Helga gently caressed the black and white keys, the melody taking over. Music had become a haven for Helga, there were no expectations for her to be the best. It was just her and her keyboard.

Olga followed the tune up the stairs, Helga had left her bedroom door ajar not expecting anyone home yet. Olga leaned on the doorframe and watched her sister play. She did her best to keep quiet as she knew as soon as Helga noticed her, she would stop playing. As she got lost in the music, she watched her sister sadly.

Helga was a major stress in her life, and not because she'd found her a burden like her parents had; but because she wondered if her baby sister would truly ever be happy. What their parents had put them through had changed them both, and Olga was pleased to say that she'd done her best to build a stable and nurturing home for her sister. But the consequences of that afternoon forever left a mark on both the Pataki sisters. They'd grown closer, Olga becoming the nurturing sister Helga had always needed her to be. And yet after her falling out with the PS 118 gang, Helga had never really been the same. More than anything Olga wished to unite them all once again, but it had been six years and Helga still refused to talk about it.

'At least we have each other,' Olga thought as she watched Helga finish her song. 'And you are never getting rid of me again baby sister.'

Helga finished her piece with a smile on her face. That smile quickly turned into a scowl as she saw who was standing at her door. "Olga!" Helga complained, throwing a pencil at her.

Olga laughed and picked it up, "Thanks, the kids are always taking them from my office."

Helga rolled her eyes and smiled at her sister.

"Dinners ready, I brought chinese."

"Yes!" Helga marched excitedly down the stairs to fix herself a plate.

"You're welcome," Olga laughed at her enthusiasm.

After dinner, Helga returned to her room determined to ignore Olga's pleas for family game night. 'It's never as fun with just two people,' she thought.

Part of her felt guilty, knowing her sister was trying to spend time with her, and she was determined to make it up to her some other time. Maybe tomorrow, it was Friday, she had the whole weekend after all.

Helga stood in front of the mirror and examined herself. "I am strong," she spoke aloud.

She looked at herself and laughed, she didn't feel strong, and she certainly didn't look strong. She looked like Helga, an average-height blonde with tired blue eyes and thick eyebrows. She was going to have to talk to Dr. Bliss about these affirmations. She wasn't sure it was going to work for her.

Instead of continuing her therapy homework, Helga decided to curl up with one of her favorite classics.

A few hours later Olga stopped by to say goodnight.

"Wuthering Heights again?" She asked Helga incredulously. "Don't stay up all night reading." She said as she kissed her sister on the forehead.

"Goodnight," Helga called after her.

After her sister's interruption Helga grew too distracted to read, her mind kept drifting. She grabbed her phone hoping to numb her mind with some mindless content that would hopefully send her into dreamland.

'That's weird,' Helga thought. She had three missed calls and a new text from an unknown number.

Helga, this is an emergency. Please pick up. The text read. Helga was more confused than ever. Anyone who'd need to reach her in an emergency was saved as a contact in her phone. It's not like she'd made any close friends at her school, at least nobody that would try to reach her like this.

Who is this? And how did you get my number?

Instead of responding to her text, the unknown number called again. "Sorry bucko, I don't answer calls from people I don't know," she said as she pressed ignore.

Not even a minute later another text came through. Helga, please, if you're not going to pick up just meet us at Gerald's Field. It's an emergency. SOS.

Helga's heart felt like it had skipped a beat. Gerald's field, SOS. When she was a kid, the PS 118 gang used SOS during dire times. It was never used lightly so much so that SOS had only ever been called three times that she'd known of. Once when Phoebe's dad had been diagnosed with cancer, again when Sheena's mom had packed up and never came back, and lastly when Bob and Miriam had done what they'd done.

This text was from someone in the PS 118 gang, and something was very wrong.

Without putting much thought into it she put on a denim jacket over her white summer dress and slipped on some sandals. She gathered her wallet, phone, and keys and made her way out the door before fear crept into her mind.

'What if they don't want me there? What if I'm intruding in their meeting?'

"Just go, you can stand in the back. It will be like you're not even there. You don't have to talk to anyone and once you find out what's going on you can decide what to do." she talked to herself as she got in her car and began the fifteen-minute drive.

"Just wait five more minutes," Arnold pleaded.

The crowd around him groaned in unison.

"She's not coming man," Gerald ran his fingers exasperatedly through his thick curls. He was fully aware who his best friend was holding out for, but he didn't have any confidence that Helga would make an appearance.

Gerald sighed and walked back to where his girlfriend Phoebe stood, pulling her into his arms trying to ease her worry. The last time they'd all been together like this had been a turning point in their lives, and he wasn't sure it had been for the best.

His eyes swept over the small field they had played so many ball games in. Rhonda and Nadine stood off by themselves, separating themselves from the group; and they weren't the only ones. Nothing had ever been the same after the incident in sixth grade. Instead of driving them closer it pulled them apart. It was hard enough starting at a new school, surrounded by upperclassmen, without adding that to the list.

Gerald was pulled out of his musings by the sound of footsteps approaching.

He heard Arnold's sharp intake of breath as a figure rounded the corner and stood under the moonlight with a nervous look on her face.

"Helga," Arnold heard himself whisper aloud. Part of him was shocked to finally be laying eyes on her after all these years. She was different, she'd grown into a young lady. And yet, despite the differences he could have picked her out in a sea of people.

He sensed her hesitation, the way she nervously looked around at the familiar but strange faces. They were all staring at her like she was a ghost, coming back to haunt them.

"You came," Arnold directed her attention towards him, trying to ease her anxiety. He was almost afraid that if he said the wrong thing, she'd disappear from his life again. "Thank you," he said as he walked towards her.

Helga, sensing that he was the only person who seemed to want her there, met him halfway. She nervously stood next to him and took everything in.

"Who called this meeting?'' Gerald broke the silence. "What's going on?"

No one spoke, the silence seemed to stretch on forever until Rhonda scoffed in disgust. "Waste of my Friday night, come on Nadine."

"Wa-wait!" Lila cried out as she stepped towards the middle of the field. Lorenzo followed behind her and supported her weight as she tearfully addressed her childhood friends.

"It's Eugene," she cried. "He was involved in a hit and run. He's in the hospital."

"Oh please, it's Eugene," Rhonda mimicked. "He has an accident every week."

"He's not coming back from this one." Lila cried out.

Everyone looked to one another, lost for words.

Lila offered no other explanation, falling apart in Lorenzo's arms. Seeing that his girlfriend couldn't go on, Lorenzo took the torch.

"They can't get any brain activity from him, they've been trying for hours, it doesn't appear there will be a change." He explained.

Still many of the PS 118 gang looked around in confusion. Not sure they understood what that meant.

"He's brain dead." Phoebe clarified, tears falling down her cheeks.

Regaining her composure momentarily, Lila addressed the group once more. "His parents are pulling the plug tomorrow at noon. They wanted everyone to have a chance at saying goodbye."

Everyone collectively came together towards the middle of the field and held on to each other. Wet cheeks, and sniffling was all that could be heard. If you had asked any of them later on, who had comforted who, they never would have been able to give a straight answer. They were all joined in their grief. One of their own had fallen, and there was no way to bring him back. He would never grace them with his optimistic nature again, they would never hear him reassure them of his well-being in only the way Eugene could.

Slowly they all began to disperse, breaking off into groups as they headed to the hospital to say goodbye to their friend.

Before long, Gerald's field was empty. The only two people left were Helga and the boy she'd obsessed over in her youth.

Helga scanned the field, realizing for the first time the complete silence.

"They all went to the hospital," Arnold offered an explanation.

Realizing their proximity she quickly stepped out of his arms and began to retreat. She'd go to the hospital and see Eugene, she couldn't be the same person she once was but he was still her friend. She wanted to thank him for his kindness and acceptance. When she'd felt so alone, he had been her friend.

"Come on," Arnold offered his hand, "We'll go to the hospital."

She stared cautiously at his outstretched hand until Arnold sighed and let his arm rest back at his side. "Where did you park?"

"Um, just a few blocks down," she mumbled.

They walked quietly towards Helga's car, both still in shock and devastated by the news.

He doesn't deserve this, if anyone out of all of us deserves something like this, it's probably me. Helga cried harder as her mind raced.

"I can drive if you want," Arnold offered as they stopped by her car.

She quietly handed him the keys, defeated. She just wanted this unfairness to end. Why was life so cruel to such good hearted people? She saw disaster ready to strike in her life, she was anything but an exemplary Samaritan, but Eugene was kind and helpful despite his awful luck.

She got in the passenger seat and stared emotionlessly at her fingers waiting for Arnold to whisk them away to the hospital. When a good minute passed and they still hadn't moved, Helga looked over to a red faced Arnold. Confusion masked her facial features until realization dawned on her.

"You don't know how to drive a stick, do you?" She asked. The question wasn't cruel or sarcastic like it would have been in the past.

"No," he mumbled, embarrassed.