The Pataki Suicides . . .
(A/N: Inspired by the movie The Virgin Suicides)
Olga was the first to go. It was Saturday and Phoebe and Gerald were walking to the Pataki's house to get Helga. Gerald was the one who cam running back to all of us with the news that Olga was dead. He didn't know how, but Phoebe was going to find out and let him know what had happened.
Twenty minutes later Phoebe and Helga showed up. Helga ignored all questions about her sister. She just wanted to play the game.
After the game, she left. She didn't say a thing to Phoebe, or anyone else. Not even me. And she always has something to say to me.
She wasn't in school the next week, and Olga's funeral was on the Thursday. We skipped school to attend. No one had seen or spoken to Helga since Saturday. No one picked up the phone in the house; they didn't leave, except for Bob who went to work. Even Phoebe had been shut out.
"She committed suicide, did you hear?" I heard Rhonda's voice ring out across the cafeteria. "But then, with a sister like Helga, would you blame her?"
"But Olga? She was so . . . so perfect. Why would she do such a thing?"
"It's none of our business. I wish everyone would stop talking about them like this. It's just ever so mean," Lila snapped. Everyone stopped and looked at the redhead. She never snapped or showed anger at anyone. She picked up her tray and walked over towards us and sat down next to Phoebe. "I hope you don't mind," she said quietly.
"I don't mind at all," Phoebe told her smiling.
88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Phoebe and Lila walked into the school the next Monday with Helga. She looked somewhat different. Her unibrow was gone, her bow was gone, and her scowl was gone. Instead there was a smiling, laughing girl. No one could believe it. Her sister had died just the week before and she was carrying on as if nothing had happened. She received many glares for this. Rumours even started that her sister hadn't committed suicide, but that Helga had planned it to look that way and had actually killed her.
Which was ludicrous? Helga laughed them off when she heard them.
"Olga's been killing herself for years, football head, she never needed my help," she said to me one day. I couldn't believe it. I knew Helga hadn't liked her sister . . . but this . . . but I saw a look pass between Phoebe and Lila and realised they knew something no one else did. And I wanted to know myself.
"What are you doing this Saturday, anyway?" I asked.
"Nothing. Why?" she questioned, looking suspicious.
"Well, Gerald and I were going to go see Evil Twin VIII and I just figured maybe we should make a night of it and all go. You to Lila," I said smiling at her. She smiled back, and then glanced at Helga.
"Thank-you ever so much for the invite Arnold, but my father and I are bonding this weekend. I think he's feeling just ever so guilty for working so much," she whispered.
I found out that she wasn't lying. Her father and she went to visit some close-living relatives. Phoebe and Gerald spent the whole time ogling and chatting and flirting. Me and Helga walked off and left them to it.
"So how have things been in your house?" I asked her. She stopped and stared at me blankly.
"What do you mean?" she asked. How do you ask someone how everything is after their sister died?
"With everything that has happened, how is everyone coping?" It's the best I could do.
"We're fine," She said and started walking ahead of me. "Let's go on the Ferris wheel," she said looking at the big wheel, with its bright lights. I obliged and followed her. We were quite for a while, with Helga looking down at the ground every now and then.
"I should have chosen something faster," she said regretfully. "And lower,"
"There's the Graviton," I suggested.
"Sounds good to me, football head," she said smiling.
But the smile didn't reach her eyes. Something in her smile, in her face, in her eyes, was missing . . .