The Story of Helga G. Pataki

Tragedy strikes the Pataki household when a surprise fire threatens to force Helga and her family out of the house. What would happen if the Pataki's were forced to move in with the boarders of Sunset Arms? Read and find out…

Story takes place after FTI, but TJM never happened.

HELGA's P.O.V.

It started out as a typical Saturday afternoon at the Pataki household. Bob had been downstairs with his fat ass planted on the coach watching "The Wheel" since noon and as usual, Miriam was passed out in her bedroom after going on one of her late night smoothie binges. Sheesh, it didn't take a genius to figure out that her so-called 'mystery smoothies' were probably chalk full of every alcoholic beverage known-to-man on account of there were always bottles of whiskey, scotch, and beer lying around the house since Miriam was always either too wasted to pick them up or too lazy to even care. And don't even let me get started on Olga. She was quite literally, the bane of my existence. Seriously, ever since Olga moved in a couple of weeks ago, there has never been a moment of peace and quiet to myself without being constantly reminded of how much better she is than me. It's always, 'Olga, tell us about the time you saved that cute little Inuit boy from drowning in the ice' or 'Olga, show us the ten thousand trophies you have practically bursting out of the living room.' I get it. My sister's the most perfect creature on the planet and I'm nothing but a shadow compared to her. A real Mother Theresa. Geez, tell me something I don't know.

When Olga's around, it's like the whole place is practically radiating with her presence and she always expects me to bond with her or something even though I always end up pushing her away so that it doesn't turn out like some love fest and drive me completely insane.

So, where does that put me in the story? Well, as usual, I was upstairs in my room writing in one of my Arnold diaries—sue me, the guy inspires me—when all of a sudden, Miss Perfect herself comes barging in and proclaims that she is going out to pick up some ingredients for some award-winning, fancy ass meal she's planning on making for the family. And of course, the only thing I can do is roll my eyes and sarcastically tell her that her idea sounds perfect so the poor girl doesn't end up annoying the crap out of us by moping around here all weekend long, complaining that her 'baby sister' doesn't think a nice meal with the family sounds peachy. Crimeny, as if we all need a repeat incident of the one time I switched one of her perfect little A's to a B+. Now, that was a living nightmare. Miss Goody-two shoes wouldn't stop crying about it for weeks until I finally couldn't take it anymore and confessed to the deed—with the coaxing of Arnoldo, of course.

Anyways, so then Olga decides to run and tell Bob about her big plan after waking up and telling Miriam and of course, she has to ask Bob of all people to remember to put the clothes in the dryer and turn it on a low setting during one of his most favorite TV programs of all time while she's gone. I rolled my eyes again. Yeah, like that was ever going to happen. Even if you told the guy the world was ending, he'd still be parked in front of the TV shouting for everyone to 'keep it down, the best part is about to start'.

But strangely enough, it did happen.

About a half an hour after Olga left, Bob actually did remember to put the clothes in the dryer and change it to a low-setting, just as Olga had asked. Huh, wonders never cease…

But what he didn't account for was one of the metal hangers falling into the dryer before he closed the lid. Clumsy Bob was too focused on getting back to his program that he hadn't bothered to look back into the dryer before shutting the lid.

And so…that brings us to what happened next.

Olga returns, everything's all peachy for a moment when everyone takes five to enjoy the special dinner Olga made, everyone returns to what they were doing for about an hour until…

Smoke—and a lot of it.

"Where the heck is that coming from?" Bob shouted angrily, looking around for any traces of where the smoke had traveled, completely missing the black smoke seeping through the door to the basement.

Miriam and Olga were scoping out the kitchen, once again, failing to notice the cloud of billowing smoke emitting from the doorway.

I put a hand to my face. 'Crimeny, was everyone in this household blind?'

"Gee Dad, maybe you should check the basement. After all, most of the smoke seems to be coming from it." I suggested in a sweet tone. 'Nimrod.'

"The basement, eh?" Bob Pataki questioned, more to himself as he came right in front of it and observed it a little. "You do have a point there, little missy."

'No duh, Sherlock…' I thought with another eye roll.

By now, all four Pataki's were gathered in front of the doorway, watching as Bob Pataki meticulously grabbed hold of the doorknob.

"Oh Daddy…be careful." Olga voice sounded through the air.

"Hot!"

We all watched in shock as Bob quickly retracted his hand from the handle.

"Olga, get me the fire extinguisher!" Bob ordered, looking to me.

Before I could reply with my usual, 'It's Helga, Dad. Helga.', the real Olga was already on it, rushing to the kitchen to grab the red fire extinguisher by the window. It wasn't long before she returned and handed it over to Bob to which he quickly positioned the fire extinguisher and nodded in my direction to open the door.

I gulped. Me?

"Really dad? You're asking me to touch the same door handle that you couldn't even hold onto for two seconds without pulling away because you were afraid it was going to burn your hand off?" I said, frowning. 'So much for good parenting…'

And wouldn't you know it, Olga of all people came to my rescue.

"Daddy!" Olga exclaimed. "You can't expect poor Helga to touch that handle!"

"She's right, B…" Miriam agreed, tiredly.

"Then how the hell am I supposed to open the door?" Bob argued impatiently.

"By wrapping a washcloth around the doorknob! Doi! Try using that brain of yours once in a while, Bob." I said angrily. I didn't care. If he couldn't care less about me, why should I for him?

"Hey, hey, hey! Watch that tone, little lady!" Bob said firmly. "Instead of wasting more time here, you could make yourself useful and get me one of those washcloths you keep going on about."

I sighed. "Fine, dad…I'll go and get a washcloth." I said concedingly as I walked over to the bathroom closet, grabbed a white washcloth, and wet it in the sink. Then I marched back over to where Bob was standing and tried handing it to him, but he refused.

I blinked, confused. 'What the heck is he doing? Why won't he take the stupid rag and get on with it already?'

All my questions were answered when he finally spoke.

"Why're you handing that to me? You open it." He said, looking to the door.

'What the-?'

"Fine!" I said as I wrapped the cloth around the door knob and turned it.

"Be careful, baby sister." I heard Olga squeak as I thrust open the door and shrieked as a huge wave of fire came out at me. I barely had enough time to lurch to the side before Bob Pataki was on the scene, spraying the fire down. Some of the fire seemed to be dying down and the fire extinguisher was working until…

K-chk.

Nothing.

K-chk. K-chk.

Still nothing.

We all watched in horror as Bob Pataki shook the bottle furiously, if not desperately, trying to get the fire extinguisher to work again.

K-chk, K-chk, K-chk.

Nothing.

"Come on, you darned thing…" Bob grumbled, clicking multiple times before he groaned in frustration, hurling the fire extinguisher into the fire.

Big mistake.

The second he threw the extinguisher, all hell broke loose. Literally.

"Nice going, Dad…" I said sarcastically as the fire began to engulf the entire basement.

We all had to back away as intense heat warmed our bodies. Black smoke was all around us. The fire was now spreading at an exponential rate. Lamps, tables, sofas, the TV set, and all the walls were ablaze. It was too late to stop it now. The fire was going to run its course, whether we liked it or not.

Suddenly, all the smoke detectors sounded. It was about darned time. Sheesh, was it faulty wiring?

But now was not the time to worry about that. Our house was on fire, which meant…

In a panic, I rushed upstairs to my room to try to salvage whatever I could before they were all consumed by flames. It seemed that Bob had the same thing in mind as he also rushed upstairs to his room to try to salvage his prized possessions.

Once in my room, I opened my closet door and watched in horror as my entire Arnold collection along with all my clothes was now ablaze. My heart dropped, my throat constricted. I could not believe what was happening. I let out a high, ear-piercing scream that I'm pretty sure the entire neighborhood could hear.

Suddenly, Olga came bursting through the room. Needless to say, her shocking presence nearly caused me to have a heart attack.

"Baby sister, are you okay? I heard screaming and thought you might be hurt." She said with a tearful look on her face.

"I'm fine, Olga." I hissed venomously. Then, I sighed, calming myself. "I just want to be alone." I grumbled, more to myself.

Now was not the time for her dramatics. I mean, sure she was just trying to be a good sister and all by making sure I was okay, but I was in the middle of one of my Arnold monologues after all and I preferred not to be disturbed. I mean, really. She couldn't have picked a better time not to really bug me. She was like my own alternative Brainy for Cripes sake. And to make matters even more perfect, Miriam comes bursting into the room to join her.

"Helga sweetie, you alright? I heard screaming." She said, a bit worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine, Miriam." I said in the same harsh tone I gave Olga. "I'd just prefer to be alone."

"But what was all the screaming, baby sister?" Olga asked sincerely, as if my anger didn't faze her.

I blinked, instantly forgetting my anger. 'Crimeny, why did she have to ask THAT?'

"I…uh…was just…" I stuttered, fumbling frantically for excuses. Then, the answer hit me. "…screaming for help. Yeah, that's it. Screaming for help." I said, trying to make my tone sound more convincing. Then, I narrowed my eyes at them. "Got a problem with that?"

For a moment, Olga and Miriam just gave me this blank stare, then looked to each other for answers while I just stared lamely at the two of them, hoping beyond all hope that they hadn't wised up in the last few minutes and would actually buy my excuse this time around. As if to answer my questions, they both turned to me again with the same blank looks. Then suddenly, Olga giggled. Giggling? WHAT the heck was I supposed to make out of that?

Miriam spoke. "Well, that's fine dear. But could you keep it down? Your father's in the other room, rummaging through his Beeper collection for his prized Beeper belt." She said, nonchalantly. I blinked. 'Keep it down? The whole building was on fire for Cripes sake and I'm supposed to 'keep it down'? Crimeny, I'm surrounded…'

Suddenly, we heard a loud scream coming from Bob's room. Then, we heard Bob's voice sound throughout the house.

"OLGA! MIRIAM! GET YOUR BUTTS OVER HERE NOW! IT'S IMPORTANT!" He yelled angrily. On cue, Olga and Miriam left the room.

"Oh daddy!" Olga exclaimed as she was leaving.

I rolled my eyes. 'Sure, leave ME out dad…' I thought, begrudgingly. 'Or did you mean me and called me your precious Olga instead?' Whatever. It's not like it had anything to do with me anyways. Besides, I had better things to worry about.

"Now, where was I?"

I stopped to think before looking at the pile of ashes before me. Then, I snapped my fingers.

"Oh yeah…"

I fell to my knees in utter despair, now cradling the ashes of where my beloved Arnold shrine used to be.

"Why? Why? Oh Arnold, my love. Why did this have to happen to you? Oh, my knight in shining armor, come save me from this horrible nightmare where I'm forced to live without your wonderful presence there to aid me in my time of need." She recited dramatically. "What has the world come to that we must part and I must bid you adieu, cast you away ruefully, and never look back?"

Tears rolled down my face freely. "Oh Arnold, why must life be so cruel? To take away the only thing that has offered me solace for the last 7 years, save your beautiful face to guide me?" I heard the crackling of the fire become louder as everything around me now burst to flames. I let out a squeak when part of the ceiling came down right next to me, ablaze. Panicking, I quickly got up from my spot and headed for the door, taking one last glance back at my cherished, burnt Arnold collection.

"Alas, I take my leave, my love. All those precious years of writing, of speaking your precious name, in waste, but in memory, you will forever remain in my heart." I recited sadly. On impulse, my hand flew to my chest. I gasped. 'It's still here!' I thought as I reached into my jumper and pulled out the one thing I had to remember my Arnold collection by.

I gazed at the golden, heart-shaped locket lovingly and smiled when I saw the same Arnold giving his half-lidded smile, gazing back at me. Lovesick, I couldn't help but give it one chaste kiss. I felt so happy. So relieved. There was hope. Arnold was the only thing in my heart that no one could ever take away. I would love him dearly 'til death do us part. I kissed it one last time for good measure before returning it to my jumper. Then smiling, I reached for the door knob, but gasped when it felt burning hot. I instantly pulled my hand away.

I felt the door. It was warm, which meant…

My eyes widened. 'Oh…my…'

"HELP! MOM! DAD! OLGA!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

No answer.

I felt trapped. I did not like this. I did not like this at all. I tried again, even louder.

"HELP! I'M TRAPPED IN HERE! CAN'T YOU HEAR ME? TRAPPED!" I said, banging on the door.

No answer.

"HELP ME!" I yelled, tears falling down my face, banging furiously.

No answer.

My eyes widened when I saw smoke seeping through the cracks of the doorway. I started coughing at the fumes. Frantically, I searched for anything that could keep the smoke at bay—anything at all. I tried stuffing all my blankets through the bottom of the door. That seemed to help a bit. I let out a relieved sigh, that is, until I turned around and looked back at my room. Fire was all around. I was surprised that the fire hadn't blocked the door hours ago. But now was not the time to think of that.

I had to think of a way out.

I looked to the window. "Oh well…worst comes to worst, I could always jump..."I said, walking over to the window to examine the distance down.

I gulped. "…and then totally KILL myself! What am I crazy? Uh-uh! There is NO way I'm jumping out the window." I said, defiantly.

Suddenly, I heard the familiar sounds of fire trucks ringing through the air. I let out another sigh. Help was on the way. They'd eventually find me up here and I'd be out of here in no time. Happily, I looked down to see reporters, neighbors, and police cars gathered right outside our house. To my surprise and relief, I saw Mom, Dad, and Olga standing together outside. Olga was crying and talking to the policeman worriedly while Bob was pointing up to my window frantically. My usually quiet mother was directing ten firemen on how to hose down the house. I struggled to try to listen to what they were saying, but sighed as I got nothing. And there was Phoebe, my best friend, looking around the place worriedly. Strangely enough, no one saw me standing there in the window. I was about to call down for help to let the buffoons know I was up here when a shocking sight caught my eyes.

There was Eugene, happily helping out one of the firemen next to one of the fire hydrants to get the hoses running.

'Oh no! Not him. ANYBODY but HIM!' I thought, horrified. I watched as Eugene held one of the hoses and gave the fireman the thumbs up before the fireman turned on the hydrant. Instantly, high-power water came bursting out of the hose, forcing poor Eugene up into the air, losing control of the hose.

"WHOA!" He yelled in surprise.

I don't know how, but somehow Eugene managed to take out all ten of the firemen standing outside of their vehicles, knock over both fire trucks, and use up all the water in the city, all in one shot.

The impact of the water hitting the fire trucks caused poor Eugene to fly into one of the nearby trashcans. Of course, he replied with his usual "I'm okay…" to let us all know the poor kid wasn't too badly injured. 'Man, did nothing ever faze that kid?'

I watched as Eugene gave everyone his sappy smile as he tried to pull himself out of the trashcan, but ended up tipping it over instead, causing him and the trashcan to roll down the road and into the sewer. And once again, he gave his pathetic little "I'm okay…" to let everyone know he was okay.

'Oh brother…'I thought as I rolled my eyes. 'No, of course not. It just wouldn't be Eugene if anything ever fazed him.'

I put a hand to my face. 'Great. Just great. I'm trapped up here about to die and my one hope of getting rescued becomes dashed all because EUGENE here is too clumsy to do anything right.' I sighed deeply. 'I'm doomed, aren't I…?'

Part of me felt like just giving up and facing the music, but the other part of me thought of what Arnold would do in this situation. "Heh. Probably just look on the "bright side" like he always does." I said sarcastically, using air quotes on 'bright side'."

Oddly enough, as I was laughing at the thought and surveying the people on the "outside world", I was shocked to find Arnold of all people down there with a worried look on his face, talking to his friend, Gerald.

I gasped.

"A-ARNOLD?" I couldn't help but voice aloud. 'W-What's HE doing here?'

Without missing a beat, Arnold searched around, looking for the source of his name being called. I felt my heart do a flip when his sea-green eyes met mine.

"HELGA!" He called up to me. "LOOK, EVERYONE! THERE SHE IS! HELGA'S STILL UP IN HER ROOM! WE HAVE TO SAVE HER!" He yelled, pointing up to me.

Everyone froze and looked to where he was pointing, all with happy and very relieved faces at the sight of me.

I gasped again, this time happily at what I had just heard. 'Arnold…he knows I'm up here…and he wants to rescue me. Oh Arnold, my love. I always knew that someday my prince would come.' I gazed back down into his sea-green eyes and let out a love sick sigh.

Suddenly, to my horror, the burning bookcase next to me came crashing down in front of me, hitting the wall at an angle. I yelped, barely having enough time to move away before being reduced to cinder by the fiery blaze. Several books tumbled down on top of me, but I managed to shake them off.

Slowly recovering from my near death experience for the third time today, I cautiously looked over to the place where the window should have been. My eyes widened when all I could see were tall, bright flames in front of me. The darned bookcase was blocking it!

'Oh…my…' I thought in a panic. I was trapped. My only hope—gone out the window. The fire was so close that I could feel the intense heat warming my body as I watched on in horror. I slowly backed away from the fire, at a total loss for what to do.

Until…

Heat.

I could feel intense heat warming up my backside. I jumped, turning around to find the source of the heat. Flames—all around me—and all I could do was watch. Black smoke filled the room. I gulped, moving away from the fire and headed towards the middle of the room.

Terrified, I brought my knees to my chest and huddled in a ball, rocking back and forth with my eyes widened. I was completely surrounded. There was nothing I could do…

…Well, there was one thing. It was the only thing I could think of and that was to…

Scream! I let out the loudest high-pitched scream imaginable. I was so scared. I wanted someone—anyone—to come save me from this horrible nightmare. I didn't care what screaming would do to my reputation. I just knew I didn't want to be in this predicament anymore. I cried, letting the tears fall down my face freely.

I needed a hero and I needed one fast…

…

ARNOLD'S P.O.V.

"HELGA!" I called up to her window in utter surprise. I couldn't believe it. There she was, still up in her bedroom, standing by the window unnoticed by the crowds of people swarming below. I was so shocked; I didn't know whether to feel upset or relieved that I had finally found her. On one hand, Helga wasn't hurt, which was a good thing. But on the other hand, she was trapped in a burning building, which meant that she didn't have long before the fire eventually consumed her. I knew one thing for sure though—time was of the essence. I had to act now before it was too late. I had to let someone else know where she was. "LOOK, EVERYONE! THERE SHE IS! HELGA'S STILL UP IN HER ROOM! WE HAVE TO SAVE HER!" I yelled, gathering everyone's attention.

I saw all of their heads turn in my direction, following my line of vision to Helga's window.

"Oh no! Someone save that poor little girl!" A middle-aged, heavy-set woman with short, curly red hair exclaimed worriedly.

"Baby Sister!" Olga cried out as black mascara streamed down her face.

"Oh…my…" Mrs. Pataki said before placing a hand to her forehead and promptly fainting.

"Hey! My kid's up there! Isn't anybody going to do something?" Bob Pataki shouted angrily at some of the still dazed firemen.

'Oh man, what bad timing…if only Helga could see her family now, then she'd know for sure how much they truly cared for her.' I thought, shaking my head in dismay. It was kind of ironic. Here, Helga's family had always neglected to give Helga the attention she needed when she was present, but only now, when their daughter's life was at stake, had they finally stopped and paid attention to her, except Helga wasn't there to see it. Before I could think further on this new discovery of mine, a familiar voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, I hope she's ever okay…" Lila said worriedly, her attention still focused on the burning building in front of us. It was clear that she hadn't noticed me yet, but her voice was enough to catch me off guard.

"Lila?" I said, surprised.

Lila blinked, turning to me with the same surprised look on her face. "Arnold?" She asked. "What ever are you doing here?"

"I was just about to ask the same." I responded, still in shock that she was actually here.

"Oh…well, I heard that there was a fire at one of our fellow student's house so I just rushed over to make sure everything's alright and if possible, help out where I'm needed." She answered.

"Oh, well…that's very nice of you, Lila. Gerald and I just came here because we wanted to see what all the commotion was about." I explained. "Isn't that right, Gerald?" I said, expecting to hear a response in return, but no response came. "Gerald?" I questioned.

I looked beside me to find no one there. I scoped around the area to find Gerald talking to Phoebe, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Gerald!" I exclaimed, putting my hands on my hips.

Both Gerald and Phoebe immediately turned to me.

He blinked. "Huh?" he said, his eyes laced with confusion. He quickly recovered. "Oh, um, yeah sure man. Whatever you say." He replied. "But…um…just so that everyone's clear on what we're talking about, could you maybe repeat the question heh, heh?"

I rolled my eyes. It was obvious he hadn't heard a word I said. "Sure, Gerald." I said, with a small smile. But before I could open my mouth to explain everything to Gerald, a high, ear-piercing scream caught my attention.

'Helga…' I thought as I looked back to her window. To my horror, I could no longer see Helga standing there. All I could see were flames now, but the sound of her voice had told me that she was still alive. At least for now. But who knew how long she had before she wasn't? I gulped. Something told me that there wasn't much time left before…I didn't even want to think about what could happen. It was too terrifying. All I knew was that I couldn't lose Helga. She was somehow…special to me.

Someone I couldn't bear to live without.

All around me, everyone was panicking.

"Someone should do something! That poor child is in danger!" one woman said.

"There's no more time left, the house is on its last leg. That girl's a goner," a tall, slender man replied.

"Not even the firemen can save her now. All the water's gone," another man responded.

"What that girl needs now is a miracle." An elder woman said.

"What about a ladder? Maybe we can—" A man suggested.

"Sure. You can. But I don't see what the use is if you can't get through the window." Another man objected.

"Perhaps we can use the fire extinguisher next to one of the fire trucks?" a blonde-haired woman tried.

A man shook his head. "Tried it. It's only half-full. There wouldn't be enough to get through the entire house."

"Well, someone's got to try. I mean, we can't just leave the poor girl up there." A scholarly man said.

"Well, I'm not going. I've got a family to worry about." A newspaper boy said.

"I'm not either. It's too dangerous. One of us is sure not to make it out alive." A brunette-haired woman said, carrying a small child.

Suddenly, Bob stepped in. "Alright ya bunch of wusses. She's my daughter. I'll do it since all of you are too chicken to risk your precious lives in a small fire." He announced bravely.

We all looked at him in awe. Big Bob Pataki was actually offering to go inside a burning building to rescue his own daughter. If that wasn't noble, then I didn't know what is. But as Bob began to make his way over to one of the fire trucks to grab the extinguisher, he ended up tripping over one of the fire hoses. He immediately fell to the ground with a thump.

Everyone gasped as he slowly spun around to a sitting position with a stern look on his face. Hesitantly, a small boy asked, "Mister, are you okay?"

Big Bob initially sent a sharp glare in his direction, but eased off when he saw how frightened the boy looked from his glare. He waved him off dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, kid…I'm fi—OW! MY KNEE!" Bob screamed in agony as he tried to get up. He promptly fell back to the floor, clutching his knee tightly. The look on his face showed that he was in a lot of pain.

Worriedly, I rushed to his side. "Mr. Pataki, are you alright?"

He frowned. "AM I ALRIGHT?" He exclaimed. "KID, DO I LOOK 'ALRIGHT' TO YOU?"

Before I could answer, Olga came up to us and knelt by her dad. "Take it easy, daddy. You don't want to push yourself too much." She said, worriedly.

Then, she gave me an apologetic smile. "You're a nice boy, Arnold. Thanks." She said.

I smiled. "Sure thing." I said.

Suddenly, Bob tried to move again, startling us both.

"Daddy, stop it. You need medical attention." Olga argued, holding his shoulders.

Whatever the case, Bob didn't get too far. He screamed in pain and had to sit back down again. He looked to me. "Helga…she's still in the house…have to…rescue her...before…OW!" He said, after struggling to get up again.

Lila suddenly turned to me, distress clearly etched on her features. "Oh Arnold, we have to do something. Helga's in ever so much trouble." She said, worriedly.

"I know…" I agreed.

Phoebe looked solemnly at the ground. "Please, there's not much time left…Helga is..." Tears trickled down her cheek as she tried to continue. Gerald placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into his soft brown eyes sadly.

"It's okay, Phoebe. We know…" He responded reassuringly.

As I looked to my friends and Helga's family, it was then that I knew what I had to do. Without another word, I made a mad dash for the fire extinguisher. I quickly grabbed hold of it and began to make my way towards the burning house. However, before I got close to it, Gerald stopped me.

"Um…Arnold? What are you doing?" He said, with an eyebrow arched.

"Something that I need to, Gerald. Helga's not just our classmate, she's our friend and—"

"Helga G. Pataki? You mean the same Helga that's a bully and has been torturing you for most of our lives. That Helga?" He asked disbelievingly.

"I know it sounds crazy, Gerald, but trust me on this. I mean, she may act like bully and all, but that doesn't mean she deserves to die. She means a lot to her family, friends, and…"

'To me…' I thought automatically. My eyes widened in shock at this new revelation. Helga meant that much to me? No, no…what was I thinking? Sure, I considered Helga as one of my closest friends but…wait a minute. When did she become one of my closest friends? She was my bully after all, but when she didn't act like one and opened up to me…she actually wasn't that bad. Not bad at all. It was actually kind of…nice hanging out with her—when she didn't try to push away. In fact, I kind of…liked it. My mind instantly drew to the kiss we shared on top of FTI. I shook my head. Now was not the time to think of that.

On received a questioning look from Gerald, I quickly continued what I was saying. "…And it just seems like the right thing to do."

Gerald just gave me an odd look for a moment before finally giving in. "Alright, man. If you say Helga's okay then Helga's okay. As your best friend, I'm with you every step of the way. You're a bold kid, Arnold."

My smile grew. "Thanks, Gerald." I said appreciatively.

"Hey, no problem, buddy. But you know...that altruistic attitude of yours, you know, of 'doing the right thing' is gonna get yourself killed one of these days. Mark my words." He said with a grin.

"Yeah, well…let's hope that day isn't today." I said, laughing.

Gerald and I did our secret handshake with our thumbs and I set my sight on the burning building ahead of me. As I was walking towards the building, people's eyes were glued on me, watching my every movement. I even heard people whispering, some of them good remarks such as "Such a nice, brave boy going into the building to save that little girl" and some of the remarks not so good such as "Dead man walking…" Either way, I tried not to focus too much on them as I made my way to the door of the burning edifice.

As I turned the door knob, I had to jerk my hand away for a second because the doorknob was hot. I felt the door. It was warm. I instantly knew there was fire behind it. There was no time to lose. I positioned the fire extinguisher as I opened the door carefully. I had to jump back a few feet as I felt intense heat coming back at me as the door fully opened. I sprayed the fire thoroughly, making sure to clear a path through the house. As I took my first few steps inside, I felt as if I was quite literally walking into an inferno. Thoughtfully, I wondered how Helga was able to stand it in there in the blazing heat for so long. I kept the door open behind me, spraying a path through the flames as I made it up the staircase.

BACK IN HELGA'S ROOM

Please Note: I'm not going to make this section in any particular P.O.V. because I want to cover both Arnold and Helga's thoughts at the same time…

…Ok fine, I like third-person. There. I said it.

Got a problem with that? XD

Helga sat in the middle of her room terrified by all the fire and smoke around her. All the smoke was making it hard to breathe in there. Plus, the heat was really starting to get to her.

'Ugh! I can't take it anymore! No one's coming to rescue me. I'm just going to either die in here of suffocation or get burnt to a crisp trying to claw my way out of here. Either way—I'm toast!' She looked over to her right and caught sight of a familiar red object underneath her bed. Hastily, she reached for it quite surprised that it remained unscathed by the fire. 'What luck! My shoe!' She thought as her mind drifted back to the night she pretended to be Cecile just so that she could get a date with her beloved Arnold. 'Heh. I'm surprised the old football head hasn't figured it out yet…' She thought, chuckling to herself humorously. 'Then again, it just wouldn't be my beloved if he sprouted a brain all of a sudden…' Then a thought hit her. "Although…what DID happen to my other shoe that night? The last thing I remember is reaching for the shoe the same time as Arnold…" She voiced aloud with a perplexed look on her face. Then, she sighed.

"Oh well…it was good while it lasted. At least in my final moments, I'll have this to remember you by…" She remarked thoughtfully. She pulled out her locket from her jumper, observing it. "Oh yeah…and this thing too." She said.

She gazed lovingly at the smiling picture of Arnold with his half-lidded gaze. "Oh Arnold…look at you, so happy, so charming. Yes, my sweet prince. It was worth seeing your face one last time. To be able to gaze into your enchanting sea-green eyes…so full of hope, so full of wonder…how I live for the day that I would be able to kiss your soft, pink lips…to feel your flaxen, golden hair through my fingertips as I melt into those strong arms of yours. But alas! I digress. I will settle for a simple picture that only shows a glimpse of your true beauty. My lips will touch thine own in spirit as I hold this locket that holds the key to my soul. Forever in my heart, my love and to thine own heart, be true." She recited, happily giving the locket one long kiss adieu.

But as her lips touched the locket, a surprise visitor entered the room, unbeknownst to Helga. Needless to say, this was not the sight that Arnold was quite expecting.

"HELGA?" He exclaimed. His eyes widened, in shock at the sight before him. Alarmed, he dropped the fire extinguisher allowing it hit and roll on the floor with a bang.

Helga jumped, quickly ending the kiss with her locket, stuffing it and the shoe back into her jumper, and turning around to face Arnold.

"ARNOLD?" She also exclaimed, equally as surprised. She rose to her feet. "That is…what are you doing sneaking up on me like that, Football Head?" She quickly tried to recover. 'Oh Crimeny…I hope he didn't just see what I think he saw…' She thought. 'Great…now I'm sure my life is over…'

Not yet fully recovered from the unusual sight of Helga kissing a locket with his picture in it, Arnold answered nervously. "I…uh…came here to recue you…" 'That…uh…c-couldn't have been…me that she was kissing just now, right?'

Meanwhile, Helga just gaped at him. 'He…came…here...to…?'

"Alright, what's your angle? Who sent you?" Helga demanded, suspiciously. 'I'm on to you, Football Head. No one pulls one over on Helga G. Pataki and gets away with it.' She thought there had to have been some catch. There's no way someone would just free willingly risk their own lives without expecting some form of payment in return.

Arnold shook his head, coming to his senses. He decided that he would deal with what just happened later. For now, he pushed that thought aside and moved onto other things…like being trapped in a burning building. Then, Helga's question finally registered in his mind.

He had to chuckle. This reaction had been something he'd been expecting from her and he knew just how to handle it. "No angle, Helga. I just…really wanted to help you." He answered truthfully. Then, he gave her his half-lidded smile. "And besides…I came here on my own."

Helga blinked, now in complete shock. She couldn't believe it. He actually came alone? No one sent him? She almost had to verify that she heard him right. "I'm sorry, wha—what did you just say?" She asked incredulously.

Arnold's grin only grew. "I said, I wanted to help you, Helga. That's why I came here." He said.

Helga didn't know what to say. Thank you? Somehow, those words didn't seem to express how grateful she felt to him at this moment. She wanted to hug him, shower him with kisses, and melt into his arms. But she knew she couldn't. That would probably confuse him even more and she didn't want to creep him out or anything. But she was just so happy! No one had ever done anything this special for her before—no one. It was like a dream come true and before she could stop herself, her overwhelming happiness caused her knees to buckle underneath her and she fell to the ground, blacking out.

Arnold blinked. Not knowing what to think of what just happened. Was she okay? Did she inhale too much of the carbon monoxide in the air or was the heat getting to her? Either way, Arnold's instincts immediately set in and he rushed to Helga's side, kneeling down to her position. He picked up half of her body, putting her in his lap to raise her to a semi-sitting position.

"Helga? Helga, are you okay?" He asked, looking at her worriedly for any signs of exhaustion. Besides her fainting, she looked perfectly fine.

Helga slowly opened her eyes, hearing his beautiful voice, like music to her ears. And of course, the sight of his beautiful face led to one of her monologues again. She forgot where she was for a second, believing this to be some wonderful dream. She sighed dreamily.

Arnold blinked. This was new…

"Oh Arnold, my love, my angel, my savior. I'm alright, now that you're here. You saved me from such a horrible demise. Oh, I knew someday my prince would come…how might I ever repay you my love?" She said, giggling airily.

Okay, now Arnold was just a little creeped out. Love? Angel? Savior? Prince? Those were not the nicknames that he was used to hearing from her. Where was all of this coming from? Was it just because he saved her life once? And Helga…giggling? That was unheard of…well, unheard of by him at least. But now that he thought about it, hearing that light sound escape her lips instead of the mocking one he was used to hearing from her all the time was actually…kind of nice. 'Maybe I should save her life more often…' He thought with a half-lidded smile.

…Wait. What? What on earth was he thinking suggesting that he should save her life more often just to hear more of those nice nicknames and giggling from her? It shouldn't even be a big deal to him. He just…got a little carried away there for a second. Yeah, that's it…carried away. It could happen to anyone…right?

He paused his thinking when he heard her continue again.

"Oh yes, but how will I thank you, my love? How?" She thought for a moment, gazing dreamily into his eyes. "Oh yes! I know! I'll just have to kiss you."

Whoa! Kiss? That was where he drew the line!

"Helga, I'm really worried. Are you sure that you're okay?" Arnold said, shock now evident on his face.

"Mmhm…never better…" She said softly, now leaning up in his lap so that she was positioned a few inches from his face.

Arnold's eyes widened. "Helga! I really think this needs to stop!' He barely managed to get out and he promptly let her drop to the floor before their lips could touch.

"Ow!" Helga complained, rubbing the back of her head. "Geez, try to be a little easier next time, Arno—" She ceased her small tirade and blinked in surprise at Arnold. Arnold currently had his back to the door, eyes widened, with a deep blush creeping up his face. 'That…that was close…she…I…and then we…'

"Sheesh, what's eating you, Arnoldo?" She asked, her hands on her hips. 'Why does he look like that? Gosh, I hope I didn't do anything weird when I was out…man, why do I feel like a bus hit me?' She thought, her mind now preoccupied.

Arnold shook his head from whatever thoughts he was having. "Oh, uh, n-nothing…" He answered, flustered.

Helga blinked. Not knowing what to make of that. Whatever that was, it didn't sound very convincing. 'Oh no…maybe I really did do something weird. Let's see…the last thing I remember was overwhelming happiness and passing out. So…' Her eyes widened in realization. 'Oh please no, not that. I didn't…monologue about him, did I?' Then, she took a deep breath. 'Okay, calm down, Helga old girl. I can just…make him forget everything that's happened. Yeah, that's it. After all, he DID forget about the FTI confession…right? Oh yeah…this will be a piece of cake. I'll just play it off like I'm angry and never speak of this again.'

"Well, take a picture. It'll last longer." She said, with a hmph. 'Perfect. A typical Helga G. Pataki response. Helga, old girl. I don't know how you do it.'

That response seemed to snap Arnold out of his stupor as he just rolled his eyes before reaching for the forgotten fire extinguisher. He sprayed the entire room and the bookcase of the fire until…

K-chk.

Nothing.

K-chk. K-chk.

Still Nothing.

Uh-oh. Where had Helga heard that before?

K-chk. K-chk. K-chk.

Nothing.

"Well, Helga…it looks like we're out." Arnold said, solemnly.

"Great. Nice going, Casanova. Now we're both stuck in this room." Helga said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Wait, Helga. Before we go jumping to any unnecessary conclusions, why don't we feel the door first to make sure that there actually is fire behind that door?" He stated, patiently.

"Whatever. We'll do things your way, Football Head. But you know this will only validate that I'm right." Helga said, placing a hand on the door.

It was warm.

"Yep, no surprise there. Obviously, you were never cut out to be a fireman, Arnoldo." She responded.

Arnold just let out a frustrated sigh. What happened to the nice Helga he was talking to just a few minutes ago? And why was she so good at knowing how to really push his buttons when she wanted to? Either way, he knew he had to keep cool and find another way out. Otherwise, they'd be in the same boat that Helga was in before he had even come up here.

Without a word, Arnold walked over to the fallen bookcase blocking the window. He examined it for a moment before walking over to the side of the bookcase that was leaning against the wall. Grabbing on to the both edges, he began struggling to push the bookcase back up to its original position beside the window.

"Great. Now what are you doing, Football Head?" Helga criticized sarcastically.

Arnold didn't answer as he continued struggling to move the bookcase, but it was to no avail. The bookcase wouldn't even budge. He paused to catch his breath for a moment.

"Hmph. As if that's going to do any good, Arnoldo. You're like a feeble little butterfly compared to that thing. There's no way you can lift it." Helga stated matter of factly.

"Hey…um… Helga?" He asked suddenly.

"Oh brother…what is it now, geek bait?" Helga said, feigning annoyance.

"Instead of criticizing me, would you mind…um…giving me a hand?" He asked, his sea-green eyes meeting hers.

"Fine, but I'm only doing it because it looks like you can use all the help you can get." She answered casually as she walked over to where Arnold was standing. Inside, she was swooning. 'Yeah right…as if I could ever turn down a face like that.'

Arnold gave his half-lidded smile as he moved over to make room for Helga. "Thanks, Helga."

"Yeah, yeah…let's just get this over with already." She replied plainly as she held onto the side of the bookcase near Arnold.

Together, they both struggled to push the bookcase to its upright position. And they kept pushing until finally…

…it budged! Slowly, but surely, they were able to heave the bookcase up to its original position beside the window. Relieved, they both stood where they were for a moment to catch their breath. That's when Arnold noticed something strange about Helga's jumper.

"Hey…Helga?" He asked tentatively.

"Yes Arnold?" She replied, too exhausted to say otherwise.

"There's…uh…something I've been meaning to ask you." He started.

That seemed to snap her out of her fatigue. 'He wants to ask me something?' She thought as she searched around frantically for what he could be inquiring about. Then, it clicked. 'Oh Crimeny, please let it not be THAT!'

"S-sure Arnoldo. Go right ahead." She managed to verbalize, repressing her nervousness.

"Helga, is there something in your—"

"HEY LOOK! THERE'S THAT BRAVE, YOUNG GOY THAT WENT INSIDE THE BURNING BUILDING!" A person interrupted.

They both blinked at the interruption, having forgotten that they were trapped in a burning building at the moment. They both looked out the window and down to the crowds of people swarming below.

"HE'S ALIVE! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Another person shouted.

"HEY ARNOLD!" Gerald yelled up. "WHAT'S UP?"

Hearing his best friend's voice calling up to him, Arnold decided to respond.

"WHAT'S DOWN IS MORE LIKE IT, GERALD! HELGA AND I ARE TRAPPED UP HERE AND WE KIND OF NEED YOUR HELP!"

"HELGA'S UP THERE?" Arnold heard Olga yell.

At hearing her name being called by her older sibling, Helga muttered an "Oh brother…" from behind him as she walked up to the window to make her grand appearance. "YEAH OLGA…I'M RIGHT HERE…" She yelled down.

"HEY, CHECK IT OUT! THAT GIRL'S ALIVE TOO!" A person cried.

"WHAT A MIRACLE!" Another person cried.

"OH MY GOSH! BABY SISTER!" Olga cried out in happiness.

"YEAH, YEAH…I'M ALIVE, SO CAN WE PLEASE CEASE THE WATERWORKS ALREADY? UNLESS…OF COURSE, YOU WANT TO USE THEM TO PUT OUT THE FIRE…" Helga said the last part jokingly.

"Anyways, now that that's out of the way…what's this brilliant plan of yours with Geraldo, Football Head?" Helga said nonchalantly. Although internally, her mind said, 'Oh Arnold…such a visionary.'

"Ok, Helga. I'll show you." Arnold stated calmly.

"HEY GERALD!" Arnold shouted down.

"YEAH?" Gerald came in response.

"DO YOU KNOW OF ANYONE THAT HAS A TRAMPOLINE DOWN THERE?" Arnold asked.

"Trampoline? Don't tell me, you mean to—" Helga started, but stopped when Arnold put a finger to her lips. He gave her his half-lidded smile. "Hush, Helga. You need to be silent and listen to this plan for it to work." He said.

Helga widened her eyes. 'Sheesh, when did the old football head get to be so bold?' She thought. Part of her wanted to be angry at him because no one tells Helga G. Pataki what to do, but the other part of her couldn't help but be a little attracted to this new bolder side of Arnold. Fine…she would let it slide this time around, but the next time the 'bucko better watch out'.

Satisfied that he had actually gotten Helga to quiet down, he slowly removed his finger from her lips. He smiled. It was kind of nice being in control for once.

"HEY ARNOLD! ONE OF THE FIREMEN SAYS HE HAS A LIFE NET IN THE BACK OF HIS TRUCK THAT WE CAN USE!" Gerald answered enthusiastically.

"GREAT! THANKS, GERALD!" Arnold called back.

"HEY! NO PROBLEM MAN! SO…YOU TWO JUMPING THEN?" He asked.

"YEP! THAT'S THE PLAN!" Arnold responded.

"MMM…MMM…MMM…ARNOLD, YOU ARE ONE BOLD KID, MY FRIEND…" Gerald replied in disbelief.

"So let me get this straight. You want us both to jump three stories down into a tiny trampoline despite everything else being on the fritz and you just expect me to go along with it? Nuh-Uh. No deal, Arnoldo. You better come up with something more brilliant next time 'cause I ain't jumping." Helga said defiantly.

"Aww come on, Helga. Do you have any better ideas? And besides, it won't be so bad. It'll be over before you know it." Arnold said, convincingly.

"Hmph. Yeah…when I'm DEAD!" She shouted.

Arnold's eyes widened in realization. He gave a sly smirk. "Don't tell me…you're not afraid of heights, are you Helga?" He teased.

"I…uh…no, of course not! I'm just a little concerned is all! Why you've got a problem with that, paste-for-brains?" She asked, trying to make her argument sound a little more convincing.

"No, Helga. Whatever you say…" He responded with a look that said he didn't believe her. "But …if it makes you feel any better, we can always jump together." He knew that was the key that would convince Helga to jump.

"Well…I…" She responded indecisively.

Arnold smiled knowingly at her. One more push…

"That is, if you trust me." Arnold said with a half-lidded smile. "You do trust me, don't you Helga?"

"I…uh…" She looked around nervously. "Well…maybe I can jump with you, just this once, Football Head since you're practically begging me to…"

"Then you're wish is my command, Helga." He said, smiling as he casually took her hand in his.

He watched in amusement as a small red blush creeped up her face that he was sure it wasn't because of the heat.

Together, hand in hand, they walked up to the window and were relieved to see that the life net was already waiting for them at the bottom.

"ARE YOU GUYS READY?" They both heard Gerald question from the bottom.

Arnold looked to Helga and she gave a slight nod in his direction. He could tell that she was afraid through because she was squeezing his hand pretty tightly.

"YEAH, WE'RE READY GERALD!" Arnold answered back down.

Arnold took a deep breath, keeping his focus on the outside. "Ok…here we go and—"

"A-Arnold!" Helga shouted to get his attention.

Startled, he looked over to Helga. "Yes, Helga?"

"I…uh…I don't know if I can do this…" She said, taking a big gulp.

Arnold saw the fear in her eyes and smiled reassuringly. He gave her hand a quick squeeze before he spoke. "Helga, it'll be alright. I'll be right here with you."

"Promise you won't let go?" She said, shyly looking to their hands. Arnold's smile only grew. This was a whole different side he had never seen before. Helga, shy? It made him happy to see her open up to him like this.

"I promise, Helga. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. Ever." He said, giving her hand another tight squeeze.

"Well then…let's get this show on the road, Football Head." She said with more enthusiasm this time. But then she added. "But um…just for the record, I won't let anything happen to you either. Ever." She gave his hand a tight squeeze as well for good measure.

Arnold kept his half-lidded smile in her direction and the two nodded before jumping out the window together…and both landing safely in the life net the firefighters prepared. For a moment, the two just gazed at each other happily before the crowd interrupted their moment by cheering.

As if by a sudden miracle, water starting flowing in from the city, causing the cheering to grow even louder. Almost immediately, all the firefighters were on the scene, spraying down the house to take away all the remnants of the fire.

Helga just placed a hand to her head. "Oh. Come. On. The hoses start working now of all times?" She exclaimed incredulously.

"Well…look on the bright side. At least it's better late than never," Arnold responded positively, which only got an eye roll from Helga in return.

"Man, I've got to say, you really gave me quite a scare." Gerald said, walking over to them.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Gerald. I'll try not to let it happen again." Arnold said, smiling apologetically.

"Nah, don't worry about it man. With that altruistic attitude of yours, something like this is bound to happen again. I only hope it doesn't give me a heart attack someday." Gerald said. They both laughed heartedly as Phoebe came over to talk to Helga.

"I'm so glad you're ok, Helga. I was really worried." Phoebe started out by saying.

"Ehh…don't sweat it Pheebs. I figure since neither of us has kicked the bucket yet, there's probably no need to stress about it." Helga said, patting her friend on the back.

"Well, I guess, if you say so, Helga…" Phoebe said reluctantly. "And you're sure you're alright?"

"Yep, just peachy." Helga answered dismissively.

When she saw Phoebe look at her uncertainly again, she said, "Geez, don't get all sentimental on me, Pheebs. I already told you I'm fine. Sheesh, what is this? A Spanish soap opera?"

Phoebe gave a small smile towards Helga, relieved to hear the old Helga acting like her usual self again. She nodded in reply and before she knew it, they began talking about other things.

"So what up with you and Geraldo?" Helga asked with a sly look on her face.

"H-helga! That is, I-I don't know what you're talking about." Phoebe stuttered.

"Oh come off it, Pheebs. Practically the whole school knows that something's been going on between you two so you might as well spill it already. Sheesh, it's not like it'll make much of a difference…" Helga said, giving her best friend the look.

"Well, it's…kind of personal, Helga. I don't know if I really should—"

"Yeah, yeah, but I'm your best friend, Pheebs. Come on, I've even disclosed to you some of my most deepest, darkest secrets." Helga replied. Then, she looked around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation before adding, "You know…about ice cream."

Once she said the last part, her friend automatically knew who she was talking about. They had been using code names for Arnold ever since the notorious sleepwalking incident that had almost led Helga to confess her innermost feelings to Arnold.

"Well…I suppose I can tell you, Helga since you are my best friend." Phoebe relented.

"Really? That's great, Phoebe! And I promise, I won't tell a soul. Cross my heart." Helga said, waiting earnestly for Phoebe to spill all the details.

Phoebe took a deep breath before saying, "Well, you see, Gerald and I—"

"Arnold!" A familiar red-head interrupted.

Helga placed a hand to her head. 'Oh Crimeny! What now?' She thought, irritated that they had been interrupted at such a crucial part. That is…until she saw who the voice belonged to.

"Oh. Hey Lila." She heard Arnold's voice reply casually.

Immediately, her head snapped in their direction. There she was, standing with a cheerful smile on her face, facing her dear, beloved Arnold and his friend, Gerald. Likewise, Arnold also wore a polite smile on his face as he addressed Lila calmly.

'Lila! What's SHE doing here? And why is she wasting her time talking to Arnoldo anyways? I thought she didn't like him like him.' Helga thought a bit sarcastically on the last part.

"Arnold, I just wanted to say that it was ever so brave of you to rescue a fellow classmate from that burning building." Lila said.

"It was nothing, really. I just thought it was the right thing to do." Arnold answered truthfully.

Lila giggled airily. "Oh Arnold, there's no need to be ever so modest. But I just think it's ever so sweet that you tried." She replied with half-lidded eyes.

"Yeah, yeah…we all get it. Arnold's a real Saint. Now move it along, little Miss Perfect. I haven't got all day." Helga said, dismissively waving her on.

"Helga, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but don't you think you should be spending a little more time thanking Arnold. I mean, he did save your life after all." Phoebe suggested.

"Yeah, that's right. My main man risked his life to save your butt Pataki. So you better be grateful." Gerald agreed.

"Aw, put a sock in it, Geraldo. No one asked you." Helga retaliated.

"It's okay guys. I'm just glad that everyone got out safely and if it wasn't for you guys, Helga and I would still be trapped in that burning building." Arnold said cheerfully.

"Hey, no problem man. We're friends 'til the end." Gerald said.

"Indeed," Phoebe agreed.

"Oh brother…is this love fest ever going to end?" Helga exclaimed dramatically.

Watching the scene before her with a small smile, Lila decided that was her cue to continue with what she was saying from earlier. "Anyways Arnold—"

"Whoops! I guess I spoke too soon." Helga interrupted sarcastically.

"Helga…" Arnold said, giving her a look before turning back to face Lila. "Now, you were saying, Lila?"

"I wanted to thank you just ever so much by asking if you would like to join me in going to the movies tomorrow to see "Enchanted Bunnies II"?" Lila asked with a hopeful look on her face.

His eyes widened in shock. "Lila, are you asking me out on a date?"

Not too far away, Helga's face wore the same shocked expression. 'Lila…on a date with…Arnold? This can't be happening! Oh, please tell me this isn't happening!' She thought worriedly.

"Well gosh, Arnold. When you put it that way, I guess I am." Lila answered.

Arnold rubbed the back of his head nervously as he answered. "Oh…well. Not that it wasn't nice of you to offer, but—"

"He'd love to go with you!" Gerald interrupted.

"What?" Arnold and Helga both voiced together in shock.

"Oh my…"Phoebe said, covering her mouth in horror at what was taking place.

"Really?" Lila asked enthusiastically, her smile much broader now. "Oh Arnold, thank you ever so much!" She pulled out a small piece of paper and wrote down some digits. She then handed it over to Arnold, to which he took reluctantly. "Here is my number. You can pick me up at 7. See you tomorrow, Arnold!" Lila said as she waved goodbye.

"Lila wait!" Arnold tried, but it was already too late. She was gone.

"Mmm…mmm…mmm…my man has a date tomorrow and he even got a girl's number." Gerald said, smiling and shaking his head in disbelief.

"Gerald...why did you set me up like that?" Arnold demanded.

"Phoebe, quick! Pretend to make idle chatter." Helga ordered to her best friend.

"Chattering!" Phoebe said as the two girls faced each other, pretending to talk about other things so they wouldn't be noticed as eavesdropping into Gerald and Arnold's conversation.

Gerald just shook it off nonchalantly, not realizing the severity of the situation. "Just trying to do you a favor, buddy."

"But Gerald, I didn't want to go on a date with Lila." Arnold responded, surprising both Gerald and Helga.

'He didn't want to go on a date with Lila? Well, that's a start. But what if he ends up falling in love with her tomorrow?' Helga thought, fearing the worst.

Gerald just blinked. "But you've been pining over that girl for ages now!"

"Yeah, well not anymore. And as soon as I get home tonight, I'm going to call Lila up and tell her the date is off." He answered determinedly.

Unnoticed by the two boys, Helga swooned inwardly at this. 'Dreams do come true! Arnold, turning Lila down? This, I've got to see!' She thought with a smirk.

"Arnold! You can't do that!" Gerald argued.

Now, it was Arnold's turn to blink. "Why not, Gerald?"

"Because it'll break the poor girl's heart." He said. "Just think about it, man. If you call her up tonight and tell her it's over she's going to think you were playing with her heart earlier and she'll never speak to you again."

'Yeah? And so?' Helga thought. 'Dump the broad! It's what she deserves anyways. She's the one playing with Arnold's heart now. Giving him false hope like that…dump her! Dump her!"

"Well, I guess I never thought of it that way…" Arnold responded, leaning more towards the idea.

"And besides, it's just for one night. How bad could it be? All she wants to do is thank you." Gerald insisted.

"You know what? I think you're right, Gerald. Maybe it won't be so bad. And like you said, it is only for one night." Arnold said, warming up to the idea.

"That's right man. So we good for tomorrow?" Gerald asked.

Arnold gave his half-lidded smile. "Sure, Gerald." He said. They both did their secret handshake.

'No, no, no! This can't be happening! Stupid Gerald and his stupid convincing! Now I can only watch as little Miss Perfect comes by and steals my beloved from me right under my nose! Why must life be so cruel?' Helga thought dramatically.

"Umm…Helga? Not to interrupt your thoughts or anything, but don't you think maybe now's the time to tell ice cream how much you appreciated it risking its life to save you?" Phoebe whispered.

"Good idea. You distract, Geraldo over there and I'll try to talk to Arno—I mean, ice cream." Helga agreed.

"Distracting!" Phoebe chimed as she walked over to Gerald and began talking to him.

Meanwhile, Helga saw her opportunity with Arnold alone and used that to her advantage.

"So…how's it going, Football Head?" Helga asked from behind Arnold.

He jumped, obviously not expecting her. "Helga!"

"Not so brave now, are you Arnoldo?" Helga insinuated.

Arnold gave a frustrated sigh, getting the hint from Lila's remark earlier. "Look Helga. You don't have to feel obligated to thank me or anything—"

"And who says I wanted to thank you. Football Head?" Helga said defensively.

"No one did. I just don't want you to feel obligated because anyone said you had to," He answered calmly.

"Good. Because I don't." Helga stated.

"Ok then. Why are you here?" He asked curiously.

"It's a free country, Arnoldo. I can stand anywhere I want." She replied. "Besides, in case you haven't noticed, I don't exactly have a home to go to anymore."

Arnold instantly had a look of guilt on his face. "Helga, I'm really sorry this happened. I—"

"Save it, Arnoldo. If I wanted your pity, I would've asked for it." She said, annoyance evident in her tone.

"Oh." Arnold responded solemnly.

It was silent for a few moments as the two of them just stood there. Helga, in particular, was debating between telling Arnold how truly thankful she was and not telling him at all.

'Come on, Helga. Just say the two words: 'Thank You' That's all you have to do. Don't let this pass you by…you can do it!' She thought. With all her might, she managed to force out two words, not quite was she was looking for. But oh well, it was a start.

"Arnold I—"

Arnold turned to her, his sea-green eyes meeting hers for the third time today.

"Yes, Helga? What is it?" He asked sincerely.

"I…just wanted to say…what I mean is, the real reason I'm over here…is because…I wanted to —"

"Young man! How did it feel to walk into a burning building with no real source of protection on you?" A woman reporter interrupted, shoving a mike into Arnold's face.

"How does it feel to be called a hero?" Another man reported shouted.

"What was your motive behind saving this poor child?"

"DO you believe that good Samaritans exist out there like you?"

Pretty soon, about twenty reporters were crowded around Arnold, sticking microphones in his face, snapping pictures. They were acting like the darn paparazzi for Pete's sake. And Helga was booted right out of the circle.

Arnold cast an apologetic glance in her direction. He mouthed the words. "Sorry, Helga." And then turned his attention to the reporters, answering their questions.

Helga didn't bother to watch. What was the use anyways? It was obvious that it wasn't her that they were after. They wanted Arnold, the life saver. Not Helga G. Pataki, the damsel in distress. However, what happened thereafter immediately caught her attention.

A large, husky gray hair man in a light-green shirt hobbled over in a shin splint to where Arnold and the reporters were standing. It was Big Bob—her dad, hopefully coming to his daughter's rescue…or not. Helga watched in horror as her dad marched right into the circle, pushing reporters aside like pillow cushions. He completely bypassed his own daughter, not even checking to see if she was alright, just to get to her beloved. But why?

"Alright, move aside ya bunch of pansies! I've got business to take care of!" He announced as he closed in on Arnold.

She raised an eyebrow. 'Business? With Arnold?' She thought as she continued to look on.

Once he closed in, he automatically began pulling out a few hundred bucks.

Oblivious, Arnold simply greeted. "Oh hi, Mr. Pataki. How's that leg doing?"

"Fine. So what do I owe ya kid? $100? $200? Name your price." He asked.

"Mr. Pataki, that's really not necessary—"

"Nonsense. You rescued my child as promised so now I have to offer you something in return."

Oh brother. Now he saw where Helga got it from.

"Really, Mr. Pataki. That's not—" Arnold tried to explain, but was interrupted again.

"ARNOLD?" Helga exclaimed in surprise, causing both Bob and Arnold to turn their heads toward the source. Her eyebrow was furrowed in anger. "I get it. So rescuing me was all just some quick way to gain some publicity and an easy buck. Wasn't it, Arnoldo?" She exclaimed angrily.

"No Helga, I swear, I didn't—"

"Save it, Arnold. You lied. Now face the consequences." Helga cut him off.

"Whoo! That's some temper that girl's got. I'll…see ya later, kid. We'll talk this over some other time." Bob said, fleeing the scene.

"But Mr. Pataki—" Arnold tried calling after him, but to no avail.

"Look, Arnold. This is between you and me. I don't appreciate being lied to like that. You told me that no one sent you, that you weren't doing it for anything in return, and that you came just to rescue me. For once, I truly believed that someone else cared that much about me. But I was wrong." Helga said, tears now coming to her eyes.

"Helga, really. I would never—" Arnold replied sincerely, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Just stop, Arnold." Helga stated, shaking his hand from her. "You've done enough already."

Just then, Phoebe and Gerald walked in on the scene.

Arnold's expression wore a painful look on his face. "Please, Helga. Let me speak. You've got it all wrong. I meant ever word." He responded.

"Is this what you were planning to say to me all along?" She responded bluntly. Her face became hardened.

"No, I—"

"Look, I don't know what this is all about. But Pataki, you have gone way too far on this one. I know Arnold and whatever you think he's—"Gerald insisted.

"Have fun at the movies, Arnold. Let's go Pheebs." Helga cut in sharply.

"But Helga, don't you think—" Phoebe tried.

"I said, let's go Phoebe." Helga responded sternly as she began to walk away.

Phoebe sighed. "Coming!" She said as she followed closely behind.

"Man, what's her problem?" Gerald said, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Wait Helga!" Arnold tried to call after her, but to no avail. Gerald placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Forget her man. She's nothing but an ungrateful witch anyways. She has a problem. Fine then! There's no reason for you to get so hung up about it." Gerald said, with a small smile.

"But Gerald, you don't understand. I really think I made her upset. She trusted me, Gerald, and now she thinks I let her down." Arnold agonized.

"So?"

"So? What do you mean 'so'? Gerald, this is serious!"

"So, the girl's lied to you many times before and abused your trust, I don't see why you can't return the favor."

"But that's just it, Gerald! I didn't lie to her! Back in the burning building, I told Helga that I came to rescue her on my own—that I wasn't asked to by anyone else and that I wasn't getting anything in return. Well, she saw her father giving out cash to me and reporters around me and automatically assumed that I lied to her. But I didn't."

"Well, I really don't see what the big deal is about, but have you tried talking to her about it?"

"You saw. Every time I tried to get a word in edgewise, she cut me off."

"Mmm…mmm…mmm…I tell you. Normal kids out age don't have nearly as many problems as you do, my friend. But here's what you need to do: You need to make sure Helga listens to you one way or another, even if you have to sit her down for a moment in order to hear you. What you, my friend, have is a communication issue so that means once the communication issue is solved, there goes your problem."

"But what if she thinks that I'm lying again?"

"Hey, I'm a problem solver. Not a miracle worker." Gerald argued. "But if what you say is true about her trusting you so much, which I doubt is true, but let's say it is—then she'll listen. And besides, when have you ever lied?"

"You're right, Gerald. I have to make it so that she trusts me again and the only way I can do that is to talk to her. Thanks!" Arnold said, with his half-lidded gaze.

"No prob man! Remember what I said, friends 'til the end! I'll come with you for moral support!" Gerald replied.

They both did their secret handshake before setting off in their direction.

"Helga, can you please elucidate the reason behind the altercation between you and Arnold back there?" Phoebe practically begged for the umpteenth time already.

"Alright, alright! Crimeny, Pheebs! What are you trying to do—give me a lobotomy?" I exclaimed sarcastically. "Ok so here's what happened before you and Geraldo came in. Arnold and I were having an argument because I was angry that Arnold was receiving cash from Bob after he told me inside the burning building that no one sent him to rescue me, that he came on his own, and that he was doing it for absolutely nothing in return—yet he had the paparazzi practically swarming him and Bob out there shouting for him to 'name his price'. Crimeny, I trusted him Pheebs and he betrayed me. Because of what he did, I truly believed that he cared a lot about me and not the money or rewards that he would reap after the deed was done."

"I see…and what did Arnold say in response?" Phoebe asked.

"Arnold?"

"Yes, Helga. Surely, you must have let Arnold elaborate on his side of the story before you went ahead with your assumptions." She stated knowingly.

"Well…he tried…but I kind of kept cut him off heh, heh…whoo! Guess I jumped the gun a little, didn't I Pheebs?"

"Helga! This is no laughing matter! You have to go back there right now and at least hear Arnold out. Otherwise, you'll never know the full truth, Helga. Only what you think is true."

Helga sighed. "You're right, Pheebs. But…I can't talk to the ol' Football Head now; I practically bit the guy's head off for Cripes sake." She smiled gently. "He probably hates me…"

"He might hate you, Helga. But you'll never know if you don't try. And besides, when has he ever hated you?"

"Yeah…I guess you're right. You win. I'll go back and talk to Arnoldo and hear his side of the story." Helga said.

"Good job! I'm so proud you, Helga." Phoebe cheered.

Helga sighed. "Yeah, yeah…"

But as they started heading back to Helga's house, they were both met with quite a surprise. Gerald and Arnold were walking towards them, the very people they wanted to talk to!

"Arnoldo! Geraldo! Imagine finding you two here. Back for Round Two?" Helga said, before being jabbed in the stomach by her best friend. "Ow, Pheebs! What gives?" She said, but paused when she received the look from her friend. "Oh alright! I'll play nice—if they give me a reason to," She muttered the last part.

"Helga, I think we need to talk." Arnold started.

"You've got that right, bucko." Helga stated.

"And I mean actually let me talk this time, Helga. I'm done listening all the time." Arnold added.

"Fine. Start talking, paste-for-brains. I'm all ears."

Arnold gave a relieved smile. "Good." He said.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock. I don't have all day."

Arnold sighed. "Right…" Then, he started. "Helga, I didn't lie to you when I said I came to rescue you on my own nor did I lie when I said that no one offered me anything in return. Your dad just offered me money because he thought I wanted something in return.

"Right as well as the reporters just offered to swarm you and my dad just conveniently gave you money even though he's a stone-hard skinflint." Helga said sarcastically, with her arms folded above the chest.

"Helga, just trust me on this. Your dad isn't as cold-hearted as he seems. When you were in that burning building, all he could think about was finding a way to rescue you."

"Great. Only one problem. He didn't rescue me."

"That's because he tripped and hurt his knee, which is why he was wearing a cast around his leg."

'Great. Nice going, dad.' "Okay, that story checks out, but how do I know that he didn't send you in there?"

"You don't, Helga. I guess you'll just have to trust me. You do trust me, don't you Helga?" Arnold said with the same sly grin on his face.

"And when has my man ever lied to anyone?" Gerald chimed in.

"Can it, Geraldo. This is between me and Hair boy." Helga said.

Gerald just rolled his eyes.

"Well, Helga? What will it be? Do you trust me or don't you?" Arnold said.

"So this is what it all boils down to. Trust, huh? You think you're so smart."

"Just answer the question, Helga. I haven't got all day." Arnold replied, now giving a bored look.

"Fine!" Helga shouted. "I trust you, Football Head…but only because you're too goody-goody to act any way else."

Arnold gave a knowing look. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Darn right, Football Head. Whatever I say." Helga said triumphantly.

"Well, now that we got that out of the way. Who's ready to head back to the Pataki house to see how the building is coming along?" Gerald asked.

"Fine by me, Tall Hair Boy. Lead the way." Helga stated.

CHECKPOINT!

Author's Notes: Yep, it's back to 1st Person Again. Sorry, it's hard to make up my mind.

HELGA'S P.O.V.

By the time we arrived at the Pataki Household, the firefighters had already done their job and the house only looked like something out of a horror movie. Most of the roof was gone and you would see pieces of floorboard missing on all floors. Not to mention that it didn't look like the Pataki's would be using the stairwell anytime soon. Final report: the house was a train wreck. Seriously, it looked like a bomb went off in there and no one bothered to clean it up. At this time, Geraldo and Arnold decided to call it a night and head back to their place after I assured them that everything was going to be fine. And honestly, I didn't blame them. We were already losing daylight outside, who would want to stay outside staring at a hideous house when you couldn't even see a darned thing. And most of the neighbors had left already. Huh. Probably figured the show was over…

My best friend, Phoebe, was nice enough to stay out a little longer with me—lovable chum—so I wouldn't have to wait out here all alone with no one to talk to. And then there was my family. Miriam had just woken up about an hour ago, wondering where she was, but when she saw the house, she promptly fainted again. Idiot. Strangely enough, she still had her blender in hand. And after Olga practically choked me to death with about a million of her hugs, she started crying over the loss of her trophies and even suggested that I do it too, saying that 'crying is good for the soul'. Hey, I figured it must be true since Olga has to be one of the purest of hearts. But, unfortunately, I had better things to do like…eavesdrop on Bob's conversation with the landlord of some crappy apartment I've never heard of.

"You've got to be kidding me! 400 smackeroonies a week! We need a place to stay for two weeks because our house is being renovated because of a fire! A fire, you hear me? A fire! Don't we at least get a little compensation for our loss? I lost my prized beeper belt and crown in that stinkin' fire for Cripes sake! That's $800 right there! What do you think, I'm made of money?" Bob shouted. You could hear the guy a mile away.

"I'm sorry sir, but our policy states—" The landlord started, but was cut short.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Don't you start that policy crap on me! I'm warning ya! I'm the owner of Big Bob's Beepers. I can rent this place right out of business if I wanted to."

"Then sir. If you could do that, why don't you just pay—" The landlord tried to argue.

"Because this place is too damn run down to be paying a kind of price like that!"

I cut in. "Dad, why don't you just pay the man already? It's only 2 weeks."

"Hey! You stay out of this, little missy! This is grownup talk now!" Bob snapped at me.

"And you!" he exclaimed, pointing to the landlord. "Haven't you heard that the customer is always right?"

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm going to have to call security if you don't calm down and—"

"CALM DOWN? CALM DOWN? YOU WANT ME TO 'CALM DOWN' AT THESE HIGH PRICES! CRIMENY, IT'S A WONDER I HAVEN'T SUFFERED FROM AN ANEURYSM BY NOW THE WAY YOU'RE RUNNING THINGS! YOU SIR, HAVE LOST YOURSELF AN EXCELLENT CUSTOMER!" He roared. Geez, by the way he was yelling, I would have to agree that it is actually a wonder why Bob hasn't suffered from an aneurysm yet.

He stormed out of the apartment, making sure to slam the door on the way out. Exit stage left.

So after that little episode, the next few hours were spent searching around for one of the cheapest places to rent a room for two weeks. But nothing was ever good enough for skinflint Bob. It was always the same story over and over again. It was now 9pm and I was getting sleepy. I had already asked Pheebs several times if my family and I could move into her house for a couple of weeks, but she declined, saying that she didn't have enough space and besides, her parents were very terrified of Bob. So around 9:30pm, Phoebe leaves, she says her parents are imposing a curfew that says she needs to be home by 10pm.

And so…that leaves me to what happened next.

At around 10pm, Bob finally finds a place that could take us all at a cheap rate. And where was this place that decides to choose? Why, none other than the Boarding House of Sunset Arms. Yes, that same boarding house where Arnold lives. That one.

And so, here we are at the door of Arnold's apartment. I feel my heart quicken and my life start to flash before my eyes as Bob rings that fateful doorbell.

The door opens…

And who do I see?

You'll have to find out next time in the Story of Helga G. Pataki.