*Note: Been a while since I've uploaded stories here, EC stands for Everything Changes, which is the title of the whole story, and the titles of the chapters are after that, I kinda got confused since I've written most of chapters at like 2am. This also explains most of the grammatical and spelling errors.*

Helga strayed behind the crowd of kids making their way up the steps into Hillwood High, and she let Phoebe catch up with Gerald, Arnold, and the rest of the crew from middle school. Alone, she felt her stomach flipping, and hurried to find her locker assignment as quick as she could before first period started.

"Man, that summer went way too fast. " Gerald complained as he slammed his locker shut.

Arnold and Phoebe huddled around him as they gathered their books and shot the breeze.

"Yeah, but it was pretty fun. That money we made at the carnival was pretty handy, maybe we could find part-time jobs and save up for something really cool." Arnold remarked in his usual optimistic manner.

The friends began chatting about their summer adventures, laughing and smiling. They started walking away from the lockers when Phoebe moved her head sideways, her smile fading to a distressed look. Gerald kept talking, but Arnold saw her expression, and looked behind them. He turned just in time to see Helga further down the hallway, glancing at them from behind her locker door that she was still holding with her hand, her eyes peeking out of her hair. As soon as she saw them her locker door slammed shut, and she circled around, ambling down the opposite end of the hallway at a fast pace.

"Was that... Helga?" Arnold blurted out in a confused voice, his eyes wide.

"Yeah..." Phoebe said quietly, still looking in Helga's direction.

"Helga? Helga G. Pataki?" Gerald exclaimed, and spun around to see who Arnold and Phoebe were staring at.

"God, I don't think I've really seen her in...years." Arnold said in a low tone, grabbing the back of his neck in an awkward
manner. The first bell rang finally rang out, so the group walked towards their first period classes, in a suddenly empty hallway.

Helga was not in any of Arnold's morning classes, which went on with the usual introductions and syllabuses being passed out with little fanfare. Getting bored in his Biology class, Arnold became anxious about the earlier sudden sighting of Helga. She almost seemed unrecognizable. Dressed in a black shirt, jeans, and a grey woolen beanie, her blonde was hair now incredibly long, and fluffy bangs hung out of the front. Helga had looked incredibly worried, and when the group noticed her in the hallway she fled, not giving him a chance to do anything.

Out of all the instances he could remember during the last couple of years, Arnold realized that she had gotten quieter and quieter, barely speaking to him, and was always in a hurry it seemed. Some years he never saw her at all. This was a complete turnaround from the Helga he knew back in middle school, and throughout his younger years.

Always picking on him, the insults, the scowling, the spit balls; she was a fireball compared to most girls back then. It certainly made him and everyone else take notice. How could anyone forget Helga G. Pataki? It was like her purpose to make sure everyone knew who she was.

Now it felt like he had almost forgotten about her, along with the memories they had shared together when they were young. Arnold twinged with guilt. How he had forgotten about her over the years was a shocking wake up call. He was her friend, at least, that's what he thought he considered himself. Friends don't desert each other when they go through hard times.

Lunch time finally came, and Arnold went through the cafeteria line at a snail's pace, greeting his old friends Stinky, Sid, and Eugene, who was already clad in a neck brace from some previous accident earlier that week. They chatted for a while, then he left the line and found Gerald and Phoebe already engaged in a flirty conversation at one of the smaller tables. Gerald winked at Phoebe, which caused to her giggle as Arnold sat down across from them.

"Uh...hey guys." Arnold looked down at his tray, a little embarrassed at catching his friends ogling each other.

"Hi Arnold, how did your first classes go?" Phoebe piped up.

"They were ok. Nothing special. You guys didn't see Helga in any of yours, did you?" He asked in a somber voice.

Both Gerald and Phoebe first looked at each other and then at Arnold with concerned eyes.

"Nope, sorry man. You know what's funny, I was talking to Stinky and he thought he heard some crazy story where she went to live as a hermit in the Himalayas. And Sid thought she up and died. Can you believe that?" Gerald said with a nervous chuckle.

Arnold just stared down at his tray agin, a cringe on his face.

Phoebe spoke up. "Arnold, to be honest, I don't know her schedule, but she seems to prefer being alone quite a bit. I'm supposed to meet her after school to discuss any homework assignments we both might have gotten today. If you'd like, you could stop by, or we could all meet for coffee somewhere perhaps, if you're intent on...catching up with her." She tried to sound helpful, and she clutched Gerald's hand under the table for reassurance.

Arnold glanced up to look a them both. "Thanks Phoebe, if it's not too much trouble. I just want to...you know, make sure she's ok. I...I kind of feel bad, y'know. Like, what's been going on with her? I just need to know." He replied glumly.

At hearing this, Phoebe squeezed Gerald's hand with such alarm that he shot her a confused look, which only made Phoebe sigh in a hopeless way.

"Well..." Phoebe trailed off. "Life's been kind of hard on her, and I guess she just isn't able to manage her problems in a normal way, I suppose."

The three friends sat in silence for a while, finishing their lunches. As they all got up to leave, Gerald walked over to Arnold as Phoebe went to retrieve her backpack.

"Arnold..."Gerald half-whispered as he leaned in while they were striding towards the cafeteria exit.

"Why are you so obsessed with finding Helga now? I mean c'mon man, it's Helga G. Pataki, she made you miserable for years! She's out of your life now, why are you trying to bring her back in it?"

Arnold reached again for the back of his neck, looking a bit flustered. He had thought about Helga throughout the day, and all the while, a few specific memories really became etched into his head. His face became warm as they came to mind.

"Gerald, I was thinking about it, and I mean, she wasn't really ever that bad. And in reality, she's actually done some really nice things for us. Doesn't it bother you that she's really the only person we never talk to or see anymore? To the point where Sid even thought she died? How did she go from Helga G. Pataki to nobody?" he said in a cross voice.

Gerald raised his eyebrows at him in skepticism. "Where was I when she did all these "good things? And why are you suddenly interested NOW?"

Arnold scowled. "Never mind that, that's not the point. The point is I know she's a good person, despite the way she used to act, and now I'm just...worried about her I guess, something could be wrong. I feel sort of like we're supposed to be responsible for our friends if something happens, and I just want to make sure she's ok, that's all."

Gerald shook his head and replied. "Alright man, whatever you say. Just don't come crying to me if you get your butt whooped, I know you can't resist bein' the nice guy."