covered her ears until more fire trucks passed by in their direction.
An ominous dread soon took hold of Arnold and he gripped his companions hand firmly. "Let's just hurry up and get you home before anyone notices…"
They continued to walk in the direction of the Emporium and strangely the noise of the emergency vehicles only got louder and they both noticed a pungent smell of burning in the air.
Scrunching up her nose, Helga shook her head. "I take that back… someone clearly left the oven on and went to sleep…"
"Helga…" Arnold scolded, his feeling of dread only growing further until finally meeting its peak.
As they turned the corner to approach their final destination, they were greeted with the obnoxiously bright flashing red and white lights. Arnold and Helga stood in horror as they watched fire fighters rush to connect their hoses and turn on hydrants…
The Beeper Emporium was up in flames.