Howdy to everyone out there in Hey Arnold land! I'm not really new to the world of fan fiction, but this is my first official Hey Arnold story. I watched the series since it first came on in 1996. (I was 7! Oh the memories..) I've always loved the diabolic relationship shared between Arnold and Helga. After much debate, I've decided to dabble in Hey Arnold fan fiction and truth be told, I'm rather nervous about it (mainly because I still picture them as 9 years old)... But I certainly hope you enjoy my efforts!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold or any of it's characters. That cred goes to the BRILLIANT Mr. Craig Bartlett. ;)

Supernova (n): A massive star that undergoes a sudden, extreme increase in brightness across the electromagnetic spectrum, followed by a more gradual decrease lasting from several days to several months.

Helga's POV:

"Yeah yeah, I'll be there in a bit Phoebs… I just have something I need to do first." I forcefully shut my phone and put it back in my jeans pocket. Off in the distance towards the western sky, the sun was falling behind a curtain of darkness and the moon was slowly replacing it. Even though the harsh rays of the summer sun were dimming the blistering heat still remained, causing small beads of sweat to form on my brow. A few blocks later I found myself ringing an all too familiar doorbell and waiting nervously on the stoop. Just as I was about to give up and continue on my way, the doorknob turned slightly to the right and the door slowly opened followed by a stampede of cats, dogs… and a familiar little pink pig. An elderly man stood in the doorway and gave me an awkward stare before cracking into a smile.

"Well if it isn't Arnolds little friend!" he mused. "Shortman was trying to get in touch with you. Where'd ya run off to?"

"Is he here or what?" I asked a little more harshly than I intended. I softened my expression a little "it's kind of important"

"He won't be home until later. Ya see, Shortman got himself-"

"Fabulous" I cut him off. "Just don't tell him I came by… I gotta go." I stomped away angrily.

I got my phone back out from my pocket and dialed Phoebe's number. On the third ring she answered "Are you here yet?" she practically whispered.

"Hmm… lets take a survey on that Phoebs. DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M THERE!"

"Sorry" she squeaked. "Are you still on your way?"

I glanced up at a street sign before making a right at the corner. "Yeah… five minutes. See you in a few" I let out dramatically loud sigh of frustration, kicking a small pebble that lay in front of me. "Stupid football head" I grumbled. A string of incoherent obscenities continued to flow from my mouth as I walked with my head down, I nearly missed the house I was looking for. With another loud sigh I rang the doorbell. A tall raven haired girl answered the door with a bemused expression shadowing her face.

"…..Helga?" she gave me a once over before meeting my eyes again "You aren't the pizza boy" she shook her head a few times before it hit her. "Which means you're back!" she flung her arms around me before squeezing my midsection in a tight hug.

"You got that right princess" I smirked.

"Did you bring your stuff? Come inside! The girls are all here." Rhonda grabbed my arm and dragged me through the door. "Girls! I have a surprise!" she clapped her hands rhythmically before pulling me in to the living room with the rest of the girls.

"HELGA!" everyone except Phoebe had the same confused expression that Rhonda had just moments ago.

Before I could even blink Sheena, Nadine, Phoebe, Lila and Rhonda had me in a tightly knit group hug.

Ugh…

"Okay! ALRIGHT!" I pushed them back. "You act like I'm back from the dead" I sat down on the plush leather couch, quickly joined by the others who had gathered around me like I was the savior himself. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" I was suddenly feeling uneasy.

"Do you blame us for being a little intrigued by your presence?" Rhonda sat on the arm of the couch. "You disappeared for a whole summer!"

"We're ever so happy to see you" Lila gushed. "You've missed out on several of our oh so charming sleepovers"

"You simply must tell us about your summer!" Rhonda's arms flailed around dramatically.

"If we're here to have a sleepover, then lets just stick with sleepover activities." I grabbed my bag and headed for the bathroom. "Sleepovers normally don't focus on my summer vacation. Capiche?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh come on Helga!" Nadine grabbed my bag and tossed it on the floor. "You know were going to get it out of you one way or another" the other girls nodded in agreement.

"There's nothing to tell, really" I shrugged. "I went to California." I sat back on the couch and propped my feet up on the coffee table. "You know, the trip that Principal Reed talked about last spring?" I snuck that in before the girls could make any assumptions.

"The west coast college campus tour" Phoebe supplied. "It was only offered for future Juniors and Seniors." the girls did a collective 'ohhhh'.

"So why didn't you just tell us?" Sheena sat down next to Lila and began undoing her braids.

"Yeah.. Why the secrecy?" Rhonda frowned.

I tugged on the end of one of my pigtails before shrugging nonchalantly. "Because he went on the trip too.." all movement ceased in the room as everyone hung on my last words.

"You mean-"

"Yep" I bit my lip and nodded. I had gone on the trip with my boyfriend of nearly six months.

"Wow." Rhonda was actually left speechless.

"That must have been ever so romantic!" Lila tilted her head as Sheena continued to braid her locks.

"I didn't know you two were that serious" Nadine still seemed bewildered.

"We just looked at college campuses.. Its not like we got hitched! Crimeny." I stood up. "I need to use the can" I announced. "Try and act a little less surprised when I get back" and with that, I walked towards the bathroom. When they thought I was far enough away, the whispers began..

"I just can't believe it!" Rhonda gasped. "I mean, I'm still getting used to them actually BEING together.."

"They make an ever so cute couple!" Lila defended.

"But really… Wolfgang and HELGA? It makes no sense!"

I shook my head a laughed before closing the bathroom door behind me. I couldn't agree more with Rhonda… How DID I end up with someone like Wolfgang?

I guess it all started last Halloween..

*Flashback*

"What do you think Helga?" Phoebe emerged from her bathroom in her costume.

"Well Phoebs, I will say you make one heck of a devil" I adjusted the halo on top of my head. "Gerald is gonna flip his lid!" Phoebe suddenly blushed a bright crimson. "Guys are totally into that whole 'good girl gone bad' thing." I tossed an arm over her shoulders. "Now you need the attitude to back it up. Satan doesn't have manners mind you."

"That goes both ways" she smirked. "Angels don't shove people into trashcans or threaten to shove their limbs up certain… places"

"No sweat Phoebs. I radiate sweetness!" we both paused before busting out in a fit of laughter. I glanced down at my watch and noticed that we were almost twenty minutes late. "Oh crap! We better get going… Arnold and Gerald are probably wondering where we are" Phoebes mom dropped us off in front of Wolfgang's house just a few minutes after nine. A few of our fellow classmates sat on the steps and greeted us as we walked past them.

"There they are" Phoebe pointed towards the back of the living room and waved towards the teenage boys. Gerald was dressed as Jimi Hendrix, and Arnold was dressed as Indiana Jones. As they got closer Phoebes blush turned a deeper shade of red.

We pushed our way through the crowd of teenagers so we could meet them halfway. In the blink of an eye, I suddenly collided with someone else and I was knocked to the floor.

"Watch it!" I growled. I looked up to find Wolfgang looking down at me curiously.

"Uh.." he began to reach down to help me up, but Arnold suddenly knelt down next to me and offered his hand.

"Watch where you're going Wolfgang!" Arnold glared at him before grabbing my arm and pulling me up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine football head… Crimeny." I brushed myself off and took one last look at Wolfgang.

"Whatever losers." he pushed Arnold out of his way.

"He's so rude" Arnold looked slightly irritated. "He shouldn't treat a girl like that."

"Are you talking about me or yourself?" I smirked.

"Ha ha." he deadpanned. "Come on.. I think Gerald and Phoebe ditched us" he grabbed my wrist and pulled me through the crowd.

"You know Arnold" I still trailed a few steps behind him as he pulled me upstairs "People are going to wonder what we're doing upstairs at a house party" he promptly froze and turned his head until his gaze met mine.

"Let them keep guessing." he grinned.

He knocked on several doors before pulling us inside a bedroom. He turned to face me, a grin still plastered on his face. "You ready for this?" he took a step closer and tipped his Indiana Jones hat off his head, revealing his small blue hat underneath.

"I think the question is… are YOU ready football head?" I unclipped the halo from my hair which cause several strands of hair to fall loosely around my face.

He dug inside his pocket and produced a small box which he handed to me. "Your call.." he smirked through half lidded eyes.

"How does…" I held the box up "Slapjack sound?"

"Oh Helga, you know I ALWAYS beat you at this game… will you ever learn?"

I hopped on to the bed and patted the spot across from me. "There's a first time for everything" I opened the box of cards. "Are you going to stand there all night or are we going to play cards?"

Without another word, he joined me on the other side of the bed, crossing his legs in front of him. I dealt the cards and we began flipping them frantically.

"How long do you think it'll take Gerald and Phoebe to find us?" I continued to flip my cards.

"Depends. OUCH" Arnold shook his freshly slapped hand before continuing to flip his cards. "We might find them in another closet." he glanced up at me.

"Ew. Don't remind me- OUCH!" I growled. Arnold let out a victorious 'HA!'

"Don't look at me Arnoldo! It distracts me!- OUCH" I flicked a card at his forehead.

"Face it Helga, I'm better at slapjack"

"You are such a bonehead" I yelped one final time as he slapped my hand out of the way, and won… again. Grrrr…

"How about I get us some snacks?" Arnold swung his legs over the side of the bed. "I don't recommend the punch though… Ludwig came in with a bottle of Jack.." he cringed.

"Lets stick with popcorn balls" I wiggled my eyebrows. "Or lets get crazy… CANDY CORN!"

"Whatever you say Helga" he opened the door. "I'm gonna see if I can find Phoebe and Gerald while I'm down there. Be back in five"

I laid back into the mattress and sighed. On the ceiling was a poster of a swimsuit model with a sultry look on her face. I grimaced slightly before turning on to my side. On the nightstand was a picture of Wolfgang and his parents at one of his football games.

"Who's room IS this?" I sat up and finally noticed all the trophies displayed on the shelves. I stood up and studied some of the trophies.. Most were from football and wrestling. He also had a framed newspaper article hung on the wall next to his football photo. The doorknob began rattling and a dim light began bleeding inside.

"What are you doing in my room!" Wolfgang stood in the doorway with a bucket in his hand. "Did that fall make you deaf? I said: What are you doing in my room!" he closed the door behind him and set the bucket near his windowsill.

"I was just admiring your handiwork" I pointed to the pictures and trophies.

"Yeah, well get out." he growled. "I need this room. If you and your little football headed boyfriend want to fool around, do it in a closet like normal people."

"Okay, first of all… ew. And secondly, Arnold isn't my boyfriend." I crossed my arms hastily in front my chest. "and third, what are you doing with that bucket?"

"If you must know" he smirked. "This window gives me perfect access to the backyard. And this bucket is full of water balloons.. Minus the water."

I stepped a little closer and peeked inside the bucket. "What'd you put in them?" I picked one up and studied it.

"Pickle juice" he shrugged.

"Sick!….. I love it." I held the balloon to my chest. "I want a piece of this" I gazed out the window at the partygoers in the backyard. "Are you doing them one at a time, or rapid fire?" I began counting the number of people outside "You'd need to throw at least a balloon every three and a half seconds in order to nail everyone."

"Why Helga, where have you been all my life?" he joked. "I guess I'll let you help me out… this one time." he set the bucket between us and grabbed several balloons. "On my count, we start throwing" both of us held our arms up and aimed. "three… two… ONE!" we both started rapidly throwing the balloons on the innocent bystander's below. After about a minute of continuous pelting, we ran out of balloons.

We both sat on the floor, laughing like hyenas. "That was epic!" I rolled on the floor. "I got Harold in the face!"

"You have good aim!" he lightly slugged my shoulder. "Why haven't we teamed up before?" our laughter died down and we sat side by side underneath the window.

"Maybe because you used to bully me and my friends?" I kicked my leg out. "You even gave me a black eye once"

"I did?" he rubbed his chin in deep thought. "Well, I've moved on from physical torment… the mental game is where its at!" he nudged me with his shoulder.

"Is that supposed to put me at ease?" I scoffed. "I'd rather not hang out with someone who's going to berate me at all opportunities."

"I wouldn't do that to you… you're way too cute for that." Wolfgang's eyes widened when he realized what he just said. Both of us looked away and coughed awkwardly.

"wow.." I broke the silence. "I never thought in a million years I would hear you say that to me." I suddenly felt extremely bold and glanced over at him. His whole face had practically turned into a tomato. I grabbed his arm and shook him slightly. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah…" chuckled nervously. "I better get back downstairs.." he hopped up and darted towards the door.

"Wait!" I grabbed his arm and forced him to face me. "Next time you need a partner in crime… call me up" I patted the back of his hand and smiled. "See ya Wolfgang.."

He smiled nervously and waved before hurrying back downstairs. I found myself leaning against the door and let out a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding. "Wow.." I smirked.

Not even a moment later, Arnold opened the door while balancing two plates of food in his left hand. "Hey! Sorry it took me so long. Lila caught me at the snack table and started telling me some joke about a cow…yeah, I dunno." he chuckled. "Helga, are you okay?" I sat on the edge of Wolfgang's bed with a dazed expression.

"Arnold…" I let out a long sigh "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

*Present Day*

I stared at my reflection in the mirror and felt a small smile creep on my face. I may have never imagined dating Wolfgang, but it had been some of the best months of my life. We hadn't officially started dating until February twenty fifth… The day of our first kiss. When we went public with out relationship, many people thought it was some sort of early April Fools joke. Arnold was one of the first people to ask me if I was pulling some major prank. When he realized it was no joke, he seemed to distance himself from me. Wolfgang knew about my past with Arnold… heck, everyone including Arnold knew about it. It had been years since I had felt that way about him. For the longest time Wolfgang assumed my heart still belonged to Arnold, which wasn't the case at all.

"Helga?" Phoebes voice called on the other side of the door. "Rhonda wanted to get ice cream at Slausens. Are you coming?"

I opened the door and leaned against the doorframe. "I could go for some ice cream"

As the group of us walked towards our favorite hangout, the questions continued to fly in my direction. Most of them I avoided by shrugging or pretending I didn't hear the question.

"Did you get any of my messages about Arnold?" Phoebe whispered.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

"What about Arnold?" I seethed.

"He was trying to contact you all summer" her gaze fell towards the sidewalk.

"I don't know why.." I scoffed. "He was the one who avoided me for the greater part of last year."

"But you told him you were going to help him with youth baseball camp this summer and-"

"I never promised him anything Phoebs!" I snapped. The others stared in confusion.

"How about we take it down a few decimals?" Rhonda opened the doors to Slausens.

We all took a seat in a booth and looked through our menus. The other girls kept exchanging glances every few moments before looking back at me.

"Do I have something on my face or what?" I dropped my menu on the table. "Care to share the wealth Phoebs?"

Rhonda sent her a 'don't you dare' look.

"Well.." she pulled nervously on her collar. "You see… we chose to come here for two reasons." she chuckled nervously. "We've been coming to Slaussens all summer because we always get served by-"

"Hey girls!" a friendly voice filled the room as a set of legs appeared next to the table. "What can I get for you? It must be your sleepover day." his eyes traveled from his pad of paper until they met mine.

Both of our jaws dropped slightly.

"Arnold?"

"Helga? What are you doing here?" he scratched the side of his head with his pencil.

"The last time I checked it was a free country football head. I can get ice cream if I want to"

His expression suddenly turned bitter. "Whatever you say Helga." he looked at the other girls and smiled. "What can I get for you guys?"

Everyone ordered and Arnold left the table. My focus immediately fell upon Rhonda and Phoebe. "So… thanks for dropping a dirty bomb on me."

"I'm sorry Helga." Phoebe patted my shoulder. "I didn't realize things were bitter between you two"

"YA THINK!" I growled. "and you, Benedict Rhonda.." I rolled my eyes. "I'm not even going to try and figure out your logic behind all of this."

"That's easy!" Nadine smirked. "She has a huge crush on Arno-"

"That's quite enough Nadine!" she covered her best friends mouth before chuckling nervously. "The girl is delusional!"

"Listen princess." I leaned across the table. "I don't care if you like him… there's no need to hold back on account of me." Just as I sat back in my seat, Arnold arrived with our order. He gave each of the girls their ice cream and smiled. When he got to me his smile faded and he loudly set the ice cream in front of me with a thud.

"Thank you Arnold doll." Rhonda winked at him, tossing her long black hair over her shoulder.

"You're welcome." he nodded. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"Actually.." I tugged on his sleeve. "You forgot my-"

"That's nice" Arnold shook my hand off of him before abruptly turning away.

"Oh my.." Lila covered her mouth. "I've never seen Arnold like that before… It's ever so unsettling."

"You must have really upset him" Sheena gave me sympathetic eyes.

Arnold went behind the counter and took off his apron and tossed it underneath the counter. "David, I'm taking my break!" He called into the back room.

I pushed my ice cream away from me and stood up "Yeah.. Uhh.. Enjoy your ice cream. I'll be back." And without hesitation, I followed Arnold out the back door.

A/N: okay everyone, there is chapter one for you! Some elements of the story may seem hazy right now, but I promise you that all will be revealed! You'll find out more about Arnold and Helga's past. And you'll see more of Wolfgang once they go back to school. I know you all probably want to immediately hate Wolfgang, but I don't want to portray him as TOO bad… he has a soft spot for Helga… and a sore spot with Arnold.