Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold or any of the characters. Hey Arnold is the property of Nickelodeon and Craig Bartlett.


The Spelling Bee II

Chapter 1: Friends and Opponents

Hillwood

2025

It was a typical day in the town known as Hillwood. The sun is shining, the weather is fine and all the children in town were currently at school.

Including a certain football headed boy who was currently daydreaming during Mr. Simmons English class.

He was currently imagining himself surfing with his best friend, while the teacher tried to get his attention again.

"Andy? Andy!..."Mr. Simmons said, snapping said child out of it.

"Huh? What?..."Andy said, making his classmates snickered at this.

"You were daydreaming again..."His best friend, Kiara Johanssen, quickly whispered to him.

"Oh, sorry. What was the word again?..."Andy asked, a little embarrassed he zoned out like that.

Mr. Simmons thankfully just sent him an understanding look.

"Very well, the word is Essential..."Mr. Simmons repeated.

Andy smiled gratefully and nodded.

"Oh yeah. "Essential". E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L..."Andy answered without hesitation.

Mr. Simmons smiled.

"Correct..."He said with a smile before writing something down.

"Well, that proves it. You and Kiara are the best spellers in school. The citywide spelling bee is on Saturday and there's a $500 prize, so good luck to the two of you!..."Mr. Simmons said.

"Thank you, Mr. Simmons..."Andy and Kiara both said as they went to their seats.

Andy soon went to his desk, which is right next to Kiara's.

If you haven't already guessed it, this is Andrew Shortman, known by his friends as Andy. He is the son of two of PS 118's most unusual former alumni, Arnold Shortman and his wife Helga. Like his parents before him, he, along with his best friend Kiara, are getting ready for the upcoming spelling bee.

Something that was sort of a big deal.

Anyway, the bell soon rang, signalling the end of the school day. Mr. Simmons soon left and so did his students. Andy and Kiara were among them.

"Good luck tomorrow, Kiara..."Andy said to his best friend, who smiled at him.

"You too, Andy..."She said kindly as they walked out of the classroom.

They were talking about the spelling bee. Sure, they were technically opponents, but they are friends first.

"So, let's remember. Whoever wins tomorrow, the other person can't get mad..."Andy reminded.

"And the winner, be it you or me, should be a good sport about it..."Kiara said.

Andy heard this and laughed.

"Sure, but we both know you are gonna cream me tomorrow. You're the smartest girl at school..."Andy said.

Kiara blushed upon hearing this and giggled.

"Don't sell yourself short, Andy. You're smart too. Plus, didn't your dad win the spelling bee at your age?..."She asked.

"Yeah, so?..."Andy questioned as they made it outside.

Before Kiara could respond, someone interrupted them.

"Oh, I am sure Andy will win. So why not just accept defeat now, Kiara?..."A snooty voice was heard.

Andy flinched and Kiara glared at the source of the voice.

It is Courtney Gammelthorpe, their classmate and technically their friend too. However, Courtney has a crush on Andy and makes it clear every time and she and Kiara tend to get on each other's nerves for reasons Andy does not understand due to inheriting his father's clueless ways around girls.

Anyway, he found himself dealing with her again.

"Hi Courtney..."Andy said awkwardly at his admirer.

Courtney smiled and took a step forward.

"Hi Andy, I just came to wish you good luck for tomorrow..."Courtney said sweetly to her crush.

"Thanks..."Andy said, but he noticed that she didn't offer the same to Kiara.

Said girl noticed too and sent her a dirty look. Courtney did not notice as she kept trying to suck up to Andy.

"So, I was thinking that after you win tomorrow, you and I can go out and celebrate, my treat..."Courtney said as she fluttered her eyes at him.

Andy felt really uncomfortable right now.

"I already told you Courtney, I don't like you-like you, I just like you. Plus, I haven't won yet..."Andy said.

"Oh, you are a shoe-in..."Courtney said in a sycophant way.

Kiara heard this and rolled her eyes.

"She is such a kiss-up!..."Kiara thought in annoyance as she watched the pampered girl keep trying to schmooze Andy.

"So, come on. Let's go to Slaucens for a pre-victory celebration..."Courtney said as she eye fluttered again.

Andy was about to reject her but Kiara beat him to it.

"Sorry, but Andy has plans for this afternoon and so do I. You know, training for the competition for tomorrow. Speaking of which, we really should be leaving now..."Kiara said in a not-so subtle tone.

Her rival sent her a dismissive look, before she scoffed.

"Whatever...Bye, Andy..."Courtney said as she winked at him before walking off.

Andy flinched again and looked away.

"When is this gonna stop?..."He asked, exasperated.

He likes Courtney as a friend but nothing more! Why is that so hard to understand?!

"Ignore her..."Kiara said, still annoyed by Courtney's flirting attempts.

"Thanks again for the save..."Andy said, appreciating it.

His best friend smiled at him.

"No problem..."She said kindly.

Kiara then turned to Andy and sent him an easy going smile.

"So, remember...win or lose tomorrow, we are still friends..."She said.

Andy smiled.

"Always..."He promised.

Soon enough, he saw his mom's car pull up and Andy knew that it was time for him to get going.

"There is Mom, I gotta go..."Andy said as he started running but looked back to his friend... "See ya tomorrow and good luck..."He said as he waved before getting in the car.

Kiara waved back and smiled as she watched her friend leave with his mother.

"That Andy..."She thought as went to wait for the bus since both of her parents are working today.


In the car

Andy was now in his mom's car, since she makes a habit of picking him and his sister up from school. He was now between his five year old sister Megan and his baby brother Henry, who was currently sucking his thumb in his car seat.

His mom was in the driver's seat, obviously.

"So, how was school today, kids?..."Helga asked.

"I had a great day, Mommy. I got a gold star for doing great during our vocabulary lesson..."Megan said proudly.

"That's my girl..."Helga said in maternal pride, before turning her attention to her oldest child... "And did you have a good day at school, Andy-kins?..."Helga asked.

Andy sighed.

"Mom, I am almost ten. Can you please stop calling me that?..."He pleaded.

His mother smirked and shook her head.

"Sorry sweetie but you know that once I give a nickname, it's for life..."His mother said in a coy way.

Megan giggled at this and Andy rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha..."Andy said before answering his mom's question... "Anyway, school was good and Mr. Simmons says that me and Kiara are the best spellers at school. I just hope that helps tomorrow at the spelling bee..."He said.

Unknown to him, a troubled look formed on his mother's face upon hearing that. She tried to focus on the road but had a brief memory of constant hours of forced prepping, comparisons to her older sister, a bunch of blah-blah over a stupid beeper promotion and of course, a certain stupid father of hers trying to bride the competition, not caring how much that hurt her in the end before she decided to throw the competition to her future-husband, who thankfully had too much honor and integrity to accept the bribe.

Helga knew that sooner or later, the spelling bee was showing up but now, it's tomorrow.

"Remember what I said, Andy-kins, if you don't want to compete, you don't have to. You know that whether you win or not, your dad and I are proud of you..."Helga said.

Her son, unaware of what she had been thinking, shook his head.

"Mom, I already told you that I wanna compete. The grand prize is $500 and another trophy for my trophy case..."Andy said, feeling excited for the competition.

Helga giggled.

She knew that her son had been born with the competitiveness that runs in the Pataki bloodline. Thankfully, he is like his father and is a good sportsman and doesn't go crazy or would resort to cheating or bribery. He is too good-hearted for that.

"That's my little man..."She thought fondly before continuing to drive.

"Just wanted to remind you..."Helga said, not wanting to make the same mistake her dad made with her.

Her Andy-kins deserves better than that. All of her children do.

Said children were still unaware of what she had been thinking and kept talking.

"So, what are you gonna get with that 500 bucks?..."Megan asked curiously to her big brother.

"Oh, I already know what I am planning on getting with that cash..."Andy said, already making plans for a certain something he has had his eye on for a while.

Something that will be on the top of his shopping list tomorrow when and if he wins.

"Just don't spend all that money in one place..."Helga said in a teasing way to her son.

Her little boy just grinned innocently.

"I won't Mother. I'll win, just like I'm supposed to..."Andy said in a coy way.

Helga and even Megan giggled at this, knowing he is just trying to be funny. However, the mother knew that she had to tell him the following and hoped he'd remember it.

"Just remember that win or lose tomorrow, we are still proud of you. So, just have fun and play fair..."Helga said suddenly.

Andy heard this and raised a brow but nodded.

"Thanks for the pep talk Mom but I got this..."Andy said, looking forward to tomorrow.

Sure, Kiara is his best friend and he meant every word he said to her but tomorrow is a competition and he is in it to win it.

"You and dad will be there for me right?..."He asked.

"Of course, Darling. You know that your father and I would never miss any big moment for you or your brother and sister..."Helga said, making sure to include her other children.

No way she is going to let them think for one minute that there are favorites in this family.

"Alright, Mom..."Andy said as his mother continued to drive all the way home.


With Kiara

Kiara Johanssen had just arrived to her violin lessons, as it is one of her extracurricular activities. The other activities were the debate team (which she is captain of) and also fencing.

Today, she has her violin lessons.

As she played her violin, she thought about the competition for tomorrow and her best friend.

She and Andy have been close since they were babies and always did everything together. He is the greatest friend that she ever had but that doesn't mean she will go easy on him tomorrow.

Sure, she adores Andy and she meant every word that she said earlier but she worked hard to get into this spelling bee and she plans to give it her all.

Plus, she already knows what she is gonna buy with the prize money. A certain new instrument that also happens to be on sale this week for $499.95.

Something that she has been wanting for a while and could really use. So, she was gonna do her best tomorrow and aim to win.

"I am just glad we had that chat because I am in it to win it..."Kiara thought in determination as she continued to practice her violin while her tutor gave her instructions.

She is confident that this is going to be one heck of a competition.

For the both of them.


Later

At the Shortman Residence

The Shortman family were now home and going about their business.

Andy and Megan had just gotten their homework done and went to do their own respective things while Baby Henry was currently taking a nap in his play pen while their parents were busy doing "parent stuff".

Andy, on the other hand, was in the middle of training for tomorrow's spelling bee. He was busy reading and trying to memorize every single word in the dictionary.

The oblong headed boy looked to his mother, who had been in the middle of dusting some furniture before he asked her to quiz him. Wanting to be a supportive mother, she did so.

"What's the next word, Mom?..."Andy asked.

Helga looked at the dictionary and tried to find a random word. She then spotted a strange one that seemed familiar to her.

"Clavichord..."She said out loud.

"Clavichord. C-L-A-V-I-C-H-O-R-D. Clavichord..."Andy said.

"Correct..."Helga said, but she looked concerned for her boy.

He has been training hard all week and it is starting to worry her. She is proud that he is working so hard but she did not want him overworking himself.

"Andy, why don't you take a break? You seem so tired..."Helga said, but he shook his head.

"I'm fine, Mom. I am so pumped for tomorrow!..."Andy said.

His father heard this and chuckled.

"Just remember that we are rooting for you, son..."Arnold said, looking away from the book he had been reading.

Andy grinned.

"I know, Dad..."He said confidently but a part of him was nervous.

He thought about the spelling bee tomorrrow and how stiff the competition is. He just hoped that he will do good tomorrow.

"Just remember to smile for the camera after the competition..."Megan quipped as she came in, carrying her Mimi doll.

Andy heard this and chuckled.

"Don't worry, I will..."Andy said before turning to his mother again... "So, what's the next word?..."He asked.

Helga sighed, realizing that her son truly wants to do is. So, she had to support him here.

"Okay, Sweetie. The next word is...Persuade..."Helga said as they continued with this training.


Later

It was a few hours after dinner and Andy was in his room, reading a huge dictionary at his study nook. He is still practicing for the bee but he is starting to feel pretty tired but he kept at it.

"Okay, next word Phlegm. P-H-L-E...um..."Andy paused, trying to think.

"G-M..."Another voice was heard, getting his attention.

Andy turned and saw that it was his dad, who came in with some cookies and milk.

"According to your great-grandpa, that's a word you use a lot at his age..."Arnold said.

"Gross!..."Andy said, disgusted.

"I thought the same thing..."Arnold said before showing him the plate... "Milk and cookies?..."He offered.

"No thanks, Dad. I gotta practice..."Andy said as he kept studying.

"You have been studying all week. Take a break, your mother said so..."Arnold said as he placed the cookies on his desk.

After pausing for a moment, Andy shrugged and took a cookie. As he began to munch on it, Arnold noticed the rather stressed out look on his son's face.

"What's wrong, Andy?..."Arnold asked.

"Nothing, I'm fine..."Andy said but his dad didn't buy it.

"Andy, you know that you can tell me anything. Just tell me what bugging you, son?..."Arnold pressed on.

Andy sighed but he realized that his dad won't leave until they talk about what's bothering him.

"I dunno Dad, it's just... I don't think I have a chance to win this thing tomorrow. I have been training all week but...I am worried. Plus, I am competing against Kiara and she is the smartest girl in town. I don't think I stand a chance..."Andy said, admitting his insecurities.

Arnold shook his head and sent him an understanding look. He loves his son but he can be pretty competitive at times, as well as a little insecure.

Looks like this is one of those times. Plus, it reminded him of himself back when he competed as a kid and how nervous he felt about it.

He wanted to help.

"Andrew Phillip Shortman, you know that your mom and I will be be proud of you no matter what. You don't have to prove anything to us or anyone else..."Arnold said.

Andy sighed.

"I know but I still wanna win. I don't wanna embarrass myself..."He said.

"Let me tell you something that my grandpa told me at your age, just before I competed in the town spelling bee. You're just as smart as any kid there. The only thing that can beat you is your attitude..."Arnold said, using the same advice the wise elder had passed down to him.

Andy heard this and smiled.

"G really said that?..."Andy asked and his father nodded.

"Yes and I did my best I could. I wasn't going to let anyone stop me from doing my best and neither should you..."Arnold said, deciding not to mention how a certain former beeper king (who also happens to be his father-in-law) tried to bribe him into taking a dive.

A bribe that he refused. Thankfully, Big Bob has changed and Andy and his siblings did like him. So, Arnold decided not to tell him that.

He just continued giving his son advice.

"Just think positive..."The father said in an encouraging way.

Andy heard this advice and smiled.

"You're right, Dad. I got this..."Andy said as he handed him a dictionary... "Come on, ask me a word...any word..."He said, wanting to test himself.

Arnold looked and soon spotted a familiar word and decided to use that.

"Okay, how about...Onomatopoeia?..."Arnold asked sheepishly.

Andy paused upon hearing this before he groaned and slumped to the table. Arnold saw this and he put a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Yeah, I reacted the same way too..."Arnold said... "But remember, no matter what, we are proud of you..."He added in a supportive tone.

"Thanks Dad..."Andy muttered, still not moving from his position.

That is when Helga walked in and saw that her son is still studying.

"Andy, bed time is in 10 minutes..."Helga said.

"But Mom, I gotta train..."Andy said but his mother sent him a stern look.

"No, Andy. It is 8:50PM and I expect you in bed by nine and you need your rest. Plus, I am sure that your wonderfully wide little head is filled to capacity..."Helga said in a strict but caring tone.

"But Mom-..."Andy said but saw that she is still not budging on this.

Andy knew that there is no point to argue with his mother. She always wins.

Reluctantly, he backed down.

"Fine..."Andy said in defeat.

His mother then sent him a smile and ruffled his hair a bit.

"Everything will be alright, Andy-Kins. You have worked so hard. You will do fine tomorrow..."Helga said in a loving way to her son.

Andy cracked a smile at that.

"Thanks, Mom..."He said to his mother.

Helga smiled at her first born child.

"Now get ready for bed. You still need your sleep..."She added.

"Alright..."Andy said before he left to go brush his teeth before bed.

Once he was out of the room, Helga turned to her husband.

"So, how is our little speller doing?..."Helga asked.

"He's training so hard and I already told him that no matter what, we are proud of him..."Arnold said.

Helga smiled.

"That's good..."Helga said, with an unsure look on his face.

Arnold understood it and sighed.

"You don't have to worry about anything. Andy is a smart kid and even if he doesn't win, he is a good sportsman. Plus, he's every bit as tough as his mom..."Arnold said.

Helga heard this and chuckled.

"You goof..."Helga said before placing a kiss on his lips.

The husband and wife enjoyed the moment before another child of theirs called for their attention.

"Mommy! Can you read me a story?..."Megan called from her room, which was near Andy's room.

"Coming, Meggie-kins..."Helga said but that is also when she heard Henry crying.

"I got Henry..."Arnold said and Helga smiled.

"Thanks..."Helga said as she gave him another kiss before going to attend their other children.

Andy then came to his room, all dressed in his pajamas and ready for bed. However, he grabbed the dictionary one last time to look up that word his dad said.

"Onomatopoeia..."Andy whispered as he checked the dictionary for that big word, getting a little more studying before bed.

"Lights out, Andy!..."Helga's voice called from Megan's room.

"Alright, Mom..."Andy said as he sighed before putting the dictionary away and turning his lamp off.

Soon, the oblong headed boy went to sleep. Unaware of what tomorrow's competition will bring.

-To be continued-

Next time on The Spelling Bee II

The Competition Part 1


A/N(1): I hope that you all enjoyed the first chapter of my latest Hey Arnold Fic.


A/N(2):This is dedicated to my family, my friends and my love for God! Enjoy :)


A/N(3): Special thanks to NeoMark for assisting me with the grammar in this chapter. You rock :)


:) Till next time beautiful people, remember to read and review :)