DISCLAIMER: Hey Arnold-not mine, never will be.

"Can you believe that it's Thursday already? I mean, I only have to come here for one more day. I can't wait until tomorrow." Patty said with a sigh. She relaxed in her seat and put her feet up on the top of her desk.

"Yeah, well, my last day isn't until Tuesday, so I can't exactly join in your happiness." I said sarcastically. I flipped my backpack on my desk and searched through it for my notebook. I couldn't wait until I got home, I had to think about it now. The waiting would no doubt drive me crazy. I flipped to the page where I had written down my two lists. I tapped my pen nervously on my desk and tried to think long and hard about the situation.

"It's only 3 more days, Helga, it's not like you're in here for another month." Patty said, lowly.

"Hi." I heard Eddie say. I looked up and saw him sitting across from Patty, straddling a chair. I smiled to myself. I knew it was a selfish thought, but I was glad he was finally bothering someone other than me.

"Hi," Patty said in reply. She was so nice to the guy, even though he was so annoying. How does she do it? I asked myself. I began to think about Patty the way Arnold said I should. Patty really was a great person and she was a great influence on me. As much as Patty and I were alike, there were a few differences. We were both tough and could be mean, but Patty was nice when it counted. It was almost as if Patty were me with an actual ACTIVE conscience. She knew when to be a good person, hell, she WAS a good person. This caused me to reflect on myself for several minutes. When I realized it, I quickly got back on track.

"I'm Eddie, who are you?"

"Patty. Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"No, I got to skip it so I could help grandma."

"That's great. I'd be so happy if I could skip school like that, even if it WAS to help out a family member who happened to be a teacher... Then again, doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of not going to school?"

"It's ok, I mean to tell you the truth, I'd rather be at school, myself." the two had a little laugh together. This was hard to believe… she was actually willing to have a conversation with the guy. Maybe it's just that not everyone is as mean as I am, I thought, staying focused on the notebook in front of me.

Ok, so on to Phoebe…. Phoebe's just a… wonderful friend… well, is she really such a great friend now? I mean, she IS the one who caused all of this. I sat back in my chair and frowned. Yeah, that's right! She IS the one who started this whole mess!

"Helga?" I turned to face Patty.

"What?" I looked angrily at her.

"You look um… pissed off." she raised an eyebrow, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, cooling down a little.

"And you were in such a great mood this morning too," Eddie shook his head, "What's wrong with you now?"

"YOU were in a great mood? Why?" Patty questioned.

"No reason," I looked away."

"It's cause of that blonde guy, she said so." Eddie blabbed.

"Shut up!" I turned to face him, red with embarrassment.

"Hahaha, really?!" Patty said, laughing at me.

"See what you did, Special Edd!" I screamed, "I should beat the sh-"

"PATAKI!" I heard Vega yell from her desk.

"Ugh… yes, Mrs. Vega?" I rolled my eyes.

"Watch your language." she looked warningly at me.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The four of us in the classroom turned to see who was there.

"Mrs. Vega?" said Principal Wartz, "May I please speak to Miss Pataki?" doesn't anyone refer to me by my FIRST name?!

"Oh, yes, go ahead." Vega looked at me. I put my notebook away, somehow paranoid Eddie would try to look at it while I was gone. I stood up from my desk and walked to the doorway where Principal Wartz stood waiting for me.

"Yeah?" I started, irritably.

"Pataki, I just had a meeting with all your teachers." he said.

"And?"

"Well, both they and I agree that you should be excused from your last two days in I.S.S. They believe that you have already missed too much work and to keep you here for two more days would be cruel and unreasonable. I myself admit that adding the two extra days was unjust of me, especially after you came to me with the information that got that boy out of the class."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow, not sure if I should trust the enemy just yet.

"Yes. You are here-by excused from your last two days of this class. Your last day will be tomorrow. I would just like to extend my apologies to you once again for punishing you. I realize now that it was wrong of me and that you didn't deserve it."

"Nice to see you've finally realized that." I said, slightly moody.

"Yes, well, I just thought I'd tell you this in person. I hope you have a nice two more days in this class and I'm sorry once more."

"Eh," I shrugged, "It's ok."

"Alright, carry on." he nodded and left the classroom.

"Principal Wartz!" I yelled after him and he stopped and turned to me.

"Thanks," I said and turned to walk back into the classroom.

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Lunch time seemed to come early and I wasn't very hungry. Suddenly the realization that I had only one more day in the I.S.S. class hit me. It wasn't pleasant at all, like I had expected it. I thought I'd be happy, but I wasn't. Somehow the thought that I would no longer be in the class with Patty and… Vega even… wasn't something good.

As Patty, Eddie, Vega, and I walked to the cafeteria I couldn't help but think about the inevitable. Maybe this whole thing with Patty was just because of the close proximity. Maybe once I'm out of the class things will go back to normal, I thought, maybe it's as simple as that.

"You're quiet." Patty commented to me. We were always lagging in the back whenever it was time to go as a group to get lunch. We liked staying behind everyone.

"I'm just thinking." I said, looking ahead of me.

"Come on, aren't you happy that you're getting out tomorrow? The last day of-"

"Maybe I'm not." I said, cutting her off coldly.

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"I don't know…" I looked down. I didn't really want to tell her everything, did I?

"I thought you'd be happy," she said, more to herself than to me.

"I thought so too…" I said in a whisper.

"You know, the cafeteria food here isn't so bad. I mean, it's better than the crap they serve at MY school." Eddie said, slowing down to walk with Patty and I.

"Really? Why kind of toxic waste do they serve you guys?! The food here is crap." Patty said.

Eddie laughed, "So what are you two talking about?"

"Nothing that has to do with YOU." I said, glaring at him.

"Easy, I'm not looking for another fight with you," Eddie said with raised hands.

"When have you been in a fight with me?" I questioned.

"You mean to tell me it gets worse with you!? All those times you and I… Jesus, remind me never to piss you off."

"Too late."

"Helga, come on," Patty looked warningly at me.

"Fine, just forget it."

"Fine." Eddie said, folding his arms.

"Fine." I replied, mimicking him.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" I said, smacking my forehead, "I said fine, now that's the end of it, you friggin' moron!"

"Fine." he said with a devious smile.

"You just want me to hurt you… badly… don't you?" I looked at him, silently begging him to push me a little further… just so I'd have a reason to beat the crap out of him.

"Helga, look." Patty stopped and pointed ahead of her. There he was… Arnold, drinking at a water fountain near us.

I looked longingly at him, his back still turned towards us. I suddenly realized the looks I was getting from Patty and Eddie and I snapped out it, "WHAT exactly am I supposed to be looking at?" I said irritably, placing my hands on my hips.

Patty sighed and shook her head. Arnold stopped drinking and looked over in our direction. I prayed he would simply walk back to class, but no… he started walking towards us. I didn't trust Eddie and Arnold so close, with Eddie being the dumb-ass that he was he might say something embarrassing or retarded.

"Hey, Patty, Helga." Arnold said as he approached us.

"Hello," Patty nodded and smiled.

"Hey, football face," I said, smiling a bit myself. He blushed a little, which made want to burst out laughing.

"Hey," Eddie cut in, "I'm Eddie, how's it going?" he held out his hand and Arnold shook it.

"Hey, I'm-"

"I know who you are," Eddie said, waving his had, "I've heard SO much about you," he said, speaking slyly and raising his eyebrows.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" I asked, irritated.

"No."

"Oh, well, in that case… GO AWAY BEFORE YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT UP WITH OLD BETSY!" I said, shaking my fist at him. He backed up a little bit.

"Fine, I'll GO!" he said, but only took a few steps back.

"FINE!" I said, loudly, hearing it echo in the hall. "Can you believe that guy?" I asked Arnold. He looked frightened by the situation, which I found rather funny.

"Not really," he scratched his head and looked back at Eddie.

"He's like a three-year-old, I swear," I said, folding my arms.

"So what are you guys doing out of class, anyway?" Arnold asked, appropriately changing the subject.

"It's lunch time for us, remember?" I said.

"Oh, that's right. Heh, I wasn't in that class very long."

"Yeah, I know," I looked over toward Patty and Eddie talking off in the corner.

"So… how are you?" he looked at me with a mixture of sympathy and concern.

"I'm ok," I shrugged it off, "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm out of my last two days of punishment for-" I caught myself. He still didn't know that it was ME who got him out of I.S.S.

"For…?" he looked expectantly at me.

"For… talking back to Vega." I nodded, "Man, she gets on my nerves." he nodded, not quite believing me but also knowing that I probably wouldn't tell him the real reason anyway.

"Right. Uh, who exactly is that Eddie guy? I mean, I haven't seen him around school before, did he transfer?" Arnold asked, watching Patty and Eddie as I was.

"No, he's Vega's grandson." I said slightly lost in thought.

"Really? You guys are spending a lot of time together, I've noticed." he commented.

"What? When?" I turned to look at him, "You're crazy, the only time I spend with that idiot is in class. Oh! And then I was with him on the bus but that's only cause Pheebs is mad at me and I didn't have anywhere else to sit."

"You could have sat with Gerald and me."

"Psft! Yeah, right!" I said, rolling my eyes, "Look, I really don't think Gerald wants to talk to me, I seem to be giving him problems."

Arnold sighed, "So instead of roughing it with Gerald and I you insist on sitting with that guy?" he raised his eyebrow.

"I'm not insisting on it, I just don't see any other choice."

"I just gave you one."

"I'll think about it," I said, smiling a little. I looked down to cover, but he must have seen through that.

He laughed, "Are you blushing?"

"NO!" I said, looking him straight in the eye… which only made me blush harder I suppose.

He smiled.

"PATAKI!" I heard, shrilly, coming from the one and only…

"WHAT?!" I squealed, placing my hands on my hips. Vega stared blankly at me. Damn, why I do insist on talking back to teachers?

"If you plan on eating lunch I suggest you end your conversation with this young ma-" she paused, "Say… weren't you in my class for a very short period of time?" she walked over to where Arnold and I stood.

"Yes, ma'am." Arnold nodded.

"Well… if you don't want to be in my class again, son, I suggest that YOU go back to class, got it?" she looked sternly at him. He gulped and nodded. For a second I wondered how Vega could have remembered him, seeing as though kids come and go from her class all the time, then it hit me… hilariously, I realized that no one could possibly forget someone with such a uniquely shaped head. I laughed to myself watching Arnold get very uncomfortable under Vega's cold gaze.

"Well, Helga… I'll see you around." he smiled weakly at Vega and I then slipped away.

"Pataki, I've got something I need to talk to you about," Vega said, as she and I watched Arnold retreat down the hall.

"Yeah?"

"My grandson's been talking a lot about you, and well, I was wondering what you would think about spending the day with him… preferably Saturday." she finished and looked at me.

I gave her the 'There's on way in hell I'm doing that' look, then laughed, "Yeah, why would I want to do that?!"

"Because it would be a NICE thing to do. Helga, you know he's a little… slow… and he doesn't get very many opportunities to go out and… so I was wondering if you could maybe accompany him to the park or something. Please?" she looked pleadingly at me.

"With all due respect, I'd rather gouge out my eyes," I said, simply. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"What if say… I made it so when you got out of my class you'd be able to make up all your work?" she looked smugly at me.

"…is this a bribe, Mrs. Vega? It doesn't seem very teacherly," I cocked an eyebrow.

"Perhaps not, but it would really make me happy… and you'd be getting to make up all your missing grades. We'd both come out of this as winners." she smiled, "What do you say?"

"Does he know about this?"

"No, but if you accept I'm sure it would make him very happy to have his favorite person spending the day with him."

Contrary to what Vega was telling me, I saw this as nothing but a no-win situation. Sure, I'd be able to make up all the grades I'd be missing... and as you remember, I would, without the deal, get zeros on all the assignments my classes did while I was in the class… but… was it really worth spending the day with Special Edd? On the other hand, if I said no she'd be pretty let down… and perhaps might tell Principal Wartz of my continuous back-talk in her class. I sighed, I knew what I had to do… "Yeah, sure, I'll do it." defeated on some level, I turned and walked over to Patty and Eddie, still waiting for me, and continued on my journey to the cafeteria.

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Heh, I hope you guys are enjoying this, still. As I've mentioned, the story has about come to an end, and there are still a few things that need to be resolved… I hope you "stay tuned" to see what happens, hehe ;D