Chapter Text
Arnold. I hate him. How I despise those green eyes that pierce my soul and yet...
helga looked both ways to see if anyone was coming.
"and yet I love him, those cunning eyes, the tufts of blonde hair that stick out from his marvelous football head..."
she pulled our her locket, and stared into the picture of arnold.
"Oh, if only you could see how much I pine for you, arnold..."
she broke off as she heard some raspy breathing behind her.
socking him for the zillionth time wasn't that much of a challenge.
brainy was left to... Do whatever brainy did.
helga sighed. There was arnold. Walking with Gerald, talking about sports.
she flopped onto the sidewalk, feeling dejected.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the teacher paired the children up into groups, obviously Helga and Arnold were stuck together.
along with Phoebe and Gerald, and, more surprisingly, Lila.
arnold sighed and glared at helga. he really didn't like working with her, and it just made her feel worse.
the rest of the group started discussing ideas, but helga simply stared off into space.
"hey, it would be helpful if you could contribute, helga."
the words snapped her out of her thoughts.
arnold.
"i don't have to do anything, Footballhead."
arnold glared at her again.
"why don't you just leave. you're not helping, anyways."
helga put on her best mean face, but her eyes were saying something else.
"FINE. you don't need me, the group doesn't need me, i'm DONE."
Helga stormed off.
gerald supported arnold.
"hey, you did the right thing, man. she wasn't helping."
arnold swallowed.
"it will be ever so much easier now that helga's gone."
Arnold knew lila was just trying to be nice, but all it did was make him feel worse about kicking helga out.
the group was working on the project, and suddenly arnold jumped up.
"i've got to go talk to her."
gerald rolled his eyes.
"of course you do."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
helga, however, wasn't ranting, or screaming, or sulking.
she was crying.
arnold rounded the corner to see helga curled up into a ball.
arnold felt even worse.
"hey... helga?"
she shot upright and tried to conceal the fact that she had been crying.
"w-what- ARNOLD?"
arnold stood there, just staring at helga.
"what? what do you need, football head? to yell at me again?"
arnold bit back a "as if YOU don't yell at me"
"i.. i'm sorry. for kicking you out. it was wrong of me not even to..."
"nah, it's FINE, footballhead."
she got up.
her eyes narrowed.
"i'm done working with you." done liking you, too.
"here. it's the only thing you ever liked about me."
she snatched the pink bow off her head, and thrust it into arnold's hands.
then she stomped off.
"wait, helga! HELGA!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Helga stormed home.
she ran into her closet and kicked over her shrine. she threw her volumes of arnold out. she ripped apart her poetry.
she was DONE.
all the things that she had been a stalker about.
everything she hoped to tell arnold one day.
GONE.
her heart was breaking inside, as she once again fought back tears.
the doorbell rang.
"OLGA, it's your friend! Andrew!"
helga locked her door.
"helga, can i come in?"
the voice was his.
she almost melted.
he was standing right outside her door....
NO.
snap out of it, pataki.
you are NOT in love with arnold.
"i know you're in there, helga."
helga bit her tongue.
not this time.
"so i'll talk to you, even if you won't let me in."
helga sighed.
"I'm sorry i kicked you out. i feel terrible about it, and i really wanna make it up to you. do you think you could come back?"
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" she suddenly screamed.
"helga-"
she threw open the door.
"i DON'T CARE how sorry you are! you'll never be sorry for all the pain you've caused me!"
arnold put a quizzical look on his face.
"just from kicking you out of a science fair project?"
"all the pain, from all those years. you would NEVER understand, arnold. your head's always in the clouds. you never come down to earth and see the people who care about you most."
"what? helga, you aren't making any sense-"
"get. out." she hissed.
Arnold shrugged.
but his face said something different .