Helga walked along the street holding back her tears, looking in the occasional shop window, but not really taking notice of anything she saw. She was still reeling from what she'd heard Phoebe saying about her. From Gerald she expected it. But Phoebe?
She should have brought Lila with her. At least she would have had fun. Helga looked at her phone and considered texting or calling her but decided against it. The way her luck was going Lila would ditch her to run around with Arnold. Finally finding bench she sat down and looked out at the waves. This was supposed to be a summer of re-bonding with Phoebe. They hadn't spent much time together lately. Different classes, Phoebe not liking Derek and Helga's new friends. Not even liking Lila.
She smiled at the irony. That she would be best friends with Lila and not Phoebe. She stood up and walked down some stairs to the beach, then sat down on the sand. She knew what people thought about her and her friends. That they drank and did drugs and had orgies and stuff. It wasn't like that. They just hung out like normal groups of friends. Just not at the mall. And they didn't censor their words. They were direct, honest people, which got them a bad name. yes, they had parties, but never with alcohol. That story started when stupid Rhonda showed up with vodka, got pissed, then crashed her car while driving. Not wanting to take the blame she said her drink must have been spiked by Helga's boyfriend's sister, who was hosting the party.
And Helga had made the mistake of turning down Wolfgang once. Of course, that's not what Wolfgang told his mates and scribbled on the walls of the boys toilets. Suddenly Helga had had a string of boys she'd slept with. She often wondered if that were why Phoebe had distanced herself. So she wouldn't be associated with that lot. Helga had found a friend in Lila who went through the same thing. Only she had slept with the guy and he'd taken pictures of her and forwarded them to everyone on his phone, who then kept the picture going. Helga had found her crying in the stall and comforted her with tough love then taken her out to sit with her new friends.
Derek. She sighed. He was amazing. He never hissed her name when she said something out of turn. Never expected her to be someone different. Not like Arnold had. Arnold always seemed to be scolding her for something she said, or did. She had thought, when they started dating, her dreams had come true. How quickly it went from dream to nightmare.
Derek put it down to Arnold not being "mature" enough to handle an actual relationship. "Some can, some can't right now, and some never do," is what he said. For someone so young he seemed to know a lot about people. Or at least it seemed that way to Helga.
Anyway, things had got rocky and they both agreed to bail on the relationship, but damage had been done. Then he moved away. She promised to write, just as they all did, and she did write.
She just never posted the letters.
Eventually after starting to date Derek she just stopped writing. It hadn't been a conscious descision, it just happened.
She looked out at the waves and watched as a girl wiped out on her board. She laughed. They looked so comical.
"You think you could do better?" she heard a voice ask.
She looked around to see a tall blonde with hair flying in every direction. He had a deep golden tan and warm brown eyes.
"I couldn't even get on a board," she said, looking back out at the water.
"I could teach you," he offered. Helga looked up at him.
"Nice pick up line," she said.
"Ha, don't tell my girlfriend," he said. "And I wont tell her you laughed at her falling off her board."
"Sorry," she said.
"Don't be, it was kind of funny," he told her laughing. "Come on, you can use my board, or hers if she's finished with it."
He started walking towards the water, and looked back at her.
"You coming?" he asked.
Helga thought about it for a moment. She wasn't wearing a bathing suit, but she was wearing dark underwear. And it was matching.
"Sure, why not?" she asked, and followed him down to the water.
Phoebe, Gerald and Arnold were sitting on the steps when a jeep pulled up, and Helga jumped out.
"Don't take too long!" called the gorgeous strawberry blonde in the front passenger seat.
They watched as Helga spun around, a big smile plastered on her face, hair damp, and shirt in hand.
"Who are they?" Phoebe asked.
"Kacey and Brianna," she replied, walking past her and into the house. The three of them looked at each other, then Phoebe got up and followed Helga inside.
"You just left me here," Phoebe snapped.
"All things considered Pheebs, didn't think you'd want to hang out," Helga said, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge.
"Where are you going?" she asked curiously.
"A party," Helga said, walking into the room they shared.
"Already?" Phoebe asked. Helga spun on her.
"Butt out," she snapped, and changed. Then she grabbed a bag, chucked her phone and wallet in it and walked out, leaving Phoebe behind her.
Helga walked out and for a moment her heart stopped. Arnold and Gerald were talking to Kacey and Brianna. Then, hesitating a little bit, she made her way forward.
"Heeey!" Kacey shouted. "Two gorgeous girls tonight for me, how jealous are all those guys gonna be?" he asked, looking at Arnold and Gerald. "Invited your friends, Helga."
Helga's stomach dropped. Great. Just great. New people for Gerald to put her down to.
"I'll go let Phoebe know," Gerald said, giving her a smug smile. "Relax, it'll be fun," he said quietly, walking past her.
It was at the point that Brianna noticed Helga turn white. Something in her gut was telling her that maybe they shouldn't have invited her "friends".
Helga climbed into the jeep and sat down.
"See you guys there!" Kacey yelled. "WHOOP WHOOP," and they sped away.
"Are you alright back there?" Brianna asked.
"I'm fine," Helga lied.
She was far from fine…