Chapter 6: Something Special

It was the morning of the game. Arnold was anxious to find out why none of his friends had bothered to show up for school yesterday. He would have called to check on Helga, if something else hadn't distracted him.

Walk

"Can you really play like that Wolfgang?" Edmund asked, while helping his injured friend to the field.

"Uhh...what's it look like?! OW!" The damaged pre-teen shouted, still sore from the kick he received from the vexed girl.

"Should I cancel the game?"

"No you moron! Just play without me! AHHH!" Wolfgang cried out in pain, limping down the sidewalk.

The Boarding House

Arnold stepped outside the boarding house, in too big a rush to join his family for breakfast. As he opened the door, halted to see someone standing there waiting for him.

"Gerald!"

"Ready for the game man?"

Arnold's mind was more on seeing Helga. The game hadn't seemed like such a big deal to him the past two days.

Flashback

Thursday Night

Arnold's Room

After leaving the emporium, with his girlfriend still standing outside, Arnold began his lonely walk back to the boarding house. Rather than stopping in the kitchen to see who might be in there preparing dinner, the blonde boy went straight to his room.

Laying down on his bed, sighing at the night sky, Arnold began thinking about all the problems his friends were experiencing that week. Eugene was becoming angry about the idea of nothing ever going his way. Sheena was no longer happy after feeling like a failure when she couldn't cheer her friend up. Phoebe's inability to help Helga with her problem (not that he knew what it was), was making her become unsure of herself. The game had Gerald more freaked out than Arnold had ever seen him (which was never). Sid was so far gone from his anxiety, nothing seemed to matter to him anymore. Harold's recognition of his appearance made him insecure about the idea of enjoying himself. Nadine was having second thoughts about showing her feminine side. The idea of everyone being so down put Lila in an overwhelmingly emotional state. After Nadine's harsh point, Rhonda was beginning to think outside the box, and consider things other than fashion mattered. The game changing from a fun activity to a critical task was beginning to irritate Stinky.

Having gone through all this in his mind, Arnold pulled something out of his pocket. There he laid, looking at Helga's locket with his shredded picture. After the frustrated girl marched out of the alley, the blonde boy took advantage of the opportunity to grab it from the injured seventh grader.

Helga didn't appear to be acting too differently that week, but when he stopped to think about it, Arnold had already seen all those things from her at some point…

The way you think changes: When she defended him in front of Wolfgang.

You can express yourself: Both times she confessed to him.

You feel really emotional: When she wrote poetry about him.

You cry a lot: When they were stuck on the subway.

You feel more feminine: Both times at Chez Paris.

You feel unsure of yourself: When she decided to help them save Mighty Pete

The blonde boy sat up to look at the locket, thinking back to their moment in San Lorenzo.

I might have something that would work.

It's a heart. I think it could fit. This is just gold plated. It's not a very pure heart.

I don't know. I think your heart is more pure than you know.

It was clear she loved him, but as she had asked him on the boat, how did he feel about her? Arnold called his friend, anxious to talk to someone about this.

Ring...Ring...Ring…

"Hello?"

"Hey Gerald."

"What's up man?"

"Do you think you could come over?"

Twenty minutes later

"You haven't been able to take your eyes off that girl since we returned from the trip. You've either got it bad for this girl or adolescence has found itself a new victim. Either way, it's extreme." Gerald insisted, while watching his friend think deeply about his relationship with Helga.

"What should I tell her?"

"Arnold, that girl risked her life just to see you smile. Are you really worried about a few hormones driving her away?" Gerald asked, amazed by his friend's concern. Helga had done more than enough to imply how strong her feelings were for him.

End of Flashback

Walk

"So practice is the whole reason you guys skipped school?" Arnold asked, bewildered by the excuse.

Nodding his head, Gerald replied "Pataki wasn't too pleased with the group's pathetic performance this week."

Arnold scratched his head, knowing the cause of everyone's uninterest in trying and replied "Yeah, I can understand that."

Gerald Field

"Get ready for a beating you wussy...OW!" Wolfgang screamed, as he sat on the bench on the corner of the field.

Helga watched him hold his lower area, as she said to Phoebe with a grin on her face "We may actually have a shot at winning this thing Pheebs."

"Well perhaps." the dubious girl replied.

While holding the ball in one hand, with the other on her hip, Helga continued to glare at the injured seventh grader until she heard…

"Are you sure you can play like that Harold?"

Helga turned to see Nadine examining the excessive outwear the insecure boy had chosen for the game. Harold was once again wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, in dark colors that were sure to attract sunlight (causing him to sweat).

Helga rolled her eyes at his (what she considered to be) cowardly behavior and scowled "Listen up Pink boy! I didn't spend twelve hours coaching you yesterday, just to watch you blow it on field thanks to some goofy outfit."

"Awww just leave me alone!" the unconfident boy begged.

"Yes. Leave him alone. He's going through a tough time right now, and we can't ALL feel we're worthy of showing off our amazing appearances." Rhonda said, while placing her arm around her worried friend.

Helga cocked her brow at the stuck up girl's suggestion. While she obviously hadn't gotten over her obsession with fashion, she appeared to be taking another person's feelings into consideration.

Before the pigtailed girl could continue on with her demands, the group heard "Hey guys."

They all looked over to see Arnold and Gerald approaching the field, anxious to get the game started.

Arnold looked over to see Wolfgang sitting on the bench. Although a part of him felt sorry for the hurt seventh grader, another part of him was relieved knowing they wouldn't have to worry about playing him in the game.

After watching the sore boy rub his lower region, Arnold looked over to see his girlfriend already speaking with the class about their first play.

He wondered if he should return her locket in front of everyone, or wait until the game was finished.

"Hey Arnold! Get over here man!" Gerald insisted, feeling his anxiety building up again.

The oblong headed boy then made his way over to the group, where Helga was giving orders…

"Alright people listen up! I'm only going to say this once so listen up! Eugene and Sheena, you're safety."

"Of course you'd put me there." Eugene growled, thinking about what happened last time he stood in that position.

The determined girl pointed a finger at the boy who still seemed to have a bad attitude and snapped "Hey! We don't have time for your whining geek bait. Now…"

Arnold then interrupted the commotion by grabbing his girlfriend's arm and asked "Uhh Helga, could I talk to you a moment."

Clenching her fists at the idea of him choosing two seconds before the game to ask, she scowled "Criminy! We're about to start football head. Save it for later."

After assigning the positions, everyone took their places on the field, standing before the seventh graders.

"You better not screw this up!" Wolfgang shouted from the sideline at his class.

"Don't worry Wolfgang. We'll...OOF!" Edmund was tackled, not paying attention to the game having started.

"Hey Arnold, heads up man!" Gerald warned him, ready to toss the ball his way.

After catching it, Arnold was face to face with a seventh grader. The determined boy raced around the taller student only to bump into his classmate. "OW!"

"Sid what are you doing?" Arnold asked, ignoring the fact the ball had been stolen from him.

With dreary eyes, the skinny boy rocked back and forth and mumbled "I uhh...was just waiting for the ball."

Arnold sighed at his useless teammate after hearing "Touchdown!" from across the field.

*WHISTLE* TIME OUT!

Helga gathered her team, ready to switch their positions. Arnold did his best to listen, while growing anxious to speak with her.

"Okay let's get back out there!" the blonde girl shouted.

Edmund raced with the ball towards the goal, while Arnold's team was waiting for Harold to tackle him. The moment the insecure made an attempt, he tripped over his baggy pants. "WHOA!"

Helga smacked her face at the sight as she screamed "Criminy! What is with you jokers?!"

"You leave him alone! He's in need of support." Rhonda insisted, walking over to Helga. The angry coach made her way towards the open minded girl and scowled "Hey! This isn't the time to be feeling sorry for yourselves! This…"

The proud girls' feud was interrupted by a harsh tone of laughter from across the field. "HAHAHA!"

Despite the constant pain he was in, Helga turned to see Wolfgang pointing a finger at their inability to look past their emotional conflictions."

Arnold sighed as he watched the way things were going. Although he hadn't said anything, he knew as well as Helga the game would not be ending in their favor.

Second Half

"Man! This stinks. We haven't made a single touchdown." Gerald pointed out, while huddling with the team.

"I reckon we should call it quits." Stinky suggested.

"We can't give up now!" Arnold insisted, feeling optimistic for the first time in days.

After deciding their play, the team took their position. Eugene and Sheena stood at the defense line, waiting for the worse to happen. Rather than watching the players with the ball, Sheena looked over to see her now pessimistic friend with his arms crossed, staring at the ground.

"Eugene. Are you alright?" she asked, not knowing what the point was.

The redheaded boy rolled his eyes, not knowing when his friend was going to see the truth. Some people were just plain unlucky and he was one of them. Instead of responding to her question, the agitated boy stood firm in his position, waiting to be knocked over.

"Heads up Eugene!" Arnold shouted, when seeing his friend not paying attention. Sure enough, the boy was knocked over. For once in his life, it benefitted him. Thanks to his ability to block the seventh grader, Arnold was able to retrieve the ball.

Forgetting about the game a moment, Sheena rushed to help her friend to his feet. "Oh my Eugene! Let me help you!"

The geeky boy stood to dust himself off, not surprised he had been hurt, but happy it did someone some good for once.

While Phoebe watched Arnold race down the field with the ball, she looked over to see the troubled expression Helga was carrying. All week the small Asian girl had felt like a failure for not having found a way to help her friend. She continued to consider this, until she was suddenly knocked over…"OW!"

"Pheebs! Are you okay?!" Helga gasped, after seeing a seventh grader shove her best friend out of the way.

Helga raced over to help her friend up, as she held out her hand for her. "I'm certain I'm fine Helga." the small girl was happy to be able to say.

The girls stood there a moment, not noticing Edmund had stolen the ball back before Arnold could make it to the other end of the field. While the sixth graders chased after him, Nadine looked down to see how dirty her new shoes were becoming. "Maybe I shouldn't have worn these after all?"

"Touchdown!" she heard, not realizing how distracted she had gotten.

Helga marched over to the newly feminine girl and snapped "Criminy! Where the heck were you on that last play?"

"I'm sorry Helga." Nadine apologized, shocked herself for caring about such a thing.

Before continuing with her anger, Helga heard "Hey you wussy sixth graders! Ready to forfeit?"

The team looked over to see Wolfgang still sitting there, holding his lower area. Helga had half a mind to go over and punch him there. What right did he have to make fun them for a gang he wasn't even participating in?

When both teams were back in position, Arnold looked over in Helga's direction. All he wanted was to get through the game and talk to her. While looking at her, he failed to realize the game had started and was knocked over by a seventh grader. As he laid on the grounded, propping himself up on his elbows, he watched the older boys run to the other end of the field.

"Touchdown!" Arnold frowned at the sight while hearing sobs forming from behind him.

"This is just ever so sad!" Being in this depressed state, Lila was no more help than the rest of them.

"Just two minutes to go you wussy sixth graders!" Wolfgang shouted from the bench.

Helga pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing there was no hope for them at that point. Arnold stood from the ground, not feeling so optimistic anymore.

After everyone took their positions and the seventh graders once again had the ball, Stinky looked over to see tears streaming down Lila's face. An angry expression formed on his face, not pleased with the idea of someone hurting her. "Don't fret Ms. Li...WHOA!"

The country boy was knocked over by a seventh grader who scored the final touchdown. "That's game! You wussy sixth graders!" Wolfgang hollered from the bench.

"Hehe yeah! We sure showed them!" Edmund chuckled.

"Shut up you idiot!"

Not caring so much anymore, Arnold immediately walked over to his girlfriend, who seemed to have something on her mind.

"Sorry about the game Helga."

"Don't sweat it football head." she sighed.

Arnold took her hand in his, thinking back to everything he had discussed with Gerald the other night. "Helga, everything that's happened this week has made me think about San Lorenzo."

Her eyes widened at his statement, worried he maybe having second thoughts about them. "Wha...what about it?"

"I never thought you were the emotional type until I took the time to think about everything I've seen from you over the years. The more time I've had to process it, the more I've realized how much you mean to me. I didn't make you stay away from me when you tortured me, because I knew what a good person you really are."

Helga swooned at his recognition of her deep feelings. As he continued to hold her hand, he reached into his pocket to pull out both her locket and a picture he found for her.

Helga's eyes widened, thinking Wolfgang still had it. "Where'd you get that?"

"I took it back from him after you left. He was in too much pain to stop me." Arnold laughed, while Helga smiled at her missed treasure.

The sweet boy then showed her the picture his grandpa had found of the two of them. Her heart fluttered when she looked to see it was their first day of preschool.

"My grandpa said he took it when he saw me sharing my umbrella with you." the caring boy blushed.

Before she could respond, Arnold watched her holding it to the locket and added "I couldn't get it open, or else I would have put the picture inside."

A wide grin formed on her face, as she thought back to the day he and his grandpa struggled to open it. "You are such a football head."

"Show me how then." he shrugged his shoulders.

Helga then noticed their classmates moving in, wondering what the two of them were discussing. If she opened it, he would see the inscription. Then she remembered what Gerald had said. Everyone had done their part that week. This would be the perfect way to prove she could express her feelings for him in front of everyone.

She then took his hand in hers to guide it. The two pressed the switched down and flipped it open for him to read out loud the inscription inside…

Arnold my soul, you're always in my heart. Love Helga G. Pataki

The boy's signature smile formed on his face, while staring at the pink cheeks forming on his girlfriend's face.

"Imagine me opening it when grandpa had it." he couldn't help but tease her.

Helga rubbed her arm at the unimaginable thought until they once again heard a roar of laughter…

"HAHAHA oh man! What a freak!"

The blonde girl went from embarrassed to outraged as she clenched her fists with fury. Helga made her way over to the corner of the field to grip Wolfgang tightly by the shirt. "Listen freakazoid! Unless you want your nose to feel like your balls, I suggest you knock off the insults! I can love whoever the heck I want! Got it?!"

Arnold's eyes lit with happiness after hearing those words leave her mouth.

"Boy howdy! Looks like you don't have to worry about a bodyguard Arnold." Sid said, finally feeling awake.

After dealing with her nemesis, Helga came back over to see her classmates eyeing what she had written about her boyfriend.

"I think it's just ever so sweet you feel that way Helga."

"Uhh yeah. Thanks." the nervous girl gulped.

The class then began to depart, until Arnold and Helga were alone on the field.

While Arnold tried replacing the picture, Helga rubbed her arm and said "Listen, I tried thinking of something special to do to celebrate how long we've been going out. I couldn't think of anything though."

After managing to replace the picture, Arnold handed his girlfriend the locket and said "Well, special means exceptional or unusual. When I listened to you say those things to Wolfgang, and show everyone what was inside this, I found that to be pretty exceptional. Everyone's still figuring things out about themselves. I'm having a great time learning more and more about you. You seem to know just about everything there is to know about me."

Watching him wink at her, the shy girl blushed and said "Uhh yeah. Well, if you want to see a movie, I could pay for it. I snagged a twenty from Olga's wallet. After making me listen to the new piano piece she wrote, I figured it was the least she could do for me."

Shaking his head at her, Arnold took his girlfriend's face in his hands to kiss her. After taking time to process everything that had happened between the two of them over the years, be it defending her from Big Patty or feeling his heart stop when she fell out of the window during the flood, it was no secret he felt as strongly about her as she did about him.

Helga sighed with content at the feel of him running his fingers through her silky blonde hair. The idea of having a picture of both of them so close to her now, to remind her her dream had finally come true, made the game no matter at all. She had won everything she had ever hoped for.

Releasing her lips, Arnold smiled at those same dreamy eyes he witness on FTi. "So, should we get something to eat?"

"Sure! I...I mean. Whatever floats your boat football head."

THE END

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