38
Cordelia squeezed Buffy's hand as they walked through the mall two days before Christmas. "Thank you *so* much for coming with me while I do all this last-minute shopping."
"No problem. I know what a procrastinator you are," Buffy said. "Besides, I needed a reason to get out of the house."
"Yeah, tell me about it! It's like pulling teeth to get you to go out anywhere these days."
"Sorry," she responded half-heartedly. "I guess there hasn't been too much reason for me to go out lately. It's a lot easier to stay in. With you away at school and Harmony in New York trying her hand at acting, there isn't anybody here for me."
At the beginning of their sophomore year, Cordelia transferred to UCLA to study drama. Buffy, despite her plans to move to Boston, remained at UC Sunnydale, studying photography.
"Are you trying to give me a guilt trip about going away to school? Because frankly, my dear, after a year and a half, it's not going to work."
Buffy smiled. "I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. I had my chance to leave and I didn't. That was my choice and I have to live with it."
"That's not your fault," Cordelia reminded her. "Circumstances beyond your control and all that stuff. It wasn't like you planned on it happening."
"Doesn't make me feel any better. I don't know, maybe I'm getting nostalgic for high school. Life seemed a lot simpler back then."
Cordelia bit her lip. "Right now probably isn't the best time to bring this up, but I thought you'd like to know."
"Know what?" Buffy asked, her curiosity piqued.
"He's back in town."
She didn't reply right away; too many feelings were rushing through her mind at once, too numerous to keep track of. "Oh. Wh-when did he get back?"
"The day before yesterday. I ran into him at the supermarket this morning and said hi. He was there with some girl I've never seen before."
"Probably his girlfriend," Buffy said in a small voice.
"God, Buffy, I'm so sorry. I knew I shouldn't have mentioned it."
"No, it's okay. I need to hear this. There's no chance of me and Angel getting back together. A part of me still thinks it'll happen, though."
"You never know, it could happen. Hell, you could make it happen. All you have to do is tell him. Then there's no way he can walk away from you again."
Buffy shook her head. "I can't. Too much time has passed and he probably wouldn't even care. On top of that, he has a girlfriend."
"You're giving up too easily."
"No, I'm not. I'm being realistic. Look, can we drop it? It's just going to bring me down."
Cordelia raised her eyebrows, but was happy to oblige. The subject of Angel wasn't her favorite one, especially considering what he'd done to her friend. "Whatever you want. It's your life."
"You're right, it *is* my life. Do you mind if we stop at the bookstore? I want to pick up the new Stephen King Book for my dad."
"Not at all."
The two walked in virtual silence to the bookstore on the other end of the mall. Cordelia knew she'd hit a sore spot when she'd mentioned Angel, but didn't want to press it. Her friend had gone through too much in the past two years, Angel Riches being the reason for most of it.
No sooner had they walked into the store when Buffy stopped dead in her tracks. Her friend almost collided with her. "What's wrong? Why did you stop like that?"
"I - that," she answered, pointing to a display.
At first, Cordelia couldn't understand why a book display would cause Buffy to come to a screeching halt. Then she saw it. "Buffy, just keep walking."
"I can't. It's his book. I-I have to."
"No. You don't have to do anything. You said it yourself, he's out of your life. He has a girlfriend. I thought you wanted it over."
"I owe it to Angel to read his book," said Buffy, picking up a copy from the display. "No matter what's happened between us."
Cordelia took it from her, putting it back on the shelf. "You don't owe him anything. He cheated on you, remember? If anything, he owes you."
Buffy read the back of the book after picking it up again. She surmised the premise of her Angel's book. "It's about us. He wrote about us, Cordy."
"You don't know that for a fact."
"'A touching story about finding true love in the last place you'd expect…what happens when the poorest boy in town falls in love with the wealthiest girl?' You can't tell me that doesn't sound a little familiar."
"So what? Why put yourself through the hell of reading it? Buffy, you lived it; you already know how it ends."
Shaking her head, Buffy clutched the book to her chest. "You can't stop me, Cor. This is his side of the story. Maybe I'll be able to find out the reason he left me behind. I need that piece of mind. Don't I deserve that much?" she asked.
With a grimace, Cordelia relented. She knew there was no stopping her best friend when she set her mind on something. "Fine. But don't come crying to me when you read something you don't like."
***
(June 7, 2007)
"My next guest is an award-winning author at the age of twenty-four. His first book, FIRE AND ICE, shot to the number one spot on the New York Times Bestseller List after only three weeks in print. And now, the movie version is set to open on Friday, starring Kirsten Dunst and Joshua Jackson. Please welcome, for the first time on this show, Angel Riches!" Rosie O'Donnell announced.
Smiling shyly, Angel stepped out from behind the wall and approached the talk show host, giving her a friendly hug and a kiss on the cheek. After doing so, he sat down in the guest's chair.
"Angel, can I say something? You are a cutie patootie!" she commented.
He laughed. "Thank you, Rosie. I can't say anybody's ever called me that before."
"I have to tell you, I couldn't put this book down the first time I read it. It's one of my favorites. How old were you when you wrote it?"
"I started it when I was eighteen and finished it three months before my twentieth birthday."
Her eyebrows shot upwards. "You're just a kid! It's so hard to believe that somebody so young can be so talented."
"I got cut a really lucky break. A friend of mine gave it to one of her professors to read, who sent it, in turn, to a literary agent at Pocket Books. It all just snowballed from there."
"I read in your press kit that this book is semi-autobiographical. Is that really true?" Rosie asked. "'Cause it seems like such a far-fetched plot."
Angel nodded. "Most of it is true, with the exception of the ending; that didn't quite happen. The character of Adam is…basically, he's me."
"And Bethany?"
A shadow of sadness washed over his face only for a split-second. "My ex-girlfriend. But names and places were changed to protect the innocent," he said with a laugh. "I didn't want to ruffle any feathers back home."
She picked the book up off her desk, opening it to the third page. "I wanted to mention something before we move on to the movie. The book is dedicated to…may I read the dedication?"
"Sure."
"'To my beloved, my inspiration for everything I do. But fire and ice just aren't meant to be, I guess.' Angel! That had me in tears the first time I read that!" Rosie admonished.
He bit his lip in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. But it's the truth."
She turned her attention to the studio audience and the television viewers. "Everybody, run out there and get this book. It's well-worth it. Our entire studio audience is getting a free copy." After the applause ended, Rosie faced Angel again. "Tell us about the movie."
"Well, if you read the book, it pretty much follows the same pattern. I wrote the screenplay and kept it as true-to-life as possible. Even the cast, I helped in the casting and made sure that the actors remotely resembled the real person. Kirsten Dunst plays Bethany, the rich beauty who falls in love with Adam, played by Joshua Jackson. The movie spans twenty-three years, the progression of their love and the things that tear Bethany and Adam apart."
"I saw the sneak preview Tuesday night and let me tell you, this is such an amazing movie! You didn't tell me you had a small part in it."
"A very small part. I'm a writer, not an actor," stated Angel. "But I play Patrick Aston; he steals Adam's first girlfriend, Kristine. I think I'm onscreen for a total of thirty seconds."
"The movie's rated PG-13, is it not?"
Angel nodded. "Yep. So take your parents, grandparents, some random person on the street…just go see it."
"I know a lot of girls out there are dying to find out if you're married. So am I, for that matter. So, spill. Are you?"
"Not married. In fact, I'm so single, it's pathetic. I haven't had a date in years."
Rosie grinned. "I find that very hard to believe."
"Ask my roommate. My writing keeps me pretty busy. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm not looking for Ms. Right. If she's out there, I'm sure I'll find her."
***
No sooner had Angel opened the door to his Upper West Side apartment when the telephone started ringing. 'Probably Daniel wanting to know when the next book in the "Slayer" series will be finished. God, I hate having writer's block!' thought Angel.
"Hello?" he said when he picked up the receiver.
"Angel, it's Missy."
"Are you calling to make fun of my interview? I sucked, I know that already. I don't need you reminding me of it." It was two o'clock and he knew that the Rosie O'Donnell Show had already aired in Sunnydale.
"That's not why I called. It's…it's Mom," Melissa said with a touch of panic in her voice. "She's in the hospital."
Angel nearly dropped the receiver. "What?"
"I woke up and found her on the floor in the living room. They said she had a heart attack. You have to come home, Angel, as soon as possible. It doesn't look good. The doctors don't think she's going to make it."