I own nothing... Hello all. Sorry about the delay on this chapter. I'm having a hard time deciding how I want to break up my event line in the final chapters for this. I had to cut off some stuff at the end, but I'll be sure to include it in the next installment. I sent Angela back home to Three Rivers, nothing like family time and confronting guilt to round out a trip home. Plus, I made sure Rickie got some face time in this chapter. I feel like I haven't made him important enough. If I end up writing other stories for the ideas I have bouncing around in my head I'll be sure to utilize Rickie more. Okay, enough rambling - I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please let me know what you're thinking, I love hearing your feed back on the story. - K
An airport is such a weird place. Such a strange mix of emotions all walled up within the endless perimeter of mile high windows. Anxiety, love, regret, loss, anticipation, fear, excitement, boredom, irritation – you name it, spend ten minutes examining the faces of the people in the waiting terminals or security check lines of an airport and you could easily locate someone experiencing any combination of these emotions. Angela herself had run the gambit of emotions since she walked out of her apartment. And just this minute she was experiencing a sharp pang of jealousy while she was waiting for her flight to depart for Pittsburg only a few hours ago. She sat with her sunglasses on and watched as a young couple said a tearful goodbye at the loading gate. She wished there was someone there with her so say such a heartfelt goodbye to her. Well not just someone, a very specific person in particular, but he was countless miles away. Instead she sat quietly by herself trying not to think about the situation she would be returning home to.
A few brief, but draining hours later, Angela was standing atop one of the various escalators running up and down the different levels of the airport she had arrived in. She had already grabbed her luggage and was now trying to get her bearings so she locate a cab to take her back to Three Rivers and her mourning family. As her eyes drifted over the faces of all the strangers around her, she recognized the smiles and tears of welcome homes and farewells. Then something caught her eye in the crowd encircling the base of the escalator. A tall, slenderattractive man with cleanly cut dark hair and dark eyes stood there dressed impeccably, sticking out like a well appareled sore thumb. A large smile crept over Angela's face as Rickie looked up at her. He held up the sign in his hands a little higher so she could see the scrolly black letters forming the words "Miss Angela Chase" on the stark white piece of paper in his hands.
The step she was standing on disappeared into the landing zone and Angela launched herself through the group of people in front of her. She pushed forward and tugged her luggage behind her, finally meeting Rickie face to face. Angela smiled and signed contentedly before wrapping her arms securely around his neck and pulling him into a much needed hug. After standing in that embrace for several minutes, the two friends separated and Rickie kissed her softly on the cheek. Angela wiped away the tear that had started to meander down her cheek.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"I ran into your mom yesterday and she told me about your grandpa. I'm so sorry Angela. She said you would be flying in this evening and I offered to come pick you up. I asked her not to mention it because I wanted to surprise you. Are you pleasantly surprised?" Rickie took her luggage from her and started to lead her to the guest parking lot where his car waited for them.
"I can't think of any face I would have been more happy to see than yours waiting for me at the bottom of that stupid escalator." She said grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly. It had been almost two years since she had seen her friend. After Rayanne's death, Angela had a hard time facing Rickie. She had been plagued with a strong sense of guilt, misplaced nevertheless, over what had happened that night. She knew Rickie didn't blame her for what happened, but she still felt that if she had been there things might have turned out differently.
When Angela had moved to Chicago to attend college, she felt like she had left a part of herself back in Three Rivers with Rayanne and Rickie. She couldn't imagine being the person she was today without those two. They had jointly been the catalyst for growth within herself and in various areas of her life more so than any other persons. Rayanne had always encouraged Angela to try new things and live life like an adventure; Rickie was the one who nurtured the choices Angela made and convinced her that if she was happy, then she was doing the right thing. It was nearly impossible to imagine one of her friends without the other. Even when Rayanne and Angela had shared an apartment together after Angela graduated, Rickie would make a point to visit at every couple weeks to make sure his girls were living right. And when he wasn't there physically, Rickie's spirit always lived amongst them.
Now seeing Rickie without Rayanne made Angela's heart ache. She knew that coming home would bring on an onslaught of feelings like this, but she hadn't expected to be faced with them right after getting off the plane. She stopped next to his sleek black sedan as Rickie loaded her luggage in the backseat and walked around to the driver's side of the door. Rickie looked at her over the top of the car and caught the tinge of sadness in her soft green eyes.
"Seeing you makes me think of her too," He said. "But in a good way. Instantly when I saw you I remembered all of the fun we had together and how happy we all were for such a long time. Try and think about that, it helps."
Angela nodded solemnly. Rickie had always been the most insightful of the group. Although she hadn't seen him for close to two years, they had kept in touch regularly through phone calls. When she had first moved to Michigan and instantly had regretted her decision due to the heavy burden of loneliness, he had been the one who had helped to assure her that things would turn out well. Angela felt slightly ashamed that she hadn't called to tell Rickie about having reconnected with Jordan Catalano, but she was sure it was something that they would spend hours analyzing now that she was home and they were together again. At the very least it was a topic that would help to keep her mind off the weightiness of the reason why she was home in the first place. As Rickie got on the highway to bring her back to Three Rivers, her thoughts settled on the happiness of getting to see her family and friends again in one place, but also the sadness of the situation that was bringing them all together.
The car rolled up in front of a very familiar house, yet it seemed like it was from a different life. There was the light blue façade and the sturdy white columns that punctuated the large porch with its coble stone base, adorned with lanterns casting a soft welcoming light. The chocolate colored front door was in dire need of a pain job, it was now well worn and spotty. Her bedroom window, with its cream color chiffon drapes pushed aside which she knew from memory were letting in the orange glow of the street light outside. As they walked up the side walk, fallen elm and maple leaves crackled under their feet. Angela placed her hand on the door knob and twisted. She was met with a warm smell of fresh baked bread and something smothered in garlic. Stepping through the door way Angela turned back to look at Rickie who was still standing on the steps.
"Aren't you coming in?" She considered him family, so it only made sense that he should be with everyone tonight.
"No, I don't think so. You should be with your family tonight. I'll see you tomorrow at the funeral." He walked up and kissed her quickly on the cheek again. "It's too bad that something like this had to bring you home, but I'm selfishly happy that you're here. I've missed you. Tell everyone I say hello."
Angela stood and watched as Rickie crossed the yard and drove off in his car. By the time his car was out of sight, she could hear her mother's voice perk up in the kitchen.
"I feel a draft. Graham, did you leave a window open somewhere?" Patty, being the ever observant mother sensed the minute change in her environment and left the room to see what had caused it. She turned the corner in the hall way and came face to face with her oldest daughter standing silently in the foyer.
"Angela, sweetie." Patty wrapped her arms around her daughter who was now just as tall as she was and pulled her close. Angela buried her face in to her mother's neck and clung to her shoulders. "We didn't even hear you come in. Is Rickie with you?"
Stepping backwards and out of her mother's arms, Angela could see that the stress and grief of the past few days had taken their toll. Patty looked worn down. Her eyes were red and swollen, from what Angela assumed were countless tears over losing her father.
"No. He just left. He says hello and that he'll be at the funeral tomorrow. How are you? Where's Dad?"
"We're all as good as can be expected. I'm just happy you made it in safely. Your father is in the kitchen with Dani and Brian. He's making a late dinner. You got here just in time."
Angela left her luggage in the entryway and followed her mother down the short hallway and into the brightly lit kitchen. Brian and Danielle were seated at the table talking quietly amongst themselves. Graham stood in front of the stove with his back to the rest of the room. Angela walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. He turned at the first touch of her embrace.
"Ang. When did you get here?" He reciprocated the affection, hugging her tightly and kissing her on the top of her head. "Where did you leave Rickie? Tell him there's plenty of food if he wants to stay for dinner."
"Rickie went home. But I'll eat his share… I'm starving and it smells amazing." She said squeezing her father again once more before walking over to the table.
"Hey." Brian said, nodding in Angela's direction as she sat down next to her sister. She smiled at him in return. Krakow at my family's dinner table… will wonders never cease – she thought. Her inner dialogue was cut short by an intrusion of Dani's voice.
"Seriously, who leaves their cell phone at home when they're flying to a different city? You practically lead Mom into a nervous breakdown. She sent Rickie just so she would know the exact moment you got off your plane." Danielle rattled off, shoving her sister slightly. Then she pushed the mug she was holding between her hands in Angela's direction. "Hot cider - your favorite."
"First of all, it's not like I left it intentionally. And secondly, shut up." Angela snatched the mug from her sister and drank in the warm comforting beverage.
Graham announced that dinner was done, and as if by muscle memory the two sisters stood up and gathered plates and glasses to set the table. They all sat around the oval wood table top sharing bits of light hearted conversation. Everyone was avoiding discussing what had brought them all into the same room for the first time in two years. Tomorrow would be set aside for tears and mourning, tonight was reserved for catching up and family bonding. After dinner everyone was more than ready to retire to bed. Angela, Danielle, and Brian had had long days of traveling and Patty and Graham were equally worn out from awaiting their arrival. Angela kissed her parents goodnight and headed up the sturdy wooden stairs leading to her bedroom. Before she reached the second landing in the stairwell, she paused to listen in on the inevitable argument her sister and her mother were now half heartedly engaged in.
"Mom. Don't be so archaic. Why are you making a big deal about Brian staying here?"
"Because it's my house young lady; which means my rules. I don't care how old and grown up you think you are."
"Don't worry Mrs. Chase. I understand. My parents know I'm in town; I'll just stay over there. Dani, don't make this into a big deal when it really isn't one." He kissed her on the top of the head as she stood opposed to Patti still in the kitchen. "I'll see you in the morning. What time are we leaving for the funeral?"
"Thank you Brian. I'm glad you understand, and that one of you in this relationship is willing to act like an adult." She glanced triumphantly at Danielle. "The service is at eleven, but Graham will be making a large breakfast for some close family and friends at the restaurant if you want to stop there around nine-ish."
"Come on Brian. I'll walk you out…"
When Angela heard them coming out from the kitchen she dashed up the rest of the stairs to the second level of the house. She was secretly happy that she wasn't the first daughter to face the challenge of bringing a boyfriend home to sleep over. Danielle must have expected special treatment because their parents had known Brian since he was a toddler. She wondered briefly how things would have panned out if she had been the one to show up with Catalano on her arm. Patti always had an odd nostalgic infatuation with Jordan when Angela was younger, maybe that would have played in her favor.
With the first foot fall on the soft grayish blue carpet in the hallway, Angela felt like she was pushed back through various folds in time. Everything looked exactly the same, yet from another world. Three doors on her right: Danielle's room, their shared bathroom, her parent's room, and two on her left: her room and the door to the linen closet. Four more steps and she would reach her old bedroom door. She knew that on the second step, the floor boards would creak under her weight. This was a useful fact that she had come to memorize and evade on the evenings that she had snuck in after curfew. Tonight, however, she left the familiar sound creep in and let her know she was home.
Opening the door to her room, Angela breathed in heavily. Even though she had taken a good deal of her possessions with her to college, and from there on to her new home in Michigan, her room still looked just like it had when she was a teenager, for the most part. There were a few posters missing from the walls, and her dresser top was far less cluttered, but all of the major players were still in place. Her large bed, two dressers, an oval antique mirror, and a towering stand of CDs and cassettes. The majority of the cases had been emptied and put into CD binders, but their shells remained in her room like fossils of her adolescent music taste. Something inside of her wanted to dig through all of the drawers and see just what she had left behind, but she was exhausted and her body was pleading for sleep. Angela pulled open her closet door to find something to sleep in, since she hadn't felt like lugging her suitcase up the stairs and left it sitting in the foyer. She was sure there had to be some old oversized t-shirt that would work for temporary pajamas. Pushing aside the garments still left hanging in the closet Angela was slightly taken back at her former fashion sense. Uggh I cannot believe I actually wore that – willingly. Oh Nineties fashion, at least everyone looked as ridiculous as I did. Her hand glanced over a familiar piece of fabric. Her skin felt the ridges in the cloth before her eyes knew it was. It was heavier than every other item of clothing she had sorted through. Angela tugged the hanger down off the top rung of the closet and small contented smile broke across her face. She had nearly forgotten that Jordan's old corduroy coat was still in her possession. He had left at her house the night before he left for New York. She had worn it in secret every night until she herself had left for school; it was her private attempt at keeping him with her in some way. Angela hugged the bulky fabric close to her and rubbed the worn and matted fake sheep's wool against her cheek. Sadly, it no longer smelled like him, it now smelled like everything else in her closet: stale air and faintly of moth balls. She ignored this fact and tried to remember what it had smelled like the night he had wrapped it around her shoulders. Angela pulled the jacket around her again and curled up on to her old bed. She shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep immediately with thoughts of Jordan and the first night they spent together coursing through her brain.
"What the hell?" Jordan hung up his phone and dropped it on the table.
"No answer again?" Shane asked over his shoulder from chair he was sitting in. They were back stage at a show in Oregon waiting for the opening bands to finish so they could take the stage.
"This is the third day in a row. I'm starting to get worried." Jordan leaned back. He couldn't remember doing or saying anything that would make Angela intentionally avoid his calls. Sure, they hadn't been as ardent about keeping up on phone calls over the last couple weeks or so, letting one night slip between the cracks every once in a while, but he hadn't gone three days without talking to her since he'd left Michigan.
"What'd you do to piss her off?" Jordan could hear the edge of bourbon on Shane's voice.
"Nothing… that I know of." Jordan was irked that his friend so willing jumped to the conclusion that he had messed up things with Angela already. "And what makes you think I did something?"
"In high school Angela followed you around like a sad little puppy, practically drooling, until you did something wrong… like when you nailed her best friend." Shane reached for the bottle of Jefferson's Reserve and poured himself a few more fingers. Laughing a bit, sardonically, he continued, "then when she found out about it she dropped your ass and left you with your head spinning. This looks a lot like that same thing to me."
"Shut it Shane. You have no idea what you're talking about. That Jefferson's isn't going to make you play any better tonight," Jordan was more than a little pissed off with his friend by now. He'd been drinking heavily for the last few shows of the tour and had thrown a glitch in their set more than once. After his snarky comment about messing things up with Angela, Jordan thought he'd throw in a dig of his own, "and it's not going to make Cherski come back, so why don't you lay off it for a change?"
With that Jordan pushed himself away from the table and went to settle his mind before the show, leaving his friend standing there rolling his eyes and tipping the glass back.
The late September rain seemed fitting. The drizzle hung over the small crowd of people in all dressed mono-chromatically in black, standing in front of a rectangular hole in the ground. Raindrops fell rhythmically on to the casket from the canopy of maple trees shading the cemetery. Angela held her hand out and felt the drops as they hit the areas of her palms sporadically. Someone was speaking, talking about the importance of life, or love, or family, or remembrance, but it all just glided over Angela. She had cried at the ceremony at the church. She would miss her grandfather, she loved him and he had been a large part of her life growing up, but she no longer felt the need to shed any more tears. Angela stood watching her mother and father, a few feet away from her. They both looked as exhausted as she felt. She saw Sharron's glossy golden hair peak out of the crowd across from her. She was standing quietly with her mother. They had come to show their support for the Chases, hugs and condolences were freely given before the ceremony. Angela's eyes rested once they landed on Danielle and Brian. Until that moment those two as a couple had been a bit of a novelty to her. But now, from a moderate distance she observed a closeness between them that she had never expected to find. Brian was attentive and continually trying to comfort Danielle. He found ways of touching her discreetly as a way to let her know physically that he was there for and with her. At that moment he was rubbing her back therapeutically as she rested her head on his chest, tear trails staining her pale face.
Angela thought to herself: Will I ever have that? Danielle has someone she depends on. Brian is here holding her steady as she grieves this loss. While the person I'm supposed to be able to fall back on is currently hundreds of miles from here and hasn't answered my phone calls for the last couple days. Either he's too busy or he doesn't care. Jordan doesn't even know what I'm going through right now. How can a relationship work if I can't depend on him to be somewhere when I need him? I loved him once, and I think, no I know, I could love him again… but could I play second fiddle to his career, his lifestyle? Could I let his life dictate mine? All I want right now is to feel the reassurance of his arms around my shoulders, his body against mine. Something to let me know all of this will work itself out…
Her train of thought was obstructed by the touch of someone's hand on hers. She looked to her left to find Rickie standing there. He had noticed her shoulders trembling and stepped up to comfort her. They stood there holding hands and starring at the lacquered coffin until it sunk six feet down to its final resting place.
On the way back to the parking lot Rickie grabbed Angela's hand. "Come with me for a minute, I'll bring you back to your parent's house afterwards." Angela nodded and squeezed his hand, knowing exactly where he planned to lead her.
"Mom. I'm going to catch a ride home with Rickie. We'll be back a little later." Her voice sounded weak and distant. Rickie led her in the opposite direction from her family, towards the depths of the cemetery.
They walked silently through the parallel rows of concrete, granite and marble place markers. In the plots where couples were buried together she always noted how far apart the dates were when they had died. She wondered what those years of solitude felt like; still walking this earth while the love of your life was buried beneath it. Eventually their steps slowed as the gravestones became slightly familiar, Rickie and Angela stopped in front of a dark granite headstone. RAYANNE GRAFF: March 23, 1979 – June 12, 2002 Your song and your spirit lives on with us.
Angela felt the warm moist presence of tears on her face as she read over the words and dates of the large stone in front of her. She thought about the body of her friend buried six feet below her. It didn't seem possible that the dirt and earth could contain such a life. In the next moment her knees gave way and she landed softly on the thick, wet green grass. Instead of trying to stand up she traced the letters on the cold stone. She sat there in a heavy silence for a few minutes. Rickie stood behind her, knowing that this was something she had to do in order to move on.
"Hey Ray. It's been a while. I'm sorry I haven't been by to visit you… honestly I've kind of been avoiding you." Angela's voice cracked at the confession. The idea of standing in this place was what had kept her from coming home to visit her family; she knew she couldn't set foot in Three Rivers and not come here and say her peace. She had been here for Rayanne's funeral, but had not been back since. "I miss you so goddamn much." She nearly shouted through the sobs. "I'm… so sorry I wasn't there for you, when you needed me most. Every day it breaks my heart to think that you left this world being mad at me. And every day I hope for your forgiveness." She broke down. Rickie kneeled down and wrapped his arms around Angela, in attempt to absorb her sorrow. "All of this is so hard without you. I feel like I'm stuck running in place. I don't have anyone pushing me to jump when I'm too scared to try new things. No one behind me telling me it will all work in the end, or reminding me that at least it will make for a good story if it all blows up in my face." Angela laughed breathlessly as her mind quickly spun through all of the times where things hand blown up in her and Rayanne's face – and how those times had been what brought them closer together. "We certainly did have a time didn't we? … I hope you're at peace now. And that your light is shining where ever you are. I love you Ray. I won't stay away so long next time, I promise." Angela stood up and Rickie wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. He kissed her on the top of the head as she let all of her sorrow and guilt spill from within. She had finally made amends with her best friend; she'd faced her death and her grave and now Angela could start to move forward with her life. Before they left Rickie dropped a single yellow rose in front of Rayanne's headstone. He kissed his finger tips and tapped the dark granite. "I'll see you later Ray. Love you."
The drive back to Angela's parent's house was quick. She felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders. Now she was only left with sheer exhaustion from the emotionally draining day.
"When are you leaving?" Rickie asked as the pulled up to the curb.
"Not until Friday. I want to be able to spend a whole day with my mom and dad. They both said they'd be taking tomorrow off from work. I think Dani, Krakow, and Sharon are sticking around for another day as well."
"Okay. I don't have any plans for Thursday night, maybe we could all go out for a drink and unwind before you scurry out of Three Rivers and leave me here by lonesome again."
"Yeah. Definitely. I would love to spend more time with you. I wish I had more than a couple days here." She leaned over and squeezed Rickie in her arms. "I miss you so much!"
"Okay, call me tomorrow." Angela waved as Rickie drove away.
Walking through the front door Angela was confronted with a sight that warmed her heart. Graham and Patti were sitting on the couch, Dani and Krakow were curled up on the oversized chair and Indiana Jones was dangling from an old Egyptian statue over a massive pit of snakes on the television screen.
"Yes! Are we watching all three?" She asked before anyone realized she was standing in the living room.
"Of course. In honor of Grandpa Chuck." Dani said without turning her head from the screen. Since they had been little girls it had been a tradition for them to watch all three Indiana Jones movies with their grandpa on either the Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday. It was his favorite, and the girls loved being able to spend large stretches of time with him because he spoiled them with candy and junk food. Angela hopped on the end of the couch that her parents were sitting on. She tucked her feet up under her and pulled a blanket over her legs.
Well into the second movie, Brian was the first to pipe up. "Hey, Angela. Isn't your dog named Indiana?"
"Yeah. What of it Krakow?" Angela said falling back on her dismissive tone that was habitually directed at Brian thanks to years of being neighbors.
"What? So you had some big movie star crush on Harrison Ford so you named your dog after him?" he teased.
"Seriously Krakow?" Dani chimed in. "Have you ever watched these movies?"
"Yeah sure, plenty of times. What does that have to do with anything?" He looked at her a little hurt that she was siding against him even in this light hearted quip.
"Harrison Ford's name isn't really Indiana." Angela said smugly. "In the third one you find out that it is really the name of his dog he had when he was growing up, and he adopted the nickname. He's actually named Henry Jones Jr. Hah! It's one of my favorite parts of the movie, so that's why I named my dog after it."
"Huh. I don't remember that part at all." Brian said after Angela had put him in his place.
"Yeah well… when you've seen these movies as many times as we have, you don't miss much." Dani replied as she rubbed his shoulder to comfort his bruised ego. And with that everyone's attention turned back to tunnel of insects that Harrison Ford now found himself battling through.
At some point Thursday had shifted into Friday, and no one had seemed to notice. It was already one o'clock in the morning while Dani, Sharon, Rickie and Angela all sat around a high top laughing. After spending the day with their parents at Graham's restaurant, Angela and Danielle got a hold of their friends and decided to go out for some drinks before leaving town. They had gotten dropped off down town and had pub crawled through the majority of the establishments in Three Rivers. They were ending their night at Pike Street. Luckily for them tonight was karaoke night and they had all had more than their fair share of tequila.
"Chaseface pleeeeeaaaaseeee sing a song with me?" Sharon begged as she tugged on her oldest friend's arm.
"Sharon I am in no condition to be singing songs in front of strangers. I'll slur my way through a chorus I know by heart at this point." Angela really wasn't that drunk, but she was hoping to play it up to get out of doing a duet with Sharon.
"You're such a wet blanket!" Sharon shouted as she licked the salt off the back of her hand, downed her tequila, and the popped a lime wedge in her mouth, somehow managing to pout the entire time.
"Haha. A wet blanket? What does that even mean Cherski?" Danielle laughed and then grabbed the table to steady herself, all of the downed beverages from the last five bars they had visited were starting to get to her.
"My mom says it all the time. You've never heard that saying? It basically means a ... party pooper!" She slightly messed up the definition, but would just blame it on the alcohol later.
"Okay, FINE! One song Sharon. And make sure it's one I know or I'm not going up there." Angela said to satisfy her friend. "But if we're doing this I'm going to need another shot... or three." She hopped down from her bar stool and made her way up to the bar.
Rickie followed her up there to buy another round for the table. While they were standing waiting for their drinks he hollered into her ear, "Hey! Look who it is!"
Angela glanced down the bar and saw a familiar form. She knew she recognized him, but a few years absence and hours of drinking were clouding her memory. She looked up at Rickie with slight confusion on her face.
"It's Tino!" At the mention of his name, the man looked in their direction. He nodded his recognition and lifted his pint glass to them. "Come on. We have to go say hi."
Angela never knew Tino very well, although through Rayanne, Rickie and Jordan she had hung out with him countless times. He and Rayanne had shared a "thing", Angela wasn't really sure if they were ever considered to be together… or were just together. But she knew that he had cared about Rayanne, and losing her had hit him hard. Angela also knew that the majority of trouble that Jordan had gotten into, before and after she had met him, was instigated by Tino. He was older than all of them and he always liked to have a good time, sometimes that brought on unpleasant outcomes.
The grabbed the tray of shots that the bar tender had delivered and slid down the bar to where Tino was seated.
"Hey Tino. It's been a while." Rickie patted him on the shoulder.
"Yeah man. Good to see that life is treating you well." He looked over at Angela. "Howdy miss. Ain't seen you 'round these parts in a grip."
"Yeah. I'm just home for a couple days. It feels weird to be back in Three Rivers."
Could I get Sharon and Angela up to the microphone please? You're our next performers. The man in charge of the karaoke bellowed over the speakers.
"Well I guess that's me. Good seeing you Tino."
"Wait! Let's all take a shot before you hop up there." Rickie requested. The three grabbed a glass cheersed and then tipped them back. Angela shook her head and gritted her teeth.
"Here goes nothing."
Sharon was already waiting for her on stage. "What are we singing anyway?" Angela questioned, she regretted walking into this blind. She and Sharon had quite different tastes in music; this could prove to be a disaster. The blue screen in front of them started scrolling and Angela felt a wave of relief come over her. Never by Cake rolled up the screen as the dial tone intro came up. Sharon decided to take the first verse:
I need your arms around me; I need to feel your touch
I need your understanding; I need your love so much.
You tell me that you love so; you tell me that you care
But when I need you baby, you're never there.
On the phone long, long distance always through such strong resistance.
First you say you're too busy; I wonder if you even miss me.
Never there, you're never there.
You're never ever, ever there.
HEY!
Her voice dripped with spite. Angela could tell that this song was meant to travel the airwaves and somehow reach Shane's ears. Sharon had been droning on and on all night how he was such a piece of shit, and that she knew he was out sleeping with whoever he laid eyes on any given night. She was acting like she didn't care, and that she'd moved on, but Angela could tell how hurt she was by his actions. Not being able to go with Shane had torn Sharon apart, and to see him behaving like he cared about nothing more than adding notches to his best post in all of the gossip magazines was giving her an unwanted reason to drink herself into oblivion that night. Angela perked up when she heard that it was getting close to her verse for the song. She sang along with John McCrae, thankfully Cherski and picked a song that she loved and didn't need the prompter's lyrics for assistance.
A golden bird that flies away, a candles fickle flame
To think I held you yesterday, your love was just a game.
You tell me that you love me so, you tell me that you care,
but when I need you baby…
Take the time to get to know me,
If you want me why can't you just show me
We're always on this roller-coaster,
If you want me why can't you get closer?
You're never there… you're never there…
You're never ever, ever there.
HEY!
There was a surprising amount of applause. It turns out that a couple of attractive drunk girls singing along to Cake makes all the guys in a bar happy. Angela and Sharon sprinted over to their seats after the duet. Their faces were red with embarrassment and alcohol.
"Holy shit. That was great. I thought one of you would fall flat on your face." Dani said as she tossed back another round of tequila. "I called the cab service… told them to be here to pick us up in about 45 minutes. So you ladies had better take these shots and catch up to Enrique and me. That lovely little ditty put you both behind a round."
The happy friends at the table all burst into laughter at Danielle's drunken attempt at a Latino pronouncement of Rickie's full name. She rolled her r for what felt like hours. The karaoke conductor was now announcing the next person to take the stage: Can I please get Corey up here? Corey, man where are you?
Angela's eyes widened as she saw familiar face amble up on to the stage. They had graduated together. It had been years since she had saw or thought about Corey Halfrick. She snapped her head around back to Rickie, whose eye line suggested that he was also interested in Corey's presence.
"Earth to Rickie!" Angela yelled across the table and tossed a used lime wedge in his direction.
"What? I'm invested in this new entertainer." He said as he shot a flirtatious smirk her way.
"Well maybe us gals will grab the cab home, and you can stick around here… work your game, or whatever." They all erupted with laughter.
"Oh darling please. Like I haven't already been there, and done that."
"RICKIE!" all three girls shouted in unison.
"What? How many eligible single gay men do you think live in Three Rivers? Give me a break."
"I just can't believe you never told me about it. That's all." Angela was happy that her friend had.. conquered one of his goals from high school, but she wished he can confided in her about her conquest. She would have air high fived him from wherever she was.
"You mean just like you told me about shacking up with Jordan Catalano last month?" he shot back with a little added attitude.
"I.. well.. I was going to… things were hectic… ugh!" Angela tripped over her tongue in frustration. Rickie laughed at her inability to explain herself.
"Don't you worry that pretty little red head of yours; we have a whole car ride back to the Pittsburgh airport tomorrow for you to fill me in on all the details."
The four friends spent the remainder of their night laughing and singing along with the botched attempts of strangers to belt out the radio hits of the past two decades.
AN: So my sister & my best friend & myself have decided to be the ladies from MSCL this Halloween. We've already started thrifting the best costumes possible. And in looking for the best images of Rayanne's outfits in the series I came across a really good article on a random blog. Now, I know there are some serious Rayanne haters out there, but I really love her (How can you not with all of those great one liners? Betrayal - schmeeschmayal. The article itself discusses the importance of Rayanne's character in the series, and Angela's life as a whole. Plus as a bonus it has tons of still images of Rayanne's outfits, along with an in depth discussion of her fashion sense. It's pretty funny to boot. If any of you are interested in reading it, PM me and I'll shoot you the link. - K