Gregor stood in the hall, looking at Larry, not sure what to make of the new information.
"What?" Gregor stammered. Larry looked sheepishly at his toes, turning a light red as he did so.
"I said I… like... Angie." Larry responded. Gregor still just stared, some genuine surprise starting to surface. "Like as in like, or just like like?" Gregor asked.
Larry looked up at Gregor, specks of mild impatience visible in his eyes.
"So, what do you think?" Larry asked nonchalantly lounging on his heels.
"I think that's…great!" Gregor said. "I'm just wondering why you decided to tell me now?"
As if on cue, the bell rung, reminding Gregor he had to get to class.
Larry held on to Gregor's shoulders, trying hard so send his good intentions Gregor's way.
"Gregor, I need your help with this." Larry pleaded his eyes staring deep into Gregor's, searching for a sense of empathy. Gregor thought it over. Larry and Angelina had been a huge part of a return to normalcy for Gregor after his return to the Overland, or at least the vestiges of normalcy. He considered them his friends, and he liked them, just not in the same way he did with his Underland friends. Still, they hadn't even pressured him too much with questions about his disappearances. All in all, they were his friends, even if they didn't fight in a war together.
"Fine, Larry, I'll help you. But that's not a guarantee for anything outside of trying." Gregor said. "You know I'm not good with these things."
Larry exhaled a smile, squeezing his best friend's shoulder. "Thank you, Gregor. I was thinking about taking her out for her birth-" Larry got cut off by the late bell. "I'll tell you the rest later!" Larry exclaimed.
Gregor nodded. "I'll talk to you later, Larry." The two friends departed and went to class. Gregor thought a bit more about Larry and Angelina. If they dated and broke up, what would it do to his friend group? Despite the possible downsides, Gregor couldn't help but smile a little bit, at the prospect of them being together. "They both deserve to be happy," Gregor thought, his focus slowly trailing back into Luxa's upcoming birthday. It had been five long years; any number of things could have happened in that amount of time. Luxa could even have a... Gregor stopped in his tracks for a second, before remembering he was going to be late for class. Again, he threw all thoughts about Luxa to the back of his mind, although, by the time he got to the door of his class, he was trying not to think of Luxa with someone else. The notion made the rager in him bubble like boiling oil, slowly filling him the more he imagined. With a grip on the door handle entirely to tight, Gregor stepped into his AP Econ class.
After being late to class a few times, Gregor started to try to be early, even if he was early just a minute. Every time he was late, he would open the door to reveal everyone's eyes trained on him, including a less than ecstatic teacher's, and today was no different. Gregor walked in, silencing whatever speech had been going on before. He half looked, half glared out over the class, receiving eyes of all emotions; understanding, sad, bored, mischievous, and bemused eyes. Finding Angelina's deep blue eyes, Gregor sheathed his glare, and looked toward his teacher. Mr. Provis approached his challenged student, sighing and shaking his head. Gregor really hated being late to this class, because he liked Mr. Provis. Richard Provis was a man of decent height, gray hair and a tanned face, with smile lines around his eyes. He was one of the only people who treated Gregor other than a freak and did not just tolerate him.
"Gregor, must we do this every week? I thought I asked you to try and stop."
"Yes sir." Gregor replied somewhat sadly.
"I will let you off this time, my boy. But don't be late again for the rest of this month. Ok?" Gregor nodded. Mr. Provis smiled, clapping Gregor on the back. "Ok then, Gregor. Get to your seat and I can resume the lecture." Gregor walked over to the seat, weaving in and out of people who tried to trip him as he passed. He took his seat at the back next to Angelina, relaxing in his chair. Angelina just looked at him curiously. Gregor examined his friend; she had somewhat bright blonde hair, fair skin with no blemishes, and was wearing a pink blouse with a short skirt. Gregor thought back all of those years to when he first met Angelina and Larry, back in Elementary School. Things were so easy back then…
Gregor's daydream was interrupted when he noticed a movement in the corner of his eye, and saw a note lying in front of him. Gregor looked over to Angelina, head in her hands as she pretended to pay attention to the lecture. Smiling at his friend's covertness, he eyed Mr. Provis before looking down to read the note. In rounded pink highlighter, it read, "Why were you late today?" Gregor grabbed a pen and wrote, "Just talking' with Larry. We got a little carried away." He refolded the note and slid it back over to Angelina, eyes still up at the front of the classroom. Mr. Provis was talking about a guy named Adam something, who had theorized about moral sentimentality. He felt something poke his arm, and saw the note. Opening it up again, he read, "'Bout what?"
"I asked him some advice on girls." Gregor replied, sliding the note back to Angelina.
Their conversation helped time go by faster, and without feeling like he lost a significant part of his life, the bell rang, and Gregor and Angelina walked out of class. Turning around to meet him, Angelina smiled and said, "So tonight at eight?" Gregor nodded, mildly surprised from his plans for the evening. He just nodded and couldn't stop a rogue smile from escaping his generally expressionless face. Angelina smiled back and squeezed his hand before walking off.
After a long, unnecessary afternoon of classes, Gregor opened his apartment door and was greeted to the smell of pot roast steaming. "Welcome home!" he heard his Dad yell from the kitchen. Boots came scampering out of her and Lizzie's room, and hugged his leg. "How was school today?" Gregor asked her.
"We worked on decimals today." Boots replied, too enthusiastic to have been dealing with decimals.
"Is Mom home yet?" Gregor asked Boots.
"No, she's still at work." said Boots. "She said she'd be home by five."
"Okay, thanks big girl." Gregor said, messing up her hair. Boots giggled, and ran back into her room, no doubt to continue the ongoing tea party she had laid out with her stuffed animals.
Gregor walked over to the kitchen, to see his dad adding some jalapenos to the pot roast.
"Need a hand with anything?" asked Gregor.
"No, I've got this under control." his dad replied. The years out of the Underland had done well for Gregor's father, who actually resembled the man Gregor knew before the disappearance.
"Why don't you go take it easy for a bit? Looks like you had a long day."
Gregor nodded. "And it's not quite over yet either. I'm going out shopping tonight."
"With whom?" his dad asked, getting cilantro out of the fridge.
"Angelina. She's helping me find a birthday present for a friend." Gregor replied carefully. The last thing he needed was to water the seeds of doubt that were no doubt still entrenched in his Dad's mind.
"Okay," Gregor heard his father reply with the rhythmic sound of the knife hitting the cutting board. "Just be sure to be back home before 1:00am."
"Will do Dad." Gregor said, thankfully. "Pot roast smells good by the way." he commented as he exited the kitchen.
Gregor followed his Dad's advice and sank into the couch. Turning on the news for some background noise, Gregor took the note from his earlier conversation with Angelina out from his pocket, and unfolded the paper, wanting to read it over again to remember exactly how she had convinced him to meet her that night.
"Girl troubles? With who? Do I know her?" Angelina had asked.
"No, she goes to a different school."
"So what are the troubles?" Angelina prodded. Gregor remembered taking the chance out of incorrigible indecision.
"I haven't talked to her in a long time, and her birthday is next week. I can't stop thinking about her."
"Oh. Well, you're going to get her something right?"
"I don't know. What if she's into someone else and I complicate things?" Gregor asked.
"You should get her something! Besides, if she's got you like this, it seems like you already made up your mind." Angelina observed.
"I don't even know what she likes anymore. What would I get her?" asked Gregor.
"Well, if you want, I can help you pick something out for her. Maybe all you need is a girl's touch." Angelina responded.
Gregor smirked, standing up off the couch. Some part of his mind kept nagging him that this was a terrible idea, but all of his will to listen to this instinct went away when his excuses not to were systematically disproven by Angelina.
Gregor pulled himself off the couch and went into his broom closet of a room, depositing the note in his top dresser drawer. He looked at his "room" thinking of the Underland, and its large open grandeur. Sighing, he reclined on his bed, thinking about all of his friends he left down there. Howard, Hazard, Vikus, Mareth, Ripred, Temp, Aurora, Luxa. Are they all still alive? Are they in danger? At War? Gregor knew the Underland could swallow them up at any moment without warning, and here he was, worrying about a birthday present. Staring up at his ceiling, Gregor tried to console his worry, but he knew better to underestimate the Underland's ability change at a moment's notice. It was with that hard learned lesson that Gregor drifted off to sleep.
A shrill alarm interrupted Gregor's dreamless sleep.
Gregor opened one bleary eye to see 7:30 in red LED. Gregor bolted up out of bed and flew towards his bathroom. Ripping off his clothes and adjusting to the cold shower water, he scrubbed his hair until his scalp was raw, and then his torso so much it practically sparkled. Hurrying to dry himself, Gregor caught himself in the mirror. Standing at 5'11'' and 157 pounds, he was in the best shape of his life. Defined muscles rippled their way around his arms, chest and legs, a combination of fighting and lifting weights at school. Ruining what would have been a stunning physique were scars from squids, poisonous plants, and rats, most notably the Bane. There wasn't a day that went by when he didn't relive those scars.
"Gregor!" Lizzie's congested call jarred Gregor back to reality. She still had that cold, and it was getting to where she could breathe through her nose, preventing her from speaking clearly.
"What is it?" Gregor asked, wrapping the towel around his waist.
"I need to use the bathroom!" Lizzie replied. Gregor grabbed all his clothes and a few toiletries and left the bathroom. Lizzie was in her pink My Little Pony pajamas. Her tiny nose was all red from the cold, and she breathed in ragged breaths. The addition of her curly brown hair being greasy and plastered across her face made her look like a mess.
"Lizzie, sleep helps with colds." He said matter-of-factly. Lizzie just stood there and crossed her arms. Her attempts at being patient evident in her expression.
"Just go and get dressed." She shut the door to the bathroom with a small slam. Gregor held his hands up in a mock defeat, smiling. "Kids these days!" He laughed. Then remembering he was in a hurry, he rushed into his room and got dressed and cleaned up. He was in the kitchen brushing his teeth when Lizzie finally came out of the bathroom, trudging to her room. "What took you so long?" he asked. She turned around and looked at him, eyes too tired to care. Pulling down one eye socket and made a face before disappearing behind the door frame.
Within fifteen minutes, Gregor was stopped outside of Angelina's place to catch his breath; he had to sprint the last three blocks so he could be on time. Recovering, he walked up the steps and buzzed to her house. Almost instantly he heard, "Gregor, is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me. You ready?" There was silence for a few seconds.
"…No, but why don't you come up? I won't be too long." There was a buzz and the door opened.
"Guess I'm going upstairs." Gregor thought.
He quickly jogged up the staircase to the third floor. Angelina invited Larry and Gregor over a few times when they were younger, and he had emblazoned the place into his memory.
"Third floor, Suite 312." he thought.
Gregor took a moment to collect himself and redo his hair before he went in. Stepping up to the old door, Gregor took the medal ring and smacked it against itself creating the knocking sound. There was some scuffling and a wet Angelina came to the door, wet hair sticking to her face, and holding a towel around herself. She smiled when she saw him, her white teeth nearly blinding the boy. "Hey Gregor! Sorry about this." She gestured to herself. "Come on in!" She spun on her heel and Gregor followed, somewhat hypnotized by her. Gently shutting the door behind him, he stood sheepishly by it, his back to Angelina, he blushed knowing that she was naked behind him.
"Gregor, is something wrong?" She asked innocently.
"Could you put some clothes on?" Gregor exclaimed. His face was as red as a tomato with his eyes clamped shut, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. Sure, he could kill better than 99% of everyone else on the planet, but the prospect of his longtime friend with just a towel on bothered him.
"Oh." Angelina said as her voice fell. Gregor noticed this, and slowly turned around, making sure she had her towel on still.
"What is it?" he asked, somewhat concerned. Her face was slightly red and she was looking at the floor beside her.
"You aren't curious?" She asked. Looking up and staring him in the eyes. He looked down on her, surprised by her question.
"No! It's not that! It's just that…" Gregor stammered. How should he say this…
"Oh, it's her, isn't it?" Angelina said. "The one you wanted to get a gift for?"
Gregor looked away, embarrassed. You could mistake him for a scarlet bust right about now.
"Well, yeah."
Angelina sighed. "Gregor…" She stopped.
Gregor stooped down a bit, so they were eye to eye.
"Angelina, you are a beautiful, smart, sweet girl, and don't you let anyone ever tell you different. Promise?" Angelina was blushing at his proximity to her, and for what he just said.
"I promise." Gregor smiled and backed up, completely missing the fact that they were about an inch or two away from kissing.
"Alright now go and get dressed, we only have two hours to scour Manhattan."
When Angelina was finally finished, and the pair were strolling arm and arm through Times Square, looking at all the stores along the way. They went into a few department stores already, but Angelina didn't find anything she thought was suitable for a gift. Finally, they found a little jewelry store on 47th Street and started looking at necklaces. Actually, it was just Angelina looking at necklaces, and Gregor just observed and tried to stay out of her way. After fifteen minutes, Angelina narrowed it down to three. "Actually, never mind about this one." Angelina said, placing it back on the rack where she found it. Gregor analyzed the remaining necklaces. One had a medium gold chain and a small heart locket on the end, and the other was a thin silver chain with a rectangular piece of amethyst on the end. It was a no brainer.
"She'll like the silver one better." Gregor decided. Angelina nodded and regretfully put the other necklace back on the shelf, and handed Gregor the other one.
"Come on, Gregor aren't you going to get it?" Angelina asked, confused. Gregor was jarred out of his daydream and nodded back to her. I'll meet you there in a bit. I want to see if they do engravings." She nodded and shuffled over to the counter. Gregor checked to make sure she was looking away, and then snatched the gold necklace away from the rack. She had been an invaluable help that night, she deserved to have the necklace.
Gregor walked up to Angelina and waited in line. Within about thirty seconds, the duo was checking out. Gregor wanted the necklace to be a surprise, so he asked Angelina to check his phone for updates while he was checking out. She agreed, and sat on a bench by the door. Exhaling with relief, he bought the two necklaces. They were walking home together when Gregor stopped Angelina as they were about to enter Central Park. Looking Angelina in the eye, he said, "Angelina, thanks for helping me out today. I couldn't have done it without you, so I want you to have this." He opened his hand and there was the necklace she had fawned over at the store.
Her eyes opened wide in surprise, revealing her breathtaking blue eyes. Angelina covered her mouth with her hand as she took the necklace. After a few seconds, Gregor made a motion of putting the necklace around her neck; Angelina nodded, still a bit surprised at what Gregor did for her. He laid the necklace around her neck, and it settled perfectly, right above her chest. "Oh my God, Gregor tha—" There was a rustling in the bushes and Larry fell out, coughing and gasping for air.
"Larry?" The pair exclaimed. Their friend just sat there gasping, as if there wasn't enough air in the world satisfy him. Larry regained his composure, standing up and looking over the two.
"I only have one thing to say." Larry said. Larry wound up his fist, preparing to send it directly at Gregor's jaw. Gregor's vision splintered in a familiar instinct, and resisted the urge to punch Larry straight in the throat. Instead, he brought his right arm across his body redirecting Larry's punch, which sent Larry on stumbling after his fist.
"What the hell are you doing, Larry?" Gregor asked, his tone losing patience by the second. Larry stalked toward him, stopping less than a yard away.
"You know exactly what that was for!" Larry retorted. "I ask you for help, and this," He threw his hand up, suggesting their current predicament.
"This is how you 'help' me? You were supposed to be my friend! Someone I could trust!" Angelina rushed forward, grabbing Larry by the arm, holding him back.
"Help you with what?" She pleaded. Larry blushed at the mention of his secret crush.
"Larry, I just needed her help getting a gift." Gregor said, revealing the other necklace.
"That's all, man! I wouldn't do that to you." Larry looked between the two, and slowly calmed down.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Larry said. "Friends?" he offered, sticking out his hand. Gregor nodded and smiled.
"Always." Then, everything was right in their world again, the three friends back to happiness and a good night. But for Gregor, happiness never lasts for long. Just as they were walking away, a shadowy creature snuck up from behind. He lashed out his tail, sweeping the trio all off their feet. As he towered over them, a flash of recognition ran over Gregor's face. "Hello, Warrior." Ripred said, curling back his lips to reveal his gruesome smile and razor sharp teeth. "Long time no see."