Well it's much later then tomorrow, but here's my update! Sorry to those of you who see Lila as out of character right now. It's the way I would see her as considering her position and that she's literally at the end of her rope! I apologize nonetheless. Here it is, the second to (sniff!) LAST chapter in this story! Enjoy!
Chapter 23
Six Degrees of Separation
Helga smirked delightedly as she watched her perpetrator exit the bus the next morning. There was no turning back now, nor did she have any desire to do so. The turmoil of the past few days were still fresh in her memory, providing the fuel she needed to carry out her plan. Sensing she might seem too obvious to make her approach in front of the entire school, she ducked haphazardly behind a tall wastebasket, watching her subject with great interest.
"And then the farmer said, "Whatever you do, don't sell that cow," Lila completed the ages old joke with a flourish. The 4th grade students, who were two years her junior, laughed heartily as they had not been subjected to the increasingly lackluster charm of Lila Sawyer. She batted her mascared lashes coyly as she turned to take her leave. She didn't expect to run smack dab into him.
"So what do you think about this whole situation?" Arnold ran a finger across his lips thoughtfully, his eyes glued unblinkingly to the pretty redhead in front of him. His normally serene orbs seemed cold to her, almost like steel. Could he possibly know? She shuddered lightly at the thought, but soon gained her composure and jutted her chin forward in defiance.
"I am ever so certain that I don't know what you mean, Arnold," Lila replied, her seemingly innocent words laced heavily with venom. "You deny having feelings for me, despite the lovely poem you wrote for me. You claim to love a mean hearted bully, when you know I am the only one for you," She lowered her lashes suddenly and just as quickly flitted them back up at him, her face displaying a look of sheer hope and raw desperation combined into one.
Arnold narrowed his eyes, a look of disgust spreading across his somewhat delicate features. "I admitted it, I do love Helga Pataki. That is neither here nor there for you or your little boyfriend to get all upset about. You had your chance with me, Lila, and it's over now. I don't know who wrote that poem for you, but I can guarantee it did not come from my hand, or heart for that matter,"
He walked towards the double doors of P.S. 118, never looking back. Had he turned his head at that precise moment, he would have seen the shadowy figure that held the key to his dilemma, slinking away under the barren apples trees to the east of the school.
The bell rang and Helga barely had time to slide into her seat in Mr. Packenham's drama class. She had been so engrossed in tailing her victim that she had scarcely paid any attention to the time. She inhaled a ragged breath, and glanced precariously around the room.
Phoebe was already seated in a front desk, her small hands folded delicately against the writing surface, her face a blank canvas whereas normally etched with eager anticipation for learning. Had anyone but Helga observed her, they would think nothing was amiss. Helga knew her best friend better than that, she knew what was really happening behind the blank stare that encased her almond shaped eyes.
She was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"Robert, are you certain your suspicions are well founded?" Sylvia Masters, PS 118's guidance counselor was leaning against her desk, her lean frame taut with nerves. Her porcelain skin and delicately painted features were furrowed with worry.
"Most certain, Miss Masters. It upsets me just as much as you to think of Barney in that way, but I have absolute proof. I used that star sixty-nine call back service, and it was his number that called me."
Miss Masters tucked a strand of mahogany hair behind her ear. "Okay, kids make prank phone calls, Mr. Simmons. That does not a cheater make,"
"No, but turning in other student's assignments as another's does," Mr. Simmons pulled two pieces of paper from the green folder tucked in his arm and set them on the desk in front of them.
Two identical poems, in purple ink, in near identical handwriting.
After a collective moment of stunned silence, she spoke. "The names read one Helga Pataki and a Miss Rhonda Lloyd. I don't see how this connects one of my best students in the guidance office as a cheater,"
"And I didn't at first, either," Robert sighed, pulling yet another leaflet of notebook paper from his folder. "See the r's on this paper? And the w's? They are the EXACT same as the ones in Ms. Lloyd's paper. That's how I know Barney wrote it. Also, I checked to see which aide was on duty when I had these turned in for grading. Barney was the only aide on duty that day."
Miss Masters rubbed her temples lightly, visibly disturbed at the discovery of her star pupil's involvement in a plagiarism/cheating ring within her own school walls.
"How do you know he didn't write Ms. Pataki's paper as well?" she sighed weakly, sitting at her desk in defeat as she thumbed through her files for Barney's spotless permanent record.
"I know Helga's work," Robert smiled sadly, his heart aching for his fellow educator as he took a seat opposite her. "It's definitely a Pataki original."
That's all for now, guys and gals! I apologize for it being so short but I had to get it out there so I could write my huge final chapter in this saga! Hope all the pieces are starting to fit! Thanks so much for your patience, I have been a naughty little writer in waiting soooo long to post! As always, let me know what you think!
Chapter 23
Six Degrees of Separation
Helga smirked delightedly as she watched her perpetrator exit the bus the next morning. There was no turning back now, nor did she have any desire to do so. The turmoil of the past few days were still fresh in her memory, providing the fuel she needed to carry out her plan. Sensing she might seem too obvious to make her approach in front of the entire school, she ducked haphazardly behind a tall wastebasket, watching her subject with great interest.
"And then the farmer said, "Whatever you do, don't sell that cow," Lila completed the ages old joke with a flourish. The 4th grade students, who were two years her junior, laughed heartily as they had not been subjected to the increasingly lackluster charm of Lila Sawyer. She batted her mascared lashes coyly as she turned to take her leave. She didn't expect to run smack dab into him.
"So what do you think about this whole situation?" Arnold ran a finger across his lips thoughtfully, his eyes glued unblinkingly to the pretty redhead in front of him. His normally serene orbs seemed cold to her, almost like steel. Could he possibly know? She shuddered lightly at the thought, but soon gained her composure and jutted her chin forward in defiance.
"I am ever so certain that I don't know what you mean, Arnold," Lila replied, her seemingly innocent words laced heavily with venom. "You deny having feelings for me, despite the lovely poem you wrote for me. You claim to love a mean hearted bully, when you know I am the only one for you," She lowered her lashes suddenly and just as quickly flitted them back up at him, her face displaying a look of sheer hope and raw desperation combined into one.
Arnold narrowed his eyes, a look of disgust spreading across his somewhat delicate features. "I admitted it, I do love Helga Pataki. That is neither here nor there for you or your little boyfriend to get all upset about. You had your chance with me, Lila, and it's over now. I don't know who wrote that poem for you, but I can guarantee it did not come from my hand, or heart for that matter,"
He walked towards the double doors of P.S. 118, never looking back. Had he turned his head at that precise moment, he would have seen the shadowy figure that held the key to his dilemma, slinking away under the barren apples trees to the east of the school.
The bell rang and Helga barely had time to slide into her seat in Mr. Packenham's drama class. She had been so engrossed in tailing her victim that she had scarcely paid any attention to the time. She inhaled a ragged breath, and glanced precariously around the room.
Phoebe was already seated in a front desk, her small hands folded delicately against the writing surface, her face a blank canvas whereas normally etched with eager anticipation for learning. Had anyone but Helga observed her, they would think nothing was amiss. Helga knew her best friend better than that, she knew what was really happening behind the blank stare that encased her almond shaped eyes.
She was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"Robert, are you certain your suspicions are well founded?" Sylvia Masters, PS 118's guidance counselor was leaning against her desk, her lean frame taut with nerves. Her porcelain skin and delicately painted features were furrowed with worry.
"Most certain, Miss Masters. It upsets me just as much as you to think of Barney in that way, but I have absolute proof. I used that star sixty-nine call back service, and it was his number that called me."
Miss Masters tucked a strand of mahogany hair behind her ear. "Okay, kids make prank phone calls, Mr. Simmons. That does not a cheater make,"
"No, but turning in other student's assignments as another's does," Mr. Simmons pulled two pieces of paper from the green folder tucked in his arm and set them on the desk in front of them.
Two identical poems, in purple ink, in near identical handwriting.
After a collective moment of stunned silence, she spoke. "The names read one Helga Pataki and a Miss Rhonda Lloyd. I don't see how this connects one of my best students in the guidance office as a cheater,"
"And I didn't at first, either," Robert sighed, pulling yet another leaflet of notebook paper from his folder. "See the r's on this paper? And the w's? They are the EXACT same as the ones in Ms. Lloyd's paper. That's how I know Barney wrote it. Also, I checked to see which aide was on duty when I had these turned in for grading. Barney was the only aide on duty that day."
Miss Masters rubbed her temples lightly, visibly disturbed at the discovery of her star pupil's involvement in a plagiarism/cheating ring within her own school walls.
"How do you know he didn't write Ms. Pataki's paper as well?" she sighed weakly, sitting at her desk in defeat as she thumbed through her files for Barney's spotless permanent record.
"I know Helga's work," Robert smiled sadly, his heart aching for his fellow educator as he took a seat opposite her. "It's definitely a Pataki original."
That's all for now, guys and gals! I apologize for it being so short but I had to get it out there so I could write my huge final chapter in this saga! Hope all the pieces are starting to fit! Thanks so much for your patience, I have been a naughty little writer in waiting soooo long to post! As always, let me know what you think!