Staring at her white tennis shoes as they dragged along the linoleum floor Helga knew she was going to spend the rest of the day in the nurses office. She suddenly began running down the hall making it to a toilet just in time to deposit the contents of her stomach within. There wasn't much. Most of her half-digested breakfast was still on Mr. Simmons' floor. Helga flushed the toilet, rinsed out her mouth and continued her journey to the office. She walked in and stared at the school's secretary.

"Mr. Simmons already called." Ms. Jensen pointed her thumb at the small enclosure that served as the infirmary. "Nurse Shelley isn't here today, so just go have a lie down over there and I'll call your parents. Name?"

"Helga Pataki." She was too exhausted to mutter "good luck with that" so she just curled up on the uncomfortable bed. She knew Miriam wouldn't answer, and Bob would proclaim that he was at work and demand they call his wife. So with no one else to call Helga would spend the rest of the day at school.

She was doing her best to hold back tears, today had been terrible. She had gotten to school late and for some reason everyone was out to get her today. Even Arnold. They had been fighting when she felt the nausea overtake her. It was all she could do to keep herself from throwing up on his shoes. And of course Harold, Stinky, and Sid, who thought any bodily function was hilarious, had started making fun of her.

She sighed. Arnold was still her number one source of frustration in life. She was still madly in love with him, and he said he loved her back, but they fought constantly. He was mad that she was still picking on him in front of the other kids. He was mad that she wasn't being true to herself, and today he'd had enough. The next chance he got he was going to break up with her. She knew it.

Ms. Jensen walked back over looking extremely annoyed. "No one is answering at your house and your dad can't get you. Is there anyone else we can call?" Helga shook her head and curled up into a ball. Ms. Jensen sighed.

"No one at all?"

"Can't I just take the bus home."

"We can't let you leave the school without being signed out by an adult." She shook her head. "I'll just keep trying until someone picks up the phone. The one day Principal Wartz isn't here." She stormed off waving her hands in the air frantically. Helga was staring at the wall, trying to find something interesting to fixate on for the next 4 hours, when something Arnold's mother had said popped into her head.

"And if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call."

She knew it was only a pleasantry adults said to make themselves feel better, but somehow coming from Stella it seemed different. She got up and poked her head out of the small room.

"I just thought of someone." Ms. Jensen waved her hand in the direction of the other phone while chatting away on hers.

"Just remember to push nine first. No, no, not you Gina, so like I was saying–"

Helga nervously picked up the phone and dialed the number she knew better than her own. It rang four times before someone picked it up.

"Hello?" A woman answered.

"Hello. Is . . . is this Arnold's mom?"

She giggled. "Yes. Who is this?"

"It's me Helga I'm Arnold's–"

"Helga? What's wrong? Did something happen to Arnold? Do I–"

"Arnold's fine."

"Oh. Well then why are you calling?"

"Well . . ." suddenly nervous she began tugging on the phone cord, "I . . . you said if I ever needed anything . . . well, you probably didn't really mean it . . . but . . ."

"Helga, what's wrong?"

She took a deep breath and spoke quickly. "Look, I'm sick and my dad can't come get me and my mom isn't answering the phone, and they won't let me leave unless someone signs so I was hoping that you could come check me out. It's okay if you can't, I know you're busy, and–"

"I'll be there in a few minutes. You just sit tight."

"Okay." She replaced the receiver and sat back down on the bed. She was still staring at her sneakers when Stella walked in.

"I'm here to pick up Helga Pataki." At the sound of the woman's voice she practically flew off the tiny cot. Helga resisted the urge to hug her. Stella signed a paper then knelt down in front of her.

"Is anyone at your house?"

"My mom's home she's just–" too incapacitated to answer the phone, but I don't want you to know that. "She . . . probably has a headache." Helga lied.

"Alright. Do you want me to drop you off at your house then?"

Helga nodded even though going home was just about as bad as staring at the wall for hours, at least she could be miserable in her own bed.

The kind woman placed her hand on Helga's shoulder and led her to the car.

All too soon they were at her stoop. She looked over at Arnold's mom who was smiling sweetly at her. If there was anyone in the world she loved as much as Arnold, it was Stella. She reluctantly got out of the car and marched up the steps. It wasn't until she turned the door knob that she discovered it was locked. She reached under the door mat only to find a slightly rusty key shaped stain where the spare key should have been. With a sigh she rang the doorbell.

"Mom!" She called at the window. "Open the door!" She waited for what seemed an eternity then began pounding on the door. She was really getting mad. In fact she was so mad her head was swimming. "Crimeny! MIRIAM! OPEN THE STINKING DOOR!" With both fists clenched at her sides she forced back the angry tears that were threatening to escape her eyes. Her world was suddenly spinning and she glanced down at the ground just in time to see it fly up and hit her.