AN: Hi world! I wrote this fic 11 years ago, and I was a kid at the time. I have recently been working on my sequel Just Bridesmaids, but it's been bothering me that Just Friends wasn't want I wanted it to be, so I decided to rewrite it. The plot is still pretty much the same but I wanted add more dimension to it and really tell the story from a more mature lens. I hope you enjoy :) I am also going to be active on my twitter if anyone wants to follow paxtonhy69

xoxo Kare

Chapter 1: "Homecoming"

The screech of adolescent voices echoed in the hallway around her, completely overwhelming her and intensifying her rage. "Criminy Phoebe, not only does Coach Wilson not let me try out for baseball, but he insults me and suggests I look into being his equipment manager instead. I swear that prick is out to get me! I hit him in the balls once and he doesn't let me live it down."

Helga's hands were curled up into fists of rage. Her best friend Phoebe walked beside her in the hallway off to Helga's locker. Ever since the school hired a new baseball coach, baseball was strictly for boys. She had made it to conditioning camp that summer and after one practice she was formally asked to leave. Helga was on the junior varsity team the year before and had crushed it. The team loved her and she was on track to becoming team captain. This imbecile of a coach ruined it for her, but rest assured, he would pay for it one day.

"There's always softball," Phoebe suggested.

"As if Pheebs, softball's for chumps. It's way too sissy for Helga G Pataki," she fought back. The fact that Phoebe could suggest such a thing was absurd! The softball team hadn't had a championship win in years. The varsity baseball team on the other hand was unmatched. Helga dreamed about being on the varsity baseball team her junior year so he worked her ass off as a sophomore. To think that all of that was for nothing made her feel even worse.

Phoebe frowned. "Then why did you try out?"

"Because Coach Bimbo begged me to." Helga reached her locker and pulled out a pink journal and her chemistry textbook. She was off to her first period class with only minutes before the bell rang. Phoebe was in the same class, but she was always at school earlier than Helga for her student council meetings.

"Good morning Helga," Lila's sweet voice called out. Startled, Helga banged her head on her locker door. She rubbed the spot to try to ease the pain.

"Criminy Lila, I told you not to do that anymore," Helga exclaimed.

"I'm ever so sorry Helga. I was just letting you know Coach May posted the softball list. You will be happy to know that you're the varsity pitcher," she squealed in excitement.

Helga threw her arms in the air triumphantly. "Ha! What did I tell you, Pheebs? No competition." Phoebe rolled her eyes and headed toward class. She wasn't into sports so hearing Helga go on and on about it annoyed her.

Lila smiled and hugged Helga before she went to her class, drowning her in her red hair. As they grew up, Helga and Lila became good friends. It was as if as soon as they came back from San Lorenzo everything fell into place. They were basically a trio, Helga, Phoebe, and Lila. Helga grew to like her perky and sometimes obnoxious self. Lila came in handy and helped balance her out.

Helga made her way inside the classroom just barely missing the bell. She took a seat behind Phoebe and her "friend" Gerald. They sat in the back of the classroom, trying to be as secluded as possible. The tables were bigger and 2 people sat at a table. Phoebe and Gerald sat together and when they had to work on group labs they would turn around and work with Helga. She sighed, just another day in chemistry, nothing interesting ever happened.

Helga cracked open her little pink book and began to write. She had dozens and dozens of stories in her book; mostly Jane Austen fan fiction. It relaxed her to write. Her long blonde hair cascaded around her face like a waterfall, just the way she liked it. She was in her own little world when she wrote, blocking out everything around her.

Mr. Markey began by introducing a new student to the class. She felt sorry for the chump starting school so late, it was never easy being the new kid. The last new kid they had was never seen again.

"Class this our new student…" Markey's voice became mumbled, she felt Phoebe shaking her arm to pay attention but she was too engrossed. While writing her outline, she suddenly got the inspiration for something else. She flipped the page to a blank one. Instead she wanted a poem. It had been years since she had last written a poem, but today something in her wanted to write a beautiful masterpiece.

She stopped. Someone had taken the vacant seat next to her, and cleared their throat. Way to interrupt her writing! Today was not the day to mess with her. She was ready to pounce, she was ready to give it to him.

"Hi Helga," he chocked up shyly.

Her eyes widened with both fear and excitement. She couldn't believe her eyes, it was like she was seeing a ghost. He was back. Arnold was back.

She turned to look at Gerald. He gave her a smile and raised his shoulders apologetically. She wanted to pummel his head into the ground. Why on earth would Gerald not tell her Arnold was back!? Gerald would mention Arnold from time to time. Arnold never really visited, but Gerald would fly out and see him from time to time. She would hear the stories, but pretended not to care. She wanted to phase out the crush and it got easier as the years went by.

"Way to pop out of the blew Arnold." She turned anxiously back to her journal in hope of hiding the joy that overtook her. It had been six years since she last saw him, and now he was sitting there besides her like he had never left.

Arnold was the same as he was before, blond hair, oblong head, and beautiful white smile. The only difference was that he was far more handsome than Helga had remembered. She couldn't help but notice the way his muscles flexed under his baseball shirt. He wasn't a boy anymore, he was a young man.

"What? No Football Head?" He asked with a cocky smile that made Helga's insides melt.

Stop that! Helga yelled at herself. Arnold is ancient history you're supposed to forget about him. "Please, did you think you'd come back and meet a nine year old? Be so for real."

He smiled, "I guess not." His head dropped to his class schedule and pen, even though Helga could tell he was not reading it. He turned to look at her. "I see you've changed quite a bit Helga."

"I guess so. Puberty and high school do things to girls." She instantly regretted saying that. She wanted to come off cool, calm, and collected, but she wasn't so sure that was the case.

He looked down again, awkwardly. She didn't blame him though, it was just as weird for her. They both hadn't seen each other in years and their farewell was not very pleasant. After finding Arnold's parents in San Lorenzo, they all came back to Hillwood. It seemed like a happy ending for all of them. But his parents were asked to go on assignment again and this time Arnold went with them. They said goodbye to each other awkwardly with a wave, and haven't talked to each other since. Helga tried to write him a letter before, but never knew just what to say to the little Football Head, so she never sent it. She gave up on seeing Arnold again when he didn't come back for middle or high school.

"Helga," Arnold whispered to her.

She turned, "yeah?"

"I missed you in San Lorenzo," he admitted.

Helga tried to hold back her smile, she didn't want to give in but wow did it feel good to hear. Her and Arnold had kissed and sorta liked each other but it never went past that, especially once he gave the news that he was leaving. But her little crush on him never quite went away. "I missed you too Football Head."

Helga was different from what he expected. Sure it had been 6 years since they'd last seen each other but it was hard to picture her as anyone else but his old bully he grew to like. Gerald had told him stories and explained that they were all friends, but it still took him by surprise. He thought about her a lot in the jungle, their fighting, their bonding, their weird little relationship they had before he left. This was all so overwhelming. He wanted to go see Helga before school started but he was hoping to avoid her since he didn't have the words to say yet. What could you say to someone you hadn't seen in 6 years but couldn't stop thinking about? It wasn't like they could just pick up where they left off. Arnold would have to live with the fact that they had to start from scratch again.

He looked down at the map Phoebe had made for him of the school. After 2nd period, he didn't have class with Gerald so he had to find his own way to his next class. School was much easier in San Lorenzo, they didn't have to go to different classrooms for each subject, the teachers would come to them. They also didn't have to make it to the next class in such little time. How was he expected to get to his next class in 4 minutes when it was upstairs and on the other end of the building?

"Arnold?" He turned to see none other than Lila Sawyer standing in the hallway looking as beautiful as she was before. Her dark red hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, while wearing a modest green dress. "You're back?"

"Lila, ugh yeah I'm back." Arnold turned red, it was like Lila Sawyer only got prettier as the years went on.

"I'm ever so happy you've returned. Helga didn't tell me you were back, I just saw her in PE. I can't believe you're back!" She awkwardly hugged him for no more than a second, but that was nearly too much for Arnold.

Then it clicked. "Helga?"

"Strange, she would never keep things from me. I'm very surprised she didn't mention it," she continued.

This was getting even stranger for Arnold. Helga and Lila were friends? He wouldn't have believed that in a million years. "It's so great to see you again Lila."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Why thank you Arnold. It was very nice to see you too. I'll see you around."

Helga sat at her usual lunch table alone. Phoebe and Gerald had different lunch periods along with any other tolerable person in school. She liked being alone, she had time to write. Today she bought a bagel and a can of soda. Miriam forgot once again to give her any lunch money, therefore she only had about a dollar in dimes and nickels she found scattered on the bus. She used the dollar to buy the bagel and Petra, the lunch lady, gave her a dented can she wasn't allowed to sell. By now Helga was well able to fend for herself. It was about time she considered getting a part time job, but with all her sports during the school year it was hard to balance it all.

She continued with the poem she started in chemistry.

A dark and gray summer day

Trapped and lost inside the thick suffocating haze

Flowers grow but never stay

The kiss of death wipes them way

Golden light bursts through the fog-

"Hey," she heard a familiar voice call out from behind her. She dropped her pen and turned to see Arnold, heading her way with a tray. "Could I maybe sit with you Helga?"

She rolled her eyes, he still didn't understand Helga wasn't a bully anymore. She could sense the fear in him. She would have eaten him alive when she was a kid. "Whatever floats your boat Arnold." She smiled maybe this way he'd understand.

He sat in the seat next to her. "How has your day been so far?" Helga asked him to start some small talk.

"Uh, fine Helga. Thanks for asking. I was actually pretty worried I would have to eat lunch on my own today. Thank goodness I found you here."

Helga put her notebook aside and took a sip of her soda. She tasted the foul liquid and spat it back in the can. "Uh ew!"

"What's wrong Helga?" Arnold asked worriedly.

She wiped the excess soda off her mouth. "It's nothing, I just really hate this flavor." She pushed the drink as far away from her as possible. "I absolutely despise raspberries, they must have mislabeled the can."

Arnold smiled at Helga yet she didn't know why. With that he handed her his bottle of water from his tray. "Want mine?"

Helga took the bottle from him and thanked him. He was looking at her in a way that made her feel uneasy. She didn't know what it was but she could feel that there was some weird connection still there. She had to get a hold of herself, Arnold had left, and even though she never tried to write to him, he never wrote to her either. They had mutually forgotten their moment that had been shared in San Lorenzo. That was in the past, she went ahead to remind herself that they were starting over. Besides, she was not getting hurt by him again.