Chapter OnE: Trig homework
Fall, 2006
I slammed the door shut and started walking upstairs to my room. I had just gotten home from the drama club, and it had given me a headache just being there. I planned to finish my Trig homework, then go straight to bed.
"Is that you, Olga?"
"It's Helga, Bob!" I yelled to my dad, stopping momentarily on my ascent to see what he wanted.
"Yeah, whatever. You got a phone call, from that kid, what's his name, Alfred?"
"Arnold, dad."
"Yeah, that's what I said."
I shook my head and kept walking. It was amazing how, after knowing Arnold for almost my whole life, my dad still called him Alfred. Well, not really, he still called me Olga.
I went into my room, closed the door, and picked up the phone to call Arnold. I had barely put the receiver to my ear when there was a knock at my door.
"What!?" I yelled, turning the phone off. No answer. I sighed heavily and pulled the door open. My mom was standing there, her hair tousled, glasses crooked, with a smoothie in her hands. "What, Mom?"
"Oh, Helga, dear, have you seen my glasses?" she asked drowsily.
Welcome to my life. "You're wearing them, Mirium," I told her, rolling my eyes in the process. She reached up and sure enough, wonder of wonders, her glasses were right where they should be. "I think you need some new ones," I commented.
"Yeah..." she walked away, mumbling something about needing another drink.
I just shook my head again and closed by bedroom door. I opened my backpack to start my Trig homework when I remembered that I needed to call Arnold.
'Arnold,' I thought, dialing his number. I wasn't really sure what he was to me anymore. After seventh grade started, there was so much more going on that I sort of lost track of my feelings for him. I wasn't really sure if they were still there, either.
"Hello?" That was his grandma.
"Is Arnold there?" I asked, as clearly as I could. I always tried to, ever since that whole incident with the laughing gas. Not a good memory.
"Yes, who's this?" she asked. I heard her call for Arnold in the background.
"This is-"
"Hello?" Never mind.
"Hi Arnold, it's Helga," I said.
"Oh hey, how's it going?" he asked cheerfully.
I decided it would be better to lie than tell him life sucked. "Okay, how are you?"
"Pretty good," he answered.
Silence.
"So," we both said at the same time, then laughed. "Did you call earlier or..." I asked.
"Oh...yeah, I did. I just...had a question about the trig homework...but I called Pheobe and she helped me, so don't worry about it."
"It doesn't matter anyway, I haven't even started it yet."
"Oh...well, you can call me if you don't understand," he offered. I was about to respond, when he added, "well, I mean you don't have to. It would probably be better for you if you asked Pheobe, I mean she is your best friend right? Just thought I'd offer, but never mind."
"Arnold, calm down. If I need help, I'll ask you, okay?"
"Okay, cool," he replied.
There was silence for a few seconds. "I should go, I still have that trig homework to do," I told him. I was wishing I hadn't gone to the drama club meeting, because then I would have had the homework done, and we could have talked more. Not that it mattered, because we didn't have anything to talk about anyway.
"Oh, okay. So I'll see you tomorrow then, I guess." He almost sounded reluctant to go? Nah, it was just my imagination.
"Okay, see ya."
well, that's all for now, hope you like it, and there will be more soon.