Hi everyone! An old acquaintance arrives at Hillwood High school. What does everyone think about this person? Will this person's arrival affect Rodrigo and Helga's relationship?
The winter was bloody cold. It had snowed hard during the night and it was continuing to snow during the morning. Snow plow trucks were desperately struggling to remove as much snow as possible to allow traffic to run. Yet, their efforts were almost futile, as more snow continued to fall from the sky, seemingly as a sign from the Heavens for school to be cancelled. Yet it was not so. Despite the snow, the news confirmed that school will continue. As the students were struggling to get to school, a new student arrived just in time before class started.
This new student had only recently arrived to Hillwood and was not accustomed to the weather. Despite wearing a thick jacket with sweater, the new student shivered in the cold, yet maintained the composure to continue walking towards the entrance of the school.
"¡Dios mío, que clima! De donde viene tanto nieve?" (My God what a weather! Where did all this snow come from?) The new student exclaimed to itself.
This new student had been lucky on many occasions. It was luck that this student's parents were able to find good jobs in this city, allowing them to move. It was by luck that this student was able to continue school despite half of the semester being already done. Heck it was luck that this student was even able to get to class on time!
Finally, the new student made inside the school and quickly proceeded to find the Principal's office in order to get the agenda and all of the classes that the new student had registered only a few days prior. The new student quickly found the office, grabbed all the papers and the agenda, then quickly went to find the first class on the list: Literature.
"Hmm, puede ser interesante" (Hmm, could be interesting.) The new student said.
The bell had already rang, signalling to everyone that class had started. Yet, within just thirty seconds, the new student found the class and quickly went inside. All the other students had already sat down on their seats and the teacher was just about to start when the new student came inside, prompting almost everyone to look towards the entrance door.
"Hello, Ma'am? Is this 3009 Literature class?" The new student asked the teacher.
"Why yes. I'm Mrs. Whitecotton. You have must the new student. I know this is your first day so don't worry about being a bit late. Please find a seat so we can get started." The English teacher, Mrs. Whitecotton said to the new student.
The new student quickly scanned around to see if there any seats; there was only one, almost in the middle of the classroom. The new student quickly walked and sat down in order for class to start. Everyone in class watched as the new student went to sit down, everyone, except a blond girl with two pigtails, who did not even bother to look up to see who this new student was. The blonde with the two pigtails was busy finishing the assignment that the teacher had only recently given them last week and had about a month to finish it. The blonde girl was nearly done. The new student also did not notice the blonde girl sitting just a few seats away from her left. The student was already nervous as everyone watched her sit down.
Lunchtime...
When the bell rang for lunch, everyone got up and went to eat. The new student had to first find the locker that was given to it. Once it was found, the new student put all of the unnecessary bags inside, except the lunch and quickly walked to the lunchroom, unfamiliar with the new surroundings. The new student hoped to be able to make friends soon, but first, the student had to find all of the registered classes and once that was done, then the student can perhaps see if there were any extracurricular activities to enroll.
It didn't take long for the new student to find the lunchroom. It wasn't so hard to find it, as almost all the over students were walking towards it. The new student went inside, scanned around and found an empty table to sit in. The student walked towards the empty table, sat down and began to eat, while scanning around to check out the students that were around. As the student was doing so, it noticed a group of students that was directly across from the table that the student was sitting in, on the other side of the causeway. In that group, there was a guy who appears to be Latino with a black fedora hat.
Rodrigo, Helga and the rest of the gang all made their way towards their usual table, sat down, started to eat and chit chat. Helga decided to just do some reading for the time being. Ever since she regained her inspiration to write, she had the desire to start reading literature in order to find new inspirations or to just relax. She sat on the other side of the table, directly in sight to see the new student that was staring at her group.
Helga took a peek and noticed this new student sitting alone while eating, and also looking at her and the rest of the gang. She did not know who this person was, but judging from the empty table, this person must be new to this school. Not thinking about it any longer, Helga then looked back down to her book to continue reading.
Rodrigo sat on the opposite side of the table, with his back towards the new student, so he did not notice the person.
The new student was starting at Rodrigo, trying to see his face. He then turned his head around, allowing the student to see his right face of his face and instantly recognized him!
Oh my God! It's him! The new student exclaimed in thought.
The student quickly finished eating, then drank some water, took out a mint gum, packed everything, then got up and started to walk towards Rodrigo and the gang.
"Ya I tell you man, We would have won that game if we were only a bit more aggressive." Gerald said to Sid and Stinky.
"Really? So where was all the aggression, Gerald? I didn't see you trying to tackle anyone out there" Sid shot back with a smirk.
"I didn't want to get bruised. I have a date this weekend with Phoebe." he said, as he looked at her with a flirteous look and smile. Phoebe merely giggled and blushed.
The gang continued talking and eating, not noticing that the new student was walking towards them. Once the student arrived behind Rodrigo, she instantly grabbed his fedora hat and placed it on her head.
Rodrigo instantly turned around, wanting to see the person who was stupid enough to touch his hat. Everyone else also noticed the person behind Rodrigo and instantly looked. Upon turning and seeing the person who took it, Rodrigo's eyes widen.
"Hola Rodrigo." she said to him with a sweet smile.
Rodrigo initially said nothing. He got up, his jaw hanging. After a few seconds, he finally spoke.
"Gabriela?" he said as he started to smile. "OH MY GOD!" He immediately launched himself and embraced Gabriela, so much so that they twirled around, both of them hugging each other tightly. Rodrigo then instantly gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Helga instantly looked up the second she heard Gabriela say Rodrigo's name and like her peers, was dumbfounded as to who this person was.
Rodrigo was so surprised and happy to her that he started stuttering when he attempted to ask her why she was in Hillwood.
"¿P-Pero que estás haciendo aquí?" (B-But what are you doing here?)
"Nos mudamos de LA. Vivo aquí, ahora. Llegué hace menos de un mes." (We moved from LA. I live here now. I arrived less than a month ago.) She explained.
"¿Pero, por qué no me dijiste?" (But why didn't you tell me?) he asked.
"¡Hahaha, quería sorprenderte! Creo que logré" Hhahaha, I wanted to surprise you! I guess I succeeded.) she said while laughing.
Rodrigo said nothing and just hugged her again.
Meanwhile, his friends were still waiting for Rodrigo to calm down and explain who this Gabriela was. Knowing that Helga understood what they were saying, Sid leaned closed to her and quietly asked her,
"Hey um, what are they saying?"
Helga merely rolled her eyes at him and shot back at him.
"If they wanted us to understand what they were saying, they would have spoken in English."
"But you understand Spanish, Helga." Sid countered.
"And how is that my fault?" she rhetorically asked him.
Sid merely sighed in defeat and leaned outward and continued waiting like everyone else.
After a few more minutes, Rodrigo remembered that his friends were still looking at them.
"Sorry guys. Um, this is Gabriela Oliveira. She is a good friend of mine back in LA."
All of his friends, except Helga, waved at her.
Gabriela Oliveira was a beautiful Brazilian by birth and grew up in a Brazilian household. Although she can understand Portuguese, her parents never forced her to learn it. Instead, she learned English and Spanish and is currently learning Italian. Being mixed, she had the face skin tone as Nadine, but with dark, afro brown after hair and green eyes. She was not much taller than Rodrigo and her body type was almost the same as Helga's. Being a religious sceptic herself, not an atheist, she was on the few friends that did not ostracize Rodrigo. If anything, she often supported him during debates. Her parents were also one of the few adults that did not turn their backs on Rodrigo and continually allowed him to hang out in their house.
Gabriela was smart and had a free spirited personality. Like Rodrigo, she loved to dance, although her tasted in music was a little bit more constricted. She was very sweet and respectful, yet was not the type of person to be messed with. Like Helga, she can quickly turn extremely mean and aggressive when pushed. Additionally, because of her natural beauty, she did not wear makeup or any feminine accessories, such as fake nails. However, unlike Helga, she was more feminine in behaviour and appearance. She was also not afraid to play sports.
Rodrigo had been in touch with Gabriela and had told her about his friends, so she decided to guess who was which.
"Wait let me guess." she said with a smile. She looked at Gerald and said to him, "You must be Gerald." and extended her hand.
"Why, yes I am." he said with a smooth tone and smile and shook her hand.
Gabriela then went to every person, trying to guess their names. She remembered Rodrigo's description of them and attempted to guess it, proving her right each time. After introducing herself to Sid, only Helga was left, who did not move from her chair. Gabriela looked at her and said with a smile,
"And you must be Helga Pataki..."
Although being the farthest, it was not a coincidence that Gabriela left Helga for last. She was not thrilled to see her and was not sure if she would like her. Rodrigo had told her about their ups and downs and what she put him through. It was only by him telling Gabriela the good things that Helga did for him; helping him cope with his grandmother's arrival, and not getting suspended, and eventually being an actual friend to him, that Gabriela was willing to be nice to Helga. At the same time, being new to Hillwood, she did not want to start her first day of school making enemies and causing trouble. Her priority was to settle down and make friends and based on how highly Rodrigo spoke of his group of friends, she wanted to be part of it.
"It's nice to meet you." Gabriela said to Helga, extending her hand.
Helga for her part, was not yet experiencing her jealousy, but did not know what to make of her. She was also suspicious of what exactly did Rodrigo say about her to this Brazilian broad. Moreover, she felt that Gabriela was being overly nice, almost as annoying as Lila, although not quite there. Plus, due to her feminine appearance, she looked like someone who would be in Rhonda's crowd. All in all, she was not quite liking her. However, Helga did not want to cause any further trouble for Rodrigo. She had already put him through a lot in the past months and was not willing to put any further stress on him, especially after everything he has done for her. She simply smiled as genuinely as possible at Gabriela and said,
"The one and only." as she shook her hand, much to Gabriela's and Rodrigo's relieve.
"So what brought you to Hillwood Ms. Oliveira?" Stinky asked her.
Rodrigo allowed Gabriela to sit down with them in order to answer Stinky's question.
Gabriela told everyone that the school where she was at in LA was deteriorating with gang violence and drugs. Despite its good programs, it was becoming dangerous to continue studying there. To make matters worse, Gabriela's mother was laid off from her job. After that loss, her parents then decided to move away. Gabriela suggested to them to perhaps inquire on moving to Hillwood, as Rodrigo was already there and based on his description of the city, it wasn't too bad. After a lot of research and job searching, her parents found jobs there and were impressed with the city, hence decided to move there. Luckily for her, Rodrigo told her where he was living and what school he went, so Gabriela's parents were able to find a new home not far from the neighbourhood.
After discussing about why she moved to Hillwood, they then started talking about her and her areas of interest. Yet as they did so, their friends were giving them suspicious looks. Seeing as how Rodrigo said they were only 'friends', it was confusing to see that Gabriela had wrapped her arm around Rodrigo's and both were holding each other's hands. They hadn't let go since she sat down. This was especially suspicious to Helga, as she now felt her jealousy acting up.
"Umm pardon me Rodrigo, but you did say that you guys are friends right?" Gerald finally asked him.
"Ya, why?" Rodrigo asked.
"Because you've been holding her hand since she sat down and haven't let you go. I know you guys are happy to see each other, but isn't that a little too...intimate?" Rhonda interjected.
"Oh, no you've got it all wrong, were not a couple. In Brazil, it is not uncommon to see two friends from the opposite sex to be a little touchy with each other. Some hold hands, while others would wrap their arm around the other, etc. I know it can be confusing here and even in the rest of Latin America, but Brazilians are touchy people and that's how we like to express ourselves." Gabriela attempted to explain with a polite smile.
Despite the cultural shock, everyone seemed to have been convinced by that, except Helga and Rhonda. Rhonda had been to Brazil a few things and based on her discussion with the locals, she knew Gabriela omitted to say something additional to that; that these intimacies can sometimes lead to become more than just friendliness. They can become a 'heat in the moment'. Yet not wanting to be rude and possibly be wrong, Rhonda said nothing and just smiled.
Helga on the other hand, was having none of it. If anything, Gabriela's explanation merely caused her blood to boil more, yet she reframed from allowing her jealousy to permeate in her facial expression. Despite how jealous or angry she was becoming, she had no intention in making a complete fool of herself in front of everyone by lashing out at both Rodrigo and Gabriela. Rodrigo was only her friend and she had no authority to saw who he can be friends or intimate with. Despite her anger, she admitted to herself the ugly truth that she could do nothing about it...for now.
After some further talking, it became apparent that everyone was taking a liking to Gabriela. She was funny, smart and nice to be hang around with. Rhonda was a bit suspicious, not wanting to lose her status as a beautiful and popular socialite against her within the group. Yet, she thought if she could perhaps take her 'under her wing' and see what she is made of.
Soon the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. Everyone said their goodbyes and went to class. Rodrigo quickly took Gabriela's phone number and promised to texted her later. He remembered that he had dancing lessons with Helga that same day, so he informed Gabriela that they can meet up either later in the evening or see each other tomorrow.
At history class...
During their history lesson, Rodrigo leaned in a bit and quietly asked Helga,
"So what Latin music did you want to dance to later today? Let me know so I don't have to bring all of my CD's."
Helga thought for a moment before she looked at him and said,
"Actually, let's just reschedule. I have things to do at home and I'm sure you would want to hang out with your friend later today."
Rodrigo looked at her, a bit surprised that she would want to cancel their dancing practice. She never cancels.
"Are you sure Helga?" he asked.
"Yes, Latino boy I'm sure. Go have fun with her friend." she said with a smile.
"Ok, thanks." he responded back.
End of school...
Once school ended, all the students hurriedly hopped on the bus in order to go home, except Rodrigo and Gabriela. He decided to give her a bit of a tour of the school and catch up.
About an hour after, they got out, hopped on the bus and went home. As they continued talking, their conversation eventually went to discussing about Rodrigo's friends.
"So what did you think of my group?" he asked her.
"I like them, I think they are all nice. I think Sid likes me. He was practically just starting at me, almost drooling." she said with a smile.
"Ya, I saw it. He's a nice guy. A bit flirty with the girls, but I haven't heard any foul rumours of him being a player. I think he is just shy." he said.
Gabriela merely smiled before then she added,
"I don't think Helga likes me. I looked at her a few times and she didn't seem too pleased in me being here. Does she ever smile?"
"Rarely, but when she does, it's a beautiful smile. I told you about how difficult she can be. She doesn't trust people as easily as others can. She has been hurt before, so it's hard." he explained.
Rodrigo had spoken to Gabriela a lot about Helga and Gabriela was not thrilled at how difficult this person can be. He obviously omitted revealing anything personal about her. He never told her about Helga's neglect at home, her showing him her pink bow and how after two years, she still loves and deeply misses Arnold. Like Phoebe and Arnold, he had only told her vague information, enough for her to know that there is something going on, but never enough to know what they are. Even when Gabriela pressed him to reveal more, he refused. Gabriela knows that Rodrigo's main concern is not whether he trusts her to keep a secret, as much as to actually keep the promise that he had promised he would keep. It didn't matter whether Rodrigo trusted Gabriela or not; he made a promise and he intends on keeping it. Despite the frustration, Gabriela knows that Rodrigo can be trusted and she would always tell him personal things about her, knowing that he will never tell it to anyone else.
"I gotta be honest Rodrigo, I don't think I can be friends with her. It just seems a lot of work and a lot of headache to put up with. Especially now, since I am new to this city and this school. I'm not saying that I'm going to be mean or avoid her. I have every intention on being nice to her. I'm just saying that I don't think I can friends with her." Gabriela confessed.
"I understand and I'm not asking you to be friends with her. It's up to you who you want to be friends with. If you become friends with her, great! If not, then it's ok. All I'm saying is that, if you want to get to know her, just be a little patient with her and know that she has been through a lot. It will take time for her to open up. That's it, that's all I'm going to say. How you choose to react or say to her, that's up to you." he said.
"OK" she confirmed.
An hour earlier in the bus...
Meanwhile, as the gang were on the bus heading home, Phoebe sat next to Helga and said to her,
"So Gabriela seems to be nice. What did you think of her?"
"She's alright, I guess." Helga responded nonchalantly.
"What about your jealousy?" she asked.
"It acted up again. I'm not surprised. But don't fret about it Pheebs. I have no intention on lashing out on this chick or Rodrigo. I know that if I do that, apart from humiliating myself, I'll end up upsetting and hurting him and I have done too much of that already." she said.
"What are you planning on doing, to cope with it I mean?" Phoebe asked.
"I'm not sure, really. I'll have to suck it up, I guess. I'm not thrilled that she is here. I know it's mean and she is not at fault, but the last thing I need is to have someone arouse this anger and jealousy at a time when I don't even know how I actually feel about all of this. That, or I'll have to start avoiding Rodrigo whenever he is with Gabriela." she said frustratingly.
Phoebe just sat there, thinking on how to help her friend. She knew that simply 'sucking it up' was not going to make the feelings go away. Perhaps if she should be to be more direct with her feelings and with Gabriela.
"Helga, if I may suggest something; instead of simply avoiding Rodrigo and your feelings, what if instead you confront the source of your jealousy?" she said.
"What do you mean, confront how?" Helga asked.
"Talk to Gabriela, get to know her and see how she relates with Rodrigo. I'm sure that once you get a chance to understand her, you will no longer see her as a threat. I'm not suggesting that you should be friends her. I'm just stating that in order to understand why you feel jealous, you should instead just go to the source and see for yourself." she explained.
Helga did not like where Phoebe was going with this. She was afraid that if she did that, she might get overwhelmed and end up either doing or saying something that she would regret. Plus, Gabriela seemed to be annoying, albeit less so than Rhonda or Lila.
"Let me think on this Pheebs." Helga said.
The next day...
Despite the continuing blizzard, Gabriela quickly learned from yesterday's weather and took an earlier bus, as most students also did. She made it to her Literature class very early; there were only two other students waiting inside. Happy that she made it early, she went to the back and sat down at the furthest desk. Once seated, she took out a book to read in order to pass the time.
Thirty seconds later, Helga walked into the classroom and was about to walk to her usual seat when, taken by complete surprise, she saw Gabriela there.
You have got to be kidding me. She thought. When did she start this class...
Then instantly, she remembered that the new student that showed up yesterday must have been her. Helga was too busy on that day, finishing her assignment to bother to look up. Annoyed at the turn of events, she nevertheless walked towards Gabriela who was busy reading.
Upon arrival, Helga cleared her throat, causing Gabriela to look up and was just as surprised as Helga to see her here.
"Oh, morning Helga. Are you in this class too?" Gabriela said to her with smile.
Helga this time, made no attempt to smile back at her and simply replied rather coldly, "Yes, and you're in my seat."
Gabriela's smile quickly disappeared. She scanned the room and saw that there were other seats still available, including one right beside her. She knew that students were not designated to a permanent seat and could sit wherever they wanted. She turned back to face Helga and said,
"But there are other seats for you to seat in, Helga. I was here first."
Helga said nothing and merely continued to stand there, crossing her arms on her chest and giving Gabriela a serious frowning face, waiting for her to move.
Seeing how she was not backing down, and again, not wanting to create enemies, she reluctantly and irritatingly grabbed her belongings and moved to the seat next to her. Despite being Rodrigo's friend, Helga was giving Gabriela no special privilege. Once she moved, Helga sat down, took out her notebook that Rodrigo had given her for Christmas, opened it and started writing.
Wow, what a b****. Yeah, she doesn't like me. I see how she wants to play this game. Sorry Rodrigo, but I'm not going to put up with her attitude. Gabriela thought bitterly.
However, not even a minute passed when Helga, while still writing on her notebook, then asked Gabriela,
"So what's the scoop Gabby? What do you know about me?"
"What?" Gabriela asked, as she shot up, looking surprised that Helga was talking to her.
"You wouldn't have come here trying to guess our names, quite accurately, without Rodrigo having to talk to you about us. So my question is, what exactly has he told you about me?" She re-asked her question again, this time looking up to see at her.
Helga was never fond of people talking about her behind her back and wanted to know just what exactly did Rodrigo say about her.
Gabriela was surprised that after pulling off a really crammy attitude, she was not only still willing to talk to her, but she is now giving her nicknames.
"First off, it's Gabriela, not Gabby. And secondly, he's talked a lot about you, but a lot of it is vague. He's told me that you like to dance, that you are a writer, mostly poems and short stories, you rarely smile but when you do, apparently it's a 'beautiful smile', according to him. He's told me that you smarter than you let on, but you also have a rotten temper. He's told me that you have issues but what exactly they are, he doesn't tell me. All he's told me is that you have gone through a lot and despite having a most grotesque attitude, my word not his, you are the most interesting and strongest person he's ever met."
Helga listened attentively with an emotionless facial expression.
"Is that all? She asked Gabriela.
"Yeah, that's about it" she replied back while shrugging her shoulders.
"You're lying." Helga said.
"Excuse me?" Gabriela responded.
Helga could tell that Gabriela was not telling her everything. She was holding something back and she wanted to know what it was.
"You're hiding something; I can tell. So whatever it is that you're not telling me, just say it." She said with a demanding voice.
"You want me to be honest with you?" She asked with a serious tone.
"You mean you weren't being honest until now?" She mockingly asked her with a smirk on her face.
Ok, she wants me to say it? Fine then I'll say what I have been wanting to say to her. She thought.
Gabriela put her hands on her desk, looked at Helga straight in the eyes and said with a serious tone,
"I know what you did to Rodrigo. I know what you put him through. He's a sweet guy and he didn't deserve it. Because of that, I'm not exactly thrilled to meet you. He told me about that racist remark you said to him on the second day. You're lucky that he found it funny. Had you said that to me, I would have sent you to the hospital. Despite what you did, he still defends you and insists that there are a lot of good things about you that makes it worth being your friend. He's not the type of person that easily falls prey to other people's influence, so I trust his judgment that you are indeed a good person, despite your flaws."
"Despite the lack of details, I know you have been through a lot, and I'm sorry about that, but that doesn't give you the right to take it out on him. He has nothing to do with your misery. Yet, the only reason why I am being nice to you, even now, is because you are now being a friend to him and have helped him in the past. Had it not been for that, I would not have bothered to have shaken your hand yesterday. How's that for being honest?" She concluded with her own smirk.
Helga said and did nothing while Gabriela barked at her.
Well, she's a feisty one. She thought to herself.
Almost three seconds after Gabriela finished talking, Helga simply smiled at her, turned back to writing on her notebook and said,
"Good to see that you finally got that off of your chest. I think you and I are going to get along just fine Gabby."
Ookkk, not the response that I was expecting. Gabriela thought curiously.
She had expected Helga to either bark back at her or at the very least defend herself. Yet she did none of those things. But before Gabriela could inquire on this, the bell rang, signalling the start of class.
The End of first class...
Once the bell rang, all the students got up to go to their next class. Both Helga and Gabriela also got up and started to pack up. Although still baffled by Helga's response, she was simply going to leave it be. But before she was get going, Helga again surprised her when she asked her,
"So what class do you have next?"
It took Gabriela sometime before she was able to respond. Before class started, she had just barked at her and now she is acting as if that never happened.
"Um math class, room 256."
"Ah, my second class is in the same direction where yours is. C'mon I'll walk you to it." she said with a more sincere voice, although she was still not smiling.
Before they walked out, Helga went to Mrs. Whitecotton's desk to give her the assignment she finished yesterday. Then both teens walked to their next class.
"I'm assuming Rodrigo gave you a tour of this dump yesterday?" she asked Gabriela.
"Um ya he did. He offered to stay behind and show me around." she said suspiciously.
By this stage, Gabriela was getting uncomfortable and had her guard up. She had no idea why Helga was all of a sudden, acting nice. Just an hour ago their conversation got pretty tense, and it could have resulted in a brawl. Now, Helga is talking to her as if they are now friends. Gabriela had no way of knowing if Helga was being genuine or if she was pulling something to let her guard down.
This wasn't lost to Helga, as she detected Gabriela tensing up. Wanting to calm her down, she said to her,
"You can relax, you know. I don't want to make an enemy out of you. We're just talking."
If Gabriela was surprised before, she was now shocked that Helga was able to interpret her behavior. Initially, that started to make things worse, but then she remembered Rodrigo saying that Helga is a dead honest person. She tells you how it is. So, if that's true, then it must mean Helga was just trying to be nice. With that reassurance, Gabriela was able to calm down a bit.
"OK. What class do you have next? she asked.
"Sociology."
It didn't take long for them to arrive at Gabriela's class. Trying to be 'nice', she then said to Helga,
"Thanks. I'll see ya later."
"See ya." She replied back and continued walking to her class.
Well that wasn't so bad. I'm sure she'll have a lot of things to tell Rodrigo. Helga thought to herself.
Lunch time...
When lunch time rolled around, Gabriela met with Rodrigo at his locker and as Helga predicted, told him about her morning encounter with Helga.
Rodrigo for his part had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it seemed as if Helga was trying to act nice and not hostile, which delighted him. Yet, on the other hand, he was curious, if not suspicious, as to why there was a big change. Helga had never made any serious attempts to be nice to anyone, not even to him, on the first go. So why the change and why with Gabriela? Shamefully, he was a bit jealous that Helga seemed to be letting Gabriela off easy while she gave him a hard time.
Hmm, I'll talk to Helga about this during our dancing lessons. I wanna know why she is being nice to Gabriela. But I gotta do it in a way that does not sound condescending or that I'm distrustful of her intentions. He thought. God knows, like always, she will take it personally.
Yet, despite his feelings, he focused on the positive.
"Well Gabriela, for whatever the reason, it seems that Helga took a liking to you. If she didn't, she would have made it known to you. I think you should take it as a compliment and go with it." he said.
"I guess. But I'm still not sure if I want to be friends with her." she said back.
"I don't think Helga is sure of that either. I think she is testing you out, just differently than other times. Just go with it. If you becomes friends, great. If not, then that's ok. At least you guys will be on good terms."
"Ok, but you sure she is not pulling something?" she asked.
"Helga is not the type to go that far. Even on the first day when she punched me in the stomach, she told me that she came up with it at the last second and was never planned. And if she does pull something, I have your back." he reassured her with a smile.
During their dancing lesson...
Half way into their dancing lesson, Rodrigo thought it was now a good time to bring up the subject that had been on his mind all day.
"So Gabriela came to me during lunch and told me about your encounter with her." He began.
"And what of it?" she asked while still dancing with him.
"Well, I wanted to say thank you, for being nice to her, in your own way." He said with a smirk.
Helga had anticipated Gabriela talking to Rodrigo about their encounter and, during the day, thought about what exactly she was going to tell him. As far as she was concerned, she did not care for Gabriela. She was only acting nice towards her for two reasons; to try and eliminate this jealousy by confronting it, as per Phoebe's suggestion, and to not antagonize Rodrigo. She had no intention of ever telling him the former reason.
Helga then broke off their dancing and while gasping for some breath, said,
"What makes you thinking that I was doing it for you, Latino boy? Can't I just be nice to people?" while trying to sound offended.
Rodrigo thought carefully about what he was going to say next. This could very easily go down the wrong way pretty fast.
"I didn't say that. All I said was thank you. Regardless of your reasons, it means a lot to me. It would have sucked if you guys did not get along." He said to her reassuringly.
Helga merely shrugged her shoulders said, "sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." And proceeded to continue dancing with him, but she was not satisfied with her own answer.
After a few more minutes, she decided to touch the subject again. She wanted to know why Rodrigo was questioning her intentions, even if they were not altruistic. He wouldn't do that unless there a reason. She broke off their dancing lessons again and asked to him,
"So you don't think that I can be nice to people?"
"Au contraire, I know you can. I'm just wondering why you did it on the first round. You have given practically everyone a hard time, including me and Arnold, for a while before you started being nice to us. Yet with Gabriela, you did it only on the second day of meeting her. Now unless you are either a closeted lesbian or bisexual, which I doubt that you are, something made you change your behaviour and I'm just curious to know what that 'something' is" he explained.
"Well, if you must know Latino boy, it is because Gabriela cares about you." she said.
Rodrigo raised his eyebrow in confusion.
"You care to elaborate on that?" he asked.
Helga sighed and attempted to explain.
"Look, it's obvious that the second she attempted to guess our names, you must have talked to her about me and everyone else. I know that however much you said to her about me, she would have had a good idea of what I'm capable of. And yet, she was able to be brutally honest with me about not being happy to meet me, and even going so far as to threaten me to send me to the hospital, all because of what I put you through. I know that her threat was real, but by being honest, she was willing to risk starting a brawl with me just so she can demonstrate to me how much you mean to her and how much it must have bothered her when you told her about some of the things that I did to you. And...I admire that, not just her guts, but how much she cherishes her friendship with you. Clearly that's not nothing that should be taken lightly. If I was in her position, I would have done the same thing."
Helga wasn't lying when she said this. Despite it not being one of the primary reasons, Gabriela's honesty about how she felt towards Helga impressed her. Helga was not willing to hurt Rodrigo this time around by doing whatever it took to not provoke or get into any conflict with her. Gabriela for her part, threw all that out the window and attempted provoke her into a verbal, if not a physical fight. Different ways of handling things, but for the same reason; for Rodrigo's sake. Moreover, that encounter convinced Helga that Gabriela was of no threat to her. With the way Gabriela behaved and said about Rodrigo, it assured Helga that Gabriela only sees Rodrigo as a good friend. From the outset, she was not able to detect any romantic, or deep feelings from Gabriela other than being strictly platonic. Had there been any, Gabriela would have explicitly shown her distaste for her the moment she saw Helga. It was because of this last part, that Helga was able to relent and give Gabriela the benefit of the doubt.
Rodrigo for his part, was surprised by Helga's explanation, yet reframed from facially showing it. Although he believed that she was telling the truth, he was not sure if Helga was telling him the whole truth. Even more, he was a bit suspicious about why Helga let Gabriela off easy simply because she cares about him.
"So you let her off easy because she was willing to stand up for her friends, no matter who it was, or was it because she was willing to stand up for me? he asked her bluntly.
"Both" she responded back without flinching.
"Ok." he said back, although still not completely convinced. "Are you ready to continue practicing?" he asked.
"Sure." she said as she shrugged her shoulders.
The next day...
Gabriela walked into her Literature home class early, again finding only a few students sitting around and waiting. She looked straight ahead and saw that Helga had still not arrived. Still irritated in being forced to moved seats, she nevertheless sat on the same desk that was right beside Helga's. As she sat down and waited, she wasn't sure how things were going to go down. Gabriela knew that Helga was going to inquire with Rodrigo if she had spoken to him about yesterday's morning encounter, but she wasn't sure how Helga would take it. Nor did she know if Helga will continue to act nice or not. Gabriela just decided to deal with it when it comes to it. To pass the time, she grabbed her book again and started reading.
About a minute later, Helga walked in and made her way to her usual seat. Upon arrival, she put her bag down, sat down, took out her notebook again and started writing. Gabriela made no attempt to address her. She waited for Helga to make the first move.
"So I'm assuming Rodrigo told you why I was being nice yesterday?" Helga asked Gabriela while still writing on her notebook.
"Nope. I was not even aware that you guys hanged out yesterday." she responded back. "But since we are on that topic, why are you being nice? I prefer to hear it from you anyways."
Helga stopped writing, lifted her head to look at Gabriela and calmly responded.
"We're not the same. I don't even think we have a lot in common. But I like your honesty. What you said to me yesterday, I would have said the same thing to you. You're right, Rodrigo is a great guy and he didn't deserve what I put him through. I have um...been trying to make up for it since then. And despite what it may seem, he does mean a lot to me, as he does to you. But you are mistaken if you think that I'm being nice for his sake. I'm not. I've tried that same approach before with others and it failed. I'm being nice because you seem like an alright person to talk to."
Once finished, Helga simply went back to writing on her notebook.
Gabriela was again surprised. Although Rodrigo had warned her that Helga is not always what she seems, she had to see it for herself in order to believe it. Gabriela was beginning to understand why Rodrigo would always defend her, even when she makes a mistake; she would eventually own up to it. Even more so, she was beginning to see why there is something worth in being her friend. Although she was still not sure if she wanted to be friends with her, she nevertheless finally gave her the benefit of the doubt.
"Thanks for understanding. I'm beginning to see why Rodrigo considers you as a good friend." Gabriela said to Helga while smiling.
Helga simply smiled back.
Later that evening...
Life can be very unfair at times. Rodrigo celebrates one of his friends in having moved to Hillwood, while I am still wishfully thinking for your return. I have to be flat out honest with you Arnoldo, this unfairness sometimes gets to be a bit overwhelming, something I find hard to cope with it. Nevertheless, Helga G. Pataki remains standing, pushing through life. I only hope I come to terms with it very soon.
I was able to talk to Rodrigo's friend; she doesn't seem too bad and not that annoying. She is not the type of girl you want to push around though. You know how I am when meeting new people, so take this as a breakthrough. I wasn't even this nice with Rodrigo. I'm sure the Latino boy will talk more about her in his letters.
Speaking of friends, you seem to be making new ones over there, finally. Hope you don't get too comfortable with them and forget about us, football head. If need be, we'll fly over there and straighten you out. We haven't been sending you letters all these years just so you can move on. we will remain a constant reminder of your past life.
Your reminder,
Helga G. Pataki.
Just a few responses to some reviews:
UloveME143: Thank you! That is exactly what I was going for: to allow Helga to discover more of herself without Arnold. That's why I wrote this story as part of the Patakis spinoff. Craig Barlett had the same reason for making that setting; to allow for more of Helga's character to develop and essentially 'grow up'. And I do agree with you that if they ever confirm the spinoff, this is what I would also like to see.
I'm afraid the very reason why this story is not popular (not trying to sound arrogant here) is due to the fact that I am somewhat breaking canon here. Introducing Rodrigo and getting him to help Helga with her issues instead of Arnold can be a bit farfetched. It's understandable for people to be suspicious of such work and for those that do read it, most likely have a "Ok, I'll read it, but this better be good!" kind of mentality. We all have that, including me. But I'm hoping that with the many wide themes and concepts that I am incorporating into the story and with the ending that I am planning for, it can hopefully be popular. We'll see.