In the morning before class...
David was walking down the hallway, looking for someone. After walking for about a minute, he finally saw the guy he was looking for, who had just arrived at his locker and was putting his jacket and other belongings into it.
"Oye compadre, como estas hoy?" (Hey comrade, how's it going today?) David said to Rodrigo.
"¡David! Que tal ese? Como va todo?" (David! what's up? How's is going?) Rodrigo responded.
Rodrigo and David were not related, but were often mistaken to be related, given their physical similarities. They were both roughly the same height, had thick black hair and the same brown skin tone. Their facial appearance were also similar. Other than that, that was mostly it.
"Bien, bien ¿Escuche, me puedes hacer una favor?" (Good, good. Listen, can you do me a favour?" David asked him.
"Depende ¿Que necesitas?" (Depends. What do you need?) Rodrigo asked him as he was getting his books out for the morning classes.
"¿Pues, me puedes prestar tu sombrero de fieltro?" (Can I borrow your fedora hat?) David asked.
"¿Por que lo necesitas?" (Why do you need it?) Rodrigo asked.
David looked around to ensure that no one they knew was around.
"Mira, hay una chica que lo quiero impresionar. Tengo un idea en como yo puedo lograr, pero necesito tu sombrero." (Look, there is a girl that I want to impress. I have an idea on how to do that, but I need your hat.) David explained while whispering.
"Awww pero David, no eres tan feo, hahaha" (Aww but David, you're not that ugly, hahahha) Rodrigo joked.
David gave him a slight punch on Rodrigo's shoulder for that remark and frowned at him.
"Ok,ok, ok." Rodrigo remarked, getting serious again. "¿Y como mi sombrero te puede ayudar en arar esta chica?" (Ok, ok ok. And how can my hat help you in getting this girl?) .
"Pues, si te puedo decir honestamente, Helga me inspiro." (Well, if I can honestly tell you, Helga inspired me.) David confessed, albeit a bit shyly.
"¿Como?" (How?) Rodrigo asked.
"Cuando ella fue al primero piso a bailar contigo en marzo. La manera como ella te sorprendió, con la confianza que ella tenía en que tu ibas a decir si; pues me gusto y yo quiero replicar ese senario, obvio en mi forma." (When she went to the first floor to dance with you in March. The way she surprised you, along with her confidence that she had that you were going to say yes; well, I liked that and I want to replicate that scenario, in my own way of course.) David explained.
Rodrigo just stood there as he admired at how Helga was already positively inspiring other people to do something nice for others. It was a very small gesture in the grand scheme of things, but it was enough for Rodrigo appreciate the fact that Helga was slowly drifting away from her former position as an angry, violent teen that many view her.
"Ok David, me convenciste. Aquí está mi sombrero." (Ok David, you convinced me. Here is my hat.) Rodrigo said as he gave him his famous black fedora hat.
"¡Gracias Rodrigo, lo aprecio!" (Thank you Rodrigo, I appreciate it!) David happily exclaimed.
"Segura que tu retornas mi sombrero cuando la escuela termina hoy. No mañana, ni la próxima semana; hoy ¿Comprendes?" (Just make sure you return my hat by the end of today. Not tomorrow, no next week; today. Understand?) Rodrigo said with a stern voice.
"Si, si, lo entiendo. Gracias otra vez, Rodrigo." (Yes, I understand. Thanks again, Rodrigo.) David said happily and he shook Rodrigo's hand.
"Bueno David, te tengo que dejar. Voy a encontrarme con Helga antes cuando suena la campana." (Well David, I have to leave you. I'm going to meet up with Helga before the bell rings.) Rodrigo said.
"Ok. Nos vemos." (Ok. I'll see you later) David said. And with that, the two teens went their separate ways.
Rodrigo had to walk fast in order to get to Helga's locker, whom he knew was probably already waiting and did not want to irritate her.
Hmm, ever since we've started dating, I feel I've been taking great step in trying to do anything to not irritate or upset her. I could say 'I wonder why', but I already the reason; her temper. He thought. I feel like at any moment, I could set Helga off about something, or anything. I can't really seem to just relax around her. I feel I have to always keep my guard up. I just hope I won't have to do this forever.
Sure enough, he made it to Helga's locker, who was already there waiting for him...and clearly looking annoyed.
"Finally you showed up." She retorted with a frown on her face.
"Sorry Helga, I was talking to a friend." He said as he gave her a kiss on her lips.
"Better have been an important conversation. You got some nerves to leave a girl hanging like that." She said as she grabbed her things and started walking, almost leaving Rodrigo behind.
"I didn't leave you hanging. You were only waiting for a minute, sheesh." He said back.
"Don't sheesh me!" She snapped back. "I'm not the one who showed up late."
"It was only for a minute!" Rodrigo said with a raised and annoyed voice. "Don't make a big deal out of everything!"
"You'd better watch that tone of yours or else I'll adjust for you." She retorted back, clearly losing her patience by this point.
"Oh, I would love to see you try." Rodrigo mockingly challenged her.
Helga gave serious scowl at his challenge. Her hands closed and were forming into fists. But then she relented.
"Whatever." She said back.
Rodrigo just gave a frustrated sigh.
This is exactly what I mean! Just about anything can annoy her. I'm probably lucky that she didn't explode just now. He thought.
Rodrigo said nothing and wondered what he can do to help her stave off her anger. Just then, he an idea popped up into his mind.
"You know, you need to relax a bit. You're always so stiff." He said.
"I'm not stiff! And for your information bucko, I am relaxed!" Helga exclaimed.
"Really, so you wouldn't mind putting your money where your mouth is?" Rodrigo calmly asked. "How about we meet up down at the first floor during lunch?"
"To do what?" Helga asked.
"Bailer. You were really good at it last time." Rodrigo said with a smirk.
"That was to just get your attention and tell everyone that you are mine now." She replied.
"I like your confidence. So then you wouldn't mind demonstrating that same tenacity later today. Unless of course if you are...scared." He said with a smirk.
"Excuse me? What did you just say?" She said as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"You heard me." He said.
Helga then starting chuckling a bit. She stopped walking, gently but firmly grabbed Rodrigo by his black hoody sweater, and then pulled him a bit closer to her.
"Alright bucko, if that's the way you want it, then let's dance!" She said. "Hopefully this will make you prioritize people, aka moi."
Finally; a way use her temper positively. He thought.
"Great! I'll meet you there at lunch." He said.
"Don't be late this time." She firmly said to him.
"I won't. I promise." He said. "Now, can you let me go please?"
"Or else what?" She taunted him with an almost mischievous smile.
"Or else I'll..." Rodrigo said softly before he leaned him and gave her a kiss on her lips.
Helga leaned in as well and even wrapped her arms around Rodrigo's neck, allowing herself to be vulnerable with him for a little while. Actually, that little while turned out to be a bit longer than that.
*rrriinnnngggg*
"Ugh, crimeny." Helga groaned as she let go of Rodrigo.
"Ya, crimeny." Rodrigo said. "No worries, we'll continue this later." He continued, as he planted a soft kiss on her cheek.
"Good, we'd better because I was just getting started." She said flirtatiously.
The couple then wasted no more time and headed towards their first class for the day.
At lunchtime...
True to his word, David wasted no time in using all of his skills to impress the girl whom he liked; Tamina. A beautiful mixed girl, with thick afro-curly hair, who was a bit shorter than he. Both have been eyeing each other for some time and although there was a strong indication that they liked each other, none have ever made a move.
David was rather shy when it came to girls, and although he didn't have much of a problem with talking to one, he found that he sometimes became somewhat quiet around them. With Tamina, it took that shyness to a whole other level and David found himself becoming very nervous around her. He realized that any hopes of him verbally making his feelings known to her was no longer an option. However, when he saw how Helga all of a sudden appeared before Rodrigo and asked him to a dance as her way of telling him that she liked him, it truly impressed him. The way she danced around him, the way she was looking at him and smiling throughout, it was a clear indication to him and to everyone watching that Helga was making a statement; she liked Rodrigo and was inviting him to take their relationship to the next level. He wasn't joking about that. Moreover, it gave him an alternative route to demonstrate to Tamina his feelings towards her without outright saying them.
As soon as lunch started, he immediately went about setting his plan into motion. He had previously texted Tamina to meet him on the first floor as soon as lunch started. He grabbed his friend's radio box, Rodrigo's fedora hat, ran downstairs, set up everything and waited for her to arrive. He didn't have to wait long.
Once she arrived, David gathered whatever strength he had and said that he wanted to have a dance with her. Although surprised by this, she nevertheless gladly accepted. Happy with her acceptance, David started playing the music.
David picked the song carefully. It was Stanaj's bachata song, Romantic, remix. David gently grabbed her hand and pulled her to the middle of the hallway. With both of them smiling, they started dancing.
Yeah
You say I make you shy
I don't know why
Every time we kiss
It gets better every time
Underneath the light
You're shining so bright
The tension in the air
You could cut it with a knife
See, I'm just tryna be somebody
You got me in love so deep
No, I don't got to do these things
But you make me
You make me wanna be romantic
You make me wanna be a star
You make me wanna act different
I love you for who you are
You make me want to run circles around you
So glad that I found you
You make me wanna be romantic
You make me wanna be a star
David performed only some savvy or fancy moves. He didn't want to distract Tamina. Rather, he focused on them being close to each other, dancing nice and steady with her, allowing her to listen to the lyrics in the hopes of her getting the message. She got it.
You make me wanna be romantic
You make me wanna be a star
You make me wanna be romantic
You make me wanna be a star
You make me wanna be different
I love you for who you are
You make me wanna do circles around you
So glad I found you
I just wanna be romantic
I just wanna be a star
With each passing time, Tamina grew more confident and got a bit more closer to David. Slowly, but surely, they faces were within millimeters of each other, but that's as far as Tamina went. She made her move, now it was David's turn. Yet, David was hesitating. Getting his nervousness the better of him, he reframed from taking that one, but final step to seal it. His heart was pound so much he felt he was going to have a heart attack. Just then, as the song was about to end, David gathered any remaining strength and made his move. He leaned in and kissed her. Much to his delight, Tamina reciprocated and leaned as well. The two were locked in each other's full embrace and instantly moved any distracting thoughts from their minds. It was now just them, alone, in full blissful union.
Just as David was about to kiss Tamina, Helga was around the corner, walking towards Rodrigo and his friends' usual dancing spot. Although she was initially flustered on having to dance in front of a crowd for no good reason other than to 'have fun', she began to like the idea as time went on during that morning.
I guess it will be kind of fun. She shrugged in thought. At least I'll get to show off to Rodrigo's loser friends and enlighten them on how to actually dance. Some of those geek baits have two left feet, or even dance to the rhythm. Pitiful.
As she approached the end of the hallway, she made her usual turn, but just as she did so, she stopped dead on her tracks at the first thing she saw. It took her a about a second to fully comprehend what was unfolding before her eyes, but as she realized it, she instantly stopped breathing, her eyes widen considerably and her jaw hanged open.
R-R-Rodrigo? She thought with utter shock.
David was facing the other side of the hallway, so he had his back to the other hallway from where Helga was coming from. When she turned the corner, she only saw his back, but thought that it would be no other person than Rodrigo. He had the same black hoody sweater, the same blue jeans, the same type of thick, somewhat long black hair and his black fedora hat! No one else in the school wore that type of hat!
After about three seconds, she let out a small gasp and started to breathe again, albeit heavily this time. Yet, she couldn't move. Her entire body felt numb and unable to register. What seemed like an eternity as she stared at a crack of her world completely falling apart, only a few more seconds passed before she finally managed to get a grip of her body, which allowed her to let out a small whimper.
Unable to approach them due to the amount of shock and in a rare case, not knowing what to do, she quickly dashed and hid behind the corner and attempted to her control her breathing. For some reason, she felt compelled to peak in, but as she did so, it only confirmed what she already saw; Rodrigo was kissing another girl!
Helga's face gave way to utter despair and confusion. There was so many things coming into mind that she had a hard time controlling her own thoughts. At the same time, she was starting to feel a sort of pain on her chest. It wasn't just her heart beating fast, it was also starting to break. Feeling utterly devastated, Helga tried desperately to control herself, but she was unable to prevent some tears from coming out and falling down her cheeks. Indeed, the whole experience was so nerve wrecking that Helga gagged a bit, feeling that she needed to throw up. Thankfully, she didn't.
Feeling completely betrayed, hurt, humiliated and angry, she ran out from the first floor and quickly climbed up the stairs.
Meanwhile just as Helga ran out, Rodrigo entered the first floor on the other side of the hallway, a door that was much closer to where he and his friends usually hang out. Upon seeing that Helga was not there, he sent a quick text message, asking her if she was one her way. He then saw David and Tamina on the other end of the hallway, still kissing and embracing each other. Feeling happy for his friend, he then turned around to speak with his other friends were who already there waiting.
"Oye Javier, ¿vistes a Helga?" (Hey Javier, Have you seen Helga?) Rodrigo asked.
"No, todavia no." (No, not yet.) He responded back.
"¿Por lo menos, vistes el evento que ocurrió en frente de ti?" (Did you at least you watch the event that unfolded right in front of you?) Rodrigo asked as he pointed at David and Tamina.
"Oh si. Fue bueno. Me alegro por ellos." (Oh ya. It went well. I'm happy for them.) Javier responded.
"Yo tambian." (Me too) Rodrigo said.
"Bueno, a que empezar" (Well, let's get started) Javier said.
"¿Cómo? No tengo no quien bailar." (How? I have no one to dance with.) Rodrigo said.
"Ah no te preocupes holms. Helga vendrá pronto. Además, eso nunca te prevenido." (Ah, don't worry about it homie. Helga will come soon. Besides, that has never stopped you.)
"Yo hurry up! We wanna dannce before the bell rings!" One of their friends complained.
"Ok, ok." Rodrigo said hesitatingly, but he couldn't help but wonder why it was taking Helga so long to come down and meet him here. It's not like her to stand him up like that and even if she needed to, she would have messaged him to let him know. Nevertheless, Rodrigo proceeded to get ready to start dancing.
Meanwhile, Helga ran off as fast as she could and away from the scene that she just uncovered. With so many things rushing into her head, she was unable to process them. She needed a quiet place to go to where she can be alone...and talk to someone.
As she continued running, with tears falling down her cheeks, she frantically grabbed her cell and attempted to dial a number. After a few rings...
"Hi Helga." Phoebe answered the phone.
"Ph-Phoebe!" Helga attempted to say while breathing heavily. "I need to talk to you. It's an emergency. "
"Is everything alright?" Phoebe asked with a concerned.
"No, everything is not alright!" Helga said as she fought back to let any more tears from streaming down her cheeks. "I really need to talk to you. Can we meet up, please?"
"Yes Helga. Where are you?" Phoebe asked.
Helga entered the stairwell and was about to go to upstairs when she noticed that underneath the stairs was a big space where she can easily hide and gather her thoughts. Thinking that it was secluded enough,
"I'm on first place, the stairwell on the west side. Meet me there." Helga said.
"I'm on my way." Phoebe said and then hanged up.
"Is Helga ok?" Gerald asked who was with her.
"I'm not sure." Phoebe said worryingly. "She sounded very upset and asked to meet up with me right away. I have to go and see her Gerald, and make sure she is ok."
"No worries, babe. You go and do what you need to do." Gerald said with a smile.
Phoebe smiled at him. Despite their animosities towards each other throughout the years, Gerald never attempted to come between his girlfriend and her best friend. If anything, he did the opposite, by always supporting Phoebe to help Helga out whenever she needed it.
"Thanks Gerald." Phoebe said
After giving him a goodbye kiss, Phoebe quickly gathered all of her things and made a dash for their rendezvous point.
Meanwhile, Helga cramped underneath the stairwells, put her bag down, sat down and finally began to process what she just witnessed.
Even now, she still couldn't believe what she just saw. She just wasn't able to comprehend it, yet she continually recurred it in her mind, bringing her nothing but insurmountable pain and more tears. As much as she wasn't willing to admit, she couldn't run away from what she saw.
How could he do this to me?! Helga thought with more despair. I thought he liked me... Helga just huddled underneath the stairs, trying to relief herself from the growing pain that she was experiencing.
How could I have been so stupid?! She continued to think.
Just then, her cell vibrated. Despite being in no mood to answer it, she picked it up and saw that it was Rodrigo. Her anger quickly rose at the mere sight of his name. She wanted to call him and yell and threaten him for ever trying to do something so despicable behind her back. Yet instead, she opted to just text him back.
Helga: Can't make it. Something came up.
With that, she put her phone away and went back to her thoughts. However, she didn't have much time to dwell into them before she heard a voice.
"Helga? Where are you?" Phoebe asked as she looked around to find her.
"Under the stairs Pheebs." She sadly called out.
"Helga, what happened? Why are you so upset?" Phoebe worryingly asked when she looked down to see her best friend huddled underneath the stairs, looking visibly hurt and upset.
"I-I-It's Rodrigo." She hysterically began to explain, while trying not to fall to pieces. "I saw him, Pheebs. I saw him."
"Saw him do what?" She asked.
"I saw him k-k-k-kiss another girl!" Helga cried.
Phoebe initially said nothing as her eyes went eyed from the shocking news.
"He cheated on me! After everything we went through, he cheated on me!" She continued to exclaim as more tears streamed down her cheek."
"Cheat on you? But how? Why?" Phoebe frantically began to interrogate her, but then quickly calmed herself down. She wasn't doing Helga any favours by acting hysterical as well. Getting a grip, she then said,
"Helga, just start from the beginning and tell me what happened." Phoebe calmly said to her.
Helga calmed down a bit to fully explain to her best friend what had just transpired.
"Rodrigo invited me to come dance with him at lunch today. I was supposed to meet him the second lunch started. I was walking down that hallway and when I turned the corner, I saw him kissing another girl, right in front of me!"
Phoebe said nothing and went into shock mode at the news. Indeed, it was completely out of the ordinary for Rodrigo to do something like this. Not that he wasn't capable of cheating, but Phoebe couldn't understand why he resorted into doing this. As much as she believed Helga's story, something just wasn't adding up.
"Helga, are you sure?" She cautiously asked her.
"Of course I'm sure!" Helga angrily snapped back. "I was only a few inches away from them making out!" causing Phoebe lean a bit back by her sudden aggression.
Unbeknownst to Phoebe, Helga, in her devastated and infuriating state, neglected to tell her best friend one crucial piece of information; she never saw his face. Based on the clothes, the physical height and body shape and the black fedora hat, she concluded that it must have been Rodrigo and now Helga seemed hell bent on that conclusion.
Despite feeling angry at how this affair ended up hurting her best friend, Phoebe put aside her emotions and attempted to rationalize this all out. Considering how devastated and emotional Helga was, she needed to be the rational person right now.
This just doesn't make any sense. Phoebe thought. Why would Rodrigo do something like this? Granted, we've only known him for less than a year, but he has never shown us to ever be cruel or diabolical. Quite the contrary, he has demonstrated to be a kind and caring person Even if he wanted to do something like this, what possibly reason would have conduced him to do this? There have been no infighting or serious arguments between them and based on what Helga has told me, everything seems to be going very well in the relationship. There has to be more to this story.
Helga meanwhile, was doing the exact opposite. Although she had been feeling angry since the beginning, it initially paled in comparison to all the overall feelings that she was simultaneously experiencing. Yet, with each passing time, her anger was accumulating until it now surpassed everything else. By this stage, she was now bent on revenge!
Phoebe than noticed her bed friend suddenly standing up and when she glanced at her, she saw with a bit of fright the serious scowling glance was she giving off. Phoebe then instantly realized that Helga was about to do something violent.
"When I get my hands on that traitorous scumbag, I'm going to rip him to little pieces!" She angrily shouted and started to walk out of their hiding spot.
"Helga wait!" Phoebe immediately said and moved right in her path, blocking her and thereby preventing her from doing anything rash.
"I know you are upset and you have every right to be, but you need to calm down a bit." She said. Poor choice of words.
"Calm down?! You want me to calm down after what I just witnessed?!" Helga angrily yelled at her. "Whose side are you on, Pheebs! Why would you ever try to defend Rodrigo's actions?!" But Helga didn't give Phoebe a chance to respond and simply attempted to get around her.
"Helga, I am your best friend and that is why I am preventing you from going out there!" Phoebe exclaimed as she attempted to push Helga back into their hiding spot. "I just don't want you to do something that you might later regret."
"Oh, don't worry Pheebs. I'm not going to kill him." Helga said. "I'm just going to cut off his manhood!"
"Helga wait! This just doesn't make any sense!" Phoebe yelled and used all of her strength to push Helga back into her hiding spot, which prompted to her to finally pay attention to her.
"We need to think about this. I mean, it just doesn't seem like Rodrigo to do something like this after everything you guys have gone through, let alone the sacrifices that you made." She said.
"There's a simple explanation to this, Pheebs." Helga countered. "He's tired of being with me and putting up with my antics and decided to just run off to the prettiest girl that he could find." She continued, although with a sad and hurtful tone in her voice.
"I don't believe that, Helga." Phoebe said firmly. "Rodrigo cares about you. I've seen the way he looks at you, how he lovingly holds your hands and kisses you and how he smiles whenever he sees you. He is happy to be with you. You cannot fake that."
"Then he must be a very good actor." Helga said.
"Helga!" Phoebe exclaimed.
"Fine." Helga said as she threw her arms up in the air. "What is your big 'theory' on Rodrigo's behaviour?" She asked as she sat back down and waited for Phoebe to explain.
"Well, it's not really a theory. It's more of a hypothesis." She began. "I'm not trying to defend him, Helga. I just don't see any reason why he would all of a sudden go out of his way to hurt you like this. Since we've met him, Rodrigo has never acted nefarious, cruel or just plain mean with anybody. Even with people outside of our group, he has acted as the same, polite, friendly and caring person.
"It's just a cover up." Helga said.
"I'm not so sure." Phoebe said. "Rodrigo spent almost this entire school year trying to get everyone to reconcile with you, especially between you and Gerald. During that time you guys had your ups and downs and yet he was still willing to help you and everyone. Why would he go through all the trouble, only to sabotage it now? If he wanted to do it, he could have done it at any point in time before you guys got together."
"He wanted to get me where it would hurt the most; preventing me from getting back together with Arnold. Rodrigo is one of the few people who knows how deeply Arnold plays in my life and how much I wanted him back." Helga said. The thought of Rodrigo doing something like that, to play with her emotions and getting her to go out with him instead of Arnold, was severely tearing her apart.
"He...He knows how much Arnold means to me." Helga continued with a hurtful tone in her voice and attempted to fight back tears. "He knows full well how much of a sacrifice this was for me. I have been waiting for almost three years for Arnold to come back. He confessed that missed me and wanted to get back together with me. He even offered to go to San Lorenzo with him. And yet despite it all, I still said no! I still...I still chose to be with Rodrigo because he was actually there for me! He chose me over everyone else, while Arnold did not!" She continued, but was now cracking and having trouble speaking.
"And now..." Helga continued as she wiped a tear from her eye. "It's all gone down the drain. I am alone again."
"But Helga, it just doesn't make any sense." Phoebe protested. "I know he was upset with you a few times when you two first met and granted, I wouldn't not have been surprised if he wanted to get back at you, but this is just overkill! This far exceeds anything that you put him through. I'm not saying that Rodrigo is not capable of seeking revenge. I'm just saying that if he wanted to get back at you, I really don't think he would have gone through all of that length to help you, only to 'pull the carpet from under your feet', as the saying goes. That is just sadistic and I have my doubts that Rodrigo does not have any empathy for people."
Helga took a while to ponder about what Phoebe and realized that her best friend did have some good points. This all seemed very sketchy and for the first time, Helga began to have her doubts about what she actually saw.
Did I perhaps miss something? Helga thought. Was Rodrigo probably just rehearsing for a play that he enrolled and he hadn't yet told me, or maybe that broad blackmailed him into kissing her? Am I even sure that that was Rodrigo at all?
No! It was Rodrigo. Only he wears that black fedora hat and he's so attached to it that he doesn't lend it to anyone. Of that, I am sure. But, perhaps something else must have occurred that I didn't see?
Despite her doubts, Helga couldn't help herself but still feel betrayed and hurt. However, she now managed to calm herself down a bit to at least start thinking this a bit rationally.
"So what do you think I should do?" Helga asked.
"Well, I believe the only logical course of action would be to confront Rodrigo about it." Phoebe suggested.
"Are you kidding me?! That's a dumb idea, Pheebs!" Helga exclaimed. "What possible excuse could he come up that would justify him cheating on me?"
"I'm not sure, that's why you need to talk to him about it." Phoebe said. "I don't see any other alternative. It's obvious that you are not going to let this pass, but at the same time this whole scenario seems a bit sketchy, which does not allow you to come up with a decisive decision. That is why I suggested to confront him and talk about it. Based on his answer, you can then decide to either stay with him or..." Phoebe continued but prevented herself him finishing her sentence.
"Leave him." Helga finished it for her.
"Yes." Phoebe said shyly but somberly.
Although not liking the idea, Helga really didn't have any choice. At the very least, she would be giving him the opportunity to confess about it and provide her with whatever excuse he may have that he felt compelled to cheat on her. However, she was not going to yet decide on doing that.
"Let me think about it, Pheebs." Helga said. "I'll see what other ideas I may come up with. You know, other than killing him."
"Ok Helga." Phoebe said. "Helga, I just wanted to let you know that, I support with whatever decision you will make about Rodrigo. You know I will always be there for you." Phoebe then extended her hand.
"Thanks, Pheebs." Helga said, finally smiling a bit amidst all of this depressing tale and held Phoebe's hand.
"Are you going to your history class?" Phoebe asked her.
"No. I can't bear to see Rodrigo right now." Helga said. "I'll go to the library and hide there for the time being and think about all of this."
"Ok." Phoebe said.
Before the start of third period class...
Helga walked into the library, went to the farthest corner of the room that she could find and sat down to think. She was barely sitting for thirty seconds when her cell vibrated. Upon opening it, she saw that she got a text message from Rodrigo.
Rodrigo: Hey, where are you? Class is about to start.
Frowning at the mere sight of his name, she decided not to say anything back to him and simply put her phone away. She grabbed one of her textbooks and 'tried' to do some of her homework, but in reality, she was too deeply disturbed and hurt.
Phoebe's right, none of this makes any sense. She thought. What did I do to make him do something like this to me? I thought everything was going well between us. Did it have something to do over that stupid little argument we had this morning? That couldn't have been it. It couldn't have been about Arnold. I thought I made it clear to that kid that I chose him over football head. I got rid of my pink bow, I even said no to Arnold's proposal to get back together! And it's not like I have been talking, or even mentioning him. No, it could not have been that. So what is it?!
Frustrated, Helga slammed her fist against the desk hard enough to make a loud banging sound. That prompted the librarian to say, 'sshhhh'.
Ignoring the librarian, Helga continued to think deeply about this, but it wasn't doing her any good. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated and angry she got. At one point, she resorted to going back to her original theory about Rodrigo; that he was out for revenge and that he never cared for her.
Of course he did this with malicious intentions! She now thought. It's been more than a month and things have been a paradise between us than how things were when I was with Arnold. I've not given him any justifiable reasons for him to do this, so it is obvious that he is doing this because he is nothing but a heartless, sadistic douche bag!
Helga then felt a surge of anger coming within and she was finding it difficult to control. Grinding her teeth with a fury, she again slammed her fists hard on the desk, prompting the librarian to look at her and with a frown, shhhed her again. Again, Helga ignored her and just continued to grow angrier.
Doesn't he know how much I sacrificed for him, for us?! She thought. Doesn't he know how much it cost me to say 'no' to the one person whom I wanted to be with since I was three?! Of course he does! Then why did he do this? Why did he betray me?! Arnold never would have done something like this to me.
Just then, a thought occurred.
Arnold...
No, she wasn't going through a love trance about him. Rather, she recalled the times when she was in similar situations with Arnold and the anger and jealous that she would often feel. The only major difference was that in those cases, every time she suspected Arnold eyeing another girl or vise-versa, they were completely benign and unfounded. Yet, that did not prevent her from allowing her jealous and rage to get the best of her.
She particularly recalled a time when one girl at PS 118 was eyeing Arnold. Helga initially restrained her jealousy and did not allow it to dominate her, especially since Arnold was not reciprocating to any of that girl's advances, why should she bother? At one point, it felt as if Helga was on the verge of finally being able to control her jealousy and she felt a bit proud. Unfortunately, that same girl approached Arnold one day and asked to privately speak with him. Never wanting to push someone away who needed help, Arnold accepted and went somewhere quiet where they could talk. When Helga noticed that Arnold was missing, she went looking for him. When she found out that he was speaking with that girl who liked him, she crept in closer to listen in on their conversation. Unfortunately, she stalked them right at a time where she completely mistook it as if Arnold was acknowledging his feelings for the girl. Becoming completely furious as his supposed unfaithfulness, she immediately interrupted their conversation and started yelling at Arnold, even going so far as to grab his shirt and was within inches of pummeling him. Arnold and the girl frantically attempted to explain to Helga that it had all been a misunderstanding. It turned out that although the girl did like Arnold, she approached him on that day not because she wanted to steal him away from Helga, but because she had a personal issue and she wanted some advice from the person who was renowned for that. Arnold, in one of the few occasions, became angry at Helga for not only behaving this way, but also that she did not trust him. Arnold by this point was becoming very exasperated with her constant jealousy and warned her that should she continue like this, her fear of him ever leaving her for another girl may come true; a self-fulfilling prophecy. Helga, upon realizing her mistake and finally realizing that her own actions may one day contribute to Arnold actually leaving her, let him go and vehemently apologized to them both.
Although they eventually reconciled, the memory of that fateful continued to haunt Helga. Arnold had never been an angry person, nor has he ever threatened anyone. But on that day, his patience finally ran out and although he didn't verbally attack Helga, his warning was also a type of threat that shook Helga deeply. She did not want a repeat of that same event again.
But it's not the same! She frustratingly thought to herself. I saw him kissing him another girl, didn't I? I have every reason to be furious at him!
Yet, as much as she wanted get back at him, she didn't trust herself to go through with it. What if she was wrong? What if it was all a misunderstanding? How many times had she allowed her jealousy and anger get the better of her, only for it to blow up in her face? Too many to count. She wanted to be a different, if not a better person. She wanted things to be different, if not better, with Rodrigo.
Finally, tired on having to repeatedly go through the same line of reasoning over and over again, Helga finally relented to Phoebe's advice and decided to talk to Rodrigo about his unfaithfulness. At the very least let him give her an explanation, even if it was probably going to be a crappy one.
Just then her cell vibrated again, releasing her from her thoughts. She again picked up to see who text messaged her. It was Rodrigo again.
Rodrigo: Why did you skip class? Is everything ok? Please call me or text me.
Helga: Sorry. Ya, I'm ok. Just trying to catch up on some homework. Didn't want to do them at home. We need to talk though.
Rodrigo: Ok.
Helga: After school ends.
Helga then put her phone away and attempted to actually do some of her homework for the duration of the third period.
School ends...
Helga wasted no time as she headed straight for Rodrigo's locker. She didn't even bother stopping by her own locker. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, although she couldn't help but feel completely nerve-wrecked by all of this. She was so nervous that she was tightly holding on to her book that was wrapped around in her arms. Good thing it was thick, otherwise she would have probably ripped it apart.
She really had no idea how she was going to react if Rodrigo told her the truth. Would she just break up with him there and leave it be? Would she pummel him and take his manhood away?
I'll probably take his manhood away. She thought.
Eventually, she made it to Rodrigo's locker and found him there.
Good, he's alone. She thought.
After taking a deep breath, she approached him.
"Hey." She said.
Rodrigo turned to face her and immediately realized that something was wrong. Although initially content with her previous explanation, her face told a different story. She looked highly stressed out and seemed to have been crying.
"Helga, are you ok? What happened?" Rodrigo asked worryingly as he leaned in to give her a kiss.
Helga was initially going to back away and prevent him from kissing her, but at the last moment, she allowed him to. This maybe the last kiss she would ever receive from him.
"Ya, I am." She softly said.
"Ok." He said, unconvinced, but didn't want to argue with her. "So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"
Helga bit her lip a bit and took another breath as she prepared for inevitable judgment.
"I umm, I came downstairs during lunchtime to find you." She began.
"Oh, you did? I never saw you there." He said. "Where did you go?"
"You didn't see me, but I saw you." She said. "I saw you k..."
"¡Oye, Rodrigo!" David then suddenly came and interrupted their conversation. "Here, as promised." As he handed to him his much cherished black fedora heat.
"Thanks David." Rodrigo said as he put on his hat.
"Thanks again for lending me your hat during lunchtime. It worked like a charm." David said.
"Huh? What worked like a charm and why does David have your hat?" Helga interjected, clearly confused.
"David came to me this morning and asked me if I can lend him my hat during lunchtime. He wanted to impress this girl and dance with her and he wanted to have a swavy kind of look." Rodrigo explained. "That's why I was a bit late that morning."
"You lend him your hat?" Helga said with an almost disbelief tone in her voice.
"Oh ya and it worked!" David said happily. "We were dancing really close together and she was loving it. We got closer and closer until I finally made my move and kissed her."
It was at this point that Helga then scanned David and realized to her shock that he was wearing almost the same type of clothes that Rodrigo was wearing. The only major difference was the black hoody sweater. Rodrigo's was completely black with no designs on it. David on the other hand, had the brand's logo on it, but it was at the front, skewed from Helga's eyes when she saw them.
"Where did you dance?" Helga then asked, with an almost demanding voice.
"On the first floor, right next to the corridor between the two hallways." David explained.
"And you were wearing Rodrigo's hat during that time?" Helga asked for clarification.
"Yup." David said.
"I arrived later, so I didn't see the dance, but I saw the aftermath." Rodrigo interjected. "You guys were completely lost in your little world because neither of you took her hands off of each other. You were kissing each other for quite some time."
"I can't help it ese if I like her." David said with a chuckle. "By the way, Helga. I wanted to thank you for inspiring me. That day when you approached Rodrigo to dance with you and reveal your feelings for him, that was gold! When I saw that, it gave me the confidence to something like that with Tamina. Thank you."
Helga said nothing and just started at the two Latino teens with a completely disbelief and shocking face, even almost dropping her book. This whole time she thought that Rodrigo had cheated on him and was on the verge of breaking up with him and sending him to the hospital, only to be informed AT THE LAST SECOND that it was all a misunderstanding! Had David not shown up when he did, who knows what would have happened.
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME?!" She finally and angrily shouted, prompting both teens' smile to disappear.
"Uh, no I'm not kidding." David said confusingly. "Your dance really inspired me and I'm rather shy with girls, so I wanted to do something where I could reveal my feelings for Tamina without actually telling her with words. I'm sorry if I didn't ask for your permission."
"No, no it's not that! It's just that...you had Rodrigo's hat...and I thought that... ugh!" Helga cried out frustratingly, as she rubbed her eyes with her free hand.
Just breathe deeply, Helga, don't freak out. It's over, he didn't cheat on you, it was all a MISUNDERSTANDING! Ok that doesn't help, just breathe and focus on the positive. He didn't cheat on you. He's trustworthy. She thought to herself.
"Never mind. Just...I'm happy for you David, really. Congratulations." She said with an awkward smile.
"Well thanks, Helga." David said cautiously. "Anyways, I gotta get going. I just wanted tell you both again thanks. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, he departed, leaving Rodrigo and Helga alone again.
"See ya." Rodrigo said casually. However, as soon as David left the scene, he turned to face Helga and said,
"Ok, what's going on here?" He sternly asked her . "You stood me up without saying anything at lunch, then you show up and you look like you've been crying and now you're angry at David for stealing your idea. What is going on here?"
"Ya, about that." She said awkwardly. "I just wasn't having a good day today and I didn't want to take it out on you anymore than I already did this morning." She continued. "It's nothing, really." She continued, now with a smile. "Actually, you can say that whatever was bothering me, it's behind me now."
Before Rodrigo had a chance to answer, Helga then leaned in and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you Rodrigo." She said with a big smile on her face.
"Umm, you're welcome." He said confusingly. "For what?"
"For being honest with me." She said as she kissed him on the lips and wrapped her arms around his neck. After a little while, they unlocked each from their arms.
"Just do me a big favour, would ya Latino boy?" She asked as she zipped up his sweater.
"Sure, what?" He said.
"Don't lend your hat to anyone. It looks better on you and I'd prefer to keep it that way." She said with a smile.
"Ok, sure." He said confusingly.
Later that evening...
After coming home, Helga immediately called Phoebe and explained to her what she had found out. Phoebe was so shocked and yet so relieved by all of this that she nearly fell down from her chair. After engaging in a few more talks, Helga hanged up and attempted to write her everyday letter to Arnold.
After thirty minutes, she wasn't able to write anything more other than, 'Dear football head,' She was hesitating about wanting to write about any drama or issues with her boyfriend to her ex-boyfriend.
This is just weird, She thought. If not just downright awkward. How would I feel if Arnold sent me letters about someone whom he met?
The thought of Arnold finding someone else, even now, sent a painful punch to her stomach. Even now with Rodrigo by her side, she still wasn't ready to fully let him go.
Getting annoyed by her indecisiveness, she put the letter aside and attempted to do her remaining homework, which wasn't a lot. Once she completed that, she resorted to at least mak the decision to write to Arnold about something. Finally, after some thought, she started writing.
Dear football head,
A funny thing happened today, one in which could have landed me into serious trouble. I won't go into any serious details, mostly because it is just a long story and I would have ended up writing to you a novel.
Do you recall the times when I would get jealous over just about every time a girl approached you or was looking at you in a loving or flirtatious way? I still remember those times, one that I was never proud of.
I just want to say that I'm sorry for having to put you through so many dramatic loops when we were together. I wish I knew then what I know now. No, I wish I had then what I have now. What's that you ask? Confidence and trust. I'm sure things would have been much more settled between us had I even had the slightest confidence in myself that I was worthy of your love, with the faith in knowing that you never would have been unfaithful to me.
Yet, I honestly say with pride that history has not repeated itself. I have you to thank for that, football head. Without your patience, your energy and willingness to help me, I never would have succeeded in obtaining these traits. Thank you.
Now, I'm not saying that I've become a lovingly nice person who smiles all the time and says 'please and thank you'. Pfft! You know that's not who I am and I have no intention of ever changing that part of me. I just like how I was able to add these two other traits without really changing who I am.
Well, needless to say that I've been putting these traits to good use and by George, have they worked! Phew! And to think what I could have done without them. Don't worry; I haven't gotten into any serious trouble lately. I'm still walking about the hallways and minding my own business.
Speaking of which, I'm not sure why, but I've noticed an increase in infighting breaking out at our school. No, I didn't start them Arnoldo, if that's what you're thinking! But they have been becoming very frequent lately. I'm sure they have something to do with some rumours and slanders that have been spreading around our school about some of our fellow Neanderthals that we call our 'fellow students'. Normally, I wouldn't care about these things, but they have been affecting student morale, up to the point where it is becoming a bit difficult to talk to anyone without the fear of saying anything racist or homophobic. The other day, I saw a fight break out between two supposedly 'good friends' when one of them made a homophobic joke. Personally, I found it to be funny, but not his other friend.
Now why does this concern me? Do I need to spell it out for you? With my sharp tongue and sarcastic remarks, I'm surprised I haven't yet gotten into any trouble with anyone over this.
Anyways, I'm sure it'll blow over soon. Frankly, I shouldn't be so surprised that these losers would get all hyped up from a bunch of dumb rumours.
I got your last letter and I'm really surprised on how the hell you are able to help your parents out with their work, and get good grades at school! Did you concoct some sort of potion there from the plants and insects that you collect and gave you superhuman powers? If you did, don't hog it all to yourself, football head! Give us some! Seriously though, how do you manage to balance work and school? You must tell me your secret; I'm going to need it once I go to college.
Your confidant,
Helga G. Pataki
