Helga scowled at the sight before her. The place was packed, mostly by kids her age but there were around some grown ups too. She groaned as she pulled over to the few empty spots left on the lot. Opening the door and heading to the trunk, she resisted the impulse to roll her eyes when she heard some giggles near her. With a little effort she pulled out her suitcase and after taking out a small bag and placing it on her back, she firmly shut the trunk.
She ogled the surroundings; one or two adults accompanied most of the kids. Helga assumed they were their relatives or guardians, but experience had taught her that appearances are deceitful. And considering the institution she was enrolled, it wouldn't surprise her that some of them were actually bodyguards.
As she started to walk to the main crowd she felt something vibrating on her right pocket, frowning she pulled out the culprit. It was one of the brand new pink cellphone models his father's emporium just released.
She grimaced remembering exactly when and why she got it. Apparently since his family got insanely rich, his father for some odd reason, decided to take the flag of parent and do his duty for once with her. Helga guessed that since they now have more money they could count, someone might try to kidnap her. At the eyes of the public what his father was doing was what a caring parent would do, but Helga suspected that he only did that so he wouldn't have to pay the rescue money.
He pushed the device to her one morning during breakfast. "Here" he said placing the cellphone in front of her bowl of cereal. She frowned taking a second look at the device. She blinked a couple of times before looking up at Bob with a questioningly stare.
"It's a cellphone" he stated taking the newspaper and sitting in front of her.
"I can see that" she responded dryly "Why are you giving me this?"
"Keep you checked" he replied with a monotonous tone.
Helga rolled her eyes, trying hard not to scold. Like she didn't know why that thing was invented in the first place. Keeping people in touch? Plu-ease! Some jealous husband got tired of getting crap from his wife and decided to take action.
Helga was thinking what to say or not, but something told her not to out voice her thoughts. Somehow she suspected that even with the best argument on her pocket, Bob would play the parent card and the 'Because I say so'. Instead she took the tiny device and tossed it into her backpack. And from that day on she was force to have the device with her 24/7.
She groaned when the letter 'B.B' appeared on the screen, not like it surprised her. She sighed and opened the lid, placing the device on her right ear.
"Where are you? Young lady"
The powerful barks of Bob filled the place, instantly she pulled the device from her ear, fearing she might go deaf if she didn't. Once the rambling was over she placed the device once more on her ear.
"At the campus" she replied calmly, trying hard not to lose her temper.
"And why the heck are you there? It's Saturday for crying out loud!"
She rolled her eyes, of course they had forgot. Not even the post it she left on the fridge had helped. Helga rubbed her temples and started to count backwards in her mind.
"It's the school trip, remember?" she said still rubbing her temples and closing her eyes.
"What school trip?"
Helga exhaled and opened her eyes "The one you paid for last month? New York, remember?"
Helga gave him a couple of seconds so his brain started to function, she could almost hear the gears of his brain move through the speaker. After a couple of seconds she heard an almost inaudible 'Oh', she grinned pleased.
"Just… Don't overdraw the credit card"
Click.
Helga shook her head, still grinning. Sometimes she wondered if her father was going senile, but taking in account the 16 years of his oversight towards her, she was more than used to it to get offended. She dismissed the incident, just like she always did, and headed to where the bus was. Some of her companions were already up, waving their goodbyes to their loved ones from the windows. Helga walked to one of the staff and handed her suitcase, once that was settled she walked to a woman handing a clipboard.
"Hey Mrs. Thompson"
The woman looked up for a second then back to her clipboard, scribbling down something"
"Go ahead Miss. Pataki" she said with a dismissing tone, signaling the door of the bus next to her.
Helga shrugged and climbed up the stairs, noticing almost instantly that most of the good seats were taken. She frowned and started to walk to the back of the bus when she met a familiar pair of eyes.
"Hey Lorenzo"
A tall slender boy with short dark hair looked up from his laptop and smirked.
"Hey Helga" he responded closing the device and placing it inside a briefcase.
"Where's Trish?" she asked looking from one side to the other.
"She texted me that she was on her way. And to tell you to save her a spot" he replied calmly.
"That cheapskate" she said, taking the two empty spots in front of her friend. Placing her bag on the seat next to the window before turning to Lorenzo "Couldn't she spare 10 cents and ask me personally?"
Lorenzo just shrugged and smirked. Helga shook her head and placed both knees on the seat, resting her arms on top of her seat. "Peapod coming?"
"Yes, he texted me he would be a little late. Apparently he was going to make a quick stop for some snacks for the trip"
"Good" she nodded "And Park?"
Lorenzo shook his head "He couldn't convince his parents. I guess they still think it's too dangerous. Even if two years had already passed"
Helga sighed and rested her chin on top her seat. "Well… might as well bring him lots of souvenirs"
Lorenzo nodded and smiled "He asked me for a particular print from the MET"
"Ok, I'll get him a hotdog then"
"You know he is a vegetarian, right?" he responded arching an eyebrow.
"He doesn't need to know it's real meat" she said with a wicked grin.
"You're incorrigible" he said, shaking his head and smiling.
Helga pronounced her grin and took her seat, placing her bag on her thighs she started to look inside it. Once she got what she was looking for, she pulled out a chocolate bar and her iPod. As she opened the wrapper and gave a huge bite to it, she turned on the device and after finding the song she was looking for, she laid back on her seat and decided to relax until the bus was full.
A couple of minutes passed and more kids pop up from the stairs and took the empty seats. They were getting restless, all the bottled excitement could be breathed. A couple of times Helga had to groan at anyone who tried to take the spot next to her, she rolled her eyes and decided to place her legs on top of it to avoid the question. Turning the volume up she closed her eyes and decided to fake she was asleep. She was in the middle of a great song when her feet were harshly pushed to the floor. Bolting up in rage and right fist ready, she was ready to hit the culprit when she saw who it was. There was a girl, taller than Helga with a red mane and big green eyes, grinning wickedly both hands on her hips.
"You're in my spot" the girl said with a serious tone.
Helga frowned and crossed her arms over her chest "So? What are you going to do about it?"
The girl snorted and bended a little so they were almost touching their noses.
"I might have to take you down" she declared grinning
"Oh yeah? You and what army?" Helga responded pronouncing her frown.
"This army" the girl said pulling back a little and showing her fists right into the face of the blonde one.
"Bring it on! Sister!" Helga announced cracking her right fist on the palm of her left hand.
"Ladies please" a male voice spoke, interrupting them.
Both girls looked to the source of the voice, it was Lorenzo with a raised eyebrow and a look that clearly stated that he was not amused. Helga smirked and turned to her opponent.
"You're lucky your boyfriend was here to save your ass"
"Consider yourself the lucky one, I could had wipe the floor with you" the girl responded in a threating tone.
"Oh yeah? Prove it!" Helga replied with a challenging tone.
"Ladies!"
"What?" both girls said in unison, turning to the Hispanic boy.
"You're blocking the way" he stated pointing with his index at three girls just behind the red hair.
Almost immediately the red haired girl moved to the seat and let the three girls pass, they all lifted their faces and started to whisper rude comments. Helga shook her head and turned to Lorenzo, placing her left knee on top of her seat.
"You sure you don't want to seat with your excuse of girlfriend here?" she said pointing with her right thumb at the red hair.
"And deprive you of the pleasure of her company? I think not" he responded with a sly grin, glancing at the red headed.
"I love you too, asshole" the girl responded, stroking her tongue out and sitting ungallantly on the seat.
Helga looked at the girl next to her and frowned "Hey hey! Who said you could sit?"
"Just sit and shut up!" the girl announced, taking out her iPod and placing the headphones on her ears. Ignoring completely the blonde girl.
Helga pouted but after a second a grin appeared on her lips, punching lightly the girl next to her on the arm.
"Hey!" the girl yelped
"Oh pipe down you wuss!" Helga replied with a wicked smile.
The red haired girl brushed her right arm with her left hand, pretending to be in huge pain but after a second she returned the smile with a real similar one.
"Glad you decided to show, freaky-Trishy" Helga said, resting her back lazily on her seat.
"Would you stop that? It's not catching up, ever" the girl commented with an annoyed tone.
"It's better than the nickname lover-boy gave you" Helga replied, pointing at her back with her thumb.
"I heard that" Lorenzo replied from behind.
"Well doi! Wasn't exactly whispering, Einstein"
"Fighting already? Oh, my, that is terribly, terribly, distasteful. It is 5 in the morning, Helga. Please behave yourself or I will not share any of the sustenance I brought with you"
Helga looked up frowning and met a pair brown of eyes behind a set of silver framed glasses. It was a young boy, slightly shorter than Helga with short brown hair styled in small spikes. Helga smirked.
"About damn time Peapod! What took you so long?"
"Forgive my tardiness but those snacks you're particularly fond of aren't exactly easy to find" the brunette stated before shuffling into his bag and pulling out a plastic bag "But here they are" he concluded, handing over the bag to the blonde girl before heading to the empty spot beside Lorenzo.
Helga smirked in triumph and opened immediately the bag, introducing her right hand on in, taking a huge amount of vanilla fudge balls and binging on them. Trish looked from her side and faked disgust before trying to introduce her hand into the bag and earning a slap from Helga. The redhead scolded before turning back to her iPod.
They stood in silence for a couple of minutes more before the bus was finally packed, after a couple of seconds Mrs. Thompson climbed up from the stairs and started to take assistance. Helga stopped eating when her name was called and resumed her binging once her name was checked on the list. Then the teacher proceeded by stating the secure procedures along with the itinerary for the trip. Finding this pointless, Helga saved the rest of the vanilla fudge balls on the bag of the seat in front of her. Changing the song on her iPod and turning up the volume, she looked at the window. Waiting for the bus to start up and with that initiate the field trip.
A/N: So what do you say? Good? Bad? Terrible?