A phone call. Helga had sent the forms and portfolios in, and had gotten a response. She would be getting an interview via telephone, for the University on Paris.
Rhonda had not heard back at all.
"Let me know how it goes," she said, eagerly. "Better yet, why don't I come over?"
Helga pretended that she would think about it, but she really wouldn't. She just didn't want Rhonda hanging over her shoulder.
Then there was telling Arnold. He took the news well. She had told him just after New Year what her plan was. He seemed cool with it. He was over the day she got the call, and waited in the lounge with her parents while she did the interview. She was up there a long time, and all three were waiting nervously. When she finally did come down, after an hour, she looked relieved.
"Did you get in?" Arnold asked.
"I'll find out come Spring," she told them. "They still have more interviews. That I even got one . . . it's a good sign. They have thousands of applicants. But only a few get in."
Two weeks before spring break there was a huge break-up in the hallway. Everyone in the vicinity stopped to watch the show. Helga and Arnold were standing together at the time.
"I didn't even kiss her!" the guy screamed at the girl.
"You were thinking about it though, weren't you!?" the girl screamed back. There was so much anger and fury from both sides. Helga's stomach churned. Something about the fight deeply unsettled her. She couldn't quite put her finger on what though. But something . . .
"Wow, I'm glad you weren't like that," Arnold murmured in her ear.
"Yeah," Helga said quietly. There was a niggling thought trying to push it's way to her consciousness. She mentally shoved it back, already knowing she wouldn't like what it was . . . but it was too late.
'You were more upset about finding out Torvald had a girlfriend, than Arnold kissing Nadine,' the voice in her head told her. She bit her lip, grabbed her books, and left, leaving Arnold standing there looking on in confusion.
'What just happened?' he wondered.
And it didn't improve as the day went on. Helga appeared to be avoiding him. He finally caught up to her after school.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Nothing, I'm just . . . impatient and frustrated," she told him. "I just want to hear back from the University quickly so I can get my shit together." Arnold was a quiet for a little bit.
"Are you sure?" he finally asked. "There's nothing else?" Helga shook her head. Arnold inwardly sighed. He knew he wouldn't get any answers from her.
Things only seemed to go from bad to worse that night at home. As everyone was getting ready for dinner, his grandpa started wincing and flexing his hand.
"Grandpa, are you alright?" Arnold asked.
"No, call an ambulance," was all he said, before groaning. Arnold jumped up and rushed to the phone, while Susie went over to hold his hand, and Gertie fussed over him. He didn't even think to grab his phone when the Ambulance got there. He just left with them.
"I'll bring your grandma," Susie said, waving him off.
...
...
Helga's day also got worse as it went on. Dinner was quiet. She looked at her father and mother. Something had happened. Bob looked defeated and tired, her mother tense and on edge.
"So, how was your day?" Miriam asked.
No one said anything.
"Helga!" her mother snapped. Helga looked over at her. "I asked you a question."
"Sorry, you didn't use my name, so I wasn't sure you were talking to me or dad," she said. "And since when did oyu care?" Movement from the corner of her eye made her look at her father. He was giving her a weird stare, that turned into a warning stare, but not his usual.
"I always care about you, Helga," Miriam said sharply. "Why would you ask me such a thing?"
Before Helga could say anything, Bob jumped in with a question for Helga.
"That reminds me," he said, hoping to change the subject. "I though you said Torvald's aunt had died? And that that was why he was here?"
Helga reluctantly looked away from the stare-down between her and her mother, to look at her father.
"Yeah, that's what he said, why?"
"I saw his mother today and gave her my condolences," he said, thoughtfully. "She told me her sister hadn't passed away. No family members had since her brother. And she didn't know anything about Torvald being in town."
Helga looked at him, confused. "What do you mean? Are you saying he lied? Why would he lie?"
Bob shrugged.
"Maybe he just felt like seeing you?" her mother suggested. Helga glared at her.
"He has a girlfriend," Helga told her.
"Yeah, about that," Bob started. "She doesn't know anything about a girlfriend, either."
Helga looked at her father this time, and frowned. Why would he lie about having a girlfriend and a family member dying? Coming to town and not letting his mother know?
"Because the last time he was here he told me he still loved you and that as soon as I stuffed up he would sweep you off your feet and make you his again . . ."
Helga swallowed past a lump in her throat. Had Torvald really meant that threat after all? She frowned. Then, without saying a word, stood up and left the room. Her parents both watched her leave, not saying a word. Miriam looked at Bob, who looked at her and shrugged.
...
...
Helga didn't even think. She grabbed her sister's car keys and went into the garage where it had been sitting. Miriam had taken it for a full service, so it was working well again. Technically it was Helga's, but she rarely even needed to use a car, so it would sit in the garage nintey percent of the time. She was still a bit creeped out by it, but her disturbed feeling overcame her uncomfortable feeling at driving her dead sister's car. She was pulling away from the curb when she saw her parents rush out the front door. She saw they were obviously calling out to her, but she kept driving. She knew where she was going, and she was going to get there. She had questions that needed to be answered. Torvald was only a two hour drive away. It was six seventeen now. She should be there before nine.
...
...
Arnold had finally gotten home at seven thirty. His grandpa wasn't dying, but he was being kept in to do some tests and in case anything else happened. Going upstairs to his room, he left Susie to tell everyone what happened. Flopping down on his bed, he heard his phone pinging. Sighing he grabbed it and had a look. Helga. He called her back.
"Alfred, you haven't seen Helga have you?" her fathers voice said on the other end.
"Mr. Pataki?" he asked, sitting up. "What -"
"That boy lied to her, I think she's gone off to confront him," he said. "I gotta go boy."
"What boy?" Arnold demanded. He was already up and getting his jacket.
"Tor something or rather," Bob said. "Where does he go? Just meet me out front of the Boarding House, and we can go together. Someone will need to drive the car she took back."
Before Arnold could say another word Bob hung up.
Helga had gone to see Torvald? What had happened? What did Bob mean he had lied to her? He'd just gotten to the front door when he saw Bob Pataki pull up. He must have been on Helga's phone on his way here.
"I'm going out, not sure when I will be back!" he called out, slamming the door. He checked he had his wallet and phone on him, before getting in the truck.
"The girl has to stop doing this," Bob growled as Arnold clipped himself in and Bob pulled away from the curb.
"What happened?" Arnold asked. He was feeling like a nervous wreck. What was he doing? His grandfather was in hospital, possibly seriously sick, and here he was taking off with Bob Pataki to find Helga who had run off again.
"I said something stupid obviously, to stop a fight between Helga and Miriam breaking out," Bob explained. "Told her I spoke to his mother, gave her my condolences for her family's loss. Woman had no idea what I was talking about. Didn't know her son was in town, and knew nothing about him having a girlfriend."
Anger bloomed amongst Arnold's nerves. Torvald had lied to Helga about having a girlfriend and a family members death!? Why would he -
"That prick," Arnold said out loud. "He came here on my birthday and fed her a sob story knowing I would see them and get upset and spark a fight!"
"What are you talking about?" Bob asked. "You teens! We never had so much drama in my days."
Arnold doubted that. But went on to tell Bob what he knew.
"A while ago Torvald told me he still loved Helga and was just waiting for me to stuff up so he could swoop on in and win take her back," Arnold explained. "He showed up at my place on my birthday and told Helga his aunt had died. I walked in to see them with their arms wrapped around each other, assumed the worse . . . gah, I feel so dumb! When I told Helga about his threat, she who laughed it off, and told me he had a girlfriend, and didn't mean it."
"Looks like he did," Bob said. "Well, if there's one thin I know about Helga, it's that she doesn't like being lied to."
...
...
Helga pulled up outside the campus of the University. She didn't know where he was staying, or her way around or anything. She reached for her phone and cursed. It wasn't in her pocket. It was in her room charging. She couldn't even ring Torvald to let him know she was here. She sat there, glaring out the windscreen and thinking. She was so angry and upset she felt like she was going to throw up! Her head was aching from the tears she was keeping locked behind her lids.
A knocking on the window pulled her out of her thoughts, and she wiped her eyes then looked to see a security guard standing there. She wound down her window.
"Are you alright miss?" he asked kindly.
"No, my boyfriend goes here, but I don't know where abouts and I forgot my phone and can't contact him to come get me," she said, finally bursting into tears. The security guard gave her a sympathetic smile.
"What's his name? Maybe we can get him called for you?" he said. "I can take you to the main centre and he could meet you there."
Helga nodded and gave her name and then Torvald's. She pulled out a letter from him and gave the guard his address. The guard walked away a bit and talked into his walky-talky. Five minutes later he came back.
"Alright, they got in touch with him," he said. "He's going to meet you in the Student Centre. I'll show you how to get there."
Helga watched as he drew her a line on a map, then handed it to her. "Good luck."
She thanked him, then drove in after he lifted the arm for her. Following his instructions she found where she needed to be. Torvald wasn't there yet, which she was thankful for. Despite the long drive, she still had no idea what she was going to say. She was too busy hearing what Torvald said that night, what Arnold told her and then what her father had told her that night in dinner, playing over and over in her head, while her anger boiled hotter and hotter. She didn't have too much time to either. Fifteen minutes later she saw him appear.
She got out of the car, took a breath, and walked over to him.
"Helga, what are you doing here?" he asked, smiling. "Not that I'm not happy to see you."
"Did you mean what you told Arnold?" she demanded.
"What-"
"And did you seriously lie to me about your aunt? seriously?" She asked accusingly. "Why would you do that?"
"Look, Helga-"
"Don't 'Look Helga' me!" she screamed. "Answer my god-damn questions!"
Torvald's eyes went wide.
"What do you want me to say?" he asked quietly.
"Why did you lie?" she asked. "You lied about having a girlfriend, you lied about your aunt dying, did you lie when you told Arnold you loved me, too?"
"No, no, I never lied about that," he told her, stepping towards her. Helga didn't move, which Torvald took as a good sign. "Look, let's go back to my room, we can talk there."
"I don't want to talk there," she said, bursting in to tears. Torvald wrapped his arms around her.
"I love you Helga," he said, kissing the top of her head. "And I didn't lie completely. I did date a girl called Tanya a couple of times. But it didn't work out."
"Why not?" she asked. She had a feeling she knew what the answer would be. It seemed like such a stupid question to ask. But she wanted to hear him say it to her. Confirm her thoughts.
"Because I still love you," he told her, pulling back and tilting her head back, He leaned in for a kiss.