I looked over to Helga and she seemed unfazed, like she didn't care she got in trouble. Me on the other hand, I was internally panicking. I was never the type to get in trouble, but I had to remember that I got myself in this situation.

I didn't know how my grandparents would react though.

Since Helga and I were still at school and it hadn't been too long since it ended, we had to go to a classroom right that second for detention.

I went to the back of the classroom, and Helga sat down next to me. It was just us alone in detention.

The principal got out the classroom phone and started calling my grandparents and Helga's parents.

"Hi, this is the principal of Hillwood High. I'm calling on behalf of your grandson, Arnold Shortman. The principal started talking to my grandpa. "He has gotten detention."

I obviously couldn't hear what my grandpa was saying but my heart was doing a flip flop at the thought of what it could've been.

I mean, he didn't get mad in the slightest the first time I had gotten detention in the fourth grade. But it was probably because it wasn't my fault.

And now, at seventeen years old, everyone around me had expected me to not do anything wrong.

Except Helga...

"Yeah, it's a shocker, isn't it? Well, he's gonna be home late." The principal continued. "Okay, bye."

"Now to call Helga's parents..." He said.

"Hah! You can try." Helga remarked.

"I will try, they need to know about your detention." The principal responded.

"Good luck. They're not gonna pick up."

He proceeded to dial the number anyway, multiple rings following.

"Your mom isn't picking up..." The principal said.

"Of course she isn't. She is passed out on the couch." Helga said.

"Let's try your dad..."

The same process repeated, no response from her dad following.

"He is at work, of course he didn't pick up." Helga said.

"Where does he work?" The principal asked.

"Oh my god, why is he so persistent to call my parents?" Helga asked with a strong hint of agitation in her voice.

"Where does your dad work?"

"He works at pizza hut..."

The principal started dialing numbers on the telephone again, this time actually getting an answer.

"Can I speak to Bob Pataki, please?" He asked.

A few seconds later he moved the phone away from his ear.

"They don't know a Bob Pataki..." He said.

Helga's lips curled upward into a devious looking smile and then she burst out into laughter right after.

"My dad doesn't work at pizza hut!" Helga admitted.

I chuckled softly a tiny bit. It was disrespectful to trick the principal like that, but I reluctantly admitted to myself that it was kind of funny.

"Helga, that was not okay to trick me, the principal like that. Please give me his actual workplace." The principal said sternly with crossed arms.

"Alright, alright. He works at Big Bob's beepers." Helga said.

"Hello? This is the principal of Hillwood high. I'm calling on behalf of your daughter, Helga Pataki." The principal said once he finally reached Helga's father.

Helga's dad was speaking so loudly that I could actually hear what he was saying on the other line.

"Seriously?! This would've never happened to Olga!" Bob said.

"Again with this Olga bullshit? God." Helga exclaimed quite angrily.

Because of the things Helga had said while the principal was trying to get in contact with her parents, I was wondering what had gone on with them. But I tried not to think about it too deeply for the time being.

I decided that I would work on the notes for Rhonda and Sid while I had the time. I got out my notebook and started working.

"I thought you'd have your stuff done by now." Helga said.

"This isn't my work. I'm writing notes for Rhonda and Sid." I said.

"They're making you do their work for them? That's fucking hilarious." Helga laughed.

"I'm not doing it for them, I'm helping them."

"These assholes are taking advantage of your genorosity. They should be taking their own damn notes."

"It's not a big deal."

"It's okay to say no sometimes. You don't want to be doing all this stuff, do you?"

People were always asking me to help them with their problems, and I always gladly accepted because I loved helping people. But maybe it did get excessive. Maybe my kindness was being taken advantage of. I guess I did need a break, because I realized that I've helped too many people to count.

Everyone saw me as perfect, but I wasn't.

"I do, actually. But maybe not all the time?" I said.

"Anyway, I guess I'd like to apologize for getting you in detention. I guess shouldn't have asked you to help me." Helga said.

"It's okay, I agreed to help you."

"Why did you agree, anyway?"

"I don't know. It was my impulsive side, I gusss."

"Or are you afraid to say no to Helga G. Pataki?"

"I am not! You aren't that scary."

"I'm surprised you don't think that. I'm bad to the bone."

"No, you're not."

It was natural for me to say that whenever Helga said she was bad, even after all these years. Helga was still saying she was "bad" in high school. But I for someone reason, I still didn't believe her completely.

Optimism can be a dangerous thing.

But did show me a soft side just a few minutes ago when she genuinely apologized for getting me into detention.

"Hey! No talking. This is detention." The principal called out.

"Asshole." Helga muttered under her breath.

I listened to the principal and continued to write my notes. I took a glance over at Helga, and she was just staring into the distance with a blank expression, looking bored.

I ripped out a page from my notebook, and started writing on it.

"Here is my phone number.

555-875-2564."

I couldn't believe that I had just boldly gave Helga my phone number like it was nothing.

She had my phone number when we were kids, but that phone stopped working after a while, and she never got my new number... until now.

I lightly tapped Helga's shoulder and handed her the piece of paper while the principal wasn't looking. Helga then took the note from me, and got a notebook out of her backpack. She ripped a piece of paper out of it and started writing. A few seconds later she handed it to me.

"Wow, now you're writing notes after the principal told you to stop talking. You are out of control today. What are you gonna do next?

But thank you for the phone number, football head."

I lightly chuckled at Helga's sarcastic remark as I pulled out another piece of paper and started writing.

"Don't hold your breath... today was just a weird day.

And you're welcome."

A slight smirk appeared on my face before getting back to writing my notes.

"Okay, you can get out of here." The principal announced to us about ten minutes later.

As I was about to leave, the principal stopped me as Helga walked out of the room.

"Arnold, please stay out of trouble. I know peer pressure is hard to avoid, but I know you are better than this." He told me.

"Okay... thank you." I said.

"You may go." The principal said.

As I walked home, I reflected on the day that I had, and how I had made a very impulsive decision.

Everyone around me has always expected me to be a perfect boy. Perfect grades, perfect behavior, pretty much perfect everything.

And frankly, I was quite tired of it. I guess I just wanted to do something that wasn't perfect, and Helga happened to offer me to do something that fit that criteria. But why would I choose that out of all things?

Something else I thought about was that I was worried about how my grandparents would react to me getting detention.

About fifteen minutes later I arrived at the boarding house, ready to face my grandparents.

"Hi, Abner." I greeted to my pet pig who was waiting for me inside by the door.

"Well if it isn't my little delinquent Shortman!" My grandpa called out, a chuckle escaping his mouth.

"D-delinquent?!" I questioned somewhat dramatically, covering my mouth and my face that was starting to turn red.

"Relax, Shortman! I'm just kidding around. You kids get flustered too easily..." My grandpa explained in his normal joking voice.

"You're not mad at me?" I asked in a confused tone, lightly cocking my head to the side.

"I can't get mad at you, and besides, it probably wasn't your fault, was it?"

"Um... I think it sort of was. See, Helga invited me to do something that is against the rules... and I ended up accepting it. And we both got detention for it."

"Helga? Your friend with the one eyebrow?"

"Yeah..."

"I still think she likes you... and because you accepted her offer, I think you like her too!"

"Gerald told me that he thinks I like her too... but I'm not sure if I do or not! Even if I did, I doubt she would like me back... she hasn't talked to me for years... until this."

"Why don't you find out?"

"I can't just go up to a girl like Helga and ask her something like that! It's not that easy."

"You don't have to aprubtly ask her... you can wait to find out at the right time..."

"Okay, thanks. But since when did you get so good at advice, grandpa? The only advice you've really given me is to never eat raspberries."

"Your grandmother was a lot like your one eyebrowed friend when we were young. I have a lot of romantic experience, Shortman!"

"Thanks, Grandpa."

"No problem, my favorite grandson!"

"I'm your only grandson..."

"And that's why you're my favorite!"

"Haha, very funny."

"I gotta go help Pookie with dinner. Good luck, Shortman."

And with that suprisingly useful conversation, I decided that I was going to try and spend more time with Helga, starting the next day.

Because for some reason, there was a part of me that didn't want her slipping away.