Everyone changes with time. A day, a week, a month, a year... they all count. So how much can a group of rag tag 4th graders from P.S. 118 change with junior high, high school, and a whole bunch of history between those seven years? A whole lot.
Years Later
Getting Into the Game
Helga was the Grand Dame, the Head Honcho, the big Kahuna, the Queen (as well as the King), and the Overall Ruler of Sparta, Crinshaw's newspaper... and there was no doubt in anyone's mind otherwise, because Helga Pataki made sure that everyone knew it.
She was the Chief Editor of Sparta and the only person she had to answer to was Mr. Simmons, who became a Language Arts teacher in Crinshaw four years ago. And of course because of Mr. Simmons' very intricate teaching philosophy, he thought it was better to stand back and let the students use the full extent of their creativity on the newspaper. This pretty much left the Chief Editor as the leader of the newspaper.
The newspaper ran on a bi-weekly schedule and people were either assigned or picked events to cover for the newspaper. As Chief Editor, Helga would oversee the projects, accept or reject stories for the newspaper, review and revise some of the stories, and sometimes write a few stories for Sparta—but because she was highly opinionated against the function of the school and all things dealing with the school, she rarely actually wrote articles.
Last year Julie Grant was the Chief Editor and was in her senior year at Crinshaw, she had been overlooking Sparta since her sophomore year. Sparta members, excluding Mr. Simmons and Roxannr, made their votes for the new Chief, either Helga or Sophia Clementine, a popular Spartan cheerleader.
It was a tie.
The tiebreakers were between the current Chief and the newspaper advisor. So immediately when Julie and Mr. Simmons walked into an office to talk over their decision, people began to congratulate Sophia. Roxanne was not only the Chief Editor of Sparta, she was also a Spartan cheerleader and the granddaughter of the Coach Grant, the Spartan football team coach, the god of the gods. But what many people did not know was how much of a shrewd person Julie was and then there was the little unknown fact that she didn't believe in the spoils system that the school had created.
That was probably why when Julie and Mr. Simmons announced that the new Chief Editor was going to be Helga, many of the staff members were shocked. From that moment on, Helga was Chief Editor in training—which basically meant she was the Chief of Sparta, but had Julie there to advise her.
When Julie and Helga worked late one night finishing up the school's last edition of Sparta for the school year, Julie gave Helga a piece of advice. "Play into their hands and they'll love you, turn away from them and they'll hate you. Do yourself a favor and just go along with it, after all, you don't want your career ruined before it's even started… like Anna Trappe." And that was that...
Helga stood in front of Sparta's headquarters, in the Language Arts Hallway on Crinshaw's second floor. The room used to be the National Honor Society headquarters, until Janice Grant, Julie's older sister who had been Chief Editor before Julie, convinced the principal that the school was involved with the football team, therefore they needed a larger operating room. Needless to say, within a matter of twenty-four hours the National Honor Society members found that their headquarters had been located into the former, not to mention smaller, newspaper headquarters. This was the first time that Sparta had made an enemy out of a Crinshawnian club, but is certainly wasn't the last.
Helga was sure that ever since that day the room had looked the same way it did now— full of old school records and files, computers, encyclopedias, newspapers, and other countless reference books. As she sat in a warm and plushy chair behind the all important Chief Editor desk, she could only smirk as she watched the entire staff gather in the room in a highly organized fashion that only could attributed to the self-importance of the Crinshawnian cockiness that seemed to float around like a disease in Hillwood. Hillwood would never change and its residents would never learn its lesson, Helga had gotten used this fact a long time ago, but that didn't mean that she had to enjoy it.
When the last person walked in and took their place among the crowd, all eyes focused on Helga, but she did not flinch or shy away, she was quite used to large groups of people staring at her. Although it usually wasn't for a good reason.
"Okay, as we all know, the football team's first game is on the 24th." There were a few hoots from the back of the room, but Helga dutifully ignored them and continued to speak, "So as a Sparta tradition we will be doing recapturing Spartan history and interviewing the boys and staff of the team then publishing it as a special edition on the 22nd. I want Sheena, Erik, Iggy, Frank, and Jessie interviewing the team in groups of five." Helga pointed to a paper posted on a board behind her. "On there you'll find out who you'll interview. Come to me after this so we look over the list of questions for the interview. I want Leah and Laurence to interview the staff. Same things apply to you two." Both Leah and Laurence nodded in understanding.
"Erika and Phil I want you two doing the Spartans' football history, the wins, the losses, the championships, the heroes ...blah blah blah... the usual. You two can basically take the issue from the last year and copy it, but remember to add on the new records and make it look like we actually put some effort into it."
There were some snickers around the room, but once again, Helga continued on speaking to the staff, or rather, her staff. "I've gotten clearance to have these interviews during school on Friday, during first period and homeroom, the football players along with Sparta members involved will be called from class. I will need everything for this issue in my e-mail mailbox by the 18th, no later than midnight because we are going to need to get them to print on Sunday by five o'clock in the morning, not the afternoon Grant," Helga watched as the petite blonde known as Jenny Grant winced at the allusion to a mistake she had made last June. "That way we'll be able to get them out by Monday. Everyone else should start working on their stories for the regular issue, so when we have to make that deadline for Saturday, we'll still be on schedule. Is that okay with everyone?" Helga gave her audience cursory glance and saw no objections. "So, I guess this meeting is adjourned and everyone can get back to their first period classes."
Helga stayed behind and talked to the people she had assigned jobs to for the special edition, once everything was cleared up, they made their ways to the door, leaving Helga and Phoebe behind in the room. Phoebe, who was coincidentally one of the Junior Editors, sat quietly in a chair, one step under Helga. Normally she would help Helga clear up the Headquarters, but today she was just waiting for Helga to say something. After all, she known Helga for ten years, and she always knew when the blonde was definitely thinking something, it was just a matter of how long before Helga actually made her opinion known.
Helga picked up her history books and headed for the door with keys in hand and Phoebe following her. "Y'know," Helga paused for a moment as if she was trying to gather her thoughts, "I can't stand how this whole damn town deify those stupid football players… It's goddamn sickening."
Phoebe smiled; she knew that was what Helga was going to say, so fortunately she knew what to say back. "You know that this whole town is living through them vicariously."
Helga locked Sparta's Headquarters and dropped the set of keys in her pockets, she would have to give them back to Mr. Simmons before school was over. "But it is so damn annoying. They fill them up with all these hopes and dreams, all these false perceptions of reality, and they all only wind up having a miserable life. Have any Spartan's ever made it to the NFL!" Phoebe opened her mouth. "Andrews doesn't count because he got kicked out because of steroids and drugs! All of them think they're the shit, but if they keep up their lives thinking that way they won't amount to anything! Football is not King, it is stupidity."
"I know that, you know, I'm sure even those fans who root them on and live through them know that. But try telling them that."
Helga stopped walking for a moment before the customary Helga 'Badass' Pataki smirk replaced her scowl. "I think I'd rather not, I don't want to ruin my high school career or my future career as a writer like Anna Trappe. I do plan on going places in my life."
(Y/L)
Helga had just finished her stretches by the stands and was walking to the racetrack to join the rest of her gym class, when a hand covered her eyes. She felt the pressure of something resting on one of her shoulders and something else wrap around her waist.
"Guess who?" The person whispered into her ear.
Without any hesitation, Helga elbowed Sid in his stomach and pulled out of his arms. "Next time, try disguising your voice, Smarty Pants."
Sid sniffled playfully and rubbed his stomach. "Aww, come on Helgs," He draped an arm around her shoulder. "Don't be that way."
"How many times have I told you to not call me that name?"
"I dunno." Sid said, shrugging his shoulders "I lost count after eight hundred and forty-six. But I do know that you're beauty is intensified when you're pissed off and ready to beat the crap out of me... it completely turns me on. It makes me really, really horny."
Helga laughed and pecked Sid on his mouth. "Sid, I don't know what I'm going to do with you."
Sid took this time to nuzzle his nose in the nook of her neck before answering her in a whisper, "Hopefully bend me over your knee and spank me."
The blonde female looked at her friend for a moment, and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something. At the last moment, Helga thought better of it and closed her mouth with a sharp snap before rolling her eyes and continuing on her way to the racetrack, not even bothering to try and remove Sid's arm from her shoulder. Gym was Helga's ninth period class, the last and final class of the day for Helga and unfortunately Phoebe was not in the class, but, fortunately Sid was.
Sid, being the person he was, did not care that Helga or Phoebe were not popular; he thought they both were interesting to be around. Especially when they were joking around— their conversations almost sounded as if they were scripted, and Sid loved a good laugh. Around the end of ninth grade, Helga began to consider Sid a good friend and by the beginning of tenth grade, Helga, Phoebe, and Sid were best friends.
The made an odd trio.
Helga, the cynical and sarcastic one.
Phoebe, the sarcastic and shrewd one.
Sid, the joking and friendly one.
As they neared the racetrack Helga could feel the frosty glares being directed at her by Sid's fan club. "If you don't mind so much, my dear, would please take your arm off my shoulder."
"Why should I?" While Sid did show that it was actually an intelligent being at very few and far between rare times, he tended to lean towards obliviousness 99.9 of the time.
With a sigh, Helga explained to Sid the precarious position he was putting her in, "Because if you don't I have this distinct feeling that I'll be maimed by the mob that calls itself your fan club… and if I fight them off, which I'm sure I would, I'm fairly sure I'll get suspended, and no offense, but I really don't feel like getting suspended on the first month back because of you."
Instead of letting Helga go, Sid drew her closer to him and licked his lips suggestively. "And should I tell them that you and have been involved for years? Or, what if I tell them that I am madly in love with you?" He drawled, lowering his voice until it was husky.
Other girls would a) faint b) squeal c) kiss him d) become— in Phoebe Speak— 'ragingly randy' or e) do a weird combination of all four, but not Helga.
"Cut the crap." Helga ducked out from underneath Sid's arm and pushed him away, before she smirked at him. "Plus, we both know who you really are madly in love with."
Sid was not fazed. "Who's that?"
Helga moved in closer to Sid and planted a kiss onto his mouth before smirking, "Why Sheena Smithe, of course."
Sid sputtered, opening and closing his mouth, tripped, and crossed his eyes all at once, before he could actually formulate a sentence. "I-I-I don'- I do not!"
Helga gently closed his jaw as she pouted, "You don't have to lie to me, baby. I've seen the goo-goo eyes you send her way every time she passes you."
"Damn, I thought you didn't see those."
"No, I didn't. But I now know that you do… but don't worry, I won't tell her. At least not intentionally."
Sid said nothing, he just glared at her.
Helga held her arms up in a mock surrender, "Fine, I won't tell her at all, period, dot, exclamation point, or whatever punctuation mark that makes you feel the most comfortable."
"Thank you!" Sid moved to hug Helga.
Helga moved away from Sid and smiled, "That's why she is going to be interviewing you and four other players for Sparta."
Sid's mouth dropped and his face went blank.
"Pataki! Gifaldi!" Their gym teacher shouted, from the racetrack where the rest of their class stood. "Get over here and stop flirting!"
Sid blushed and sputtered as Helga calmly walked away from him. "Whatever you say Mr. Hansen!" Helga glanced back at Sid. "Coming Mr. Sheena Smithe?"
(Y/L)
Helga wore the standard blue and white waitress dress with her blonde and pink hair twisted back into a tight bun as she served people sitting around the counter.
"I don't think I've ever seen someone turn that red in .05 seconds."
Phoebe shook her head in remorse for Sid. "We both knew about his crush, but there was no need to hold it over the poor guys head."
Helga gave a truck driver his steak and mash potato dinner with a friendly smile, something Ms. Patty forced her to wear. Helga could deal with the outfit that definitely took away from her highlights (not to mention clashed in a horrible non-clashing clashing un-Helga sense), she could deal with the stares from the old men and truck drivers, and she could even deal with the odd hours. Helga could stand all of these things, but she just couldn't stand smiling at the people who didn't know where to keep their hands and what not to put their hands on.
But no matter how much Helga disliked her job, she would never quit. If Helga needed to work off the books, Patty let her work off the book. If Helga needed more hours, Patty gave her more hours. It was a positive give and take relationship that Helga saw no need to end, therefore she wouldn't end it. Plus she was getting money the legal way, what more could any person ask for?
"I couldn't help myself. The temptation was too great!"
"Let me guess, 'Lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself', right?"
"Exactly."
Helga was working the graveyard shift at the diner and Phoebe stopped by to give Helga a visit. Both her parents were doctors and they were both workaholics, leaving Phoebe in her house alone to do as she pleased. This, of course led to Phoebe being on the street at twelve twenty-one a.m., because this was what pleased Phoebe.
In the swivel chair next Phoebe, was the sleeping form of Hilda, wrapped up in Helga's coat to insure as much comfort for the first grader. Meanwhile, Hilda slept in a chair next to Phoebe. To Hilda, Phoebe was like her other sister. Whenever Helga was working late, early, on the weekends, or whenever Patty called her in, Phoebe always stepped in to help her best friend, and Hilda loved Phoebe for that. Plus Phoebe had a treasure load of snackage, junk food in Phoebe talk, and had the Princess Powder Puffs: Princess' Power game, what more could a first grade girl ask for?
After her shift was done, Helga disappeared into the backroom of the diner. When she came back, her hair was free and she wore her fading favorite pair of blue jeans with a brown shirt layered over a long sleeved white shirt— she was back to normal Helga clothes. She held a pink and brown knapsack along with a small purple and pink one. She shouldered the pink and brown one then handed the smaller one to Phoebe.
Carefully, as not to wake Hilda, she picked up the young girl and began heading towards the exit that also doubled as the entrance of Patty's Diner with Phoebe walking next to her. Just as Phoebe reached to open the door, it flew open and both Helga and Phoebe had to jump back so that they wouldn't be hit by the door. Seconds later, Harold, Arnold, and Gerald, with their respective girlfriends wrapped in their arms, strode in the diner as if they owned the place, with Sid, Wolfgang, Kaylia and Nadine walking behind them.
Lila looked around and caught of Helga's distinctive hair color. She looked at Helga in disgust and turned her nose into the air before she spoke to her loyal subject, "Hello, freak."
"Hello Miss. I-Can't-Think-Of-Anything-Original-So-I'll-Call-You-Something-Only-A-Kindergartner-Would-Find-Insulting… I do believe that my sister could come up with something with more of a sting. What do you think, Pheebs?" Helga said before turning her head to look at the person standing beside her.
Phoebe nodded her head in agreement, "I concur."
"So your Royal Pain in the Ass, how are your feeble mind cells doing today?"
Lila, along with Rhonda, Kaylia, Nadine, and Kamelia opened their mouths to insult Helga back, but Phoebe had already begun to speak.
"Now, now, now, Helga, just because her brain cells don't have the same mental capacity as yours do, it doesn't mean that you should make fun of her. Remember what they say about teasing half-witted animals." Phoebe grabbed Helga's free arm and dragged her out of the diner. "Have a good evening all." Neither Helga nor Phoebe looked back to see the looks of outrage and dark glares that followed them.
After walking ten blocks or so, Helga and Phoebe reached the street that would lead Phoebe to her house. "Bye Phoebe."
"Bye Helga, tell Hilda I said bye." Phoebe put Hilda's pink and purple bag in Helga's knapsack before she walking in the direction of her house Meanwhile, Helga kept walking down C Street with her sister sleeping in her arms and only the street lights to guide her. It took five minutes before Helga sighted 1422 L Street, the place she had called her home her whole life. A place the caused evoked happiness, sadness, and angriness from Helga G. Pataki. It was a place mixed, full of both pain and joy, but in the end, Helga knew it was just a two story house laid together with wood and steel, and painted to look pretty.
The house was engulfed in darkness, meaning that Big Bob was out getting drunk off of her money. Balancing Hilda in one hand, Helga pulled out her Pink Panther key chain with her other hand and opened the front door. She walked in the house, but did not even bother to even give the house a chance bathe itself in light; she simply navigated through the darkness and made her way up the stairs.
After getting Hilda dressed in her night clothes, she tucked the small girl into bed and locked the girl's door behind her with a key on her chain. When Big Bob came home from his night rendezvous, he was never quite coherent, and Helga wasn't quite sure what he would say in his alcohol induced anger. There was no need for him to take this anger out on Hilda, if he wanted a fight he could always find one in Helga. At least now Helga didn't have to fight him or his girlfriend that he kept breaking up and getting back together with.
She walked down the hallway until she got to her own room, which she unlocked it with another key and stepped inside. Once she saw that nothing was missing she locked herself in for the night.
It was twelve-fifty nine a.m. she was absolutely exhausted and she wanted to sleep… no, she didn't just want to sleep, she needed to sleep, but she still had an essay she needed to type and trigonometry problems to finish. Helga opened her knapsack and pulled out the notebook that she conveniently used for every subject before grabbing her laptop that she kept underneath her bed.
There would be no sleep for Helga G. Pataki tonight– or rather this morning.
After all, Helga thought to her self. There is no rest for the wicked.
(Y/L)
Nope, I still don't own Hey Arnold! 'Cause if I did I would have more than ten dollars in my pockets. Thank you BellaMay76, vashfan311, DcWestby and CmarieL for the reviews. Remember a disgruntled abandoned review button, is not a very happy review button.
S.L. Cipher
Published: Justin, you're a psychic, I'm sure you know.
Edited: 7 05
Re-edited: 12 05