Helga squirmed in her Spartan plastic chair, trying to find a comfortable place. Despite having been in the office more times than she could count, she was uneasy. Outside, she could hear the secretaries' gossip about her.
"Child services…not fit to parent… neglect… mental, emotional and verbal abuse… alcoholic… explains a lot… foster system… came down as soon as she heard… full custody…Alaska… what a saint…"
She hardened her face into her standard scowl, attempting to keep tears of embarrassment and shame from falling. A light hand fell on hers. Olga was peering down at her, giving her a surprisingly serious look of understanding. Helga seized up at the touch and pulled her own away. She could accept her sister as a savior, but feeling comfortable with gestures like that was going to take some time. The sudden slam of the closing door broke her from her thoughts.
"Here's your sister's file Ms. Pataki. I just need you to fill out some paper work, then we're all set." Principal Wartz passed a moderately thick folder (a quiver of pride moved through Helga at the sight. How many other nine year olds had a file 3 inches thick?), assorted forms, and a pen towards over the desk to her sister. She flipped to the first page and started writing.
The room was silent save for the ticking of the clock and the wobble of Olga's pen. Helga could feel Principal Wartz's pity filled eyes burning a hole in her skull. She shuddered slightly. For a long as she attended school, principal Wartz had always looked at her with distain.
"Can I go to Mr. Simmons' room? I left some things I need there." Helga just went with the first excuse that came to mind. It wasn't a lie, exactly, but it sure wasn't the truth. The stuff in Mr. Simmons' room was complete junk. She just couldn't stay there with principal Wartz staring at her like she was one of those dial and save orphans. She was too proud to be pitied.
"Sure baby sis! Just make it quick!" Olga didn't look up from the paper work. Wartz nodded, clearly trying to keep his merger demonstration of calculated empathy.
Helga pushed her chair back, grabbed her backpack from the floor, and walked out of the office. She could feel the secretaries' eyes following her, picking at her, searching for further gossip. Each murmured their condolences in turn, but each had a selfish, relieved grin in their eyes that betrayed their sympathetic expressions.
The halls were deserted. Helga's footsteps echo in a way she had never quite heard before. Their hollow, empty sound made her skin crawl worse than any cheap horror flick. Finally, she reached the threshold. She paused before entering. The fluid sounds of English, her favorite subject, drifted to her ears. English. The only thing that made this hellhole called school bearable for her, at least, more than her life at home. She emotionally braced herself and opened the door.
"Now class, since we're in the middle of our poetry unit, I thought I be fun to look at some poems by… Helga?" Mr. Simmons was so far into 'teaching mode', he hadn't noticed her until she was right beside him. The class on the other hand, had followed her faithfully from the minute she opened the door. She was a welcome diversion from a dull lecture.
"I need to get some things out of my desk, is that okay?"
"Sure. Class, as you all know, Helga will be leaving us to go live with her sister in Alaska." Every eye in the room was focused on Helga. Those who knew of the other night's events offered timid sympathetic expressions while those who didn't held triumphant smirks. She could feel each of their biting comments dig into her as she made her way to her desk, taking advantage that their lion had had its teeth pulled.
"Remember your parka!"
"Hope you like cold fish!"
"Mush!"
"It's so nice that they're returning the yeti to its natural environment!"
Kneeling before her desk, she began to pull things out haphazardly. Mr. Simmons tried to reinstate his dominance, but the students agreed this was more fun. After a trip to the trashcan, Helga gathered up her few prized possessions, tossed them carelessly in her backpack, stood, and turned to the desk beside hers.
"Well Pheebes, I guess this is goodbye. Take care of yourself." Her voice broke in the idle of her sentence, leaving a final blunt sentiment. Tears bit the corners of her eyes. How could she leave Phoebe, her one true friend? "I'll shot you a letter from up there."
"I'd like that. Goodbye." Tears were already running down Phoebe's checks. She was so fragile when compared to Helga-or was she an indomitable alternative? Helga threw caution to the wind, and threw her arms around her. When she pulled back they were both crying.
"Goodbye Helga."
"Goodbye, Phoebe."
Helga readjusted her backpack, and made her way to the door. She paused slightly by Arnold's desk to place a folded scrap on paper on top. When she reached the door, she looked back at her former classmates. The more hard hearted ones still looked on with distain, but a few had softened up (namely Harold, who was attempting to hide his own tears). Most of the class looked on with sad expressions, except for Arnold. His head was bowed, examining the note. Once again she made eye contact with Phoebe. She smiled and nodded, and Helga returned the gesture. Finally, she closed the door.
A whirlwind of repressed emotions swept over Helga the instant she closed the door. Her tears burned threating to pour down twice as fast as before. She was just able to make it to the bathroom before a waterfall cascaded down her face. It was Arnold who really did her in. How could she live without him?
Oh, Arnold
She wasn't sure how long she sat there, bawling her eyes out, before something occurred to her. She was Helga G. Pataki! If she could con 4 girls out of the lead role, spend a night in her crush's room without her detection, and most impressively successfully survive "bonding" with big bob, she could certainly survive living 300 miles away from her crush!
Her footsteps bounced down the hall like they had beforehand, but in Helga's state of catharsis, she didn't care. She didn't brother to wipe the tears from her eye. Olga was waiting for her in front of the office.
"So baby sis. You got everything you need?" Olga demanded in her sunny tone. Helga nodded.
"Good! Our plane doesn't leave for a few hours. We have just enough time to grab some lunch and catch a movie. I think the one based on that book you like is playing down at the Cinaplex. If we hurry, we can just make a one o'clock showing." Helga smiled at her sister's suggestion, and they both headed out the door into a new life.
End
Hold on! It's not the end! I'm planning to continue this as a series of oneshots all connected to a common theme (Helga living in Alaska with Olga), following our favorite bully up to her graduation. While there will be no continuing plot, events and subplots will be mentioned, so stay tuned!
Part of me has always wondered why no one ever called child services on the Patakis. I know bob is a rich successful business man, but come on! He can't even remember his daughter's name and her mother routinely packs Helga lunches that only consist of shaving cream and a pack of crackers. Someone HAD to have blown the whistle. My guess is that it was either Dr. Bliss or Mr. Simmons. And can't you just picture Olga running through an airport in the middle of nowhere Alaska asking for tickets to save her 'baby sis.'
Edit: whew, something funky was going on first time I upload. All fixed!