The fanfic you're about to begin is the product of such thorough research that I sprinkled it with footnotes and near-hyperlinks. I hope you will not begrudge me the following instructions in their use:
Footnotes
This is a number in square brackets. To flip between a footnote and its position in the main text, hit Ctrl+F, then type the number and press Enter repeatedly.
Hyperlinks
I have never succeeded in highlighting text in the browser on this website. This greatly complicates the link-following process; I recommend the following:
First, open your favorite plaintext editor e.g. Notepad. (I like Notepad++.[1])
To open the chapter in the text editor, copy the URL out of the browser box (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C) then paste it into the "File name" box in the Open dialog of the text editor. (Ctrl+O, Ctrl+V, Enter).
In the text editor find the footnote using Ctrl+F, then copypaste the link into your browser after deleting any extraneous spaces. In some cases it may be necessary to replace all instances of "dot" with "." (Ctrl+H, "Replace All").
The fact that this work depends so closely on the movie may seem to deprive it of some elements of originality, especially when for plot reasons the characters must recount their experiences therein. I can only ask you to bear with me, and hope that your patience will be rewarded.
In any case you should know that a published transcript of the movie exists.[2] Although the gist of my edits is perfectly obvious without it, I have tried to give the exact splice points for clarity.
Movie Edits:
…The "confession scene." Arnold and Helga meet on the deck of the tower. The conversation proceeds normally until Helga, having delivered her confession, has seized Arnold and violently kissed him on the lips.
Instead of the burst of color and music, the animation briefly freezes. At this moment Arnold's eyes are open, Helga's closed. Time seems to stop. Tense and rapid music starts playing. The camera zooms in on one of Arnold's pupils, until its blackness covers the entire screen.
...
Arnold is reading from the pink book
Arnold
H is for the head I'd like to punt. E is for every time I see the little runt. L is…
Helga rips the page out of the book.
...
Arnold and the fake Cecile stand outside of Chez Paris
Arnold
There's one thing I still don't understand. Who are you?
Helga
I…um…I can't tell you.
Arnold
Why not?
Helga
I just can't, that's all. OK?
...
Arnold is seated in Helga's room, where Helga on her deathbed speaks to him
Helga
…in the pit of my heart, in the depths of my soul, I truly lov—
Enter Pheobe
Helga, wait!
...
Arnold and friends are sitting on the floor of his room. Suddenly his retractable couch spits out a dust-covered figure clutching a cassette tape. The figure fiddles with the tape a bit, and while facing Arnold slowly makes her way through the door and closes it behind her.
...
A parrot standing on a perch is talking in Mr. Simmons' class.
Parrot
Arnold, you make my girlhood tremble, my senses all go wacky. Someday I'll tell the world my love, or my name's not Hel—GULP!
The parrot is swallowed by a monitor lizard.
...
The scene returns to the deck. Arnold subtly modifies his grip on Helga's arms: rather than indicating an intention to break free of the embrace, he is now pulling a little bit on Helga, helping her press their faces together. His eyes have closed. At this point, both are kissing with closed eyes. After a few seconds, Helga's eyes pop open. Her pupils make a few darting movements in various directions, the timing and sound effects of which recall Arnold's eye movements in "School Play." Helga mentally utters a love-struck sigh and they both slide down out of view of the camera. After a second or two Arnold, having broken free, struggles to his feet.
Arnold
The tape! We have to get back with the tape!
Helga (dazed)
The tape?
Arnold
Yeah, the tape of Scheck burning the document! Remember…you said you had a plan for getting us out. Something about a distraction?
Helga
Oh, right…
After a brief technical discussion,[3] Arnold and Helga rappel down the side of the building as originally depicted…
The movie proceeds unaltered until Helga and Arnold are standing alone in the street. Their awkward conversation proceeds as in the movie, until
Helga
…Got carried away?
Arnold
Did you really mean all that, about, uh, loving me and stuff?
Helga (becoming very angry)
What? Of course not! How could you think I would love a ridiculous, irritating little…(positively fuming) football-head!? Did you hit your weird little head in the bus crash or something?
(The over-the-top vehemence of this denial serves to accentuate its utter falsity. But Arnold takes the hint)
Arnold
Well anyway, Helga, you pretty much saved our whole neighborhood. Without you, Gerald and I wouldn't have even known where to begin. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough! (He hugs her, like when she returned his hat)
Helga's face has a rapturous expression on it. She soon snaps out of it and pushes him away.
Helga
Well, you can start by getting off of me. Criminy, if there's one thing I can't stand, its being hugged by a football-head!
Arnold
Whatever you say, Helga.
Helga storms away. Once clear of Arnold's line of sight, she breaks into a joyous skipping gait. On Arnold's face is a subtle, knowing smile. Gerald emerges from behind the bulldozer, and the movie continues unaltered until
THE END
The above may expose a rather serious deviation in favor of what 'should' have happened. In my defense I plead the soft-hearted desire of an author to write a story where "among the tales of sorrow and ruin…there are some in which amid weeping there is joy…and great deeds that were not wholly vain."[4]
I add the usual disclaimer that I lack the slightest shadow of property rights in Hey Arnold! or its characters, places, events, or things. But I think my use of them must be considered "fair" from the legal point of view, if not artistically.[5]
...
[1] notepad-plus-plus . org
[2] heyarnolddotwikiadotwikidotcom/Hey_Arnold!:_The_Movie/Transcript
[3] Unfortunately, in this version we have had to sacrifice Helga's "Wonderful, I'll go with you," and Arnold's less-remembered but almost as classic response, "there's no time for that." Let us observe a moment of silence.
[4] I had to splice this Tolkein quote together from two books, The Silmarillion and The Fellowship of the Ring.
[5] endotwikipediadotcom/wiki/Fair_use