It was an open casket. Olga looked as pretty as she ever did. Helga saw that the necklace she had meant to give Olga for Christmas was around her neck. She had asked for it to be placed on her, and it had. Helga knew though, that she would never, ever like the smell of lilies and violets ever again. Phoebe and Lila were invited to sit up the front with the rest of the family. Behind them the chapel of the funeral home filled up with friends. Olga's friends, old and current, Helga's old classmates, and some old teachers that had taught both girls. She waved to Mr. Simmons, who waved back. Afterwards he came over and gave her a hug, telling her she always had one of his ears if she needed it.
Torvald sat a few rows back, with Gerald and Arnold. Looking behind her it was almost like some macabre school reunion. Everyone was wearing black and had looks of sorrow. Helga looked back to the front. She felt envious of them all. Today they would feel sad, and for a while they would feel bad for Helga and her family. But eventually they would move on, a lot faster than the Pataki family would.
"Over seven billion people in the world, and she was just one of them," Helga whispered. Looking up she realized that it really was true. Olga would now become a memory, then a distant memory. She may never be mentioned ever again by some of the people here today. And once those old enough to have memories were gone, no one would remember Olga at all. Sure, there would be pictures, but even pictures didn't always last forever if you weren't someone famous and important . . .
She listened as people got up to talk about Olga, sharing memories and going on and on about how wonderful she was. Helga kept her head down the whole time. Lila went up, here parents went up together. When looked at Helga shook her head. She didn't want to speak. Her memories with her sister were hers. She didn't feel ready to share them yet.
Once the ceremony was over, her parents got up and led a line past the coffin. Everyone picked up a rose and popped it into the casket. Her mother nearly collapsed and started bawling. Her father carried her over to a seat and looked back to Helga who signaled she was fine. She kissed her fingertips then placed them against Olga's cheek lightly, then moved away.
Her old classmates hugged her, then moved on to get some food. Torvald kissed her cheek and led her out of the chapel and into another room where they were having the Wake. Finger food was set up on tables. Helga didn't feel like eating. Eventually her parents came in and her father had some sandwiches. He looked like he was coping, but Helga knew behind closed doors he wasn't. Miriam was the worst though. She had stopped eating. Which worried her and her father. Bob had raged at Miriam just this morning when she had refused breakfast.
"You gotta eat, Miriam!" he'd yelled, "Or we'll be burying you next! I can't afford it!"
Helga frowned for a moment, then looked at her father. She saw he didn't mean it though. He was grieving. She heard him later talking to Mr. Sawyer, about how he couldn't handle burying Miriam too, and that she had to get her to eat. She had to live. Helga realized that what Bob said had nothing to do with money. He really did care. He'd broken down and cried.
Mr. Sawyer did what he could to help. He had lost his own wife.
"She'll get better," she heard him tell Bob. "Just give her time."
Helga came back to the present when Torvald told her the pallbearers were getting ready to put the casket in the hearse. Helga took a sip of juice, then looked for her parents. Her friends had gathered around and were talking, but quieted down when they saw what was happening.
"I can't do it," Helga whispered.
"Go to the burial?" Torvald asked. Helga nodded. He looked over at Helga's friends. "Okay, then you don't have to, but you should tell your parents."
He went with her to tell them. Miriam didn't even seem to notice. Bob wasn't happy about it, and asked her if she was sure. When he saw she wasn't going to relent, he gave up. He didn't have any energy in him to fight.
"But you gotta go visit one day, Helga," he warned her.
"I will," she said. "But I just can't watch."
Bob nodded and waved her away. Helga then saw her father pull Torvald aside and say something quietly to him. Torvald nodded somberly, then came over. Bob watched them go, before helping Miriam get to her feet.
"What did my father say to you?" Helga asked, curious.
Torvald smiled at her.
"He just told me to take care of you, your precious and if I hurt you I'll be the next one to have a funeral."
...
...
Helga went back to school on Monday. Torvald tried to talk her out of it, but she was determined.
"I still need to help you with your schoolwork," she told him. "How can I help you if I fall behind all mine?"
He agreed reluctantly. Lately they had been hanging around other people, or under parental supervision. Self-control was getting harder and harder, especially when Helga currently didn't seem to have any. She could be persuasive and persistent, and Torvald could feel his resistance crumbling. He had made a promise to his mother though, that he wouldn't go there with her. And so far he was keeping it. He knew it frustrated and annoyed Helga, but what else could he do? She was a minor by law. His whole future could go down the drain if he took it that far.
Christmas came and went, and he was away again. His Uncle was really ill, and his mother had told him this could be his last Christmas. Helga was understanding, but cried when he left. He came back in time for new year. Rhonda threw a big party, which a majority if people came to, including a bulk of the cheerleaders. Annie was the only one who didn't.
She'd given up on Arnold at last, and was trying to move on. She would flirt with guys in front of him, which he ignored. Eventually though, she stopped, after meeting a boy from a rival school. When her fellow cheerleaders found out she was dating a rival, they snubbed her. Eventually she left the squad. Corina took over as Captain, with Misty as co. They held tryout's and replaced Carrie and Annie with ease. Carrie went ballistic at Annie in the cafeteria one day for having left.
"I was never really into it anyway," Annie told her. "Besides, I'm transfering schools after summer. They would have needed to replace me anyway."
Helga and Torvald spent less time swanning around and being romantic and really got down to business. Scouts had been watching, and he had had a few approach him already.
"I've got the options," he told her. "Now I just need the final grades to graduate."
"You will," she told him. "I have complete confidence in your ability."
"Only because you were my tutor," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Damn straight! And I'm the best there is," she gloated.
End of May she had her sweet sixteen. She had a quiet affair, with just her parents, Lila and her boyfriend Colin, Phoebe and Gerald and Torvald. They went to a fancy restaurant.
"And next weekend is my cousin's wedding," Torvald reminded her. Helga smacked her forehead.
"I completely forgot!" she said. "I need to get something nice."
Torvald laughed. "Something to double for a prom dress maybe?"
Helga called up Phoebe and begged her to go dress shopping with her.
"How about this?" Helga asked, stepping out in a fifties inspired halter dress. It was in a beautiful blue hue with purple and yellow print flowers on it, and a belt in the middle.
"Wouldn't you rather something that could double as a prom dress?" Phoebe asked.
"Prom?" Helga asked.
"Hasn't Torvald asked you to Senior Prom?" Phoebe inquired.
"Oh, yeah," she said thoughtfully. "Nah, I can get something else. Oh! Like this!"
Helga rushed over to a strapless, ivory lace dress with a tulle underlay, a pleated black waistband, and a sweetheart neckline with silk across the top to keep cleavage to a minimum.
"I think you should use that dress at the wedding as well," Phoebe said. "It's pretty."
"But it washes me out," Helga commented, placing the dress against her and looking in the mirror. "I can't wear this color with my blonde hair."
They looked around a bit more, then Helga saw a dress. Fuchsia with a petaled shoulder strap across the pintucked bodice. The skirt of the dress would probably brush just above her knees, and was lined, with a thin floaty material over it.
"Oh, wow!" Helga said, walking up to it. "Phoebe, this!"
"Really?" Phoebe asked. Helga nodded.
"I'll need to buy new shoes though," Helga mused. "I don't have anything that will go with this."
Phoebe laughed. Helga had never been one for shopping, so she knew this meant a lot to Helga, for her to be putting so much into it.
"Well, if you'r sure," she said. "Let's go!"
...
...
The school week went by uneventfully. Helga was stoaked once the weekend arrived. She went over to Torvald's and his mother inspected the dress Helga was planning to wear.
"That's lovely," she said, looking Helga over. "You know, I think I may just have something to make it that bit more special. And we should do something about your hair."
Torvald watched as his mother excitedly led Helga into her bedroom. He looked up when she came back down. Dangling rhinestone earrings were adorning her ears. Her mother had swept her hair up in a bun and had it held in place with a rhinestone headpiece. His mother had also put make-up on Helga's face.
"Now do you have everything?" she asked. Helga nodded and picked up her clutch. Not much was in there, but she slipped the lipstick Torvald's mother gave her into it. She had money, cellphone, a little compact mirror, a small roll-on perfume, and the lipstick in there. Oh, and her mascara. Just in case. She had paired the dress with navy blue stilettos.
"Then off we go," she announced, flinging open the door.
...
...
"That was a beautiful ceremony," Helga sighed wistfully. And it had been. You could see and hear the love in the bride and grooms voices as they read their vows to each other. Helga was glad that she had accepted a handkerchief from Torvald's mother. She was wearing waterproof mascara, but still. She was able to stop the tears before the cause tracks.
As per usual, only the woman cried. The men looked on, stony-faced. Except the bride's father. He openly wept.
"I think my cousin was just glad his dad is still here to see him get married," Torvald told her. "Do you want to dance?"
Helga nodded and they got up to dance a slow dance. It was nice, and calming and relaxing. There were no drama's going on around them, though she did notice one of the male guests was a keen drinker. Her bets was that something was going to happen. She just enjoyed swaying in Torvald's arms.
After a few dances he took her around to meet some of his family members. They were nice, though she did notice that a few of them drank a bit. Torvald didn't drink - that she knew of. It was a niggling worry in the back of her mind though. Especially when she noticed how sloshed his mother was. And her bets were right. Within the hour the drinking man she had seen earlier was dancing on a table with a woman who she hoped was his wife, when the table collapsed. There was laughing, and yelling. While everyone had their eyes on the scene unfolding before them, she saw the bride and groom sneak off, hand in hand, smiling.
Ten minutes later: "Where are the bride and groom?"
"Come on, we'd better get going before mom goes too far," Torvald said in a tense voice. Helga walked over to his mother with him.
"Nonsense," she told him smiling. "I can get a ride home with your aunt. Go one and have fun!"
His mother turned around a went back to dancing. Helga looked up at Torvald, whose jaw had tensed. She took his hand and squeezed it.
"Come on," she said, giving him a light tug. He growled and turned around and left, nearly causing Helga to trip. She wasn't the most experienced in heels and sudden movements like that caused her to lose her balance. When they got out to the car she could see he was not happy.
"She shouldn't drink so much!" he shouted. Helga took a step back. She'd heard all about Torvald's temper, but had never seen it first hand. "She's an alcoholic, you know?"
Helga shook her head. "No, I didn't. But I can understand why your angry."
"Can you?" he demanded. Helga nodded. She saw his features soften. "Of course you can. Your own mother . . . I'm sorry, Helga."
"Don't worry about it," she said, smiling. He smiled back at her crookedly.
"Come on, let's go," he said, unlocking the car and getting in. Helga got in as well, though she was now on full alert. She still was a bit surprised by the display she had just witnessed.
He dropped her off home. She leaned over and kissed him. He kissed her back and pulled her onto his lap. As she kissed him back she could feel he was getting hard. It set off feelings in her, that both delighted her, and scared her a bit. She knew she'd go to bed that night with an ache.
"We should do this somewhere else," he whispered. "Somewhere we wont be seen by passers-by."
Helga's heart beat faster, the tingling got stronger, as did the ache. "Okay."
...
...
So many feelings were racing through her body, the lack of thoughts in her mind had her worried, for a while. Oh, oh, oh, the feelings! She felt like she was going to burst out of her skin! She was sweating, it was hot, she could barely breath. She felt her whole body tense, then release. She moaned, and gasped. His hands, and fingers, and mouth and tongue. Then she felt it. Felt him. She said nothing, just reached up an pulled his face to hers and kissed him as hard as she could, as he slid into her. Her first thought was 'That didn't hurt'. It was also her last for a while as her body took over, matching his rythem, and each thrust and kiss with her own. She felt that tension building again, tighter and tighter, before the release which made her cry out. Her body was spasming, he couldn't forma coherent thought. Moment's later she felt him climax. He dropped his head down beside hers, panting along with her. Then he let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"What?" she asked breathlessly.
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I;m older, I shouldn't have done this."
"Two to tango," Helga told him. "And we were safe, weren't we?"
He pushed himself up. "That's not the point."
Helga was starting to come out of her haze.
"We shouldn't have done this, I shouldn't have done this," he said, running his hands through his hair. "What was I think-
Helga sat up and kissed him to shut him up. When she pulled away she looked him dead in the eyes.
"I will never, ever tell anyone," she promised.
"But if we ever break up-"
"I still wont tell," she told him. "Never. Not about this time."
"Helga-"
She kissed him again . . .