The scene at the hospital looked like a scene from a movie, seats occupied by her former friends and strangers walking about.

Apart from Eugene's parents, only two other visitors were allowed in the room at once. Somehow in their grief they had still managed to come up with a system of pairs. Phoebe and Gerald had just been escorted to Eugene's room and Helga and Arnold would be next.

They sat in silence while they waited. Helga stared at the flat carpet, thinking of how much she'd miss her friend. She thought about all of the weekend adventures they'd had, how easily he had accepted her back into his life. She would never forget it.

...

Helga stood in line at Oakdale Pharmacy on a hot summer day in July. The back of her neck was sweating, her upper lip felt moist despite the air conditioning running in the building. She held the ice cold bottle of water she was trying to purchase on the back of her neck seeking some sort of relief from the persistent heat.

"Next!" the woman at the counter hollered, her face coated in sweat. Helga was counting the people ahead of her when someone startled her.

"That water is going to be warm by the time we're out of this line if you keep holding it up to your neck," the stranger behind her said.

Helga turned around ready to give a smart ass response but was stunned silent by the familiar face in front of her.

"Of course, it won't be long either way in this heat." He continued unfazed by her silence.

"What are you doing here?" she exclaimed. Her cheeks flushed at her own rudeness, she was about to apologize when he answered her question.

"My aunt and uncle moved to Oakdale last year. I'm spending the summer with them." He clarified.

"That's nice," Helga said awkwardly. She wasn't quite sure how to respond, his demeanor far from the anger she had expected.

"Next!"

"Looks like it's my turn," Helga said as she walked up to the counter. "See you around." She smiled at him before paying for her water and exiting the building.

She began her walk to Dr. Bliss's office when she was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Wait up!," He ran after her, and just as he closed in he tripped over his own feet. Helga quickly moved to break his fall.

"I'm okay, thanks." He smiled at her as he righted himself up.

Helga genuinely smiled at him for the first time since they'd reconnected. Eugene hadn't changed much, his red curly hair still unpredictable and unruly. Freckles stubbornly colored his pale porcelain skin. He was obviously still the clumsiest person she'd ever met.

"No problem," she smiled at him.

"Wanna hang out?" He asked as he began walking with her.

For once in her life Helga felt grateful for her mandatory weekly sessions with Dr. Bliss. "Sorry, I can't. I'm on my way to a Dr's appointment." It's not like she had anything against Eugene, just the thought of being around anyone from the P.S. 118 gang made her feel uneasy.

"That's alright. I'll walk with you," He said enthusiastically.

Helga grimaced but didn't discourage his presence.

"What a lovely day, huh?"

Helga couldn't help but smile at his optimism. "Quite lovely."

"It's been a long time since we've seen each other." Eugene said sadly.

"Five years," Helga said absentmindedly.

"Look who's counting," he teased her.

Helga's cheeks flushed pink and she suddenly felt really thirsty. She finished her water bottle, not acknowledging his comment.

When they turned the corner and Dr. Bliss's office was in sight, she picked up her pace eager for this awkward encounter to end. She stopped in front of the office and said, "Well this is me."

Eugene laughed as he read the sign on the building.

"Something funny about therapy bucko?" Helga asked defensively.

"No of course not, Helga." He clarified. "It's just that I start with her tomorrow and I was feeling sort of nervous. Funny coincidence if you ask me."

"Oh well Dr. Bliss is great. I've been seeing her since I was nine. You'll be in good hands," she reassured.

"Thanks, I guess I'll see you around." Eugene smiled at her.

Helga entered Dr. Bliss's office and made herself comfortable on what she called the "therapist chair." It was something her and Dr. Bliss had done since she was a kid, Helga would sit in the therapist chair while Dr. Bliss took the chaise lounge.

"What's bothering you Helga?"

"Well good afternoon to you too," Helga responded sarcastically.

Regret wormed its way into her heart within seconds.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just feeling tightly wound because I just saw one of my childhood friends." Helga said sheepishly.

"It's okay, so which one was it?"

"Eugene, he's the one who always seems to have rotten luck."

"Ah, I see. Why do you think you're feeling so tightly wound as you put it?"

"Part of me feels ashamed, for just disappearing. I almost feel like if I don't see him, I don't have to face the decisions I made."

"Do you regret your decision to leave without saying goodbye?"

"Yes and no. I don't regret leaving. I think I would have drowned if I had stayed for another minute. Everywhere I looked screamed at me to remember what they did. Leaving allowed me freedom of encountering my parents everywhere I looked. And I've gained so much, I've taken on new hobbies and become so much better than what nine year old Helga could have dreamed. I regret how I did it. I regret leaving without saying goodbye."

"And what do you wish you could have done differently?" Dr. Bliss asked.

"That's the thing Doc, I don't know that I could have done anything differently. I was hurt and humiliated that my secret had been revealed on top of dealing with what my parents did. I was angry, so angry for so long. And by the time I was done feeling angry, years had passed and I felt like it was too late. How do you show up at your best friend's doorstep two years later and say, "hey I was just in the neighborhood, wanna hangout?", you just don't. And I've realized that I don't think I know how to be her friend after this. I've tried to see things from her perspective and I think I understand why she did what she did, and yet how do you come back?"

"You put yourself out there, that's all. You say your piece and wait for the other person to decide if they want to pursue a relationship with you. And whether they do or not, is no flaw to your character. What you all experienced was traumatic, and sometimes people attach those feelings to a person. That's why some people struggle to reconnect after an event such as this. But Phoebe is worth it to you, I can see that."

Helga wiped tears from the corner of her eyes. "I don't know that I have the courage." She confessed.

"You don't have to. Eugene, is he important to you?"

"Yes," Helga answered simply.

"But not as important as Phoebe?"

Helga's face flamed at the question.

"There's no shame in saying yes Helga. That's why terms like 'best friend' exist. Eugene can still be important to you and yet not mean as much to you as Phoebe does."

"Yes," Helga answered her previous question.

"And ideally rebuilding a relationship with your childhood friends is important to you?"

Helga nodded.

"Then this is where you start, one step at a time. It's clear Eugene wants to be your friend, let him."

So she did.

The following day Helga sat across the street from Dr. Bliss's office. She nervously sat on the park bench waiting for Eugene to exit his appointment. She grew so distracted that she completely missed him and was startled when a figure sat next to her on the bench.

"How'd your first appointment go?" She blurted out loud before covering her mouth.

Eugene smiled, "It went really well. You were right, Dr. Bliss is great."

"That's great!" Helga replied enthusiastically. She fished in her mind for what to say next, but was so distracted that before she knew it the silence became awkward.

Realizing he'd have to carry most of the conversation Eugene decided to talk to her about his appointment. He shared that he was seeing Dr. Bliss because of his parents. They worried about how often he felt sad.

Helga's first thought was that he didn't look like a sad person. She quickly reminded herself to let go of those prejudices. Depression had no face, and some people were really great at hiding their suffering. She knew that all too well.

"You don't have to share if you don't-"

Eugene interrupted her, "I want to share. It's honestly nice to speak to someone else who goes to therapy. Initially when my parents noticed something was off they were actually annoyed with me.

'What could you possibly be depressed about? Your life is so easy.' My dad exclaimed. They just don't get it. As if I can control feeling down."

After a moment of silence Eugene added, "You don't have to listen if you don't want to, I'm sure you have enough on your mind."

She laughed, "It is nice to speak to someone who gets it too."

Helga felt she'd found a kindred spirit in Eugene. No longer did she feel like lulls in their conversation were awkward, on the other hand it felt like peace to sit in silence with someone who understood you. That's why when Eugene asked, "Why did you disappear?" Helga had no reservations in answering honestly.

"I was angry and humiliated by what Phoebe revealed and by the time I was no longer angry, by the time I tried to see it through her eyes, so much time had passed and I just didn't know how to start again."

"You have to know that Phoebe and Arnold aren't angry, they never were. I think she feels regret for betraying your trust and he feels ashamed for not trying to remedy the situation." Eugene offered.

"We were just eleven years old." Helga sighed, " I understand now how scared she must have been, how hard it must have been to see your best friend suffering and have no power to change or make anything better. Arnold's emotions are harder to guess, I'm sure he wanted to help but he was probably so shell shocked he couldn't do anything."

"He was never very perceptive," Eugene agreed.

Helga laughed and wondered if Eugene had noticed more than she realized.

"And now?"

"Now, I'd like to try again but I'm just not ready." Helga confessed.

"Ah, so I'm the easier target to practice on."

Helga's face flamed.

"It's okay," Eugene laughed. "I can understand Phoebe and Arnold would be more intimidating to you. I'm glad to be your guinea pig."

"Please don't sell yourself so short," Helga worried he might get the wrong impression, "Your friendship still means quite a lot to me." She blushed.

"I know," Eugene smiled.

From that moment on they grew pretty close. Eugene returned home after the summer but they continued to keep in contact through texting and hanging out one weekend a month. Eugene offered to pass her number along more than once, but Helga declined. She still wasn't ready, but when she was, seeing them was something she had to do in person.

Still her new friendship with Eugene was something Helga cherished. It gave her hope that when she was finally ready to face them, at least she'd have an ally by her side.