Chapter 3

"So then, her whole face goes pale! And she looks like she's about to cry-"

"What? Helga? There's no way!" Eugene stated, shocked. Rhonda was currently sitting on the surface of one of the cafeteria tables as a group of students had formed around her like she was Moses when delivering the ten commandments on two tablets. She crossed her legs as she looked down on her peers from her self made podium.

"Yes way! Then she ran out of the room."

"Oh, poor Helga. I hope she's ok." Eugene seemed to be the only one who had any sympathy for the girl.

"Eugene, don't spare another thought on that. We all know Helga doesn't deserve it." Rhonda shooed off the comment with her hand. "Has she ever spared any sympathy for the rest of us?" She gestured to the rest of the group, being answered with many head shakes.

"I guess…you're not wrong." Eugine would shake his head too if it wasn't for the new neck brace he had on.

"Of course I'm not! Anyways,that's not even the juiciest part! Guess who ran after her?" She leaned in causing all the students around her to do the same; waiting anxiously for her to continue. She paused dramatically long, basking in the attention she was getting.

"It was Arnold." Nadine said nonchalantly, cutting through the tension as she fiddled with a miniature ant farm in her hands.

"Nadine! I was going to say it!"

"Well, you were taking forever." Nadine opened up her ant farm, sprinkling crumbs of a cookie she had on her tray into it. She seemed more interested in the ants than the situation at hand.

"It's called creating suspense! All good story tellers use suspense!"

"Wait, Arnold ran after her? Why? I thought they hated each other." Sid scratched his head in confusion.

"That's why we're talking about it, genius. To figure that out." Rhonda scoffed.

"Man, I wish I wasn't late this morning, then I could have seen Helga's face when she cried!"

"Technically, it only looked like she was going to cry." Stinky corrected Sid.

"Well then, I'm not convinced she was gonna cry. I mean, we're talking about Helga Pataki here. There's no way! She only has one emotion, and that's anger." Sid continued to say less than pleasant things about the girl in question.

"Has Helga gotten his head screwed so loose that he's starting to actually like being bullied by her?" Another random student spoke up.

"Or maybe she's got something on him! Like a big secret she's keeping!" Harold said with an obnoxious voice.

Rhonda shook her head. "It really just makes no sense! And both of them have been missing all day! So it's not like there's any way to ask them."

"I'm tellin' ya fella's, I really think those two are enamored with each other! They just gotta funny way of showin' it!" Stinky offered his theory with little reaction from the group. The thought was just too unfathomable to take seriously. "Why's no one listenin' to me!"

"I'm sure it's just Arnold's nature to care about people, even people like Helga. He's always seen the good in people." Nadine added as she held her ants up to the light above her, her eyes looking through one of the dug out tunnels. "I mean, even though they've been fighting constantly lately, deep down Arnold's always been a naturally caring person."

"He's just too caring for his own good." Rhonda looked down in feigned false pity.

"Poor Arnold."

"Helga doesn't deserve him."

"Man, he really does have a heart of gold."

"I wish she'd do us all a favor and get lost already. The sooner the better."

The table was filled with praise for one while disdain for the other. The contrast was evident; Helga bad, Arnold good. A general consensus was made and it didn't seem likely anyone would suggest another narrative…except for Stinky, but no one was buying it. Those two having feelings for each other? It sounded like a punchline to a sick joke.

"Look! It's Arnold!" One kid from the group pointed Arnold out at the cafeteria entrance who just walked in. His eyes darted around going from one end of the room to the other. He spotted the large group of his friends formed around Rhonda and made his way over, a clear objective on his mind.

"Have any of you seen Helga?" He asked hurriedly, still looking around the room.

"Uh, no, but we're all kind of curious why you're looking so hard for her." The self-proclaimed socialite stepped off from her make-shift throne and stood directly in front of Arnold, placing a hand on one hip and pointing at Arnold with the other in a judging manner. "You've been gone all day looking for Helga. You even missed class to go find her. What's going on, Arnold?" The students behind her were all leaning into the conversation, not being subtle at all about how curious they were to hear Arnolds explanation. "Why are you so desperate to find her?"

"What? What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be?" His eyes finally settled on the group, starting to catch on to the atmosphere. He took a step back.

"ah-hum, maybe because we're talking about Helga Pataki?" Rhonda took a matching step forward.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He frowned, agitated. Why wasn't anyone else saying anything?

"Look. I won't mince words here, Arnold." Rhonda Placed her hand on one of Arnold's shoulders. It felt icey to the touch. "She doesn't deserve you." Her concerned voice felt shallow.

What? Arnold's brow furrowed in astoundment. What did this have to do with what is deserved and what isn't? "Helga's our friends, of course I'd run after her. Wouldn't…you all have done the same?" Everyone's attention shifted awkwardly, looking anywhere but at Arnold. "Don't you guys…care at all what's going on?" He asked, completely taken aback. Ok, yes, Helga rubbed people the wrong way but to think the kids she grew up alongside had absolutely no interest or concern for her leaving whatsoever?

"Arnold, you of all people should be happy she's leaving." Sid spoke up. "I mean, we all know how she likes to pick on you the most. Aren't you sick of it?"

"That's Because!-" He stopped speaking right away. He desperately wanted to defend her, but knew that would mean revealing her darkest secrets. It was incredibly frustrating! On one hand, he wanted them to understand Helga. She put up a mask, shielding her insecurities with a hard shell. She struggled, dealing with the things she had at home and complicated feelings she had for…people she cared about. She picked on him the most, not because she was genuinely a hateful person, but because she was scared. Scared of him knowing something so detrimental to the most vulnerable part of her. She was much more fragile than she led people to believe. Just as you can't force a snail from its shell, you can't force Helga out of hers. It would take time, and Arnold understood that.

On the other hand, he was in no position to reveal this side of Helga to them. He trusted that, with time, Helga would eventually do that herself. He did understand them, though. A year ago, who knows, maybe he'd be right there with them. Celebrating the fact he'd never have to deal with the likes of Helga again.

He felt a pang in his chest, not liking the thought of him being capable of doing something like that. Knowing what he knows now, there's no way he'd be ok with Helga leaving. Hinesight was a powerful thing.

"See, you can't defend her either!" Rhonda ceased the opportunity to speak up in Arnolds lack of response. "I say we're all gonna be much better off without her. She isn't someone worth any form of our sympathy!"

BANG!

Everyone jumped in surprise at the sound of a tray slamming hard onto a table surface. They all turned to look at the petite girl with a long blue sweater and thick glasses. "That's quite enough!" The students all sat still and quiet at the sudden outburst. "You all have absolutely no clue what you're talking about!"

Rhonda gulped. She never heard Phoebe take on such an imposing and demanding voice. Still, she didn't like how she was changing the course of the conversation. "P-Phoebe, how can you say we have no clue? We all grew up along side Helga just like you di-"

"Don't act like you know anything about Helga! None of you have taken the time to ever understand her!" Phoebe stood next to Arnold, knowing at the very least that he was on the same side as her. "You're all cowards! Helga may speak a little more grandiose, and she has a more ill-tempered way of dealing with problems, but at least she tells you what she thinks straight to your face! She's an honest person, unlike the rest of you who talk behind her back. You're all hypocrites! So quick to judge her yet you can't even say it directly to her face!" She challengingly stepped toward Rhonda and even despite the height difference she still managed to make her take an unsteady step backwards. The tides were turning as Rhonda visibly sweat; sensing the crowd behind her murmuring. She straightened herself out, still shaken up but unable to back down.

"Ahem…Well, Phoebe. I'm sure we'd all like to talk to her face to face," She brushed her nails on her shirt then looked at them in disinterest. "But if you hadn't noticed," Rhonda gestured her hand around the room. "She's nowhere to be seen. She's been hiding all day! And we're the cowards?! If what you're saying has any credibility then why doesn't she show herself?"

Phoebe stared daggers at her. It was rare that she had the shared urge as Helga's to pull someone's tongue out of their mouths and wrap it around their necks. She grit her teeth, about to say something threatening when-

SLAM!

The sound of the entrance doors slamming hard against the wall echoed like a cannon behind them.

The entirety of the Cafeteria grew quiet. Even the lunch ladies stopped mid-serving another student to witness the commotion. The atmosphere felt like a scene pulled straight out of a wild west movie as the girl with a pink bow and intimidating glare stared down the lunchroom in a dominating stance. Her eyes scanned the room before it fell menacingly in the direction of the three students. She walked slowly and purposefully across the room as eyes stared at her from every direction. Unlike this morning, it did nothing to suppress her. She stopped once she was directly in between Phoebe, Arnold, and Rhonda.

"H-Helga…w-w-what a surprise." Rhonda's voice cracked and stuttered. She continued cautiously when she was meant with silence. "W-we were all s-so worried about you." Phoebe stared at her incredulously. Did she have no shame? "W-what was that all about earli-"

"Back off, princess! I don't have business with you." Her eyes dug holes into Rhonda as she looked down on her. It was then that Rhonda realized her knees buckled at the sight of her. Rhonda instinctively put her hands up in defense.

"Y-yes, of course! Let me just get out of your way!" She coward behind Nadine, using her as a shield between her and Helga. The audience behind Helga all scooted farther against the wall, not wanting to be put into the middle of the sudden whirlwind situation unfolding in front of them. Helga was always a foreboding character to look out for but, today, no one dared to make a sudden move. At all costs they wanted to do nothing to catch the attention of Helga Geraldine Pataki. They looked on in cautious anticipation.

Helga took a deep breath. She closed her eyes, as if grounding herself in the moment. She was building up the courage to do something. A few seconds went by, but everyone there would agree that it felt much longer.

"...Helga." Arnold finally spoke up. He was relieved but confused. She had been missing all day and he began to worry his efforts to find her would be for nothing. Although glad to see her, he felt like there was something stuck in his throat. He was so preoccupied trying to find her, he didn't stop to think about what he would say to her when he did. There was so much to say, but how to put it into words? "I…what…where did you-"

"Stop." Helga turned to him with a hand raised and spoke coldly but concise. "I have something I need to say." Although they all knew the danger, everyone who could listen held their breaths and leaned in closer; their curiosity outweighing the risk. Even the lunch ladies leaned over their counters. Arnold swallowed dryly, crossing his hands behind his back and giving his full attention to her. "...We have something to settle." She turned fully towards him, speaking in a low tone. "Meet me tomorrow. At the pier on the dock we went to last thanksgiving. 7PM, sharp." She suddenly grabbed his collar, bringing him nose to nose with her. Onlookers saw the scene of a bully threatening her victim but they weren't able to see Helga's eyes from where they were. Only Arnold had a clear view of them right in front of him. They were bloodshot and puffy. They shook and pleaded with him. These were the eye's of a girl that was helpless and had nothing left to lose. "I'll be waiting there for you."

Arnolds heart beat in his ear as he looked down at the hands holding his collar; noticing them visibly shaking. He hesitated before grabbing one of them. At the sudden contact Helga shoved him away from her. She reacted as if he was hot to the touch. She turned her head away from him as he continued to stare at her in disarray. She didn't spare him another glance though as she now had accomplished what she had set out to do in that moment.

She didn't even bother to stare around the room, caring little for the attention she gathered. It didn't faze her in the least. She walked slowly back the way she came from, leaving out the same doors she made such a powerful entrance walking into. If it wasn't for the lingering tension in the air, it was as if it never happened. The once quiet cafeteria grew loud again at the sound of the doors closing behind her. They all in one form or another were talking about the same thing.

Arnold was dumbfounded. What did she say again?The Pier, The Dock, Tomorrow at 7. The Pier, The Dock, Tomorrow at 7. It repeated over and over in his head. He placed a hand onto his chest, gripping it tightly. It felt like the walls of his chest were closing in on his heart as it beat violently against it. Phoebe placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was the only thing she could think to do to reassure him.

"Don't go, Arnold! It's gotta be a trap!" Harold ran over to Arnold, practically shoving Phoebe away from him. "You heard her! She's gonna pound you, Arnold!"

"Ya, you two have to 'settle' something?" Sid put his hands up in air quotes. "She wants to settle the score with you! She's probably tired of how you've been beating her at things recently! This is like her last hurrah! Don't go Arnold!" Sid cried out in his especially over dramatic way.

"Yeah, don't go!"

"She obviously wants to beat you up!"

"She's awful! To think she's leaving, and she wants to pick a fight?"

It was frustrating.

"She's crazy! She's absolutely crazy!

Incredibly-

"You're too good for her, Arnold!"

"You don't need to feel bad for people like her!"

Incredibly-!

"This is why no one likes her."

"She's a lost cause, Arnold."

"She doesn't deserve you-"

"Shut up."

"..."

"..."

"E…excuse me?" Rhonda said, mouth agape.

"I said, shut up!" Arnold said once again, this time much louder as it reached every ear in the room. It wasn't much so because it was bellowing but because it was unfathomable. Arnold, the do gooder, Arnold the Saint, Arnold the good samaritan, No one could see it coming from a guy like him.

At that point his hands and turned into shaking fists. He was done hearing about all the shit that was spewing out of their mouths. When Helga told him she believed she didn't deserve anything, that she was a lost cause, that he shouldn't show her kindness, he thought she was talking crazy. How could she think so low of herself? Who could have made her feel so unloved? It's true; she acted bitter and she acted callous. She pushed people away and wasn't delicate with her words, but it was a natural reaction to what the world did to her first. No one's born with a mask, no ones born with hate; they get brought up in it.

"Y…you must be in shock, Arnold." Rhonda placed her hand on his shoulder once again. "Don't let what Helga said-"

"It's not what Helga said!" He slapped her hand away from his shoulder. She stepped back, gripping her hand, not in pain, but rather in astonishment. "It's all the things you're all saying! When are you all going to understand that the world isn't just surface level! There's so much more to Helga that you don't know! It's no wonder Helga can't open up to you! Harold-"

"Huh!?" Harold backed off of Arnold when Arnold shot him an intimidating look.

"Let's not forget all the times you've called Helga ugly, or made fun of her for no reason. And let's not forget how the rest of you laughed at her for it instead of defending her!" Arnold pointed around the room. Some student's pretended to not care but they all were feeling the emotional pressure being built against them. Rhonda-"

"What!?" Rhonda flinched. "What did I do?!"

"You're always making rude remarks about the way she dresses, or saying how she's so uncivilized! You wouldn't even invite her to your party because you didn't think she was girly enough! That's a pretty awful thing to do to someone! You basically singled her out out of everyone else! And when she tried to take some refuge with the boys, you all turned her away-" Arnold was still shaking as he looked down in guilt. "...And I wasn't much better. There's so many times I didn't give her the benefit of the doubt. Try and understand where she was coming from. You all complain and spew nonsense about how Helga doesn't deserve anything-" He looked back up with much more resolve. "-When we all had a hand in it."

Many tails were in between legs. What Arnold said was true. As early back as they could remember, they dished out many insults at the vulnerable pink bow'd girl and now they were complaining when she rose above it, developing a defense mechanism against them? You could say Helga could be cruel. You could say she could be bitter and she could be mean. But it was unfair of them to say she wasn't deserving of kindness, of caring, or of love when they were the ones casting the first stone.

Arnold looked around the room. The tone had shifted dramatically from one of excited hostility to that of shame and embarrassment. He hoped they were listening, because he was done talking. He hoped they would feel humbled.

Knowing he was likely in the same place they were in not even a year ago filled him with deep regret. He hoped in time they'd understand where they went wrong like he did. He saw the good in all of them but, right now, he could care less about their feelings. He felt sick to his stomach as he turned on his heel and left out the doors. He needed to get out of here, as his head felt like it was spiraling. He only had a day and some change to prepare mentally and emotionally for what Helga was going to say to him.

It was all too much. He just walked out of a situation that angered him to no end but now a dramatic mood shift caused him to become extremely anxious and nervous. He wasn't ready at all. He thought he had a million things to say to Helga, but nothing felt concrete to him. What she said was still playing over and over in his head. The Pier, The Dock, Tomorrow at 7. The Pier, The Dock, Tomorrow at 7.

"Arnold!" A loud yell in his ear and a clap on his back instantly knocked him out of his trance. "I was calling for you back there! You didn't hear me?" Gerald looked at his friend, concerned. He stood as a third party, not engaging in either direction in the cafeteria. He followed after Arnold when he left out the doors.

"S-sorry, my mind is kind of a mess right now."

"Yeah, I'll say! What was that back there? What the heck is going on with you and Helga?"

"It's…very complicated." Arnold placed his hand on his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "I just can't talk about it right now."

"Arnold man, listen," Gerald walked in front of him, gripping both of his shoulders tightly and looking directly in his eyes. "I don't think you should go, either!"

"What?"

"I don't know what's been going on with you lately but you're really starting to freak me out! Lately you've been spending all your freetime getting into petty fights with Pataki! So, Isn't this a good thing? She's finally gonna be far away somewhere where she can never bug you again-!"

"Not you too, Gerald!" Arnold shoved him, not enough to hurt but enough to send a message; Arnold was done listening. "Helga isn't as bad as you think she is-"

"I understand that, Arnold! I was there for your little speech you made back there!" Arnold tried to step past Gerald but he wouldn't budge.

"If You're trying to say the same thing's they were saying back there, I don't want to hear it."

"No! I'm not!" Gerald placed both hands wide out at his side, limiting Arnolds path even more. "Look, I have no freakin' clue why you've developed such an obsession with Helga lately-"

"Move, Gerald!" Arnolds patient was wearing thin. It wasn't just Gerald. Anyone would get on his nerves at the moment. But Gerald was Arnold's best friend and part of him was scared of telling Gerald about him and Helga for this exact reason. He didn't want to hear from him the same things everyone else was saying.

"I get it, Arnold! You care about Helga! It's in your good guy nature." Great, Arnold thought. Not this again. He was so tired of hearing how good of a guy he was. "-But, have you considered that maybe this is best for both parties? Maybe it would be GOOD for Helga to move away?"

"-Why would that be a good thing, exactly?" Arnold glared up at his friend. Gerald met him two-fold.

"We were both in there, Arnold! This place is a hostile NO PATAKI danger zone!"

"Huh?"
"Look," Gerald rubbed the back of his neck, "Besides Phoebe, and maybe you, what else does she have here?"

"She…" Arnold looked down, unsure of how to answer that.

"Exactly! Have you considered that a new environment and a fresh start is possibly the best thing for Helga? I know if I were her I wouldn't want to be around a bunch of people that are either scared of me, hate me, or a mix of both." Arnold didn't want to listen. Gerald was speaking nonsense. Helga belonged here in Hillwood…didn't she?

"...Why would that mean I shouldn't go to see her tomorrow?"

"It's called a clean break! If you give into what she wants she'd be less reluctant to go!" Gerald did his best to reason with him. "What Pataki really needs is to move on."

Move on… Arnold shook his head.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Gerald." Arnold tried to move past him again.

"Well, I would! If you stopped avoiding me!" Gerald once again blocked him. "Talk to me, Arnold!"

"I can't! It's-" Arnold pulled at the tufts of his hair. This whole situation was incredibly overwhelming. He was just an 11 year old boy and the situation was just too much for him to take in all in the span of a day. He couldn't take it anymore! Arnold turned around, deciding to go the long way to get to the exit, making a run for it.

"Arnold! Wait!"

He kept running, not interested in hearing out Gerald anymore. He left his backpack behind, he didn't let any teacher know, he just had to be anywhere but here!

Arnold felt like two ropes were tied tightly on both of his wrists, pulling him in entirely opposite directions. The words Gerald spoke weren't exactly wrong. Maybe Helga would be better off somewhere else? Somewhere where she could start over. Where people didn't hate her. Where she could make friends and learn about a new culture and gain a thousand different new experiences she couldn't here. Meet someone, and fall in love. Be happy.

Somewhere far away from him.

He ran faster!

Even if she would be better off. Even if she was going to be 100x happier somewhere else.

-I don't want her to go!

Arnold the Saint

Arnold the Good Samaritan

Arnold, the do gooder

He kept running until he couldn't run any longer. He found himself at the end of an alley. He breathed heavily, placing a hand against a brick wall, catching his breath. He bent down, kneeling in front of the wall. He leaned his head against it, his nails dug into the cracks.

What were they talking about?

"Helga…I'm no good."

Alright! Guys, ngl, it gets dark before it gets bubbly and fun and stuff lol. I mean, really, I gotta warn ya this will deal with some heavy stuff. I hope the story is to your liking so far, I'm rewriting a lot of the cringy things I wrote when I was a kid. Now, I can write cringy things as an adult! Woopie! Will post soon!

DeviantArt name: SenSpring

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