Romeo and Juliet, the tackiest romance novel read for the thousandth time. She wished that the book's events and conflicts, one day happened to herself as well, in issues of fight between families, and seeing a forbidden love with the boyfriend of her older sister. The famous term 'until death do us apart' would have a really strong sense.
But to her, even knowing that each real story would be a living hell, even knowing she would face the problems face to face. poor Helga… crazy and totally living in another world. If love was like medicine, it was a matter of swallowing or being sick. To her, being crazy wasn't and terribly inspired all day was not enough, and by the books she read, like by the need to have a word with someone, she writes, writes letters, but never sends them.
— hey! — mumbles angrily, after feeling a pillow hit her head. was interrupted by her sister, almost had the courage to curse her.
— I am sorry Helgie, but they are asking us to help with the dinner table — Olga made her open her eyes, the girl always has been away from her family, except for her little sister.
The blonde girl changed the original position of sitting, closing her book and looking at her sister having a serious face like she was a disturbance.
— I will just finish this chapter! — exclaimed
— they die in the end, you had enough of knowing it, now come! — pulls her by the wrist, taking her out of the bed.
The family life was not thinking it would be good, they pretended to be civilized when visits showed at the door and parental control, but nobody in the neighborhood cared about it. they all cared for their own lives.
Her mother Miriam, is an odd woman, addicted to alcohol and illicit drugs, always forgetting her name and birthday. the father, Bob, a sexist and ignorant man that barely talks about his daughter' taste changing her name for the name of the eldest daughter.
That is less important for her plans, currently knowing about your daughter, living in suffering inside her room for the amount of pain her parents made her feel but didn't even care about her opinion.
Another interesting fact about Helga, besides the letters, is that sometimes, words can mean a little bit of her suffering looking for company she searched in others company that she did not have in her home.
The two sisters walked turn the dinner table, by Olga's welcome always was weird the reasons of such full plates if just four would eat until the bells rings, the father answers, shaking and welcome nothing less or more that him, her sister's boyfriend wich Helga wished the most
— oh look! if it's not my favorite son in law! — Big Bob shakes his hand making him laugh
— thank you so much, Mister Pataki, I was missing your daughter!
— Jim! — the oldest one calls his attention, the boy walks until Olga gives her tons of kisses. Helga seemed surprised by seeing him, on the stairs all blushed smiling like a fool girl.
— Helga! — both of them do a high-five but there is no dialogy.
James Ryan: the first of not receiving her letter, for just being a platonic crush, is a sea biologist, the main detail that made her feel this crazy attraction? obviously! Besides being special, but during some good time James was Helga's big best friend, after he moved to her neighborhood the main subjects were always "dna composts" , and of course, the sea animals that visited the aquarium every saturday.
for the fact it was more a friendship, Helga never been closer to admitting she fancies him, since he meet Olga, everything started to be different, when they meet each other again
— I will propose to you a challenge: between oxygenated water and urine, which one would be better to escape death? — the blonde girl created challenges to pass time
— it has to be a human one? — the boy asked
— or can be for an infected person! — she mocks
— you are weird, who did you learn that from? — he laughed
— i have my crazy theories — she rolled her eyes
however that began on the summer vacations of 9th grade, Ryan was an attentive neighbor, as much like an ordinary boy from collage, but he became a totally different person when Olga was around
— water, no doubt about that — the eldest says about what she asked the boy
— yeah whatever… — pretended to care, but for Helga don't mess things up at that time she was invited to join them in every date and event they attended. Helga did not feel comfortable standing there, holding a candle for them, everywhere she felt alone like she losted her best friend.
Not that she could leave him for dating your sister, the book she read made her like him in another way — either way, between the other two boys.when Helga falls in love she loses the line and the emocional. Since she was a kid was someone mean to her colleagues, but in her teenage years everything started to get weirder. Suddenly there are five letters, some of them associated with disappointment.
Their names were Eugene, from the arcade, James, studant and sea biologist, Gerald boyfriend of her best friend Phoebe — and detail she could never talk to her about it
Stinky, her ex childhood boyfriend, and lastly it was even more complicated from the ways she handled it after falling, he was unusual, right before James, was Arnold the problem of all of this. That never solved case in mid of February of 2004 — the year which she saw him for the first time — she spent her whole childhood all alone going to school in a rainy afternoon, all wet when a sweet little boy showed up, offering his umbrella and complimenting her pink bow.
She did not know how to express her feelings, she treated him in a harsh way and just did not care about what she said, but secretly he also fancies her. It was a great adventure for years until time did, then appart, when he traveled with his parents and never came back.
Helga hated everyone, but he was like a twin soul impossible to be separated from, he became a part of her that maybe it would never fade away
Again lost in her .thoughts her dad calls her to the dinner table:
— Helga, my daughter, aren't you hungry? — asked in a sarcastic tone, the dinner was chicken with potato cream, she hates it
— argh, Big Bob, it's that serious?! i will go eat, just let me alone a little bit
— hm, now i get it, are you being a rebel now? — he asked
— Bob, let her be! — the woman said in a strong voice — it's just a phase
— poor Pataki Junior — mocks Ryan, calling her for her nickname
'Phase, each day a slower one' Helga thought while sitting with her family and Ryan clogging herself with potatoes and sauce.
That night Olga was quiet while her parents talked she would finally tell them about her moving to Boston and about having an entrance in Harvard, but she was without patience, something was disturbing her dream, that something was Ryan, she did not know how that changing in her life came so fast, although she didn't had time to think about it.
— Honey! i got a trip to Boston, we can study together! — the blonde girl was surprised, it was a fast proposal, he had paid all but did not had time to make a choice
— Jimmy...you...why? — Olga was devastated, her parents did not wanted her on the same collage that her boyfriend, and did not wanted to disobey them
— isn't that great! Now we can be together — he answers in a very happy mood, but Olga had to follow her parents orders, now it was the chance to say goodbye, even though she was in love with him. It would hurt but one day that sacrifice would have been worth it.
The oldest left the table, asking James to follow her. Helga could not stop herself from listening to that talk, them Pataki decided to watch the couple by the window
The girl was upset to see the sister fight him that way but the choices she made had to be forgotten, Olga after finishing her discussion saw James come back home in a sad way.
The youngest stopped looking at the window, sighing nervously
— Olga! Wait, what happened?
— we broke up
— what? why? — she did not expect for that to happen, even liking James she was aware he was Olga's ex boyfriend.
— dad said i can't have a boyfriend on college, he said that even before you were born — she sighed
— but do you love him?
— yes! you will still know about this talk, will have plenty of boys to you to fall in love with yet. — She advised.
— oh, I get it is also a pity you won't be around. I will be killing myself by studying in school tomorrow — Olga laughed.
— I won't be far from you, never — hugged her sister — we will always chat by Skype, whenever you want.
Then everything started to change, again, her sister said goodbye to her trip to Boston, and her parents died of crying by seeing their daughter leaving.
Helga tried, at last following her sister's advice, she had to leave any boy behind, some will suffer, others will be mad.
she organized her room, taking away everything her sister left behind, everything was for donating, just like her toys and clothes. Helga kept everything without seeing it, but had forgotten one thing, her box was out of a safe place. Big Bob looked to the blue box, when he opened he saw a bunch of letters without checking the envelopes he saw Helga's name as the sender.
— Miriam! Helga left this here! Did she forget to send the mail again?
the woman yawned bored
— it must be the letters she would send to her friends and forget to tell, we talk to her another time.
Bob shrugged putting the letters on the mail boxes, Helga could barely imagine how screwed she was.