Chapter 9: Arson
' The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief; He robs himself that spends a bootless grief.' –William Shakespeare, Othello.
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Miriam huffed as she checked herself in the mirror, twisting and turning checking for tears or loose strings or lint or whatever could possibly ruin her chance of making a good first impression.
She applied for a job as a news anchor at the local TV station. Miriam Pataki; News Anchor. I think it suits her well, she's great with deadlines and working under pressure. Heck she's been living with Big Bob Pataki for over twenty years; if she was able break through that she can do anything.
And she used to be the Beeper Queen. Who can top that?.
"Mom you look fine I promise." I told her sitting cross-legged on her bed.
"Honey," she clicked her tongue still looking at the mirror. "When you're going for a job interview, fine is not enough, you remember that- Olga! Where's that hairspray honey?."
"Found it mother!." Chimed Olga rushing in to the room and quickly spraying Miriam's hair till it looked like not even steel could cut through it. "Voila! Perfect."
"Thank you sweetheart, come on Helga. I'll drop you to school on my way."
"Mom. I need to tell you something." I said as we got into the car.
"What is it honey?." She asked starting the car and fasten her seatbelt.
"Sid's coming over for practice this afternoon."
"Sure, ok. Want me to pick you up after school?."
"Na, I wanna catch up with Pheebs."
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"You've grown taller man but you still suck at basketball." Gerald told Sid as he along with Stinky, Harold and Harold were leaving the school basketball court after school that day.
"I never claimed to be a professional Gerald and you asked me to play." Sid defended himself in good humor.
"What you should've done was to claim how much you suck." Harold told him.
"Whatever man."
"It's all that smoking that's what it is Sid." Stinky claimed.
"You should talk." Sid retorted.
"I don't smoke as much as you, neither of us do."
"To each his own." He shrugged and looked at his watch. "speaking of which, I'm gonna go take a quick smoke before going over to Helga's for practice."
And with that he disappeared at the back of the auditorium where most kids usually smoked. It was strangely empty that day but Sid didn't think much of it.
"You spray way more perfume than your girlfriend! Criminy!." I complained as I opened my bedroom's window to get some clean air in. "And it's not covering the smoke smell. Lucky for you I was the one who got the door, if Big Bob caught you you'd be dead."
"Uh…. Sorry?."
"You should be! Couldn't you wait till after practice to smoke?."
"Again, I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
"You need some help." I huffed plopping on my bed and grabbing my script. "Let's get this over with."
After a couple of hours of practice we decided to take a break and meet up at Sid's place for next practice.
"You know what I like about this play?." Sid said as he walked with me towards the front door. "Is that it's in normal English. I almost ran out to change my extracurricular activity to Community service once I heard it was a William Shakespeare play."
"Sid aren't you staying for dinner?." Miriam asked him as she stepped out of the kitchen still wearing her suit.
The tailored button shirt and pencil skirt really complimented her figure.
"Thanks Mrs. Pataki but maybe next time. My dad's taking me out for Pizza." Sid politely declined and as soon as she disappeared back into the kitchen he remarked how hot she was to which I replied with an 'Ew.' Before slamming the door in his face.
He left just in time before Bob parked his car in front of the house and exclaimed on entering, "Criminy! Did someone break a perfume bottle or something?."
"Dinner's ready B!." Mom called out and once we were all at the table she said, "Olga. B. Helga. Before we eat, I have an announcement to make."
"You're not pregnant are you?." Bob blatantly asked making me choke on my water.
"No B, I'm not." She looked at us silently with a smile and the exclaimed, "I got the job!."
"Mom! That's great!." I told her as Olga squealed and got up from her seat to hug Miriam.
"Ya, congratulations Miriam." Bob got up from his seat as well and gave a her a kiss.
It kinda caught me off guard. I mean, I have seen Miriam giving him a kiss on the cheek before he left for work but I wasn't used to this side of him.
It made me realize how unpredictable this guy can get! One moment he's this guy who just sits on the couch watching The Wheel right after dinner without having any conversation with anyone at home besides Olga occasionally and the next, he notices me and Miriam and occasionally has a decent conversation with us.
Maybe it does add a little 'homey' touch to the Pataki residence sometimes but it still doesn't make me wanna stay any longer.
After dinner I went up to my room and checked my phone to find a message from Phoebe telling me that part of the auditorium was burnt by some fire that started in the afternoon. Nobody knows who started it.
Of course the school was buzzing about the big news the next day and so many students had gathered around the auditorium to see the damage.
"I imagined it to be bigger." I told Phoebe.
"I did too, but still. A damage is a damage."
"It's gotta be Heinmitz ." Rhonda joined in the conversation.
"Chill out Princess, why would they be interested in us? They're the ones kicking our school's football team's butts we're the ones who should be vandalizing their property." I cleared out Rhonda's silly theory.
"I heard it was some random drunk guy who didn't put out his cigar before throwing it there." Nadine said and soon enough other kids joined in the rumor fest. I just rolled my eyes and told Phoebe I was gonna go get something from my locker before the bell.
The hallways were unusually empty, mainly because everyone was outside by the auditorium. When I reached my locker I heard a couple of whispers one of them I made to be Sid's.
I'm usually not that curious about what goes on between the kids in school but I inched closer to see who it was and saw Harold and Sid talking secretly by the janitor's closet in the corner.
"Remember when You, Stinky and I went on the lam just because we thought we blew up the abandoned police station? We shouldn't be jumping to conclusions like this!." Sid told him.
"Ya but you told me you were the only one smoking there, it could've been your cigarette."
"We don't know that yet Harold."
"I'm trying to help you out man."
"Well you're not doing a good job about it. I'm sure I put out my cigar before throwing it away. Heck I'm confident about it!."
"Ya but you were in a hurry!." Harold told him getting frustrated.
"Look man, I know what I know ok? Let's just see what happens. In the meantime we'll just be quiet about it, nobody should know. Not even Stinky."
Harold hesitantly agreed and I quickly ran towards the nearby girls bathroom to hide before they saw me.
My mind felt fuzzy with the sense of panic that was slowly engulfing me, how could Sid be so brazen about the situation? And why did I care? It's not like it was major fire or something.
The fuzziness didn't die down even during third period till Principal Beaton's voice came on through the speakers in every classroom.
'Students of Hillwood High, the police are still investigating the cause of this minor arson incident. In the meantime I urge any student with any bit of helpful information I urge him or her to come forward. That is all.'
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"I hope everyone drops the subject soon," Sheena said uncomfortably looking at the students around the cafeteria. "There's so much bad energy going around and it's making me feel sick." She closed her eyes and tried to take deep breaths to calm herself, her beaded necklace following the motions of her chest expanding and retracting.
It's been two days and the gossip and theories about the arson hadn't died down yet. And for the last two days I couldn't look at either Rhonda or Sid in the eye! It was like I was the guilty one!.
"I'll have to agree with you Sheena." Rhonda put her food tray down and took a seat at our table. "There's nothing to talk or gossip about besides this stupid subject! I hope whoever did this gets caught soon so we can all get on with our lives."
In the class after our teachers gave around flyers, freshly printed ones. I could still smell the ink.
It was a charity Halloween party to help collect enough money to fix the damage at the auditorium and improve school security.
Improve school security?...
"This is gonna be so cool!." Exclaimed Andrea, a ditzy girl in my Algebra class. "I've been praying for my parents to like leave town or something so I could like make my own Halloween party!."
"I don't the school party is gonna be any different from the party you wanna throw, it's still gonna be chaperoned." Park who sat behind explained to her to which she pouted saying nothing ever goes right for her.
That girl is so blonde…
"So I decided to go as Cleopatra and Sid as Mark Anthony." Rhonda told us the following week as the girls gathered at Slausen's for the weekend.
"Gerald and I are going as Doctor and Nurse respectively." Piped Phoebe.
"I still haven't decided what I'll be going as!." Nadine huffed in frustration.
"How about you Helga?." Phoebe turned to me.
"I don't think I'm going." I said.
"Not going? Helga you can't be serious!." Rhonda gave me a look of horror like I'd just told her that I wanted to do something notorious like world domination.
"But you signed your name Helga." Phoebe reminded.
"I'm paying for the party, just not going."
"Is it because you don't have a costume?." she asked me.
"I know what it is," said Rhonda in her all knowing tone. "You don't have a date. Look I can set you up with someone if you want-"
"It's not about that either, I just don't wanna go alright?."
"Helga, you're gonna be missing out."
"On what Rhonda? It's just a school party."
"A school party with your friends." Phoebe gently placed a hand over mine's. "I'd love for you to be there Helga."