(A/N: It's been two years almost since I updated. Truth be told, I had 80% of it written two years ago. I never finished it and just as life started to be okay, things got bad again so it just never got finished. I know a lot of you have wondered if I was just gonna leave you hanging, and absolutely not. I refuse to leave this story unfinished so grab a nice cold soda and some snacks and I encourage everyone to reread everything once again to keep you up to date since it's been AGES (unless you recently got here since I still get people favoriting this story every now and again). A Quick update on me since I don't want to keep you from reading the chapter: had a baby, hes healthy and happy, I bought a house, moved in and trying to get used to my new life. When I say I thought about continuing my chapter everyday, I mean it literally. Here we are.)
Mornings were always hard for Helga, from when she was just in preschool to even now. However, this time instead of attempting to wake her parents to help her get ready and bring her to school, this time she was setting an alarm for 5am to rush down the stairs to a basement she wasn't too familiar with, to retrieve her clothes and throw them in the dryer before anyone awoke. She put her quarters in the machine and forcefully pushed the sliding mechanism, causing it to click and begin its process. It would be about another hour before they were done, but considering they were only a few articles of clothes, she figured it would only be about half the time.
Helga looked around for something comfortable to sit on while she waited. She didn't dare go back upstairs and possibly wake someone up or worse, have to interact with someone. Looking behind her, she noticed there was a stool in front of what seemed to be a folding table for clothes. It wasn't the most comfortable seat but it would do. What am I supposed to do for 30 minutes down here? She wondered while looking around even further. There wasn't much in the laundry room aside from the washer and dryer, folding table and a cupboard with various detergents that she assumed the tenants used. To the left, Helga noticed the Laundry room rules.
"Rules huh? People need rules to wash clothes?" She asked herself with an arch of her eyebrow. "Let's see what we got here… Use quarters only? Well duh." She started with an amused voice. "Fold socks, garters first? I don't even want to know who wears garters in this house… Clean lint trap after every cycle, wash sheets on Mondays only… pretty normal, riding in clothes dryer is forbidden without an adult?! What the heck kind of place is this?!" Helga became astonished the more she read, wondering more and more about the life Arnold led that she wasn't even aware of. "Modern music is not allowed on Thursdays and Saturdays? What difference would it make what music is played? And there isn't even a stereo in here! Do not wash fuzzy slippers? I wonder how Gerald feels about that." She said with a smirk. "No standing in your birthday suit in order to wash everything." Helga looked down at her attire and wondered to herself if anyone else had ever been in the same predicament as herself; having only one pair of clothes. "Last but not least… smoking permitted inside washer on rinse cycle? There is so much to that one I don't even know where to start!" Helga shook her head and leaned her back on the small table. The sides dug into her skin, but she managed to deal with it. Just how long had she been down there? Probably only a few minutes but it was beginning to feel like eternity…
After wandering around the small space, looking at the random detergents and reading their ingredients out of boredom and even some self contemplation, the sound of freedom finally rang through the girl's ears. "Beeeeep!" the small alarm clock she brought with her sang as it signaled that 30 minutes had passed.
"Finally!" She exclaimed as she went over to the dryer and pulled open its door, causing it to suddenly stop. She pulled her clothes out and felt them all over. They were hot but didn't feel damp to her. "Great! Now all I gotta do is change into these bad boys and I'll be all set for school!"
Just as she began to unbutton the oversize shirt Arnold had given her, she heard footsteps above her head. Looking over at her alarm clock and pressing a button to show the time, Helga became nervous. "It's not even 6am yet! Why are there people awake?!"
She knew people probably had to wake up for work but what were the chances of them doing laundry this early? Searching around for a place to conceal herself, Helga noticed that there was a small corridor that lead into the depths of the basement where they stored various furniture. Rushing over to it, Helga managed to duck behind the stairs. It seemed safe enough to change there even if someone did decide to intrude on her private time.
Much to her relief, Helga changed her clothes in peace and walked back upstairs. She quietly opened up the door that lead into the first floor hallway and looked around. There was a light on in the kitchen and she could smell food being made. "Arnold's looney grandma must be cooking…" She whispered to herself, sneaking down the hallway and up the stairs to the second floor. As she approached its clearing, she noticed a line of people in front of the bathroom. Walking by them to get to her bedroom, Helga overheard them arguing about who was first in line to shower. "Criminy, this place is a walking nut house!"
Opening up her room door, Helga began to relax and sat down on her bed. All was finally well and she could properly get ready for school.
The large sliding glass doors automatically opened as Big Bob Pataki entered through with Miriam close behind. The bank was large with many tellers to his left and a few office spaces to his right. Unsure of which to go to, he promptly stomped over to one of the offices and placed his sweaty hands on the man's shiny wooden desk.
"I demand to speak to a manager!" He bellowed out to the man, who was no more than a foot away from him and shuttered at the loud voice.
"What seems to be the problem, sir?" The small man asked cautiously before looking around to spot a security guard just in case.
"It seems some of my hard earned money is missing and I want to know the meaning behind this!" Bob answered; pulling out a chair and sitting down. "I'm sure you've heard of Big Bob's Beepers, right? Well that's me! Big Bob Pataki!"
"Oh yes! I know of you." The man replied with a weary smile. "Shame what happened to your business. It was going so well too… but you know what they say, technology waits for no man."
"Yeah whatever…" Bob sneered, "I'm sure you know by now that some strange fire caused my store to burn down. After opening the doors about 12 years ago, I made sure I bought insurance on that building just in case of something like this. Enough to cover both the building and the supplies inside."
The man nodded. "Yes, that sounds logical enough."
"Except when I called my insurance company, they said they had no record of such things! I demand an explanation!" Bob hollered out again before slamming a fist down on the poor man's desk. "I've already spoken to everyone I could there and was told to come here next. I have to have some sort of statements or copies of checks I've made out to them here, right?"
Stroking his small black goatee, the man listened to Bobs outbursts. "Indeed. We should have some sort of records pertaining to your payments of all sorts, so long as they were made from your account." The man passed Bob a notepad and pen. "Write down all your account numbers along with your private pin and I'll see what I can't pull up."
Bob did as the man asked and wrote down a few numbers and slid the notepad back to the banker. "Should be all there."
"Splendid." The man said as he looked at Bob's writing. "This should only take a few minutes. You may go ahead and sit in the waiting area over there. There is some complimentary coffee as well, if you'd like."
Bob grumbled in response but did as suggested. "Come on Miriam." He said to his patient wife.
As the man turned on his computer, he found the necessary program and began to enter Bob's information. He found the account in question and noticed that the angry business man was right and there had been numerous payments to an insurance policy. Interested, he began to research the possible explanations to why or how those payments could have disappeared. He himself decided to call up the branch. He spoke with a few different people, and after being on hold for quite some time, he finally got someone who could help. He explained that he was from the First Financial Institute of Hillwood and had his client Robert Pataki with him and that he was in fact looking at payments made to them.
"That's odd…" The insurance agent said over the phone. "I have the account here that is owned by your client but there is nothing here regarding payments at all. His policy seems to be written up fine but I can't seem to find anything proving he ever went further with it. How much money did you say he has paid over the last 12 years?" The banker tallied up the amount and responded with the large number, causing the agents eyes to go wide. "That's definitely alarming. I'll have to contact our security team because there could have been a possible breach in our system. Let your client know I'll call him back when I get some information and that this will be hopefully settled soon."
The banker hung up the phone and hailed Bob over with a smile on his face. "Good news, sir." He started, "It seems that we have plenty of information pertaining to your payments. I have called your insurance company and spoke to the proper personnel. They believe your accounts information may have been compromised and will get to the bottom of it for you. They'll call you back as soon as they have it all sorted out."
"Well it's about time!" Bob shouted, causing some of the man's papers to blow off the table. "Why couldn't they have figured that out when I called them?!"
The man picked up his papers and reorganized them. "I'm sorry sir, but I do not have an answer for that. It's possible that they may have been under some sort of cyber attack recently and feared you were a scammer out to get more information." He suggested with a shrug. "Is there anything else I can help you with today?"
Miriam tugged at her husband's shirt and gazed up at the brute. "Why yes there is, isn't there B?"
Letting the wheels in his head spin for a second, he eventually realized what she was hinting at. "Oh yeah, there is one more thing. I'd like to get my house back that you people took from me!"
"Ah I see. Well as much as I would love to serve you for that purpose, I'll have to direct you to someone more suitable to help with that." The man answered before walking from around his desk and ahead of the couple. "If you would follow me right this way…"
Bob looked over at Miriam and gave her a sly smile. Things were finally looking up for the Pataki's.
School continued as usual once the students of P.S 118 got into their classrooms. Whispers circled around about what might have happened the day prior, but Helga ignored them and continued on with her day. So what if they wanted to make rumors about her? Not like that was new. They didn't need to know her business anyway.
Arnold, however, felt a little bit different. He worried that more drama could cause harm to Helga and did his best to wave off suspicion.
"Guys, it was just a misunderstanding." He told Rhonda and Nadine who were hot on the topic.
Rhonda turned to Lila, who sat far behind her. "Is that true? It's hard to imagine a misunderstanding with something as simple as a tutoring session in the library!"
"Sounds to me like Helga up to her usual antics." Nadine chimed in with a smirk, giving Rhonda a nice laugh.
Lila quietly began to put her supplies from the last class away and prepared for the next. "Oh Rhonda, I'm ever so certain that it was as Arnold said. Helga simply misunderstood Arnolds intentions when helping me, is all." She smiled.
"And what would she even care?" Rhonda asked her before turning to Arnold with a follow up question. "Don't you like-like Lila, Arnold? Wouldn't it be natural for you to want to help her?"
Arnold cringed at the question. "Rhonda, would you please keep your voice down?" He pleaded with her in a quiet voice, looking around to see if Helga might be listening. Luckily for him, she was in the middle of ripping some paper in order to crumple it up and toss it in the trash can near her. Turning back to Rhonda, he gave the posh girl a grim expression. "No, I don't like-like Lila anymore." He replied, ignoring Rhonda's first question as to not incriminate the secret relationship.
"And why not? What's not to like about her? She's pretty, smart and fashionable!" Rhonda cried out, even louder than before. Suddenly she let out a gasp, "Could it be…?" She asked him, then turned her chair around to face the country girl, "Are you and Arnie an item now?!"
Lila giggled and let out a small blush as she placed her hand on her cheek. "As much as I'd like that ever so much… that unfortunately isn't the case."
Arnold could see that Rhonda's attention was now fully absorbed in a new topic, and he felt his job had been done. It wasn't long until Mr. Simmon's started their next topic and the class settled down.
The bell rang signaling the children that it was now lunch time and everyone quickly ran out of their seat and into the hallway in route to their new destination. Pushing and shoving ensued but Helga eventually made it to the front of the lunch line, with Phoebe quickly behind her.
"What seems to be the hurry, Helga?" Phoebe asked curiously as Helga was normally nonchalant about lunch time.
"Nothing much, just not trying to miss anymore meals." She replied as she got her plastic tray. "And besides, there is tapioca pudding today."
"Ah, I see." Phoebe replied with a smile. "Have you gotten your appetite back already? I'm surprised, to be honest. Normally trauma such as you've experienced can take quite a hold on people and cause them to not eat for weeks, maybe even months."
Not wanting to let Phoebe know that the reason she hadn't been eating was due to lack of funds, Helga simply went along with it. "Well you know me, Pheebs. I'm always quick to bounce back." She said, returning the smile before quickly snatching a cup of pudding before anyone else had a chance.
They all sat down in the lunchroom and carried on the usual conversations: school, television shows, music and the movies that were coming out soon.
"I can't wait for Fight Fest 6!" Helga exclaimed as she chewed an extra chewy chicken nugget. "I've been waiting all year for this!"
"I'm particularly excited about the Romance of the Three kingdom movie adaption coming out next week." Phoebe added to the conversation.
"You?" Helga asked her best friend with a surprised look, "Interested in a romance movie?"
"Nah Helga, you got it all wrong!" Gerald answered, waving his fork in the blonde girls face. "The Romance of the Three kingdoms is actually about a war between Chinese kingdoms."
Phoebe's eyes gleamed as she looked towards her boyfriend. "Why Gerald, I had no idea you were interested in it also." Although she still had lingering feelings of frustration towards him due to their argument the other day, it warmed her heart to know that they were interested in such a thing. Gerald gave her a wink before continuing to eat his food and she turned back to Helga. "The story, which is part historical, part legend and part mythical, depicts the lives of feudal lords and their retainers, who tried to replace the dwindling Han dynasty and restore it. It's widely known and beloved all over East Asia and is even compared to Shakespeare!"
"Sounds pretty interesting Phoebe." said Arnold as he listened on while enjoying his own lunch.
"Man, you got no idea!" Gerald replied to him. "It's got all sorts of crazy battles and rebellions."
Everything seemed to go back to normal between the sixth graders as if the commotion from the other day didn't even happen.
Soon lunch was over and everyone got up to throw away their trash, still hot in their conversations, unaware that they had been being watched from across the lunch room the whole time. This person was patiently awaiting their opportunity to talk to a specific someone.
In the hallway, Helga had split up from the others to quickly use the bathroom before class started. Just after she was done and exited the girl's room, that specific someone was waiting for her.
"Uh… Helga…" She was suddenly tapped on the shoulder which made her quickly turn around and attack whatever surprised her. Per usual, her fist sent poor Brainy flying across the hallway and into the wall.
"Criminy! Why you sneaking up on me you weasel?" She shrieked before calming herself down and brushing off the spot he had touched.
Brainy centered his glasses and stood straight up with a smile. "Hi…" He said between breathes.
"What do you want?!" She asked, clearly frustrated. "Were you waiting for me to use the bathroom? Just how creepy can you get?!"
Brainy was unaffected by her insults and simply handed her a piece of paper. "…Here" He wheezed with a smile as she snatched it away.
"What's this?" Helga asked before even opening it up to look.
"Look." He replied before turning around and heading back to class, leaving Helga alone in the hallway confused.
Without a second to lose, Helga unfolded the piece of paper and read its contents:
"My dearly beloved… It breaks my heart to know that your home has burned down along with all your precious possessions however I know you're strong enough to prevail. I long to speak with you again, although we both know that's impossible in person. Please do me a great honor and going to the computer lab after school. I have written you an email that I hope you might find interesting. Of course, if you have other engagements, I understand and hope that sometime soon you'll be able to make time for a plebian as myself."
Helga scratched her head and reread it a second time. "What's up with him?" She wondered out loud before crumpling up the paper and tossing it in a trash can on the way to class.
The rest of school went on as planned until the bell rang again, signaling for the end of the day. All the students cheered and rushed out of class. Arnold waited by the door patiently for Helga to gather her things so they could walk back to the Sunset Arms together.
"Ready to go?" He asked casually as he watched her throw her backpack over her shoulder.
"Sorry, Arnoldo but you'll be walking home alone today." She replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I have other plans."
The news caught the boy off guard. "How come?" he asked with a discouraged face.
"None of your beeswax!" She shouted at him as she pushed her way passed and out the classroom door. Noticing that he was still standing there, she turned around and sighed. "Look, I'm just going to the computer lab to… to…" She stammered as she thought of an excuse. "To do some research. I'll be back at your place in no time so don't worry."
"Alright." Arnold responded with a slanted smile. "See you at home, Helga."
"Yeah, sure." She said before watching him walk away. Her heart sank and she knew she let the boy down by passing up the chance to walk 'home' with him. Home? He wants to walk home with me? Our home?! Curse my wretched soul for letting down the boy of my dreams for some geeky no body. I'll make it up to you somehow, my prince~ She sang in her heart as she made it to the computer lab.
She opened up the door and turned on the lights. All of the computers were still on but there was no one in sight.
"Perfect, no one around to nose around in my business…" She said to herself as she sat down and moved the mouse around to turn on the idle computer screen. Quickly she clicked the app on the desktop that would take her quickly to the student portal in which she spoke with Brainy. Surely enough, she had one message in her inbox. "Now let's see what GoldenHero wants."
"To: Helgoth
From: Golden Hero
Subject: My report,
Fairest Helga,
It is unbearable to watch you suffer but as the time swims through our decaying bodies, so does the unfortunate experiences which plague us. The sun will soon shine over you, my love. To that, I ensure- or rather it would be more proper to say insured. You'll will know what I mean in due time. Just know that I will forever be looking out for you, my dearest. I know now that you're in good hands and I look forward to watching your happiness from henceforth.
Forever your hopeless servant,
-GoldenHero"
Helga stared at the screen for a while with a questioning look on her face. At this point, she was no stranger to the fact that the kid insisted on invading her privacy and looking out for her, nor could she blame him for his reasons were the exact same as her own with Arnold, however she could help but feel something fishy might be going on.
"Just what is that spiky haired weirdo up to?" She asked herself as she clicked the reply button.
"To: GoldenHero
From: Helgoth
Subject: Re-My report,
I'm not sure what exactly you're getting at bucko, but unless you want a swift kick to the face I would advise you to stop butting into my business. It's nice to know that you care and all but seriously Brainy, enough with all this cryptic nonsense. I have better things to do with my time than wondering what you're up to.
-Helgoth"
"There, that oughta do it." Helga said simply as she pressed send before leaning back in the computer chair for a small stretch, pleased with her response. "Maybe this will get him to back off."
It only took Helga a short time to reach her new strange home. She opened up the door, instinctively stood back to let whatever animal wanting to get out, do exactly that, then waltzed on in. The day had been a rather uneventful day in her eyes and the only thing she could really think of doing at that moment was reaching her room and starting on the little amount of homework she had.
Helga climbed the stairs and headed to her bedroom. Pulling out the small room key, she unlocked the door and let herself in. The sight of her new bedroom was still rather foreign to her; however it was still much more welcoming than an old utility closet with her stuff crammed in. Despite not even having her things anymore, it was almost as if a weight had been lifted off of her small shoulders to not have to be reminded of her family.
Dropping her backpack on her bed, the girl rummaged through it to find the notebook and worksheets that she needed to complete by tomorrow. She took her things over to the desk provided and sat down. Things around her were very quiet, almost to an eerie sense. She did her best to concentrate on her work, but without any noise from a television or music or even the loud yelling she was used to hearing from her father, everything felt too strange. Although Helga finally was given the much needed break from her family, she was soon realizing just how uncomfortable it was beginning to feel.
"Maybe the Football Head has some music I could borrow…" She wondered out loud before sliding away from her desk and getting up. Just as she was about to open her bedroom door, a knock startled her causing her to jump a little. "Criminy! What is it?!" She yelled to the door as she placed her hand over her quickly beating heart.
"It's Arnold's Grandpa!" Shouted the elderly man's voice from beyond the door. "You got a visitor!"
"A visitor?" Helga questioned herself before opening up the door and seeing both her parents standing before her eyes along with her new landlord.
Phil looked between the family with amusement before adjusting his suspender with a loud snap and backing away. "I'll leave you guys to it then!" He said as he let out a jolly chuckle and disappeared down the hallway.
At first Helga was surprised to see the two of them standing them, but then the unavoidable annoyance of looking at their faces washed upon her. She rested her body against the doorway and scowled. "What do you two want?" She asked harshly.
Bob narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "That's no way to talk to us, little lady. Now straighten your posture and let us in. We didn't come to this flea bitten boarding house for fun."
With a heavy sigh, Helga backed away from the door and gave her parents the much needed opening to enter. "Then what did you come here for?" She asked, watching the two's expression as they entered the room and looked around briefly.
"We have some good news, honey!" Miriam said with a smile as she shut the door behind her. "Your father and I have just come from the bank and they think they've figured out where all our insurance money went! Isn't that exciting?"
Helga rolled her eyes. "Yeah about as exciting as getting a flu shot."
"Hey, hey, hey!" Bob shouted back at her. "This means we should be getting you out of this place soon."
"And what if I don't want to leave this place soon?" Helga asked honestly. "I have a decent room and actual meals every day."
"You call this decent?" Bob responded as he walked over to the peeling wallpaper and flicked it with his stubby fingers. "This place is a rat's nest! No daughter of mine should have to live like this if I have any say in it."
"And since when have you cared about my wellbeing, Bob?" The young girl replied with skepticism in her voice. "I have no money, no clothes and everything I owned is dust! I've gone days without eating before and not once were you ever concerned."
"Excuse me?!" Bob hollered as his arms shot straight up in the air with shock. "I've busted my butt your whole life for this family!"
"Yeah so you could live comfortably." Helga stated, completely unaffected by his show of anger. "But what about me? Have you even once wondered how I've been doing since our stuff all burned down? Have you bothered to call and check on me?! I'm living in a house full of weirdos for Christ's sake! Who knows what could happen to me here!"
Miriam placed her hand on her young daughters shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. "That's why we're here now, Helga." She said quietly, gaining the girls attention. "It was to make sure you're doing okay and give you the good news."
"And how is this even good news, Miriam?" Helga continued to interrogate. "So everything can go back to the way it was? So you can go back to being dazed and confused all day? So Bob can go back to his delusion that we're 'on the map' and important again? So I can go back to being called Olga everyday and wondering if either of you even know I exist?!" She shouted, letting her emotions get the better of her. "If it wasn't for Arnold letting me stay here, who knows where I'd be! Probably sleeping on some floor full of piss and roaches while you guys forget about the real problems we have here!"
Her words hurt her mother, and only angered her father more. With a stomp of his foot, he caused a shake in the old building in order to gain an upper hand over his daughter. "Don't you dare talk that way to us! Whether you like it or not, we're your parents and we deserve respect! Not this baloney you're spewing to make yourself feel better!"
Helga gritted her teeth at his remark. "You've never once given me any ounce of respect so I'll be damned I give you any."
"I don't need this!" Bob yelled as he stomped to her door and swung it open so hard it practically broke off its hinges. "Come on, Miriam! We're leaving. Maybe when the girl has fallen off her high horse, we'll be able to have a real conversation!" He finished before disappearing from their sight.
Miriam stood there looking between the wide open door and her infuriated daughter. Not wanting to feel her husband's wrath later, she knew very well that she had to be hasty. The woman opened up her purse and handed Helga what little money she had. "Here, take this so you can buy the things you need." She said softly, looking into the girls face. "It may not be enough right now but once the bank and your father settle things, there's actually a good chance of buying back our old house…"
The redness in Helga's face began to fade a little as she listened to her mother's words. "And how do you know Bob will actually buy back our house?" She asked. "How do you know he won't use that money to invest our lives into some other failing business that he can't keep afloat?"
Miriam walked over to the door and placed her hand on its old brass knob. She looked into the hallway and could see that the commotion had caused interest in a few of the tenants. "Because…" She started with a heavy heart before turning around to face her daughter again. "I haven't always been the best mom to you Helga, but I don't want to see this family torn apart even more than it already is."
The woman's honesty caught the angry girl off guard as she listened quietly, wanting desperately to believe what she was hearing.
"I'm still his wife and I still have some strings I can pull." Miriam smiled. "Don't worry." She finished before leaving and quietly closed the door behind her, leaving her daughter full of thoughts and emotions that she couldn't even begin to sort through.
Helga looked down into her hand at the money her mom had just given her. She flipped through the bills and counted. It was only $60 but it would at least get her a few pairs of clothes and some shower things.
It didn't take long for the inevitable knocking at her door to happen. "Come on in, Arnold." She said full of exhaustion as she turned around to pick up the shoes she had so recently taken off to put back on.
The door opened up and the boy peeked his head through, watching her as she slipped on each shoe, unsure of what to start out with.
"I'm sure you and the whole block heard us just now." She said openly, tying her laces. "So don't even bother to ask questions like you don't already know."
"Okay." He said simply, letting himself in. He could see that she was torn out from the fight and didn't want to push her. "Are you okay?"
"Just peachy!" She angrily shouted; standing up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some shopping to do." She said, pushing him out of her way and leaving, knowing full well that he would follow her. "Miriam gave me a little bit of money so now I won't have to mooch off you so much."
"I see." Arnold replied, closing her door behind him and rushing to catch up to her brisk steps.
Helga rushed downstairs and put back on her jacket, waiting for her partner to catch up and do the same. "And before you ask, no I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay." Arnold said again as he slipped his arms through his own jacket. "Want me to ask my Grandpa if he'll drive us to the store?"
"No, a walk will do me a lot better than being cooped up in that musty old car." Helga responded as she brushed passed him and out the door.
They both left the Sunset Arms in route of the nearest retail store.
Arnold shoved his hands in his pocket and stared up at her curiously, still unsure of what to say. She had already told him not to ask questions and indeed he had heard practically the whole fight as his room was only above hers. Should he make small talk? Probably not because she seemed to be in the mood to bite off anyone's head who looked at her funny. Why did things have to be so complicated?
Meanwhile Helga repeated the fight in her mind over and over as she gripped the money tightly in her pocket. She knew her father was just a blow hard who looked out for himself, but was it really possible to get their house back? And if so, how would they even begin to pay its expenses? Bob didn't have a job, nor did Miriam. They had no more furnishings to even put in the house, so what would be the point? Helga wondered what sort of leverage Miriam had on Bob that made her so confident that he would even bother to go through with getting the house back and not just throwing it all away in stocks or something. What would she do if they managed to buy back the house? Would everything really go back to normal? Did Helga want to go back to her usual routine? After only living with Arnold for a little while, she was already beginning to enjoy it there. His family was warm and welcoming, there was always food offered to her- even though she refused it a lot of the time out of pride, she had her own sense of responsibility that actually did her some good. Wouldn't moving back with Bob and Miriam be taking a step back?
Helga looked down at Arnold who seemed to be occupied in the cracks on the sidewalk. She wondered what he was thinking, although she figured she probably knew. That worry wart is probably racking his brain around what to say or do around me right now... but honestly I don't even know what to say to him. I could just start venting out loud and ranting and raving down the sidewalk, but he already knows how I feel. He knows how they are. He knows what they said! I just can't stand them anymore! She could feel her face turn hot with anger again as she thought of her parents. Maybe ranting would make her feel a little bit better.
"You wanna know what I think is hilarious?" Helga asked him, still looking straight in front of her and concentrating on her destination. She could feel his gaze upon her and decided to continue. "That for the very second I actually start to enjoy the peace and quiet, they have to come out of nowhere and ruin it all!" She let out a forced laugh. "I mean, here I am, doing my homework and minding my own business when suddenly they show up out of nowhere? And for what? To check up on me? They didn't even bother to ask how I was! All Bob did was start talking crap about my room and saying they had good news. No 'How have you been Helga?', no 'How's life with everything you grew up with destroyed?' What a joke!"
Arnold could feel a pain in his heart as she spoke. It's true that they hadn't bothered to even call in the two days she was with him; however their visit wasn't even long enough to even bring up the subject of how she was. "What was the good news?" He asked just to let her continue venting.
"That they're planning on buying back our house, as if that would do them any good!" Helga responded with another forced laugh.
"It would be a good start at getting your lives back together, though." He replied in her parents defense.
"No, a good start would be both of them getting jobs and having stable income to support the house they want back!" She shrieked as she looked down at the yellow haired boy. "Are you kidding me, Arnold? Even a pre-schooler could figure that out!"
Arnold knew she had a good point but couldn't fault her parents for at least trying. "At least they're attempting to walk in the right direction, right?"
Helga immediately halted and glared at him angrily. "Sure it would be a great start if they had some sort of plan on income but do you want to know what their plan is? Huh, smart guy?" She asked, seething through her teeth. "They're planning on paying for the house and whatever else we need with whatever little money they have left now and with the insurance they took out on the business that no one can seem to find! What if they never find it, Arnold?! And even if they do, how long will that hold us over for? One month, maybe two?! Knowing my parents, they'll wait until the money is dry before even attempting to get new jobs and do you wanna know why?" She paused for a second to catch a breath, not even bothering to let him ask. "Because Bobs stupid pride in owning a business and being successful is way more important than him humbling himself and getting some minimum wage job temporarily until we're back on our feet!"
Arnold frowned as he watched her work herself up again. He wanted desperately to sooth her but really didn't know what to say. She knew her family way better than he did and even he knew Bobs temperament and attitude. "Why doesn't your mom try to get a job then?" He asked curiously.
"Can you imagine Miriam doing anything else other than lying around on the couch with a drink in her hand?" She asked him honestly, even though she was aware that she was the one who witnessed it.
"Well there was that one time she took over your dad's business because he hurt his back." Arnold explained, "If I remember correctly, she did a really good job."
"Yup! And the moment Bob got back into his position, she went right back to forgetting everything and loafing around again!" Helga replied, now beginning to walk again. "The only thing I have to hope for now is she really has something up her sleeve like she hinted at."
This peaked Arnolds interest. "What do you mean?"
Helga let out a long sigh. "She said something like she had strings she could still pull to get him to do what was right but I don't even know what that means." She admitted. "Miriam has very rarely done anything useful in all my years of breathing. Can't imagine she could do anything now…"
Arnold thought for a moment. He recalled all the things his grandpa had told him over the years about women and how they can be crafty, but he also didn't know Helga's mother very well at all. The very few times he had spoken to her, she seemed very nice but she also didn't do much to help Helga's living situations. He shrugged, "Maybe she knows something you don't and plans on using it? They have been married for a while and Grandpa has always said that women are crafty creatures."
"You do realize you're speaking to one, right?" Helga asked bluntly; no tone of amusement in her voice.
The boy smiled, "I know and you've always had a hand at keeping me on my feet so why not your mom?"
"Because Football head… My mom is a dull as a piece of plywood." She replied.
They reached the retail store just before the street lights started to come on. As they were about to walk in, Helga stopped Arnold.
"You wait here." She insisted. "I don't take long to shop."
Arnold cocked and eyebrow at her unusual request. "Why can't I come with you?"
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms stubbornly at the boy. "Because sometimes girls need to shop by themselves." She explained. "Do you really wanna see all my feminine products?"
The blond boy felt a blush overcome his cheeks as he remembered she needed to buy personal products that she didn't currently own. I guess sometimes I do forget she's a girl… he said in his head. With a nod, Arnold stood aside from the automatic sliding doors. "Alright then, I'll wait here. Try not to take too long though, I didn't get a chance to tell anyone where we were going and they might start to worry."
"Yeah, yeah I got it." Helga said before walking through the doors and into the store.
As Helga browsed their wares, she picked up some shampoo, conditioner, body wash, a scrubbing sponge, deodorant, toothpaste and a toothbrush. She walked by the menstrual section and thanked her lucky stars that she had yet to be plagued with that problem yet. "One less thing I gotta worry about…" She mumbled to herself as she went on ahead to get herself a few bath towels. As much as she enjoyed basking in the scent of her beloved, she knew that while staying at the boarding house, she was required to have her own things.
She walked a few aisles over and grabbed a small container of laundry soap and fabric softener, not even bothering to give them a smell as she couldn't even care less so long as they did their job. The pre-teen stood and pondered for a second, wondering how much money she had left and if there was any sort of personal product she could have missed.
Quickly she made her way over to the women's clothing to grab undergarments. She walked alongside the bras before stopping and feeling her own chest. "They aren't exactly impressive but I suppose I might as well grab one now. At least now I have some privacy to get what I want." She said to herself as she grabbed the smallest bra that didn't look absolutely hideous or incredibly dainty. "Now for some clothes…"
Luckily for her, she managed to find something similar to what she usually wore. Pink dresses, white shirts and even a few new things that she thought might look nice. Deciding that she had no time to try anything on and confident that these items would fit her, she made her way to the check out.
The cashier scanned her items and bagged them. "Total comes to $54.98." She said with a flat tone.
Noticing she had a little bit of money left over, she ran over to a cooler and grabbed two yahoos. "Add these too." She said as she handed them over.
"Total now comes to $58.94" said the cashier.
Helga handed over the $60 to the woman and then grabbed her bags. She was handed back the little change she had left which she shoved into her pocket before booking it out of the retail store. Looking around, she noticed Arnold was still where she had left him.
"Did you get everything you need?" He asked with a smile; happy to finally have company again.
"Hope so." Helga replied. "Here." She said as she handed him the yahoo. "I had a bit of change left over so I got you this."
Arnold had received many things from Helga over his time, but he couldn't remember if she had ever actually given him something physical. "Thanks!" He said enthusiastically before popping it open.
"Yeah, don't get used to it Bucko." Helga sneered before throwing the bags over her shoulder. "Come on before your parents freak out and think you got kidnapped or something."
The boy took a sip of his ice cold beverage and nodded. It was amazing to him that even after she was in such a foul mood, she still went out of her way to buy him something with what little she had left.
Their walk back to the boarding house was a lot less tense as Helga got the fresh air she needed as well as vented a little. It also helped to know that she had her own belongings as well, but one thing still seemed to bother her. The thought of her leaving the Sunset Arms and leaving her open opportunity to have Arnold whenever she wanted wasn't a very good one. Sure, she knew she couldn't live there forever, especially rent free. She knew that she was too young to afford to live there and wasn't old enough to get a job to support herself. She knew that once her parents finally got themselves a place, whether it be their old one or some new apartment, that things would go back to the way they used to be. Her parents would go about their daily lives and she would be forgotten. Still… She thought, keeping her pace steady as they trekked through the pedestrians on the sidewalk in their path, Miriam has never been crafty. Sure, she has proved herself useful a handful of times but what could she possibly have up her sleeve that she can hold over Bob? And if there is something, why has she never used it before?
Helga pondered over her past and came up with nothing of use. Miriam and Bob aren't the only ones I have to think about either… Helga recalled Brainy's email to her. His "cryptic nonsense" gave her an uneasy feeling. He fell into the same category as Miriam in Helga's mind as useless. Just what is he up to? What could some geeky twelve year old boy, who can't even talk to people, do to help me? Helga could feel a sickly taste in her mouth as she thought about it. Just what did she know about him? Just what did anyone know about him, really? The boy was a mystery to all.
She looked down at the boy walking besides her. It had been many moments since they had said anything and she knew their dwelling was getting closer and closer. The moment they got to the boarding house, it would be time for some strange dinner his family came up with and they would have little time to chat after that as well. They both had homework to do and she couldn't help but get a little excited at the thought of changing into something new and hers.
"Hey Football head," She started as she stared in front of her as they walked.
The boy perked up at the sound of her voice. "Yeah, Helga?" He asked with his usual innocence.
"Odd question but…" Helga began to rethink her question. "You and Brainy are friends, right?" She asked, trying not to make the question sound too suspicious.
No matter how she worded it, the topic was as random as it got and Arnold cocked an eyebrow. He never actually thought about it himself. The kid hung around him and his friends sometimes. He also sometimes played baseball with them in the past. Brainy had been in their lives as far back as he could remember but could he really say they were "friends"? Arnold looked to the path in front of him as he pondered the question. "I guess so." He stated as he continued to mull over the question.
"What do you… know about him?" She asked, her voice cracking a little.
This question too, seemed to come out of the blue and Arnold found himself lacking for an answer. "Now that you bring it up," He replied, "Nothing." Arnold's eyes became wide as his own answer surprised him. He thought he knew at least something about each of the kids in his class but no matter how much he thought about it, nothing at all came to mind. "Why do you ask?" His voice was full of curiosity.
"No reason." She backed down to avoid further questions, meanwhile kicking herself for even bringing it up. Helga knew that he wouldn't let it go, but prayed to whatever God might be in the universe that he might. Great! Why did I have to open my big mouth and ask him? Sure, Arnold is probably the best person to ask since he knows basically everyone but now that he's in the same boat as me, what can I possibly say? Yeah Arnold, we've been emailing back and forth. The guy has been stalking me just as long as I've been stalking you. He probably knows everything about me and that's not intimidating to hear at all. Hell, it's a little scary to think even… Not that he's ever been a threat. In fact, he's even helped a bit.
Arnold gave a heavy sigh. "If you say so." He said, giving Helga a small sigh of relief which he could easily hear from his distance. "But," He continued and she tensed, "Now that you've brought it up, it does seem strange that I can't think of one single thing. I know his name and… That's about it. He does okay in class. He hangs out with everyone even if it's just in the background. He doesn't say much and when he does, it's simple short sentences." Arnold analyzed the boy as they approached the upcoming stoop to his building. "He's a bit…" He searched for the best word he could possibly use to describe the boy in question, "dull."
The adjective used made Helga burst out in one big "Ha!" If only he knew what I did, the boy is anything but dull. He's incredibly eloquent with his writing and could probably rival even me! Dull is a word used to describe someone like Arnie… She thought, but standing from the outside looking in; she could definitely see how Arnold came to that conclusion.
Arnold walked up and reached for the door. He knew there was probably a lot more to her question then she let him see but for now, it would have to wait. The day had already been stressful for her and he didn't need to add to it by forcing her to answer his question. Not yet, anyway. He now had his own mystery to think about. What did anyone know about Brainy?
The evening went on as normal as ever for Arnold, save for the person now on his mind. He ate dinner and was now sitting in his room, at his desk, looking at his homework. It was simple homework, nothing difficult. He had answered a few of the questions but found himself bouncing back and forth from a dazed mind clouded with mystery to actually doing his assignment. He thought about his childhood and the small bits and pieces which Brainy was part of. Birthday parties which he had attended: Brainy was always there. Games he played in the park: Brainy always took part even if it was a small part. The various adventures he had with his class, whether it be searching for lost pirate gold or waiting for a haunted train to show up, Brainy somehow was there. Just… why was he there? Arnold questioned to himself. Some of those adventures didn't even involve him. In fact, how did he even know that Helga, Gerald and I would be at that old train station? The math didn't add up, and that had nothing to do with his homework. He wasn't around when Grandpa told us the story, and the only reason Helga knew about it was because she showed up just as we were discussing it. Brainy was nowhere in sight. Does he just hang out on 53rd street? The creepy thought made him shiver as that whole area was mostly abandoned but it was no creepier than to think that the kid hung out in old abandoned caves either. Maybe he likes the abandoned places for the atmosphere? One thing he knew for sure, though, was he would definitely do a little digging when he got to school. Surely one of his friends would know something about him.