Who in the right mind was shaking her shoulder? Didn't anyone know that she was trying to sleep? If they did, it might as well be as close to a death wish as she could give the idiot. Cornering them into a wall, hands over their face as she would smirk before delivering the final blow…She was in her own dream land, although most would not consider it a dream. It was filled with random shouts from people who demanded to see the sweat and tears of whoever had fallen victim to the toughest of, well, the tough. It was dark and gruesome, but there was a light of sweet relief as it was the center of her vision. The voices from the center were deep and threatening, and very- Ok! Who was touching her? Didn't she have a right to personal space?
Opening her groggy eyes, the bright colors of the walls practically burned her vision. She whispered harshly as she moved her body to the left a step or two to remove the person who grabbed her shoulder. "What?" Although, she did stumble a bit, but luckily her friend caught her. The young, black haired girl shook her head. "Helga, you have got to pay attention. Mr. Simmons, Principal Wartz, and Olga are telling us our room assignments." Oh yeah, that's right – that's right. Helga huffed. It had to be seven-thirty in the morning after practically two to three days stuck in an airplane with a bunch of fools. She remembered landing around four in the morning somewhere in the rural areas. But they still had to reach the city. So transportation took them by a few jeeps and cars down those stupid dusty roads. Crimeny! She barely got any sleep as it was. Everyone was too loud, especially after Eugene's little stunt on the plane. And that was before they even took off! And when they were all asleep, people like Harold and Stinky kept snoring like baboons with a cold. Helga hoped that she would get some sleep on the way to the hotel, but the road was also too bumpy. In short, she found herself practically sleeping like an upright bat in the hotel lobby.
Slowly her eyes adjusted to the light, and the yellow walls began to make some sense. And for a contest win, the hotel wasn't too bad on the eyes either. From what she could recall, the building was a few stories tall in, of course, a Spanish style. The ceiling in the front lobby was lower than the sitting area toward the back. But it was rather wide; wide enough it fit this class! The floors were a rustic brown tile, the reception desk was on the left, and there was a statue of what looked to be some famous saint in the middle. Behind Mr. Simmons, her sister, and Wartz was a bunch of brown wicker chairs with cream colored cushions. Not much else other than a table or two with some blue pottery hanging on shelves and a few paintings here and there. But the windows were huge, making the room look a lot bigger. Even in the early morning hours, Helga could tell that the weather was not all that bad. It could have been worse.
Reminding herself that she still hadn't responded to Phoebe, Helga replied "Oh, sorry Pheebs – lack of sleep you know?" Looking down at her friend, she nodded with a smile. "Knowing." Helga shook her head with a smile. Phoebe would never change that habit - not that Helga wanted her to of course. It made Phoebe unique personality wise. A lot of people only knew her only by her intelligence, but there was more to her best friend than that. Those simple "ing" phrases was their way of understanding – "forgetting", "coming", and anything else Helga could think of. It was almost like Geraldo and Ar…
"No, I can't go back to thinking about him already. I only just started this recovery process," she thought. It was true. Looking at him in front of her and few other classmates, she could see him practically bouncing side to side in excitement, despite the time of day. Helga didn't think that most people noticed that there was more than meets the eye with that boy. He had almost everything laid out in front of him to take and she hoped he would. That was all she could do for him at this point – hope. She knew there were no guarantees about what would happen, and Arnold was smart enough to know that too. So, Helga had to leave that problem aside for the moment, even though that was the true reason for everyone being in San Lorenzo in the first place.
Deciding to turn her attention back to her teacher, she could hear him talk to her and everyone else. Waving his hand, he said with a grin. "Ok, before I announce where all of you will be staying, I want to say that during this time of year, the locals are hosting special festivities dedicated to their Patron saint, Saint Matias. So I ask that while you all have fun over the next few days, that you will respect their culture during this time. There will be a couple of parties taking place here at the hotel that you are welcome to enjoy the next couple nights! Isn't that exciting?" An awkward silence followed and Helga could have sworn she heard a cricket. Or was that just in her head?
Laughing nervously, the man continued, "So let's get started shall we," Mr. Simmons yawned, "so we can get some sleep for awhile before heading out. Principal Wartz, would you?" He set himself into a nearby chair, almost a lost cause already. The blonde rolled her eyes. Oh great, parties in a new country. The only things that would be different were going to be the food and music. She shrugged. It wasn't that impressive anyways. And the principal went on from there. Lifting his glasses as he looked down on a clip board, he began. Quickly though, Helga noticed that everyone was too tired at this point to care about yelling and shouting with Mr. Simmons' "excitement". That was good, she let out a soft yawn herself; maybe she wouldn't get a headache after all.
"Ok, just so we are aware – there will be no room switching. We need to keep track that everyone is here," he pointed at the class, "We cannot afford to lose you students. I don't want to have to make a phone call to your parents saying that you're lost in some other country. Got it?" Helga saw Arnold flinch at the words "parents" and "lost". Helga arched her eyebrow as she pushed back her ponytail behind her shoulder. Was he reconsidering his plans? In a way she hoped not. She had gone too far to see this through! And even though she was distancing herself from him, he would've been stupid to back out now. This was his chance! And she only wanted to see him happy…
"To make sure you all are otherwise accounted for, the girls will be on the first floor and the boys will be on the second floor," he gestured to himself, Olga, and Mr. Simmons. "Mr. Simmons and I will be in room one on the second floor while Ms. Pataki will be in room two on the first floor. Following that, we have assigned Harold, Sid, and Gerald to second floor room two. Curly, Eugene, and Arnold will be on the second floor room three. And Brainy, Stinky, Lorenzo; you will be in room four on the second floor. Ms. Pataki, will you tell the young ladies where they'll be staying."
Oh man. Helga cringed in fear with her eyes shut. Her grip on her messenger bag tightened. What if Olga arranged it so that she and Helga would have to share a room so that they could "bond"? Ever since she gave her sister that one tiny hug the day she received a copy of Arnold's essay in that folder, Olga had been trying everything to spend every waking moment with her. This just couldn't happen. Shaking her head, she actually prayed (and she'd hardly ever prayed) that this wasn't her fate. All she could hear was Olga giggle and talk. "Alright, well as you all know, I'll be in room two on this floor. And the lucky ladies that have been assigned to room three are you baby sister," Helga groaned and some snickered, "Nadine, and Lila." Helga opened her eyes in some relief. But wasn't that just fantastic! She was paired with Ms. Perfect and her sister was next door. This better not become another Big Sis-Little Sis thing! Too many sleepovers and Li-la would probably try to talk to her about him of all people. It was already bad enough that he was in the room right above hers, but to have the girl that he used to have feelings for try to get them together was just ridiculous! Nonetheless, Helga knew that she would have to put up with it or else she would get an "Olga Lecture" and probably would more of it from Bob when they got back to Hillwood.
Putting the clipboard aside, Olga made the final call. "And lastly, Sheena, Rhonda, and Phoebe will be in room four on the first floor." Well, as if that wasn't obvious. They were the last three to be called on and there would be no way that these "chaperones" would separate them from the rest of the class by a few rooms. At least she wouldn't have to deal with Rhonda. Plus, knowing Rhonda she'll protest that she didn't get Nadine and Lila since she's so close to them. Helga snuck a glance at the girl, but she was swaying side to side, attempting to get as much dirt off of her as possible. It was interesting to watch. She was like a mummy doing some sort of ancient dance. Nadine would try to stop her, saying that she would get dirt on her eventually while they were there. But the rich girl shoved her off, not wanting to have her "expensive designer" sweater or whatever. She, like everyone else apparently, was too tired.
Principal Wartz went on rambling nonsense that didn't apply to her as he pulled her teacher to his feet. The fool - falling asleep in the middle of this "important" meeting. Was he trying to mock them? Helga felt her eyelids grow heavy again. "Well now, I have some bad news for the boys. I was informed earlier when we arrived that the elevator in the direction of your rooms is under repair. So we will have to go to the farther end of the hotel to take the next elevator. We will all adjust ourselves to our rooms and get some rest before we have our brunch at eleven. Following that, we will head to the marketplace to buy anything that you would like to wear to the festivities this evening." The man glared at Mr. Simmons, who simply yawned in the process of waking up. "Your teacher suggested that today would simply be about having fun as we get used to our surroundings. So you all will be given a certain amount of money to spend. We'll discuss which of the three of us you will be grouped with on this shopping trip later. Now then, head to your rooms everyone." He gave a salute as everyone gathered their things with moans and complaints about moving in general. They all were drained of any viable energy from possibly any ounce of Yahoo Soda had given them on the flight. It was ridiculous. But the blonde didn't care about that nonsense.
Helga took hold of her heavy pink suitcase on the floor, the blue backpack on her right shoulder, and lifted the brown messenger bag that had somehow slipped back onto her other one. It was like lifting dead weights considering the circumstances of her need to sleep. And seeing Phoebe next to her, actually everyone, having the same reaction might as well been a race of a herd of turtles who wanted to crawl into their shells. There were dark eyes, pale faces, almost-bed heads, and stumbling feet. Luckily Helga's feet seemed to have a mind of their own. Unfortunately, she knew that she was the worst by far.
It wasn't just the lack of sleep, it was also the preparations for this trip that caused her agony. While everyone was just bringing the basics for the trip – clothes, toiletries, and the like – she also had to buy small amounts of survival gear. If this trip resulted in a jungle expedition like she planned, then she didn't want to go unprepared. That was why she brought her blue backpack. It was slightly worn from so much use, but it was all she had that could carry those things. Hopefully, no one would find out about it. The only people that knew about what she brought were Lila and Phoebe. Now she didn't know what junk they decided to bring, but maybe they were smart enough for the whole class. But maybe she wasn't prepared as…she sighed.
This was so not working was it?
"Helga? Helga? Are you ok?" Blinking her eyes and rubbing one of them, the girl attempted to push her bangs aside to see Lila standing there in front of her. Helga didn't take notice of it, but she had forgotten that everyone changed on the plane into more weather-appropriate clothing. She was wearing a short sleeve pink shirt with a dark blue strip on the bottom and pale grey cargo pants cut off at the knees. After the performance at school, the dark blue somehow became a part of her. It wasn't a drastic change yet. But slowly, she wanted to deter herself away from pink. That color…was just going to be a painful stab to her heart. It was one of the steps that she had to take.
Lila, on the other hand, wore a light green plaid shirt with a simple pair of brown shorts. That was really the only thing about her that changed. And still she looked like the Ms. Perfect she was. And even though she was rooming with her and trying to act more civil toward her since his birthday, it was still hard to accept the fact that she was in fact perfect, and Helga just wasn't.
The girl in front of her frowned a bit gripping her dark green suitcase. She also looked a bit perkier, not much though – probably enough to get to the room and crash on her bed. Helga decided just to remain calm. They were both tired from just getting to San Lorenzo alone, they were roommates, and she was already treating Lila more civilly than she used to. Otherwise, she would go back to being a bully and almost all of her plans would go undone.
Helga stammered. "Uh, yeah of course I am. We finally are on ground again after all. No need to fear the chances of freefalling. What do you want?" Ouch. That sounded harsher than she thought. By that point, she and Lila were turning right into the hallway and it sort of took some restrain not to turn her head back toward the left wing to spot him. A couple of tears pricked the corners of her eyes. It truly felt like they were going separate ways. Her chest hurt a bit from doing this.
Luckily the red-head didn't notice as she was walking alongside her. "Oh, well I really like that funny sense of humor you have," she giggled, "but I'm ever so afraid that Nadine and I can't join you in our room just yet." She pointed down the hall where it looked like Princess was finally having her meltdown. There were tear marks down her face as she banged the wall beside her door with her head. It must have dawned on her that she didn't get her closest friends in the same room as her. Helga's ears burned as she shouted. "I want a room switch! Now!" And she continuously repeated it over and over again even louder. The blonde rubbed her forehead and shut her eyes.
"Crimeny," she sighed, "I get it. I get it. You need to shut up the Princess." Helga shooed her other hand, "Go. I'm just going to unpack and nap my brains off until later." All of that girl's shouting was giving her a headache. She only heard Lila take a few footsteps away from her as she replied. "Oh thank you ever so much Helga. I won't be long. And if your asleep I'll try my ever so best to not wake you up." Nothing more was said as she left. Helga opened her eyes as she stared down at Lila running down the hall. No wonder why they all were next to each other with the rooms – they were abnormally spaced out. The girl shrugged. It was probably because not that many people come to San Lorenzo.
Because of her exhaustion, she had to recall what room number she was in. "Phew. There's been too much drama going on. I need a break. Now let's see," setting her bags down, she put a hand to her chin in thought. "I know I'm in the room next to Olga's so that must mean-"
"Oh baby sister!" Oh no. Her sister was walking down the hall waving her hand. Wearing baggy black shorts with a white t-shirt and a green jacket Olga also still managed to look like Ms. Perfect – perfect. This didn't help. This couldn't help her mood right now. Groaning, Helga picked up her bags and tugged a bit on her hair with a little growl. When she stopped in front of her, she wouldn't even let her younger sister respond."Are you having any problems; like finding your room or anything?" Helga arched her brow, but let go of her hair and nodded silently. She gripped her stuff tighter as she admitted that she needed help from Olga. There was no point in hiding. All of the girls were in Rhonda's room probably and the guys were at the other end of the hotel. It was just the two of them. "Yes, I do….. need help remembering…. where my…. room is." The words she said were spaced as she breathed in and out calmly. She wasn't used to being calm.
Not. One. Little. Bit.
Olga smiled and turned her around. Man, all of this pushing and shoving was driving her crazy! And her sister didn't stop as she ushered the two of them outside of room three. "Here's your room Helga," she said patting her shoulder, "Do you have a key to get in? Because I gave your little friend Phoebe a key to her room and-" Helga wanted a punching bag. "No. You didn't give me one Ol-ga." She really didn't need her sister's pestering. She didn't even bother turning around as Olga shifted through her pocket to find it either. She just stared at the dark wood door with a frown while tapping her foot looking down at the carpet every so often. It was a deep reddish brown and the walls were a paler yellow than in the lobby area. The lighting wasn't too bright thank goodness but still….Helga just wanted to go back to her dreams of Wrestlemania.
Finally, her older sister came up with the key and unlocked the door, offering to open it as Helga dragged in her stuff. It still felt like rocks and she was sure that she would check to see if there was a masseuse in the hotel later because it felt like her arms would pop out of their sockets any second. She grunted a bit as she pulled her bags far enough in so that it wouldn't block the door and Olga wouldn't find a way inside.
Turning around, Helga saw her sister reach out an arm with a small smile – and she knew what she was going to ask. It was a no brainer."Helga, baby sister, can I help you carry your bags? Or maybe you want to have a little sister time-" she cut her off. Stepping forward, she replied. "Olga," she took a deep breath, "I appreciate that you helped me find my room and everything but I just want to sleep." Pointing a finger out towards her she continued, "I don't know about you, but we are all exhausted and there are actually worse things going down the hall." Helga leaned against the door frame as she pointed left down to Phoebe's room. "Rhonda's having a major breakdown about the roommate thing, so if I were you as a good chaperone I'd suggest you take care of it before I do. And trust me," she turned back to Olga with a smirk, "it wouldn't end well." One of her arms went behind her back with crossed fingers.
There were no more words said other than a thank you as her sister ran down the hall to the next room. Closing the door slightly, Helga sighed. "Phew, glad that's over. Now what to do with these- huh?" Her mouth dropped. Now, she knew that the contest win would guarantee them a decent hotel, but she didn't expect it to be this fancy for Central America.
The three beds were all white with blue bed skirts at the bottom, looking as if they were made for a person to sleep in for life. They were aligned on the left orange wall facing the right pale yellow wall. In fact, besides that wall with the beds, all of the walls remained that same yellow. There were three long light wooden dressers with big lamps and a giant mirror in front with a TV on its left. A couple of the wicker brown chairs and a small table were facing the TV by the farthest bed. And like the lobby, the floors were brown tiles, pretty much in bricks. The ceiling was also a dark bronze color with the same pattern, although bigger so that it didn't match the floor, with a ceiling fan spinning from it. Of course there were the bedside tables with nice lamps, the standard bathroom and sink on the left side too. That didn't impress Helga as much as the view outside.
She stepped forward toward the back as she saw that the windows were in fact sliding doors covered with a light blue curtain with warm colored flowers acting as a pattern. The sun was beaming into the room as she realized how close they were to the beach. But before she could even reach the sand, there was a short grassy area with several palm trees scattering the perimeter of the lodge. Unlocking the door slowly, Helga stepped outside as the warm air hit her face. It made her sweat a little but it wasn't all that bad. She was glad that her hair was tied back though for that reason. There weren't any chairs, but Helga didn't figure that they needed any. She could just sit on the grass and let it carry her away into the clouds no matter how cheesy it was to admit that.
Looking left to right, no one else was outside either. Although she could see of what looked to be a deck of some sort with tables and a wooden ramp that probably took people down to the beach from the left with a few dry bushes in the way. There wasn't much else that she could see otherwise, but looking up there were small balconies for the guests staying on the higher levels. That would have been cool, but Helga just liked having the ability to roam around.
She was a free spirit. And probably would always be that way. She didn't want to be crammed in a room only having a tiny balcony as a getaway from annoying roommates. She needed space and fresh air, now more ever probably in her whole life. "And that is true", she frowned at the thought, "I'm like a newborn right now – only needing air to survive those first few moments of a new beginning."
Taking off her white shoes and socks, Helga walked back inside and shut the doors and closed the blinds a little bit. She felt the exhaustion take over her body as she went for her bags again. She knew that she had to unpack before she could get to sleep. Walking across the cold floor, it tickled her spine with goose bumps and a shudder. She wanted to drag those bags as slowly as possible to not hurt her aching body more than it already was. As Helga went to the door, her ears picked up talking. She forgot to completely close it! And it didn't sound like Nadine's voice or Lila's coming back, and it definitely wasn't Olga's either.
It sounded like the guys. What would they be doing down here? Shouldn't they be on the elevator on the other side of the building or in their rooms asleep like she was supposed to be? Sneaking her way to glance out the door, she saw most of them save for Simmons, Wartz, Tall Hair Boy, him, Brainy, and Eugene. All of the other guys though were in plain sight. And they weren't just walking the halls with nothing either. Helga put a hand to her mouth as she watched those boys lug their stuff down the hall! Man, the elevator probably broke down there too. Stepping out into the hallway, she snickered that the remaining boys. "Hey, what happened to you guys? Decided to walk a suitcase marathon?" She let her head rest against the wall as they all stopped and fell to the ground in a heap. Geez, were they that tired?
The first person who tried to stand up was Sid with shaky legs. "Yeah right…blame…it all on…Eugene and Curly." He pointed in the direction that the jinx walked and glared at the boy with the red glasses.
Helga blinked and scrunched her brow. "What are you morons talking about?" Sure Helga's intentions were trying to improve herself, but it was still an adjustment and she was tired herself. Crossing her arms, Stinky stood up next, but it was easier for him. "Well, Helga, it took us all mighty long to get to the elevator. That hallway was longer than this here one," he said trying to pick up Harold, "but by the time we got there, Eugene and that there idiot started fighting for no reason at all." Curly snapped up."I wanted my pencil back! He took it," he grinned evilly, "And I didn't care how long ago that was, but I wanted it back so that I could write a note to my beloved Rhonda." He went off in his own messed up universe after that, forgetting what they were even talking about after he said Princess' name.
Anyhow…Harold finally wrapped up this annoying story. At least he was good for something. "So then, he starts chasing Eugene down the hall and finally backs him up right against those buttons and pressing them over and over again," he gasped as he spoke too fast, "It caused the elevator to break down and Arnold had to get help from the lobby because the rest of us wouldn't stop arguing or panicking about those people that were already in there."
She inwardly groaned. Pink Boy just had to say his name didn't he? Couldn't she forget about how he's got to be the one to do the right thing?
Harold went on as the other guys got their luggage waving his arms frantically. "So now we have to take the stairs at the other end of the hotel because everyone else at that end are hogging the whole thing! It's stupid! We didn't have to walk so far if Curly hadn't gotten angry and Eugene wasn't a jinx." He grumbled. And it was hard – so hard on Helga. She knew that she was trying her best to remain calm and show a little more respect toward her classmates. But this…she couldn't help it.
Helga laughed for the first time in the past few days. It was good to feel those chuckles come up her throat, but she was also saddened at the same time. She knew that she was starting this whole becoming-a-better-person thing; however her biggest obsession was bullying and laughing at people other than her previous thoughts about Ar…Arn…Arnold. She had to find something to do – anything! As long as it didn't involve him she would be ok. And laughing at the predicament that these boys got into wasn't helping. But she kept her eyes open just long enough to look at one of those morons in particular. He was struggling to pick up a lot of his bags. It looked like he had five or six of them either blue or black in color. But he kept dropping them one right after the next. And this, while it was a short plan, was still a plan nonetheless.
However maybe she laughed too long as she thought of this because looking at the guys now; well they weren't thrilled by her reaction. They all stood up now and were inching closer to her with strong disgusted looks on their faces. Her laughter died down as they seemed to be ganging up on her, causing her to back up into the wall. Harold's face was turning red, Sid stuck his nose up, Stinky did the opposite, and Curly gave another maniacal look. She could feel the sweat on her face and was actually a little fearful. She didn't know why either. Whenever she was acting like a bully, they would just yell and walk away, not crowd around her like this. "Hey, come on you guys," Helga stuttered, "You know that I, uh, thought that it was a funny… story. Yeah that's it!" She rubbed her right arm nervously. "I wasn't making fun of you guys…really! I swear!" Man, not being the bully anymore was making her a wimp.
She started to shut her eyes in fear that they might actually hurt her. But actually, she did deserve it. All she ever did was laugh at them, boss them around, and punched a guy every now and then. And now she knew where that got her in life – a lousy family, classmates who hate her, and the one person that Helga though was an exception couldn't even….
The girl ducked under one of the boy's arms as they ended up punching the wall with their fist. For a brief second she thought that a tear slid down her cheek. She deserved to be punished, to be hurt. The boy didn't scream or shout in pain. Nobody said a thing. And so Helga just kept her mouth and eyes shut, waiting for that second blow.
"Come on you guys! I can't hold the stair doorway that much longer!" That snapped Helga back from her misery. That boy's voice saved her and yet, as she frowned still, it had to be Arnold's. His voice was loud enough to be heard, but it was obvious that he was too far away to actually see what was going on. He was just holding the door for everyone like the nice guy he was. Always caring, considerate, underst- no, no, no!
She couldn't. She couldn't do this any longer.
Helga mumbled softly as she said, "Just go. Go before the Football Head shows up and you all miss out on the fun." The girl couldn't even bring herself to look back at them. She didn't want to know who attempted to hurt her. Helga didn't want to fear a certain person because then everyone would find out one thing after another and she just couldn't handle it. Her hands gripped the wall like her life depended on it moments ago. And Helga stayed that way as they gathered their things and just simply walked down the hall. Lifting an eyelid, another tear leaked out as she heard the door close. Finally, they were gone. Who knew something that started out funny would end up almost crushing her?
As the young girl opened her eyes and relaxed her muscles, she saw that her luck was turned around only slightly as the boy that was a part of her plan was still sitting there on the ground completely stumped as to what to do about his luggage. Helga felt her mouth lift upward a bit as she walked over and sat down in the middle of that hallway besides Lorenzo. Although she had to roll her eyes because it seemed that he brought way too many pieces of technology that probably wouldn't come in handy. "Like that time in the forest when the tracker broke and the little TV went- oh man I need to do this now!" Helga scolded herself.
"Hey, techno boy, need any help?" she asked, hopefully it sounded kind enough. Helga didn't know for sure, but it got Lorenzo's attention. Wow, he must have been really deep in thought over this luggage thing. Was he so absorbed by his thoughts that he didn't even notice what the other guys were about to do to her? Oh well, no use wondering that. The somewhat glazed look in his eyes showed that he didn't probably see or hear it in the first place. Even though it did hurt her knowing that the only possible witness to that failed punch didn't even see it happen, she had to ask him. With shaking hands Lorenzo flinched back just as Helga suspected. He didn't know that she was trying to change. The girl moaned to make it seem more normal for the time being - sweet, sweet time.
"Come on, I haven't got all day you know." She did not know how, but Helga gently pushed Lorenzo to the side before he could even reply as she took over organizing his stuff. It's possible that she could've had gotten it from cleaning out her closet before she left and taking care of the other things that she carefully placed inside there instead. All she knew was that Lorenzo's eyes were on her as she stacked and situated the suitcases that he brought. And somehow Helga figured that the black suitcases were his laptops and other technology and the blues ones were his clothes and such. She shrugged at the feeling. It didn't seem to take all that long either. But by the time she was done, a couple of bellhops randomly walked by. In short, she shouted for the men's help to take the suitcases up to Lorenzo's room.
After they had left in a matter minutes, she turned around in a sweaty mess at her classmate's gapping mouth. It was confusing. He would open and close it like a stupid goldfish or something. Helga crossed her arms and tapped her foot. This, this she felt comfortable with again. The sense of pride and her ego swept through her mind fleeting. But then, Lorenzo stepped forward and did something really weird.
He touched her hair that landed in front of her face. And that's when she knew that he hair tie must have been jerked so much that morning that it fell off while she was taking care of his suitcases. Helga stepped back and pushed him away. "Hey! Don't touch me like that bucko!" Unfortunately, it didn't sound as strong as she expected because of what happened with the other guys. Lorenzo put his hand down and opened and closed his hands into fists at his sides looking down before looking up at her again. He was shocked obviously, but it was common sense that he was curious too. So Helga kept her mouth shut until he said something.
"Look, Helga. I, I appreciate what you did to help me. And," he gulped, "I under, I understand that you aren't the one to, to do that sort of thing. So can, I mean, is it alright to ask you something?" Now Helga was the one who was surprised. She knew that not every boy out there was dense, but still for him to be upfront about it like he was, Helga decided to play along. Helga smirked as she put her hands at her waist. Some of her hair tickled her face but she could always brush it later. "You already did," she leaned forward and then back, "But I'll bite." She could actually see the poor boy's sweat on his face. This was going to be good….
"Why'd you do it?"
Her eyes snapped wide open. And then she stammered. "Could, could you ask that again? I didn't hear you right I guess." She rubbed her arm as Lorenzo arched an eyebrow.
"Why'd you do it?"
Yep. That question still hit Helga like a thunder bolt. And it made her heart stop – and answer truthfully.
Helga sighed as she continued the rubbing motion up and down her arm. Staring at the boy across from her she asked very quietly, "Look, if I tell you, will you please promise me that you won't tell anybody else? Please?" She knew that she sounded desperate, but at this point she didn't care anymore. She just wanted an answer to another question. She needed an answer. She could see Lorenzo staring at her in return, trying to figure out an answer to her question. Helga knew that he could say no and tell everyone, and she deserved that. It took about a few minutes of agonizing silence, but then he stepped forward. And for some unknown reason, she couldn't move as Lorenzo touched her cheek with one finger before pulling away.
He nodded. "Ok. I won't tell anyone as long as you stop crying. It's actually kind of awkward, no offense of course." Helga chuckled at his response, taking her hands to rub the tears away. He didn't even ask why she was crying to begin with. Thank Hillwood for that.
"Sorry about that, it's probably because of the lack of sleep I've had," she answered, "Anyway, I need you to answer me something." Helga began pacing in the small hallway. She could feel his attention, which thankfully was what she wanted. "You see, I don't want to say what it is, but I'm trying to stop doing something that I've liked to do for years. But, it's become a bad habit and I'm trying to quit it. So I've been thinking a lot and I think I just have to keep myself busy with other things to stop this bad habit." Helga stopped and turned to Lorenzo. "But I don't know how. So I figured if I talked about it to anybody who seemed busy all of the time it would be you. So I was wondering, how do you fit your schedule?"
Lorenzo kept himself just as silent as she wasn't. And it was that tension that made Helga want to do what those boys did to her, but that would be unfair. He just needed to give one answer and then he could go.
"Well, I do the things that I like or am interested in that don't result in bad habits."
That was his advice? It sounded simple enough. In fact, that was what Helga actually said out loud sarcastically. And Lorenzo nodded more with a smile on his face almost as similar to Mr. Simmons. It was kind of creepy.
"You see Helga that seems to be the answer you are looking for. You say that you want to quit whatever this bad habit may be. And that's really good," he raised his hands in front of him, "So what I think you should fill your schedule by trying different things that you are interested in. You never know you could learn some pretty cool things about yourself." He leaned back. "You don't have to take my suggestion if you don't want to. But it might help you. And now if you'll excuse me," he stretched with a loud yawn, "I think we've both had a few rough days. So we might as well get some sleep before we eat later."
Lorenzo was about to turn around when Helga reached out and took his arm. He spun his head around in question obviously. "Um, thanks Lorenzo," Helga said quietly, "for the advice. It helps." She left it at that uncomfortably. Well, at least on her side of it because it seemed like the boy across from her was oddly unaffected by it. He returned a smile as he carefully removed her hand from his arm. "You're welcome Helga. I will see you later." And with that he walked down the hallway, unaware of the new tear that fell down her cheek. And suddenly, she realized that she was alone again. And she would be that way for awhile. There was nothing else that she could do.
"I, I can't believe it." It was just a whisper. It was the last thing she said that morning too. But her mind was like clockwork spun by the joker from a deck of cards. She ran her hand through her muddled blonde hair as she stepped back into her room. Life just seemed to start, then stop, then start, and so on. Sunlight still seeped into the room, and yet Helga had no physical strength to close them. She didn't want to lose anything at all that could at least remind her that what she was doing was right. Instead, Helga went to the farthest bed, the closest one to the window, and crawled into the white sheets and snuggled up into the pillow. And no time stood difference between the fabric being dry and wet.
"Phoebe and Lila are against me about doing this even though I know it's for the best. Olga doesn't understand that we're too different to even bother with each other. Miriam and Bob don't even notice my existence and when they do it's only for their own personal gain. The guys hate me enough to punch me in my face apparently. Arnold doesn't love me. And what's there to love anyway? According to Lorenzo, I need to find things that I like to do that bring out the good in me. But I can't. I write, but it's about him. I create things, and there about him. I play sports, but I'm with him. Anything else I do involves making fun of people and being a bully. And I can't be that way anymore. So I guess for now I'm nothing. And a person can't love someone if they don't exist. And if I do find something that I do like doesn't mean that people will approve of. They already don't approve of me enough as it is. I guess that I will just have to quit. It's different and it might actually be the only thing I'm good at."
She fell asleep with no dreams.
But Helga's tears continued to fall.