Well, school has officially started and that means that life has changed significantly since we've last talked.

We've finally moved back into the house thanks to Miriam. I came home from the first day of school to boxes everywhere but an actual bed to sleep in for the first time in months. I must say, you forget how nice it is to have a bed until you're forced to sleep in a sleeping bag on the cold ground for months on end. Olga called, and she's happy to know that I'm back in a stable environment. It's funny. I can't stand the girl but she really does care about me. I wonder if I'll ever wise up and cut the girl some slack.

As for school, getting around the place isn't too hard. My locker is sort of smack dab in the middle of the 7th grade area which is located downstairs and to the right of the long hallway that divides us from the 8th grade territory. All of our classes are in a round in the perimeter of the lockers which sit in the center of the space made just for us and there must be at least a dozen different teachers per class which makes finding your classes a little difficult at first, but once you get the routine down it isn't that hard. Go here, go there, find the shortcut to there, run upstairs and book it to gym or choir, then run back downstairs and make it in time for math. It isn't that hard and you find that five minutes is plenty of time to get to and from class to class and still see most of the people you want to see.

Like Arnold.

But five minutes is never enough time with him.

Especially when you have no classes with him except for lunch period and you aren't even on the same team and you know, full well, that a certain little miss perfect IS.

That's right. Lila Sawyer just so happens to be on Arnold's team. And she has three classes with him. Three! English, Math and Social Studies.

How do I know this? Well, Arnold let it slip that they were in English together and as for Math I just so happened to be in the hallway one day going to the bathroom and spotted them through the window of the door to the classroom. And social studies I figured out through Stinky who was bragging about having a class with Lila (he won't let his crush on her die) and he let it out that he shared the class with Arnold too.

So THAT'S just perfect. I get to know that Arnold is sharing quality time with Lila that he doesn't get to share with me. He always assures me that he doesn't care for her like that anymore, but my jealousy doesn't see it like that. My jealousy tells me that I'm a fool not to see that Lila will swoop him up in an instant and take him away from me like she did before. Maybe I'm being crazy, but I just have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that something will happen to us if I'm not careful.

And today, I felt like my feelings proved me right.

Today, Arnold told me that he had to miss our usual hangout night to work on an english project with little miss Lila.

"Wait...Lila? As in...LILA Lila?" I repeated into the receiver from back inside my home where we'd finally moved back into thanks to mom and her negotiating skills.

"Yeah. Trust me, she wasn't my first choice," he tried to convince me but I knew better. Ever since their kisses at Rhonda's place everything felt funky and I knew something had to be up. I could just picture him going right to her and asking her to be his partner. The whole thing made me sick.

But I had to play along. I couldn't let on that I knew anything because Arnold was sure to get angry with me if he knew just how jealous I really was. I had to prove to him that I trusted him, which I did, in a sense. It was Lila that I didn't trust. "So what's the project on?" I asked him and he sighed from over the phone.

"Of Mice and Men. We're supposed to read the book in the week and do a report on it with a partner on the themes and stuff and then present it to the class." He explained and I nodded my head though he couldn't see me.

"Ahh," I said, completely uninterested with the ins and outs of his actual assignment. There were so many other questions roaming around in my head. Who was his ACTUAL first choice if not for Lila? Was it another girl? Someone I didn't know? Did I have competition I didn't even know about? And if I did, what would I do about it? How could I thwart them before they ruined everything between us?

"Helga? Are you still there?" Arnold said and I quickly shook my head to return to reality and cleared my throat.

"Er, yeah. Yeah, I'm still here. Sorry. Just zoned out there for a bit. What did you say?" I asked and he was quick to repeat himself.

"I asked if you wanted to get together tomorrow night instead. I know it isn't family dinner night, but I'd love to have you over."

I couldn't help but smile at his kind offer and agreed. "Sure football-head. Tomorrow sounds great."

But I know I won't be able to sleep tonight knowing that Arnold is spending the whole night with Lila. It's just going to drive me bonkers imagining them laughing and giggling and spending all that time together without me there to protect him from her seductive ways. If seductive is even a word for what you call what Lila does. She's just so... charismatic or whatever. She gets guys to fawn all over her somehow and I'll never understand how. Sure she's nice and pretty and popular but who cares? I could be all those things too if I really WANTED to be but I DON'T so I'm NOT. I mean, I'm the sister of Olga freakin' Pataki, here. If it's ANYONE who could be the most popular, prettiest girl in the grade, it definitely could be me if I really wanted to have such a stupid title.

Anyway, I'd better get to work on my own homework. We're working on Of Mice and Men too, but we don't have to do partner work or anything for it. Just some packet thing we have to fill out after reading the book. Nothing too hard. My english teacher is pretty laid back and doesn't seem to take the class too seriously which is kind of a bummer considering english is my favorite subject. I'd really hoped for a teacher like Arnold has with a reputation for pushing their kids to their highest capabilities.

Oh well. The option of switching teams is still out there, I just have to talk to the school counselor if I decide, but I'm not ready to give up just yet. I still want to give Arnold his freedom and trust him the way I know I can if I just allow myself to. Though this partner thing isn't helping anything. I tell ya, the second school life starts to interfere with our outside life, that's when I demand to switch teams though, because that's one thing I'm NOT about to let change. I LOVE being able to have Arnold to myself in the off time from school and I'm not about to let middle school change that.

Here's hoping some stupid team doesn't ruin that,

Helga G. Pataki

Life is getting hard at school.

Those five minute windows I see Arnold less and less and instead see him talking to new people more and more. Granted, their usually more new guys from his classes but on the rare occasion I see him talking to new girls who are far prettier than I am and much funnier and classier than I am and it makes my blood start to boil.

Who is he to think that I won't find out? And more yet, that it won't bother me? I mean sure, maybe the green monster of jealousy is coming out and I'm just being utterly ridiculous, but what if I'm NOT? What if he finds someone in his new classes that is more charming and more charismatic and more... EVERYTHING that I'm not, huh? What if she's perfect in every way and he leaves me hanging out to dry?

I can't do this other team thing. You know what I found out today? I found out that teams get to go on field trips to the local water park and stuff like COOL stuff but ONLY with their teams. AKA I get to miss out on those cool field trips with Arnold because I'm stuck on a different team. Definitely not okay with me.

I mean, Arnold and I have been TRYING to make this whole thing work. I've been going to his place after school and seeing him and, believe it or not, he's actually come to my place a couple of times (even though we stayed in my room the entire time) and things have being going well, all things considered. But it just isn't ENOUGH for me. I spend all day in class THINKING about him and all the things he's doing in his other classes while I'm not there and it just drives me up a wall.

Also, did I mention that my english teacher hates me? Like HATES me hates me. For some odd reason, he thinks I'm trying to suck up and he is practically punishing me for it. I swear that's why he gave me a B on my short story. Even though I'm, and have proven, to be the best writer in the entire grade. At least from PS118. I heard Arnold's english teacher is the coolest teacher out there and I'm dying to get into his class. Maybe I can lead to that when I talk to the counselor about switching teams.

Because I AM switching teams. I've decided it right here and now because I just can't HANDLE it anymore. Maybe I'm being dramatic. Maybe I'm being absurd but frankly, I don't really give a hoot. If Arnold and I are going to make it through the first leg of middle school, something has to be done and a sacrifice is in order. And since HE isn't willing to switch to my team because he has faith in us and blah blah blah and all that other mumbo jumbo he goes on about, it's just going to have to be me who makes the leap and switches teams. For our sake.

I'll let you know how my conversation with the counselor goes tomorrow.

Ready to get what I want,

Helga G. Pataki

Well, I did it. I talked to the school counselor with... alright results.

Let me explain.

So I walk into the office during lunch hour, the only chance I have to have a decent conversation with the lady- Mrs. Christensen –who is in charge of the seventh grade class. I walked up to the reception desk at the front of the office and tapped my nails on the counter quietly until the woman on the phone hung up and glanced over at me.

"Can I help you?" She asked me and I cleared my throat before responding.

"Yeah, uh, I'd like to talk to Mrs. Christensen. About my uh... my schedule." I told her and the woman nodded her head while filling out a slip and handing it over to me.

"She'll call for you during one of your classes over the loudspeaker. She's out for lunch right now." She said while handing the yellow slip of paper into my hands.

I glanced down at the paper reading 1:35pm, Mrs. Christensen and nodded my head while folding the slip up into a tiny square and setting it to reside in the inside of my dress where I usually hid my locket. "Uh... thanks," I said with a forced smile and the receptionist nodded back to me while typing away at her computer.

So I went back to lunch feeling a little disappointed and agitated that I couldn't work out my new school schedule with the big head honcho but still relieved that by the end of the day things would be worked out.

1:35. I just had to wait until 1:35. That wouldn't be so hard, now would it?

Think again, Helga.

I found myself staring at the clock, waiting in wicked anticipation for the clock to hit the appropriate numbers on its face for my name to ring out over the loudspeakers to call me in for my meeting with Mrs. Christensen. Finally, at around 1:37, (yes, I knew the exact time it happened) static came through from the speakers along with the announcement I'd been waiting for.

"Would Helga Pataki please come to the office? Helga Pataki, please come to the office."

Practically jumping out of my seat, I moved to exit my Science class and run down the halls (inconspicuously so as nobody saw me to write me up for detention for something as dumb as running in the hallway) to make it to the office and enter the doors huffing and puffing, all while trying to keep my composure in preparation to meet Mrs. Christensen and plead my case.

"Hi," I said to the receptionist who was different than the one I'd met earlier in the day. "I'm Helga Pataki." I introduced myself and the woman reached up to point to her side where a few chairs sat and she began speaking with a fake smile plastered on her lips.

"You can wait over there. Mrs. Christensen will be right out to see you."

I smiled an equally fake smile back at her and walked over to the selection of chairs and took a seat, going through my case in my head as I waited.

Now remember Helga, I told myself, you are frustrated with your english teacher and you'd like to have Mr. Linders and your teacher instead. Which means you'd have to switch teams. Stick with the switching teams. No matter WHAT she offers you, you HAVE to switch teams. Got it?

"Ms. Pataki?" A voice called out for me and I raised my head to see a tall woman standing outside of a door with a genuine smile on her face. "I'm Mrs. Christensen. Why don't you come on in." She offered while gesturing for me to follow her, and I did, right into her office where we took a seat facing each other with her desk separating herself and I.

I looked around the room, its decorations making the room feel soothing and calming to be in. There was a mirror that looked like a window with curtains covering it to make it feel even more homier. There were little figurines on shelves all around the room, mostly Buddhas of different colors and sizes. She had a small bonsai tree sitting next to her computer and on the other side of her computer was an oil diffuser with the scent of peppermint filling the room. I felt at home here, somehow. And as I looked around the room, I found that I got lost in taking in everything that surrounded me before Mrs. Christensen tore me from my thoughts.

"So Ms. Pataki-" She said and I shook my head while holding a hand out to stop her.

"Call me Helga," I told her and she smiled while nodding her head and taking in the information.

"Helga," she replaced, "What is it that I can do for you?" She asked and I took a deep breath knowing this was my moment.

"Well," I started, "It's about my schedule. I'm... well to be honest. I'm not happy with it."

This made her frown and furrow her brow. "What is it that makes you so unhappy?"

"Well there's a few things but the biggest thing is my english teacher, Mr. Flem. He just... well I don't think he likes me very much. He doesn't take my work seriously and he doesn't push our class, or me, hard enough. I feel like I'm floating in that class. Like it's a breeze and I'm not even working my brain or thinking outside of the box."

"Ahh," She said while pulling up something on the screen of her computer. "So you want to switch english classes then? Is there a teacher you have in mind?" She asked and I grinned knowing just what I wanted to say.

"I was really hoping to be transferred into Mr. Linders' classroom. I hear nothing but good things about his class and how he really pushes his students to think outside their comfort zone which is something I need. See, I want to be a writer when I graduate. And I need a teacher who takes me seriously and who takes my work seriously." I explained and Mrs. Christensen nodded her head while clicking on a few things and typing a bit after that.

"Completely understandable. Well, it looks like I can move you into his classroom fourth hour and just replace the two hours without having to switch your teams. How does that work for you?" She asked and I immediately shook my head without thinking of a reason as to why.

"That doesn't work? Is there another problem?" She asked and I swallowed hard trying to think of something even though my mouth just blurted out the real issue.

"I really don't like my team." I said bluntly and she peeked out from behind her computer to give me an odd look.

"You don't like your team?" She asked and I nodded my head.

"You see... um... it's just that... well... so many of my friends are on the BLUE team. And while I know that middle school is all about widening your horizons and making new friends, I just think that, well, I would feel more... COMFORTABLE on a team with a few more people that I'm familiar with." I tried and she nodded her head as if understanding where I was coming from.

"I see," She said slowly while clicking away at her computer before typing again and printing something out. "Well, what I can do is I can switch you to the blue team, but it would alter all your classes so you'd have to memorize an entirely new schedule. Are you sure you're up to that?"

I grinned and nodded my head quickly. "Definitely," I said immediately before adding in for good measure, "As long as I have Mr. Linders."

Mrs. Christensen chuckled, "Of course," she told me, "He's a blue team teacher so you'll have him regardless."

"Oh good." I said before Mrs. Christensen presented me with the piece of paper she had printed and she pulled a pen out from her holder.

"Okay," she began before circling a few things on the paper. "Your new cycle days for gym and choir are the opposite from what they were so you'll have new classmates for that. And that will be your first hour, now."

Yes! I'll have gym and choir with Arnold now! I thought as she continued down the line.

"Your second hour will be Algebra, followed by Wellness, then English and Lunch, of course. Then you'll have Science, Social Studies and finally Woodshop." She told me while pointing to each one on the paper and I raised my brow at the last class she mentioned.

"Woodshop? When was THAT a class? I was taking Theater before that." I told her and she nodded her head.

"Woodshop and Theater are opposite of each other. They are the first two classes you get to experience before your electives class in eighth grade. But you'll learn all about that next year." She told me and I swallowed hard while glancing over the classes again trying to remember Arnold's schedule.

These were all wrong. According to Arnold's schedule, I'd only have Gym/Choir, English, Algebra and with him. I had to have more. I had to have them all.

So taking a limb, I took a deep breath and shook my head. "Can we... can we switch wellness and social studies?" I asked her and she raised a brow.

"And why would you want to do that?" She replied and I took a quick breath.

"Be-because... uh... well... the Wellness classroom is so much closer to the woodshop classroom and it'll just make my life so much easier."

Mrs. Christensen sighed before clicking away at her computer and printing another sheet of paper and quickly pulling it over to set in front of me.

"How about this? IT's the only way I could fit you in." She said and I glanced down at the schedule she'd arranged for me.

HOUR1: GYM/CHOIR – with Arnold

HOUR2: ALGEBRA – with Arnold

HOUR3: SOCIAL STUDIES

HOUR4: ENGLISH –with Arnold

LUNCH

HOUR5: SCIENCE

HOUR6: WELLNESS -with Arnold

HOUR7: WOODSHOP

I nodded my head while looking over the classes before pointing to woodshop and tapping my finger on the paper. "Is there any way I could switch science and woodshop?" I asked but Mrs. Christensen was already shaking her head from where she sat.

"Uh uh uh," she said, "No more changes. You've already been able to handpick your entire schedule at this point. And I'm pretty sure I know why."

I leaned back and crossed my arms while raising a brow. "OH yeah?" I asked. "And why's that?"

"You're the one dating that Arnold Shortman, correct?"

I swallowed hard. "Wh-what?" I asked, bewildered and she grinned while nodding her head.

"I take the time to be interested in my students' lives," she explained, "and it comes in handy in situations like these. Now look. I know that you really want to have all your classes with Arnold, but at some point, you won't be able to and you'll need to branch out to let your relationship breathe." She told me and I widened my eyes slightly as she continued to talk. "Now I'll let you have this semester, but come next semester, I may not be so willing to switch all your classes to match his. It isn't something we typically do. But you're new to the school and I get that having a relationship and coming here can be hard. So I try to bend with the times. I'm a cool teacher. Or at least I try to be."

I sighed, offering her a small smile.

"Yeah, yeah, you're pretty cool, Mrs. C." I told her and she smiled while patting her hands on the desk towards me.

"Now off you go. You can start your new schedule tomorrow."

So tomorrow is the day! Tomorrow I get to start my new schedule and be in classes with Arnold again! I suppose some is better than none. I can't WAIT to see the look on Arnold's face when I show up in his gym class first hour tomorrow!

Cheers to a new day!

Helga G. Pataki

So Arnold wasn't very thrilled to see me today and I'm still not entirely sure why.

I stayed away from telling him about my little switch-a-roo last night in order to surprise him today first hour but his face was far from surprised and looked much more along the lines of confused.

"Helga?" He asked as he stood in his gym clothes and I stood in mine walking in and grinning in his direction.

"That'd be me." I said proudly and he raised his brow.

"What are... why are you here? You aren't in this class..." he said and I shook my head with my grin still displaying on my face.

"Was. I WASN'T in this class. But... after a little chat with Mrs. Christensen yesterday, I had a few changes made to my schedule." I explained and Arnold crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes in my direction.

"Helga, you didn't." He said flatly and I frowned.

"What's so wrong with that? I don't get why you aren't happy that I'm here." I stated while dropping my arms to my sides.

Arnold sighed and took a step towards me. "It isn't that I'm not happy to see you Helga, I am, it's... it's more than that. It's the fact that you-"

But just as he was about to explain it to me, our teacher blew the whistle and class began with running laps around the gymnasium. A wonderful start to my wonderful day. Note the heavy sarcasm.

Next came Algebra which I graced Arnold's presence with, this time with a bit more hesitation while entering the classroom. I was beginning to rethink the whole switching teams idea, but it was too late to switch back so I had to grin and bare it.

I walked into the classroom and Arnold's eyes immediately gravitated towards me. He sighed. "Helga. You switched entire teams, didn't you?" He asked me while getting up from his desk and I frowned.

"Yeah. What's so bad about that?"

"I thought maybe you just switched gym cycle days since you already had it first period." He explained and I shook my head.

"No," I said while deciding to use my excuse from Mrs. Christensen on Arnold and hoped that it would stick. "I switched teams to get Mr. Linders as a teacher for English. My other teacher just wasn't cutting it for me."

"Uh huh," Arnold deadpanned, unconvinced, "and that just so happens to be the case when you were complaining about not having any classes with me, huh?" He pressed and I sighed realizing the jig was up.

"Alright, fine, MAYBE it was because I wanted to have some classes with you but Arnold, you don't GET it. I was going CRAZY! I hardly SEE you anymore!" I exclaimed and Arnold laughed humorlessly and shook his head.

"You know Helga, I think that you have to take a long hard look at yourself before you just go and do things. Did you even think to take into account how this might come across to me? The whole switching teams thing?" He quizzed me and I shook my head, confused as to where he was going with this.

"I guess I thought you would be happy to have classes with me," I said quietly before folding my arms and furrowing my brow into a tight line. "But I guess not, huh."

"Once again, it isn't that, Helga. You aren't seeing how this comes across to me. It's the fact that, to me, this looks like you really don't-"

"Okay class, time to turn to page 34 in our textbooks and you must be a transfer, Miss Pataki I presume?" The teacher asked me and I sighed, nodding my head.

Thwarted again.

It seemed to be the case the entire day.

Every time Arnold was about to finally tell me just how it appeared to him, the whole me switching teams thing, SOMEBODY got in the dang way and I never got to learn about what the deal was with Arnold. It was like the world was trying to stick its nose in the middle of my business and even when lunch rolled around, Arnold and I couldn't find two spots in the cafeteria together because we got there late from english and thus, we didn't even get to SIT together for cripes sake.

I'd have to make note to make sure we get to the lunch room a little earlier next time.

Anyway, I'm not going to Arnold's house tonight. I figure as much as I WANT to know what's going on in Arnold's weirdly-shaped brain, he must still need some more time to process the whole me coming into his classes deal and maybe he'll let up on me and see why I switched to begin with. He keeps going on about how I don't see it through his eyes, but I don't think he's seeing it through mine either.

Boys are weird.

Helga G. Pataki