Chapter 1: Prologue
Helga looked at herself in the mirror and surprised herself by thinking about how much she had changed in the last seven years, now she was no longer the rough-faced nine-year-old girl she used to be. Age had given her increasingly fine features and the insistent efforts of Olga had corrected her thick, bushy eyebrows and transform them into two lines above her eyes. She stroked her hair that was now loose to her shoulder, combed her bangs that almost covered her right eye, and finally put on a pink headband with a delicate ribbon. She was ready for her first day of school.
She was wearing her pink tank top and jeans shorts, some old sneakers and a black jacket that hung from her waist, age had made her more delicate in appearance but not in personality. She got on the bus and greeted her friend Phoebe, who was saving a spot for her.
-Today you look lovely Helga- She smiled at her closing her small and bright black eyes, she wore her hair in a ponytail to the left side that almost touched her waist, at twelve little Phoebe had begun to wear contact lenses which now she revealed her smooth and fine white complexion.
-Hey, yes, whatever you say. You're not bad yourself- Helga put her feet up on the seat in front and lay down comfortably- Wake me up when we get to school.
-God, you could have a little more class- Complained Ronda as she was getting on the bus. If there was a girl who had become really beautiful over the years it was undoubtedly Ronda Wellington Lloyd, almost half a year ago and following the advice of the most exclusive stylists in the city, Miss Lloyd had decided to keep her hair short with abundant side bangs giving her an older and more sophisticated appearance.
-If you don't like what you see close your eyes princess- The blonde complained while Ronda hissed something under her breath and sat next to her friends.
Suddenly the bus made one of the last stops before arriving at the school, the driver greeted attentively while a tall and blond boy entered holding the hand of a sweet and angelic redhead, Helga frowned and pretended to look away; of the many things Helga didn't like about the world, on the first place was, without a doubt, that Arnold, the boy she had loved madly since she was little, had officially started dating Lila. The blonde bit her lip as she watched from the corner of her eye as the happy couple looked for two empty seats on the bus, then she muttered something under her breath and stared at them sneakily. Lila still had a sweet and tender face, in fact she looked younger than most of the girls in her class, and unlike all the others she still had the same hairstyle as when they were little. Arnold for her part was now taller, had a square and firm back, and his blonde hair was silky smooth and fell delicately across his forehead and the little blue hat that he used to wear in his childhood years no longer fit on his head, so he wore it everywhere as a beautiful and unique keychain.
Finally, the bus stopped in front of the school and all the boys got out to start their new school year.
As Helga entered the classroom, she "accidentally" collided with that blond boy who she used to watch discreetly. Arnold fell to the floor abruptly.
-Be careful where you go ball head- she huffed, wiping her shoulder as if touching the boy had made it dirty. Arnold looked at her knowing that she wouldn't lend herself to help and got up alone.
-Don't you think you're a little old to keep calling me that way, Helga? Maybe you should grow up a little.
-I'll decide when to grow up, idiot- She pushed him again and took a seat at one of the desks in the classroom.
That first class was the same as all the first classes you can imagine, and while the teacher in charge emphasized over and over the rules of the institute, Helga focused on scribbling the pages of her notebook, with time she had not only become a skilled writer but also drew to perfection, so she decided to dedicate that day to draw a rough landscape on the back page of her notebook. It had been almost an hour since the teacher began to speak and she had not retained a single word, however she heard the last ones perfectly.
-Helga? Answer girl, change your desk to the one next to Arnold's. This year I will not allow you all to spend the whole class talking, so I will decide where you will sit- The girl blinked a couple of times without understanding anything, turned her gaze to Phoebe who was pointing to the desk next to the window that was exactly the one next to Arnold.
-Do I have to change places? – She asked.
-That's exactly what I just said- Replied the professor angrily.
-What if I don't want to change? Do you think that by sitting somewhere else I will pay more attention to your class? - She frowned and crossed her arms, honestly, she was dying to sit next to him, but before that was her reputation as a girl looking for trouble.
-I'm sure Miss Pataki that you do not want to spend your first day of classes in detention.
-I don't want to spend my first day of class changing seats just because your ass itches, sir- The teacher's face turned a tomato red colour and five seconds later Helga was in the hallway of the school.
- Filthy teacher - She complained while kicking a can, that was on the floor -As if Bob and Miriam cared if they gave me ten thousand punishments on the first day- The girl sighed and threw herself on the floor to continue with her drawing. Her pencil moved with less and less fluidity and the sigh that came from her lips became more and more constant, without realizing it, and as it happened many times, she saw herself submerged thinking about why Arnold, her Arnold, had ended up linked to that peasant girl.- What's so good about her? - She wondered for the millionth time in her head, after all, was she so bad? She was not a goddess of beauty but she was certainly not an ugly girl.- That stupid ball head, surely he only likes "goodies"- She snorted again -After all, I don't even know why I like someone like him- A long sigh escaped her lips, it had been a long time since she could answer easily that question, she knew that she was attracted to the boy by his natural charisma, his sweetness and his extreme goodness, but it was not only that, she had loved him from so long ago that he was a necessity to her. Seeing him daily, feeling her heart jump every time she heard his voice, Helga couldn't imagine a world without that feeling. From her pocket she took out a small heart key ring with some delicate words engraved on it, this was what now remained of that sick childhood obsession, she had kept a memory of the frame she used to carry with Arnold's photo; she had melted it and transformed it into a necklace to remember the way she felt about the boy.
The class ended and Helga joined Phoebe and the other boys who were sitting on some benches in the garden talking, most of the conversation she did not hear clearly because they were talking about a party at Nadine's that she really did not wanted to attend. She nodded a couple of times and then was absorbed looking at the sky.
-Helga? - The voice that she knew so much took her out of her daydream, she blinked a few times and looked at the boy in front of her with a frown.
-What do you want Arnoldo?
-I just wanted to ask you what you are doing alone, the others already left a few minutes ago.
-Is that any of your business?- She huffed and tried hard to frown, but it became impossible. -What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be all glued to your girlfriend Miss perfection?
-I don't even know why I even bother talking to you Helga. Would it be so difficult to be a little more pleasant?
-You mean a little more like Lila?
-It would not hurt you anyway- Arnold looked at the sky and then looked at his classmate, the truth is that sometimes he really felt frustrated due to the fact that despite the number of years that had passed, Helga continued to treat him with that cold resentment, many times he wondered if he had done something to her in her childhood that made her act that way with him.
-Why are you looking at me? - The young man came out of his reverie and smiled in a farewell before leaving, Helga let out the contained air and fell on the bench behind her.
-Why do I always have to be so rude? - She wondered while touching her heartbeat with her hands- I thought by now I would have told him what I feel ... How difficult can it be to say the words " I love you "? - A long sigh came from the girl's lips, she was not sure if she was frustrated by the fact that in her childhood she had thought that at that point she would already be Arnold's girlfriend or because she was aware that this obsession dragged along for so long was undoubtedly insane. She got up from the bench and looked at the completely empty high school garden, just as Arnold had said and all her friends had left without her noticing.
After spending a few seconds looking at the empty garden, she decided to stand from that place, surely, she would have already missed the bus at that point so she had nothing left to do but walk. The girl frowned disgusted with the idea, she walked slowly while complaining about that bad day to herself, everything that could have gone wrong had indeed gone wrong. A small stone on the floor served as a distraction, while watching as the stone rolled when kicked, she continued walking towards her house without looking well at the road, suddenly she collided head-on with someone.
-Be careful where you go! - Helga came out of her reverie, in front of her was a tall boy with dark hair and a leather jacket- Is it so difficult to use your eyes? - Helga had the feeling that she had seen the young man somewhere, if she remembered correctly, had been in the punishment room a couple of times, and although she couldn't remember the boy's name, she remembered perfectly that he was a senior and that he lived for trouble.
-I suppose it's just as difficult to use my eyes for me as it is for you to use yours, you could also see that I was coming from that sidewalk, idiot- The young man in front of her frowned and crossed his arms.
-Do you know who you're talking to?
-With some idiot from the street.
-No, you're talking to Dinn Stuart, little girl.
-Bla, bla, bla ... the only thing I heard was, you're talking to a idiot from the street- Dinn fixed his gaze on Helga and snorted, he was going to answer her when he felt that he had already seen her somewhere.
-I've seen you … Where? - Helga relaxed her face a little and shrugged.
-In the punishment room surely.
-Of course! The Pataki girl, right? - The young man let out a laugh - You're the girl who made the science teacher quit. It was amazing! - Helga drew a smug expression while puffing up her chest with pride.
-Well, what can I tell you, the guy took me to the limit- Dinn laughed again and then gave the young woman a smile.
-Wow, no wonder you are here at this time.
-What are you talking about?
-Well… to next to the garbage cans after class…. Aren't you coming for what everyone is coming? - Helga looked at him for a few seconds, she was sure she had heard something about that place in the detention room, but at that moment she had a hard time remembering exactly what- Hello? Did you come here to smoke? - The girl opened her eyes in shock and shook her head energetically.
-No, no! I was just late ... - Dinn scrutinized her and then shook his head, still with a semi smile on his face, he put his hand on the girl's shoulder.
-Come on, you don't have to lie to me ... between people like us there are no secrets, it's okay if you do it, a lot of guys do it- She denied it again.
-I'm telling you that I did not come to that. Is it that you don't understand English? She answered harshly- Nor my friends or I do that kind of stupidities.
-Your friends? You mean the band of good guys from your year? ... Are you really hanging out with those losers? ...
-Careful what you call them! They will be losers, but they are my losers.
-Okay, okay ... don't take it the wrong way ... I just didn't imagine that you would hang out with people ... like this ...
-"This" meaning?
-That's they are boring, I mean, you seem like the kind of girl who likes a little more ... How would I put it? Action- The young man' smile widened.
-Action my panties, if you think that putting a piece of scorched paper in your mouth is action then check your head, brother- Dinn laughed slightly.
-You have attitude, you have courage ... Why have we never spoken?
-Because I have a radar that filters idiots like you out of my way- Helga moved Dinn out of her way but he returned to face her.
-Come on, you don't have to be like that with me, I'm like you… in fact I think we could get along very well- Dinn walked two steps and pushed Helga against the wall, placing his arm on it as though he had her locked up.
-And I think you should know what personal space is.
-Come on, tell me your name and let's agree to do something one of these days- Helga frowned and placed her clenched hands in front of the young man's face.
-I will tell you the name of these friends, she is Betsy, and these here are the five avengers, now you leave me, or they are going to have a date with your face.- Dinn laughed again, took Helga's fist with his free hand, and lowered it, and by inertia Helga lowered the other fist.
-Don't be like that, I'm doing it nicely.
-I told you to run, you idiot- Dinn was going to speak again when a third voice was heard.
-She asked you to move, listen to her, please- The girl's heart raced when she heard Arnold's voice next to her. Dinn turned away from Helga and stared at the blond boy in front of him.
-And who are you?
-I'm Arnold, Helga's classmate, and I think you should consider your manners with others, if someone asks you to….
-Who asked for your help ball head? I can handle this idiot by myself, I don't need your good-boy face and your good will to get me out of this- Arnold opened his eyes in surprise while Dinn burst out laughing.
-But Helga, I thought ...
-You don't think. Do you think I can't defend myself? –Arnold kept his eyes fixed on her, then turned to see Dinn, quickly took the girl by the arm and pushed her away a little.
-Helga, I understand that you don't like to be helped but…. That boy is Dinn, I don't think it's good for you to be around him, the boy is a problem ... I was just trying to help you.
-Help yourself Arnoldo, I'll see who I hang out with and who I don't.
- Do you hang out? Are you friends with Dinn?
-Maybe yes, maybe not. Why do you care?
-Well, it's just that ... I don't think it suits you much ...
-What are you talking about Arnoldo? I'm talking to him not buying a shared property ... God, meddle a bit in your affairs- Helga pushed Arnold to the side and stared at Dinn, the boy had dark and tousled hair and two huge light grey eyes. Why did Arnold have to worry about her talking to that boy? Not everyone in the world was as perfect as him, big deal, and yes, deep down Helga was melting because he had come to save her, just like the knight that he always was, however, her strong and dominant character could more that her soft and sweet heart -Hey you, Dinn, let's get something to drink before I regret it- The boy half smiled and went to Helga, the girl did not say anything else and passed by Arnold without saying a word.
The next day the desks were changed in the arrangement that Professor Heggins had assigned the day before, with or without Helga's consent her position had been moved next to that of a certain blonde boy. When Helga got to the room, everyone was seated and class had started, the teacher was going to give her a delay, but she just went to her seat and stood there without paying more attention to anything. After making sure that her problem-seeking stance was clear, she turned her attention to the blackboard and began to quickly take notes of what was written there, since she was a brilliant girl missing twenty or thirty minutes of a class to seem more unconcerned than she really was, she didn't lower her excellent grades.
-Wow ... that was a difficult problem and you solved it like nothing- Helga turned to see how Arnold smiled at her while looking at her worksheet.
-It's nothing, it's the same as the example that the teacher wrote on the blackboard, I just replaced the numbers ... – She lowered her gaze timidly, when Arnold appeared out of surprise, she was left defenceless, and it took her a few moments to reposition herself so as not to look like the stupidly in love girl she really was.
-By the way, Helga… How was it yesterday with Dinn? - Arnold now looked down- I know you don't like people getting into your life but, that boy really is a disaster- The blonde bit her lip not to let out a sigh, Arnold always so charming and concerned for everyone, it was in those moments that she realized that no matter what she did she would always be in love with him, her enraptured face soon turned into a frown.
-I told you yesterday, who I meet with and what to do is not your problem.
-I know Helga but… we've known each other for a long time, and I know you don't like me but still I think we're friends… - Arnold sighed and turned to see her with a smile- And I've always thought that we should all take care of each other. Don't you think?
-I know how to take care of myself, I knew how to do it when I was nine years old, and I know how to do it now- Helga flapped her hair and let it fall like a curtain that separated her from Arnold as she returned to concentrate on her math exercises. Her heart was beating fast and strong, the young man's calm voice always had a certain hypnotic aspect about it, and his sweet words had made her melt like a chocolate on a summer day, if she didn't stop looking at him at that moment maybe she wouldn't be able to contain herself from kissing him. If being friends with Dinn made Arnold care about her then there was nowhere to get lost, with Dinn close Arnold would be attentive to her movements, or at least she was sure of that.