Authors Note: Hello everyone! This is my first ever fanfiction and I'm so excited to share it with you all! I watched TJM recently and I got inspired to write this story! If you haven't watched TJM yet, you should probably watch it before reading this story! I'll be referencing the movie multiple times, so get ready for spoilers! It'll be a multiple chapter story, so hang tight and I hope you enjoy! Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think so far! We all know this, but I'll say it anyway, I do not own Hey Arnold or any of the characters!

It's been a week since the class came back from San Lorenzo. That's all anyone could talk about once school started again. Everyone was talking about how Arnold got his parents back and about the huge adventure that everyone survived. Of course, rumors spread about Arnold being some kind of God to the Green Eyes, but Arnold didn't really care. Rumors came and went, so he didn't really give it much thought. As Arnold got up for school, he heard his dad and grandpa talking in the kitchen. Arnold smiled from ear to ear, just from having a reminder that he finally had his parents back. He looked in his closet and decided to wear what he always wore: his plaid button up shirt, followed by his green shirt over it. He combed his hair and finished his look with his blue hat before making his way downstairs. The voices got even louder as he made his way to the kitchen table.

"How are you winning every game?! Are you pulling the wool over my eyes?" Grandpa said, eyeballing his son. Arnold's dad was sporting a smug grin as he shrugged.

"I would never, dad! I learned Checkers from the best, remember?" Arnold suppressed a laugh as he joined them at the table. Miles messed with Arnold's hair as he got up and walked towards the fridge.

"Would you like some pancakes, son?" Arnold nodded as he heard his stomach growl. His grandma came rushing in wearing an army uniform.

"Fill up, Tex! Full stomachs always lead to victory on the battlefield!" she exclaimed as she put a stack of blueberry pancakes in front of her grandson. Arnold smiled as he took a look at his grandma. Very unique and sometimes extreme, but he wouldn't change anything about her or his family. He looked down at the pancakes, the syrup glistening. He didn't waste any time in chowing down on them.

"Whoa whoa, slow down! What's the rush, Shortman?" Phil asked while putting up the Checkers board. Arnold gulped down a glass of milk as he finished his breakfast.

"I have to meet up with someone before school and I don't want to be late!" Arnold quickly got up from his chair, grabbed his backpack. He was making a beeline for the front door when he ran right into Stella. She had a smirk on her face that matched with her folded arms.

"Mhm. Tell Helga we said hello." Arnold blushed deeply from his mom's words. Things had changed between him and Helga since they returned from San Lorenzo. As much as he wanted to overlook the kiss they shared, it proved to be quite impossible. He knew that Helga loved him. It took a little bit of time to digest that, and even longer to embrace her feelings. I mean, they were still kids! What did any of them know about love? All he knew was Helga not only didn't hate him, but she cared or him deeply. She helped him get his parents back when all odds seemed stacked against them. He still remembers the look on her face as she handed him her heart-shaped locket. She looked terrified, yet hopeful that it could help break the sleeping curse. He also remembers how he felt her pulse quicken when he grabbed her hands, right before they shared a short but sweet kiss. They had yet to talk about what happened between them, but Arnold planned on changing that today.

If his mom would move out of the way of the door, that is.

"Yes! Do tell Eleanor that she is welcome back here anytime!" Gertie yelled from the kitchen. Arnold rolled his eyes as he yelled, "I will!" Stella bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead before she stepped out of the way. With love filled goodbyes, Arnold made his way to the Pataki residence.

"Olga! Get your fanny out of bed right now!" Bob's voice bellowed from downstairs. Helga rolled over in bed and looked at her clock. She definitely slept in and she definitely did not care.

"I'm out of bed, Bob!" the lie easing out of her mouth. She slowly made her way out of her warm bed, towards her closet. She put on her pink dress and pink bow, same as every day. I really need to update my wardrobe she thought as she grabbed her backpack. She jogged downstairs, towards the kitchen. Miriam was making smoothies in the blender, big surprise, when Helga plopped on a barstool.

"Goodmorning, Helga." Helga grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit on the table. Better than a lunchbox with shaving cream.

"Morning Miriam." Helga mumbled as she took a bite of the granny smith apple. Even after all these years, her family still hadn't changed a bit. Big Bob lounging in his recliner watching Wheel of Fortune and Miriam trying and failing to cook some kind of breakfast concoction. She gave a small sigh as she leaped down from her seat. She didn't want to miss the bus so she started to gather her things to leave when she heard a knock on the door.

"Olga! Get the door!" Bob yelled from the living room. She stopped correcting her dad about her name a long time ago. He obviously was never going to get it right, so why waste her breath? Helga humphed and stomped toward the door.

"Sure, Bob! It's not like you were closer or anything!" Helga seethed as she swung the door open. She was expecting it to be Phoebe, which is why she breathed in a bit of her chewed up apple when she saw Arnold standing on her porch. After coughing a bit, she gathered herself and tried to not let her voice shake.

"Arnold! W-What're you doing here, Football head?" she said, her unibrow furrowed.

"Uhm Goodmorning to you too, Helga. I was hoping I'd catch you before the bus showed up. Could we talk outside?" Arnold gestured to her stoop. Helga felt her heart beat a million miles a minute. What could he want to talk about? Helga mentally smacked herself: of course she knew what he wanted to talk about. She just wasn't ready to talk about it. She replayed the kiss they shared in San Lorenzo over and over like her favorite movie. It made her palms sweat and her eyes twinkle just from the memory of it. When they returned to Hillwood, something definitely changed between her and Arnold. Since their return, Arnold seemed to want to spend more time with Helga. He tried holding her hand multiple times, but she snatched her hand away each and every time. She wanted to think that Arnold returned her feelings, but realistically she knew that he was only being affectionate out of gratitude for helping save his parents. She didn't want him to feel obligated to show her kindness now that he knew her true feelings. Helga rubbed her neck nervously. She couldn't exactly run away and she didn't have the heart to slam the door in his beautiful face. Plus, they rode the same bus. There was no way out.

"Uhm sure. Whatever floats your boat." she said nonchalantly. She made her way outside and closed the door. She made sure to let Arnold sit down first so she could sit a good distance away from him. Arnold clearly recognized her discomfort and wondered why she was on edge. Did she know what he wanted to talk about? If she did, why would she be nervous? He noticed how she wouldn't look at him in the eye and how she rang her hands together. She couldn't look more nervous if she was being interrogated for a murder. No backing out now Arnold thought.

"So I felt like it was time to talk about... you know." Arnold rubbed his knees nervously. Helga suddenly contemplated just running down the street towards the school, but her legs felt like Jello and she glanced quickly at Arnold, who was patiently waiting on a reply.

"No, I don't know Football head. So spit it out." Helga knew exactly what he wanted to talk about, but she refused to bring it up first. She thought her heart was going to burst out of her chest. She hated being rude to him, especially now that the dust had settled and there was no going back on her confession. Arnold knew she loved him, so why put up a front?

To protect myself, Helga thought sadly. Arnold sighed.

"I think you do, Helga. You're a smart girl." Helga blushed from the compliment but refused to look at him. She was staring at the sidewalk like it was the most interesting thing ever. She could already hear the rejection now:

I really like you Helga, but the kiss we had in San Lorenzo wasn't.. what you believe it to be. I like you, but I don't like-like you. But we can stay friends! Helga felt her stomach drop just from the thought.

"Do we have to talk about it?" Helga mumbled. She had been caught and there was no other option but to deal with it. She tightened her fists, her fingernails biting into her palms. Arnold nudged himself closer to Helga and she felt her skin go numb.

"Helga, I understand that what happened in San Lorenzo was... intense. But ever since we returned, you haven't said three sentences to me. You haven't even picked on me. You won't look at me in class, you avoid me when we pass each other in the hallway. I just don't understand what I did wrong." Arnold finished with sadness in his voice. Helga felt her throat get thick. All she wanted to do was embrace him and assure him that he did nothing wrong. But she couldn't. All she could do was blink the tears away and stare at her feet.

"You did nothing wrong. We're back home so everything is back to normal." Helga couldn't help but sound how she felt: defeated. If anyone did anything wrong, it was her! She shouldn't have even told him her true feelings.

But would we have still been able to save Arnold's parents if I hadn't?

As that thought shot through her mind, Arnold quickly grabbed her hand and held on tight so she couldn't snatch it away. That made Helga look him in the eyes and suddenly she couldn't be more stuck if she was in quicksand.

"But everything is not normal, Helga. You know that and I know that. Shoot, even Gerald and Phoebe know that. We can't just forget what happened." Arnold said calmly. Helga felt panic rise in her chest. What did he want from her? A confession? An apology? An explanation as to why she bullied him all these years? She wasn't even sure if she could put her reasoning into words with that last one.

"What do you want me to say?" Arnold rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb gently. Helga was about to explode if he didn't stop looking at her that way.

"The truth." Those words rang in Helgas ears like alarms. She wanted this conversation to be over. She felt like she was trapped in a cage with no way out. As if on cue, the school bus was making its way down the street. She looked at Arnold, who was pleading with his emerald eyes. She knew he deserved the truth. He deserved nothing less. Her time to hide was over. Now it was time for karma to snatch her for all of the horrible things she has ever said to him. She had to lay all her cards on the table because she had no more aces up her sleeve and no way to back out. She squeezed Arnold's hand gently and she could've sworn he squeezed back.

"I'll say this once, and then it's done and over." she reluctantly took back her hand before the bus got closer. "I love you, Arnold. I've always loved you and always will. But you don't have to fake feelings for me just because you feel obligated to. I didn't help save your parents for the reward of your affection. I did it because your happiness means more to me than my own." Helga felt a tear escape, which she quickly wiped away with the back of her hand. She looked away and mumbled, "It always has."

Arnold felt gutted. Did she really think that? Helga looked back at him with sorrow in her blue eyes and all Arnold wanted to do was hug her and convince her that she was wrong.

"Helga, that's not-" Arnold was interrupted with the school bus pulling up. Helga slightly shook her head and whispered, "It's ok." She got up and made her way on the bus. Arnold followed behind, his eyes never leaving the ground.

Alright! What do you think? This won't be a supernatural kind of story, just what I pictured happening once everyone returned home. Plus some added tragedy and adventure of course! Leave a review and let me know what you all think! Thanks for reading!