Responses to reviews:
Sstockbridge1986: We'll see what Helga decides, lol.
Cre8ivelybankrupt87: I originally wrote the story for them to just charge at each other, but at the last second, Eugene would tell them to stop, so the fighting was not going to happen. But then I thought, nah let's actually make it brutal and have them fight it out a bit.
I was even going to pull a Goku vs. Vegeta scenario between Rodrigo and Arnold, but I decided against it. Arnold was never the aggressive type and even in this scene it was a bit farfetched to have him duke it out.
We'll have to see if Eugene even survived the car crash for him to say, "I'm okay".
*sirens**sirens**sirens**sirens**sirens**sirens**sirens**sirens*
Sirens can be heard blaring as not one, but two ambulances went racing down the street. Cars either moved to the side in order to allow the ambulances to pass through, or the emergency vehicles themselves were forced to move to the opposite side of the road in order to bypass them. One of them had a seriously injured teen and the paramedics were quite literally flooring it in order to get him to the hospital as quickly as possible, even so far as to by pass the other ambulance that also had another injured person.
The ambulance frantically swirled left and right while making sharp turns. At one point, the ambulance almost hit a car, but just managed to stop in time to avoid a collision. The emergency vehicle just swung around and bypassed it, again sped up until it finally managed to reach the hospital.
Once Rodrigo, Arnold and everyone else finally realized what had happened, they went into a frenzy and immediately ran up to him and called 911. Trying to keep him conscious, Arnold desperately tried to talk to him, while Rodrigo held his hand. As much as they wanted to physically help him, none dared touch him for fear of making things worse. Eugene, despite the serious collision, was still conscious, but just barely managed to stay awake, at least until the paramedics arrived.
After explaining to them what happened, the paramedics quickly, but carefully, moved Eugene onto a stretcher and got him inside the ambulance before then racing back.
Arnold and everyone else then immediately went to the nearest bus stop and hopped onto the bus that was going to go to the hospital. Gerald quickly text messaged Phoebe to let him know what happened and gave her the address of the hospital they were going to and asked her if she and Nadine can meet them there.
While on the bus, the ride to the hospital for the two groups was one of deathly silence. None spoke to each other, but it wasn't just due to their animosities. Almost everyone were either distraught, worried or afraid for Eugene. The huge shock of what happened to the red headed clumsy teen was making things hard for the group to comprehend, let alone bear. Whatever hostility had existed between them only a moment ago, had seemingly vanished...for now. Even any sense of awkwardness did not filter onto the two groups. Everyone's focus and concern was directed at Eugene's well being. For now, nothing else mattered.
The group had to get off their bus in order to get onto another bus. Again, the group remained quiet, but extremely unease and scared during that second bus ride.
Finally, the second bus arrived to the hospital. The two groups quickly got off, went inside and raced towards the reception to speak to the personnel.
"Excuse me, miss?" Arnold frantically asked the hospital personnel. "We're here to see a friend. His name is Eugene Horowitz. He would have arrived here about an hour ago."
The personnel quiet calmly and dispassionately looked at her computer in order to find this 'Eugene', much to everyone's frustration and agitation.
"Eugene...yes. He is currently in intensive care." The personnel said.
"Can we please see him?" Arnold frantically asked. "What room is he at?"
"Not at this moment, sir. He is still being attended to and it will take quite a while. Please have a seat. I will inform the doctor of your arrival. He will be able to give you an update on his condition." The personnel said.
Anxious and frustrated, the two groups could do nothing but wait. Arnold just sighed and turned around to walk to the nearest seat. Just then,
"Arnold, Gerald!" Phoebe called out and ran towards the group, followed by Curly.
"Pheebs!" Gerald ran up to her and hugged her. "I'm sorry for leaving you like that babe, but I had to make my way here to make sure if Eugene was alright."
"What? Do you mean?" Phoebe asked confusingly. "What happened to Eugene?"
"We're...not sure." Gerald said worryingly. "He got hit by a car and was driven to this hospital. We only just arrived here. He is intensive care right now." He explained.
"What?!" Phoebe exclaimed in shock.
"Didn't you get my text message?" Gerald asked.
"Text message?" Phoebe asked as she checked her phone. "Oh, I'm so sorry Gerald. I didn't even feel my cell vibrate. I was too busy helping Nadine before the ambulance arrived."
"What?" Arnold said worryingly. "What happened to Nadine?"
"She fell off of a fence and broke her left arm and sustained some bruises." Phoebe explained sadly. "She said Rhonda pushed her off and fell onto a pile of broken bricks and rocks. She must have been pretty high up when she fell if she broke her arm."
"What?!" Arnold shockingly exclaimed.
"Why would Rhonda do that?" Gerald asked, equally shocked. "She is Rhonda's best friend."
"Former best friend, Gerald." Phoebe corrected him. "I'm not quite sure how it happened. I was running after Curly and when I caught him, I realized that he didn't have the bag that he bought at Eddie's. I told Nadine that Rhonda must have it and she ran off to catch up to her. I stayed and lassoed Curly."
"I'll say." Curly interjected. "She tied me up like I was some cattle! I do not take too kindly on being treated like I am some sort of meat!" He complained.
"Remind you of someone, Curly?" Phoebe asked with a frown, prompting Curly to go quiet. He got whom Phoebe was referring to.
"That's Pheebs for ya." Gerald proudly remarked with a smile.
"So what happened after?" Arnold then asked.
"After I tied Curly up, I decided to see if Nadine had caught up to Rhonda. She had already fallen by the time we got there. Rhonda was already on the other side of the fence. I don't think she even realized that Nadine fell because she was busy looking at the bag." Phoebe continued.
"Anyways, when I saw Nadine, I ran up to help her. She said she left arm hurt and she had bruises on her left knee and some blood on her head. I think she must have hit her head with something."
"Did the paramedics say if it was a possible concussion?" Arnold asked.
"No, they didn't." Phoebe said.
"What did Rhonda do?" Gerald asked. "Did she go over the fence to help Nadine?"
Phoebe just made a sad facial expression and then looked down on the floor, almost as if she was ashamed for what she saw.
"No, she didn't." She said softly. "She just stared at us while I was trying to help Nadine. She just stood there, not saying a word. I think she was in shock at what happened, based on her facial expression. But then, she all of a sudden just took off."
"What?!" Everyone, except Rodrigo who remained calm, exclaimed in other shock.
"No. Rhonda would never do that!" Sheena exclaimed in disbelief. "She may not be best friends with Nadine, but she never would have abandoned her like that. There's gotta be another explanation. Maybe she went to find help."
"I don't think so." Phoebe then said. "She never came back. After she left, I called 911 and asked for an ambulance. I tried to help her up, but given how hurt she was, it was difficult. That's when Curly offered to help."
"Really?" Sid asked, surprised.
Everyone then turned to face Curly, surprised that he all of a sudden offered to help Nadine.
"What's everyone looking at?" Curly asked. "I'm not a cold, heartless person; that's Helga's job." He said. "I'm a caring person."
"You were not alone on being surprised." Phoebe said to everyone. "I was too. Actually, I was so surprised that I initially didn't believe him. I thought he was only saying that just so I can untie him and then he would run off. But, after trying various times to help Nadine up, I wasn't able to do it alone. So, I accepted his help and untied him. I'm happy and thankful to say that Curly kept his promise and helped me lift Nadine up in order to take her out of the alleyway we were in and back onto the main street."
"Well, that's pretty nice of you, Curly." Gerald said.
"Hmpff!" Curly just humphed.
"Once we got to the main street, we waited for the ambulance to arrive." Phoebe continued to explain. "Once they got there, they examined Nadine and then put her on a stretcher. Curly and I hopped onto the emergency vehicle to go with her. We didn't see Rhonda return."
Everyone either looked at each other or showed their surprised and relative disappointment at Rhonda's bizarre behaviour.
"I'm sorry Arnold, but I wasn't able to prevent Rhonda from running off with that bag. I felt that Nadine's case was more important at the moment." Phoebe said.
Arnold however, didn't responded back. He was too much into his thoughts, trying hard to grapple with that Phoebe had just said about Rhonda.
How could do Rhonda do that? Arnold thought. How could she just leave Nadine like that? I know they are no longer best friends, but they remained pretty close to each other. Sheena was right; there has to be more to this story. There is no way Rhonda would have ever have done that to Nadine...could she? No! She couldn't have! The Rhonda I know would have stayed and helped. Unless...she's changed, and there's only one person who could have done that...
"Arnold? Arnold!" Phoebe raised her voice, making Arnold snap out of his thoughts.
"Huh? What?" Arnold said confusingly.
"I said, I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop Rhonda from running off with those high-tech equipment." Phoebe said again.
"No, it's OK Phoebe." Arnold said. "It was more important to help Nadine out. You did the right thing."
"Did Rhonda say where she was going?" Rodrigo then finally said something.
Phoebe however, hesitated to respond, not really sure if she should give Rodrigo any information.
"It's OK Pheebs." Arnold said reassuringly. "You can tell him."
"No, she didn't." Phoebe responded back. "I don't know where she went. She didn't say a word to anyone of us. I assume she must have gone back to her house. I guess you won, Rodrigo." She remarked with a frown.
Rodrigo just sighed, but said nothing back to her. He had no intention on resuming their fight at this time. Right now, his main concern was Eugene and Nadine.
I just hope they are OK. He thought. Rhonda too.
A few hours later...
The two groups continued to wait in the waiting room, anxiously waiting when they could see Eugene and Nadine, or at least receive any update on their status. Thus far, they had received nothing. For the sake of Eugene and Nadine, the two groups tried to maintain some form of cooperation. None said anything to each other that would have caused any tension or heated argument. If anything, the two groups acted rather civil. Those that went to buy a snack or a drink, first offered not just to their own group, but to the other group as well. A few even began to talk to each other. However, despite these little gestures, it was still obvious that the dividing line still existed and many of them still kept some distance from the other group.
This animosity was very strongly demonstrated between Rodrigo and Arnold, who virtually avoided each other. They not only sat far away apart from each other, but made no effort to talk to one another.
Everyone was still reeling by the rapid and confusing turn of events that had developed within a span of just six hours. Everything; from their tense standoff, to Harold's surprising, and controversial stance to help Patty, even if it meant risking their relationship, the actual fighting that broke out, Eugene's emotional speech, to seeing two of their friends get seriously injured. What did it all mean? Have they all gone too far? Should they even continue with this, or should they perhaps listen to Helga and Eugene and just let it all go...
It wasn't clear yet what Rodrigo and Arnold thought about all of this, or if they will heed Eugene's plea to cease this madness and reconcile, if that was still possible.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a doctor finally came into the waiting room.
"Arnold Shortman?" The doctor called out, prompting everyone to get up and walk towards him.
"Yes sir." Arnold said. "I am Arnold Shortman."
"Are you family of Eugene Horowitz?" The doctor asked
"Yes sir. I mean, no..." Arnold then suddenly began to stumble on his words. "We're not 'family' family, but his our friend. We've known him since we were kids. We're practically family. Just please tell us; how is Eugene? Is he alright?"
"He is going to be alright." The doctor reluctantly answered him, much to everyone's relief. "He is stable right now. He took a pretty bad hit, so we're going to have to keep him here for a few days, just to be safe. But, he will eventually make a full recovery."
"May we please see him?" Arnold asked.
"You can. But, you can only stay for a little while. He's been through a lot and he needs to rest." The doctor said. "He is in room B-20."
"Thank you doctor." Arnold thanked him.
Everyone then started walking further into the hospital in order to see Eugene,
"Phoebe!" When Helga came from behind and called out to her best friend, much to everyone's surprise.
"Helga!" Phoebe said as she greeted her.
"Helga?" Arnold said in surprise.
What is she doing here? Rodrigo thought.
"Sorry I got your text so late." Helga said to Phoebe. "I didn't have my phone with me."
"I guess that answers my question." Rodrigo remarked.
"I'm only here for the little twerp and Spider-girl." Helga then firmly stated to both Arnold and Rodrigo.
"That's OK, Helga." Phoebe said. "You're here now."
"How's the clumsy oaf doing?" Helga asked.
"The doctor said he is OK. He took a bad hit, but he should make a full recovery." Phoebe said. "We're just going to see him now."
"Any news on Nadine?" Helga asked.
"No, not yet." Phoebe answered.
Helga and everyone else began to walk to find Eugene's room. As if things weren't awkward enough, Arnold and Rodrigo now had to contend with Helga being present in their mist. It didn't really help that Helga didn't greet either of them, which only served to fuel the already high tension between the two male teens.
Rodrigo especially was feeling the full brunt of that awkwardness, making him feel highly anxious and frustrated at how cold his relationship with Helga had become. Knowing full well what everyone else must be thinking, the Latino kid felt more and more embarrassed and humiliated as the seconds went by. As he continued quietly walking, he made a scowling face, getting angrier at Arnold for what he essentially did to him.
After all of this is over, I'm going to demand some answers from that kid! Rodrigo angrily thought. I don't care if I have to beat it out of him; I want to know why the hell did he come back? Why come back get back together with Helga, but make no attempt to even talk to her? Did he just come here to only disrupt our relationship?
Or...Rodrigo suddenly realized. Did he already try to get back together? Is that why Helga has been acting so cold with me? Did...she cheat on me?
"Here it is, room B-20" Sheena said as she and everyone else quickly got inside to see Eugene.
Rodrigo snapped out of his train of thoughts and went inside. He'll have to think about this later.
As soon as everyone entered the room, they were shocked by what they saw. Eugene was quietly lying on his bed, possibly dozing. His nose was almost completely wrapped in white bandage. He had a neck bracelet. His whole right arm was in a cast while his right lower leg was also in a cast. He had a black left eye. All in all, everyone was horrified by what they saw. Helga was as equally shocked, but she prevented herself from showing it.
"Eugene?" Sheena quietly said when she approached him. "Are you awake?
"Eugene." Arnold then spoke, his face consumed with worry and remorse. "How are you feeling?"
"Uhhhh..." Eugene just groaned when he heard his friends' voice. His eyes slowly opened to see them. Well, his right eye anyways. "Guys? Is that you?" He softly asked with a sour voice.
"Ya Eugene, we're here." Gerald said. "All of us."
Eugene then slowly turned his head around to see everyone. To his surprise and delight, he saw that indeed everyone was present, together.
"It's true..." He said with a smile. "you're all here, together again."
"Umm well, umm...not exactly Eugene." Arnold said hesitatingly.
"We called a truce so we can see how you are doing." Rodrigo then interjected.
"Oh." Eugene said, feeling a bit disappointed.
"How are you feeling?" Arnold asked again.
"Well, I wish can say 'I'm okay' Arnold," Eugene said with a chuckle, "but I feel like I got hit by a car."
"You did get by a car." Stinky said. "That's why you're hurt."
"Oh, is that what it was?" Eugene sourly said surprisingly. "Boy, I really didn't see that one coming."
"The doctor said you will make a full recovery." Lila commented.
"Yeah. They said I'll have to stay here for only a few days." Eugene softly responded. "Once I'm out, I just need to take it easy."
"Well, that's great news." Gerald said. "You'll be back in your feet in no time."
Eugene just smiled and then scanned the room again. Despite the pain and knowing that the group hadn't yet reconciled, he felt a warm feeling in his heart at seeing all of his friends together again. However, he then noticed that two people were missing.
"Where's Nadine and Rhonda?" Eugene asked.
Everyone then looked at each other, wondering who would break the news, if they should even tell him at all.
"Nadine had an accident." Rodrigo then finally spoke.
"Accident?" Eugene asked.
"She was running after Rhonda and...Rhonda apparently pushed her off of a fence and she fell, hurting herself. She is in this very hospital right now." The Latino kid continued.
"What?" Eugene said shockingly. "Rhonda did that?"
"Apparently." Rodrigo said with a shrug of his shoulder.
Eugene initially said nothing and stared at empty space, shocked at what he just heard.
"Where is Rhonda now?" Eugene asked.
"We don't know." Rodrigo said, now with a more worried tone. "Curly and I tried texting and calling her, but she didn't answer. I'm assuming she went home."
"Do you know anything about Nadine's condition?" Eugene asked.
"No." Arnold then answered. "The doctors are still attending her. We're hoping to get an answer soon."
Just then, thumping was heard outside of the room. Initially, no one really noticed, or even cared. But slowly and eventually, it got louder and louder, but again, no one really turned to face the door. Then, a female teen with crutches went inside the room where Eugene and everyone else was.
"Hey guys." Nadine said softly as she entered the room.
"Nadine!" Everyone turned and shouted, happy to see her, but that was only shortly lived.
The group, even Eugene who slowly turned around to face her, were shocked at her injuries. Nadine had a cast on her let arm and left knee, with white bandages wrapped around her forehead. The fact that she had to use crutches meant that her left knee must have been pretty damaged.
"We're ever so glad to see you." Lila said happily. "How are you feeling?"
"Apart from this headache that won't go away, I'm OK." Nadine remarked.
"What did the doctors say?" Arnold asked.
"They said I suffered a fractured bone on my left arm, and I hit my left knee pretty bad. Doctors said it maybe fractured a bit, so they put a cast on it as well."
"What about your head?" Phoebe asked.
"Luckily I only scrapped my forehead, so I didn't suffer any concussion." Nadine said.
"Glad to hear that you are doing better and me." Eugene softly said to her.
"Eugene!" Nadine said with a gasp as she tried to quickly make her way towards him. "Are you OK?" She asked him.
"Ya, I'll be fine...eventually." He kind of groaned. "Apparently I got hit by a car. I didn't see it coming."
"Oh Eugene, I'm so sorry." Nadine said with tearful eyes.
"It's OK, it's not your fault. It's no one's fault really." Eugene said.
"No it's not OK, Eugene." Arnold said rather firmly, still looking pretty distraught for his friend. "We're so sorry."
"Arnold, please don't blame yourself for this." Eugene said softly. "Or Rodrigo for that matter. It's not going to do anybody any good. I know no one here wanted this to happen. I just..." Eugene then groaned due to the pain. "I just want everyone to be friends again, as we all should be. You know that if we stand together, we can save our homes and stop Von Scheck. Please Arnold, do the right thing..." He pleaded, but then started to doze off again, possibly due to the medications.
Arnold however, was only half listening to what Eugene was saying. Seeing both his friends very hurt, he was too upset and feeling sorry for not being able to do anything. If anything, he blamed himself for what happened to Eugene and Nadine, but not for the right reasons.
I should have done more to stop Rodrigo when I had the chance! Arnold thought with anger and dismay. I could have prevented this if I had just been more...aggressive. I should have known better than to try to reason with him. I caused this...I will not make that same mistake again...
Rodrigo as well was equally angry at Arnold for what happened to Eugene and Nadine. Unlike Arnold who showed just how upset he was about all of this, Rodrigo, like Helga, hid his true emotions. On the surface, he maintained a stern, almost neutral facial expression. However on the inside, he was just as upset and guilty as Arnold was.
This is all Arnold's fault! He thought angrily. Had he just listened to me and minded his own business, none of this would have happened! The hypocrite kept accusing me of putting our friends at risk. Well, look what his own actions caused. I should have known better than to try reason with him. I should have just literally pushed him aside and went my way, or at least just fought him while not including any of our friends. Well, NO MORE!
Rodrigo and Arnold weren't the only ones that were fuming. Helga, despite having been quiet this whole time and only showing her usual stern demeanor, was utterly fuming on the inside! After seeing both Eugene's and Nadine's condition, Helga felt a huge urge of anger rise up inside her, prompting her to use every method that she had to not explode. She was reaching her limits with Rodrigo's and Arnold's little feud. Apart from the fact that it was so childish to begin with, it had now been having dire consequences. First the neighbourhood was being put in jeopardy and now their friends! The only thing that had been stopping Helga from exploding right there and then was Rodrigo's and Arnold's seemingly 'mature' behaviour to tolerate each other.
"Hey, we should get going and let Eugene rest." Gerald then said. "It's been a long day for all of us as well."
Everybody agreed and none protested.
"Hey Eugene, we're going to be going now and let you get some rest, OK?" Gerald said.
"Hmm that sounds good..." Eugene said half consciously. "Stay safe guys...and good luck..."
"Wait, where is Rhonda?" Nadine then suddenly asked as everyone started leaving the room.
"She's not here." Phoebe sensitively replied to her. "After you fell, she ran off. We're not sure where, but we assume she went home. We haven't been able to get a hold of her."
Nadine said nothing and just stared at Phoebe, looking visibly upset.
"But don't worry." Phoebe then quickly added. "I'm sure she'll respond soon."
"Ya...sure." Was all Nadine said, albeit rather sadly.
"Are you able to leave the hospital today?" Gerald asked Nadine.
"Yes." Nadine responded. "The doctors said I'll have to be using these crutches for some time, but they felt comfortable enough to release me today."
"Well, that's good news." Gerald said. "We'll wait for you to get your things."
"Sure," Nadine said, "But um...could I get some help?" She shyly added.
"Of course." Phoebe said and then she, Lila and Sheena went with her to get her dressed and her things.
Everyone else then quietly started making their way out of Eugene's room, who was just dozing off. Everyone, except a certain football head.
Arnold remained firmly in his place, looking at Eugene with a visibly upset and distraught stare. What's more, he has been slowly experiencing a serious case of anger inside of him. It wasn't like any anger he had experienced before. No, this one was very different. It felt way more intense, more extreme than other times, more...personal. Even the likes of Lasombra or Von Scheck have never pushed Arnold to feel this much anger. Even when they explicitly threatened his life and the lives of his friends, he felt anger, but it wasn't as extreme and intense as what he was experiencing at that very moment. OK sure, Von Scheck tried to ran him, Gerald and Helga over and Lasombra almost let Gerald and Helga fall of the cliff, but neither of them ended up actually hurting his friends. But, perhaps that was why. In this case, two of his friends got hurt. What neither villains were able to do, a certain Latino kid succeeded, without even trying!
"Hey, Arnold?" His best friend cautiously asked him. "Come, let's go." He said as he gently pulled his arm.
Despite still in his angering state, Arnold eventually began to snap out of it and slowly left the room, just as Eugene fell asleep.
Later on the bus...
The bus ride back home wasn't awkward, nor was it noisy. The same deathly silence that followed them to the hospital was still there. Just as the first time, no one really spoke to each other. Even Helga and Curly refrained from saying any of their usual smart-alack, sarcastic remarks. The only thing that was heard was the sound of the bus's parts clinging and motor accelerating or decelerating at almost every bus stop and traffic light. The only thing that was physically felt were the heavy bumps due to the deteriorating roads as the bus arrived the neighbourhood; a brutal reminder of the whole reason why they even engaged in this enterprise to begin with, only for neither of them to be anywhere near in reaching their goal.
Whether it was unconscious or intentional, everyone sat in their distinctive groups this time around, although no one seemed to notice. Each person was in their own thoughts about everything that had transpired that whole day. A whole range of emotions was experienced by virtually everyone; from outright anger, to confusion to even...outright remorse and guilt. Indeed, these range of emotions only served to further aggravate the two groups, as neither really knew what to individually do, let alone what the group as a whole should to do. While some focused on what Eugene had said, others were still in shock that their division had resulted in two of their friends getting hurt, causing those to start doubting why they were even doing all of this. Others however, were busy still blaming each other.
Arnold and Rodrigo still silently continued their growing hostility. Sitting on opposite sides of the bus, Rodrigo merely looked outside the window or looked at his phone, while Arnold appeared to be the only one glaring at his opponent. Narrowing his eyes with each passing moment, Arnold grew more and more enraged with each continued stare. The more he glared at Rodrigo, the more convinced he became that he was to blame for what happened to Eugene, Nadine and the neighbourhood.
It's all because of him! Arnold thought angrily. Everything has gone wrong every time he sticks his nose where it doesn't belong! If he had just listened to me, none of this would have happened. Even better, we would have saved the neighbourhood by now!
As he continued to glare at him, what he was feeling had now extended beyond mere anger. It was something that he never felt before, from anyone. Even with the likes of Helga, Ludwig, Wolfgang and others, he had never before experienced this...necessity to, for lack of a better word, survive. For the first time ever, Arnold began to see Rodrigo not just as a nuisance, but as a threat; a threat to the neighbourhood, a threat to his friends...a threat to him. In essence, he began hating him.
Arnold began to clench his fist as he now started to give Rodrigo an even more scowling face. He began to grind his teeth in utter fury. Yet despite reaching a boiling time, he still managed to constrain himself from saying anything to him, or launching himself at him. Whatever it was that was holding him back, it made him remain seated and not draw anyone's attention to him.
Rodrigo meanwhile was busy trying to get a hold of Rhonda. Although clearly still angry Arnold, he had more pressing matters at the moment. Rhonda had not responded back to anyone's calls or text message. He had no idea where she was, let alone what she did with the stuff that they bought at Eddie's.
Where is she?! He thought, now getting more and more worried. Did she go home, or did she go to the hospital to see Nadine? Is she OK? Did something happen to her? I need to know if she is OK! I can't have another person get hurt. Plus, I need to know if she safely managed to secure the program and gadgets in order to proceed with our plan. It's our last hope! Doesn't she know what's at stake?
Arnold wasn't the only one who was glaring. Helga sat with Phoebe at the back of the group, allowing her to see everyone. However, she was only eyeing only two male teens. Remaining completely silent, she looked on with a hawk-like stare, seemingly ready to pounce on her prey...only she remained seated. Like Arnold, she too restrained herself from getting into any physical alteration, but only because she was afraid she might go too far. She was absolutely furious at just how far things have gotten out of control between Rodrigo and Arnold; two people whom were supposed to be the most patient and mature of the bunch! She would have expected this from anyone else, but not from those two. Even with Phoebe she was crossed for getting involved and playing her part in this chaotic civil strife.
As the bus continued on with its bumps and clinging noises, Helga wondered if she should perhaps step in and put an end to this.
This has gone too far! She angrily thought. Everyone else failed to set these two idiots straight. So, as always, leave it to me to fix everyone else' problems! But...I can't. She sadly thought. I'm just not in the right frame of mind to get involved. I'm just too...angry at them at the moment. Who wouldn't be?! Not to mention I'm still in an emotionally chaotic mess. I can't even be in the same bus with them! Also given my lack of verbal filter, I'm just afraid I might only make things worse.
Helga just sighed in defeat and slumped on her seat.
Finally, after a few more stops and more awkward silence, the bus arrived at the nearest bus stop to the boarding house. Everyone then got up and got off the bus. It was now in the late evening. The sun was setting, but it had not yet gone completely down. It still radiated a bright mixture of red, yellow and orange on the horizon, so the city did not yet need to turn on the street lights.
Despite everyone still being divided, in more ways than one, incredibly, everyone made their way to the boarding house. There was really no reason for it. Neither Arnold (who was still too upset to really notice), nor anyone in his group invited the other group to follow them there. To an outsider, it was if everyone and everything was back to the way it was. Only, it was more out of a habit, rather than a genuine attempt to reconcile. The deathly silence that still followed them was a testament to that. No one still had the courage, or the attention to really be the first to break that silence. Everyone was still in their own thoughts to even know where they were going. So consumed they were that as they approached the boarding house, they almost didn't even notice someone sitting on the building's stoop.