. . .I'm going to pweschool." She called out as she stepped out into the cold rainy morning, boots splashing through the puddles as loudly as she could manage, trying to drown out the tinkling of the piano keys until she was far enough to no longer hear them. She wasn't afraid, and she wasn't angry as she stormed down the few city blocks to her school, she just felt the same emptiness inside that had been there as long as she could remember. She ignored the stares of the concerned adults, as she passes them on the street. She'd made the trip a dozen times before and never needed anyone to help before, and wouldn't be needing it today either. Sighing to herself as she nears the clear doors to the preschool, socks soaked from driving her feet into the puddles, bow and pigtails drooping from the sopping rain. Nearly within arms reach of the door, a car rushes past driving too close to the sidewalk, covering her, head to toe in mud from the gutter, which of course meant the mud had added bits of filth would be found as she cleaned herself off later.
She stood there a moment, as if waiting for something. But no beat up green Packard pulled up, no sweet little boy took notice of her, shielded her from the rain and complimented her bow. No she was alone like always and turned back, opening the doors and taking her place among the other children. Her teacher excused her from the first activity to go to the bathroom to clean up. She pulled the pink, white and now brown dress over her head, leaving her standing in the cold bathroom in just her slightly less wet underwear. Shivering she placed the soiled garment into one of the lowered preschool sinks, turning both knobs to let a high pressure stream of warm water wash away the muck that clung to the fabric. As to be expected she found more than a few cigarette butts, and a bottle cap at the bottom of the sink when all the brown had been washed down the drain. Discarding the trash that had come off her dress she rung it dry as best she could, then did the same with her socks.
The stool they kept in the bathroom to help the shorter children reach the sinks, had a long narrow back to it, over which Helga draped her dress and socks. She positioned the stool against the button of the electric hand dryer attached to the wall. As hot air began flowing out of the dryer's head she took hold of it with both hands, and with some effort managed to twist it into position. Like this hot air would dry her clothes for her, giving her time to turn back to the mirror above the sink; The mud on her face was next, though the flimsy brown preschool paper towels were little help. Almost ten minutes later the last of it was cleaned away from behind her ear. Content she'd cleaned herself best she could she ran a hand over her dress, which was still moist. She'd have to wait, hiding herself in the stall nearest to the hand dryer, she sat, all but naked teeth chattering away muffled only by the sound of the old dryer working to keep the constant stream of hot air going.
Alone wasn't hard for her, her biggest worries were someone would walk in, and see her clothes there and take them as a cruel prank, or find her helpless and shivering. The only person to come in however was her teacher. Who noticed her clothes set up before calling out.
"Are you alright in there Helga?" Her face went red, knowing the teacher had to be looking right at her makeshift Laundromat.
"I'm fine, I'll be out in a few minutes." The teacher made her way out of the bathroom without another word, making a note to call the girl's parents later on.
Another ten minutes passed and Helga resolved to get out of that bathroom dry clothes or no. Fortunately her dress was almost completely dried by then, though her socks still squished a little when she walked. Pulling it back over her head she readjusted her bow, and checked herself over for any bits of muck she might have missed. Satisfied with her appearance she rejoined the class, just as snacks were being handed out. She took her seat at one of the tables, taking the plate of buttery cookies from the boy who'd been assigned to hand them out. Her stomach growled loudly, there had been no breakfast waiting for her when she woke up. She was going to savor these, her mother had remembered to pack a lunch, which at worse would have been inedible and at best unappetizing. So aside from dinner, (Which would taste bitter, having to hear about her sister's most recent accomplishment while choking it down.) This was likely to be her only good "meal" of the day. However while she'd been thinking this over, she'd failed to notice Harold, (The only boy to be left back in preschool) had taken the paid of cookies from her plate and shoved them into his gaping maw, with a cackle.
A tear came to her eye, and she looked away. Again the odd feeling that she was waiting for something over took her, and she looked up, finding no offered plate waiting for her. So the tears came freely, as the emptiness she normally felt, was compounded by the ever growing emptiness in her belly. Harold laughed a moment before realizing there was nothing left to eat, and being Harold was still very hungry. A quick survey of the room and he found his next target, a bespectacled girl with her back to him, playing with some blocks. Her cookies set on a plate beside her. Sneaking up from behind her he planned to play the same trick as he had on Helga.
Still crying Helga looked over seeing what the pink boy was about to do, and she felt something she hadn't before. Her tears stopped and her teeth clenched, along with her fists. She stood from her seat and rushed over to him just as Harold was leaning over. Pushing him down and away from the plate.
"I don't remember hearing you ask if you could have her cookies geekbait. Leave her alone or you'll have to deal with ol' betsy and the f...five avengers." Harold stunned began muttering something back, only to have Helga jump up and onto his overstuffed belly.
"Get outta here before I really make you sorry" Harold moved away quickly after that.
Helga turned with a confident smirk about to proclaim herself boss of the whole preschool when she saw the girl she'd helped holding up the plate of cookies. "Wanna share, I'm Phoebe, thanks for helping me." Helga stopped, and the anger subsided, she smiled and took one of the cookies from the plate before sitting down next to her. "It's nuthin, someone needed to teach that kid a lesson."